At this time, everyone doesn't have much snacks. They are very happy to have candy and snacks during the Chinese New Year. Usually, their mothers have to count the number of snacks they eat.

Such a delicious cake, and such a big one, is for the children like Cen Huaian. They can eat as

much as they want. Hu Pandeng and his friends really feel super happy. The big cake was eaten by all the children. Even the cream under the plate with the cake was eaten by several children.

After eating the cake, there were delicious meals, some of which were things that Hu Pandeng and his children had never seen before.

Garlic fish slices, cumin lamb, sweet and sour pork tenderloin, potato slices fried meat, and lamb stewed with cabbage.

All the dishes didn't have chili in early summer, but they tasted very good. There were red date flowers on the steamed buns. These children ate them all up voraciously.

In front of Cen Huaian was a bowl of noodles. There were not many side dishes on the noodles. The soup was milky white, with only a poached egg, and the words "Happy Birthday" carved with carrots, and sprinkled with chopped green onions.

"This is longevity noodles." Chu Xia smiled and said to Cen Huaian, "You have to eat the noodles in one breath, and you can't stop eating in the middle, which means longevity."

Cen Huaian had never eaten longevity noodles before.

He looked at the noodles in the bowl, not knowing what to say, his heart was full, and he couldn't express this feeling in words.

"Mom." Cen Huaian couldn't help but turn around and hug Chu Xia's waist, rubbing against her. He liked today's birthday so much!

Chu Xia patted his back gently: "I'm here."

Cen Huaian only held him for a while, and under the gazes of the children, he sat down with red ears and lowered his head to eat noodles.

Because he had to finish it in one breath, he ate very carefully and didn't eat any of it in his mouth.

Of course, although Chu Xia made a noodle, it was not particularly long. If you are full of a bowl of noodles, how can you eat vegetables? There are so many delicious vegetables.

Cen Huaian ate the noodles cleanly. When he ate the carrots, he felt distressed while eating, because his mother's carefully made words were about to be eaten.

Cen Huaian thought that this bowl of noodles was as delicious as cake, and better than all the noodles he had eaten before!

After eating the noodles, Cen Huaian ate the vegetables with big mouthfuls like other children, and he ate very happily.

Hu Pandeng ate so much that he felt like he couldn't eat anymore, but he still took another bite of cumin lamb and drank some sweet soup, and said innocently, "Aunt, I wish you were my mother, so I could eat such delicious food every day."

Before Chuxia could say anything, Cen Huaian immediately swallowed the meat in his mouth, grabbed Chuxia's hand, stared at Hu Pandeng and said, "She is my mother! Don't think about it!"

Hu Pandeng sighed with regret and looked at Cen Huaian very sincerely, "So An'an, you are so happy." His little look made people want to laugh.

Cen Huaian nodded, "I know." His little face looked flat, as if there was nothing to be proud of about what Hu Pandeng said, but Chuxia had already seen his tail rising.

She and Jiang Shengnan looked at each other, couldn't help laughing, and raised her hand to rub Cen Huaian's head.

In the end, the food on the table was eaten up by everyone, and there was nothing left except the soup.

Hu Pandeng and several other children leaned back in their chairs, their bellies were all bulging, and they were all full.

They rubbed their bellies, regretting that they didn't eat enough and couldn't eat more.

Only Cen Huaian and Xiaohe were still sitting upright.

Anan was because Chuxia had told him every day before that he shouldn't eat too much, and it was best to eat until he was 80% full, and no more than 90% full at most.

He was reminded so many times that this eating habit formed a physical memory, and he would stop when he reached a certain amount of food.

Xiaohe was a person of a quiet and restrained character, and more mature than Hu Pandeng and the others.

After the meal, Cen Huaian and his father cleared the dishes, which surprised the group of children again.

"An An, can you wash dishes?"

"My mother never lets me do this. She says boys don't do housework."

Cen Huaian said, "Why don't boys do it? My mother says men and women are equal. As long as we are a family, we have to do it. Mom and grandma are so tired from cooking, so of course grandpa and I should do the dishes."

Hu Pandeng thought what An An said made sense, "I think you are right. But my mother doesn't let me do it because I always break the dishes."

He tilted his head and laughed, "Hehe, every time I go to wash the dishes, I break several bowls. My mother doesn't allow me to get close to the bowls and scolds me for ruining things."

