Chapter 22 Chapter 22

After a nap, Xia Junshan returned to the army to work, and Meng Yufei took Xia Qinqin to work in the logistics department.

Meng Yufei had almost finished reading the documents in the morning and was ready to start drawing the tables in the afternoon.

All forms these days are hand-drawn, which requires the drawer to be extremely careful, otherwise if you are not careful you will have to start all over again. Not only is it time-consuming, but the paper is also very precious.

Xia Qinqin was also lying on the table next to her, painting her masterpiece.

The warm afternoon sea breeze blew into the room through the window, and the air was filled with a faint floral scent. Xia Qinqin occasionally looked up at her mother beside her. The familiar and gentle silhouette working at the desk was deeply imprinted in her childhood memory.

Xiao Zhang from the office next door finished his work and came over to visit. Meng Yufei had just finished drawing the form. Xiao Zhang took a look and asked curiously, "Sister Meng, are you drawing a form?"

Meng Yufei showed her the form she had just made. "I thought I'd make the form so that in the future, whether it's issuing an invoice or collecting a ticket, I can quickly know how much I should collect. It's clear at a glance."

Xiao Zhang took it and looked at it, nodding his head repeatedly: "Sister Meng, you are amazing. It is much clearer now! Now I don't have to argue when I get the tickets. In the past, when I came to get the tickets every month, I had to waste a lot of time listening to the financial staff and my family members checking the number of tickets."

Meng Yufei smiled and said, "I also learned this from my former unit."

Xiao Zhang said with emotion: "This is a big city, and there are indeed methods and high efficiency in doing things."

Xia Qinqin also finished her work. She held it up and showed it to Meng Yufei, "Mom, I'm done. Look!"

Meng Yufei and Xiao Zhang turned their heads to look, and Xiao Zhang smiled and said, "Qinqin, what are you drawing?"

Xia Qinqin pointed at the painting and introduced it: "This is our new home, Aunt Zhang, look, my family has a big yard, there are many flowers here, there is a faucet, in the back is our house, there is a dining area, there are sofas..."

Xiao Zhang listened to her introduction, looked at the painting carefully, and nodded, "You know what, it's really like the original. The painting is really like the original, Qinqin, you have a natural talent for painting."

Xia Qinqin puffed out her chest proudly when she heard the last compliment. Thinking of her grandfather's words about being humble, she raised her lips and pretended to be calm, "It's not bad. There are still many areas where my painting needs improvement."

Xiao Zhang couldn't help but touch her face. "Why are you so cute? Come home with your aunt for a few days. There are so many delicious foods at my house."

Xia Qinqin shook her head and said seriously, "No, children can't just go to other people's homes to play. But Auntie, you can come to our house to play."

"Okay, then I'll come to your house when I'm free." Xiao Zhang smiled and pinched her face again, stuffing her with a handful of coconut candy, "You're so good, so I'll reward you with candy."

Xia Qinqin glanced at her mother and saw her nod. She happily took the candy and said, "Thank you, Auntie~"

Meng Yufei glanced at her watch. It was already half past four. She asked, "Xiao Zhang, can we get off work earlier on Saturday afternoon?"

Xiao Zhang slapped his forehead and said, "Look at my memory. I came here just to remind you. You can get off work at 4:30 this afternoon."

At this point, she also raised her hand and glanced at her watch. "It's time to get off work. Let's pack up and go home."

Meng Yufei said: "We are going to catch the sea later, will you come with us?"

Xiao Zhang waved his hands and said, "I won't go. Every time I go to the beach, my feet are covered with sand. It's very annoying."

Xiao Zhang has been on the island for several years and the novelty of going to sea is long gone.

Meng Yufei tidied up her desk, and together with Xia Qinqin, she carefully folded her painting and put it in her bag, then locked the door and left work.

After arriving home, Meng Yufei took out the straw hat she bought last time, and found two scarves, hung them on the hat and tied them around her chin. The scarves on both sides could shield her face from the sea breeze and sunlight.

On the day they arrived on the island, Meng Yufei saw many local residents doing the same thing, except they used towels. Last time, she tried it on Xia Qinqin, and the effect was pretty good.

Thinking that she would go to pick up seafood later, Meng Yufei went to the kitchen and got a wooden barrel. This was what she bought when she went to the supply and marketing cooperative that day. She had never used it before, but it finally came in handy today.

