Chapter 57 Chapter 57 The childhood sweetheart is here

It was already past three in the afternoon when we came out of the movie. The family of three started our return journey. We first took the bus to the pier and bought ferry tickets to board the ship.

This time the return trip was smooth, without any accidents, and we returned to the island smoothly.

Xia Qinqin slept all the way on the boat. She became more energetic after getting off the boat. She didn't want Xia Junshan to hold her, but insisted on getting off and walking by herself. She even ran to the side of the road, pulled out a piece of grass, and waved it around, muttering, "Golden Gulu Stick, my Golden Gulu Stick..."

Meng Yufei looked at her daughter with amusement. She seemed to be engrossed in the movie.

Xia Junshan broke off a half-meter-long branch from the bushes on the side of the road, cut off the burrs on the front and back, handed it to Xia Qinqin, and said with a smile: "Qinqin, Daddy found you a golden hoop stick. This is more powerful than the one you have in your hand."

Xia Qinqin looked at the wooden stick in front of her, her eyes lit up, and she happily took it, "Wow, Dad, this is a real golden stick!"

She held the stick in both hands and played with it happily. Meng Yufei couldn't help but remind her from behind: "Be careful, don't hit yourself."

Xia Qinqin turned around and said with a smile: "No, I learned it from the Great Sage."

Meng Yufei smiled and said, "Then be careful not to hit anyone else."

Xia Qinqin nodded and said, "Yes, my golden gulu stick is to protect everyone, not to beat people."

Xia Junshan smiled and said, "Okay, then let Qinqin lead the way for us."

Xia Qinqin waved the stick in her hand and said seriously: "Okay, Mom and Dad, follow me closely, I will take you home."

As she spoke, she skipped towards her home. She had a good memory and a good sense of direction. She had memorized the way from the pier to her home after only walking there a few times. She led the way in front with great familiarity.

Arriving at the gate of the family compound, Xia Qinqin saw her kindergarten classmates and greeted them with a smile: "Hello, Xiao Ming."

When Yang Yongming heard Xia Qinqin's voice, he was delighted and ran over to say, "Qinqin, what a coincidence, are you going out too?"

Xia Qinqin shook her head and said, "I've already been out today. My parents and I took a boat to watch a movie. We watched Sun Wukong Makes Trouble in Heaven."

"Wow, it's true!" Yang Yongming was envious and asked curiously, "Does it look good?"

"Yeah, it looks great. The Monkey King is amazing!" Xia Qinqin raised the wooden stick in her hand to show him, and said seriously, "Look, this is the Monkey King's golden gulu stick. My father gave it to me."

"Wow, I want it too." Yang Yongming turned around and said to his mother behind him, "Mom! I want to see Sun Wukong, too. I want the Monkey King's Golden Gulu Stick, too!"

The woman who came up from behind patted his head and said, "You want everything."

The woman saw Meng Yufei and Xia Junshan coming over and said with a smile, "Director Meng, you are going to the city today."

Meng Yufei looked at the woman's face and recalled something. She remembered that her name was Liu Qiuju and she had applied for a kindergarten teacher position before.

"Yes, the weather is getting hot. Let's go to the market and buy two electric fans." Meng Yufei said with a smile.

Liu Qiuju said, "You have to buy it. When summer comes here, the temperature is extremely high. We outsiders are not used to it."

The two chatted for a while, and then Liu Qiuju took Yang Yongming away. Who knew that Yang Yongming refused to leave, "I want to watch Qinqin play with the golden gulu stick."

"Aren't you going to the supply and marketing cooperative to buy some candy? If you don't leave, I'll go home." Liu Qiuju said, pulling her son's arm.

Yang Yongming wanted to play with Qinqin and buy some candy at the same time. He was so anxious that he was about to cry. Xia Qinqin said, "Go buy some candy first. We can play together tomorrow after school."

Hearing that there would be fun activities tomorrow, Yang Yongming nodded and said, "Okay, I'll go first. I'll bring you some candy tomorrow."

Xia Qinqin nodded and said, "Well, go ahead."

Liu Qiuju said goodbye to Meng Yufei and her husband again, and walked towards the supply and marketing cooperative with Yang Yongming, who kept looking back every few steps.

