Chapter 16

After Huo Xiao left, Lu Ting was completely sleepy.

Thinking of the little fish soup left in the pot, she simply tied on an apron and started kneading the dough.

In fact, neither Li Ting nor Yuan Sheng has ever been a cook.

But even if she hasn’t eaten pork, she has seen pigs run. Plus, she is willing to learn, so now she can cook simple dishes quite well.

Especially when the dough in her hands gradually became smooth and round, Ting Ting felt that she had a talent for cooking.

You know, apart from the previous observation, this was her first time kneading dough.

It’s a pity that my mother-in-law is not at home, otherwise I would definitely praise her a few words.

Thinking of her mother-in-law, when she went to get the rolling pin, she turned back to the bedroom and looked at her watch.

More than half an hour passed, and no one knew where Huo Xiao was.

The snowy night is bright as day.

With his vision unobstructed, Huo Xiao ran almost all the way.

While Ting was wondering where he was, he had actually already arrived at the entrance of Shengli Brigade Village.

The first family at the entrance of the village had a dog, which must have sensed the intruders and started barking wildly.

A few moments later, the sound of a man scolding was heard from the mud and thatched house.

Seeing that everyone was awake, Huo Xiao simply gave up his plan to go door to door. He walked up to the simple fence made of branches and asked in a loud voice: "Fellow villager, may I ask who in your village has a baby today?"

The room was silent for a few seconds, but no one responded.

After another burst of sparse noises, someone opened the window with a flashlight.

After vaguely seeing the person across from him wearing a military uniform, he replied, "Chen Sannian's family is having a baby today. Just walk east and you'll be there in two or three hundred meters."

Huo Xiao: “Thank you.”

"Who is it?" The man's wife asked while urging her husband to close the window, curled up in the quilt.

The man closed the window, put away the precious flashlight, and then lay back in bed: "I didn't see clearly, he looked like a soldier... Hey? Wife, do you think Sanniang can have a son this time? I think Sanniang is in such a bad condition that he has no chance of having a son. He already has six girls. No, one more will make it seven."

Hearing this, the woman, who was just asking casually, was unwilling to respond. She pulled the quilt and turned over: "Who cares if it's a boy or a girl? What does it have to do with us? Go to sleep quickly. We have a lot of work to do tomorrow."

"Hey, you bitch..."

Huo Xiao continued to head east according to the directions provided by his fellow villagers.

But unexpectedly, after walking only fifty meters away, I saw a blurry figure.

Although they were quite far apart, Huo Xiao still recognized it as his mother at first sight.

He was delighted at first, but soon his face darkened and he quickened his pace.

"When will you be home? Are you tired? Are you hungry? Tell me, aren't you tired enough of being on the road for so many days? Why did you come out to pick me up?" Hu Xiu was originally hungry and tired, but her son, whom she had been thinking about for a long time, suddenly appeared in front of her. She no longer felt tired at all, and her heart and eyes were filled with her son.

After a moment, he wiped his tears and said distressedly: "You have lost weight. Didn't you eat well outside?"

"I haven't lost weight. I'm just tall but I don't look fat." Huo Xiao reached out to take the tool bag and put it on his back. He felt that his mother had lost a lot of weight, she looked unrecognizable, and there were some white hairs on her temples.

Thinking that his mother did all this for him, Huo Xiao's lips gradually straightened.

As a soldier, he is worthy of his country, his organization, and his aspirations.

But as a son, husband and father, he felt guilty.

This time, he only understood the content of the mission when he was on his way to carry it out.

It still doesn't reduce the pain he brought to his family.

"Okay, who are you showing your displeasure to? You are a soldier, and it is your duty to defend the country under fire. Mom and Tingting are proud of you... By the way, Tingting! Look at mom's head, have you seen Tingting? What do you think? Mom has good taste!" No one knows a son better than his mother. Hu Xiu saw through his son's guilt at a glance, and just after he had scolded her for a few words, he slapped his forehead again.

Hearing this, Huo Xiao remained silent, but the scene of his first meeting with his wife automatically emerged in his mind.

When she opened the door for him, she must have been asleep, so her long hair was loose.

I just don’t know how she did it. There are curls on her waist-length hair, which looks like a perm, but also not quite.

