Su Lang patted his head. "You have grown taller, not bad."
Jiang Chengzhou grinned, revealing a mouthful of bright white teeth. "I eat two bowls of rice every meal."
"You little brat."
Su Lang did not have high demands for his nephew; being healthy was enough.
"Chengzhou, you are a man, right?"
The seven-year-old "man" patted his chest. "Yes!"
"In a while, your uncle is going to marry your aunt and bring her back, along with a little sister. You have to take good care of them when the time comes. Can you do that?"
"I can do it!" Jiang Chengzhou shouted, but his voice quickly dropped. "Uncle, will my aunt make me wash the little sister's diapers?"
"The little sister is almost three years old. She does not need diapers."
"Alright then, go bring them back." Jiang Chengzhou agreed readily.
Su Lang pulled five yuan from his pocket. "Keep this money for emergencies. If anything happens, go find Regimental Commander Ma, understand?"
"I guarantee to complete the mission!"
After entrusting his nephew to the sister-in-law living next door with a few words, Su Lang hurriedly boarded the train.
...
Winter had already arrived. The fields in the village, turned over after the autumn harvest, were now planted with winter wheat.
Lin Zhilan and Linlin were also wearing the new padded cotton jackets sent over by Zheng Hui.
Affection is built through spending time together.
Now, the names of grandpa and grandma frequently appeared on Linlin's lips.
Her personality had also become much more cheerful.
One day, just as Lin Zhilan and Linlin came out of the family residential building where Chen Jin lived, they bumped into a young man head-on.
"Comrade Lin, h-hello."
"Hello, may I ask who you are?"
Xiao Liu turned pale, his fingernails digging into his palms, and said, "I am Section Chief Chen's subordinate. I was also there the last time we went to distribute the pension."
"Oh." Lin Zhilan had no impression of him and asked, "Is there something you need?"
"Nothing much, it is just... just..."
He stammered for a long time before finally coming up with an excuse. "Comrade Lin, I have a bicycle. Let me give you a ride back."
Lin Zhilan pulled her daughter back a step. "Thank you for your kindness, but our village has an ox cart. I will not trouble you."
"Comrade Lin!" Xiao Liu stopped her again. "I, I..."
As soon as Su Lang got off the train, he wanted to visit his old political commissar, Chen Jin, first.
He had no other acquaintances here, and Zhou Jianjun could not get time off. Fortunately, he remembered that the political commissar from when he was a company commander was from this town.
Walking along the address he had looked up, before he even found the family courtyard, Su Lang first saw the woman who had constantly been intruding into his dreams lately.
"Comrade Lin!"
Su Lang walked over briskly.
Lin Zhilan turned her head, looking at him with confused eyes.
Su Lang was speechless.
Su Lang glanced at Xiao Liu and said in a voice only the two of them could hear, "I am Su Lang."
Su Lang?
On the night she transmigrated here, it was too dark and she was too nervous, so Lin Zhilan had not gotten a clear look at Su Lang's appearance.
Now, she observed him carefully.
She had to admit, Su Lang was extremely good-looking.
He was tall, with broad shoulders and a narrow waist.
Although his skin tone was a bit dark, it only made his deep-set eyes stand out more.
Perhaps because he was a soldier, even just standing casually, he was like a sturdy pine or cypress, with an extraordinary posture.
In an instant, it made Xiao Liu beside him seem much weaker in presence.
"Comrade Lin, who is this?"
Before Lin Zhilan had time to speak, Su Lang stepped to her side. "I am her marriage prospect."
Xiao Liu's face stiffened as he asked Lin Zhilan, "Comrade Lin, is this true?"
Lin Zhilan could tell that the young man in front of her had probably taken a liking to her.
However, she had no such intentions, so she tacitly agreed with Su Lang's words.
Xiao Liu left in disappointment.
With no one else around, Su Lang suddenly felt a bit nervous.
He stiffly turned his body, pursed his lips, and with difficulty squeezed out a greeting. "Hello, Comrade Lin."
Lin Zhilan replied, "...Hello."
Little Linlin hugged her mother's neck, looking curiously at the man in front of her.
Su Lang forced out a smile, which frightened little Linlin so much that she quickly turned her face away.
Su Lang was speechless again.
Seeing the man's helpless look, Lin Zhilan could not help but laugh out loud, explaining, "Linlin is shy around strangers."
"I understand."
The two stood awkwardly for a moment before Su Lang said, "Let's find a place to sit."
"Okay."
Su Lang took the mother and daughter to a state-run restaurant.
"Master, please make us three bowls of shredded pork noodles."
"No need," Lin Zhilan said. "Two bowls will be enough."
"You got it."
Little Linlin was not very good at using chopsticks yet, so Lin Zhilan asked for a small bowl and spoon for her, mashing up the noodles before giving them to her.
Usually, she would eat obediently by herself, but today, for some unknown reason, she pestered her mother to feed her.
Su Lang tentatively offered, "Shall I feed her?"
Lin Zhilan wanted to say that Linlin would not allow it, but she saw the little one had already opened her small mouth, saying, "Ah~"
Flattered and surprised, Su Lang hurriedly took the small bowl and fed the noodles to his future daughter.Bowls
If Jiang Chengzhou saw this scene, he definitely would not believe this was his uncle.
Su Lang kept his movements as gentle as possible, making sure Linlin had finished chewing before feeding her the second bite.
By the time the noodles in the bowl were finished, Su Lang's back was faintly sweating.
He was not even this careful when throwing hand grenades normally.
Lin Zhilan watched this scene, feeling a bit complicated inside.
She wondered if there was some destiny at play; the sensitive and timid Linlin rarely let her guard down around anyone, yet she had no defenses against Su Lang.
In the book, when Su Lang came over this time, he gave Wang Guifen a sum of money and adopted Linlin.
Linlin also called him dad for a few years.
It was a pity.
In a few years, the man in front of her would sacrifice his life on the battlefield.
After Linlin was full, Su Lang put down the bowl and spoon, sitting upright as he looked at Lin Zhilan.Bowls
"Comrade Lin, let me formally introduce myself.
Su Lang, thirty years old, unmarried, clean family background, hometown in the capital, currently stationed on an island.
I currently have savings of three thousand six hundred and forty-nine yuan and eighty cents, with a monthly allowance of 132 yuan."
He paused, then added, "I am a soldier. I guarantee in the name of the organization that I will definitely treat you well from now on. You will manage all the money in the family, and as long as I am not out on a mission, I will do all the household chores!
Comrade Lin, are you willing to become revolutionary partners with me?"
Lin Zhilan originally wanted to smile, but her expression grew more serious the more she listened.
She looked at Su Lang earnestly. "Commander Su, nothing happened last time. I do not need you to take responsibility."
Su Lang's eyes were complicated as he looked at the woman in front of him.
In the past, he did not pay much attention to women's appearances; good or bad, beautiful or ugly, it made no difference in his eyes.
But Lin Zhilan's beauty was radiant and impossible to ignore.
Su Lang could not say he had not been completely stunned by her physical appearance, but what attracted him even more was Lin Zhilan's character.
What happened that night, if discovered through the slightest carelessness, would have been a massive problem for both him and Lin Zhilan.
Su Lang admitted that Lin Zhilan had been much calmer than him at the time.
Su Lang had left Zhoujia Village, but he had left his heart behind there.
Moreover, even though in reality, he had only met Lin Zhilan twice.
However, in some unspeakable dreams...
He had long become familiar with every part of her body.
Lin Zhilan said nothing had happened...
But in his dreams, everything had happened.
"Comrade Lin, is there something about me that you are dissatisfied with?"