Chapter 89: Calling for help.
He Susu was stunned for a while when she heard the news, and when she came to her senses she couldn't help but sigh.
When serving in the army, going on missions or small battles, you must be prepared for injuries and even death. This is considered a peaceful time, and the soldiers' lives are slightly safer, but death will occasionally come.
Even so, He Susu had been in the army for so long, but this was the first time she heard the news of a soldier's sacrifice so close to him.
The miserable and sad howl just now seems to still linger in my ears, making people feel heartbroken and sad.
He's mother said the news she had heard: "I heard that the body has been sent back and is being kept at home, waiting for a good day to be buried. Alas, the children of this family are still young, and the pillar of the family has collapsed. I don't know how they will live in the future."
She was really a little shocked. Her third son and son-in-law were both soldiers. They usually said that their monthly allowances were higher than their missions and they would get bonuses, but they always completed their missions with their heads tied to their belts. She had been worried about this before, but when she heard the news and saw the family crying, her worries deepened greatly.
In front of her daughter, she had to hide her sorrow and dared not say anything more.
He Susu sighed, "Alas, no one wants this kind of thing to happen, but it really happened. There's nothing we can do, so we'll just give some money as a gift later."
My family doesn't have much friendship with the fifth family. At most we nod and say hello when we meet, but after all, we live in the same residential area, so just give a little gift to show our gratitude.
He's mother nodded in agreement, thinking that she didn't know what the family would do when the time came and the widow and orphans were left behind.
The mother and grandmother were in a bad mood because of this incident, and Tangyuan seemed to feel their mother and grandmother's emotions as well. They looked left and right with their round eyes, and patted their faces with their hands, as if to comfort them.
He Susu was reluctant to let this emotion affect Tangyuan, so she met his ignorant eyes and smiled as usual: "What's wrong with Tangyuan, do you want to play with mom?"
She took the hand her son extended to her, and held his small hand with her big hand, shaking it gently, playing with him as usual.
Tangyuan tilted his head and felt that it was the same as usual, so he showed a cute smile, shouted "ahhhh", and shook his little hands vigorously.
Mother He watched the amused look, and her grandson's joyful laughter somewhat dispelled the haze of sadness. She put away her bad mood and sat aside to watch for a while before going to the kitchen to make lunch.
When Cheng Shi came back from training at noon, the family had lunch as usual. After lunch, He Susu went back to the room to feed Tang Yuan and coax him to sleep. Just as she put the sleeping Tang Yuan on the bed and covered him with a thin blanket, Cheng Shi came back after washing the dishes.
He Susu finally had time to ask him, "By the way, this morning, the fifth household in the family compound was crying for a long time, saying that Captain Qian had died. The crying made people want to cry. Did you know about this?"
Cheng Shi nodded: "We also received the news from the army this morning. Captain Qian led a small team to carry out a difficult mission. That group of people had guns. In fact, they had successfully achieved the mission target by the end of the execution. One of the new recruits was caught off guard and something went wrong. Unexpectedly, one of them had hidden a gun and fired a shot when he got the chance. Captain Qian was shot and died trying to save him."
In fact, most new recruits don't have the opportunity to go out on missions, but he ranked first in all the assessments after he came to the army. He is very capable. Captain Qian trained him as a key talent. He had taken him on two missions before and his performance was very good. This time, he made an exception and took him with him. Who knew that this time, something went wrong.
The troops knew about this, so they had to punish the new recruit. They also held a reflection meeting, asking them to be more vigilant when on a mission, and to have basic attack and defense capabilities. They might even have special training later. After all, the sacrifice of Captain Qian was heartbreaking and regrettable.
He Susu didn't know what to say for a moment, and then asked a question: "So after Captain Qian's funeral, will his wife and children no longer be able to live in the family compound?"
Cheng Shi nodded: "According to the regulations, it is not possible. The family compound was originally allocated to the families of soldiers stationed in the army to facilitate family reunion and settle the hearts of the soldiers. Now that Captain Qian has passed away, his wife and children can only return to their hometown. However, the army will issue a pension, the amount is not small, and it should be enough for them to settle down temporarily."
