Feng Qingxue felt exhausted from holding Fubao for so long. She quickly handed the child to someone else, shook her sore and numb arms, flexing her wrists a little, and then used her fingers to stimulate some acupoints on her arms to relieve fatigue.
Little Xibao was tapping Lu Jiang’s shoulder, "Down, down!"
Feng Qingxue went to untie the strap, and he slid down smoothly, stepping on the snowy ground. He bounced around on the spot, nearly slipping, but he managed to steady himself by grabbing Lu Jiang’s army coat.
"Naughty!" Xibao glared at the snow beneath his feet, stomping a few times, hard.
After a six-month absence, seeing the even cuter Xibao, everyone’s interest in him grew remarkably, especially after his recent actions. Thus, many people surrounded him and played with him, completely ignoring Lu Jiang and Feng Qingxue.
"Xibao!" Jin Zhuzhu called him first. When Xibao turned to her, she continued, "Do you miss Auntie?"
Xibao wasn’t very used to calling people "Auntie". Hearing this unfamiliar call, he playfully poked his plump cheeks with his index finger, "Yes!"
Answering this way couldn’t be wrong, as expected, Jin Zhuzhu looked very happy.
Feng Qingxue glanced at Jin Zhuzhu’s round belly, which couldn’t be hidden by her army cotton jacket and trousers, "Congratulations, congratulations."
"Thank you." Jin Zhuzhu couldn’t hide her joy, "In a couple of days, when you’re rested, I’ll come to you for advice." She wanted to learn about prenatal care, how to raise and educate a child. Look how good Xibao was!
In the whole brigade, there wasn’t a second child who could compare to Xibao.
Of course, there was also Fubao.
Zhao Yong looked at Fubao, and then everyone else got a turn to see the baby.
"What a good baby, really a chubby girl, looks as blessed as Xibao. So fair and chubby, quite lovable."
"Comrade Qingxue really knows how to raise children. Next time, you should share your methods and have all the female comrades learn from them. If the children in our brigade were even a bit like Xibao, we would definitely have successors!" The child was really smart.
Everyone spoke up while passing Fubao around, finally handing her back to Feng Qingxue.
Even though Fubao was nice, she was too small and unable to speak, not as lively as Xibao.
"Looking at you two, I can tell you must have walked back. I don’t know how far you walked. You should go back and rest now. Before Lu Jiang left, he had your sister-in-law clean the house. The stove is already lit." said Zhao Yong.
Feng Qingxue was indeed tired, so she didn’t bother with formalities, "Brother Zhao, we’ll head back now."
After saying that, she called for Xibao to join her.
Xibao enjoyed the bustle. With so many people adoring him, he wasn’t eager to leave. He simply waved his little hand, "Mama bye, I’m playing!"
His meaning was clear: You can go home first, I’ll stay here and play and then come home afterwards.
Feng Qingxue wouldn’t indulge him, "Alright then, you stay here. It’s almost dark, and the uncles, aunties, and everyone else have to go home for dinner. No one will have time for Xibao."
Hearing her say this, Xibao instantly grabbed onto her army coat, "Home, home!"
The baby didn’t want to play anymore and waved at the crowd, "Comrades, bye!"
When they returned home and lit the kerosene lamp, Lu Jiang and Feng Qingxue could still faintly hear everyone’s laughter.
Lu Jiang hurriedly poured hot water for Feng Qingxue to wash her face and soak her feet. Thankfully, her feet didn’t have any blisters. As he dried her feet, Lu Jiang said, "You’ve been walking all day. Eat something and then rest. We’ll take care of other things tomorrow."
Whilst they say that separation makes the heart grow fonder, reality doesn’t often give them such opportunities. Tomorrow, he had to lead the training session for five days.
...Chapter Ten, Votes Needed