The child who just spoke was still struggling in his mind, wondering whether his mother was right or An An was right.

But Xiao He had already gone to help clean up, and Hu Pandeng also went over, but was pushed out by Cen Huaian, who said with a vigilant look: "Don't come over here, what if you break my bowl?" "

I want to help too!" Hu Pandeng said anxiously: "Good friends should work together!"

Cen Huaian pointed to the broom by the door: "Then you go and sweep the floor."

The other children hesitated, but seeing how happy Cen Huaian and Hu Pandeng were working, they stopped thinking and hurried to work together.

"An An, I'll help you carry the plates." "I'll

carry this bowl. "

"I'll take the chopsticks."

When they arrived in the kitchen, Cen's father washed the dishes by himself and didn't let Cen Huaian and the others touch them.

"You guys go out and play, I can do the rest by myself."

An An didn't leave, she brushed with him, and the other children didn't leave either, and as they were brushing, they started playing with water.

If it weren't for Mr. Cen's scary cold face, who knows how long it would take to wash these dishes.

In the afternoon, Jiang Shengnan and Mr. Cen went to work, and Cen Huaian sat on the sofa to open the gifts. Hu Pandeng and the others gathered around him, watching him unblinking, their eyes full of curiosity.

Cen Huaian opened Chu Xia's gift first. She prepared a new set of Go for him, which he had always wanted, but he was reluctant to let his mother buy it because it was too expensive.

When Chu Xia took him to the stationery counter in the department store, he couldn't take his eyes off the chess pieces.

Cen Huaian is currently using cheap glass chess pieces, which are also smooth to the touch, but people who love Go can't help but want better chess pieces.

Chu Xia saw his thoughts and bought them secretly, waiting to give them to him on his birthday. Sure enough,

Cen Huaian was very surprised, and couldn't let go of the chess pieces after touching them, and even wanted to take the chess pieces to play a game with others right away.

He played with the chess pieces for so long that Hu Pandeng couldn't help but urge him to open a present quickly.

Especially since it was such a big present from Cen Huaian's father, what was inside? The children were so curious.

Cen Huaian finally put away the chess pieces reluctantly and opened the big present. When his mother gave it to him, it was too big for him to hold.

He opened the outer paper box and found a big rocket model inside. It was the one that Cen Huaian saw in Cen Zhengnian's room during the Chinese New Year in early summer.

"Wow!" Hu Pandeng and several other children also recognized it. They all widened their eyes and were particularly envious of Cen Huaian.

When all the children saw this model at the time, it was their favorite one because it was so big and perfect, just like the real thing.

Hu Pandeng couldn't help but touch the model: "An'an, this is the one in uncle's room!"

"An'an, this model will be yours from now on?"

"I wish I had such a model."

Cen Huaian couldn't believe that his father gave him his beloved model. He knew the story of how this rocket was made. His father spent a lot of effort and time to make it.

"Mom, did Dad really give it to me?"

"Yes." Chu Xia sat next to him and nodded with a smile on her face: "The gift your father gave you, of course it is yours."

Cen Huaian couldn't help but curl up his mouth, feeling very happy. He liked all the gifts his parents gave him!

He then opened the gifts from Jiang Shengnan and Cen's father. The gifts they gave were what they thought An'an could use.

Jiang Shengnan gave him a pair of small leather boots, which were lined with velvet. They were warm and looked very handsome.

Cen's father gave him a book of chess manuals. Cen Huaian flipped it open and saw that it was full of chess manuals that had been handed down from the past. It was very precious. He couldn't bear to put the book down after seeing the first chess manual.

It was Chuxia who reminded him to send the gift back to his room first and read it later. Now he should have a good time with Hu Pandeng and others who helped him celebrate his birthday.

Hu Pandeng and others helped Cen Huaian send the gift to his room and put it away. Cen Huaian took the chess pieces that Chuxia gave him and sat in the living room with Xiaohe.

Xiaohe had never learned Go, so the two of them could only play Gobang.

Xiao He held the black chess piece and pursed his lips to look at Cen Huaian: "I will beat you this time!"

Cen Huaian looked at him and said: "I will not lose." They

were obviously two children, but the atmosphere between them suddenly became tense.

Chu Xia did not participate in the children's play. She put candies, snacks and water on the table, and took the physics test paper back to her room to do it, leaving the living room for them to play.

