"Really?" Ma Xiaohua was quite surprised. When she had first accompanied the military, those initial days had left her quite suffocated, and even during her visits to the military base over the previous years, she always felt awkward, afraid of embarrassing her husband. Xu Xiuxiu seemed so fragile and seemed to be adjusting to military life, "Adjusting well is good. I heard from my husband that the family housing will be built next year. Given Major Song's position, you'll definitely need to stay with the military." Ma Xiaohua said as she walked Xu Xiuxiu into the base's cafeteria.
Wei Family's Daughter-in-law, You've finished getting your meal? What's being served today?" As soon as Ma Xiaohua entered the cafeteria, she saw a woman who had just queued up and finished getting her meal, excitedly pulling Xu Xiuxiu forward to talk.
"Sister-in-law He is here! Today we have steamed buns, white porridge with pickled vegetables!" The woman looked up, saw Ma Xiaohua, and responded.
"Really, then I need to get more. My husband loves white porridge with pickled vegetables." Ma Xiaohua revitalized instantly, readying herself as if to roll up her sleeves and dive into great effort, "Oh, this is my neighbor, Xu Xiuxiu, from Major Song's family. I'll introduce you properly some other day. We'll go get our meals first, you should head back too!"
"Okay! Sister-in-law He, if you're free, bring someone to my house sometime. I'll head back now." The pretty-looking woman, who seemed quite composed, responded cordially to Ma Xiaohua's remark.
"Sure." Ma Xiaohua agreed and then pulled Xu Xiuxiu to join the queue.
Xu Xiuxiu didn't say a word and let herself be dragged away, smiling awkwardly at the woman.
After they had queued and gotten breakfast, Xu Xiuxiu and Ma Xiaohua walked home side by side. Along the way, Ma Xiaohua kept greeting people from the Military District passing by. Although the walk from the cafeteria to the dorms took only ten minutes, due to her chatting, it ended up taking nearly twenty minutes. Xu Xiuxiu felt somewhat impatient internally but was too embarrassed to say it outright, so she just bore with it.
It wasn't easy, but once they reached the dorm, Xu Xiuxiu politely spoke a few words before taking her breakfast back into her room.
Inside the dorm, Song Chengguang had already woken up. The little fellow sat obediently on the bed, looking adorably at Xu Xiuxiu as she entered. One moment he was gazing with big eyes, and the next, he burst into tears.
"Mama, hug hug." He stretched out his plump little arms, his face pleading to be held.
Xu Xiuxiu's heart melted. She put down the breakfast and immediately went forward to hold him in her arms. Once Song Chengguang was in Xu Xiuxiu's arms, he stopped his tears and quietly let Xu Xiuxiu wash him and feed him porridge.
When Yuanhuan came back to the dorm, it was already ten in the morning.
"Did you have breakfast?" He asked, while reaching out to take the chubby Song Chengguang from Xu Xiuxiu's arms.
"Yes." Although the process was a bit complicated, remembering the enthusiastic Ma Xiaohua, Xu Xiuxiu responded calmly.
"Well, let's go then! I'll take you downtown to look at some shops!" Yuanhuan proposed, planning to head to the city directly.
"Are we leaving now?" Xu Xiuxiu asked.
"Yes."
"I'll start by making a cup of condensed milk for Cheng Guang, you wait a moment." It seemed that Song Yuanhuan was planning to bring Song Chengguang along, so she prepared the condensed milk for the little guy to drink, "He can drink it whenever he is hungry or thirsty."
"Okay." Song Yuanhuan held Song Chengguang and waited at the dormitory door.
Xu Xiuxiu was quick, she made a cup of condensed milk in no time, then gathered some things little Cheng Guang would need, and followed Song Yuanhuan to the city. They rode in a transportation vehicle used by the cafeteria. Song Chengguang stayed in Song Yuanhuan's arms the whole ride, quiet and calm, occasionally turning his head to tease Xu Xiuxiu in the back seat. The journey of over an hour thus seemed not so dull.
"Captain, I'm over here!" As soon as Song Yuanhuan and his son, with Xu Xiuxiu, got off, a man in plain clothes excitedly shouted at Song Yuanhuan, "Captain, this must be your sister-in-law and nephew!" Chen Hualong excitedly walked up to Song Yuanhuan to inquire.
"Yeah, this is your sister-in-law Xu Xiuxiu, and this is my son, Song Chengguang." Song Yuanhuan picked up Song Chengguang, "Xiuxiu, this is Chen Hualong, one of my former subordinates. He retired after an injury and is now in real estate."
Real estate? That was a lucrative industry. Despite his ordinary appearance, Chen Hualong seemed quite capable—it really was true that appearances can be deceiving. "Hello," Xu Xiuxiu greeted the newcomer with a slight smile, curbing her curiosity.
"Sister-in-law, don't listen to my captain boasting about me, I'm just a guy who sells houses." Chen Hualong spoke cheerfully and led them towards a nearby shop, "Sister-in-law, I heard from the captain that you're planning to open a small restaurant, right?" Chen Hualong asked while showing the way.
"Yeah, I want to open a small restaurant, mainly serving Sichuan cuisine." Her best skill was cooking Sichuan cuisine, which she had even studied formally for a while.
"Sichuan cuisine! Sister-in-law, you can cook Sichuan cuisine? I heard that learning Sichuan cuisine takes a lot of effort." Chen Hualong was quite surprised as he spoke to Xu Xiuxiu, his eyes filled with amazement.
The city had recently seen a lot of new restaurants and hotels serving various cuisines, including numerous Sichuan spots, yet not many offered authentic flavors. But as long as a restaurant could be opened, business was generally booming.
"Yeah! It's pretty good," Xu Xiuxiu modestly said.
"Your sister-in-law is quite a good cook, it should suit your taste," Song Yuanhuan stated, holding his son, his words hinting at something more.
Chen Hualong blushed slightly, remembered how back in the army, he had needed a small dish of chili sauce with every meal, which had been a source of jokes among them; he even had a nickname, 'spicy girl.'
"Well, once sister-in-law opens her restaurant, I'll definitely bring people to support it," Chen Hualong said awkwardly.
"Sure! I'll give you a discount," Xu Xiuxiu responded with a smile.
"Captain, sister-in-law has said it, she'll give me a discount, you must not go back on your word when I bring people to dine," Chen Hualong immediately looked at Song Yuanhuan, wanting to hear his thoughts, just in case the sister-in-law had agreed to a discount but the captain might not.
Song Yuanhuan nodded and gave him a look, "This is your sister-in-law's call."
Chen Hualong quickly said a few more pleasant words, and the group soon reached the shop. Chen Hualong immediately took out the keys to open the door, "Sister-in-law, take a look. The shop has an area of 58 square meters, and there's another partitioned area of about seven or eight square meters, perfect for a kitchen. The bathroom is also conveniently located just here, and it has been recently renovated. The rest needs just some basic renovations, and you can easily start the business."
Xu Xiuxiu observed the shop and found it better than another one she had seen the previous day but was priced too high. The location was even ideal; there were several residential blocks nearby, and just a few dozen meters away was a bustling area with many companies—the prospects were very promising. Xu Xiuxiu even knew these locations would become the bustling city center in a decade, literally worth a lot, with even small shop rentals going for hundreds of thousands.