Seeing the little girl's reluctance, He Chaoyang felt as if his heart was being tightly gripped by a large hand.
He reached out and tidied Chen Shuning's hair, which she hadn't had time to fix, and looked at her with tender eyes, coaxing, "I might be a little busy at first, but I'll finish my work as soon as possible and try to take time off to come see you, okay?"
"Hmm, have you eaten? Wait a moment, I'll go get you something to take back to the army base to eat."
Seeing Chen Shuning about to run away while they were talking, He Chaoyang quickly pulled her back and moved her to a sheltered spot, while he himself stood straight to shield Chen Shuning from the wind.
She said in a tone full of affection, "I've already eaten. I cooked porridge and heated up some buns this morning, but I didn't have time today. Can you make me some roasted chestnuts next time I come?"
Biting her lip, Chen Shuning felt a pang of regret for oversleeping. She knew it was too late to do anything now, even though she had plenty of things readily available in her space.
If her mother and younger brother hadn't come, things would have been better; she could have secretly taken it out for He Chaoyang to take with him. But now, it's all in vain.
Seeing that He Chaoyang hadn't even carried a water bottle, and considering that their brigade was an hour or two away from the 358th Regiment, she hurriedly said, "Brother He, wait a moment, I'll go fill you up with hot water so you can take it with you on the way."
This time, Chen Shuning turned and ran away before she could finish speaking, not giving He Chaoyang a chance to refuse.
Meanwhile, He Chaoyang, seeing that Chen Shuning was only wearing a small cotton-padded jacket, did not stop her, for fear that his little girl would get cold.
Back in the kitchen, Chen Shuning quickly found her kettle, took out a few spoonfuls of malted milk powder from the kitchen cabinet, and the hot water in the thermos was ready.
After rinsing himself, Chen Shuning hurriedly ran out again in front of his mother and younger brother. The whole thing took less than two minutes, and Qin Yalan and Chen Jiandang forgot to chew their buns.
The two had originally intended to give the two young people more time to talk, but seeing that He Chaoyang was about to leave, they both put down their buns and followed him out the door.
Sure enough, He Chaoyang took the kettle and turned to leave, watching Qin Yalan and Chen Jiandang come out.
He Chaoyang stopped in his tracks, put on a smile that was rarely seen on his face, and said, "Auntie, I'll be going now. I'll come to see you again after I'm done with this busy period."
At this moment, Qin Yalan was truly looking at her son-in-law like a mother-in-law, finding him more and more pleasing to the eye. Upon hearing this, she nodded repeatedly and replied, "Okay, okay, come over when you have time, and Auntie will cook you something delicious."
"Look, I said I'd make you pear soup yesterday, but I got busy and didn't get around to it. I'll definitely make it for you next time you come."
Qin Yalan then patted Chen Shuning beside her and said, "Shuning, go see Chaoyang off."
Although Chen Shuning was also reluctant to part with He Chaoyang, after hearing Qin Yalan's words and looking down at the little cotton-padded jacket she was wearing, she looked at Qin Yalan in disbelief and said, "Mom, I feel like He Chaoyang is your real son, and I am the child bride who was bought when I was little."
Hearing her daughter's words, Qin Yalan glared at Chen Shuning in annoyance. Remembering that her son-in-law He Chaoyang was still present, she silently lowered her raised hand and said irritably, "What nonsense are you talking about? Hurry up and send them there. Chaoyang has to get on his way. Things at the military base can't be delayed."
Seeing the little girl, who was usually like a little tiger, become as docile as a kitten in front of her mother-in-law, He Chaoyang couldn't help but find it amusing. He wasn't in a hurry to leave and, with Chen Jiandang, watched the spectacle from the sidelines.
It wasn't until Qin Yalan urged Chen Shuning to see him off again that He Chaoyang finally spoke up, saying, "Auntie, it's quite cold outside right now, and Shuning isn't dressed warmly enough, so don't make her uncomfortable."
I need to be on time for my registration today, so I'll head out now. I'll come see you again in a few days.
Chen Shuning's kitchen stove was right next to the door, so even though she was wearing a padded jacket and standing in the open doorway, the warmth from the stove kept her from getting too cold. She decided to stand there a little longer.
But if it's just going out, that's fine. But if his little girl gets cold because of seeing him off, He Chaoyang will feel sorry for her.
After seeing He Chaoyang off, the three returned to the house. Looking at the large meat buns on the table, Chen Shuning began to miss him again.
For some reason, the two of them had spent little time together in the past, but Chen Shuning never felt this way.
But after the two separated this time, Chen Shuning missed him terribly.
After eating only half a steamed bun and drinking half a bowl of porridge, Chen Shuning couldn't eat anymore. She told her mother that she would eat the remaining half at noon and then put down her chopsticks.
After breakfast, Chen Jiandang, unable to stay indoors, went out to shovel snow. It snowed again last night, though not as heavily as the snow a few days ago, the yard was still full of snow.
Chen Shuning then began to help pack up the things Qin Yalan had brought.
Chen Shuning had no idea how the two of them managed to carry all seven bags, big and small.
Apart from one bag containing changes of clothes for the two of them, the rest of the bags were almost entirely filled with things brought for Chen Shuning.
There were dried fruits and pastries that she loved to eat, as well as a thick cotton coat that Qin Yalan made for her, and raisins and dates that her older sister sent back from the northern border. In addition to these, Qin Yalan also carried a lot of glutinous rice flour and other hard-to-buy grains, saying that she planned to make donkey rolls and such for her when she got here.
Looking at the things her older sister sent, Chen Shuning was instantly reminded of the original owner's memories. She didn't know if she was affected by those memories or if the original owner's remaining will was at work.
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