The military wives present were no fools; seeing Ma Xiaohua's outburst, they each offered a few polite remarks in tacit understanding but not a single one attempted to keep her by urging her to stay a little longer since it was still early. Ma Xiaohua, probably not expecting such a situation, suddenly felt she couldn't save her face and, clutching a bag of sunflower seeds, stord off in a huff.
Sitting in her seat and looking quite innocent, Xu Xiuxiu watched Ma Xiaohua storm away. She then smoothed out her skirt and stood up, "I should be leaving as well." She had, after all, not been familiar with these military wives, and if it hadn't been for Ma Xiaohua's introduction, Xu Xiuxiu wouldn't have even considered making their acquaintance.
"Co over and hang out when you're free. Most of us here have so idle duties in the military and we often gather around here on days off. You're welco to visit more often if you're bored." The one who spoke was Yan Molin, whose tone was calm and attitude indifferent, making her words quite comforting.
"Alright." Xu Xiuxiu nodded, smiling as she accepted Yan Molin's kindness, and then walked toward the center of the small grassy lawn to pick up quiet and well-behaved Song Chengguang.
"Aunt Xiuxiu, are you going back now?" Zhao Nan had been playing hide and seek on the side. Originally well-hidden, he imdiately ran out to chase after Xu Xiuxiu as she moved forward to pick up Song Chengguang.
"Yes. Auntie has so things to take care of at ho. Are you still going to play, Zhao Nan? If not, how about coming ho with auntie for so cake and candy?" Xu Xiuxiu's words carried a hint of coercion, as she had gotten to know about Zhao Nan's identity due to Zhao Xiui being at the Sichuan Pavilion. Xu Xiuxiu felt pity for the child without a mother but was glad that the clever boy hadn't gone astray.
"Zhao Nan, if you run out by yourself, that also counts as a loss, okay?" At that mont, a little girl who had been playing as the 'ghost' in the ga approached, her shoulder-length hair stuck to her small cheeks with sweat, her face flushed, giving off a tomboyish vibe. However, as a girl, she had not been able to outsmart the clever boys and had been the ghost many tis that afternoon. But now, having finally caught Zhao Nan who had willingly walked right into her trap, she was excitedly looking for confirmation of her victory.
"Alright, I get it." Zhao Nan nodded and sent the little girl away.
The little girl imdiately bead a toothless, adorable smile at Xu Xiuxiu, then turned her head and continued to play the ghost patiently, hoping to catch all the other children so she would no longer have to be it.
"Auntie, can I co play at your house?" After sending the little girl off, Zhao Nan looked at Xu Xiuxiu with a hopeful face. He always envied Song Chengguang for having a gentle, pretty, and lovely mother—a source of happiness for a boy without a mother, who had grown up being called a wild child and disliked by adults. Chaptersource:MyVirtualLibraryEmpire(*).
"Of course, you can." Xu Xiuxiu nodded.
"Brother, cake, Chengguang." Song Chengguang didn't understand what Xu Xiuxiu and Zhao Nan were saying, but the little one could catch a few keywords.
"You little selfish ghost," Xu Xiuxiu said, looking at Song Chengguang who had jumped out to make his presence felt, and pinched the little guy's cheek.
"Erya, tell them I'm not playing anymore, and I'll be the ghost for the first round tomorrow," Zhao Nan shouted to the girl running around catching 'ghosts', his face filled with eager excitent.
Upon hearing that Zhao Nan was quitting for the day, Erya felt a bit displeased, but when Zhao Nan declared that he would be the ghost from the start of the ga the next day, her displeasure vanished completely. She nodded her head, "Got it," she bellowed, then quickly caught another hiding companion.
"Then let's go!" Seeing Erya agree, Xu Xiuxiu proceeded to place Song Chengguang into the baby stroller.
"Auntie, let push the stroller for you!" Zhao Nan, after all, was a boy, and his father had always instilled in him the belief of a soldier—respecting the elderly and caring for the young, which of course included won. Although Zhao Nan knew he was a child, he was very willing to help Xu Xiuxiu.
"Sure!" Xu Xiuxiu nodded and handed him the task of pushing the stroller.
However, since Zhao Nan was still very young, the stroller was approximately as tall as he was, and he found it a bit strenuous to push. His sun-darkened little face turned red with effort, clearly showing he was putting in a lot of strength.
Xu Xiuxiu saw this and couldn't help snickering for a while before finally stepping forward to coaxingly take the stroller from him. She let Zhao Nan walk beside her, striking up conversation on their way back to the dormitory.
"Auntie, the stroller for the little brother is really nice." The stroller Xu Xiuxiu had bought for Song Chengguang was an imported high-end product. Although it might not compare to the various dazzling options available later, at this ti, it was already considered luxury. It was no wonder Zhao Nan found the stroller attractive, as not many people were willing to spend so much on a child's item that would only be used for a year or two, fearing that Song Chengguang might outgrow it.
Nevertheless, in Xu Xiuxiu's view, what this era didn't lack was wealthy people. It was just that the disparity between rich and poor was quite significant, with so so poor they couldn't afford to eat, and others living in luxurious houses with lavish cars, rich to the point of obscene wealth.
"But Nannan, don't you think the army's tanks and military vehicles look even cooler?" Xu Xiuxiu looked down at Zhao Nan and winked with a smile.
Upon hearing this, Zhao Nan rembered the tank rides his father had taken him on and nodded energetically, "Auntie, what do you say about becoming a soldier like my dad in the future?"
"Does Zhao Nan want to be a soldier?"
"Yeah!" Zhao Nan replied earnestly, "But, I don't want to be a soldier like my dad. I want to be like Uncle Song." Zhao Nan couldn't explain the difference between his father and Uncle Song, but he subconsciously thought that a soldier like Uncle Song was the coolest.
"Then Nannan has to work hard, okay?"
"Yes! Nannan will definitely try his best." The little guy nodded vigorously, his expression very serious.
Xu Xiuxiu laughed amusedly, and the two of them chatted intermittently on their way back. Song Yuanhuan's dormitory wasn't far from the military base, and when Xu Xiuxiu returned ho with the two boys, it was nearly five o'clock.
"These are the pastries and candies Auntie bought, as well as canned peaches. Which one does Nannan want to eat?" Xu Xiuxiu laid out the pastries and canned goods, offering Zhao Nan a choice.
Zhao Nan's eyes flickered and after a mont, he said, "I'll just have the pastry." His dad had said that canned goods were very expensive, and he did not dare to eat such costly treats from Aunt Xiu Xiu, knowing his dad would whip him with a belt if he found out.
"Does Nannan not like canned goods?" Xu Xiuxiu noticed the little one's sensitive glance and asked, while she opened the canned peaches, "How about Nannan eats the canned food with his little brother? Auntie is going to the cafeteria to get so food. In the anti, can Nannan help Auntie look after his little brother and then have dinner at Auntie's house?"
"Auntie, that's not good. My dad doesn't allow to eat at other people's places." The little guy hung his head sorrowfully, though he really wanted to stay and have dinner with Aunt Xiu Xiu; he hadn't forgotten the rules his father had set for him.
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