Chapter 26

"Didn't you fall asleep?" Huo Xiao's expression softened.

Ruting felt a little resentful: "I was almost asleep." But she was startled awake again. Thinking of this, she looked at the man sitting beside the bed with some suspicion, wondering if she was hallucinating just now.

Knowing that his wife would not be able to sleep well without an answer, Huo Xiao pulled the quilt over her and wrapped her up, while also giving a positive answer: "Guoguo and Miaomiao are the orphans of my comrades."

It's actually true?!

I don’t know if it was because I was too tired or the news was too explosive, but I felt my head starting to feel dizzy.

Although... although she had discovered before that the twins looked nothing like Huo Xiao, and had even wondered in her heart that the child must have taken after his biological mother, she never expected that they were actually adopted?!

Then... "Were you married before?"

Huo Xiao: "No, there was no one before, and you were the only one on file. But a child can't just appear out of nowhere, so I told the villagers that the child's mother had passed away."

Just to avoid causing unnecessary trouble, the topic of the mother of the dragon-phoenix twins was deliberately downplayed.

I didn't want to spread the rumor, and gradually it evolved into my ex-wife running away.

Although she was extremely sleepy, her mind was still clear: "Is there no one left?"

It's not that she was unwilling to raise twins, she was just curious about the children's family situations.

Huo Xiao was silent for a few moments before he said, "My only close blood relative is my grandfather, but...his circumstances are not good, so it is not convenient for him to take care of the child."

The situation is not good...藺葶 looked at the man with wide eyes: "You mean..."

Huo Xiao nodded, not surprised by his wife's sensitivity. Of course, he didn't want to hide it either: "No one can predict what will happen in the future, but right now, it's really not good for too many people to know about the dragon-phoenix fetus's origin."

Ting Ting also nodded in agreement. After all, at that time, the so-called "five black categories" were not only hated by the people, but even their lives were not guaranteed. Thinking of this, she asked again: "...Did the child's parents really die?"

Not seeing any aversion in his wife's expression, Huo Xiao finally let go of the worry he had been holding: "He's dead. The dragon and phoenix twins are the only bloodline in their family."

He just didn't want to tell his wife the details of how he died, for fear that she would be frightened.

Tingting: "Since you are good friends with Miaomiao and Guoguo's father, wouldn't it be easy to find out?"

Huo Xiao: "Don't worry, not many people know that I'm close to the children's father, and there are people who will investigate and protect me. Brigade Commander Wei and the commander in Chengdu will erase all traces."

It seems that Guoguo and Miaomiao's grandfather has more status than I thought...

For a moment, Li Ting wanted to ask the children about the specific identities of their grandfather and father and mother.

But then I changed my mind and gave up the idea. After all, this catastrophe had just begun. The future was full of uncertainties and no one could predict them. What mattered was to live well in the present.

Thinking of this, she raised her hand and rubbed the man's knitted brows, sighing: "Don't be sad, the dead are gone, people always have to look forward, let's train our children well."

He didn't expect that Tingting would accept it so easily, and her attitude was much better than he expected. Huo Xiao's heart burned, and he couldn't help but hold her hand and kiss her.

Li Ting blushed, and she shrank her hand, but couldn't take it back. She said with some embarrassment, "I want to sleep."

Knowing that she really couldn't bear it any longer, Huo Xiao got up and settled her down. While tucking in the quilt, he also mentioned that he had not explained to Political Commissar Xing that the child was not his biological child.

Ruting was lying in bed, and after thinking for a few seconds, she agreed and said, "This is good for everyone. I'll talk to mom about it tomorrow."

Huo Xiao leaned over and kissed his wife on the face, saying softly, "Go to sleep. I'll talk to you in detail later."

This evening, I was kissed on the forehead and on the fingers, and now he even went so far as to kiss my cheeks.

Although she was very happy that the man had never had a partner before, she was mentally prepared to become a normal couple before coming.

But...it's better to be embarrassed.

Thinking of this, Ruting quickly closed her eyes and buried her face in the quilt again.

The next day.

Ruting was woken up by the wake-up call.

But before I could open my eyes, I heard a man's hoarse voice: "Go back to sleep, I'll bring you breakfast after exercise."

