The Red Era: Living in Seclusion in a Siheyuan as a Boss

Chapter 461 Visiting Relatives!!!

Going home to visit family is undoubtedly a grand event for soldiers.

According to the regulations on home leave in the army these days, a soldier can take a leave every two years for twenty days each time after completing three years of service; unmarried cadres can also take a leave every two years for twenty days each time; married couples who live apart can take a leave once a year for thirty days each time.

Ge Xiaohu was originally scheduled to have 20 days for this home visit, but he was about to go for special forces selection, so he only had one week off.

This was his second time returning home on leave since he joined the army, and the last time he returned was a quick glance four years ago after he was promoted.

Before going home, Ge Xiaohu made a special call home.

On the other end of the phone, the parents' joy was beyond words. They were looking forward to Ge Xiaohu's return and even expressed their plan to go to the train station to pick him up.

However, Ge Xiaohu considerately declined his family's kindness because he knew his father was too busy.

Ge Xiaohu's parents are both important leaders in the unit. They are busy with work on weekdays and rarely have free time.

And his sister also found her own happy home a few years ago and got married.

After seeing off Master An Wu, Ge Xiaohu looked around the courtyard in front of him and was deeply attracted by the scene.

Everything seems so familiar yet strange.

The yard seemed to have become smaller, the trees planted at the gate had grown thicker, and the gate looked more dilapidated.

For a moment, Ge Xiaohu fell into a strange trance.

Soon after, Ge Xiaohu realized that this was only a temporary feeling.

He walked with firm steps and went directly to the East Courtyard.

Their family has lived in this courtyard for more than ten years. It was originally Uncle Liu's house, and later my father's unit allocated a courtyard to it.

But the family has gotten used to living in Courtyard 95 and doesn't want to move.

However, they did not waste the house allocated by the unit and gave it to their sister and brother-in-law who had not yet been allocated accommodation after getting married.

At this time, the three aunts in the courtyard happened to run into him when they went out. Perhaps they saw that Ge Xiaohu had grown taller and stronger, and they were a little hesitant to recognize him: "Are you Xiaohu?"

Ge Xiaohu smiled and said, "Third Auntie, how come you don't recognize me after just a few years of not seeing me?"

The third aunt's face was full of smiles at this time. She came up quickly and happily wanted to help Ge Xiaohu take over the luggage. Seeing this, Ge Xiaohu smiled and shook his head, politely declining her kindness.

The third aunt didn't care and still shouted happily towards the east yard: "Sister Xiaojuan, come out and see, your son is back!"

After she finished shouting, the third aunt looked at Ge Xiaohu carefully again, especially when she saw the green military uniform with four pockets he was wearing, she was full of praise: "You are really getting better and better, kid, look at how handsome you look in this military uniform!"

Ge Xiaohu felt a little embarrassed by the praise from Third Aunt. He said goodbye to her with a smile, "Third Aunt, I'll go home first and come to see you later!" After saying that, he was eager to go home and quickly stepped into the moon gate of the east courtyard.

Mother Dujuan was busy in the yard with her back to Ge Xiaohu. When he approached, she suddenly felt a little sad.

After not seeing her for a few years, she had become a little hunched and her hair was slightly gray, which made Ge Xiaohu feel heartbroken.

Ge Xiaohu called softly, "Mom." When Du Juan heard Ge Xiaohu's voice, she immediately became excited. She put down what she was doing, turned around and walked towards him.

"Huzi! You're back! Let me see if you've lost weight in the past few years!"

Du Juan wiped her tears, took the travel bag from Ge Xiaohu, and began to look at him carefully, fearing that he had lost weight in the years since he was away from home.

Then, Du Juan took Ge Xiaohu into the house and asked him to sit on the bed.

"Huzi! Sit for a while. I'll call your dad and sister and ask them to come home for dinner tonight!"

Ge Xiaohu raised the corners of his mouth and said with a smile: "Mom, don't worry, let's chat for a while!"

"Mom, don't you have to go to work today?" he asked with some confusion.

Du Juan gently patted Ge Xiaohu's hand and said with a smile: "Hey! Our work in the Women's Federation is not particularly busy!
It's a rare occasion for you to come back today, so I wanted to come back early to tidy up the house for you and make a sumptuous meal for you!"

Soon it was evening, and Ge Xiaohu's family got together for a rare occasion, chatting happily in the yard.