He Susu sighed: "With the pension, I hope they can have a better life."
She knew that if there was a chance, Captain Qian's wife and children would definitely prefer Captain Qian to come back rather than receive a large but cold pension.
She said, "Let's take some money to give to the captain's family later."
Cheng Shiying said: "I have the same idea, let's do the same as Zhang Zhengwei's family."
Political Commissar Zhang had a good relationship with Captain Qian's family and they usually dealt with each other. When he came back, he asked Political Commissar Zhang how much money he was going to take. His family also followed, so they would help as much as they could. He reported a number, and He Susu agreed without thinking too much.
Seeing Su Su lower her head after she responded, and she was obviously in a bad mood, Cheng Shi knew what she was worried about, so he sat over and took her into his arms to comfort her: "Captain Qian's story is sad, but it's just an isolated case. Going on a mission is dangerous, I admit that, and since I'm a soldier in the army, I have to obey orders. I can only promise to stay alert at all times, never let myself get hurt, never put myself in danger, and won't make you worry."
He Susu knew that Cheng Shi really liked this military mission, and she couldn't say anything to stop him. She could only hope that he would return safely every time he went on a mission, and stay with her and Tangyuan forever.
She leaned in Cheng Shi's arms and said softly, "I know you, I'm just a little sad this time. I don't want anything else, as long as you can be safe and sound, and don't forget that Tangyuan and I are waiting for you at home."
When Cheng Shi heard this, he tightened his grip on her shoulders and said, "Don't worry, our family will always be together."
After hugging each other for a long time, the couple lay down on either side of Tangyuan and went to sleep.
When He Susu woke up from her nap, the kid next to her was still sleeping soundly. As for Cheng Shi, he had already gone to the army for training. She got up and walked out of the room. When she saw her mother, she greeted her, went to get a glass of water, and then sat on the chair in the living room.
He Susu knew that the incident in the morning had somewhat impacted her mother, who had a son and a son-in-law who were both soldiers. But she was in a bad mood at the time and couldn't think of any good words to comfort her mother. After the heartfelt assurance at noon, she calmed down and thought a lot, so it was a good opportunity to comfort her mother.
So the mother and daughter started chatting in the living room. He Susu opened her heart to the conversation, and since her mother had a natural trust in her daughter, she was soon persuaded and came to terms with it.
She couldn't get over it. Since her third son and son-in-law loved to join the army, she couldn't change them. She could only hope for the best for them.
The family quarters and even the entire family compound were silent for a while because of the sacrifice of Captain Qian. After Captain Qian's funeral was over, his wife and children packed their luggage and returned to their hometown. It was a long time before the bustle returned to the area.
It was already the beginning of August, midsummer was coming to an end, but the autumn wind had not yet arrived, and it was still very hot and humid.
He Susu is in the stage of competing wits and courage with Tangyuan.
The child grows quickly. After he learned to roll over, she had to pile up quilts around the bed even when he was sleeping, to prevent the little one from waking up and rolling over and falling to the ground when she was not in the room.
Normally, she keeps a close eye on the child, but when the child is full of energy, he loves to roll around like a perpetual motion machine, and she feels tired just watching him.
Ever since he learned to sit alone, he doesn't like adults holding him. He wants to sit by himself, reaching out to touch here and there, and will fall down if you're not paying attention.
The child didn't like the adults to control him. When he wanted to play, he would insist on sitting on the ground to play. He Susu had no choice but to prepare a thick and soft mat for him to sit on and play on the ground so that he wouldn't get hurt too badly when he fell down.
Gradually, she realized that one cannot raise a child too meticulously, and that a child raised roughly might be stronger. So she just let him sit on the ground and play by himself, and occasionally lie down and roll around.