Hence, the half-asleep and half-awake Rueting fell asleep again in a second, not even knowing when Huo Xiao left.

Of course, she had no idea when the other person came back, because when she woke up completely, it was already past ten in the morning.

After more than ten hours of full sleep, Ting felt refreshed but extremely hungry.

He quickly tidied himself, folded the quilt and left the bedroom.

I didn’t see my mother-in-law and the children, but the main room, which was so simple yesterday, had changed a lot and half of the piled-up luggage had been cleared out.

She continued to walk outside and saw her mother-in-law sitting by the well washing clothes.

This is a townhouse and there is no yard.

But there is a pressure well right in front of the townhouse, so water is very convenient.

There was not only the mother-in-law by the well, but also Sister Wen Lan, another woman whom she did not know, who was picking vegetable leaves.

The dragon-phoenix fetus was squatting beside his grandmother, writing and drawing on the ground with a branch.

After seeing his mother, he immediately dropped the branch and rushed towards her.

Guoguo said excitedly: "Mom, you're awake!"

Miaomiao raised her head and stretched out her hands, saying in a dependent tone: "Mom, hug me!"

Rueting bent down and kissed Guoguo first, then picked up the girl.

He exchanged a few words with Wen Lan's wife before looking at the strange woman: "Who is this?"

The woman looked to be about the same age as Tang Wenlan, around thirty years old.

It’s just that Tang Wenlan has a typical oval face with thick eyebrows and big eyes, while the other person has a small face, small nose, small eyes, and is thin and delicate.

Seeing that Li Ting was asking her, she smiled shyly, "Hello, sister-in-law. My name is Ding Feiyan, and my husband is Fang Shuisheng, the deputy chief of staff under Captain Huo."

As he spoke, he seemed to remember something and pointed to the building to the east: "My family lives in the third room on the second floor."

I was so tired when I came here yesterday that I didn’t even notice there were buildings in the family area. I couldn’t help but take a few more glances.

Seeing this, Tang Wenlan thought she wanted to live in the building, so she advised: "Captain Huo came late, the building is full, I think it's good for us to live in the bungalow. Not only will climbing the stairs make your legs tired, but you have to squeeze together when cooking."

Of course, this is absolutely unpleasant to say. Who doesn’t want to live in a luxurious and clean building?

It’s just that there were not enough houses to go around, so when the lot drawing took place, Mr. Xing from her family gave up.

The reputation sounds good and I have also received praise from my superiors.

But there were no real benefits at all.

For this reason, Tang Wenlan privately scolded her husband countless times.

Of course, outside, she still knows the importance of things.

Li Ting didn't care about the building, especially after knowing that everyone had to cook together, she had even less idea.

At that time, they were short of food and clothing, but she and her mother-in-law were willing to eat, which inevitably caused criticism over time.

How nice it would be to just stay behind closed doors like this?

Thinking of this, Ruting said sincerely: "Bungalows are good. I like bungalows."

After hearing this and looking at the other person's face which showed no sign of reluctance, Tang Wenlan muttered to herself that she was not as good as him. Look at him, he is so calm at such a young age.

No wonder she can control a powerful man like Huo Xiao so well. Even her mother-in-law likes her. She could learn from her.

Li Ting didn't know that her sincerity was regarded as a skill by Tang Wenlan. She looked at her mother-in-law and said, "Mom, when did you get up? Didn't you say you would wait for me to clean up together?"

Hu Xiu smiled: "I feel younger as I get older. Besides, my mother can't sit still. How did you sleep?"

Ruiting: "I feel refreshed, but a little hungry."

"Then go and eat. I've got your breakfast warm in the pot. Come, let me hold Miaomiao." As she said this, she wiped her wet hands on her apron and then stood up to pick up the child.

Miaomiao was somewhat reluctant. She turned her head and hugged her mother's neck, but that was not enough. She buried her little face in her mother's neck, pretending to refuse to communicate.

Seeing her like this, and thinking of the little girl's life experience, her heart softened. While stroking her back to comfort her, she said to her mother-in-law who was at a loss whether to laugh or cry, "I guess she is a little scared of the unfamiliar environment. Let me hold her."

