On the drive back, the two little ones, exhausted from playing, soon fell asleep leaning against Jiang Si.
Throughout the journey, Huo Tingzhou watched his wife and children sitting beside him with a smile in his eyes, but only he knew how tumultuous his heart felt at that moment.
Although the two little ones were worn out, their excitement clearly hadn't faded.
The next day at kindergarten, they didn't forget to remind their close friends to remember to watch TV on Saturday night!
Most children in the kindergarten were from the Air Force compound, and in terms of circumstances, every family was well-off.
However, not every household had a television. It wasn't that they couldn't afford one, but rather that having one wasn't very useful.
Xiao Weiqing thought for a moment and asked, "Suisui, Zhaozhao, did your family buy a TV?"
Hearing this, the two children were stunned.
Oh right!
In their excitement, they had completely forgotten that their home didn't have a television yet!
They just didn't know how much a TV cost.
Just then, Teacher Lin from the kindergarten happened to pass by. Suisui immediately ran over. "Teacher Lin, how much does a television cost?"
As he asked, he was already calculating his pocket money in his head.
Since the start of the semester, Mom had been giving him and his sister fifty cents each per week for allowance.
But since he and his sister ate well at home every day, they hadn't spent the money. Together, they had over eight yuan saved up!
That should... be enough, right?
Teacher Lin was taken aback by the question. It wasn't until the other children chimed in, "Suisui and Zhaozhao's mom is going to be on TV!" that she understood the whole story.
She then smiled and said, "Well, that depends on the size. A standard 12-inch TV costs around three hundred seventy or eighty yuan. For a 14-inch one, it's over four hundred twenty yuan."
"Ah, over three hundred yuan?" Zhaozhao instantly deflated upon hearing this.
Combined, she and her brother received one yuan per week in allowance. For over three hundred yuan, they would have to save for more than seven years.
Meanwhile, elsewhere.
Huo Tingzhou had been preoccupied with this matter since the previous day. He had already borrowed all of Old Xiao's private savings, but he still hadn't secured a TV purchase ticket.
After some thought, he decided to call Mother Huo.
After retiring last September, Mother Huo had been rehired by the General Political Department's Song and Dance Ensemble.
Now she was only responsible for major performances and didn't need to keep regular office hours otherwise.
The call was quickly answered, and Mother Huo's vigorous voice came through. "Hello, Tingzhou? Why are you calling so early?"
Her son's family of four had now moved to the Air Force compound.
They usually only had time to visit on weekends.
But her two darling grandchildren were so diligent, they even had lessons on weekends.
If the grandparents wanted to see them, they had to go to the Zhuo family's place or the Children's Palace.
Although she thought it unlikely, Mother Huo still asked hopefully, "Are Jiang Si and the two little ones coming for dinner tonight? If they are, I'll go buy groceries right now!"
"No, Mom," Huo Tingzhou quickly interrupted her enthusiastic guess.
"No? Then why did you call?"
Huo Tingzhou cleared his throat and got straight to the point. "Mom, are TV purchase tickets easy to get right now?"
Mother Huo caught on immediately. "What? You want to buy a TV?"
Huo Tingzhou hummed in affirmation. "People from Beijing TV Station came to interview Jiang Si yesterday. It's airing this Saturday night, right after the commendation meeting. I was thinking..."
Before he could finish, Mother Huo interrupted, "Such a big deal, and you're only telling me now?"
Huo Tingzhou rubbed his temples helplessly. By the time they got back and finished washing up yesterday, it was almost eleven.
But that wasn't important. He quickly steered the conversation back. "Mom, about the ticket..."
"Don't worry about the ticket. Leave it to me!" Mother Huo thought for a moment and added, "Do you have enough money?"
"It's... still a bit short." Facing his own mother, Huo Tingzhou wasn't embarrassed.
After all, the Huo family men, from top to bottom, had pockets as clean as their consciences.
Their salaries and bonuses were handed over in full the moment they received them.
"Alright, I understand. Talk later!"
Mother Huo was a woman of action. As soon as she hung up, she went to ask her old friends and former colleagues from her unit.
In those days, a TV purchase ticket was a precious commodity. A unit typically only received an allotment of two or three per year.
Fortunately, Mother Huo had extensive connections. After some inquiries, she finally managed to borrow one from an old colleague.
As soon as she had the ticket in hand, she immediately called Huo Tingzhou.
Mother and son agreed on a time and headed straight to the city's department store, where they bought a 14-inch Beijing brand television.
Wanting to surprise Jiang Si, Huo Tingzhou specifically chose the time when she would be picking up the children from kindergarten to bring the TV and the fishbone antenna home.
Meanwhile, Jiang Si arrived at the kindergarten on time as usual.
Normally, the moment the two children saw her, even from a distance, they would shout "Mommy! Mommy!" incessantly, as if afraid no one would know she was their mother.
But today, for some reason, when the teacher led them out, both siblings were hanging their little heads, looking somewhat listless.
Jiang Si's heart immediately sank. She touched their foreheads; their temperature seemed normal.
Had they had a disagreement with another child at kindergarten?
Before she could even ask, the brother and sister suddenly said, "Mommy, can we get an advance on our future allowance?"
An advance on their allowance?
Jiang Si found this very curious. "You can, but you have to tell Mommy what you need the advance for."
The children hemmed and hawed for a while. It wasn't until they were almost at their doorstep that they explained everything in detail.
Upon learning they wanted to buy a TV, simply because she was going to be on television and they had never seen their mom on TV before...
Jiang Si's heart melted with warmth and tenderness.
Holding one child's hand in each of hers, she was about to say, "How did you guess Mommy wanted to buy a TV?"
But the words were on the tip of her tongue when, out of the corner of her eye, she inadvertently glanced towards their two-story house.
Looking over, her gaze landed on the second-floor balcony.
There was Huo Tingzhou, holding what looked like a fishbone, carefully adjusting its angle.
Jiang Si understood instantly. Her intended words took a turn. "But Daddy has already bought a TV."
"Daddy bought a TV?" the children exclaimed.
Jiang Si nodded, tilting her chin slightly to indicate they should look. "See, Daddy is installing the antenna on the balcony right now."
The two little ones were instantly overjoyed, dashing back home like happy puppies.
By the time Jiang Si walked unhurriedly into their small courtyard, the living room was already a scene of bustling excitement.
The 14-inch television was already properly placed on the cabinet, and the fishbone antenna was set up.
The two children were gathered around Huo Tingzhou. One was diligently pounding his leg with a small fist, the other was earnestly kneading his shoulder with little hands, their attitudes exceedingly attentive.
"Daddy, you're the best!"
"Daddy, we love you the most!"
"Daddy, you're the greatest dad in the world!"
All sorts of sweet talk came pouring out as if it cost nothing.
Huo Tingzhou was clearly pleased. Though his face showed little expression, the delight in his eyes was impossible to hide.
Once Suisui and Zhaozhao had him sufficiently charmed, they quickly struck while the iron was hot.
"Daddy, can we invite other kids over to watch TV at home this weekend?"
The lady from the TV station had said today that the news would be re-aired the next morning.
Huo Tingzhou glanced at Jiang Si with a smile. "That, you'll have to ask Mom."
At home, the wife always has the final say.
And so, the same routine began again.
The two little ones immediately switched targets.
"Mommy, I love you the most!"
"The most beautiful Mommy~~"
Here we go again...
Jiang Si was instantly both highly amused and exasperated, quickly stopping them. "Alright, alright, Mommy agrees!"
If they kept shaking her like that any longer, she'd get dizzy—