Although she did not see the chess game, Chu Xia still knew that Cen Huaian won in the end.

Because the sun was about to set, when Chu Xia and Cen Huaian sent a few children home, Xiao He said to Cen Huaian with a face that was unwilling to admit defeat: "An An, I also want to learn Go, and I will beat you with Go in the future!"

He was not discouraged by the consecutive losses, but was aroused to have a stronger desire to win.

Cen Huaian said with full confidence: "I won't give you a chance to beat me."

The two looked at each other for a while, and Xiaohe was dragged away by Hu Pandeng: "What's so good about chess? My head hurts so much thinking about it. I really don't understand you two. Xiaohe, hurry home and eat. I'm starving."

Chuxia looked at the children with different styles, and the smile on her mouth instantly rose even bigger.

Waiting for the figures of the children to go away, Chuxia and Anan closed the door and went into the house. As soon as they walked into the living room, they heard the phone in the study ringing.

Jiang Shengnan ran out of the kitchen to answer the phone. In a few seconds, she shouted in the study: "Chuxia! Anan! It's Zhengnian calling, looking for you."

Chuxia had never been to the study at home, and he didn't go in when Cen Zhengnian was there.

Because this is Mr. Cen's study, he often works there at night, and some documents and conversations are confidential.

Although Jiang Shengnan, Mr. Cen, and Cen Zhengnian have never told her that she cannot enter, Chu Xia knows her limits and does not want to know anything about the internal affairs of the army.

Cen Huaian was also restricted by her from entering his grandfather's study or touching his things. Of course, if Mr. Cen is not working, he can go to his study to do homework and play chess with his grandfather.

Mr. Cen still prefers his grandson to be close.

Therefore, this is Chu Xia's first time in the study. The furnishings inside are very similar to Mr. Cen, hard and with the atmosphere of the army.

She didn't look at it much, just staring at the phone on the table and took the microphone from Jiang Shengnan.

"Hello?"

After more than ten days, Cen Zhengnian finally heard his wife's familiar voice, and the expression on his face softened.

"Chuxia, it's me."

Cen Zhengnian remembered that today was Cen Huaian's birthday. He was busy all day and only took time out in the evening to call home.

"I know." Chuxia frowned when she heard Cen Zhengnian's tired voice: "How long have you not rested?"

Cen Zhengnian rubbed his eyebrows, sat on the chair, and closed his eyes. Since he came to the base, he has not had a good rest and has been busy.

"I'm fine." He also comforted Chuxia with a smile, telling her not to worry.

The protagonist today is Cen Huaian, so Chuxia didn't say much to Cen Zhengnian. She just asked about his situation at the base, and then gave the phone to An An who had been standing next to him.

"Dad."

Cen Zhengnian couldn't help but raise his lips when he heard his son's voice, and said softly, "Happy birthday, An'an."

Cen Huaian exuded a very happy aura: "Dad, I like the model you gave me!" I

don't know what the other party said, but Cen Huaian smiled a little and looked happier.

Chuxia and Jiang Shengnan quietly walked out of the study to let Cen Huaian have a good talk with his father.

As soon as they came out, Jiang Shengnan sighed, looked back at the study and said, "Chuxia, you've worked hard. Zhengnian is not a good husband and father."

Cen Zhengnian's job is like this. For the country, there must be certain sacrifices. He has great love, but he is not fair to his wife and children.

It's not just him, and it's not just the Tiangong base. The country has a lot of confidential scientific research work, and many scientific researchers are in the same situation as Cen Zhengnian.

They have sacrificed a lot in obscurity. Everyone only sees the scientific research results reported in the newspapers, celebrating the motherland becoming stronger and stronger. Few people know the stories behind these results and how much people have paid.

Chuxia pursed her lips and smiled, "Mom, we are a family."

Since we have become a family, we should support and understand each other. Otherwise, what can she do? She can't strongly ask Cen Zhengnian to leave the base.

Moreover, she and An'an are used to Cen Zhengnian's departure. They have their own studies and lives, and they can live happily without Cen Zhengnian.

Although they will miss him, they will not always be immersed in this emotion.

Jiang Shengnan was very moved when she heard Chuxia's words, and she wanted to give her the best of the family.

Cen Huaian talked to Cen Zhengnian on the phone for a while, and he called "Mom" in the study.