These days, Tingting tells stories to the two children every day and teaches them how to paint and do handicrafts. Now, both Miaomiao and Guoguo are very attached to her.

Hu Xiu also felt distressed. Miaomiao was not like Guoguo. The little girl was very smart, but also very sensitive: "Then you hold her. She will be familiar with it after a few days."

The Xiangyang Brigade was covered in ice and snow in March, but the spring breeze in Tianjing had already turned the land green.

Especially today the weather is fine and the temperature might be around 15 degrees.

Ruiting didn't even wear a cotton padded jacket. She said hello to Sister Wenlan and Ding Feiyan, then held her daughter in one hand and started to wash.

However, the little girl was very sensible. Seeing this, she asked to get off the ground, then held her mother's legs and stayed close to her, following her wherever she went.

Tang Wenlan was really jealous: "Girls are still clingy, unlike my boy, who can't be tied down after he turned three."

Ding Feiyan didn't talk much. She just smiled when she heard this, but she didn't agree with it in her heart. She thought that Tang Wenlan said this just to appear more thoughtful and conscious. After all, who doesn't like a boy?

Hu Xiu dried the small clothes in her hands and threw them into the bamboo basket beside her: "If you like it, ask for another one. You are still young."

A great man once said that there is strength in numbers, so these days almost every household has four or five children.

Tang Wenlan had only given birth to two children, so she didn't mind having more, but she was afraid of giving birth to another naughty boy.

After hearing her concerns, Hu Xiu didn't have any good ideas, so he smiled and said, "Men and women are all determined by fate. My little boy was naughty when he was young, but he will be fine when he grows up."

Hearing this, thinking of Captain Huo's cold face, Tang Wenlan said that she really couldn't imagine the other party being naughty.

noon.

Huo Xiao was unable to return home, but he asked his attendant He Xiaojun to deliver food to his home.

The big pot of food in the cafeteria tasted neither good nor bad, after all, it didn't have much oil.

But there was a plate of braised pork which was quite good.

He Xiaojun said that Huo Xiao specially paid money to ask the kitchen staff to prepare it.

Southern dishes tend to be sweet, and Ruiting was worried that her mother-in-law and children wouldn’t be used to them.

I don’t want all three of them to eat with gusto.

But after they finished eating, when the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law squatted to pack the remaining luggage, Hu Xiu still said: "Let's go to the military supply and marketing cooperative tomorrow morning to buy all the seasonings, or we can cook and pay for it ourselves."

Ruting didn't object, and she preferred the northern dishes made by her mother-in-law, such as pickled cabbage and bone sticks, pork blood intestines and vermicelli stew: "Then you have to call me tomorrow morning."

Hu Xiu was already used to her daughter-in-law's love of bed: "Okay, I'll sort it out later and make a list."

Li Ting: "I heard from Sister Lan that the military supply and marketing cooperative doesn't have all the goods. I guess we have to go to the department store in the city to have a look."

The troops are in the southern suburbs, a remote area. The supplies in the supply and marketing cooperative can meet basic living needs, but they are not as comprehensive as those in the department store.

And...Tingting glanced at the girl lying on the table drawing with a pencil, and said, "Miaomiao likes to draw, I want to buy her some colored crayons."

Hu Xiu didn't understand: "You still sell this?"

Tingting: "There should be. Even if there isn't, there should be some in kindergarten."

Speaking of kindergarten, Hu Xiu agreed: "I asked around this morning, and Wen Lan said that children can go to kindergarten at the age of three. It's too late for our child."

Ruiting comforted them: "It's okay. Kindergarten is mainly for playing. I just want Miaomiao and Guoguo to get to know more children of the same age."

Hu Xiu was still a little worried: "It's not the beginning of the school year yet, I don't know if I can join the class?"

Ruting thought it was not that particular, but said, "Let's ask Huo Xiao later."

There was still no fire at night.

Huo Xiao originally planned to take his mother, wife and children to the cafeteria for dinner, but neither of them wanted to be noticed as monkeys, so one of them went to get the food back.

Vegetables and potatoes stewed with tofu, stir-fried green peppers with dried tofu, and a few pieces of braised pork left over from lunch.

