Song Chengguang's temperament was just like Song Yuanhuan's; the little guy was so arrogant and had no intention of paying attention to the other chubby kid.
The chubby kid wasn't angry either, persistently trying to get close to him. It was obvious that the little fatty was quite patient with Song Chengguang, who was both well-dressed and good-looking. The small tyrant at home uncharacteristically continued to urge the other to eat his snacks, "Eat, eat, sweet sweet," using the exact same way of speaking as Song Chengguang.
Watching the interaction between the two little beans, Xu Xiuxiu felt somewhat of a stomachache, "Your son is indeed very cute." His chubby appearance was far more amusing than her own Song Chengguang, who became all serious the moment he left her side.
"He's just a little overweight," the woman complained with a bit of a headache. Her own son loved to eat, always needing to hold some snacks with him, which left her feeling helpless. Neither she nor her husband were gluttonous like this; how did they end up with such a little foodie?
"No, kids are cute like this, and besides, he'll shoot up in height soon enough," Xu Xiuxiu had always thought that chubby kids were blessed with good fortune and immediately responded sincerely upon hearing the other's slight distress.
"Indeed," the other woman nodded in agreement.
Perhaps it was because they were both mothers or maybe it was due to a harmonious aura instinctively between them, the two women found it easy to talk and hit it off as if they'd known each other for ages. They had endless topics to discuss, and just the topic of what their kids ate and wore was enough to keep the conversation going endlessly.
Meanwhile, in the children's playground, Song Chengguang and the chubby kid Cui Shuo were having a lot of fun. Even though it was Cui Shuo who kept chasing after the cool guy Song Chengguang, the scene was still very cute. Outside the playground, Xu Xiuxiu and Cui Shuo's mother, Li Yunqiong, also had a lot to talk about, and time slipped away without them noticing.
"Mommy, Chenchen tired tired," Song Chengguang, who was tired from playing, walked over to Xu Xiuxiu, ignoring the little chubby kid beside him, with his unsteady little short legs.
"Then shall we stop playing now?" Xu Xiuxiu asked, looking down at him.
"Mm," the little guy raised his hand to rub his eyes, obviously a bit sleepy.
Xu Xiuxiu immediately caught the little guy's hand, "You've been playing for so long, and your little hands are dirty. You can't rub your eyes with dirty hands, does Chengguang understand?" Xu Xiuxiu reminded him, even though she knew that Song Chengguang might not fully understand what she was saying.
"Know know," the little guy nodded in agreement.
Xu Xiuxiu smiled and reached out to pick the little guy up from the playground.
"Mommy, Shuo Shuo hug," the little chubby kid Cui Shuo also followed behind Song Chengguang and, seeing Song Chengguang being carried away by Xu Xiuxiu, the little guy too stretched out his small arms and called out.
Li Yunqiong chuckled and shook her head, then reached out to carry him, "Xiuxiu, Cui Shuo's dad will be here to pick us up soon. Where are you headed? Do you need us to drop you off?"
"No need, I'm going to take Chengguang to buy some mooncakes!" It was the Mid-Autumn Festival, and neither she nor Song Yuanhuan had planned on returning to the Song Family Village, so at the very least, she couldn't overlook buying mooncakes and fulfilling the basic social niceties.
"Alright then! I'll take Cui Shuo home first, and we can meet up again when we have the chance," Li Yunqiong didn't insist. Although she got along extremely well with Xu Xiuxiu, they had only just met and were not familiar with each other. Since Xu Xiuxiu had already refused, she didn't intend to detain her any further.
Xu Xiuxiu nodded and put Song Chengguang into the stroller, "Be careful on your way." With that, she pushed the little guy's stroller towards the mooncake stall at the mall.
The Mid-Autumn Festival of the eighties was very lively. The variety of mooncakes wasn't as extensive as it was later, but the taste was still very good, and the sizes were large and rustic, with prices ranging from 50 cents to ten yuan. Xu Xiuxiu picked out some moderately priced plain sugar mooncakes, and also the later very famous mixed nut mooncakes, buying several boxes of each in one go.