Xia Qinqin, wearing a straw hat, followed Meng Yufei curiously and asked, "Mom, when are we leaving?"

Meng Yufei said: "We will set out when Dad comes back."

Xia Qinqin said, "Okay, then I'll go to the door to pick up Dad." Then she ran out.

Meng Yufei shouted, "You can't leave the hospital, understand?"

Xia Qinqin replied: "I understand."

She lay at the gate of the yard, staring at the road her father was coming back from.

Today, Xia Junshan rushed home as soon as he got off work. His hurried steps caused people to talk quietly about him.

"Why is Captain Xia so anxious today? Is there something wrong at home?"

"Our team leader Xia has changed in the past few days. He leaves the office and rushes home as soon as he gets off work. In the past, he wanted to live in the office."

"You don't know yet, but Captain Xia's family is here."

"Oh, I was thinking, this Old Xia, tsk tsk tsk."

"Hey, I heard that our Captain Xia has a nickname, 'Henpecked'!"

"No way, that's Captain Xia!"

…

Without even knowing what his comrades were talking about at the moment, Xia Junshan trotted back home and saw the little head lying at the gate of his yard from afar. After seeing him, he shouted in surprise: "Dad, you're back!"

Xia Junshan was so moved by the shout that he quickly responded loudly, "Hey, Dad is back."

He quickened his pace and walked over to pick up his daughter. When he saw the hat on her head, he smiled and said, "Is this the hat your mother made for you?"

"Yeah, Mom said I should wear this hat when I go to the beach." She touched the hat on her head and asked, "Dad, does this look good on me?"

"She's beautiful. Our Qinqin is the most beautiful child."

Xia Qinqin smiled with satisfaction and curled her eyes.

Meng Yufei heard the sound coming from the yard, came out carrying a wooden bucket, and asked, "Junshan, do you have a shovel at home? I can't find it."

Xia Junshan shook his head and said, "I don't have that, but I have something else."

He put Xia Qinqin down from his arms, walked to the corner of the yard, picked up the hoe lying on the ground, and said with a smile: "Using this is much faster than using a small shovel."

Meng Yufei looked at him standing there with one hand on the hoe, nodded and said with a smile: "Then the physical work today will be handed over to you, Qinqin and I will just follow behind you to pick up the groats."

Xia Junshan picked up the hoe, walked over, picked up the wooden barrel and said, "Okay, today the three of us will fill this barrel up before we come back."

After closing the gate, the family of three walked towards the beach.

Xia Junshan was walking on the left with a hoe in one hand and a wooden bucket in the other. Meng Yufei was walking side by side with him on the right. Xia Qinqin was jumping happily in the middle of the two.

After leaving the family compound, we met many local people walking towards the beach. Most of them were carrying fishing nets and bamboo baskets, as well as pliers, hooks and shovels. They were fully equipped.

People like them who carry hoes and wooden barrels are obviously amateurs.

When we arrived at the beach, the sun began to slowly sink, the sky was dyed with twilight, and was reflected on the sparkling sea. The golden waves seemed to be leaping on the sea, and the white seagulls soared in the sky as if dancing with the waves, magnificent and beautiful.

Meng Yufei couldn't help but sigh: "This scene is really in line with the saying, 'The setting sun and the lone wild goose fly together, and the autumn water and the sky are the same color.' Wang Bo's sentence describing the river surface, I didn't expect it to be just as appropriate to describe the sea surface here. I'm really lucky to see this magnificent scenery of the sea and sky being one color."

Xia Junshan looked at her and smiled, "I still remember when I accompanied the division commander and Political Commissar Yu to see the sea, Political Commissar Yu also recited this sentence. I wrote it down specially at that time, thinking that I would show it to you when I have the chance to bring you to see the sea."

Meng Yufei smiled and said, "Then just pretend I didn't say anything. Show it again."

Xia Junshan smiled and said, "Forget it. It's enough for our family to have one educated person. In the future, you will demonstrate the cultural level of our family, and I will demonstrate it in other aspects." As he spoke, he looked at her with deep eyes, with a smile in his eyes.

Meng Yufei patted him and pointed behind him, saying, "Look at your daughter! She's almost run into the sea!"

It turned out that when they were just talking, Xia Qinqin, attracted by the waves, was already running on the beach with her legs stretched out.

Xia Junshan dropped the hoe and the barrel, took two quick steps to catch up with his daughter, and picked her up.

