Capítulo 455: Chapter 455: Having Fun
It was two days before the New Year’s Eve feast.
The entire Shen family had packed their belongings to celebrate the New Year at the military base.
Since Yiguang hadn’t come home for the New Year, the base had allowed the families of soldiers without leave to come and visit.
The base had organized some programs and welfare benefits for the soldiers staying behind, trying their best to give the soldiers and their families a sense of happiness and belonging.
The weather was as cold as ever; although there wasn’t continuous heavy snow, there would occasionally be a light snowfall at night.
Yiguang drove the base’s jeep, and as the front seats were filled, Yixiang voluntarily moved to the back with the tarpaulin-covered cargo space, laid out with some straw and luggage, which made it not too cold.
Erniu sat in the passenger seat, PeiMin cradled a child and sat by the rear window, with Yiyue next to her and Guizhi beside them, both vying to hold Lele.
Little Lele seemed particularly fascinated by the car ride, always bursting into joyous laughter.
The whole family was delighted by his enthusiasm.
“This kid knows what it’s like to ride in a car now.”
“Don’t think he doesn’t know; he has both perception and memory.”
Then, almost the entire trip was spent discussing topics revolving around Lele.
PeiMin still wanted Lele to nap for a while so as not to disrupt his biological clock, but the little one was too spirited and had yet to figure out the car’s interior; even if you didn’t want to play with him, he would keep looking at you, teasing playfully.
“It’s not a long trip, just let him play. If you’re tired, you could take a nap,” Guizhi said to PeiMin.
PeiMin smiled and shook her head, unable to sleep herself.
Yiyue asked PeiMin about life in the military spouses’ compound, “Are all you military wives as organized and conscious as the soldiers?”
“Mostly, but we do have regular study sessions to improve our ideological consciousness. Being a military wife is not easy,” replied PeiMin.
“I think you are all very admirable,” sighed Yiyue.
PeiMin boldly nodded, “I think so too.”
Yiguang, sitting in the front, laughed, “I agree too.”
Everyone chuckled heartily.
PeiMin then remembered her neighbor Wen Qing, who had recently moved in, and she shared some preventive advice with Guizhi, “She and I don’t get along, but she’s usually good at dealing with people. Don’t let her sugar-coated shells fool you. She may offer warm concerns to your face, but behind your back, it’s a different story. There are also a few other military wives who speak their minds quite directly, so don’t take it too personally. Just maintaining cordial relations on the surface is enough…”
Guizhi listened and grew a bit anxious, considering her past mistakes with Huang Tao and Lu Hailing; she felt a great deal of pressure dealing with these young women.
Nodding, she resolved to keep a low profile and to speak less, planning to stay just a couple of days and then return.
This was also what everyone had agreed upon; although Yiguang qualified for family accommodations, his dormitory space was limited and couldn’t house everyone. They were only returning now for the festive season, and while PeiMin and her husband would occupy one room, Erniu and his wife another, Yiyue and her sisters had to set up an extra bed in the living room, separated by a curtain, just to manage for a few days.
Shen Yiyue quietly asked Yang Peimin, “I wonder if we’ll run into the Lu family folks.”
Yang Peimin blinked at her, “Don’t worry, Lu Haijun was rather lucky this year to get approved for family leave. He went back home, taking his mother and sister with him.”
Shen Yiyue instantly sighed in relief, “No wonder it’s been so quiet these past few days.”
Yang Peimin just pursed her lips and laughed, feeling the same way. Even though they didn’t allow them to visit, having those two women living next door meant that the neighbors’ conversations always revolved around them. It was that sort of feeling, like their words were still buzzing around your ears even though they weren’t speaking directly in your face. Suddenly, it all quieted down. When Shen Yixiang and Lu Haijun were still dating, Yang Peimin overheard a conversation last year that Lu Haijun had just gotten leave for family visit and that it would be impossible this year. Now, with the way things were, Yang Peimin felt that Shen Yiguang must have had a hand in getting them approved to go home for the New Year; it spared her any further irritation.
Before long, they reached the military base. The drive there was filled with cheerful chatting and didn’t feel long at all.
In contrast, Shen Erniu, much like his grandson, was brimming with energy, as if he had returned to his days in the military. With excitement, he looked around from the perimeter to the front gate to the task guards, unable to get enough.
Shen Yiguang accompanied him, matching his steps and walking shoulder to shoulder at the front, talking to him about the facilities and human affairs within the unit.
Chen Guizhi looked on, her eyes brimming with joy and satisfaction.
Shen Yiyue rushed to hold little Shen Lele.
Shen Yixiang walked over to help Yang Peimin, but Yang Peimin playfully pushed her away, “Don’t treat me as if I’m an old lady, I’m still quite robust.”
Shen Yixiang stuck out her tongue playfully, “Just when I thought to do a good deed.”
Yang Peimin gestured for her to go and help Chen Guizhi, “The Empress Dowager is up ahead.”
Shen Yixiang then cheerfully scooted over to Chen Guizhi’s side.
They quickly arrived at the military family compound.
Upon seeing their group, everyone warmly gathered around, like looking through a kaleidoscope. But beyond the gossiping, there was a natural warmth in their hearts.
“Brother Shen, are these your parents? That’s wonderful; both the elders are here for the New Year.”
“These two must be the sisters, right? Oh, twins, isn’t it? They look very alike.”
“Yes, this one is Yixiang, right? I’ve seen her before, and this one hasn’t come before, was she staying with the parents at home?”
“Look at our sisters; having babies has made them even more handsome than when they didn’t have any. Hey, what have you been eating? Your face is as tender as tofu.”
“Oh, is this your kid? A son, right? He’s gotten so big, so adorable. Come here, I’m Aunt Zhang, let me hold him.”
“It’s true, a chubby little guy, looks like his dad, look, he even smiles when you tease him, and he’s not shy, looks bold.”
“Being bold is good, boys should be a bit bold, and those little eyes look clever too.”
In the end, the most popular was little Shen Lele, passed around by a group of aunties, pinching his cheeks. Yang Peimin and Shen Yiyue quickly took the child back.
Yang Peimin laughed, “We’ve just been sitting in the car for a few hours coming back, it’s time for this child to have some milk. We’ll head back and get settled, and you all can come over later to chat.”
“That’s fine, you go on ahead, it’s been a while since anyone stayed in your dorm, right? I think you’ll need a couple of hours to clean up.”
This sister was right; besides urgent tasks, Shen Yiguang seldom stayed in the dormitory. But everyone thought, no matter if it was dusty or not, now was the time for the New Year’s cleaning, even if there was no dust, they still needed to clean once for good luck, out with the old and in with the new.