Chapter 236: “Xiaotian, Mom and Dad are home…”

In the end, that small photo made its way through the hands of everyone in the Gu family.

They finally decided to get a little photo frame, put the picture inside, and place it in the living room.

That way, whenever anyone missed Ningning, Xingxing, or Yueyue, they could look at it whenever they wanted.

—

In the Northwest Military District, the weather started cooling down at the end of September.

Last month, in October, temperatures would sometimes drop below 10°C.

By November, it was even colder.

Last year, it was in November that Gu Jianing came to join the military family.

Now, at the end of November, Gu Jianing looked at the snow in the courtyard and flipped through the calendar, only to realize that, without noticing, she had already been here for a year.

And in this year, she’d accomplished quite a lot.

A year ago, when she arrived, she had just gotten married and was still a nobody.

Now, a year later, she was a well-known doctor in the Northwest Military District, and she even had twins—a boy and a girl—who were now almost five months old, getting livelier by the day.

Recently, the two babies were learning how to sit up.

Maybe it was thanks to those strengthening pills they’d taken, but neither of them had gotten sick since birth.

Their health was much better than other babies of a similar age.

Normally, babies can’t sit up until they’re around six months old.

But now, Xingxing and Yueyue could sometimes sit quite steadily already.

Not only that, Gu Jianing had noticed that the two of them were especially smart.

They could recognize people.

Not just their parents, who were with them all the time, or Grandma Sang, but even Sister Shu Wan from next door, Guoguo, and even Jiang Baihe and her daughter who occasionally visited—they could tell everyone apart.

Even though they couldn’t speak yet, Gu Jianing just knew that Xingxing and Yueyue could distinguish everyone.

As the twins grew, their personalities became more distinct.

Yueyue was like a little sweetheart, smiling sweetly at everyone. Her smile could melt anyone’s heart.

As for Xingxing, he was a little stoic—apart from his mom, Gu Jianing, and Grandma Sang, he kept a straight face with everyone else.

But Gu Jianing knew Xingxing was actually a little afraid of someone—his dad, Sheng Zexi.

As the saying goes, there’s always someone who can keep you in line.

Today, Gu Jianing had a rare day off. When she got up in the morning, she saw the first snow of the year.

It wasn’t snowing heavily, but the world was covered in a layer of white.

Gu Jianing sat on a small stool in the living room, with the two little ones bundled up tightly in their stroller beside her, looking like two little balls.

They were wearing hats, their fair little faces peeking out.

It seemed to be the first time they’d seen snow since they were born.

They watched curiously, making little “waa waa” sounds, even trying to reach out their tiny hands to touch it.

But, of course, they couldn’t reach.

The radio was playing in the living room, so it didn’t feel lonely.

Just then, Gu Jianing suddenly heard the radio host’s voice become excited.

Gu Jianing: Hm?

“Dear listeners, we interrupt this program to bring you a major breaking news update.”

“It has been confirmed that our country’s latest generation fighter jet has successfully completed its maiden test flight today!”

“The successful test flight of this fighter jet means…”

“A new fighter jet has been developed!” Grandma Sang, hearing the radio, came out.

Gu Jianing looked up and asked, “Grandma, are you interested in this?”

Grandma Sang smiled and said, “Ningning, you probably don’t know.”

“Your grandpa—he’s one of the people who develops fighter jets.”

Of course, she only knew her husband worked on fighter jets; the details were classified, so she didn’t know more.

Gu Jianing: So that’s how it is.

So, Grandpa had a hand in this new fighter jet?

The successful development of this generation of fighter jets seemed like a big deal.

Soon, Gu Jianing heard the news being broadcast throughout the military district.

The whole district seemed to erupt with excitement at the news.

Technological progress meant national progress.

Only by advancing could the country avoid falling behind and being bullied.

When Sheng Zexi came home at noon, he was also excited and proud as he talked about the fighter jet.

As a soldier, seeing the country’s military strength grow was a source of pride.

—

In fact, Gu Jianing was right.

Grandpa Sang did contribute to the development of this generation of fighter jets.

Of course, the greatest credit went to the couple Qin Zhihong and Du Lan.

The successful test flight today meant they had finally completed their nine-year mission.

They were also given major commendations.

And now, Qin Zhihong and Du Lan could finally return home in glory.

Thinking of their elderly mother and two children at home, Qin Zhihong and Du Lan didn’t delay.

After taking care of some necessary matters, they were escorted home by a special car.

—

Qin Family Village.

The Qin family.

Ever since Qin De’s schemes were exposed and their parents’ salaries were returned, life in Qin Tian’s family had gotten much better.

They no longer had to worry about not having enough to eat or wear.

With better food, the siblings had visibly grown taller and filled out.

Grandma Qin was no longer weighed down by worries; she looked much healthier now, and it seemed she could live many more years.

It was another cold winter day.

Today, it was snowing.

Qin Tian and Qin Qing, who didn’t have school, were at home keeping their grandma company.

Looking at the snow outside, they remembered the first time they met Gu Jianing.

It was because they met her that their lives and destinies changed.

Qin Tian chatted with his grandma while reading a book, and Qin Qing was working on her homework.

When Grandma Qin had a break, she sat on the warm kang, mending clothes for her grandchildren.

Even though they could now afford new clothes, as long as the old ones weren’t too worn out, she’d patch them up to wear again.

One must still be thrifty.

The three of them, young and old, lived happily together.

Just then, the sound of a car braking came from outside.

Qin Tian heard it right away. He exchanged a glance with his sister, “It must be Sister Gu.”

He figured Sister Gu must have come with Brother Sheng driving her here.

They couldn’t think of anyone else who would visit.

Qin Tian immediately put down his book, a smile on his face, and ran outside.

He quickly opened the courtyard gate.

“Sister Gu…”

He called out before he even saw clearly.

But when he saw who got out of the car, he was suddenly stunned.

“Xiaotian, you’re Xiaotian, right? I’m your mom.”

The people who got out of the car were none other than Qin Zhihong and Du Lan, who had rushed home to see their family after completing their mission.

They hadn’t expected that as soon as the car stopped and the gate opened, a little boy would run out.

That age, those features—wasn’t that their son, Qin Tian?

Du Lan called out to her son, her eyes instantly red. She rushed over and scooped Qin Tian into her arms, tears streaming down her face.

“Xiaotian, Mom and Dad are home…”"