Meng Yufei smiled and said to her daughter: "Xiao Ming seems to like playing with Qin Qin very much."

Xia Qinqin nodded and said, "Yes, I am the most popular kid in the kindergarten. Everyone likes to play with me."

Xia Junshan lifted his daughter's braid and said with a smile, "Of course, because our Qinqin is the most beautiful, smartest, and cutest child. No one would dislike you."

Xia Qinqin smiled, looked up at Xia Junshan and said, "Dad is the bravest, most handsome, and most powerful dad!"

He turned around and hugged Meng Yufei's thigh and said, "Mom is the most beautiful, gentlest, best and most wonderful mom!"

Meng Yufei tapped her daughter's forehead with amusement, "I think you are the sweetest kid. Okay, stop bragging here. If you don't go home soon, it will be dark."

Xia Qinqin said with a smile: "Then I'll take you home. I know the way." Then she trotted ahead to lead the way, swinging her golden cudgel in her hand.

The family of three entered the house, and Xia Junshan took out the things he bought today from the bag and piled several pieces of clothes on the sofa.

Xia Junshan said: "I'll wash it later, and it will be ready tomorrow morning."

He took out two more electric fans and placed them on the coffee table in front of the sofa. Xia Qinqin curiously came over to look at the electric fans, pressed the button below, and found that the blades were not turning.

Hey, when I was in the department store, the saleswoman just pressed a button and it turned?

Xia Qinqin touched her head in confusion, and leaned forward with her big eyes to look at the fan blades. Her long eyelashes rubbed against the mesh of the electric fan.

She curiously stretched out her hand and reached through the gap in the iron mesh to touch the blade. In this era, the gaps in the mesh rings outside the electric fan are very large, and the child's hand can easily reach in.

Meng Yufei quickly took her hand out and warned: "Qinqin, don't put your hand in, it's very dangerous, you know!"

Xia Qinqin pointed at the fan and said, "Mom, it's not turning."

Meng Yufei said, "It will only turn when it is powered on. Qinqin, remember what mommy said just now, don't put your hand in!" Then she patted her little hand and said, "It will hit your hand, it will hurt a lot!"

Xia Qinqin shrank her hand and said, "Mom, I don't want it to hit my hand."

Meng Yufei said, "Then don't put your hand into the iron ring like you did just now, okay?"

Xia Qinqin nodded and said, "I understand."

Xia Junshan looked at the mesh ring outside the electric fan and said, "The gap is too big. Tomorrow I will find some wire to make a few more circles around it so that no one can put their hands in it."

Meng Yufei agreed: "This is a good idea, just in case."

Xia Qinqin said to Xia Junshan: "Dad, please turn on the power. I want to see it turn."

Xia Junshan said, "Okay, Dad will show it to you now." He picked up the electric fan and said, "The only socket in our house is in the bedroom, let's go to the bedroom."

When the electric wires were first pulled in, the house was only equipped with sockets in the bedrooms, right in front of the windows, to power the table lamps.

The family of three came to the bedroom. Xia Junshan put the electric fan on Meng Yufei's dressing table, plugged in the power, pressed the button, and a buzzing sound was heard. The blades of the electric fan began to turn, faster and faster, until the shape of the blades could no longer be seen.

"Wow, it's turning!" Xia Qinqin clapped her hands happily. Meng Yufei pulled her back and stopped her from getting close to the fan, fearing that she would put her hand in again without paying attention.

The fan started to turn, and a cool breeze came, blowing the hair of the three people.

Xia Qinqin squinted her eyes and smiled: "It feels so cool~"

Xia Junshan said, "In a few days, the people from the power supply station will come to replace the light bulb for us. We can also ask them to connect a wire to the living room and leave a socket. When we eat in the summer, we can move the fan to the living room."

Meng Yufei nodded and said, "Yes, okay."

After blowing for a while, Meng Yufei turned off the fan. Xia Qinqin pouted and protested: "Mom, why did you turn it off? I haven't blown enough."

Meng Yufei explained: "It's not that hot now. If you stay in the sun for too long, you'll get sick. Then you'll have to take bitter medicine."

