Wei Tiechui was already twenty-five years old this year. When his superior heard that he was planning to go back home for an arranged blind date, he readily granted him leave and even urged him to get his personal life sorted out before the end of the year.
Three days later, as soon as Tao Wenrui and Su Yuyao left, Xiao Yanyan went off to find Wei Tiechui.
The young sentry on duty spotted Wei Tiechui coming from afar, carrying a little girl on his shoulders, a marching pack on his back, and two military canteens slung across his chest. "Good day, Deputy Regiment Commander Wei."
"Mm. When your shift ends, go tell Deputy Regiment Commander Tao of the First Battalion that I'm taking his daughter out to play."
Xiao Yanyan gave the sentry a crisp salute. "Hello there, little big brother."
The sentry returned the salute. "Hello there, little friend."
"See you later, little big brother."
"See you later, little friend."
As soon as his shift ended, the sentry went straight to find Tao Wenrui. "Deputy Regiment Commander Tao, the Third Battalion's Deputy Regiment Commander Wei asked me to let you know that he's taken your daughter out to play."
Tao Wenrui was a little surprised, but didn't think too much of it. "Got it. Thank you."
"Don't mention it. I'll let you get back to work."
"Mm."
At noon, when Tao Wenrui came back from the mess hall with his meal, he found Xiao Yanyan missing. After searching around outside without any luck, he went back to the entrance to ask, and the guards told him they hadn't seen Wei Tiechui return, so he stopped looking.
In the evening, Tao Wenrui came back and still didn't see Xiao Yanyan, so he went out to search for her again. Still unable to find her, he had no choice but to head to the barracks, figuring that Xiao Yanyan had most likely gone off to play near the barracks with Wei Tiechui.
As soon as Tao Wenrui reached Wei Tiechui's quarters, he called out loudly, "Deputy Regiment Commander Wei! Deputy Regiment Commander Wei!"
A soldier walked out. "Deputy Regiment Commander Tao, our Deputy Regiment Commander Wei went back home for a blind date."
"What?" Surely Wei Tiechui didn't mean he was taking his daughter to play all the way back in his hometown, did he? "When did your deputy regiment commander leave?"
"This morning."
He actually took his daughter to play in his hometown?! And he wasn't even worried people might misunderstand. Given Wei Tiechui's age, he was old enough to be his second daughter's father.
Tao Wenrui immediately turned around and went to find the young soldier who had passed along the message earlier.
The soldier was on his way to the mess hall for dinner. "Deputy Regiment Commander Tao, were you looking for me?"
"Yes. What was that little girl wearing when Deputy Regiment Commander Wei took her out? What did she look like?"
"The little girl had her hair in two little buns and wore a small red floral-print tunic."
It was definitely his daughter. "And Deputy Regiment Commander Wei? Did he bring any luggage?"
"No. But Deputy Regiment Commander Wei had a large pack on his back and two military canteens slung across his chest."
"How big was that pack?"
The sentry gestured with his hands. "About this big."
It seemed Wei Tiechui really had taken his daughter back to his hometown. That Wei Tiechui was simply out of his mind! "I understand. Go ahead and eat."
"Yes, sir!"
Wei Tiechui's direct superior, Zhang Baoping, was in the middle of a meal when Tao Wenrui came looking for him. "Regiment Commander Zhang, your Tiechui has kidnapped my daughter!"
Upon hearing this, Zhang Baoping laughed. "How old is your daughter anyway? Why would Tiechui kidnap her?"
Tao Wenrui gave Zhang Baoping a resentful look. "If you don't believe me, go ask the sentry on duty at the gate today."
"No way?" Zhang Baoping put his chopsticks down on the table. "Did Tiechui really make off with your daughter?"
"Yes. And he even had a big pack on his back when they left."
"That Tiechui! What utter nonsense is this? I'm sending men after them right now."
"They left this morning."
"Uh... well then? I'll call his hometown and tell him to send the child right back to you the moment they arrive."