Huo Xiao, who had never paid much attention to women before, didn't know how to describe it.

I just think my wife's lazy posture is so beautiful.

But he was used to being dull, and he didn't intend to tell anyone about his surprise, so he changed the subject: "Is the baby a boy or a girl?"

This was a rather awkward change of topic, but Hu Xiu did not point it out on purpose. He just felt proud in his heart and then let his son off the hook: "Why is he called Chen Sanni? He's called Chen Yaozu."

As she finished speaking, she recalled the delivery process and frowned, "Forget it, let's just call him Chen Sanni... We did get a boy, but the mother was in poor health. She thought the baby was a concubine and didn't take good care of her. She didn't even give her a bowl of brown sugar water when she gave birth. If I hadn't used some candies and biscuits given by Tingting to cushion her, who knows what would have happened..."

But the loss was so severe that the children born were very weak and it was not easy to raise them these days.

Thinking of the ecstasy and regretful looks on the Chen family's old couple's and Chen Sannian's faces after they found out about the boy, Hu Xiu felt relieved and sighed.

If they had paid a little more attention to pregnant women, the children wouldn't have been so weak.

I just hope that the Chen family can listen to her and let the child breastfeed, so that the mother can at least take the opportunity to nourish her body.

Huo Xiao frowned: "Why didn't the Chen family arrange someone to take you back? It's so late, what if something happens?" This was also the reason why he frowned when he first saw his mother.

It was one in the morning, the temperature was thirty or forty degrees below zero, and my mother had just had a serious illness and was so tired, she might not have had any meal yet.

Thinking of this, Huo Xiao frowned even more tightly: "Have you eaten?"

"I ate it." It was a bowl of sweet potato porridge, all sweet potatoes, without a single grain of rice.

Huo Xiao didn't believe it, so he took out a biscuit from his pocket and handed it to him: "Eat some first to ease your tension."

Hu Xiu was indeed hungry: "Was it also given by Tingting?"

A smile appeared in Huo Xiao's eyes: "She...is worried that I'm hungry."

Hu Xiu...

It’s about two in the morning.

Ruting, who hadn't slept all this time, finally waited for someone to come.

When she felt the bolt move, she quickened her pace.

But still couldn't catch up with someone's speed.

By the time she hurried to the door, it had already been opened.

After looking at each other for a few moments, Rueting turned sideways very naturally.

Huo Xiao stepped forward and walked in, revealing Hu Xiu who was standing behind him.

Seeing that everyone was safe and sound, she was delighted: "Mom, you are finally back!"

Hu Xiu habitually stood at the door to clean her shoes, then took off her thick clothes, scarf, hat, etc., and went into the house: "Why are you still awake?"

Ruting took her mother-in-law's blouse and hung it on the clothes hanger. She turned around and helped her sit on the kang. "I'm not sleepy. I'll just wait for you to come back."

Hu Xiu pounded her legs, which were about to lose feeling, and said with a smile, "How can I not be sleepy? Go to bed quickly."

People's emotions are mutual. These days, my mother-in-law has been concerned about everything, so I naturally did not hesitate to respond: "I'm not in a hurry. At most, I can stay in bed tomorrow morning. But you look a little bad. Let me cook noodles. You can wash your face with the hot water in the teapot and soak your feet. I have put cold water in the foot basin and wash basin. You can just add some hot water... After you finish soaking your feet, it's just in time for noodles."

Having said that, he turned around and picked up the winnowing basket on the table.

Hu Xiu was touched by her daughter-in-law's concern: "Where did you get the noodles?"

Hearing this, Ruting brought the winnowing basket over, lifted the dustproof cloth on it, revealing the neatly cut noodles, and said with some pride: "I rolled it, how do you think it is?"

Hu Xiu really praised: "Wow, it's really good, you can learn it after just one look!"

Having already realized that there was a man in the room, Ruting felt embarrassed to brag any more. She urged him, "Go soak your feet. I'll go cook noodles."

Hu Xiu stood up: "I'll go with you."

Ruting didn't give in: "Aren't you tired?"

After saying that, without giving the other person a chance to speak, he turned around and quickly went to the kitchen.

Huo Xiao, who had been silent all this time, finally hung his military coat on the hanger.

