Chapter 2: Fruit Purée
As a tiny baby, Mi Yang had absolutely no human rights. He wanted to move his arms and legs, but he was bundled up so tightly that his meager strength couldn’t break free in the slightest. He could only lie on his back and babble “yiyi aah aah” for a good while, trying to express his dissatisfaction.
The two new parents had no idea what he meant. Mi Yang’s father, Mi Zehai, with his youthful and energetic face, even said proudly, “His voice is loud and clear, just like me!”
Mi Yang’s mother was named Cheng Qing. At this time, she looked to be around twenty-five, with an outstanding figure and appearance. Her oval face was particularly approachable, and when she smiled, her eyes curved into crescents. She said softly, “His nose is like yours too.”
Mi Zehai looked at his wife, then at his son, and chuckled happily. “It really is. But his eyes and mouth are like yours. They all say sons take after their mothers. Our son will definitely be a handsome young man. We won’t have to worry about him finding a wife in the future!”
Cheng Qing gave him a playful push, saying shyly, “What nonsense are you talking about!”
Mi Zehai said, “How is it nonsense? Back in high school, you were our school’s beauty. None of them ever thought I’d be able to marry you. They were so envious!” He grew proud again, showing none of the stern and steady demeanor he would have in the future. He picked up Mi Yang, rubbed his face with his light stubble, and gave him a kiss. “Son, grow up fast and be a soldier like your dad!”
Cheng Qing stood behind, protectively watching over the baby, and chided, “Yangyang is going to military academy in the future, not like you!”
Mi Zehai said, “Hey, you were just praising me yesterday!”
Mi Yang stopped his gurgling and simply closed his eyes, refusing to look at them.
He really couldn’t take another mouthful of this public display of affection.
A baby’s body tires easily. Eating and sleeping, he had no concept of time, and the days passed by quickly.
Mi Yang guessed he was probably only three or four months old at this point. He couldn’t even roll over. A few days ago, he had managed to lift his head while on his stomach, which made his parents clap their hands in delight. But they didn’t let him stay on his stomach for long; most of the time, he was lying on his back. Because he was lying down, his field of vision was limited. It was only when he occasionally caught sight of a calendar that he realized it was now the twelfth lunar month.
Mi Yang blinked his eyes. The twelfth lunar month of 1988. This trip back in time is quite thorough. I basically have to live through it all over again.
A few days later, the weather grew even colder. After dark, the military camp was so quiet you could hear the wind howling, rattling the windows.
Mi Yang’s mother held him by the window to look outside, her young face filled with worry. Mi Yang reached out his small hand to touch her, and Cheng Qing grasped it, bringing it to her lips to nibble gently. She sighed, “Is Yangyang worried too? Daddy led his team out for training and isn’t back yet. What if the heavy snow seals off the mountains…”
Mi Yang blinked. He remembered that his father had served in the field army and only transferred to a local post later due to poor health, but he had still insisted on staying in the military for over twenty years. This time, he should be fine.
But he couldn’t speak right now, so he could only pat his mother’s hand to comfort her.
Cheng Qing played with her son for a while, and her mood improved significantly. She quickly regained her spirits and went to prepare ginger soup and hot water, wholeheartedly waiting for her husband’s return.
When Mi Zehai returned, his clothes were covered in sleet. He stomped his feet several times at the doorway before entering the inner room. As expected, his ears and face were red from the cold, but his eyes were bright. Seeing his wife and child, he grinned, revealing a set of white teeth. “Qing’er, Yangyang, I’m back!”
Cheng Qing quickly got up. “Wait, I’ll go pour you a bowl of hot soup!”
Mi Zehai said with a chuckle, “Pour a few more bowls. I have friends with me.”
Mi Yang curiously looked up, but he was too small. Even straining his neck, he could only see a corner of the room. From the outer room came the sound of many footsteps, and someone saluted, calling out cheerfully, “Hello, Sister-in-law!”
Following that, the same person said with envy, “What the Deputy Company Commander said is true! It’s great to have a wife who dotes on you. There’s even hot soup waiting when you get back at night!”
The voices outside were quite loud. It was likely that military dependents rarely visited the camp, especially in these remote mountains. Seeing someone, they couldn’t help but chat a bit more. That person continued, “Sister-in-law, you don’t know, we could have been back much earlier. The snow covered the road on our way down the mountain, and it just so happened that the new Political Commissar wasn’t familiar with the route and drove right into a snowdrift. Aiyo, lucky for them they ran into us. We dug them out, car and all! The Political Commissar’s wife and child were in the car too, about the same age as our Yangyang. Their little faces were blue from the cold, such a pitiful sight!”
Cheng Qing was startled and quickly asked, “Where are they? Are they alright now?”
The soldier chuckled. “They’re fine now. It’s just that their car broke down halfway. The Deputy Company Commander had someone go pick them up. Oh, right, the Political Commissar also said he’d come over personally to thank the Deputy Company Commander later!”
Cheng Qing felt a little awkward. Although Mi Zehai was a Deputy Company Commander at this time, soldiers were poor. Their small home only had two enamel mugs, which weren’t enough to serve guests, making her feel constrained. She whispered something to Mi Zehai, but Mi Zehai, clearly used to the casual ways of the field army, waved his hand and smiled. “It’s fine! Political Commissar Bai has been in the service longer than I have. Just find any bowl, he won’t care about these things!”
Lying in the inner partitioned room, Mi Yang was trying hard to roll over. Hearing this, he frowned. Political Commissar Bai? Why does that sound a little familiar?