"That won't be necessary. Just have him take good care of my daughter. And make sure this doesn't happen again."
"Alright. You certainly have a generous heart. When that good-for-nothing brat gets back, I'm putting him in confinement."
"No need. When he gets back, I'll have a proper 'chat' with him to compare notes."
"Hahahaha... Very well. If that brat dares to fight back, I'll help you beat him up."
"I'll be going then."
"I'll walk you out."
"No need, go finish your meal."
As soon as Tao Wenrui left, Zhang Baoping's wife asked curiously, "Why on earth would Tiechui take Deputy Regiment Commander Tao's daughter home with him?"
"Why else? He loves kids. Didn't you say just yesterday that you saw Tiechui carrying Deputy Regiment Commander Tao's little girl around?"
"Even if he loves kids, he shouldn't take her all the way back to his hometown!"
"The child probably kept pestering Tiechui until he agreed to take her along. Alright, alright, let's eat before the food gets cold."
"Do you think Tiechui is just trying to avoid getting married?"
"What man doesn't want to get married? Eat your food."
Fine.
As soon as Tao Wenrui came back, Su Yuyao asked, "Why did you come back alone? Where's Yanyan?" For the next half month, she still had to play the part of a good mother.
"Yanyan went off to his hometown with Deputy Regiment Commander Wei to play."
Su Yuyao was delighted to hear this. That doomed brat's hometown was no short distance away. By the time that little jinx returned, her affairs with Tao Wenrui would already be settled. "Why did he take Yanyan to his hometown? Does he have some kind of peculiar fetish?"
Tao Wenrui wasn't worried about that. "He's not that kind of person."
Su Yuyao knew very well that Wei Tiechui wasn't that kind of person either, but she just wanted to make his skin crawl. "You can know a man's face, but not his heart."
"Even if he had such a fetish, he wouldn't lay a hand on Yanyan. If he did, he wouldn't be able to stay in the military."
"Alright. Did you go see the doctor today?"
"No." Tao Wenrui sat down beside Su Yuyao and pulled her into his arms. "I'm sorry, I don't want to go anymore. I've already seen ten doctors, and not a single one can find the cause. I don't want to hold you back any longer."
Su Yuyao feigned profound grief. "Are you divorcing me?"
"I'm sorry. I'll tell everyone the problem is mine."
"No, you can't tell everyone the problem is yours. If you do, people will look down on you."
"They won't. Bullets have no eyes. After fighting in wars for so many years, I'm not the only one who ended up like this."
"No. You cannot tell people that you're incapable of... that. It would break my heart. Look, since Yanyan went back to his hometown with Deputy Regiment Commander Wei, let's just say that Yanyan doesn't like me and insisted that you divorce me."
Tao Wenrui didn't want to shift the blame onto a child. "Yanyan doesn't dislike you."
"Oh, nonsense! She likes me now, but once she grows up a bit more, she won't. Here's what we'll do: let's say Yanyan misses her birth mother and demanded that you bring her mother back. And when we refused, she ran away from home."
By doing this, Su Yuyao hoped, on the one hand, to make Tao Wenrui appreciate her even more, and on the other, to use this excuse as a way to get closer to Kou Zhenbang.
After some more persuading from Su Yuyao, Tao Wenrui finally relented.
Meanwhile, Xiao Yanyan had no idea that a massive, dirty pot of blame was already being strapped onto her tiny head.
She was busy devouring braised pork. "This meat is so good. When I grow up, I'll treat you to it too."
"Deal. What does your eldest cousin like?"
"My eldest cousin likes bossing around her younger brothers and sisters. All my older male and female cousins are completely wrapped around her finger."
"Is your eldest cousin really that formidable?"
Xiao Yanyan picked up a piece of meat and put it in Wei Tiechui's bowl. "You soldiers need to marry fierce wives. Come on, eat your meat."
"Hahahaha... Who on earth did you learn that saying from?"