"This was my oversight," Song Yuanhuan, a major accustomed to setting an example, stated. "I'm just worried it's not good to ask the canteen to cook separately for us right now. Let's make do today, and I'll talk to the canteen in the morning." He appeared to be seeking Xu Xiuxiu's opinion as he spoke.
Xu Xiuxiu sensed his consideration for Song Chengguang's needs and feared she might disapprove.
Yet, upon hearing his words, Xu Xiuxiu nodded, "You go get the food first. I'll try to feed him a bit. If that doesn't work, let him drink more condensed milk to fill his stomach!" It was getting dark, and she was tired from the day's travel on the train, not to mention that she was eager to improve things with Song Yuanhuan.
"Okay!" Song Yuanhuan responded and turned to leave the dormitory.
When he was gone, Xu Xiuxiu murmured to Song Chengguang while sitting on the edge of the bunk bed, "Son, you see? Your father is quite principled!" She had assumed he would make an exception for Song Chengguang, but he stuck to his usual principles.
"Dad... Dad..." Song Chengguang waved his hands in the air, lifting his little face and smiling goofily at Xu Xiuxiu as he heard her speak.
Xu Xiuxiu slightly curved her lips and placed the little one down on the bunk bed. She pulled over a green military blanket that Song Yuanhuan had neatly folded into a tofu-like block and placed it at the edge of the bed to prevent the little one from crawling off and falling under the bed. She then turned to start organizing the pile of luggage she had brought.
A big bag of dried tofu, handmade by Song's Mother Liu Shuxiang not long ago, and another big bag of dried bamboo shoots, plus various other bits of mountain produce. Although Xu Xiuxiu did not know how many close comrades Song Yuanhuan had, she thought these should be enough to go around.
When Song Yuanhuan returned to the dormitory after getting dinner from the canteen, what he saw was a lit room—a change from the usual darkness that greeted him. Climbing the stairs, he already felt buoyed, but upon entering the dorm and seeing the small pile of dried goods arranged by Xu Xiuxiu, and the chaotic state of the bed and pillows caused by the little one, his head began to throb, yet his heart felt somehow halfway full.
"You're back!" Upon seeing Song Yuanhuan at the doorway, Xu Xiuxiu called out. Seeing his stern face as he stared at the bunk bed, she turned back to her son, who was joyfully kicking the green blanket in front of him, "I was afraid he'd fall off the bed, so I used the quilt to pile up the edge." Apologizing, Xu Xiuxiu seemed somewhat regretful.
When she had been blocking up the edge of the bed with the quilt, she hadn't thought much about it, but now, seeing the once neat bed in disarray, she suddenly felt embarrassed.
"It's okay." Song Yuanhuan said, then quickly arranged the food he had brought back onto the only table in the room. "Must be starving! Come and eat something first. The canteen served extra food today; I got two meat dishes and two vegetable ones. See if you like them!"
"Okay!" Xu Xiuxiu stood up and went to the adjacent bathroom to wash her hands before coming out to eat.
The barracks' food, typically bland and unsophisticated, did little to appeal to Xu Xiuxiu's discerning palate, leading to a lack of appetite. She ate a bit herself and then fed Song Chengguang a little before putting down her chopsticks. Throughout the meal, Song Yuanhuan was silent, and his brows furrowed when he saw Xu Xiuxiu lay down her chopsticks, "You've eaten too little. Have some more," he urged, pushing the dish of braised pork with preserved vegetables in front of Xu Xiuxiu with a somewhat forceful manner.
Xu Xiuxiu's face showed her difficulty.
She had always preferred a vegetarian diet and disliked greasy food. Now, with Song Yuanhuan pushing the braised pork directly in front of her, she was torn between refusing and forcing herself to eat.
"I've already eaten enough." Honestly speaking, Xu Xiuxiu didn't fully understand Song Yuanhuan's temperament yet and was a bit apprehensive when she said it, hoping he wouldn't get angry over her refusal to eat more.
Song Yuanhuan glanced at Xu Xiuxiu for a moment and then nodded.
Xu Xiuxiu sighed in relief, then carried little Cheng Guang to the small stove at the dormitory entrance to heat some water to make milk for Song Chengguang.
The stove used coal briquettes and it would take some time for the water to boil, so Xu Xiuxiu carried Song Chengguang back to the room.
"The mountain goods I brought are not few, but there are many people in the unit, could you pick out some during dinner to see if there's enough to share some with familiar faces?" It's better to deal with these goods quickly, to avoid them taking up space in the room. Perhaps it was because of Song Yuanhuan's tall stature or the small dormitory, but Xu Xiuxiu always felt it was a bit crowded with three people inside.
"Enough!" Song Yuanhuan glanced at the several large bags of mountain goods beside him. It was more than enough for those fellows.
Song Yuanhuan had a good appetite, eating twice his usual amount, but Xu Xiuxiu and Song Chengguang didn't eat much. Accustomed to not wasting food, he finished all the dishes by himself, stood up, cleaned up the food boxes and washed them. Song Yuanhuan then took a pile of mountain goods and left the room.
When he returned half an hour later, he was holding some fruit in his hand.
"You didn't eat much at dinner, if you're hungry, have some fruit to fill your stomach." Song Yuanhuan could tell Xu Xiuxiu hadn't eaten much and guessed she might be hungry at night, so he specifically made a trip to the welfare store to buy a few apples.
"Thank you." Xu Xiuxiu took the apples with some surprise, washed them immediately in the restroom, ate half herself and gave the other half to Song Chengguang, "Does it taste good?" Xu Xiuxiu said while feeding the little guy.
"Mmm." Song Chengguang clapped his hands excitedly, staring at the diced apple Xu Xiuxiu had cut.
Xu Xiuxiu laughed as she watched Song Chengguang, then fed him another small piece. Watching the little fellow crunching the apple, Xu Xiuxiu's mood also relaxed a lot, but she did not realize how harmonious the scene of her feeding Song Chengguang appeared to Song Yuanhuan.
Song Yuanhuan sat upright in the chair, watching Xu Xiuxiu tenderly interact with his son, his heart unconsciously softened.
"Xiuxiu, would you like to come to the military base with me?" Military life can be rough. The conditions here are far from home, and there's hardly any freedom, and it's an hour or two drive from the bustling city center. Plus, I have a lot of training and drills; I'm afraid you might feel lonely here by yourself.
"Can I actually join the military now?" asked Xu Xiuxiu as she fed Song Chengguang another small piece of apple and looked up at Song Yuanhuan. Is joining the military that easy nowadays? Just say the word and it's done? She remembered it being quite troublesome.
"The family housing will be ready next May. I can apply for family housing first, depending on whether you'd like to come. If not, I won't force you." Although Xu Xiuxiu had already hinted her feelings, Song Yuanhuan hadn't set anything in stone yet.
"So, it means I can actually join next May?" Xu Xiuxiu grasped Song Yuanhuan's intentions.
"Right." Song Yuanhuan knew Xu Xiuxiu did not want to live in the village. However, he currently couldn't have her join him at the military base, but the idea needed to be cemented. It was better to discuss everything openly.