Chapter 91: Fighting for the Nation's Glory

"Got it." Da Da Shi Tou called out loudly.

As if possessed by a tiny bee, he kept moving—fetching a stool for his uncle, then running to pour water, never still.

He pretended calmness, but his eyes kept darting toward his third uncle, his admiration impossible to hide.

He wanted to ask what movie they'd watch, but the words stuck in his throat.

Gu Gu Chenghuai had deliberately suppressed his aura, his eyes smiling, yet he still humored Little Da Shi Tou's request and picked up the dirty little boy.

The boy braced himself and asked, "Uncle, what movie are we watching?"

His hesitation was fully caught by Gu Gu Chenghuai's gaze.

"Female pilot."

Brief and to the point.

Not a single extra word.

Da Da Shi Tou half-understood, but eagerly looked forward to today's trip to the county town.

Little Da Shi Tou sat calmly in his uncle's arms, staring fixedly at Gu Gu Chenghuai's face.

Little Da Shi Tou was younger than the twins, usually quiet and timid, always looking shy—he rarely spoke to strangers, yet no one expected him to spontaneously ask Gu Gu Chenghuai for a hug.

Gu Gu Chenghuai didn't understand either.

In the military, no child dared approach him.

Children who had been smiling brightly would instantly lose their smiles at the sight of him, like mice spotting a leopard cat—scurrying away in a flash, legs flying; the slow ones would throw back their heads and wail loudly.

The cold-faced soldier was surprised by this sudden affection from a child.

Zhao Zhao said Little Da Shi Tou was shy and hid from everyone—yet now, he seemed alright.

Gu Chan dug out the two sons' most presentable clothes.

Black short-sleeved shirts and shorts, the plainest style, with a small pocket stitched on the chest, pockets on the pants too, faint mending visible—but still far better than what they were wearing!

She stepped out of the room holding the clothes.

Seeing her younger son still in Gu Chenghuai's arms, she smiled helplessly.

"Little Da Shi Tou, get down. Go change clothes with your brother. After you're dressed, go back with your third uncle to your grandparents' house—your grandfather and grandmother miss you."

Gu Gu Chenghuai set his nephew down, then patted his head. "Go on."

The two Shitous went inside to change.

"Gu Chenghuai, I'm cooking right now—stay and eat with us, then leave." Gu Chan headed toward the kitchen, though it was barely a makeshift shed—the real kitchen needed repairs before use.

"No." Gu Gu Chenghuai said. "The house is being built. My older and younger brothers are there—I need to be there too."

His serious tone made Gu Chan realize he meant the Lin brothers.

She didn't press further. "Alright. Go treat them well. Don't let them form a bad impression of you."

This was the unspoken understanding between siblings—no need for words, they knew exactly what the other meant.

"Mm." Gu Gu Chenghuai didn't find his sister nagging; he gave a brief reply to show he heard.

Once the two Shitous were dressed, he didn't delay—he took his nephews and left.

The village children gathered around as the Da Shi Tou brothers climbed onto the soldier's bicycle.

"Wei Wei Chuan, Wei Yan, where are you going?" The lead black-faced boy planted one foot on a roadside boulder, hands on hips.

Wei Yan—that was Little Da Shi Tou—sat on the front crossbar, grinning, daring to say, "My uncle's taking us to the county to watch a movie!"

"Watch a movie…?!!" Another child gasped in shock.

The sparrows on the tree flew off in a flurry.

"Wei Wei Chuan, is this true? You're going to the county cinema? Really? My mom says tickets aren't cheap—do you really have to go?!" The black-faced boy stepped closer, staring at Gu Gu Chenghuai again and again.

He'd heard this was the Da Shi Tou brothers' uncle—he was so tall, and carried a gun. Impressive.

Wei Wei Chuan had a narrow, short waist, long limbs and arms, a refined face, sun-darkened to a deep tan, making his eyes shine even brighter—his dark pupils seemed dipped in starlight, gleaming.

Standing there, his spine straight as a white poplar refusing to bend in the desert—slim, yet unyielding.

"Yes!"

"My third uncle and third auntie are taking us to see 'Female Pilot.'"

After answering his friends, he flipped onto the bicycle's rear seat like a kite turning midair.

Before his words faded, Gu Gu Chenghuai kicked off with his long legs—the wheels crushed pebbles and shot forward.

The village children stood frozen, unable to tear their eyes away.

Barely past the village entrance, Da Huang leapt from a haystack, sprinting ahead like a wild pup, tail wagging like a whip, occasionally barking twice as if clearing the way.

Seeing village children, it didn't enter the village—it waited at the entrance for its master.