Seeing this, Hu Xiu rolled his eyes at his son and said, "What? You were waiting for Tingting to hang you up just now? We don't have such a rule in our family."

Huo Xiao...

Huo Xiao touched his nose and said, "I'll go help cook the noodles." Then he took a step with his long legs and went out in two or three steps.

He didn't insist on his wife helping him hang up the clothes. He was just attracted by the intimacy between her and his mother. His heart was soft and he subconsciously wanted her to help him hang the clothes as well.

But I didn't expect that the other person didn't even give me a glance.

Huo Xiao finally realized that his wife's concern for him was incomparable to her mother's.

When I thought about how I felt proud and showed off when I gave the biscuits to my mother, I didn't want to stand there and make fun of her anymore.

In the kitchen.

Ruting was preparing to make a fire.

Seeing the tall man push the door open, she stopped what she was doing and looked up at him: "Why are you here?"

Huo Xiao walked straight towards her: "I'll light the fire!"

Ruting was a little surprised, but still said, "Next time? You are tired enough today."

Huo Xiao shook his head: "Not bad."

Seeing that he was unwilling to leave, Ruiting stopped persuading him and simply stood up and gave up her seat.

In my heart, I thought that it would be good to be alone for a while. I couldn't be uncomfortable all the time.

In fact, after encountering the rebels in the commune, for the sake of life safety in the next ten years, Ruiting has been adjusting his mentality.

Since leaving is not the best option, it is necessary to try to manage the marriage.

Of course, the premise is that Huo Xiao is worthy.

Thinking of this, Ruiting used the corner of a spatula to scoop out a small piece of lard from the oil can and threw it into the heated iron pot, and also threw in a few chopped green onions.

After the frying started to smell good, she poured the two eggs that she had mixed beforehand into the pot. After they expanded and formed into attractive egg flowers, she spoke again, "You said last time that the new unit was only four days' drive from home. Where is it exactly?"

"In Tianjing."

"It's a good place. Is it a lateral transfer or a promotion?" It's good in every way except that there is no kang in the winter.

"You've been promoted to a higher level, and are now a full regiment commander." Huo Xiao had been observing his wife's expression imperceptibly. After she heard about Tianjing, she wasn't very happy, but she didn't reject it either. His tense heartstrings slowly relaxed.

It seems that if I wait for two days... ahem... find a time when my wife is in a good mood and then bring up the matter of joining the army, things should go smoothly.

Although the 28-year-old captain has more opportunities to make achievements in this era, he is still excellent enough. Ruiting never hesitates to praise him and said sincerely: "Very good!"

Huo Xiao, who had never been so happy even at a commendation ceremony, pursed his lips and said, "...Thank you."

The noodles were not very complicated. Besides eggs, only some cabbage leaves were added.

When it was served, there was also a small bowl of radish.

I didn't expect that as soon as I picked up a handful of noodles, there was an egg in the bowl.

Ruting turned to look at the man beside her in confusion.

Thinking she minded, Huo Xiao explained, "I haven't started eating yet." The dishes and chopsticks were clean.

But that was not what she meant. She glanced at her mother-in-law who had a teasing expression on her face, her ears began to burn, and she whispered, "There are eggs in my bowl, too."

Huo Xiao buried his head in his food and said, "I don't like eggs."

Who would believe this?

But Li Ting didn't say anything else, but she felt happy in her heart.

It’s not that she is easily moved by trivial matters, but she can tell from Huo Xiao’s attitude that he is also working hard to manage their marriage.

Hu Xiu, who was sitting opposite, saw the interaction between the young couple and couldn't help but feel happy about her good taste again.

Look how well-matched these two kids are!

If I give her a grandson or granddaughter in the future, won’t she be so happy?

Thinking of this, Hu Xiu looked at her daughter-in-law and said, "Guoguo and Miaomiao have been brought to my room." It won't interfere with your love.

You are so fast...Now even the neck of Ruiting has turned red.

Seeing his daughter-in-law was shy, Hu Xiu immediately gave up the idea of ​​teasing her, turned around to look at his son, whose expression remained unchanged but whose ears were red, and said, "Go take a bath before going to bed, kid. By the way, Tingting also made a dress for you, and she even selected the fabric herself. You can try the size after taking a bath."

Tingting: "...cough cough cough."