Around six in the evening, Zhong Jianguo returned from the military camp. Just as he reached his doorstep, Liu Wei suddenly appeared and pulled him next door.
“Is Zhaodi at your house?” Zhong Jianguo asked without much thought. “Where is she?”
Duan dasao stepped out of the house, instinctively tiptoeing to glance at the neighbouring courtyard. Seeing no one there, she still lowered her voice, “Your father and younger brother arrived around three in the afternoon. Right now, they’re sitting in your living room.”
Zhong Jianguo frowned deeply and irritably took off his cap. “Why did they pick this time to come?”
“At first, I thought it was Dawa’s maternal grandfather visiting,” Duan dasao said. “Earlier, Dawa was out playing, so I asked him. He said it was your father. From what he said, your father isn’t acknowledging Xiao Song and keeps saying he’ll talk when you get home. Just so you’re aware.”
“I got it, Auntie. I’ll go check things out.”
At the entrance of the living room, Zhong Jianguo saw Song Zhaodi sitting with their three children on the long bench to the east, while his father and Zhong Shengli sat on the long bench to the west.
The scene immediately brought to mind the phrase: Two armies facing off, tension in the air.
“Father, Shengli, you’re here,” Zhong Jianguo broke the silence.
Both Father Zhong and Zhong Shengli instinctively turned toward him and stood up in unison. “Why are you back so late, Jianguo?”
“You have good timing,” Song Zhaodi commented. “If you had come yesterday, Jianguo wouldn’t have been home—he was still out at sea.”
Father Zhong turned to glare at Song Zhaodi. “This is men’s business. What’s a woman like you speaking for?!”
“Father, she is my wife,” Zhong Jianguo’s brows furrowed in displeasure. “She’s also my stepmother’s niece—Shengli’s cousin.”
Father Zhong was clearly unhappy. “What stepmother? That’s your mother. Jianguo, I came this time—”
“Father, I’m covered in mud,” Zhong Jianguo interrupted. “I rushed straight home after training. Can you give me a moment to shower, change, and have a drink of water?”
Father Zhong had been so focused on his younger son’s affairs that he hadn’t even noticed the mud on Zhong Jianguo’s uniform. Now that he looked closely, a hint of awkwardness flashed across his face. “Go wash up. We can talk later.”
“What are we having for dinner?” Song Zhaodi asked.
Zhong Jianguo didn’t even think before replying, “Whatever you want to make.” Then he turned to his eldest son. “Dawa, go help your mother light the fire.”
“Okay!” Dawa immediately turned to Erwa. “Let’s go to the kitchen.”
In the blink of an eye, only the father and sons remained in the living room.
Zhong Shengli tugged at his father’s sleeve and whispered, “Dad, er ge doesn’t seem happy to see us. Let’s just go back.”
“You silly child, what do you know?” Father Zhong scoffed. Zhong Shengli, being younger, wasn’t aware of how their father had previously treated his two elder sons, but Father Zhong himself knew very well.
If Zhong Jianguo had welcomed him with open arms, Father Zhong would have found it suspicious. Instead, his son’s cold attitude reassured him—this was more like the Jianguo he knew. “I’m his father. What’s there to be afraid of? Sit down properly. Tomorrow, I’ll have your er ge take you to the military camp.”
Over in the kitchen, the Zhong family had hot water on the stove. Song Zhaodi poured it into a metal bucket and peeked outside. “Your father isn’t here for anything good.”
“I’ll handle him. You don’t need to step in for me,” Zhong Jianguo replied. “I already have a plan for dealing with this.”
“Since you’ve got it figured out, I won’t bother playing the villain,” Song Zhaodi said. After a pause, she added, “Should I make bean flour noodles?”
“What about them?” Zhong Jianguo glanced at their three sons sitting in a row.
Zhong Dawa spoke up first. “Dad, I’ll eat whatever’s made.”
“Good boy,” Song Zhaodi praised. “I’ll mix a little bean flour with white flour—Dawa and Erwa can eat that. I’ll make an egg for Sanwa.”
Zhong Jianguo had no objections. “You handle it.”
For dinner, Song Zhaodi made a pot of noodles and stir-fried some bok choy and lettuce.
Father Zhong frowned at the completely meatless spread, his expression dark enough to kill a mosquito. “Is this how you normally eat?”
“Don’t you eat like this?” Zhong Jianguo countered.
Father Zhong was momentarily speechless. After a while, he couldn’t help but say, “You’re a regiment commander.”
“A regiment commander has to set an example,” Zhong Jianguo replied. “I get five pounds of meat ration tickets a month. We buy one pound of meat every five days. If you want to eat meat, wait until the fifth—I’ll buy some then.”
Father Zhong opened his mouth but then felt a sharp pain in his leg. Turning, he saw Zhong Shengli glaring at him. Say less. Don’t embarrass yourself.
Father Zhong shut up and focused on eating.
Zhong Jianguo, having caught the little exchange, glanced between his father and brother. Seeing that his father was even more obedient than Dawa, he felt an inexplicable sense of frustration. He buried his head in his bowl and pretended not to notice.
After dinner, Song Zhaodi washed the dishes while Zhong Jianguo bathed the three children. Later, she took the kids upstairs to bed.
Half-asleep, she felt someone next to her. Opening her eyes, she saw Zhong Jianguo undressing. “Did you find the guest room key?”
“I found the spare one,” Zhong Jianguo replied as he lay down.
Song Zhaodi chuckled, turning to face him. “Being this vigilant in your own home—Regiment Commander Zhong, aren’t you exhausted?”
“Not at all.” Zhong Jianguo smirked at her. “Tomorrow morning, I’ll take those two to the camp. I figure they won’t last past the day after tomorrow—maybe three days at most.”