"Dog! Big Yellow!" Little Da Shi Tou gripped the handlebar with his left hand, pointed with his right, turned to his third uncle, and shouted excitedly.

Da Da Shi Tou also saw Da Huang—his coat gleamed, his tail swung vigorously, his gaze gentle as autumn sun on ripened wheat fields.

"Uncle, is this your dog?" he couldn't help asking.

Any boy raised in the countryside loved Da Huang!

"Mm." Gu Gu Chenghuai said.

"Is his name Da Huang?" Da Da Shi Tou leaned forward to look, asking again.

"Yes."

"He looks amazing!" The boy waved at Da Huang, his earlier defiance gone, replaced by pure brightness.

Da Huang was smart—he knew the two boys on the bike were his own. He slowed to match Da Da Shi Tou's pace, walking beside him.

"Third uncle, Da Huang is so smart!" The boy's voice rang clear.

"He's a hero dog. Didn't your mom tell you?" Gu Gu Chenghuai's voice was low, steady, commanding.

"This is Da Huang from Fengshou Team?" Da Da Shi Tou's tone rose in shock—he couldn't reconcile this proud dog with the pitiful creature his mother described.

"Your auntie took good care of him." Gu Gu Chenghuai thought his wife was perfect, flawless—of course the dog she raised was magnificent.

Back at Fengshou Team.

The two Shitous were doted on by Gu Fu and Gu Mu.

"Grown taller." Gu Fu patted his eldest grandson's shoulder and smiled.

Gu Mu stared at her youngest grandson, utterly charmed—she handed out candy, poured him sugared water.

"Have you eaten?" she asked.

Gu Gu Chenghuai replied calmly, "No."

"Then eat with us." Gu Mu immediately said, turning toward the kitchen and calling out, "Daughter-in-law, make extra—both Shitous are eating."

"Got it!" Huang Huang Xiulan called back.

"Thank you, Grandma." Da Da Shi Tou said.

Gu Mu patted his head, beaming. "You're so polite—but this is your maternal home, your own place. I'm your real grandma—don't be formal. Act like you're in your own room."

Just then, the twins finished peeing and rushed back, breathless.

Their pants still hung loosely around their hips, hands fumbling to pull them up, as if their butts were on fire.

Spotting the Da Shi Tou brothers, they skidded to a halt—like two young calves hitting an invisible fence.

"Da Shi Tou Brother! Da Shi Tou Little Brother?!" Hearing Erzai's eyes widened, voice shrill. "Why are you here?!" He bounced up and down in excitement.

Seeing Dazai stayed calm, mind racing. "Are you going to watch the movie too?"

"Mm." Da Da Shi Tou nodded.

Hearing Erzai grabbed his hand—his warm little palm stuck like fresh-out-of-the-pot rice cake.

Bouncing wildly, he tugged Da Da Shi Tou in circles, like a puppy chasing its own tail.

"Great! Da Shi Tou Brother and Da Shi Tou Little Brother are coming too!" he cried, voice loud.

The Gu family glanced over, unable to suppress their smiles.

This Hearing Erzai—he was like a little sun, where did he get all this boundless energy?!

"Da Shi Tou Brother, I'll take you to play ping-pong!" Hearing Erzai pulled the Da Shi Tou brothers outside, chattering nonstop, "My dad brought us a gift—super fun."

"Sure, teach me." Da Da Shi Tou treated the twins with unusual kindness.

Who wouldn't love a generous, cute, warm-hearted little brother like a sun?

Little Da Shi Tou: (; Yi _ Yi )

The ping-pong table belonged to the twins—they had absolute control over who played.

The circle of children around the table parted to let them in.

The Da Shi Tou brothers saw a rectangular table, flat surface, a net standing upright in the middle.

"Bang Bang, Tie Dan, my Da Shi Tou Brother and Da Shi Tou Little Brother just arrived—let them try first, okay?" Seeing Dazai asked Bang Bang and Tie Dan, who held the paddles.

The two boys didn't hoard the toys—they handed over the paddles.

"Alright." Bang Bang said. "Da Da Shi Tou, Little Da Shi Tou—if you have questions, ask me."

Seeing Dazai stood in the center of the table, face serious, like a fair little referee.

"Da Shi Tou Brother, Da Shi Tou Little Brother, use the paddles to hit the ball." Seeing Da Da Shi Tou pick up the small yellow ball, he said, "Yes—that's ping-pong!"

He added calmly, remembering something: "Don't squeeze the ball hard—it'll dent."

Tie Hui loudly exposed Hearing Erzai's blunder: "Hearing Erzai squeezed it too hard—he crushed one! My mom says it's lucky Third Uncle earns well and spoils you, or you'd have been beaten!"