Chuxia went in again. Cen Huaian handed her the phone and said, "Mom, Dad wants to see you."

"Chuxia, I have something to discuss with you." Cen Zhengnian's tone was rarely hesitant.

Chuxia: "What is it? Tell me."

Cen Zhengnian was about to speak when Chuxia heard Yu Tian's voice calling him loudly on the phone.

"Zhengnian! The data is wrong. We have tried several times but still have errors. Come over and see where the data is wrong?"

Chuxia hurriedly said, "Go and do something first. Tell me about what you want to discuss later."

"Okay."

Yu Tian came over at this time, saying that the data problem was more urgent and he really had to go over and check it out.

I'll tell Chuxia about that matter after the problem is solved.

The next day was the Lantern Festival. There was no lantern festival in the army, but they still celebrated the Lantern Festival.

Chuxia learned from Jiang Shengnan that there would be glutinous rice balls in the army cafeteria at noon today. Of course, Jiang Shengnan and Chuxia also bought glutinous rice balls in advance. In addition to glutinous rice balls, there were also wrapped dumplings.

Jiang Shengnan got up early in the morning to cook glutinous rice balls and dumplings. There were also sounds of firecrackers outside, so Chuxia also woke up early.

When she came out of the room yawning, she saw Jiang Shengnan and Mr. Cen sitting downstairs eating breakfast.

Before she went down, Cen Huaian came out rubbing his eyes: "Mom, it's so noisy outside."

Jiang Shengnan and Cen's father looked up when they heard the noise. When they saw the two of them, she immediately smiled and said: "The rice is cooked and it's in the pot. Go wash up and I'll serve you."

Before Chuxia could say anything, she got up and went to the kitchen.

The filling in the glutinous rice balls is made of lard, white sugar and black sesame. It is fragrant and sweet. You have to be very careful when you take a bite, otherwise you will be burned by the filling inside.

Before Chuxia told Cen Huaian to take small bites, he had already taken a bite of the glutinous rice balls, and the filling immediately flowed out, and he spit the glutinous rice balls in his mouth into the spoon.

"Did your mouth get burned?" Chuxia and Jiang Shengnan quickly put down their bowls to check Cen Huaian's mouth.

He shook his head to avoid their hands: "No."

Chuxia saw that his face was wrinkled from the burn, but he still said no. She ignored him and forced his mouth open to check. After making sure that he was not burned, she said: "Don't be impatient when eating glutinous rice balls. Don't take such big bites. The filling inside is very hot."

Cen Huaian now knew.

Glutinous rice balls are delicious. The sweet glutinous rice balls are very suitable for Cen Huaian's taste. Chuxia will feel sick after eating a few glutinous rice balls, but Cen Huaian doesn't feel that way at all. If Chuxia didn't allow him to keep eating, he would eat a lot.

Although glutinous rice balls are delicious, they are made of glutinous rice flour. It is not easy to digest if you eat too much.

The Lantern Festival would be incomplete without lanterns. Chuxia can't make beautiful lanterns, but she can make small orange lanterns.

Who hasn't read "Little Orange Lantern" by Bing Xin when they were in school? After reading it, they would make small orange lanterns with their classmates using the oranges they had eaten.

Chuxia has also done this, and the method of making small orange lanterns is also simple.

"An'an, mom will teach you how to make a beautiful small lantern, so you can carry it out to play at night."

Cen Huaian's mind immediately emerged with all kinds of beautiful red lanterns he had seen. There would be beautiful paintings on the lanterns. During the festival, it was especially beautiful to carry them at night, and some lanterns could even rotate.

He looked at Chuxia with bright eyes: "Mom, what tools should we prepare? Do we need paper?"

"No." Chuxia waved her hand, took the orange on the table, and peeled the skin into four pieces with a small knife. She ate most of it and stuffed two pieces into Cen Huaian's mouth.

"Are the oranges sweet?"

Cen Huaian nodded, still thinking about how to make lanterns in his mind: "Sweet, when are we going to make lanterns?" Chuxia

looked at the orange peel in her hand that had been eaten and said: "I'm making it now, go to the needle and thread basket on the table and get me your grandma's needle and thread."

Cen Huaian looked at Chuxia, not understanding what kind of lantern she was making and why she needed needle and thread?