By the time Mi Yang managed to flip over with great effort, Political Commissar Bai had arrived. He didn’t come alone; his wife and child accompanied him. The child, who was said to have been freezing, was wrapped in a warm cashmere blanket. A thick matching little hat covered most of his face, making him look plump and bundled up.
Cheng Qing poured them two bowls of hot ginger soup. “Political Commissar, why did you bring your wife and child? What if they catch another chill!”
Mrs. Bai looked a few years older than Cheng Qing. She took Cheng Qing’s hand and smiled. “It’s alright. You must be the Cheng Qing that Company Commander Mi mentioned. He talked about you several times on the way. Come, let’s go inside and talk. Let these rough men chat by themselves.”
With that, she and Cheng Qing walked into the partitioned room. Cheng Qing let out a sigh of relief after entering. She really wasn’t good at handling such occasions and felt much more at ease chatting with Mrs. Bai here.
When Mi Yang lifted his head to get a good look, he was a bit dumbfounded by the young woman who had walked in with his mother. When he heard her smiling self-introduction, his heart skipped a beat.
“Oh, don’t call me Mrs. I’m a few years older than you. My name is Luo Jiangjing. You can just call me Sister Luo!” The woman took off her hat, revealing slightly curled hair that looked very young and fashionable. She placed the child she was holding on the bed and took off his little hat too, revealing a serious and beautiful little face. His eyes were closed, and he was smacking his lips, his little brow furrowed. She smiled and said, “This is my son, Bai Luochuan. Just like his father, he wears a stern face all day. Not at all as endearing as your baby!”
Mi Yang stared at her blankly and blinked. It can’t be what I’m thinking, right? But the name that came from Mrs. Bai’s lips, and the stunningly beautiful face before him, were all too easy to superimpose onto the adult Bai Luochuan. That young master had been blessed with good looks; even when angry, the fire in his pupils was captivating.
Mrs. Bai came over and stroked Mi Yang’s little face, even using a small handkerchief to wipe the drool from the corner of his mouth. She chuckled, “So cute~”
Mi Yang: “…Ya?”
Mrs. Bai said in surprise, “Learning to talk so soon?”
Cheng Qing smiled. “Not yet. It’s just that I have nothing to do here, so I found a book of Tang poems and recite them to him every day. Maybe he’s become a little chatterbox from listening to me.”
Mrs. Bai said, “That’s very good. Early education is important.”
It was warm in the room, and the two women quickly became familiar with each other through their cheerful conversation. One could tell at a glance that Mrs. Bai was a well-bred lady from a well-off family, but she had no airs about her. She could carry on a conversation about anything Cheng Qing brought up. Perhaps out of gratitude, she showed an extra degree of closeness to Cheng Qing and her baby. Before long, someone knocked on the wooden door of the partitioned room. A steady male voice called out, “Jiangjing?”
Mrs. Bai got up and opened the door. Mi Yang was also picked up by Cheng Qing, and he happened to look up and see Political Commissar Bai entering. Seeing that serious, handsome face, which even in his youth had faint frown lines between his brows, Mi Yang knew this was definitely Bai Luochuan’s family. Political Commissar Bai—Bai Jingrong—looked almost exactly the same as he would twenty-odd years later. He still stood ramrod straight with a taut expression. After entering, he said to them, “The car has been driven back. I brought a portion of the things we had with us.”
Mrs. Bai said happily, “That’s perfect. Bring it over directly.”
An orderly soon brought over a square styrofoam box. Inside was a small container of fresh fruit—quite a few bananas and oranges, as well as several large, red tomatoes.
For months, Mi Yang had eaten nothing but milk formula. Suddenly smelling the fragrance of fresh fruit in the middle of winter, he couldn’t help but twitch his little nose.
Beside him, the little Bai Luochuan, who had been sleeping with a serious expression, also moved his arms and legs. He didn’t wake up, but he turned his head, searching for food.
Mrs. Bai said, “This is supplementary food for the baby. It’s not easy to bring much in the winter. Share some of Luochuan’s with your baby. I asked Company Commander Mi on the way here; a three-month-old can have a little fruit purée.”
Cheng Qing quickly waved her hands, her face flushing. “No, no, how could I accept this? It’s too much…”
At this time, greenhouses were not yet widespread. In the north during winter, the diet consisted mostly of cabbage, radishes, and potatoes. Occasional leafy greens were a novelty, and fruit from the south was even rarer, especially a whole box like this. Cheng Qing felt embarrassed to accept it.
But Mrs. Bai smiled and asked for a small spoon. She cut open a banana and showed Cheng Qing how to feed the baby. She was meticulous and gentle. Cheng Qing was also a new mother with no elders around, so there were many things about raising a child she didn’t know. Being taught step-by-step how to feed her baby fruit purée, she couldn’t help but feel a sense of gratitude.
Mi Yang took a bite of the banana purée, smacking his lips. It was incredibly sweet and fragrant.
The other little tyrant next to him, though only six months old, was already adept at rolling over. He crawled out of his cashmere blanket on his own, crying “aah aah” and reaching for the spoon, looking very protective of his food.
Mrs. Bai poked his nose. “You little glutton. What’s wrong with letting your little brother have a bite? You wait. You can have some when we get home.”
Little Bai Luochuan was not happy and still wanted to eat. Seeing the spoon approach Mi Yang’s mouth, he chased after it, his eyes fixed only on the spoon, nearly chomping down on Mi Yang’s mouth.
Mi Yang tilted his head back, his little face flushed red, and refused to eat anymore—how could he eat? Bai Luochuan’s drool was dripping onto his face!!
Author’s Note:
Raising him from childhood. Surprised?
