After Lu Jiang had left, Feng Qingxue turned around and replenished the stove with some cow dung.
The stove was connected to the kang, and with the constant combustion of cow dung in the stove, the kang maintained relatively high heat.
"Little master, I have to serve you every day! I hope since I’m serving you now, you’ll be willing to care for me when I’m old!" murmured Feng Qingxue as she undressed Xibao, wiped his hands, feet, and face with baby cream, changed his diaper, dressed him in light cotton pajamas over thermal underwear, and put him in a sleeping bag she had made. She situated his head on his tiny pillow, covered him with a blanket, and left him be.
Only when he was sleeping, was the little quiet guy an angel.
His tiny hands raised in a surrender gesture, curled into little fists.
Leaning against the edge of the kang, Feng Qingxue quietly gazed at her son, how handsome he looked, even in sleep, he was a little handsome guy. Just a bit chubby!
Shortly after, Feng Qingxue, concerned about her son’s weight, got up to fetch water from the space. Only then she got a chance to tidy up properly. She washed her face, brushed her teeth, completed a hydrating facial mask, and laboriously applied various layers of skincare to maintain her beautiful complexion.
Without waiting for Lu Jiang, she tidied up herself and snuggled up to her son, sound asleep.
She had grown accustomed to waiting for Lu Jiang to return anytime, or not at all.
At the same time, she had also grown used to the restless child during sleep. He was indeed restless, as he always kicked the blanket off at night. The mother would have to wake up several times during the night. As she opened her eyes, the first thing she did was reach out her hand and feel for her son. Using her flashlight to glance around, she found him sleeping soundly at the foot of the kang mattress, curled up, with his butt high up in the air.
His round, firm butt was lifted high.
Padding his bottom, Feng Qingxue held him back into her arms, arranging him to lie by her side before she looked to the other side. Lu Jiang was nowhere to see.
She glanced at her watch in the glow of the lamplight and it was thirteen minutes past midnight. That meant he was either continuing to stand guard in place of the soldiers, or he had gone back to the dormitory to rest. Feng Qingxue inclined to the former, knowing Lu Jiang cared for his comrades.
Fortunately, guard duty was on a rotational basis, and there were always a few hours of rest time.
Among the soldiers who took over from Lu Jiang, one of them, Sang Hong, had a fever. Lu Jiang told him to go back to the dorm and rest, and while himself continued the guard duty along with other soldiers. They were all vigilant, but also chatted to relieve the monotony. As long as they kept a watch, it was fine.
"Battalion commander, could you please ask sister-in-law to introduce me to a potential wife tomorrow?" Sang Hong, wrapped in Lu Jiang’s military coat, said while warming himself by the fire.
Lu Jiang, sitting next to the fire, stirred the cow dung in the fire and asked, "Why, you want to get married?"
"Seeing the commander, sister-in-law, and Xibao so happy as a family of three, we too are envious! Isn’t a man’s entire life about seeking a harmonious marriage and having children?" Sang Hong replied with a hearty smile. "We don’t expect to marry someone as beautiful and talented as sister-in-law – we’re not worthy. Any woman who is content with her lot in life would do. After marriage, I would hand her all my earnings without keeping a penny for myself!"
The two other soldiers present, named Wu Heng and Gao Yuzhu, were also unmarried young men. They vigorously nodded their heads in agreement.
"I could do that too!"
"I could manage. Commander, could you ask sister-in-law to keep an eye out for us, or inquire amongst the cultural troupe who might be willing to become our intimate comrades? Maybe someone would be willing! We don’t have the privileges the Northwest Army District has with the state recruiting tens of thousands of female soldiers and high school girls to serve as their wives from all over the country. We’ll have to figure it out ourselves." Gao Yuzhu said.
...I’ll update again at eleven o’clock, and if it doesn’t happen, it must be because there’s no cold water in the solar energy, which is causing me to go bald.