The Fourth Division had dispatched six ace pilots this time. Combined with the brothers who had previously transferred from the 7th Air Company, there were over ten of them in total.
Good brothers stick together, even when it comes to pushing themselves to the limit.
They had barely arrived and gotten their footing when they saw Huo Tingzhou dart past like a gust of wind.
"See that? The moment Lao Huo hears the word 'beloved,' his speed..." Xiao Zhengjun clicked his tongue several times before laughing and joking with the brotherhood.
Hearing this, everyone else exchanged knowing smiles.
Among the brothers, Lao Huo had married the latest.
By a full count, it had only been a little over two years.
Many of them had never even met Lao Huo's wife. They only knew their good brother had married his childhood sweetheart, a young lady from a well-to-do family, and they had a pair of twins last year.
"Should we go over and take a look too?" someone from the group suggested with a chuckle.
"Better not," said the eldest brother among them. "The couple probably have some private words to share. What would we, a whole crowd of us, be doing barging over?"
Xiao Zhengjun nodded in agreement. "The big competition is in a few days. We'll get to meet our sister-in-law then."
Then, his tone took on a more serious note. "We should focus on our training now."
Apart from the individual events, the rest of the competition involved three-plane or five-plane formations.
Many maneuvers required precise teamwork. A single mistake by anyone would affect the entire formation.
Hearing this, they all set aside their playful expressions and nodded seriously.
Meanwhile, Huo Tingzhou had already reached the guard post.
The flight base was said to be in the southern suburbs, but it was practically on the border of Hebei Province.
The roads here weren't great, and Uncle Chen had never been here before. With asking for directions and stops along the way, the trip took two and a half hours.
They parked near the flight runway area.
While waiting, fighter jets took off intermittently. The deafening roar made it impossible for the two little ones to sit still in the car.
Fortunately, Jiang Si had the foresight to bring the stroller.
Now, Suisui and Zhaozhao were sitting side by side in the stroller, their eyes glued to the planes in the sky without blinking.
At first, Jiang Si was a bit worried. Were these two little ones going to get dizzy following the planes with their heads turning back and forth?
In the end, she found that before they got dizzy, she was nearly driven dizzy by their questions.
Perhaps children of that age are just full of 'whys.'
The twins had also perfectly inherited Huo Tingzhou's excellent eyesight.
Every time they saw a plane take off, they would turn to her with little question marks practically written on their faces. "Huh?"
Having spent so much time with them, Jiang Si could roughly understand what they meant.
So she patiently explained, "That's an airplane."
A moment later, another fighter jet took off.
The two little ones immediately turned their heads in sync to look at her again.
This plane was noticeably different in appearance from the previous one, but to someone like Jiang Si who wasn't an expert, regardless of the model, it was just an airplane.
After several repetitions like this, the twins' brows were almost furrowed into knots.
In their understanding, there were many kinds of 'car-cars.'
Jeeps, sedans, buses, trucks with big noses, bicycles, tractors...
These 'fly-flys' looked different, so why were they all called airplanes?
Jiang Si facepalmed, truly not knowing whether to laugh or cry.
She would have liked to tell them what model of plane it was, but the problem was, she didn't know either.
"Have you been waiting long?" Just then, a familiar voice sounded behind her.
Jiang Si turned around to see Huo Tingzhou striding towards her.
"Not at all, we only arrived about ten minutes ago." As she spoke, Jiang Si couldn't help but sigh. "You came just in time. Please explain to your son and daughter. I'm about to be questioned into a daze."
"What's the matter?"
Right at that moment, another plane took off from the runway.
The two little ones looked at their father with sparkling eyes.
True to form, Huo Tingzhou gave them the answers they were hoping for. Even though the twins couldn't fully understand the details yet, Huo Tingzhou explained very seriously.
Seizing this opportunity, Jiang Si quickly began taking things out from the trunk.
Originally, Teacher Hu had planned to come along, but upon hearing the training base was way out in the southern suburbs, she immediately changed her mind.
She got carsick terribly. A five-hour round trip would be akin to losing half her life.
So she handed the things to Jiang Si, asking her to deliver them.
Oh, and there were things for Eldest Brother Huo too.
These items were prepared by Mother Huo. Jiang Si wasn't sure what was inside.
Since it was convenient, she brought them all along.
By the time Jiang Si had finished organizing these things, Huo Tingzhou had already returned, pushing the stroller.
"These two bags are for Teacher Hu. The package next to them is for Eldest Brother Huo. The rest are all yours."
After clarifying the items, Jiang Si added, "They're not very heavy, just a bit awkward to carry. Maybe someone from the guard post can help you take them in?"
