He Zhilan didn’t know if Jiang Biyun, a city dweller, could understand. In a poor mountain village, even eggs were a rare commodity. Ordinary families wouldn’t dare to consume them. Having a bowl of stir-fried rice noodles with two eggs on your birthday was pure bliss for the children in the village. Sadly, children here do not celebrate their birthdays every year. They only observe meaningful ages like ten or twenty.
Jiang Biyun widened her eyes, but swallowed the words she was about to utter: "destitution".
A bowl of rice noodles and two eggs? Jiang Biyun was unable to imagine such a meager celebration for a birthday that only occurs once every ten years.
Jiang Biyun, the only daughter in her family, never experienced hardships in food, clothing, housing, and transportation. Therefore, the poverty of He Family’s mountain village was beyond her comprehension.
"Don’t worry, when you find your biological parents, they will remember your birthday. They will definitely make up for the twelve birthdays you’ve missed, one for each year!"
"I know! My parents love me very much, and so do my aunts. Many of my clothes as a child were sent to me by my aunt from abroad! I remember having lots of people at home during my birthday, and my parents would dress me up like a princess." He Zhilan still remembers what her princess dress looked like the day she got lost - it was pink, with pretty lace trimmings.
"He Zhilan, you will definitely find your family!" Seeing the joy and longing in He Zhilan’s voice when she spoke of her parents, Jiang Biyun wished that she could quickly find her mother and father.
As for He Teng, the military indeed paid great attention to him. It was only Thursday, and the military had already called the hospital to arrange for his future placement.
Contrary to He Teng’s expectations, he thought he would be sent back to the military to recuperate. However, the order from the higher-ups came first - asking him to report directly to the military academy in the capital city. There, he would study while recuperating, and a current student at the academy would take care of his daily life during his period there. After the academy’s winter break, He Teng would return to his unit.
Upon hearing this news, He Zhilan hugged He Teng, grinning from ear to ear.
"The leader of your army is so kind! I thought we would have to separate again after this week, but who would have guessed that you’re going directly to the military academy in the capital! This way, we can see each other every weekend! Great!"
"Alright, alright, can’t you show a little restraint in front of your brothers? Aren’t you afraid that shaking He platoon leader’s hand will break it?" Bian Muhe truly felt that ever since He Teng got hospitalized, he, a bachelor, had suffered countless attacks from this affectionate pair.
"My brother’s hand isn’t made of tofu, it won’t break just by shaking!" He Zhilan managed to suppress her overwhelming excitement a bit, but her face was still bright with joy, "Bian Muhe, Bian Xiulin, thank you for taking care of my brother and me during this time!"
"Hey, aren’t you thanking us a bit too early? He hasn’t even been discharged yet! But if you do want to thank us, it’s simple. Cook us another meal to reward us! Once He platoon leader is discharged, we don’t expect you to cook for us anymore!"