A courtyard house; Li Yunlong, a subordinate of the deputy director of Harbin Military Engineering I

Zhang Xiyue was suffering!

She overslept again today.

After being tormented by Zhang Renfeng for two nights in a row, she felt like her bones were about to fall apart. When she opened her eyes this morning, the sky was already bright outside, and she was furious.

It's all Zhang Renfeng's fault. During the day, he's a proper gentleman, seriously discussing military affairs with the old brigade commander, but at night he's like a completely different person, going out of his way to torment her.

Is that thing really that pleasurable?

Anyway, she didn't feel anything, only pain, so much so that she gasped for breath.

It's nothing like what those women in the military factory said, like "practice makes perfect, and practice makes perfect..."

How many times has this happened to her? It still hurts.

Zhang Xiyue grew angrier the more she thought about it, her face turning red. She sat up abruptly and slapped Zhang Renfeng's smooth buttocks.

"Snapped!"

"Zhang Renfeng, you big bastard!"

Zhang Renfeng was slapped on the butt by her, but he wasn't angry at all. Not only was he not angry, he didn't even argue back.

He sat up in one swift motion, quickly putting on his pants, shirt, and shoes, his movements even more efficient than during an emergency assembly in basic training.

In just a few minutes, he was dressed neatly. "Okay, I'm going out to take a look."

When the door opened, he was stunned.

Brigade Commander Chen stood in the courtyard with a dark expression, leaning on his cane, his left hand on his waist, his face full of displeasure.

It's less about being annoyed and more about feeling uncomfortable.

He stood there, one leg trembling slightly, his face wrinkled and looking as if he had been owed a debt for eight lifetimes.

Seeing Zhang Renfeng come out, Brigade Commander Chen raised his cane and pointed at him lightly: "Damn it, what sins have I committed to be your neighbor? And I even have to serve you breakfast! Damn it! I only had one good meal, and now my little Fu has to cook for you every day! Seriously, you've gone too far! You've gone too far!!"

Zhang Renfeng watched the old man's shrewish, cursing manner. The old man was very loud in his mouth, but if he really didn't let him do anything about it, he would be so anxious that he would jump up and down.

He swaggered forward, hands on his hips, and said with a grin:

"Hey, don't talk nonsense. You insisted on applying for number 43 from the organization yourself. It's too late to regret it now. I think you're not angry that I get up late, but rather that you're too old and useless, aren't you?"

"Pah!" Brigade Commander Chen spat, his annoyance instantly vanishing, replaced by a smug expression, his mouth practically stretching to his ears. "Sorry, I'm going to be a father again."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Renfeng paused for a moment, then clicked his tongue and said sourly, "Isn't that a bit off?"

"What's wrong?"

"The timing is wrong!" Zhang Renfeng counted on his fingers. "We've only been back from Vietnam for a little over two months. You... old man, tell me honestly, did you... while we were in Vietnam?"

"Go to hell!" Brigade Commander Chen laughed and cursed, raising his cane as if to hit me. "I've been back for so long! Did the engineers teach you math? If this baby is a girl, I'll definitely pamper her like a treasure. Your older sister said that the pregnancy symptoms are completely different from when she was pregnant with Xiao Jian, so it's most likely a girl."

Zhang Renfeng recalled that Commander Chen's last child was indeed a daughter.

He chuckled, took a half-step closer, and lowered his voice, saying, "Let's make a bet. I bet your older sister's baby will be a girl. If I'm right, you'll call me Dad."

Enraged, Brigade Commander Chen was about to grab his cane and beat him: "I'll beat you to death, you son of a bitch!"

The two were joking around when Zhang Xiyue finished tidying up and came out. Standing at the door, she saw this scene and couldn't help but laugh out loud.

She stepped forward, gently took Zhang Renfeng's arm, and nodded to Brigade Commander Chen: "Good morning, Brother Chen."

"What do you mean 'early'? It's so late." Commander Chen said sarcastically, but he couldn't hide the smile on his face. "Alright, alright, hurry up and come inside to eat. Comrade Xiao Fu has been waiting for you for ages, he's even reheated the porridge three times."

The three entered courtyard number 41.

Just then, Sister Fu came out of the kitchen carrying the last dish of pickled vegetables. When she saw them, she smiled and said, "Oh, you've finally gotten up. Please sit down, the porridge is still warm."

Bowls and chopsticks were already set on the table, along with millet porridge, steamed buns, pickled vegetable shreds, boiled eggs, and a plate of braised beef.

Zhang Xiyue quickly went up to help serve the porridge, but Sister Fu pressed her hand down, saying, "No, no, no, the bride can just sit and eat."

Zhang Xiyue blushed, but still insisted on serving the porridge and putting it on the table.

The four men sat down around the table to eat breakfast. While eating, Brigade Commander Chen chatted casually with Zhang Renfeng about military affairs, from the training progress of the 15th Army to the ammunition supply of the 12th Army, and then to the recent telegrams and reports from the Korean battlefield.

Halfway through the meal, Commander Chen put down his chopsticks and gestured towards the bulging packages on the corner of the table: "Those were all prepared by your eldest sister: Liu Biju pickles, Zhang Yiyuan tea, old Beijing cloth shoes... things to take back to your parents' home. You can bring them back to the Nie family later."

Zhang Renfeng glanced at the pile of things and waved his hand, "Hey, old man, there's no need for this..."

"Shut up!" Brigade Commander Chen glared at him. "What do you know? This is basic etiquette. Your older sister spent the whole morning preparing this; how dare you not take it?"

