“That’s right, that’s right,” Zhang Shuwang also nudged Gu Jianing with her elbow. “Your Battalion Commander Sheng treats you so well.”
Gu Jianing felt a bit embarrassed and shot her a reproachful look, her face reddening as she said, “Doesn’t your Battalion Commander Lin treat you well too?”
Zhang Shuwang thought of how sweet her husband, Old Lin, usually was to her, and her face also warmed slightly.
Sheng Zexi had already taken all the dishes out, leaving only three portions in the kitchen that Gu Jianing had set aside separately. These portions contained both meat and vegetable dishes.
Gu Jianing quietly whispered to Zhang Shuwang and Sister Yu, “Sister Shuwang, Sister Yu, when you leave later, take one bowl each with you.”
Zhang Shuwang and Sister Yu were shocked that Gu Jianing had saved dishes for them.
Sister Yu hurriedly refused, “No, no, I only came to help cook a few dishes. How can I take food back with me too?”
This Jianing is too generous, too kind to others.
She could easily be taken advantage of.
“For you sisters, it might just be cooking a few dishes, but for someone like me who can’t cook, it’s a huge help. I don’t care, I’ve already divided the portions, and you must take them. Otherwise, I won’t dare ask for your help in the future.”
Sister Yu was stunned, unsure of what to do.
Zhang Shuwang, however, chuckled helplessly and said, “Sister Yu, let’s just accept it. If we have extra things in the future, we can share them with Jianing too.”
With Zhang Shuwang’s words and Gu Jianing’s sincere insistence, Sister Yu finally stopped refusing. “Alright, then I’ll accept it.”
Sister Yu and Battalion Commander Cui had five children, all at the age where they needed constant care.
Today, they had only brought one child with them.
The other four were left at home.
If she could bring back this large bowl of food, the children would be overjoyed, especially since it contained so much meat. With so many children in the family—three of them already in school—and Sister Yu staying home to care for them, unable to work, the family relied solely on Battalion Commander Cui’s salary. Life was truly tight.
Especially with the upcoming period of material shortages, Sister Yu knew how difficult things could get. That’s why she had advised Gu Jianing earlier when she saw so much meat.
Now, she was deeply moved by Gu Jianing’s thoughtful gesture of saving a large bowl of meat dishes for them.
Jianing is a sincere person.
Sister Yu made up her mind to get along well with Gu Jianing in the future. If anyone dared to speak ill of Jianing, she would be the first to stand up for her.
Gu Jianing was not stingy when it came to friends and family. As long as others treated her well, she would always reciprocate.
And both Zhang Shuwang and Sister Yu had left a very good impression on her.
When Sheng Zexi came back in, Gu Jianing handed him the remaining bowl of meat dishes and said, “Do you have a soldier under you named Xie Ze? Yesterday, when I came back from the market, he helped me push the cart and carry things.”
“I noticed how much he admires you when he mentioned you. He’s a good kid, very helpful.”
“Take this bowl of food to him now, and then come back quickly.”
Xie Ze?
When Gu Jianing mentioned him, Sheng Zexi remembered the young soldier. His memory was excellent, and he knew all the soldiers under his command and their personalities.
Xie Ze was a hardworking and determined young man, and Sheng Zexi had high hopes for him.
He hadn’t known about yesterday’s incident.
“Alright, I’ll go now.”
After training, Xie Ze, who was still diligently running on the field, was called over by Sheng Zexi, who then handed him a large bowl of meat dishes.
“Battalion Commander Sheng, this, this is…” Xie Ze, confused, was at a loss.
“Your sister-in-law told me that you helped her push the cart and carry things yesterday. Today, for the housewarming, she specially saved a portion for you. Take it, it’s still warm. Go ahead and eat it,” Sheng Zexi explained briefly.
Xie Ze knew about the housewarming feast at Battalion Commander Sheng’s place today, but only close comrades were invited. As a new soldier under Sheng Zexi, Xie Ze hadn’t dared to expect anything.
Yet, Sister-in-law had remembered him.
But how could he accept?
“No, no, Battalion Commander Sheng, I just helped out when I saw her. And Sister-in-law already gave me two meat buns yesterday.” That was more than enough. How could he take more?
“Take it. Xie Ze, train hard. I have high hopes for you!”
With that, before Xie Ze could react, Sheng Zexi patted his shoulder and left.
“Battalion Commander Sheng praised me, he praised me…” Xie Ze murmured, his dazed expression resembling that of a fan who had just been complimented by their idol.
By the time he came to his senses, Sheng Zexi was long gone.
Looking at the large bowl in his arms, Xie Ze realized he had no choice but to accept it.
Xie Ze made his way to a secluded spot behind a grove of trees, a place he considered his secret hideout. Whenever he needed some peace, he would come here.
Sitting under a tree, Xie Ze lifted the lid covering the bowl. When he saw the generous portions of food, especially the abundance of meat, he was stunned.
“Why… why is there so much? And so much meat too.”
After a long moment of stunned silence, Xie Ze pulled out a steamed bun he had taken from the canteen earlier. He began eating the bun, using his chopsticks to pick up pieces of meat from the bowl.
“It’s delicious, really delicious.”
As he ate, tears began to fall from Xie Ze’s eyes.
No one knew that today was actually Xie Ze’s birthday. When he was very young, and his parents were still alive, they would always celebrate his birthday.
After his father died in the line of duty and his mother remarried, Xie Ze was sent to live with his uncle and aunt. Since then, he had never celebrated his birthday again.
Even though he no longer celebrated, Xie Ze had always remembered the date.
In the past, his birthday was something only Xie Ze himself remembered. There were no longevity noodles or gifts.
But now…
Xie Ze ate the fragrant meat dishes in large mouthfuls, not minding the occasional salty taste of his tears mixed in. He thought to himself, even though Battalion Commander Sheng and Sister-in-law didn’t know it was his birthday, he would consider this bowl of food as their birthday gift to him.
This is wonderful!
Battalion Commander Sheng is great, and Sister-in-law is great too.
Xie Ze gazed at the vibrant sunset in the distance, its colors painting half the sky. Despite the tear stains on his face, a wide smile spread across it.
Xie Ze thought to himself, if he were to marry in the future, he would want a wife like Sister-in-law—beautiful and kind.
At this moment, Gu Jianing had no idea that her kind gesture had left a deep impression on a young soldier, who now saw her as the standard for his future wife.
If she had known, she would have surely put her hands on her hips and said to Xie Ze, “Kid, you’ve got good taste!”
Leave a Reply