Chapter 372 Commander Lou's Speech
New Year's Day.
It's a holiday, so everyone is at home today, and even Lou Heming doesn't have to be on duty at the hospital.
Mao Mao stayed in bed a little longer in the morning. When she got up, everyone except for Lou Dashuai and Lou Fengju, who had already left, was already sitting at the long table. Even Lou Hongjian had put on his tie.
Xia Xiaoxiang looked around: "So many people are going out today?"
"The Marshal is giving a speech, let's go join in the fun. Besides, it's New Year's Day holiday today, the streets are bustling." The second concubine handed over today's newspaper, "Look, the Marshal is mentioned here."
Xia Xiaoxiang took the newspaper. She had been studying for more than half a year and had made some progress. Now she could recognize quite a few characters and could understand the contents by guessing.
There was a small news item in the newspaper mentioning that General Lou was going to give a speech in the square today.
“It’s New Year’s Day holiday today, perfect. After Dad finishes his speech, we’ll take Mao Mao out to play.” Lou Hongjian smiled, his peach blossom eyes sparkling. “I’ve got it all figured out. There are new movies showing today, both at the cinema and the theater.”
Lou Yansui flipped through the book in her hand, not even looking up, and replied, "Third Brother, are you sure you can still snatch Mao Mao after Dad finishes his speech?"
Lou Hongjian choked: "..."
“Ah Sui, I have to say something to you too.” Lou Hongjian pulled the book out of his hand: “You read every day normally, and today is a holiday, why are you still reading? You don’t have that many books in high school…”
Before he could finish speaking, he glanced at the cover, scanned the title, didn't understand it, and looked at it again.
I still don't understand.
"..."
"That's strange," Lou Hongjian muttered to himself. "Although I graduated from high school many years ago, how could I have understood such complex things back then? Was I really that amazing?"
Lou Yansui took her book back from his hand: "Third brother, this is not a high school textbook."
Lou Hongjian immediately breathed a sigh of relief: "I knew it!"
"Ah Sui, your extracurricular reading is getting more and more profound. I can't even understand the titles anymore." Lou Hongjian shook his head: "If I were your classmate, I would be furious."
Lou Yansui said, "You guys are too stupid."
Lou Hongjian: "..."
Lou Hongjian then put some food in his sister's bowl: "Mao Mao, come on, eat more, it'll help your brain."
Mao Mao was busy eating, burying her little face in the bowl and nodding her head, her little tuft of hair on her head trembling as a response.
After the family finished breakfast, they went out to the square together.
Eleven people, so we need to drive several cars.
When the car arrived near the square, a large crowd had already gathered there, mostly people who had come to listen to the speech. Soldiers had also arrived in advance to patrol and check the area to prevent any criminals from sneaking in.
Upon arriving at the pre-booked private room at the hotel, Mao Mao couldn't wait to run to the window, lean on the windowsill, and stand on tiptoe to look outside.
Lou Dashuai reserved the best spot. From this private room, you can see the podium directly in front of you and have a clear view of the speaker.
Before Lou Dashuai arrived, Mao Mao had already picked up the binoculars, squinting one eye and opening the other wide, peering curiously in all directions.
Although the speech hadn't started yet, the audience was already very excited, and she was overwhelmed by the sights.
Seeing her enthusiastic little face, the First Madam couldn't help but say, "Our Mao Mao is really too supportive."
"Absolutely! When Dad goes up to give his speech later, Mao Mao will definitely be the one clapping the loudest."
"Then the commander-in-chief will be very happy. He wanted to show off in front of Mao Mao during this speech!"
Taking advantage of the absence of Commander Lou, everyone burst into cheerful laughter.
Lou Heming pushed open the window and looked outside.
The stage was still empty, but there were already quite a few people below. From a distance, a dense crowd had gathered in the open space below the stage, and even more people were coming from all over Haicheng.
In preparation for today's speech, many soldiers patrolled the area, remaining vigilant, and were even checked when they entered the restaurant.
Lou Heming half-closed the window and turned to the crowd, saying, "There are really a lot of people here today. Has everyone from Haicheng come?"
"I think it's about right. If we hadn't made a reservation in advance, there wouldn't have been anywhere to stand outside."
"I see that there are reporters from several newspapers outside. The commander is really making a splash today."
The First Madam said gently, "Recently, the situation has been turbulent, with chaos outside and the people of Haicheng living in fear and unease. The Marshal is here to give a speech to inspire people, to encourage everyone to unite and fight the enemy together."
At this point, pleasing Mao Mao becomes a secondary benefit.
The first wife patted Mao Mao's head, watching her curiously peer through the binoculars, shaking her head and swaying her little tuft of hair. The first wife peeked out the window; the stage was still empty.
"Mao Mao, what did you see?"
Mao Mao's eyes widened behind the binoculars: "Auntie, there are so many people here!"
"Have you found your father yet?"
"I didn't see Daddy." Mao Mao pointed her binoculars in a certain direction and said with a bright smile, "Mao Mao saw roasted sweet potatoes, sugar figurines, and scallion pancakes."
Not only did people come to listen to the lecture, but vendors also came, setting up stalls outside the square and doing a good job.
The first wife was both amused and exasperated.
Through the binoculars, Mao Mao clearly saw the process of making scallion pancakes.
A dough ball is wrapped with a generous amount of chopped scallions, kneaded, and then flattened with a rolling pin to ensure all the scallions are evenly distributed. Each scallion pancake is fried until golden brown, and when you bite into it, small pieces of crispy dough fall off the edge. Even from a distance, the aroma and sizzling sound seem to travel through binoculars.
