After returning to the county town, Nan Sheng was well-rested. She simply had Little Hou drive to the supply and marketing cooperative to buy chicken and fish, planning to have a good meal that evening.
Having eaten out every day, she quite missed her own cooking.
With Little Hou and the others around, Nan Sheng didn't have to handle cleaning the chicken and fish; she was only in charge of cooking. Siqi, smelling the aroma, had sat waiting at the dining table early on, practically drooling.
How could outside meals compare to what Mom makes?
She was going to eat her fill today!
Nan Sheng didn't disappoint the child. She prepared four meat dishes, one vegetable dish, and a soup. The kid, Qiqi, ate half a bowl more rice than usual, and would have kept going if Nan Sheng hadn't been watching her.
"No more eating. I think you're trying to burst your belly!"
Siqi looked pitifully at her dad—no use. She looked pitifully at her brother—no use. As for Little Hou, he was even less effective. She could only get down from the table and sprawl on the sofa.
After resting for just a few minutes, she felt uncomfortably stuffed. Now she didn't think her mom was being harsh anymore and quietly rubbed her own belly.
Sizhe and Lin Han weren't much better off. The dishes on the table were cleaned off, leaving only a bit of soup.
Perhaps because Nan Sheng enjoyed eating and loved experimenting, the things she made were exceptionally delicious. Her specialty dishes were even better than those from the state-run restaurant.
After the meal, Little Hou took the initiative to wash the dishes in the kitchen, while the Lin Han family went out for a walk. Nan Sheng was practically dragged out, with Lin Han holding her hand on the left and Siqi tugging at her on the right.
Sizhe didn't like showing too much affection with family in public, so he kept a few steps away, but a faint smile was on his face.
The good times didn't last long. Siqi, annoyed with her parents for walking too slowly, ran ahead to pull her brother along. He struggled but had no choice but to let his sister lead him.
To anyone looking, this was a happy family of four.
Since moving here, this was the first time Nan Sheng had gone for a walk after dinner. Listening to the chatter of the neighbors, she felt the fatigue of the past days lessen considerably.
The warmth of everyday life is what truly touches the heart!
After Lin Han returned from his hospital check-up and rested for a few more days, he took his son back to the military family compound with Nan Sheng's permission. Upon hearing Lin Han was back, many people came to visit in person.
People came in wave after wave—some were close friends, others came to gather information. They genuinely received quite a lot of gifts.
Lin Han thought he should send the good stuff to his wife and child. What did he need supplements for? He was fit as a fiddle.
Sizhe, who had been tidying up inside, was quite speechless watching Little Hou almost clear out all the gifts. He looked at Lin Han, trying to evoke his paternal love, but to no avail; their gazes didn't even meet.
"Dad, you still have a son here. Even if you don't eat it, could you at least leave a bite or two for me?"
Lin Han was taken aback, then chuckled somewhat helplessly. He called Little Hou back and told Sizhe to pick out what he liked to keep. He had been lost in thought earlier and had forgotten his son was also home.
After Lin Han returned to the army, some were happy, some were worried. During this period, some had been using his injury as a talking point, trying to have someone transferred to take over the regimental commander position, but Division Commander Yao had refused them all.
In his words, "The regiments under my command can manage themselves just fine. No need to transfer anyone over."
Seeing Lin Han full of vigor, Division Commander Yao felt reassured. "How were the check-up results? Is your recovery going well?"
"Reporting, Division Commander. The military doctor said the recovery is excellent. I can gradually resume normal training in a month. I've caused you concern during this time!"
"None of that useless talk. Go back and wait. Good news will come soon."
Lin Han had performed a great service. Division Commander Yao intended to seize this opportunity to make his position permanent!
Having been away from the military district for so long, hearing the drilling sounds again made Lin Han feel somewhat exhilarated. He particularly wanted to go run a few laps on the training field.
Nan Sheng was guarding against precisely this. She had instructed Little Hou to keep an eye on him at all times.
"Regimental Commander, please bear with it a little longer. You might not be afraid of Sister-in-law getting angry, but I am."
Lin Han let out a deep sigh. He wanted to say he was afraid too.
Unable to train, he could only return to his office. This time, Little Hou didn't follow immediately but went to find Luo Hao and Han Yongxiang to relay Nan Sheng's instructions again.
"You know Sister-in-law's temper. If the Regimental Commander's body doesn't recover properly, none of us will be welcome at their place in the future."
Han Yongxiang immediately thumped his chest in assurance. "Tell Sister-in-law to rest easy. We guarantee we'll complete this small task."
Luo Hao was equally serious. A gunshot wound was no minor matter; they couldn't let the regimental commander have his way.
Today, Lin Han took his son back to the family compound. Nan Sheng, getting up early for work, took Siqi with her. The lively, chubby little girl was quite adorable.
In the morning, she could stay in the office. After lunch, she started wandering around. When asked, she would say she was from Director Nan's family.
She was well-behaved and didn't cause trouble. When something interested her, she'd stop and watch with wide eyes. In less than two hours, the entire county government knew what Director Nan's daughter looked like.
Nearing the end of the workday, Nan Sheng asked Su Jie, "Have you seen where Qiqi went?"
Su Jie couldn't help but laugh. "In Secretary Cao's office. I went to look earlier, and the two of them were chatting away happily."
Nan Sheng sighed. "That's just how she is. She's been a chatterbox since she was little, can strike up a conversation with anyone."
Just as she said this, the little one came back holding something. Nan Sheng saw it was a tea cake.
"Where did you get that?"
Siqi stated matter-of-factly, "It's a meeting gift from Uncle Cao. I didn't want it, but he insisted on giving it to me. He even said he'll bring me something tasty tomorrow!"
Nan Sheng: Alright then. Fortunately, it's Secretary Cao. No need to make too much of it.
After work, the mother and daughter headed straight for the state-run restaurant. Full and satisfied, they strolled home. Siqi, rubbing her round belly, said, "It's such a waste with Brother and Dad not here!"
That's the downside of eating out—the portions are large, and the two of them simply couldn't finish. With the current weather, taking leftovers home wasn't feasible either. It really was quite wasteful, but there was nothing to be done.
Another week passed like this. Sizhe came over by bus himself, going directly to the government office. This way, Director Nan's son was also fully revealed to everyone.
Nan Sheng was handling official business. "Son, how did you get here? Did Little Hou bring you?"
"No. Little Hou Uncle has been busy with training lately. I took the bus from town by myself."
Hearing this, Nan Sheng looked up, her tone slightly chiding. "You silly child, it would have been better to have someone bring you. It's such a long way."
Sizhe couldn't help but complain to Nan Sheng, saying he'd had a really rough time during this period. "Dad said his promotion to regimental commander will be announced soon. He's been incredibly busy every day, no time to look after me. If it weren't for the canned food and biscuits at home, I'd have had to go out begging for food!"
Although a bit exaggerated, there were indeed a couple of days when Lin Han hadn't paid attention to this son.
"Poor thing. What do you want to eat tonight? Mom will make it up to you properly."
"Anything hot will do."
Anyway, for the time being, he didn't want to eat pastries or snacks anymore.