Having finally carried the mooncakes home, the sky was nearing dusk. Song Chengguang, tired from playing in the amusement park, was now soundly asleep in the stroller. Xu Xiuxiu carefully lifted him into the bedroom, and just as she stepped out, she saw Song Yuanhuan, dressed in military uniform, hurry in.
"You're back?" Xu Xiuxiu's eyes brightened, and she was just about to prepare dinner when he arrived, perfect for eating together.
"Xiuxiu, we need to head back to Song Family Village tomorrow. I've already bought the tickets for the eight o'clock train in the morning," said Song Yuanhuan, his tone carrying a sense of urgency. "If you have time tonight, quickly pack our things."
Xu Xiuxiu paused for a moment, somewhat surprised as she looked at Song Yuanhuan. "Didn't you say we weren't going back for the festival?" Song Yuanhuan had mentioned before that the military didn't grant a two-day leave and that it wasn't worth the hassle of traveling back and forth just for the Mid-Autumn Festival, so why had he suddenly decided to go back?
Song Yuanhuan furrowed his brow, taking off his military cap and revealing signs of exhaustion. "Dad called the military unit earlier, saying there was an accident at the brick kiln factory—it collapsed, and the eldest brother was accidentally injured by falling bricks. He's still in the county hospital for emergency treatment!"
Song Yuantao had an accident?
"Is he okay? Are his injuries severe?" Xu Xiuxiu asked, her delicate eyebrows creasing.
"It's still unclear," Song Yuanhuan shook his head. Mr. Song only briefly mentioned the situation over the phone and didn't go into detail.
"How could the brick kiln factory suddenly collapse? Aren't they supposed to conduct regular inspections?" Xu Xiuxiu didn't know much about the brick kiln factory, but since it was inherently dangerous, the county had long ago notified them to pay attention to regular safety inspections, and even scheduled surprise checks. With such precautions, how could an accident occur?
"In rural areas, most safety precautions are just for show," Song Yuanhuan admitted, even though he didn't know the specifics of the situation. Besides, the owner of that brick kiln factory wasn't local to Song Family Village. To make a profit, he certainly had nefarious intentions and wouldn't care about the lives and safety of others. Though the county required regular inspections for hazards, he knew without a doubt that the owner had probably just brushed it off, and now that an accident had happened, the owner might have already packed up and fled.
Song Yuanhuan's sharp identification of the main issue surprised Xu Xiuxiu who observed that this man really knew his stuff when it came to accidents. After a moment, she started to speak, "I just went to the mall today to buy some mooncakes to send back home, but it seems that might not be necessary now!" She shrugged and turned towards the kitchen, "I'm going to make dinner. After we eat, we can pack. Do you have anything specific you want to eat?" she asked, rolling up her sleeves as she spoke.
"Anything," replied Song Yuanhuan, who wasn't picky about food.
"Are dumplings okay? I made extra at lunch, and we need to eat them before they go bad." Xu Xiuxiu stood in the kitchen, looking at the leftover dumplings in the cupboard, and called out to Song Yuanhuan outside the kitchen.
"Okay."
With that response, Xu Xiuxiu began to roll out more dumpling wrappers. There weren't many dumplings left from lunch—enough for her and Song Chengguang—but certainly not enough for Song Yuanhuan, so she had to make more.
Before long, a big bowl of dumplings was smoothly cooked.
As a southerner, Xu Xiuxiu was accustomed to the southern style of eating dumplings, so she made soup dumplings, quickly ladling them out of the pot.
Meanwhile, Song Yuanhuan, taking advantage of the time Xu Xiuxiu was cooking the dumplings, rinsed off with well water in the yard. When he returned to the room, he saw Xu Xiuxiu placing the bowl of dumplings on the dining table. Looking at the soup-filled dumplings, Song Yuanhuan's eyes darkened slightly.