HCB Chapter 618: The country lies before me, my family lies behind me.
Chapter 618: The country lies before me, my family lies behind me.
Five minutes ago, they called out once, but the little brat wouldn't open it, and told them to shut up.
Five minutes later, Erbao Yuanyuan came again; however, no matter how much Xiaohuobao Erbao Yuanyuan called, Xiaosibao Dangdang just wouldn't wake up, she didn't hear him.
Hmm, this little rascal falls asleep incredibly fast, in less than ten minutes he's snoring away; even a spring thunder probably wouldn't wake him.
Seeing that Erbao Yuanyuan had been calling for a long time, but Dangdang inside the house still didn't make a sound, Sanbao Manman wiggled her sexy little bottom and came up to Erbao Yuanyuan, who was pouting, and said in a childish voice, "No sound?"
Erbao Yuanyuan, "No—"
"My commander has already taken my sister-in-law away, so why are you still hiding in the house?"
"Come out and stretch your muscles, you little rascal—"
Shen Xiaoqi, the guard who had been working with Tuantuan to wash the dishes and tidy up the kitchen, felt something was off, so he came into the main room and shouted something.
"..."
"I guess he woke up too early today and is now sprawled out on the kang (heated brick bed) catching up on sleep."
Da Bao Tuan Tuan, who is very sparing with words, always guesses correctly.
Erbao Yuanyuan burst into the main room from the backyard, shouting, "I see! She's asleep on the kang (heated brick bed), don't bother shouting—"
Well, even though they bicker all the time, when it really matters, it's the two best friends, Erbao Yuanyuan, who worries about her silent little brother. Just now, she turned around and peeked through the crack in the back window—and there's little Sibao Dangdang, sleeping soundly.
In Xiao Sibao's world, he eats his fill, sleeps, and when he's rested, he finds an "opponent" to fight with. When he's in a good mood, he has his own vegetable garden. Of course, he won't forget his research on medicine powder.
……
In the family compound, Regiment Commander Lu Chenting, the "Living Yama," and his wife Su Nianxi were asking for directions on their way to the home of Deputy Battalion Commander Bi Fudong of the 1st Battalion of the 6th Regiment. By sheer coincidence, they ended up in front of Deputy Battalion Commander Bi Fudong's five-and-a-half-year-old daughter, Xiao Ye.
The thin little leaf naturally recognized Su Nianxi's baby—her mother, who was even prettier than the stars in magazines.
At this time, Bi Fudong, the deputy battalion commander of the 1st Battalion of the 6th Regiment, was leading his troops in the army!
When the young couple arrived at Bi's house, what they saw was a bare house with crooked tables and twisted chair legs, but the whole house was still tidy and organized.
Looking into the secondary bedroom on the left side of the main room, a thin, emaciated woman was sleeping on the spacious kang (a heated brick bed); yes, it was Yuan Caiying, the paralyzed wife of Deputy Battalion Commander Bi Fudong.
The sensible little Ye Zi had earnestly reminded Su Nianxi and the living Yama Lu Chenting, on their way home, that they shouldn't speak loudly or walk quietly when they arrived at her house; her mother couldn't sleep at night and could only sleep a little during the day.
In a small backyard, a girl of about ten years old, along with two boys who looked much shorter than her, were carefully watering the crops that were yellowing and withered, and leaning precariously.
The four little children are the children of Bi Fudong, deputy battalion commander of the 1st Battalion of the 6th Regiment, and his wife Yuan Caiying.
In the backyard, the oldest girl was their eldest daughter, Dayezi, who was eleven years old. The two little boys who followed Dayezi in watering the crops were nine years old and seven years old respectively.
The little girl, Xiaoyezi, is being led by the hand by Su Nianxi Baozi. She is five and a half years old.
As Xiao Yezi said on the way, Bi Fudong's mother, Bi Dayao, who was in her sixties, went out to chat with people as usual about how her daughter-in-law, who was paralyzed on the kang (a heated brick bed), was superfluous and how her son was being dragged down.