Hearing this, Hearing Erzai flared up like a startled amber—his fur stood on end, looking fiercely cute.

He jumped, covering Tie Hui's mouth with his hand. "Tie Hui!"

Tie Hui's clear black-and-white eyes held pure innocence.

Hearing his best friend's embarrassed rage, he stood frozen, not daring to move.

Big Stone quickly lowered his head, hiding the smile in his eyes.

"Got it?" Big Cai didn't know if he'd explained clearly; he scratched his cheek with his paw. "If you still don't understand, Big Cai and Second Cai will demonstrate for you."

Little Stone spoke first: "Got it."

If Wei Wei Xiangdong and Gu Chan were here, they'd notice—Lin Lin Xiaoer's eyes now shone brighter than when he'd eaten candy or meat.

"I got it too," Big Stone said, looking at his brother. "Let's play a match. Big Cai will be the referee."

Big Cai loved being referee; he cheered excitedly: "Great! I'll be referee!"

Big Stone applied slight pressure with his left hand, smashing the ball onto the table. The ping-pong ball bounced up; he felt its rebound, lifted his head slightly, sunlight spilling over his stubborn profile, his eyes fierce and unyielding.

Youth's spirit flows freely.

"I'm serving!"

"Little Stone, get ready."

His left hand deftly tossed the ping-pong ball high into the air.

The ball rose, hovered a moment at its peak.

His racket paused, then sliced downward at a sharp angle, meeting the falling ball—the rubber and ball touched with a crisp *tap*.

The ball flew out.

Little Stone had never played before, yet he moved like a veteran, as if he could predict the ball's path; his wrist flicked, calmly returning it.

"Wow!" Second Cai cried out brightly, "Little Stone is amazing! He can play this well on his first try—he must be one of those gifted people my mom talks about, born with talent in some area!"

His little mouth was always good at speaking; when he genuinely praised someone, it made their heart bloom.

Little Stone, five years old, had never heard such direct praise; his sun-baked clay-colored face flushed crimson, his ears steaming.

Even so, he still caught his brother's shots without fail.

"Little Stone is great!" Tie Dan shouted loudly.

The Gu children and the twins learned to praise when praise was due—never stingy.

"Big Stone, push harder—don't let your little brother beat you," Lai Mei added, swinging her arm.

Feeling his brother's stubbornness, Big Stone grew even more focused.

Even so, after several rounds, he still missed the ball.

"I'll go!" Tie Dan thought Little Stone played well—a worthy opponent—and stepped forward to challenge him.

Little Stone gave a slight nod.

"You serve," Tie Dan said, extending his right arm forward in polite deference.

Little Stone didn't care; he imitated his brother's motion to serve.

Tie Dan missed the return.

Tie Dan: This isn't real!!

The ball fell to the ground; Bang Bang picked it up.

"Can you even play? If not, I'll take over."

Tie Dan snatched the ball, face serious. "How can I not? It's just because I'm rusty—I've practiced two whole days! How could I lose to a little brat who just picked up a paddle? Impossible!"

He had no idea that, in adults' eyes, he too was just a little brat.

Bang Bang lazily lifted his eyelids, a half-smile curling his lips; the light dancing in his eyes clearly said: *If you don't believe it, try again. *

Tie Dan adjusted his mindset and served this time.

Little Stone caught it steadily.

He returned it with a light, floating touch; Tie Dan struggled to return it.

At this point, he sensed his opponent's tenacity; his expression turned serious.

He refused to lose to his younger cousin—he had to give everything.

Little Stone remained calm. Though this was his first time holding a paddle, the racket felt as if grown from his hand, fused with him; the unruly ball, no matter how hard to catch, always found his paddle—and he caught it effortlessly.

Tie Dan's pressure mounted; sweat beaded on his back, drops falling from his temples.

Soon, he lost.

"You really never played before?" Tie Dan's voice cracked, his mind shattered—he nearly doubted himself.

"Mm," Little Stone whispered.

Big Stone vouched for his brother: "We didn't even know this… toy existed until now."

"Not a toy," Big Cai said, eyes and brows serious.

"My dad says ping-pong is a globally popular sport—with a World Table Tennis Championship. If you're good, you can bring glory to the country."

He had an excellent memory; whatever adults taught him, he remembered seven or eight out of ten.

"Bring glory to the country?" Big Stone was stunned.

"Yes! My mom says too—every trade has its top experts," Big Cai said confidently, speaking with reason. "No matter what you do, if you push yourself to the extreme, your hard work won't be wasted—it will pay off."

Big Stone pushed Little Stone forward, asking for his little brother: "Can Little Stone learn?"