But An An believed that his mother would not lie to him, so he ran to the long table in the middle, which was more than one meter high, and took the needle and thread to Chu Xia.

Chu Xia put the two sides of the orange peel together, sewed them together, tied a knot, cut a candle about one centimeter long and put it in the middle, and lit the candle with a match.

She looked around and didn't see a suitable stick, so she folded a thin strip on the broom handle, waved the small orange lamp in front of Cen Huaian, raised her eyebrows and smiled, "Look, isn't this a lantern? Small orange lamp!"

Cen Huaian's eyes widened: This is the lantern that his mother taught him to make, it looks quite interesting.

Although it is very simple.

"Mom, I want to make one too."

Chu Xia handed him the needle and thread: "Be careful, don't prick your hand."

"Yes!" Cen Huaian was confident. He would not prick his hand with such a simple little orange light.

Just as he thought so, he poked the needle and his other hand did not avoid it. He was pricked by the needle and a small drop of blood came out.

It didn't hurt much, but Cen Huaian felt ashamed when he looked at the small drop of blood.

He was about to shake it off when Chu Xia started laughing. She pinched his pricked finger and said, "You were so confident just now, how come you got pricked in your hand with the first needle?"

"Mom!" Cen Huaian called her awkwardly and pulled his hand back hard, "I was just careless. I won't get pricked again."

Chu Xia smiled and shook her head, let go of his hand, got up to get the red medicine, applied it on the eye of the needle and said, "Fortunately, this needle is not thick, it will heal soon."

Cen Huaian continued to sew small orange lamps. In less than a few minutes, he made a small orange lamp exactly like Chuxia's.

Small orange lamps are addictive. Cen Huaian is like this now. He keeps eating oranges and has made seven or eight in a row. He still wants to get more oranges, but Chuxia holds his hand.

"Okay, eating too many oranges will make you get angry. And you make so many small orange lamps. There are not so many people in our family. Who will use them?"

Cen Huaian thought for a while and said, "I can give them to Hu Pandeng, Xiaohe and others."

Chuxia stopped him, but she didn't allow him to eat too many oranges. She helped him eat them. He used orange peels to make them and stopped when he had enough.

There was a table full of small orange lamps on the table. Cen Huaian was particularly looking forward to it. He was waiting for the evening to show his friends the lamps he made.

At noon, they continued to eat glutinous rice dumplings. When Jiang Shengnan came back and saw the orange lamps on the table, her eyes widened: "What is this?"

Cen Huaian: "Little orange lamps, I made them."

Jiang Shengnan had read Bing Xin's "Little Orange Lamp" and immediately remembered it. She pointed at the little orange lamp and asked: "Is it the little orange lamp in "Little Orange Lamp" written by Bing Xin?"

Cen Huaian had not read this article and did not understand what Jiang Shengnan was talking about. What do you mean? He blinked and looked at her: "Who is Bing Xin?"

Chu Xia: "A very famous writer who wrote many famous articles. You are still young and have not read them."

As she spoke, she looked up at Jiang Shengnan, smiled and nodded and said, "Mom, it's the little orange light."

Jiang Shengnan immediately smiled and said, "You are quite interested. You did a good job!"

She gave Cen Huaian a thumbs up.

Cen Huaian, however, was interested in the article "Little Orange Lamp" that grandma was talking about. He held Chuxia's arm and looked up at her: "Mom, tell me the story of "Little Orange Lamp"."

Chuxia had read this article before and still had a general impression in her mind, but she was also afraid that she remembered the details wrong. She rubbed Cen Huaian's head and said: "Wait a minute, I'll ask your grandma if there is this article in the book at home, let's read it together."

"Yes, it was bought years ago." Jiang Shengnan found the book and turned to the article for Chuxia.

Chuxia hugged Cen Huaian, and the two sat on the sofa to read. There were words that Cen Huaian didn't recognize, so Chuxia taught him.

The article was not long, and they read very slowly. When Jiang Shengnan finished cooking, they had finished reading.

After reading the story, Cen Huaian became very silent. Chuxia could feel his depression and discomfort.

She touched his head and asked him, "An'an, what do you think of?"

Chuxia waited for a long time before she heard Cen Huaian's voice muffled, "Mom, I used to be the same as that little girl."

Dad is not at home, Mom is in poor health, and can't eat. But the little girl can take care of her mother by herself. Her mother loves her, but her mother's favorite people before are her grandmother and uncle.