Mao Mao's telescope remained there, unmoved for a long time.
Xia Xiaoxiang noticed that she hadn't changed her posture for a long time. Upon closer inspection, she noticed that her lips and eyes were shining as she stared at a certain spot, and she immediately understood everything.
"Mao Mao, before the commander arrives, would you like your mother to go buy some delicious food with you?"
Mao Mao shouted, "Yes!"
She happily climbed down from the chair, ran over and took her mother's hand: "Mother, let's go."
Lou Heming stood up: "How about I go with Mao Mao?"
"I'm going with Mom. Brother, wait for me to come back with some delicious food." Mao Mao waved her little hand at her brother, then turned around and said happily, "Mom, I even saw the cakes you like to eat."
Xia Xiaoxiang: "..." Is it because you like to eat it?
She picked up her handbag and touched Mao Mao's round little belly.
"I'm still full. You can't eat too much later, okay?"
Mao Mao licked her lips: "Mao Mao, have a taste."
"You can only eat a tiny bit, just as big as your mother's finger."
"Can Mao Mao try a few more?"
"..."
The mother and daughter walked out while talking.
As the time for the speech mentioned in the newspaper approached, the crowd outside grew even larger. The patrolling soldiers' gazes lingered on the mother and daughter for a moment before quickly shifting away, cautiously observing the surrounding pedestrians. Passersby also deliberately kept their distance from the soldiers, avoiding them as they walked.
Mao Mao wasn't scared at all. She was used to seeing her father and older brother in military uniforms at home. When she met the soldier's gaze, she gave her uncle a soft, big smile.
Xia Xiaoxiang led her towards the stall: "What do you want to buy? You can decide for yourself."
Mao Mao immediately turned her little head, stood on tiptoe and looked through the long legs: "Mother, I want to eat cakes!"
The two quickly stood in front of the scallion pancake stall.
The scallion pancakes are made to order, but unfortunately, the previous customer had just bought them all, so we'll have to wait a while for the new ones.
After standing in front of the stall for a while, countless aromas from all directions wafted into Mao Mao's nose.
Mao Mao looked around.
What she had seen through the telescope was now all in front of her. In a short while, there were more stalls selling candied hawthorns, layered cakes, and many toy stalls. Not far away, a small clay figurine of Sun Wukong was stuck on a stalk of rice, its fiery eyes meeting Mao Mao's gaze.
Mao Mao was immediately captivated and turned to tug at her mother's hand. Looking up at her with longing eyes, she said, "Mother, I want Sun Wukong too!"
Xia Xiaoxiang readily agreed, "I'll buy them for you. Wait a minute, let's buy the cakes first, one at a time."
The fragrant scallion pancakes have been put into the pan, emitting a strong aroma.
Mao Mao smelled the various scents in the air and waited patiently.
A commotion arose from the surrounding area, as if someone had arrived. Everyone craned their necks to look in a certain direction and saw the roof of the jeep that had entered.
Mao Mao couldn't see the car, but she could hear other people talking: "Is the Commander-in-Chief here?"
Dad's here!
Mao Mao's spirits lifted.
"Mother..."
Xia Xiaoxiang also saw the car. "We'll go back right away after we finish shopping."
They're here today to watch the Generalissimo's speech; they can't miss the most important thing.
Others thought the same thing, and the people who were originally lingering by the stalls began to surge toward the center of the square, eager to hear the speech.
This made Mao Mao extremely anxious.
Dad is here, but we haven't finished buying all of Mao Mao's things yet!
We had to eat scallion pancakes, but we couldn't forget about other delicious foods either. If we bought them one by one, Mao Mao wouldn't be able to listen to her father's speech.
She anxiously looked back, but could only see the tall shadows of the passersby; she couldn't see Lou Dashuai's figure.
Not far away, an old woman selling glutinous rice balls was rolling them in red bean paste.
Mao Mao couldn't wait any longer and let go of her mother's hand: "Mother, I want to go buy some delicious food too."
"Huh?" Xia Xiaoxiang was taking money out of her handbag when she let go and the person disappeared. "Mao Mao, don't run away!"
Mao Mao took a few quick strides and dashed towards the stall, then turned back to point it out to her mother: "Mother, I'm going to buy that... Oh dear!"
Just then, an elderly woman carrying a basket and wearing a headscarf walked by. She didn't notice a short, chubby little boy rushing towards her and bumped right into him.
As if hit by a bullet, the old woman was caught off guard, her legs went numb from the impact, and she lost her balance and swayed to the side.
Rebounded by the force, Mao Mao also landed hard on her bottom.
"oops!"
Fortunately, she was dressed warmly in winter clothes. Her mother had even put two pairs of woolen pants on her that morning in case she got cold, so the fall didn't hurt much. Through the thick clothes, Mao Mao rubbed her bottom and clumsily got up from the ground.
"Auntie, I'm sorry," she apologized obediently.
The older woman across from her sat on the ground, her basket slipping from her hand, staring blankly at the adorable, fair-skinned little baby standing in front of her, seemingly unable to process what was happening.
How can such a small ball have so much strength?
Mao Mao ran over excitedly: "Auntie, let me help you!"
She first lifted the basket on the ground, and under the blue and white floral cloth, a corner of a black tubular object peeked out, gleaming with a cold, sharp light. Before Mao Mao could see it clearly, it was covered back up by the floral cloth.
She looked up blankly and met the old woman's unusually tense face and probing, cold gaze.
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