"Ah..." Xia Qinqin covered her mouth and shook her head repeatedly, "I don't want to take medicine, it's bitter!"

Xia Junshan smiled and said, "Wait a few days, when the weather gets hot, we can blow it again, and then we won't get sick."

Xia Qinqin said to the electric fan: "Little fan, let me blow you again in a few days."

Xia Junshan unplugged the fan and took the fan from the living room to the small room. The three large boxes sent yesterday were all piled here. Two of the boxes for clothes had already been taken out and sorted. Now they were empty, so it was just right to put the electric fan in without getting dusty.

Meng Yufei opened the closet, took out the mosquito net she had bought earlier, and called to the small room: "Junshan, let's hang up the mosquito net today. I felt like I heard the sound of mosquitoes last night."

Xia Junshan in the small room responded, "Okay, I'll be right there."

When the beds on the island are made and delivered, a bamboo pole is left at the four corners of the bed for hanging mosquito nets. After all, mosquito nets have to be hung here for half a year out of the year.

Xia Junshan was tall, and he just raised his hand to hang the mosquito net on the bamboo pole. Meng Yufei spread the mosquito net outside the bed so that it surrounded the bed.

Xia Qinqin touched the long mosquito net hanging down, picked it up and wrapped it around her head, and shouted through the small holes in the mosquito net: "Mom, can you see me?"

Meng Yufei smiled and said, "Huh? Where did Qinqin go? Why can't I find her?"

Xia Junshan also laughed and said, "Yeah, I didn't see it either. Maybe he went out."

Xia Qinqin covered her mouth and laughed in the mosquito net.

Meng Yufei picked up another mosquito net and said, "He probably went out to play. Let's go to the next room and hang the mosquito net."

Xia Junshan nodded and said, "Okay, let's go."

When Xia Qinqin heard that they were leaving, she immediately took off the mosquito net from her head, trotted over and hugged Meng Yufei's waist, "Qinqin is not going out, not going out! I want to go hang the mosquito net with my parents."

Meng Yufei touched her head and smiled, "Okay, Qinqin, come with us to hang the mosquito net."

After hanging the mosquito net in the second bedroom, Meng Yufei squatted in front of Xia Qinqin and asked tentatively: "Qinqin, do you think this room is good?"

Xia Qinqin nodded and said, "Okay, there is a mosquito net and a table for my paintings."

Meng Yufei said, "Then how about you live in this room from now on?"

Xia Qinqin tilted her head and asked, "Is mom coming to live here too?"

Meng Yufei shook her head. "Mom and Dad are still living in the next room. Is it okay for you to live here alone?"

"No!" Xia Qinqin hugged Meng Yufei's neck, "I want to live with my mother."

Meng Yufei patted her daughter's shoulder and gently advised: "Look, the mosquito net is hung up. It won't be wasted if someone lives here."

Xia Qinqin thought for a while and said, "Let Dad live here, and Mom and I will live in the room next door."

Xia Junshan: “…”

Meng Yufei smiled and said, "When children grow up, they have to live by themselves. Didn't you say that you are already in the senior kindergarten and are a big kid now?"

Xia Qinqin twisted her head in her mother's arms and said coquettishly, "But I want to live with Mommy. I don't want to leave Mommy."

Meng Yufei said: "Okay, let's talk about it in a few days."

The first attempt to persuade them to sleep in separate rooms failed.

After coming out of the small room, Xia Junshan picked up the clothes on the sofa and went to the yard to wash them. Meng Yufei went to the small room to pack the books in the box. The bookcase and desk that had been custom-made were also delivered.

The desk was placed under the window, and the wall next to it was lined with bookcases. Opposite it were three wooden boxes and some miscellaneous items, filling up the small space of the room.

The box was opened, and the book on top was Chairman Mao's Quotations. Meng Yufei took it out and placed it in the middle of the bookshelf. Then below it were Meng Yufei's professional books, many of which were on Meng's father's bookshelf. Meng Yufei had not had time to read them yet, but Meng's father sent them together this time.

Below that were the children's reading materials and picture books sent to Xia Qinqin, as well as a few calligraphy copybooks and a stack of drawing paper.