Now that it is nine months old, it can crawl, just like a worm growing on the ground. Because its feet are not strong enough, it relies on its hands to grab the ground and crawl, twisting and turning, full of energy. After crawling in the living room, it crawls to the dining area and occasionally crawls into the room.
Mother He smiled and said, "I don't even need to sweep or mop the floor at home, it's all thanks to Tangyuan who cleans it for me with his clothes."
Originally, He's mother was worried about her grandson's new clothes. Children grow up quickly, and their clothes change every day. But the clothes her daughter bought for Tangyuan are basically suitable for each stage, with soft fabrics and beautiful styles, making Tangyuan look even cuter. However, she has to buy three or four new clothes every month, and many of them are outgrown before they are worn out.
Not to mention that Tangyuan now loves to crawl everywhere, and his new clothes would be rubbed all over the ground. Even though her grandson doesn't have to wash his own clothes, as his father will do it, He's mother still feels distressed, fearing that the clothes will be worn out all of a sudden, and she will have to buy new clothes.
It was her daughter who said that she didn't need to worry about the clothes. Tangyuan was just learning to crawl, so she just let him go excitedly. After a while, when Tangyuan didn't find it new anymore, it would be fine. Only then did He's mother reluctantly adjust her attitude.
He Susu smiled and replied: "With his appearance, he can clean our house inside and out every day."
But to be honest, in order to satisfy her grandson's crawling ambition, He's mother swept and mopped the floor early in the morning just to create a cleaner environment for him to play.
Every time Tangyuan finished crawling, his clothes would inevitably still be a little dirty, so He Susu had to change his clothes and then forbid him to continue crawling on the ground. Seeing that he really wanted to crawl, she would limit his activity area to the bed.
He Susu was afraid of him. Now, as long as Tangyuan was awake, he would crawl anywhere by himself if not noticed, and sometimes even the quilts piled around the bed could not stop him.
She watched carefully, and the little guy probably had some sense of danger, so he had not fallen off the bed yet.
This also meant that the energy and time required to take care of Tangyuan increased significantly, and as long as he was awake, he had to be carefully watched. He Susu began to miss the little Tangyuan who could wake up and grin at the mosquito net by himself.
Writing in the room after waking up in the afternoon is a regular schedule, no matter how naughty Tangyuan is or how much he clings to his mother. After leaving him to his mother, He Susu returns to her room, sits at the desk and starts writing.
She is now on her seventh story.
In May, she finished writing the sixth story and took a break for nearly a month before she started to conceive the seventh story again. After setting the story outline, the character of the main character, the beginning, the middle and the end, she wrote 20,000 words and submitted it for publication. It was accepted for serialization and she was again paid six yuan per thousand words.
Except for the beginning of the story which was a little difficult to write, for He Susu, the rest of the story only required her to go over the general plot in her mind and then write it down as soon as she picked up the pen. It was not difficult.
She loves the time she spends alone in her room in the afternoon. This is when her creative energy surges. She pours the plot in her mind into writing smooth and flowing words, which then have the opportunity to be presented to countless readers, bringing them novel stories and a pleasant reading experience. This is something that makes He Susu extremely proud.
This period of time is a time for her to escape from all the joys and sorrows of life and immerse herself in her own wild and imaginative thoughts. It is a rare opportunity to cleanse her soul and mind.
After she finished writing the story manuscript and put it away, she opened the door and heard her mother teasing the child and Tangyuan's childish laughter coming from the living room. It was as if she had suddenly walked from the lonely and cold world of literature into the world of fireworks. He Susu couldn't help but smile and walked out to play with her mother and Tangyuan.
Tangyuan's growth is very smooth. Maybe it is because he is well taken care of that he looks strong. His fair skin makes him look like a lucky doll. He has practiced turning over, sitting alone and crawling very well. Most children learn to stand with support at eleven months old, but he is eager to try when he is just over nine months old.
At first, He Susu found that Tangyuan was a restless child. When he sat in her arms, he always swung his legs and tried to slide down. She thought he wanted to crawl on the ground, so she simply put him on the ground. As a result, the child started howling.
