Upon learning that Qi Taiguo was about to go on another assignment, Cheng Su, accustomed to it, packed his luggage with a calm expression.
Qi Taiguo watched her busy back and forth. Previously, she would be nagging, but this time she said nothing, and remarked, "Before, when I was going on assignments, you were quite reluctant, and would always remind me with a few words. How come youāre not saying anything now? You seem quite happy to send me off."
Cheng Su glanced back at him and laughed, "Whatās there to be reluctant about? Over the years, how many large and small assignments have you gone on? Iām used to it now!"
Qi Taiguo grumbled sourly, "At least pretend a little, now that we have a son, you donāt care about the big one anymore!"
"Oh, are you jealous of our son!" Cheng Su teased, walking over.
Qi Taiguo hugged her tightly and said, "Iām your man, canāt I be jealous? Tell me, are you neglecting me? How long has it been since we had those āus-timeā you talked about?"
"Isnāt he still little? And heās been sick recently. Iāve been so busy looking after him, how could I have time for you? But yes, itās my fault, Iāve been neglecting you." Cheng Su gave him a kiss, "Is that okay now?"
"Not enough, not enough." Qi Taiguo was excited and pulled her in for affection.
"Ah ah ah!"
Cheng Su quickly pushed him away, Qi Taiguo yelped, glaring at Qi Xiaoqi who made a warning sound. His gaze seemed to say, "Kid, canāt you just let me have a moment?"
Qi Xiaoqi glanced at him indifferently and looked away towards his mom, licking his lipsāthis young master is hungry.
Cheng Su laughed, picked up her son to nurse, and asked, "The usual rule: return intact and in full, especially now that you have a son; youāre not the bachelor from before."
Qi Taiguo felt a softness in his heart and nodded, "I know."
Now with a tender wife and a little son, his responsibilities are huge. He couldnāt just recklessly charge around like before, ignoring everything.
Cheng Su pointed to the drawer again and said, "Thereās a photo in there, take it with you to remind yourself constantly."
Qi Taiguo heard this, opened the drawer, and found a photo inside. It was taken with Cheng Su holding Qi Xiaoqi; she was smiling brightly while Qi Xiaoqi looked clever towards the camera.
"When was this taken? I havenāt seen it before." Qi Taiguo asked her.
"It was taken a few days ago, but hadnāt been developed yet. It was just developed and brought back over the past couple of days, so you just happened to catch it now. Keep it, and look at it if you miss us." Cheng Su replied, saying she had spent a lot of money to buy a camera specifically to record Qi Xiaoqiās growth, which made it convenient to take photos occasionally, and have the film developed later.
Qi Taiguo solemnly put the photo in his pocket and said, "When I return from the assignment, letās go out as a family and take a family portrait of the three of us, okay?"
"Sure!" Cheng Su agreed, "Next month is Cheng Yaozu and Xiao Yaās wedding. How many days of family leave do you have? Maybe you can take a few days off to celebrate with them and have a little fun?"
Qi Taiguo said, "Weāll see then if arrangements can be made. Now the new regimental commander has just taken office; new officials tend to be eager and want to handle everything, so I might not get time off."
Cheng Su also understood the strict rules in the military, "Anyway, letās decide then, thereās no rush. Is Regimental Commander Shen easy to talk to?"
"Still getting a feel for his way, itās fine. Iām leaving, take care, and thank you for looking after our son." Qi Taiguo advised her carefully.
Qi Xiaoqi vigorously sucked on the milk, humming in his ear, thinking that this father sure talks a lot!