Xia Qinqin was helping her mother deliver books in the study, and then she ran to the yard to watch her father wash clothes. The windows of the living room were wide open, and the breeze blew through. The wind chimes hanging on the windows jingled, which matched the rhythmic sound of Xia Qinqin's footsteps.

The division commander's jeep drove slowly from the dock to the family compound. When it passed the door of Captain Cao's house, several people sitting and chatting at the door noticed it immediately.

"Isn't this the commander's car? He's working overtime today."

"I guess so. I saw the division commander coming back from outside this morning. He passed by the door of Captain Han's house and talked with Captain Han."

"My husband told me that the island's militia recruitment has come this year, and the chief estimator should be attending a meeting in town."

"Eh? Why do I seem to see a child in the car?"

"Children? The commander's children are here. No, I heard that the youngest of his children has joined the army."

"Could it be that there are new relatives here again? The commander sent a car to pick them up, just like what happened to Captain Xia's family before."

"Who do you think is Captain Xia? Besides, I haven't heard of any family members joining the army recently."

"Could it be that the teacher's relatives are here?"

"It's possible."

…

The jeep drove all the way to the commander's house and stopped. A man in military uniform got out of the car. He was in his early twenties, with two bars and three stars on his shoulders and the rank of lieutenant colonel.

He turned around and said to the car, "We're here, get out." Under the army green hat brim, one could only see his straight nose and clear, strong jawline.

The person in the car did not respond, so he reached out to carry the person down. The person in the car pushed his hand away and got off the car reluctantly.

A little boy jumped out of the car. He was about four or five years old, carrying a large army green messenger bag. He was awkward and refused to look at the person in front of him, turning his head to the side.

Seeing that he had come down obediently, the man in military uniform said nothing and turned to walk into the yard. The little boy held the shoulder strap across his chest tightly with his hands and followed him with his legs wide open.

The driver got out of the car, opened the trunk, took out two leather suitcases and followed behind.

The door was open and Teacher Li was sitting on the sofa in the living room reading a newspaper.

The man in military uniform knocked on the door and said, "Brother Li, I'm here."

Li looked up, saw him, smiled and stood up and said, "Shaohuan, you're here. What are you doing standing at the door? Why don't you go in?"

As he spoke, he saw the boy following behind him, lowered his head and smiled, saying, "This is Yannan, you must have had a hard journey, come in and sit down, uncle will pour you some milk."

Lu Yannan nodded politely and said, "Hello, Uncle Li. Grandpa asked me to bring him to say hello to you."

Commander Li smiled and said, "Okay, okay. Thank you for caring about me, old leader." He pointed to the sofa and said to the man in military uniform, "You guys take a seat first."

Then he turned to the kitchen and brought out a cup of milk and placed it on the tea table. "Our troops ordered milk for the children in the family compound. I asked them yesterday to save some for me in the future. This was brought over this morning. We originally thought that you would be able to arrive on the island in the morning, but who knew you would only arrive in the afternoon."

As he spoke, he sat down on the sofa and held out his hand for them to sit down. Lu Shaohuan saw Teacher Li pick up the kettle on the tea table to pour water, so he quickly took it and poured it himself.

"The train had an accident on the road last night and was delayed for quite some time," Lu Shaohuan explained.

Li said, "It's good that you're here. Yesterday I asked Junshan to come for lunch, but he said he couldn't come because he had to go shopping with his wife and daughter.

That's great. I'll call him over tonight and we can have a good chat."

Lu Shaohuan smiled and said, "Captain Xia also came to the island with you."

Li smiled and said, "He is now the head of the group."

Lu Shaohuan said: "Even if he becomes a military commander in the future, he will always be my company commander in my heart."

Teacher Li nodded at him and said with a smile, "It seems that he left a deep impression on you when he gave you a beating."

Lu Shaohuan smiled and said, "I was ignorant at that time."

Teacher Li saw the little boy sitting next to him with a sullen face, so he asked, "Yannan, why don't you drink milk? This is boiled with sugar, and children like it."

Lu Yannan said, "Thank you, uncle. I don't like sweet things." He spoke in a serious tone.