In the years that Ge Xiaohu has been in the army, his mother Du Juan has always been worried about him. His father Ge Shuping said that his mother Du Juan often dreams of him, always muttering that his work and training in the army must be very hard, and she is worried that he is not having enough to eat.

Ge Xiaohu smiled and comforted his mother, telling her that the food in the army was very good and he could eat his fill every meal.

Afterwards, Ge Xiaohu reviewed in detail with his parents and sister the unforgettable times he had spent in his original unit.

Then, Ge Xiaohu revealed to his father Ge Shuping the real purpose of his return home - he came to participate in the selection of the garrison special forces.

Ge Xiaohu said with anticipation: "If I can be successfully selected, I will be able to play under Uncle Liu in the future!"

However, due to confidentiality regulations, he did not tell his family too much about the specific content and details of the selection.

As a former soldier and now the director of the Public Security Department of the Beijing Municipal Bureau, Ge Shuping naturally understands this.

Ge Shuping stared at his son, his eyes filled with both pride and severity.

"Since you have decided to participate in this special forces selection, you must stick to it to the end and never give up halfway.

If you are really elected, remember not to be proud and complacent, don't embarrass me, and don't let your uncle Liu down, understand?"

"Also, I warn you not to do anything wrong in the army under the banner of your Uncle Liu!"

Ge Xiaohu nodded firmly and said to his father, "Dad, don't worry! Don't you know me? Back then, the reason why I didn't follow Uncle Liu's advice to join the garrison area, but chose to go to the Northern Frontier Military Region, wasn't it because I had a spirit of not admitting defeat in my heart and didn't want to live under the protection of others all the time?"

When Ge Shuping heard his son's words, a rare smile appeared on his face.

He was a very strict person with his two children since they were young. He had a straightforward and rough personality and believed in corporal punishment.

"Well, your performance in recent years is indeed remarkable, but you can't be proud. You must keep improving." Ge Shuping spoke slowly, as if he was going to share some of his past experiences. "When I was your age..." However, before he could finish his words, he was interrupted by his wife Du Juan.

Du Juan chuckled and said jokingly, "Don't listen to your father's nonsense. When he was your age, he was only a company commander!"

Hearing this, Ge Shuping's old face turned red, and he scratched his head in embarrassment: "I suffered from my lack of education back then. Otherwise, with my contributions at that time, Liu Zhiye might not have been higher in rank than me!"

Du Juan raised the corner of his mouth, and said with a somewhat playful smile: "Yes, yes, you are so capable!"

Ge Shuiping's eyes widened, and he said, "Am I wrong? Back then, he was just a rookie recruit that I brought up. Look at the soldiers nowadays. They are different because of their high education. They have risen up the ranks in just a few years without any merits!"

Ge Xiaohu looked at his parents bickering and finally couldn't help laughing. He burst out laughing and the sound echoed in the house.

Ge Shuping glared at him with a hint of anger in his eyes, and said sternly: "What are you laughing at? Don't be so proud, kid. When I was your age, I already had you and your sister. Look at you, you still don't even have a partner!"

Ge Xiaohu didn't expect that his smile would bring him trouble. He felt embarrassed and scratched his head, saying, "Hey, Dad, I'm in the army. I'm busy with training all day. How can I have time to fall in love? Besides, I'm surrounded by a bunch of strong guys, so there are no girls..."

When Ge Shuping heard this, he became even more furious and said, "Nonsense, are there no female soldiers in the army? Or it's because you are not active and proactive!"

Du Juan was listening on the side and also stood on her husband's side. She was more anxious than Ge Shuping and quickly interrupted, "Your father is right! Huzi, you are not young anymore. You will be 27 this year. It's time to find a partner. It's good that you can come back to visit your relatives this time. I'll ask your third aunt to introduce you to a suitable girl. You must seize the opportunity..."

When Ge Xiaohu heard this, his head immediately got bigger and bigger, and he hurriedly explained: "Oh my, Mom, I really can't spare the time! There is only a short period of leave for visiting relatives, and then I have to report to the garrison area in a hurry. Otherwise, let's wait until next time, next time, okay?"

When Du Juan heard this, she was unhappy and complained, "Next time, next time, you leave and I don't know when you will come back next time!"

At this time, Ge Xiaohong walked out of the house, holding a piece of cut watermelon in her hand, and handed it to Du Juan with a smile on her face. It was the famous "Liujiazhuang Big Watermelon", which was extremely sweet and tempting.