Chuxia knew that Cen Huaian was thinking of the past.

The little girl's father in the story of "Little Orange Lantern" participated in the revolution and disappeared, and the little girl's mother was seriously ill and lying in bed. She took care of her mother stubbornly and was very optimistic.

Many people who read this story draw strength from it and believe that light will surely come.

But Cen Huaian was so young that he couldn't read the deeper meaning contained in it. He could only see what the story said.

Chu Xia hugged Cen Huaian, rubbed his head and said, "The past is in the past. Now you see, Mom's illness is slowly getting better, Dad, Grandpa and Grandma love you so much, the past days will never come back."

She didn't know how to comfort Cen Huaian, she felt that her language was very poor at this time.

She knew that the past injuries would definitely leave scars, and these scars can only fade slowly, but there will always be traces.

Cen Huaian hugged Chu Xia for a while, and he was sure that his mother was warm and loved him now, and his mood slowly got better.

Jiang Shengnan came out of the kitchen with a bowl in her hand and said happily, "The dumplings and glutinous rice balls are ready, Chuxia and An'an, come and eat!"

Cen Huaian quickly let go of Chuxia and got up from her arms. He didn't want his grandmother to know that he was so fragile after reading the story.

Jiang Shengnan looked at the two of them in confusion, always feeling that the atmosphere was a little wrong, but couldn't tell what it was.

"It just so happens that I'm hungry, and you cooked it just in time, mom."

Chuxia stood up and walked towards the dining table. Jiang Shengnan's attention was immediately diverted, and she pushed a bowl in Chuxia's direction: "I know you like dumplings more, this bowl has more dumplings. An'an, the bowl with more glutinous rice balls is yours!"

Chuxia: "Thank you, mom!"

Cen Huaian: "Thank you, grandma." His face no longer showed how uncomfortable he was just now.

The setting sun slowly fell down. Cen Huaian lay by the window and looked at the sky outside, waiting for the sun to set and it to be completely dark so that he could go out to play with his small orange lantern.

Chuxia sat on the sofa, watching his small figure almost merge into the window, and couldn't help but say, "An'an! No matter how much you look at it, you have to wait until after dinner before going out."

"Mom, can't we eat earlier?" Cen Huaian turned his head and asked her.

Chuxia: "We have to wait for grandpa and grandma to come back and eat together."

Cen Huaian didn't say anything.

In the evening, Cen's father came back and brought Cen Huaian a beautiful round red lantern. He specially asked Xiao Liu to go out and buy it for An'an.

"An'an, do you like it?"

"I like it!" An'an was very happy, holding the red lantern in one hand and the small orange lantern in the other.

After finally finishing their meal and waiting until it was dark, they heard the sound of fireworks outside, and Chu Xia pulled Cen Huaian out to watch.

Jiang Shengnan and Cen's father also came out, and the four of them looked up at the completely dark night sky, with a round bright moon hanging above it.

The fireworks bloomed in the night sky like gorgeous flowers, colorful and shining, very beautiful.

Cen Huaian stared with wide eyes, and he was still not satisfied until a wave of fireworks ended.

In addition to the occasional sound of fireworks, there were also various sounds of children playing and firecrackers in the family yard.

Cen Huaian had already run home to take out his small orange lantern, and the red lantern was temporarily left at home.

He walked out and said, "Mom, I'm going to find Hu Pandeng and Xiaohe!"

Chuxia waved her hands casually, gathered her clothes, and went into the house to continue doing two sets of questions. Jiang Shengnan and Cen's father also came back, but both of them went into the study.

It was so cold outside that Chuxia didn't want to go out. She didn't know how a child like Cen Huaian could be so fearless of the cold. But children are indeed very energetic.

She listened to the fireworks outside and immersed herself in the questions. She felt a great sense of accomplishment as she solved the math problems one by one.

Cen Huaian was holding a lantern and had gathered with Hu Pandeng and the others.

Hu Pandeng and Xiaohe were all holding the same red lantern that Cen's father had bought, but the patterns on it were different. They were

big and round, with red tassels hanging under them. When held at night, the lanterns would emit a fiery red light, reflecting the paintings on them.

The children thought they looked very beautiful, and they showed off their lanterns one by one, saying what the paintings on their lanterns were.