Zhang Xiyue quickly said, "How can this be? It's too expensive."

Sister Fu wiped her hands, sat down, looked at Zhang Xiyue, and her tone became serious:

"Xi Yue, let me tell you, Renfeng has worked with Lao Chen for more than ten years. Let me put it this way, from the time your Renfeng came to the Taihang Mountains, when he was still a little kid, besides being good at fighting, he was also taken care of by Lao Chen, Lao Xu, the old political commissar, the teacher, and Chief of Staff Li."

Everyone says he's Zhang the Explosive, but how did he get that nickname? Well, he got it from being blown up.

He was like a little brother to everyone in the Taihang Mountains. If it weren't for the fact that he was a veteran of the Red Army, we would have all raised him like a son!

She paused, looking at Zhang Xiyue with gentle eyes, "Now you're our little sister. We all joke that you're a lady from Shanxi, Hebei, Shandong, and Henan who married a rough man from the Taihang Mountains. Tell me, shouldn't we prepare things for him? Should we make plans for you?"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Xiyue was so moved that her eyes welled up with tears.

She turned her head and glanced at Zhang Renfeng, a strange mix of emotions welling up inside her.

She had long heard that her Zhang Renfeng had a nickname, "Zhang the Explosive," because he was a veteran who joined the uprising at the age of ten. How difficult must his journey have been!

From a young age, I had to watch my comrades fall one by one, and I suffered more than anything else.

But he never mentioned the past to her, never told her about his experiences of being through mountains of corpses and seas of blood.

Did Zhang Xiyue not know?

She knows everything.

He simply wanted to keep his feelings for his comrades in his heart and transform them into a driving force for the country to become stronger.

For Zhang Renfeng, wasn't he also moved?

Conditions were so bad back then, but all we could think about was the revolution!

Fight the Japanese devils!

Where do I find the time to look at myself?

It was all thanks to the older brothers and sisters who helped out!

Without them, where would Zhang Renfeng be today?

As a time traveler, he had countless ways to live a life of wealth and luxury, but he never even considered it.

Every day, he charged forward carrying the beliefs of those patriots and his fallen comrades.

Uncle Huang who fell on Plum Blossom Ridge, Brother Li who fell by the Xiang River, Old Chen who fell on the grassland, and all the brothers whose names he couldn't even remember—they didn't get to see the new China, but he saw it for them; the good life they didn't get to live, he gave them.

If he only cares about his own enjoyment, is he even human?

Zhang Renfeng picked up the bowl of porridge and took a big gulp, concealing the slight moisture in his eyes, but said in a carefree manner:

"Alright, alright, you're making a meal sound like a 'bitter memories' session. Don't be polite with her, she's easily embarrassed."

Sister Fu laughed and patted him on the shoulder: "You talk too much."

After breakfast, the couple loaded their packages into the car and said goodbye to Mr. and Mrs. Chen.

Brigade Commander Chen stood at the door to see them off, his figure, leaning on his cane, casting a long shadow in the winter morning light. He waved to Zhang Renfeng:

"Come back early, you have a meeting this afternoon."

"Understood." Zhang Renfeng started the car, nodded to the old brigade commander, and the jeep turned out of the alley and headed towards the Nie family's house.

When they arrived at the entrance of Niejia Hutong, Zhang Xiyue got out of the car, carrying two bags of pastries in her hand, while Zhang Renfeng followed behind carrying the other packages.

As they entered the courtyard, Zhang Xiyue happily called out, "Dad! Mom! We're back!"

But all she saw was Director Nie sitting in the living room with a serious expression, holding a document in his hand. He glanced at her with a sharp, piercing look.

Sister Zhang stood to the side, holding a rag in her hand, her face also looking rather pale.

Zhang Xiyue's smile froze instantly. She paused, took a half-step back, and her heart pounded.

Xiao Li peeked half his head out from the inner room, winked at Zhang Xiyue, and whispered, "Sis, you're doomed! Dad's not happy today."

Zhang Xiyue looked puzzled and lowered her voice to ask, "Why?"

Sister Zhang put down the rag, quickly walked over, grabbed Zhang Xiyue's wrist, and whispered:

"Xiao Li, go help Aunt Liu and the orderly to the kitchen to wash vegetables and cook."

After Xiaoli ran off in a flash, Sister Zhang pulled Zhang Xiyue into the inner room, closed the door, turned around and looked at her with the same serious expression, her eyes filled with the disappointment of an elder looking at a younger person.

"West Guangdong, you!"

Zhang Xiyue felt a chill run down her spine under that gaze: "Mom, what's wrong with me?"

Sister Zhang gritted her teeth, disregarding everything else, and bluntly said, "Renfeng is young and has developed a taste for adventure. You can't let him do whatever he wants! He still has to go to war. What if you ruin his health? Do you think this is a joke? He must have overslept again today, right?"

Zhang Xiyue blushed, feeling both ashamed and angry. In her heart, she cursed: "No, I really... what kind of situation is this! It's Zhang Renfeng who wants it every night, and even after I give it to him, he still wants more, but I'm the one getting scolded! Waaah, I, Zhang Xiyue, am so miserable!"

Giving it or not giving it is both wrong, so should I give it or not?

What a terrible thing to do.

Why is it so difficult to marry a commander?

My father dislikes me, and now my mother dislikes me too!

No way! Zhang Xiyue clenched her fists tightly. She was going to get her revenge tonight for being scolded today!

Zhang Xiyue wasn't the type to swallow her anger. She had a way of dealing with things. If you scolded me during the day, I'd settle the score with Zhang Renfeng at night.