Lu Shaohuan said: "Brother, don't worry about him, this kid has a very stubborn temper."

Teacher Li said, "How dare you say that others are stubborn? You hid your father from me and came to join the army. You made a lot of trouble here. If it weren't for Junshan who could control you, I would have kicked you out long ago. I think your nephew is much more sensible than you have ever heard."

Lu Shaohuan said: "It's OK if you don't mind him. He will have to trouble you for a while."

Teacher Li raised his hand and said, "What trouble is there? Your father is my old leader and has been very kind to me. I didn't even dislike you back then. Now that such a sensible Yan Nan is here, I'm just worried that my family will be bored without a child."

Lu Shaohuan looked around the living room and asked curiously, "Where is Dr. Huang? Did he go to the hospital to work overtime this weekend?"

Teacher Li nodded and said, "Yes, she is busier than me every day. I guess she will be back soon."

At this time, Xiao Zhao came in with his luggage. Teacher Li said, "Xiao Zhao, go to Captain Xia's house and ask him and his family to come over for dinner in the evening."

"Okay, got it." Xiao Zhao nodded, put down his luggage and went out.

Teacher Li said to Lu Yannan, who had been silent the whole time, "Yannan, Captain Xia's daughter is about your age. There will be a kid coming to play with you later."

Lu Shaohuan picked up the teacup and took a sip of water. He looked at the boy beside him and said, "This child is very arrogant and never likes to play with his peers. He has a stern face all day long. He is so boring."

Teacher Li said, "I remember your elder brother and you two were very naughty when you were little. I don't know how many sticks Mr. Lu broke when he beat you two."

Lu Shaohuan said: "I guess Yannan looks like my sister-in-law. Boys look like their mothers."

Lu Yannan suddenly stood up from the sofa, looked up and said, "Uncle, where is my room? I want to go to my room."

Lu Shaohuan said, "You kid, you didn't want to come here, why are you in such a hurry to find a room now that you're here?"

Teacher Li pointed to the corridor on the left and said, "You will live in the room on the south side. I asked the service staff to clean the room yesterday. The sheets and quilts are all new."

Lu Yannan nudged Lu Shaohuan who was sitting on the sofa, pointed at the suitcase on the ground and said, "Go and take my luggage to the room."

Lu Shaohuan patted his head in amusement, "You kid, I'm your uncle, what do you mean by you, yours!"

Lu Yannan raised his head and said stubbornly: "You are about to leave me here and go away by yourself. You are no longer my uncle."

Lu Shaohuan choked, and muttered after a while: "Your grandpa - my father didn't even kick me out of the house, but you just disown me when it comes to me."

"Hmph, I'll get it myself." Lu Yannan turned around and walked to the suitcase, bending over and dragging the suitcase with difficulty.

Seeing him like this, Lu Shaohuan found it interesting. He sat on the sofa with his legs crossed and said with a smile: "Come on, try harder. How can a boy like you have such little strength?"

Teacher Li slapped him in anger and said, "How can you be an uncle and still bully your nephew?"

Lu Shaohuan said, "I am really wronged. At home, my old man scolds me every day for his eldest grandson, and you are also so partial to me."

"Are you still jealous of your nephew?" Teacher Li pointed at him with a funny finger and urged, "Why don't you go and help?"

"Come on, he is not my nephew, he is a little ancestor." He stood up from the sofa, walked to Lu Yannan in two steps, took the two luggages, lifted them up easily and went to the room.

Lu Yannan followed behind with a wooden face.

—————

Xia Junshan put some soap on the new clothes and rubbed them briefly, then rinsed them with water twice and finished washing. He then dried the clothes and hung them on a rope.

When Xiao Zhao arrived at the gate, he happened to see Xia Junshan hanging clothes. He was a little shocked for a moment. This Captain Xia really was like what everyone said, washing dishes and clothes at home...

Xia Junshan saw Xiao Zhao appear at the gate and said with a smile, "Xiao Zhao, what are you doing here?"

Xiao Zhao immediately said, "Captain Xia, the commander wants you to bring your family to his house for dinner tonight."

Xia Junshan asked, "Has the teacher's guest not arrived yet?"