"Mom, please have a bite first, this watermelon is so sweet!" She almost pushed the watermelon to Du Juan's mouth. Then, Ge Xiaoli gave a subtle look to her younger brother Ge Xiaohu. Seeing this, Du Juan frowned and waved her hands, saying: "Oh, kid, I haven't said what I want to say yet, don't eat it yet!"

Ge Xiaohong refused, "Oh! Let's talk later, eat a piece of watermelon first to quench your thirst!" Then, she handed another piece of watermelon to Ge Shuping, "Dad, have one too!"

The momentum that Du Juan had worked so hard to gather was ruined by her!

"Humph! Just side with your brother! I want to see how he finds a partner in the future. If he remains single, it will be your fault!"

Ge Xiaohong raised the corners of her mouth, revealing a sweet smile, and said confidently: "With my brother's good looks, how could he not find a partner? Don't worry!
Besides, I am still here!
Have you forgotten where I work? There are so many young and pretty girls in our Workers' Song and Dance Troupe, you can pick any one you want!"

After hearing this, Du Juan finally gave up, nodded and said, "Okay! Then I'll leave the matter of your brother finding a partner to you!"

Ge Xiaohu watched it clearly from the side and immediately felt relieved. He secretly praised his elder sister for her cleverness and gave her a thumbs up, silently saying in his heart: "Thank you for saving my life!"

…………

During the week he was back home, Ge Xiaohu fully enjoyed the love of his father and mother, and felt the sibling love between him and his sister.

Although the family was well off, they still needed coupons to buy meat and fish, and no one had enough coupons. Even so, his mother Du Juan still found ways to make delicious food for Ge Xiaohu every day.

Ge Xiaohu visited all the relatives and friends he could, met all the classmates he could find, and also visited the homes of several comrades-in-arms whom he had never visited before.

Seeing the couplet "Home of Honor" posted by the neighborhood office on the lintel of his house and listening to his mother proudly telling the interesting story of enjoying preferential treatment when buying things with the "military family certificate", Ge Xiaohu felt extremely happy and proud.

This time when he returned home, Ge Xiaohu did not come back empty-handed.

Before this visit, Ge Xiaohu asked someone to buy a fat sheep from the grassland for twelve yuan. After slaughtering the sheep, he cut it into eight pieces and packed them into two cardboard boxes, weighing more than fifty pounds. He asked his comrades in the company to help mail it back.

It was the next day when Ge Xiaohu took half of the mutton and visited the homes of his three uncles Yan Bugui, Yi Zhonghai, Liu Haizhong, and his two uncles Shazhu and Xu Damao.

At Yi Zhonghai's home, Ge Xiaohu was warmly received.

During the conversation, he learned that Yi Yuanchao is now a company commander of the Engineering Corps. Not only is his career flourishing, but his love life is also quite happy. He is in love with a gentle and lovely female military doctor.

Not only him, another good friend Yan Jiekuang also found his love in college.

Bang Geng is even more surprising. He got married while he was in the countryside and recently returned to work at the Red Star Factory. His wife is actually a female college student.

…………

Last year, Yi Yuanchao was still the deputy company commander and was mainly responsible for the company's logistics, that is, he led the quartermaster and supply officer, was responsible for the procurement of food and vegetables for the company, and worked with the kitchen team to coordinate the planning of the company's food arrangements and agricultural production.

When it comes to the duties of several officers in a company, a military district chief gave a very insightful summary when he came to inspect their company:
The company commander needs to take the lead (be in charge of all matters, big and small); the instructor is knowledgeable (does ideological work); the deputy company commander is as knowledgeable as a radish and green onion (takes care of daily life); the deputy instructor is as busy as the gongs and drums (is in charge of the Communist Youth League).

Last summer, Yi Yuanchao led some soldiers in the company to dig a vegetable cellar.

The company clerk passed by with two female cadres and said to him, "Company Commander, these are the new college students assigned to our regiment's clinic, Doctor Wang and Doctor Li."

Yi Yuanchao first smiled heartily at the two beautiful girls, then saluted and said, "Welcome, two female comrades, to work in our engineering corps!"

Military Doctor Wang and Military Doctor Li were impressed by the thick-browed and big-eyed Yi Yuanchao at first sight, and they responded with greetings: "Hello, Captain Yi!"

Then, the clerk led them to the dormitory, and soon they put down their things and started working with Yi Yuanchao and others.