She picked him up and sat back in her arms, but the child tried to slide down again. After several attempts, she barely understood what Tangyuan meant.
"You want to stand?"
He Susu simply supported Tangyuan's armpits with both hands and tentatively put him down until the little guy's feet were on the ground. In fact, the child was barely able to stand only with the support of her hands.
Tangyuan is a bold kid. He actually raised his leg and wanted to step forward. He is a typical example of someone who wants to walk before he can even stand.
He Susu quickly increased the strength in her hands, making it difficult for him to move, and said, "You kid, you really think you can walk just because you can stand, right? It's too early. You are still young and your body is not fully grown. Walking too early will be bad for your future development. Let's take it easy."
Even if Tang Yuan cried, she was not soft-hearted. He Susu planned to keep Tang Yuan under control and not let him do what he wanted, lest he hurt his body and not develop well and have nowhere to cry.
She also told Cheng Shi and his mother about Tangyuan's desire to learn to walk, and emphasized that they must not help him stand or walk.
Although Cheng Shi and He's mother were happy that Tang Yuan wanted to walk at such a young age, they also agreed with He Susu's concerns and agreed. No matter how noisy Tang Yuan was, they would not help him stand.
Poor little Tangyuan, without any help from adults, the best he could do was crawl on the ground.
When he was sitting, he tried to grab the chair or the coffee table leg and tried to stand up by himself, but failed. When he did these things, there was always an adult watching him, which seemed to give Tangyuan courage and a sense of security, allowing him to try these things without restraint.
After observing her son, He Susu felt that he was developing well and it was probably only a matter of time before he learned to walk.
She recalled that when her nephews and nieces were learning to walk, they would basically love to walk on the ground when they reached a certain age. Adults who had time would usually hold the children's hands and help them walk, or let them walk holding on to a table or chair. Once they walked steadily, they would be able to walk.
She always felt that this method was too laborious, so she simply opened the shopping system to check.
After browsing for a while, she finally found a good thing called a baby walker. According to the product details, the baby walker is made of fine wood, with smooth edges and corners, so there is no need to worry about scratching the child's skin. The baby walker has a large round table top with a hollow in the middle to put the child in. There is a hanging mesh inside to support the child. After adjusting to a suitable height, the child can sit or stand after entering. The bottom of the car is surrounded by wooden wheels, which means that the child can slide the car with a kick.
With this baby walker, adults no longer have to use their hands to support their children to practice walking. They can just put their children in the walker and walk, which saves adults the time of watching over them.
The product details also say that when children use this stroller to learn to walk, it can improve the development of their limbs and avoid leg deformation due to improper walking posture.
It takes 12 points of diligence to exchange for such a baby walker. He Susu felt it was worth it and the price was not expensive, so she exchanged it directly and put it in the storage compartment, waiting to find a chance to get it back when she returned to the county town.
She looked again and found another good thing.
The baby dining chair is also made of high-quality wood and is polished to a smooth surface so there is no need to worry about the child getting hurt. It is also a round wooden table with a hole in the middle. The bottom is shaped like a chair for the child to sit on, and the child's legs can be stretched out from the front and hang down.
The child can sit by himself after sitting in this baby dining chair. The design of the high chair allows him to be at the same height as the dining table. If the child is older and can eat by himself, you don’t have to worry about him moving around, falling or sliding away when feeding him in the baby dining chair.
Tangyuan is now able to eat some complementary foods, such as soft rice porridge. Our family often makes steamed egg custard or chops up vegetables and pork and cooks them together with the porridge to feed him. He can also drink some nutritious soups.
He Susu had already weaned him off breast milk, and she would hold him in her arms and feed him one spoonful at a time during meals.
Usually she and her mother took turns feeding Tangyuan, while Cheng Shilai would feed him dinner. This child was not difficult to feed, and he was very greedy for meat. When it was time for dinner, he would sit in the arms of an adult and look at the table full of meat dishes with great excitement. Unfortunately, he could only eat the soft and mushy complementary food specially made for him.
