"Have you all lost your minds? When you see a snake, instead of avoiding it, you dare to grab it? If it were venomous and bit you, have you thought about the consequences? Even after cutting off its head, a snake can still bite. I’ll be telling your grandma about this."
In the end, not a single one of them, young or old, escaped a spanking with a stick.
"Grandpa Liao taught us to strike a snake at its vital spot—I aimed perfectly! But Grandma still gave me two extra hits!"
Li Wu raised his hand in a victory sign, fingers stretched so straight it was impossible to miss just how much of a troublemaker he was.
The children squatted by a basin, washing their dirty clothes. Ever since they broke the washing machine last time—though it had been fixed—they were now stuck hand-washing their filthy garments.
"I told you to throw it away, but you wouldn’t listen. Grandma should’ve only punished you!"
Li Wen glared at his twin brother, exasperated. This was supposed to be just about laundry—why did his brother have to be so stubborn? Why had he been born just a tiny bit later? If only he were the older one.
"Aunt Yang only used her hands this time. Just wait and see how much extra homework we’ll get."
Wang Xing’s ominous words silenced everyone instantly.
"Oh no, I’ll have to write another self-criticism essay."
Hu Zhenghao was the first to groan in despair.
Li Wu froze.
"Little brother, help me out! Grandma’s assignments are way too hard!"
"No way."
Li Wen refused. Li Wu turned to Wang Xing, who simply looked up at the sky.
Li Wu felt like the sky was falling. He’d rather take a few more hits from Grandma—at least he could handle those.
Professor Wen and Yang Yufen sat together.
"Li Wu and Li Wen are about to start elementary school. At the orphanage, the kids are more carefree, but once they enter school, they’ll learn discipline, and you won’t have to work so hard.
The youth center is offering many activity classes right now, which would be perfect for them. I’ll sign them up. Zhenghao is already familiar with the place, so he can take them there.
Summer break is coming soon too. After their training at the youth center, Little Jun and the others can take them to the military base. They’re all boys—their fathers’ guidance is important too."
"That’s true. Niannian should be coming back soon, right? There hasn’t been any news, but yesterday was sunny, so I washed and aired out all the things in her room."
Yang Yufen nodded. Time had flown by so fast—the twins were already nearly up to her waist in height. These kids ate well and were always active, growing like weeds.
The children eavesdropped by the door, feeling like they’d just heard their doom.
But Hu Zhenghao secretly felt a bit pleased. At least he wouldn’t be the only one suffering at the youth center anymore.
He glanced at his younger brothers. Soon, even Little Baby would join them in a few years.
And the military base? He’d lived there before. Heh, his brothers would find out soon enough.
"She should be back soon. You’ve worked hard these past two years. Little Zhou mentioned she plans to take Little Baby to the hospital soon—he’s not so little anymore. Zhenghao takes after his father, but Little Zhou wants him to study medicine. Early exposure is good."
"Medicine is a great path! Li Wu’s personality seems more like Xianjun’s, while Li Wen takes after Niannian."
Yang Yufen nodded. Unknowingly, the children had grown so much. Soon, she’d have more free time.
"Li Wen has a real talent for languages and numbers. He and Wang Xing get along extremely well. Zhenghao and Li Wu do fine with English, but when it comes to learning additional languages, they can’t keep up with those two—they lack the patience."
Professor Wen adored Li Wen and Wang Xing, often taking them to her university to sit in on foreign language classes. As the country developed, the demand for multilingual talent grew—mastering just one language wasn’t enough anymore.
These were things Yang Yufen wasn’t exposed to, but Professor Wen understood well and enjoyed sharing with her. So when it came to the children’s education, Yang Yufen never argued.
"If Old Hu weren’t so busy lately, he’d be great at teaching the kids too."
Professor Wen thought of her husband.
"They’re all doing important work."
Military Base
"You’ve been assigned a mission—pick up two people from the airport. One goes to the research institute, the other to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs."
Hu Jun was summoned. After receiving the orders and reviewing the documents, his heart leaped with joy.
"Understood!"
He called Shen Xianjun and Liao Yuanjie over.
"You two, come with me on a mission."
"Roger!"
The two quickly packed, changed into civilian clothes, and followed Hu Jun out.
"To the airport."
Shen Xianjun stepped on the gas, driving them out.
"Old Hu, do we really need three people just to pick someone up at the airport?"
Liao Yuanjie, sitting in the passenger seat, turned to ask.
"Don’t ask questions. You’ll see soon enough."
Hu Jun didn’t explain. When they arrived, he checked his watch—the timing was just right.
Through internal channels, they watched as the plane descended in the distance.
"Someday, our fighter jets will outnumber these planes. We’ll fly wherever we want."
Shen Xianjun gazed at the aircraft in the vast airport. If only those were all military jets.
"That day will come."
Liao Yuanjie agreed. They’d already begun training on fighter jets—if not for Hu Jun’s summons, they’d be in a simulator right now.
The shuttle stopped. The three stepped out as the plane’s door slowly opened.
Qin Nian and Fan Juan descended with their luggage. The moment their feet touched solid ground, the floating sensation vanished, replaced by deep relief.
"We’re home."
They couldn’t help but hug each other.
"Niannian, welcome back."
Hu Jun’s voice rang out. Qin Nian turned and saw him in uniform.
"Big Brother!"
"Niannian."
Shen Xianjun stepped forward, taking her luggage.
"Hello, Comrade Fan Juan. I’m Hu Jun. We’ve been sent to escort you. First, we’ll go to the research institute, then Comrade Liao Yuanjie will take you to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Is that acceptable?"
Hu Jun saluted her.
"No problem. Niannian, I’ll visit you later. I’ll go see Aunt Yang too."
Fan Juan knew Qin Nian’s ties to Hu Jun and Shen Xianjun and wouldn’t intrude.
Liao Yuanjie took Fan Juan’s bags—now he understood why he’d been brought along.
"Here, I’ll give you my contact—my teacher’s home number. Call anytime if you need anything."
They left the airport smoothly. In the car, Qin Nian wrote the number down for Fan Juan, who tucked it away carefully.
As the familiar gates of the research institute came into view, Qin Nian took a deep breath. The car stopped in front of the office building, where she saw her mentor.
"Teacher, I’m back."
Qin Nian gazed at her teacher, whose temples had grayed in just two years. It felt like an eternity had passed.