While eating, Ting Ting put the braised pork she had reserved for her husband into his bowl and told him that she was planning to send the children to kindergarten: "It's not the right time now, can we join them halfway?"

Huo Xiao used chopsticks to pick apart the lean meat at the front of the braised pork, and then put a portion into the bowls of his mother and wife and children respectively, before replying, "It's okay, I'll tell Mrs. Pang later."

Tingting looked at the lean meat in the bowl and curled her lips. She really couldn't accept fat meat. "Who is Mrs. Pang?"

Huo Xiao swallowed the food in his mouth: "The wife of the brigade political commissar is also the director of the kindergarten."

Although a tank division is a division-level unit, it does not mean that all the more than 10,000 soldiers in the entire division are concentrated together.

They were separated.

For example, the regiment that Huo Xiao is currently in belongs to the Second Brigade.

The camps of the Second and Third Regiments were more than ten kilometers apart.

It's just that this is the headquarters of the Second Brigade, so family institutions, schools, supply and marketing cooperatives and the like are all concentrated in one group.

Moreover, the officers of the Second and Third Regiments basically lived in the barracks and would only come back once a week or even once every half a month.

If the brigade commander wants to hold a meeting, then the officers of the second and third regiments must rush to the first regiment.

Similarly, if the division headquarters held a meeting, Huo Xiao and his team would also have to rush to the superior unit.

Li Ting: "Then I'll go with you to look for Mrs. Pang."

Huo Xiao glanced at the watch on his wrist and said, "Maybe half an hour later. I guess the brigade commander will be having dinner at home by now."

Tingting: "Don't worry, wait until Guoguo and Miaomiao get to know each other better."

Huo Xiao had never raised a child, but he thought what his wife said made sense: "Sister-in-law Pang should invite us to her house for dinner in the next few days. We can ask her then."

Hearing this, Hu Xiu was a little nervous: "Why do we have to go to the brigade commander's house for dinner?"

Before coming, she had already learned from her daughter-in-law what kind of person the brigade commander was. She was scared even to go to the commune secretary's office, let alone a position as high as the brigade commander.

Seeing that her mother-in-law's face had turned pale, Ru Ting hurriedly tried to comfort her: "It's not that they invited our family specially. It should be a custom. For example, if Ding Feiyan came to join the army later than us, then as her husband's superiors, Huo Xiao and I would have to invite her family to dinner. Don't be afraid. We will show up and you can just focus on eating."

After hearing the explanation, Mr. Hu relaxed a little, but he couldn't help but look at his son to confirm: "Is that so?"

Huo Xiao smiled and nodded: "Yes, if you really don't want to go, it's okay. The Brigade Commander and Mrs. Pang won't mind."

Hu Xiu was somewhat tempted by this, but she understood the ways of the world, so she still said, "Go ahead. It's good to gain some experience. You don't usually see such a high-ranking official."

Ruting teased her, "When you write back home, tell your aunt about meeting the brigade commander. I'm sure she'll be so jealous that her eyes will turn red."

Hu Xiu was amused: "Pfft... you are so naughty."

It gets dark later in spring than in winter.

It was already past six o'clock when we finished dinner, and it was still gray outside.

Huo Xiao was responsible for washing the dishes, while Hu Xiu and Lu Ting took the children to wash and dress.

There was a big temperature difference between morning and evening, and since they had already taken a shower during the day, the two of them only washed the face, hands and feet of the dragon-phoenix fetus.

After sending the child and mother-in-law back to the room and turning on the radio, Ruiting went to tidy herself up.

By the way, the troops can use electricity.

This made me want to burst into tears.

God knows how troublesome kerosene lamps are. Not only is the light dim, but you also have to clean it frequently. If you're not careful, your nostrils will be black.

Although the troops would turn off the lights at 10 o'clock, Ruiting was still very satisfied.

After all, people nowadays don’t have mobile phones, computers or televisions to kill time, and they go to bed early.

When thinking about life in Xiangyang Brigade, one can’t help but think of other things.

After rolling around twice on the bed, Ruiting crawled out from under the quilt.

I found a pen and paper and started writing a letter to my family.

In fact, Huo Xiao had already called her safety number during the day.