Huo Tingzhou didn't answer immediately, just pursed his lips and looked at her.
Jiang Si felt a bit puzzled under his gaze. "What's wrong?"
After a moment's thought, she asked, "Is it inconvenient for the guards to enter?"
"No," Huo Tingzhou said. "You can come in too."
Jiang Si was surprised. "Wouldn't me going in disturb your training?"
"No," Huo Tingzhou replied quickly this time. "Morning training is already over. Family members are allowed in."
He glanced at his watch. "How about you stay for lunch here? After eating, I can show you around the competition grounds a bit, so you know your way in advance."
He had signed up for quite a few events this time and might not be able to spare much time to accompany her and the children.
Jiang Si thought it sounded like a good idea and called out to Uncle Chen. "Uncle Chen, let's all go to the cafeteria to get something to eat."
"I'll pass," Uncle Chen said with a smile. "Your aunt packed me several flatbreads this morning. I'll just wait for you all in the car."
Jiang Si tried to persuade him several times, but Uncle Chen was firm, so she had to let it be.
Placing the packages under the stroller, Huo Tingzhou first took them to register at the guard post.
This was Jiang Si's first time at the training base. The area was much larger than she had imagined, stretching almost as far as the eye could see.
Along the way, they passed training grounds for various military branches.
With the big competition just days away, there were many vehicles transporting supplies into the base.
Huo Tingzhou pointed towards a tiered spectator area in the left front.
"During the big competition, family members are usually seated in that area."
"The exact seat will be assigned on the day itself. They'll give you a seat number when you enter."
They chatted as they walked, and Jiang Si made a mental note of everything.
The two little ones chimed in with their own comments from time to time.
The path from the guard post to the living quarters was usually quite long, but with his children and wife by his side, Huo Tingzhou felt they arrived in no time at all.
"Honey, wait here for a moment. I'll take these things up first."
Jiang Si smiled softly, "Alright, we'll wait right here."
Huo Tingzhou gave an affirmative hum, picked up the packages, and turned to leave.
"Hey, wait." Jiang Si called him back. "I'll give Suisui and Zhaozhao something to eat. There's no rush, you can take your time washing up."
All the way here, he had deliberately kept half a meter away from her.
Probably afraid the smell of his sweat would bother her.
If Jiang Si hadn't said anything, he likely could have taken a three-minute combat shower.
But saying something didn't help much; Huo Tingzhou was still incredibly fast.
In less than ten minutes, he emerged with damp hair, having changed into a fresh set of his uniform—likely newly issued Air Force attire.
The clean pine green color accentuated his broad shoulders and narrow waist, making him look crisp and tall.
If you sniffed carefully, there was a clean, fresh scent of soap about him.
While Huo Tingzhou was getting himself sorted, Jiang Si had already given the two little ones some of the spiritual spring water.
Thinking it was almost mealtime, she didn't give them any solid food.
She took an orange from her bag, peeled it, and gave each of them a segment.
Their mouths were still small, but the two little ones were clever and knew how to suck on it.
They were now holding the orange segments, taking tiny sips until they had sucked every bit of pulp clean, then placing the leftover bits into their father's hand.
Before Jiang Si could even take a couple of breaths,
Suisui and Zhaozhao stretched out their chubby little hands, now sticky with orange juice.
Their little mouths were pouted high.
Only after Jiang Si took out a handkerchief and wiped them clean did the two little ones retract their hands, satisfied.
With half an hour left until the cafeteria opened, Huo Tingzhou planned to take Jiang Si for a walk first.
The training grounds were crowded with people, so they avoided that area and simply strolled around the nearby paths.
The couple deliberately chose quiet, shaded paths with few people, but their family of four was simply too eye-catching.
There were indeed female soldiers in the training base, as well as members of the song and dance troupe.
But compared to the number of male soldiers, they were few and far between.
Moreover, the female soldiers trained daily, sporting the same haircuts and tanned complexions as the men.
If you didn't look at them head-on, you might not even tell if they were male or female.
The female soldiers from the song and dance troupe, needless to say, were essentially handpicked, uniformly beautiful, and stood out wherever they went.
So, ever since the song and dance troupe members entered the training base, it was no exaggeration to say that even the military dogs passing by would take a second look.
But there's a difference between a pretty girl and a stunning beauty.
As bystanders privately remarked, Jiang Si's beauty was the kind that was radiant, grand, and strikingly arresting.
The type you couldn't help but look at a second time after the first glance.
Consequently, within less than an hour of her arrival at the military training area, word spread like wildfire throughout the entire base.
Almost everyone knew that Regimental Commander Huo of the Fourth Division had a wife as beautiful as a celestial being, and their two children were as lovely as jade and snow.
