"Captain Lu, it’s been such a long ti since I last saw you, salute!"
"Captain Lu, this must be your youngest son, right? A real chip off the old block, strong and robust. Little guy, are you going to join the army and be a soldier like your father when you grow up?"
"Let hold him, he’s just so adorable."
...
A group of people chattered nonstop, and Lu Mingkai, having never seen such a scene before, felt a bit out of his elent and looked at Shen ng with anxious eyes.
"Don’t be afraid, son. The uncles and aunts like you. Will you play with them for a bit, okay?"
"Okay."
The mont his baby voice ca out, it instantly lted everyone’s heart. Several people vied to hold him. A few military wives, seeing their own husbands acting like this, felt sowhat uncomfortable. At ho, their own children could yearn for a hug without their husbands budging an inch, but now they’re eager to cuddle soone else’s child.
Shen ng was a social butterfly. She had first honed her skills at reading the room around the dinner table. After sitting down, she smiled at the other military wives. They were all military wives, so it wouldn’t do to give them a cold shoulder. Besides, on the way there, her own husband had said Captain Lu was a leader in the army who took good care of them. And now that the wife had given them a smile, they couldn’t make things awkward for her.
"Really, at ho, when you want dad to give you a hug, he wouldn’t, but now that we’re out, he turns into Mr. Popular."
The woman who spoke looked sowhat resentfully at Zhenping, who simply raised an eyebrow, and she pretended not to notice.
Her words struck a chord, and imdiately other military wives started to chi in.
"Exactly. My girl always misses her dad. He finally retired and ca ho, but he’s still always too busy to touch the ground with his feet. Even at ho, he rarely holds the children. Dear, the kids are pitiful."
"Hehehe, just by looking at the sister here, you can tell she’s a diligent wife and excellent mother, taking good care of the household. Otherwise, how could her husband fight with peace of mind outside?"
As Shen ng spoke, she stood up and took the teapot to help pour tea. The person she just spoke to imdiately bead with joy when Shen ng called her ’sister.’ Any woman, when a young and pretty girl speaks of them as being even younger than herself, would be elated.
"Gosh, how old are you to be calling ’sister’? I’m already thirty."
"Hmm? Sister, don’t fool , now. I think you look barely over twenty. I may spend most of my ti in the countryside, but I’ve still got a good eye."
The woman was even more delighted upon hearing this. The others, seeing Shen ng’s little joke, didn’t mind, and the atmosphere, which was sowhat stiff before, imdiately eased up. The won started chatting about their kids right away.
The n started reminiscing about the past. Not long ago, Zhenping was worried that Shen ng might not fit in with their conversation, but now it seed he’d been overly concerned.
Shen ng and several military wives were chatting enthusiastically when suddenly a snicker ca from another table. A few military wives dressed in obviously more lavish attire looked down on those from this table. So of them not only had proper jobs but were also studying hard with aspirations of attending university, and rumors had already co from Shangjing. They firmly believed that the restoration of college entrance exams was imminent and that concrete news would be confird before long.
Mostly urban residents, they disdained rural habits and loud voices, and were embarrassed by discussions about vulgar matters like defecating, urinating, or sleeping by the stove.
"Have you seen the Japanese movie ’Gorgeous Family’? It’s absolutely fascinating!"
"I have; it’s truly exciting, worth a second watch."
"What’s your take on the relationship between the philosophical thoughts of Feuerbach, Hegel, Kant and Marx’s dialectical materialism?"
"It’s hard to clarify in a sentence. You’re a journalist, right? You must have more access to scholars, so maybe you could share your thoughts with us!"
....
The military wives at Shen ng’s table, their faces flushing red as they overheard the conversation at the other table, knew full well that the people at that table were doing it on purpose, acting as if reading a few more years of books made them a cut above everyone else.
Shen ng also tid it right to shut her mouth, and even loudly asked the waiter, "Excuse , comrade, do you have any dumplings or wontons available today?"
"Why can’t you check for yourself? Can’t wait, huh? If you can’t afford it, then don’t co here!"
The waiter snapped at Shen ng and turned away. The people who were just engaging with Shen ng warmly suddenly had tears welling up in their eyes. They were all the sa people; why should they be looked down upon!
The girl who had been eyeing Lu Zhenping all along was pleased.
"Captain Lu, look at your wife, she seems to be starving. Perhaps you should order her so dumplings or wontons first, lest she calls the waiter again and they end up in a quarrel."
"No need."
Lu Zhenping picked up Lu Mingkai and sat him on his lap. He knew very well that Shen ng wouldn’t be behaving like this for no reason. His wife might not be highly educated, but she was a smart woman; it wasn’t going to be easy to take advantage of her.
The girl grew even happier upon hearing Lu Zhenping’s response. Lu Zhenping was handso and capable. She had set her eyes on him the mont she visited the military base to see her brother. After learning that he was married, she felt upset for a while, but was consoled by others telling her that Lu Zhenping’s wife was just an ignorant rural woman, not only brash but also having poor relations with Lu Zhenping. Now, seeing for herself, it seed true.
She thought so. How could such a good man like Lu Zhenping be fancied by a rural woman.
"Ming Kai, right? Auntie has so candy here, would you like so? If you want, would you co over to Auntie?"
Lu Mingkai looked at the fruit candy in her hand with disdain, wrinkling his nose. His family was so tired of fruit candy that they just kept it in the cupboard, and both his older siblings and he were sick of it. Besides, this ugly auntie kept winking at his dad like she was sick—no way he was going near her!
"I don’t want it. My mom said not to eat things given by strangers. It might look like candy but could be poison. Kidnappers trick kids like this."
The girl’s face stiffened, and she gave a flustered smile towards Lu Zhenping.
"I’m sorry, Brother Zhenping, I didn’t an that, I don’t know why Ming Kai would think so."
Lu Zhenping’s face darkened, unwilling to speak a word. He couldn’t even rember who this person was, how did she start calling him brother? He glanced at Shen ng with so concern.
But the girl was feeling smug inside, thinking Lu Zhenping was angry because Shen ng hadn’t raised the child properly.
"Pingping, stop the nonsense. What did your brother tell you when you ca here?"
Shen Yi looked at Lu Zhenping with so embarrassnt; he had been under the captain’s command for many years and could imdiately tell what his captain ant. Plus, his sister seed to have gone mad, setting her sights on his married captain.
"Brother, don’t get angry, I just wanted to give the child a candy. Besides, Brother Zhenping and Sister Shen ng haven’t said anything, so why are you upset?"
"Yeah, Shen Yi, what’s this all about? We finally get together, and it would be so much better to have a cheerful conversation. Pingping has not changed after all these years, still like a little kid."
"If you ask , one still needs to go to school. Ming Kai is also of age now, he should be in nursery if he were in the city. Going to school enlightens the mind; he can’t grow up illiterate!"
....
Shen ng’s eyelid twitched. Oh, aren’t they implying sothing about her? No way, right???
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