Little Stone's eyes shone like lanterns, fixed on Big Cai.

Big Cai froze, thought for a moment, then said: "Probably. I'll ask Mom when she comes back."

"I wonder if playing ping-pong counts as a iron rice bowl—if it does, that'd be perfect," Big Stone hoped.

He glanced at his little brother, who tugged at his sleeve; he sighed inwardly.

Little Stone was too timid—he'd taught him till he was blue in the face, and nothing changed. Their father said: "See a child at three, know him at thirty." He was already five, and as an older brother, Big Stone worried deeply about his brother's future.

Just now, he'd seen a different Little Stone—eyes glowing, radiating a calmness he'd never known before.

One look, and he knew: his brother adored ping-pong.

He didn't know how expensive the paddle set was—how long would it take to buy one by catching cicadas, scorpions, and snakes?

"I don't know if it counts," Big Cai didn't promise, only shared what he knew. "My mom says there are professional players—people who make ping-pong their job. That should count as an iron rice bowl, right?"

"If it's an iron rice bowl, not just anyone can get in—it must have strict requirements," Big Stone knew how vital connections were, but he wasn't the type to be easily defeated. Whether it worked or not, he had to try.

"Big Stone, don't rush. When we meet Mom, I'll ask her—she's a high school graduate, she knows everything," Second Cai said proudly, smiling with downturned eyes, his gaze pure and clean—adorably sweet.

"Alright, thank you, Second Cai," Big Stone said.

"No need to thank me—Mom says family must love each other," the mama's boy always had Mom on his lips.

"..."

Gu Gu Chenghuai arrived at the new house; the construction workers were eating.

At the sight of him, they all raised their right arms, thumbs up.

"Big Cai's dad, you're the one!" the first to speak was Chang Sheng's uncle.

Yes, he'd come to help too.

Another man said: "We're all from the same village—just some coarse grain buns to fill our bellies is enough. But you had them cook dishes—with meat shreds? Too generous!"

"Yeah, yeah," Yuan Bao's father said. "When I saw the meat in the dish, I rubbed my eyes hard—thought I'd gone mad from craving meat. I've helped build houses for so many people—this is the first time I've seen meat shreds in the food."

He hadn't eaten the meat; he'd picked out every shred, planning to take it home for Yuan Bao.

"We just started building—this is to boost morale. After this, no more," Gu Gu Chenghuai smiled.

He'd changed out of his military uniform, put on patched old clothes, and shed his entire aura—he looked no different from the village men, blending in perfectly.

"No meat? Green bean and lily soup is unlimited."

Originally, everyone had felt uneasy—Gu Laosan was now an officer, a truly accomplished man, no longer the dirt-stained boy who'd climbed mountains and fished rivers. They feared saying something inappropriate, making fools of themselves.

But with Gu Gu Chenghuai's words, the distance and strangeness dissolved; the awkwardness broke.

"Got any sugar? If you do, I'll bring a big bowl," Chang Sheng's uncle joked.

"We have it," Gu Gu Chenghuai's expression didn't change. "Bring any size bowl."

Chang Sheng's uncle laughed heartily. "I'm serious—if there isn't any, I'll make a fuss!"

Gu Gu Chenghuai smiled. "I'll arrange it tomorrow."

"Good! We'll wait!" another man said cheerfully.

The foreman said: "Gu Chenghuai, rest easy—we'll finish this house as fast as possible, exactly as you and your wife want. Don't worry."

This man had been hired by Gu Fu; everyone else deferred to him.

Gu Gu Chenghuai had achieved his purpose; he nodded with a clear, gentle smile. "Thank you all for your hard work."

In response,

Yuan Bao's father sighed inwardly.

Lu Lu Yizhou was also a capable man from the brigade—but in matters of character, he couldn't compare to Gu Gu Chenghuai.

Just look at his remarriage banquet.

So stingy.

He had money, yet served wilted cabbage and stale carrots to guests—on his wedding day, he wouldn't even spare an egg.

Dongfeng Brigade.

Yuan Yuan Xiangniang arrived at the Lin household and saw her daughter was well, her face free of gloom—she exhaled a long, heavy breath.

After drinking a few sips of water, she suddenly heard Song Xi mention that Zhao Zhao had a colleague at the Supply and Marketing Cooperative who asked Zhao Zhao to help find a match for her younger brother.

At this, Yuan Yuan Xiangniang set down her bowl; the rim clinked against the table corner with a *duang*.

She paid no attention to it, held her breath, eyes locked on Song Xi.

"Song Xiwei?"

"Is that what I meant?" The woman's voice was dry, her lips and teeth trembling.