But she wanted to write to her family in person to tell them the details of her current life, so that at least her parents, brothers and sisters-in-law could feel at ease.

"What are you writing?" Huo Xiao thought his wife had already gone into bed, but when he pushed the back door open he found her lying on the desk, writing something.

Without even turning her head, she said, "Write a letter to my parents."

Huo Xiao walked over to his wife, glanced at the beautiful handwriting on the paper, and put his hands on her shoulders: "I'll write a few words later."

Li Ting raised her head and glanced at him: "You know how to seize opportunities to show off."

Huo Xiao thought that most men tend to push for more, and when he saw his wife smiling, he couldn't help but feel moved.

Then, without saying anything, he bent down, picked the person up, and placed the person on his lap amid the other person's screams.

1. The...

When she came to her senses, her face flushed, and she sat on my thighs and stuff...

Huo Xiao was just doing what he wanted to do, but when he felt the softness on her thigh, his ears felt a little hot and he didn't know where to put his hands.

However, when he saw his wife's face turn red, he was not so embarrassed anymore.

His arms even naturally wrapped around her waist, until he had pulled the stiff girl into his arms, and then he said with satisfaction, "Keep writing."

There is smoke coming out of the top of the 藺葺 head...How do I write this?

Huo Xiao used to be focused on climbing up the career ladder, and since there were few women in the army, he actually didn't care much about personal issues.

Especially after adopting Guoguo and Miaomiao, I am no longer anxious.

But it’s nonsense to say that he has never thought about the appearance and personality of his future partner. He is not a saint.

But no matter what, I never thought that he would be so lucky.

The wife chosen by his mother was everything he liked, from her appearance to her personality.

So, I can't control the urge to hug, kiss, and even...bite from time to time.

For example, at this moment, his wife's small, white earlobe was right in front of him, making him want to take a bite again.

Huo Xiao couldn't explain clearly what was wrong with him, he just loved the girl in his arms so much that he could hardly control his behavior.

But he was worried about scaring people, so in the end, he looked away with difficulty, cleared his throat, and changed the subject: "The day after tomorrow, the army will send a procurement vehicle to the city. You and mom can go shopping with the vehicle. By the way, do you want a sewing machine?"

At this moment, Li Ting had already relaxed in the man's arms. Hearing this, she realized, "My mother and I don't know how to make clothes, so what do we need a sewing machine for?"

But after she finished speaking, she realized something belatedly and looked up at the man.

Then, I was faced with a face that looked like a smile.

She is not a person who likes to laugh, but...she looks pretty good when she laughs: "Ahem...you know?"

Seeing his wife's guilty look, Huo Xiao laughed and said, "Are you talking about the shirt you made for me, but you only sewed two stitches on it?"

Although she didn't tell the lie, she still looked embarrassed: "How did you know?" There was no way her mother-in-law would betray her.

Huo Xiao tapped his wife's nose with amusement: "Not only do I know, my dad knows too, but he has been pretending not to know. He said as long as mom is happy, it's fine."

Not expecting this answer, she was stunned for a moment before saying, "My dad... is quite romantic."

Hearing this, Huo Xiao raised his eyebrows, and seeing that she had completely relaxed, he no longer had the heart to chat with her, and carried her towards the bed.

We are all adults, so how could she not understand what will happen next?

However, even when she was lying on the bed with her lips blocked, she still didn't understand how this man could have no signs at all.

We were just talking about sewing machines!!!

"Tomorrow... I have to get up early tomorrow."

"Well, I called you!"

Is that what she meant? ! ! "Um... turn... turn off the lights!"

With a "click", Huo Xiao pulled the light cord at the head of the bed, and the room fell into complete darkness.

They couldn't see each other, and although the visual sense was instantly magnified countless times, Lu Ting also hid her red body in the darkness.

This helped her regain some face and sense of security.

However, before she could relax for a few seconds, she could hear her soft gasp in the darkness: "Hiss... Why are you biting me?"

"...Feel sorry."

"It's...it's nothing, I'm...I'm sorry...well...you're still biting!"

"Um... sorry, I couldn't help it."

"..." What's the point of just apologizing? Why don't you change...hiss...