Xia Qinqin pointed to the sea ahead in her father's arms and said coquettishly: "Dad, I want to play with water and birds!"

Xia Junshan held her and walked back, "Then you have to ask mom if she agrees. Dad can't make the decision."

Xia Qinqin was smart enough to know that her mother would definitely not agree, so she twisted and turned in Xia Junshan's arms, struggling to get out, "No, no! I want to get out!"

Xia Junshan had no choice but to put her down. As expected, Xia Qinqin turned around and tried to run as soon as she got off the ground. Xia Junshan grabbed her arm in time and coaxed her in a low voice: "Qinqin, can we go with mom?"

Xia Qinqin pouted, and Xia Junshan urged her again: "Look, Mom is left behind alone, why don't we go pick her up?"

Hearing this, Xia Qinqin nodded reluctantly and said, "Okay, go pick up mom."

Xia Junshan breathed a sigh of relief. This villain was really hard to appease now that he was angry.

The father and daughter returned to Meng Yufei, and Meng Yufei said to Xia Qinqin, "Qinqin, you are not allowed to leave your parents, understand? Children cannot go play in the water alone."

Xia Qinqin pointed to the local children who were happily playing in the water at the beach in the distance and asked, "How can those children go there to play?"

Meng Yufei said: "Their parents have approved them to play. If you want to go, you also need your parents' approval."

Xia Qinqin turned around and asked Xia Junshan, "Dad, do you allow me to go and play?"

Xia Junshan spread his hands and said, "Dad listens to Mom. If Mom approves, I will approve."

Xia Qinqin turned around and glanced at her mother's face again. She was very tactful and didn't ask her mother. She lowered her head and said sadly: "Well, Qinqin won't go to play in the water."

Seeing his daughter like this, Xia Junshan couldn't bear it and said, "How about this, I'll hold Qinqin and play with her for a while, and I promise not to let go, okay?"

After saying that, the father and daughter looked at Meng Yufei expectantly.

Meng Yufei said with a smile: "It's like I'm some bad guy. I can only play for ten minutes. The sea water is cold at night. Be careful not to catch a cold."

Xia Qinqin jumped up happily and said, "Thank you, Mom~" She walked forward and took her mother's hand and said, "Mom, let's go together."

Xia Junshan picked up his daughter in one hand and held his wife in the other, and walked towards the beach. "Let's go, let's go play in the water together."

Meng Yufei said hurriedly: "The hoe and the barrel haven't been taken yet."

Xia Junshan said indifferently: "It's okay, I'll come back and get it later."

The sea water in the evening still carried a little bit of heat from the sunlight. When it reached the calves, it was not as cool as I had imagined, but instead had a slight warmth.

The constantly surging waves gently hit the sea surface. Xia Junshan gently put Xia Qinqin down. The sea water suddenly rushed onto her body, and then Xia Qinqin's cheerful laughter came to his ears.

Xia Junshan and Meng Yufei stood on either side of Xia Qinqin, smiling as they watched her splashing in the water. Seeing how much she enjoyed playing in the water, Xia Junshan whispered, "Why don't I teach her how to swim when I have the chance in the future."

Meng Yufei shook her head and said, "Forget it. She's still so young. If you teach her to swim, she'll want to run into the sea every day. Let's wait until she's older."

Xia Junshan nodded and said, "You are right, let's talk about it later."

Xia Qinqin happily slapped the sea surface and pointed at the seagull flying not far away and said, "Dad, I want to play with the little bird."

Xia Junshan said helplessly: "Dad can't catch them."

Meng Yufei said: "They have to go home to their mother at night and can't play with you."

Xia Qinqin said, "So they want to go home too." She opened her arms and shouted to the seagulls in the distance, "Little birds, go home soon. We can play together next time."

After shouting, she continued to play in the water with her head down. When the waves came towards her, she reached out to grab them, but her palms were empty. When the next wave came towards her, she reached out to grab them again.

She never gets tired of playing such little games.

The sun quickly sank toward the sea, leaving half of it hidden among the clouds. The sea water suddenly became cold. Meng Yufei and Xia Junshan took Xia Qinqin, who was still reluctant to leave the sea.

"Let's go pick up some shells. You want to make wind chimes, right?"

Xia Junshan diverted her attention, and sure enough, after hearing this, Xia Qinqin hurriedly asked, "Dad, where is the shell?"

Xia Junshan took her to the beach nearby, squatted down, picked up a shell, patted the sand on it and said, "Look, there are so many shells here."