Song Zhaodi immediately sat up. “Don’t do anything reckless.”
“Relax, it’s the new recruits’ training area,” Zhong Jianguo assured her. “Sometimes, when you pass by, you see soldiers training—that’s the section designated for new recruits.”
Song Zhaodi was relieved but still reminded him, “It’s not worth violating regulations for your father and brother.”
“Sleep,” Zhong Jianguo patted her shoulder. “Even if not for myself, I wouldn’t mess up because of you and the kids.”
The next morning, Zhong Jianguo took his father and Zhong Shengli to the training ground.
The sun was already high in the sky, and the outdoor temperature was around 25 to 26 degrees Celsius. As they walked through the training zone, Father Zhong and Zhong Shengli began to sweat slightly.
Father Zhong asked, “Jianguo, is there a place to rest?”
Zhong Jianguo tugged at the corner of his mouth. “If you’re tired, you just sit on the ground. There’s no designated rest area. During lunch, you can rest for half an hour in the mess hall.” After a pause, he continued, “Dad, do you want Shengli to join the cooking unit, or would you prefer he go to another company?”
Father Zhong was taken aback, not expecting the sudden question. “Of course, he should go wherever is best. Do you even need to ask?”
Zhong Jianguo chuckled. “Dad, the army isn’t a place for an easy life. Except for the guards on duty, everyone participates in training, including me.
“The cooking unit is the least demanding, but even the cooks have to train every afternoon. Once Shengli enlists, if he slacks off and doesn’t train, even though he’s my younger brother, he’ll be sent back home.” He paused before adding, “I’m not trying to scare you. If Shengli can handle the hardship, I have no reason to stop him from joining the army.”
“There must be office jobs in such a big military base,” Father Zhong said sceptically.
Zhong Jianguo nodded, making his father momentarily hopeful, only to hear him say, “The commander and political commissar get to sit in the office all day.”
Father Zhong choked.
Not bothering to argue further, Zhong Jianguo pointed to a group of soldiers approaching. “Shengli, those are the new recruits from last year. Go warm up with them and get a feel for it.”
Instinctively, Zhong Shengli glanced at his father.
“I’m just a regiment commander,” Zhong Jianguo stated. “I don’t run the army. Once you enlist, even if I wanted to protect you, the commander and division leader wouldn’t allow it.” He paused. “Wanting to be a soldier without training is unrealistic. I suggest you don’t even think about it.”
“Go on, run a lap with them,” Father Zhong urged, giving his youngest son a push.
Zhong Jianguo waved at the lieutenant leading the group and, without much explanation, pointed at Zhong Shengli, saying he was a relative who wanted to experience military life.
Zhong Shengli resembled Zhao Yin, with phoenix eyes and a long face, sharing only about thirty percent of Zhong Jianguo’s features. Since Zhong Jianguo was tanned to a reddish hue while Zhong Shengli was pale as a steamed bun, their different skin tones further reduced their resemblance. As a result, the lieutenant genuinely believed Zhong Shengli was just a distant relative. He patted Shengli on the shoulder and told him to join the run.
Watching his son finish a lap without falling behind or appearing too tired, Father Zhong was quite pleased. “Jianguo, your brother isn’t bad, huh?”
“Ten laps,” Zhong Jianguo said blankly. “You have to get properly warmed up before real training starts.”
Father Zhong was speechless.
“Don’t think I’m lying,” Zhong Jianguo added. “Look behind you—there are more teams training.”
Father Zhong turned and saw not just one but multiple groups in training on all sides.
Zhong Jianguo glanced at his father’s shifting expressions and scoffed inwardly.
Fifteen minutes later, Zhong Shengli, gasping for breath and holding his waist, struggled over—but he had only managed four laps.
Seeing this, Father Zhong was heartbroken. “Quick, sit down and rest.”
“Don’t sit,” Zhong Jianguo reminded. “Walk for a bit, or your legs will hurt tomorrow.”
Zhong Shengli froze.
Father Zhong looked back and forth between his elder and younger sons, hesitating. “T-then walk for a while. I’ll support you.”
Zhong Jianguo sneered and looked away. A few minutes later, he turned back and pointed to a shaded spot. “Sit over there and watch how the recruits train.”
Father Zhong still didn’t quite trust him.
Zhong Jianguo had told him he was a regiment commander, and in Father Zhong’s mind, that meant he commanded only seven or eight hundred men. But looking around at the thousands of soldiers, he realised that there was no way this was all an act just to deceive him and Shengli. So, he sat down and observed.
Father Zhong kept his ears and eyes open, and after half an hour, he had to admit—Zhong Jianguo hadn’t been lying. The new recruits indeed had the lightest training load.
Seeing his father and brother fall silent, Zhong Jianguo felt a strange sense of disappointment. “I have a meeting soon. You two should go back the way you came. Don’t wander around, or you’ll be mistaken for spies and arrested.”
Father Zhong could see sentries holding rifles everywhere. He was too cowardly to even stand up to Zhao Yin, so there was no way he would dare cause trouble here. Still, instead of obediently returning, he sought out the island’s fishermen to gather more information about the military base.
Around eleven o’clock, Song Zhaodi was preparing lunch when she noticed that Father Zhong and Zhong Shengli hadn’t returned. She began to worry. “Dawa, go to Grandma’s house next door and ask her to call your father. Find out where your grandpa and uncle have gone.”
“Did they get lost?” Zhong Dawa asked.
Song Zhaodi replied, “I’m more worried they’ll cause trouble for your father.”
“If they cause trouble,” Zhong Dawa said matter-of-factly, “then they should be arrested. Or better yet, thrown into the sea to feed the big fish.”
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