……
Su Nianxi looked at the four sensible children in front of her, who were so thin they were practically skin and bones. With a "bright" smile, she quietly poured hot water for the couple. She also whispered her thanks for the wild duck eggs they had brought.
Thinking of the patched-up quilt cover on the kang in the second bedroom, and the withered and emaciated Yuan Caiying on the kang, resigned to her fate; the sentimental Su Nianxi felt a lump in her throat and instantly broke down, tears welling up in her eyes.
To allow Yuan Caiying, a military wife who had trouble sleeping, to wake up naturally, Comrade Su Nianxi, along with Regiment Commander Lu Chenting, the "Living Yama," and the three children, Da Yezi, Tusheng, and Tuchang, spent nearly twenty minutes weeding the crops in the backyard of the Bi family.
Xiao Yezi was assigned to wait in the second bedroom for her mother, Yuan Caiying, to wake up, and then she was responsible for informing Su Nianxi and Baozi.
……
"Sister Su——"
Don't shed tears for me, it's not worth it; don't be sad, okay?
“It’s alright. I know my own body is in bad shape; this is how my life will be. I’ve seen through it all before. I’m just a burden to my husband, Fudong. He refuses to file for divorce with the military and doesn’t want to divorce me. He’s suffering so much, with four kids to raise…”
With tears in her eyes, Su Nianxi examined Yuan Caiying, the military wife. Yuan Caiying, who had been paralyzed for nearly two years, was heartbroken and weakly offered her words of comfort.
Her weak voice carried a longing for life and a sense of helplessness in the face of reality, as well as guilt and reluctance towards her husband and children.
Even Lu Chenting, the commander of the regiment and a straight-laced man who was standing outside the second bedroom door, felt a terrible unease upon hearing this, and his fists clenched so tightly they cracked.
The country lies before us, and our families lie behind us.
As the deputy battalion commander of the first battalion, Bi Fudong had a battalion of greenhorns to lead during the day, and at night, dragging his tired body, he had to face a home that he could do nothing about—his wife who was bedridden.
He not only does laundry, cooks, and takes care of his paralyzed wife, but he also has a lazy, demanding mother who constantly urges him to divorce her whenever she sees someone.
Fortunately, his eldest daughter, Dayezi, and eldest son, Tusheng, are both very sensible and try their best to share the housework; his younger son also tries his best to learn to do housework and lend a hand to his older sister and brother; and his youngest daughter, though young, is even more sensible and never causes trouble.
The fact that he had four sensible children was probably one of the reasons why Deputy Battalion Commander Bi Fudong was able to persevere and not fall; of course, his iron will as a soldier also supported him.
"Sister-in-law, don't be discouraged. These are tears of joy for you—"
"Although you've been paralyzed for the past two years, your lower body has been taken excellent care of; there's basically no muscle weakness or atrophy in your legs, which is a good thing..."
Su Nianxi wiped the moisture from the corner of her eyes and said happily for Yuan Caiying, the military wife.
Then——
"Sister-in-law, I'm going out for a bit..."
With a glimmer of hope in her eyes, Su Nianxi Baozi turned and left the bedroom before her sister-in-law Yuan Caiying on the kang could respond.
"Chenchen——"
"Go back and call Tuantuan, Yuanyuan, Manman, and Dangdang here, and hurry up—"
As soon as Su Nianxi stepped out of the second bedroom, she couldn't explain why, but she was a little excited.
"become--"
“I’ll go back and call them right away… Oh, Niannian, if Deputy Battalion Commander Bi’s mother comes back, keep an eye on her. I just heard these four kids say that the aunt is not easy to talk to.”
Originally, Regiment Commander Lu Chenting, the "Living Yama," was planning to go back and call on his bodyguard Shen Xiaoqi to help Deputy Battalion Commander Bi repair the crooked tables and chairs in the main room of his house, taking advantage of the day's holiday.