But children sometimes lose their temper or just want to play, and at these times it is very time-consuming to chase them with a spoon to feed them.
After a while, He Susu figured it out. She decided to just finish her meal first and let Tangyuan starve for a while before feeding him. It would be easier to feed him then.
If you have a baby high chair, put Tangyuan in it to sit, saving the trouble of holding him to sit, and it will also be easier to feed him.
Such a baby high chair requires 8 points of diligence, so He Susu directly exchanged it and put it in the storage compartment, waiting to bring it back when she returns to the county town next time.
She walked out of the room and saw Tangyuan sitting in his mother's arms, making a fuss about wanting to slide down and stand up. His mother was holding his little toy to attract Tangyuan's attention, and she hugged him tightly with both hands, barely able to stop the fat boy's tossing and turning.
Mother He breathed a sigh of relief when she saw her daughter: "You finally came out. Tangyuan is really strong. I almost couldn't stop him."
She said this with a smile. Being able to raise a grandson to be so strong and powerful is something many people would envy.
Tangyuan grinned when he saw his mother, completely forgetting that he had just been trying to slide down to the ground.
"We've detained him for almost a month. I'll go to the county town to see if there's anything convenient for him to practice standing and walking, and then I'll let him start practicing." He Susu smiled, knowing that Tangyuan was enduring a lot of hardship.
She held Tangyuan in her arms. Maybe because he hadn't seen his mother for the whole afternoon, Tangyuan now sat obediently beside his mother, babbling happily.
He Susu smiled and touched his little head, then started chatting with her mother.
Tangyuan reached out and touched his mother's long hair, but he didn't dare to pull it hard. After all, he had been spanked several times by his mother for this before.
Although children cannot remember things, they know how to seek benefits and avoid harm. Now they are playing with their hair gently and babbling.
Seeing that his mother ignored him for a long time, Tang Yuan got anxious and said, "Mom!"
He Susu was stunned when she heard her mother talking, and thought she was hallucinating. She lowered her head and asked Tangyuan in surprise: "Tangyuan, what did you just call me?"
Since she knew that the child was about to learn to speak, He Susu would teach him to call "mother" over and over again when she was free, letting him watch her mouth shape and teach him continuously. When Cheng Shi held him, she would teach him to call "father", and when He's mother held him, she would teach him to call "father, mother and grandmother".
During this period, Tangyuan has been taught by his parents and grandmother to practice many words for calling people, but he has always responded with a grin and babbling.
Who knew that he would suddenly cry for his mother.
Tang Yuan looked up at his mother, blinked his clear eyes, grinned and called out again: "Mom."
This shout seemed to have opened some kind of restriction, and he shouted again and again.
"mother!"
"Mother! Mother!"
"Mother! Mother! Mother!"
The clear and tender "mother" hit He Susu's heart, making her want to cry instantly. He Susu tried to smile and agreed: "Hey, Tangyuan, good boy, mother is very happy!"
Tangyuan didn't expect that he would cry after calling "Mom" a few times. He was a little flustered and called "Mom" more and more frequently.
He's mother couldn't help crying as she watched from the side. She knew too well how it felt to see the baby she gave birth to and raised calling her "Mom" for the first time.
She reached out and patted her daughter's shoulder: "Susu, don't cry. It's a happy thing that Tangyuan can call people. She will be able to speak fluently in the future."
"Well, mom, I know. I'm just happy." He Susu said with a smile.
She responded to Tangyuan's calls and kissed his cheek. Tangyuan felt his mother's love and smiled happily.
He's mother couldn't help but hold Tangyuan and tease him: "Tangyuan, call me grandma, or even grandma."
Tang Yuan: "Mom!"
He's mother: "Call her mother-in-law!"
Tang Yuan: "Mom!"
He Susu watched with a smile on her face, feeling that life was infinitely beautiful.
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