"Wow~ It's really the same as the one at Sister Lili's house, so beautiful." Xia Qinqin looked at the shells on the beach, stretched out her little hands to pick them up, and said as she picked them up: "There are so many, there are shells here."

Xia Junshan stood up and said to Meng Yufei, "You guys pick them up here. I'll go get the hoe and the wooden barrel. There are crabs and clams under the rocks here. Use the hoe to dig faster."

"Okay, you go ahead, I'll look after her." Meng Yufei nodded.

Xia Qinqin's hands were soon filled with shells. She piled them on the ground and used her free hands to continue picking up shells. When her hands were full, she picked them up and piled them together.

Meng Yufei also squatted down and picked up shells with her daughter. The shells here were of rich colors, including white, pink, light blue... After wiping off the sand on the shells, you can see the little lights on the shells through the afterglow of the setting sun.

When Xia Junshan returned, the mother and daughter had already picked up a small pile.

"We've already picked up so many shells, let's pick up some crabs."

He put down the barrel and lifted a stone. A crab came out and tried to escape in panic. Xia Junshan quickly grabbed it and put it in the barrel.

"Wow, we caught one so quickly!" Meng Yufei said in surprise.

Xia Junshan said: "There are many here."

As he spoke, he dug a hole in the hole. He dug it again and found a long protrusion. Xia Junshan pulled it out and said, "This is a razor clam."

Meng Yufei saw the long strips of crabs wriggling behind the shells like worms, and shook her head repeatedly, saying, "Let's catch some crabs!"

Xia Junshan smiled and threw away the clams in his hand and said, "Okay, let's catch crabs. These are easy to catch."

Most crabs hide in the cracks of stones and can be seen by lifting the stones. Some will drill into the small holes underneath. Xia Junshan then picked up a hoe and scooped up both the sand and the crabs.

Meng Yufei followed behind with a bucket in hand, picking up the fruits, and said with a smile, "You have dug out its entire home."

Xia Junshan laughed and said, "I have directly cut off their rear, leaving them with nowhere to escape."

After Xia Qinqin had picked up enough shells, she followed suit to pick up crabs. When she saw the crabs waving their pliers, she reached out to grab them, but Meng Yufei quickly stopped her hand and said,

"You see these pliers? They can pinch your hands."

Xia Junshan picked up a small crab, broke its claws, and handed it to her, saying, "It won't pinch you now. Have fun."

Xia Qinqin looked at the little crab in her palm, reached out and touched it, and sure enough, it didn't pinch her. She asked curiously, "Dad, this crab doesn't have the claws anymore, will it feel pain?"

Xia Junshan was speechless for a moment: "...Uh, it shouldn't hurt."

Xia Qinqin was obviously a little unconvinced, and turned to ask Meng Yufei, "Mom, do you think it will hurt?"

Meng Yufei said: "Well... Mommy doesn't know either. But if you want to play with it, you can only pull out its clamp. Daddy does this to protect you, for fear that your hand will be pinched and hurt."

Xia Qinqin said, "Then I won't play with it." Then she threw the little crab into the bucket.

Then he raised his head and said to Xia Junshan: "Dad, I don't want to play with these little crabs anymore, so please stop pulling out their claws, okay?"

Xia Junshan nodded and said, "Okay, Dad will listen to Qinqin and not pull out the pliers."

Xia Qinqin said happily: "Thank you, Dad~"

As the sun sets, a family of three is busy picking crabs on the golden beach. Soon they have filled half a bucket.

Meng Yufei felt the wind in the air start to get colder, and said, "Junshan, the wind is a little cold. Let's go back. If it continues, we will catch a cold."

Xia Junshan stopped lifting the stone, nodded, picked up the barrel and said, "Okay, let's go back. Today's harvest is enough."

Xia Qinqin hadn't played enough, so she squatted on the ground and refused to get up. "Mom, please grab a little more, our bucket isn't full yet."

Meng Yufei refused: "No, we should go back."

Xia Junshan comforted his daughter, saying, "Let's go catch them next time. Dad will promise to give you a big bucket full of them, okay?"

Xia Qinqin nodded and said, "Okay."

She suddenly remembered that her shells were still there, so she ran over and pointed at the pile of shells and said, "Dad, can you help me take the shells back?"

Xia Junshan came over with a bucket and put all the shells into the bucket, saying, "Okay, let's go home."