The vegetable cellar must be dug before winter. Winter comes early in the north, so in addition to normal training, everyone in the company has to participate in labor.

Because there are two canteens in the regiment (working kitchen and patient kitchen), they rely on this cellar for vegetables in winter. This vegetable cellar is as big as a basketball court and more than two meters high. It all depends on Yi Yuanchao and his team to carry it on their shoulders and dig it with their hands.

But Yi Yuanchao and his men found joy in the midst of hardship and during breaks they would listen to the soldiers singing and telling stories.

Military Doctor Wang and Military Doctor Li also joined in telling stories, and Yi Yuanchao loved listening to their stories the most.

Through chatting, Yi Yuanchao found out that they were both educated youth sent to the countryside and had even worked in the production team in Sbei.

Because of their outstanding performance during the period of being sent to the countryside, S North People's Government sent them to study at the Military Medical University. After graduation, they were assigned to the headquarters hospital of the Second Guard Division. This time they came to the Engineering Corps to do some field work.

Yi Yuanchao felt that he had a good connection with Wang and Li, so he liked to go to the clinic to chat with them whenever he had nothing to do.

As time went on, his interactions with them became more frequent and their relationship became increasingly close.

Among the two female military doctors, Doctor Wang is the most outstanding in appearance and can be regarded as a beautiful landscape in the clinic, but she has a bit of a hot temper. What's more regrettable is that she has already been taken.

In comparison, military doctor Li Ailian appears gentle and pleasant, and her soft temperament makes Yi Yuanchao's heart moved.

Li Ailian has a rosy face and speaks gently. As a college student, her handwriting is particularly beautiful.

Yi Yuanchao was also a top student in high school. After joining the army, he went to military school and has not stopped studying in the past few years.

Therefore, Li Ailian and Yi Yuanchao could always find common topics and have a great time talking to each other.

As a soldier, Yi Yuanchao has always acted decisively.

After confirming his feelings for Li Ailian, he launched his pursuit without hesitation.

In the end, with his firm determination and unremitting efforts, Yi Yuanchao quickly won Li Ailian's heart, and the two successfully got together.

This year, after Yi Yuanchao confirmed his romantic relationship with Li Ailian, he began to think about submitting a marriage report to the organization.

However, before that, he planned to take Li Ailian home to visit relatives.

After all, his parents had never met the girl who was going to be their daughter-in-law.

The couple is about to get married, and it would be unreasonable and unjustifiable if the family members were not allowed to meet them in advance.

Yi Yuanchao knew very well that marriage was not only a matter between the two of them, but also a matter between the two families. Therefore, he had to let his parents meet Li Ailian in advance to get their approval and blessings.

In this way, the two submitted their family visit report and it was quickly approved.

Ge Xiaohu had just left the courtyard when Yi Yuanchao came back!

Yi Yuanchao brought Li Ailian to the door of the house quickly: "Mom and Dad! I'm back!"

Yi Zhonghai came up with a big smile on his face, took the luggage from Yi Yuanchao's hand, and shouted happily into the house: "Mother of the child, come out and see, our son is back!" Then, his eyes fell on the girl next to Yi Yuanchao and began to look at her carefully.

Yi Yuanchao introduced to his father with a smile: "Dad, this is the person I have been talking to you about on the phone, Li Ailian." After that, he turned to Li Ailian and introduced his father: "Ailian, this is my father, Comrade Yi Zhonghai." After that, he laughed, seeming a little shy.

Li Ailian's cheeks flushed slightly, and she greeted shyly, "Hello uncle! I'm Li Ailian. This is a gift I specially prepared for you, please accept it!" Her voice was soft and sincere.

Yi Zhonghai was so happy that he was at a loss for words. He kept saying, "Well, Xiao Li, welcome to our home!" His face was filled with joy from the bottom of his heart.

After a while, an old lady ran out happily, looking at Yi Yuanchao and muttering, "You've grown taller and stronger, but why didn't you say hello in advance when you came back? You must be tired from the journey. Go and take a rest first. I'll make you your favorite pork dumplings..."

"Haha, this must be Miss Xiaolian, oh my! This girl is so pretty, please come in and have a seat..."

Li Ailian blushed, "Hello, Auntie! You are so kind!"

After returning to the house, the aunt quickly asked Yi Zhonghai to take the meat ticket to buy some pork.

When Yi Yuanchao and his girlfriend came back from visiting the neighbors in the yard, an old lady brought them a pot of steaming dumplings.

(End of this chapter)