Everyone's painting was different. Hu Pandeng's lantern had a fat red carp on it, the lantern by the river had a big lotus, and the lantern that Cen's father bought for Cen Huaian had a golden-red flying dragon painted on it.

When Hu Pandeng and the others saw the small lantern that Cen Huaian was carrying, they all laughed at the same time: "An'an, your lantern is too small."

"Yeah, why don't you get a big lantern like we have."

"Can you see the road with a small lantern?"

There was no malice in these laughs, but Cen Huaian didn't feel comfortable listening to them.

He pointed at his little orange lantern, pursed his lips, looked at them and said, "You don't understand, this is not an ordinary lantern, it's the little orange lantern in Bing Xin's story!"

Hu Pandeng and Xiaohe opened their eyes wide, showing curiosity: "What little orange lantern in Bing Xin's story?"

Cen Huaian had memorized the story completely, and told them "Little Orange Lantern" because he felt that the little girl had similar experiences to him and told it with emotion.

After listening to the story, Hu Pandeng felt depressed: "I often don't see my father for a long time."

Xiaohe lowered his head silently: "Me too."

The other children followed suit, saying that their fathers might go on missions at any time, and there were many days when they couldn't see their fathers.

Hu Pandeng's mood was low, and even the lantern didn't want to show off.

At this time, Cen Huaian held up the small orange lamp and said, "Do you want the small orange lamp?"

He felt that the small orange lamp meant something different to him. The warmest thing in the story was this small orange lamp. His mother was like this small orange lamp, which made him no longer afraid of the past.

"Yes!" Hu Pandeng was the first to say, "The small orange lamp is better than my lantern."

He couldn't tell why it was better, but he just felt that the small orange lamp was different. It was not like his lantern, which could be bought anywhere.

Xiaohe: "I want one too."

The other children also said they wanted one, and Cen Huaian took them back to his home.

Seeing the row of small orange lamps on the table in front of the sofa, Hu Pandeng and the others were surprised.

"Wow! So many little orange lanterns!"

"The little orange lanterns in Bing Xin's story!"

"They look so beautiful!"

Cen Huaian raised his chin slightly and said, "I made these and gave them to you."

The children were even happier and rushed over to grab the little orange lanterns. In fact, every little orange lantern was the same, at most some were bigger and some were smaller.

But these children thought the ones they picked were better looking, and even two people fought for one, almost breaking the little orange lanterns apart.

In the end, everyone carried a little orange lantern to show off in the family yard. When they saw other children, they would say, "Look! This is the little orange lantern in Bing Xin's story!"

The other children didn't understand this, but after listening to Cen Huaian and the others' story, they began to envy them and wanted a little orange lantern too.

When they heard Hu Pandeng and his friends boasting, "Our little orange lanterns were all given by An'an, he's so amazing!"

The other children immediately looked at Cen Huaian: "An'an, do you still have little orange lanterns at home?"

Cen Huaian shook his head honestly: "No."

The more these children looked at their lanterns, the less they liked them. They ran home to find their parents and asked them if they knew how to make little orange lanterns.

Some parents knew and made them for their own children. Some parents didn't even learn how to make little orange lanterns in Bing Xin's stories, so they waved their hands in annoyance: "What little orange lantern? I don't know!"

Others didn't know but spoiled their children, asked every family, and finally got the recipe for the little orange lantern.

The whole family compound was full of small orange lanterns on the night of the Lantern Festival, and the children began to show off their small orange lanterns.

One said that the thread I used was red, and the other said that my candles looked better. Anyway, their own was the best.

Of course, the brightest kid in the compound was Cen Huaian, who was the first to bring out the small orange lantern, and perfectly brought a new trend in the family compound.

Jiang Shengnan and Cen's father did not stay in the study for too long. They were used to going to bed early unless there was a particularly urgent work to deal with at night.

When the two went into the house to sleep, Cen Huaian had not come back yet. Jiang Shengnan and Chuxia said, "Don't study too late, go to bed early."

"Well, Mom will go to bed after An An comes back."

Jiang Shengnan wanted to wait with Chuxia, but was persuaded by Chuxia to go back to the house.

Chuxia had only finished two questions when she heard the phone ring in the study.

She was afraid that the call was from the military, what if there was an emergency? She quickly asked Jiang Shengnan to come out.

But she was wrong, it was Cen Zhengnian's call.