Xiao Zhao said, "The guest was delayed on the road and just arrived."

Xia Junshan nodded and said, "Okay, go back and tell the division commander, I'll be there soon."

Xiao Zhao saluted and turned away. Xia Junshan hung up the clothes, clapped his hands, went into the house and told Meng Yufei that they were going to have dinner in the evening.

Meng Yufei nodded and said, "I just happened to have a bag of peach cakes at home. I'll get another bag of milk candies and bring them over for dinner tonight."

Xia Junshan said: "Don't be so particular. I used to go to the commander's house for dinner with nothing in my hands."

Meng Yufei rolled her eyes at him and said, "You are here with your family to have dinner, and you still have the nerve to go empty-handed."

Xia Junshan smiled and said, "Okay, I'll listen to you. After all, I have a family now."

The two took out the books from the wooden box and put them on the bookshelf. Meng Yufei looked at the neatly arranged books, her eyes fixed on the titles on the spines.

"What's wrong?" Xia Junshan saw her looking at the bookshelf in silence.

Meng Yufei said, "The books my father sent this time didn't include any foreign books, not even the prose and poetry collections that I usually like to read."

Xia Junshan looked through them and said, "Maybe there are too many books to fit in the box. If you want to read them, we can go to the bookstore in the city and buy them next time."

Meng Yufei shook her head and said, "I have enough books here to read for a while. My father sent me some professional books on economics. I just need to calm down and study hard."

Xia Junshan nodded and said, "Okay, then wait until you finish reading before buying the new book."

At dinner time, the family of three came to the teacher's house.

Doctor Huang also came back. When he saw them coming in, he greeted them with a smile, "You are here. Come in."

Xia Junshan and Meng Yufei greeted with a smile: "Hello, Doctor Huang."

Xia Qinqin raised her head and greeted: "Hello, Aunt Huang, thank you for treating us to dinner."

Doctor Huang bent down and touched Xia Qinqin's face, smiling: "Qinqin, hello, welcome to auntie's house."

The two people who were playing chess on the sofa turned their heads when they heard the sound. Commander Li shouted, "Junshan, look who's here."

Xia Junshan looked over and said in surprise: "Shao Huan! It turns out that the guest the commander was talking about is you!"

Lu Shaohuan stood up and said with a smile: "Xia Lian... No, it's Captain Xia now. It's been a long time since we last met." He nodded to Meng Yufei beside him and said, "Hello, sister-in-law."

She recognized that this was the young soldier who drove their wedding car when they got married. She didn't expect that after not seeing him for a few years, he had been promoted to deputy regimental-level cadre.

In this era, if the groom could ride a bicycle to pick up the bride, he was considered wealthy. Most people just walked, while those who were farther away would use a donkey cart or horse carriage.

The person who can borrow a car is not an ordinary person. I heard that it was Lu Shaohuan who got the car. Although Xia Junshan did not say much about his identity, it is clear that it is not simple.

Meng Yufei smiled slightly and said, "Hello."

He lowered his head and said to Xia Qinqin: "Qinqin, say hello to the teacher uncle and Uncle Lu."

Xia Qinqin nodded obediently and said crisply, "Hello, Master Uncle, Hello, Uncle Lu."

Teacher Li smiled and said, "Qinqin is good."

Lu Shaohuan smiled and praised: "Captain, Qinqin is much prettier than your full moon photo."

Then he patted his nephew who was sitting next to him and said, "Boy, hurry up and say hello."

Lu Yannan stood up, turned around, nodded slightly, and said politely to Xia Junshan and Meng Yufei: "Uncle and aunt, hello."

Lu Shaohuan patted his head again and said, "There is also a younger sister."

Lu Yannan said to Xia Qinqin with a stern face, "Hello."

Xia Qinqin looked at the little boy in front of her and her eyes lit up. This... this little brother is so handsome!

Meng Yufei was also stunned for a moment when she saw the child. He really had a face like a jade and eyes like shooting stars.

He stood there straight, revealing a sense of stubbornness and vigilance. Although his words and actions were very polite, there was indifference and alienation in his eyes.

At such a young age, he has the aura of a superior...