Back to 1988 8

Chapter 8: Happy New Year

Although the room had been prepared for the bath, a lot of water had still been splashed around. After dressing the two of them in their little clothes, Cheng Qing and Mrs. Bai began to clean up.

Mi Yang could roll over now. Lying askew on the soft quilt, he started to wriggle and squirm.

Cheng Qing saw him and chuckled. She picked up the little wriggling bundle from the quilt and placed him outside, side by side with little Bai Luochuan. She then poked Mi Yang’s nose and said, “You little rascal, burrowing into the quilt again. Be a good boy and play with your big brother here, no mischief, you hear?”

But I just want to hide.

Lately, besides sucking on his face, the little young master also liked to hug and gnaw on him when he was happy. It was a rare occasion to have a bath and change into new clothes today; Mi Yang did not want his face covered in drool again.

When the adults weren’t looking, Mi Yang started to roll over again. He even calculated the angle and managed to get a little farther away. But the moment he moved, little Bai Luochuan’s attention was captured. He first stared intently for a while. Seeing Mi Yang lying on his back a meter away, his little belly rising and falling, his eyes lit up with a “ya.” He sat up, crawled one step, and grabbed Mi Yang’s little foot.

Mi Yang lay there, twisting and turning for a long time but couldn’t break free. He had used up most of his strength. His eyes darted around, and a plan formed in his mind. He simply started kicking him in the face with his foot.

A baby doesn’t have much strength; the kick was more like a brush against the cheek. The infant Bai Luochuan furrowed his little brow, smacked his lips, and then wrapped his two tender, lotus-root-like arms around Mi Yang’s little foot and started to gnaw on it.

Mi Yang, who hadn’t had time to put on his little socks after his bath: “!!”

It was useless for Mi Yang to struggle. He could only resort to his ultimate move: wailing at the top of his lungs to summon the adults.

When Mrs. Bai came in and saw the scene, she laughed. “Oh my, I just put Luochuan in pants because he’s been chewing on his own feet these past few days. How did he start chewing on Yangyang’s foot in the short time I was gone!”

Cheng Qing came in and took a look. Seeing her son with teary, watery eyes reaching out to her, she also started to laugh.

Mrs. Bai, afraid her son was bullying little Mi Yang, placed a pillow between them to separate them. But before long, the two little ones were huddled together again. It couldn’t be helped. It was too uncomfortable for Mi Yang to lie still for long, so he wanted to roll over and move. The little young master was the same. But the enclosed space was only so big, and before long, the two had crawled to the same spot and had a victorious reunion.

Little Bai Luochuan had already learned many things: sucking his hands, kicking his feet, and even using simple single-syllable sounds to express his little emotions. Most directly, he could now clearly distinguish which toys he liked. When he encountered one he liked, he would grin. If he didn’t like it, he would remain indifferent even if it was placed next to him, completely ignoring it.

Right now, his favorite was Mi Yang. He would get very excited every time he went out to Mi Yang’s house or when Cheng Qing brought Mi Yang over. Now, lying on the small bed with Mi Yang after a bath, he was also very happy. He was like a little puppy chasing after movement. The moment Mi Yang moved, he would immediately lift his little head, his big, sparkling eyes curiously following Mi Yang’s every move. When Mi Yang made a sound, he would also clap his hands happily and call out, his childish “yiya” voice very amusing.

Mi Yang let out an “ah” at him, and the other side immediately clapped excitedly, being a very supportive audience.

Mi Yang himself was amused.

Except for the occasional discomfort from teething, little Bai Luochuan’s small body was filled with boundless energy.

Mi Yang sometimes wanted to compare himself to him, but after several attempts, Mi Yang would start nodding off with sleepiness within two hours, while the little young master was still trying to roll a small rubber ball over for him to play with! Just looking at their infant bodies, Mi Yang felt he had already lost. How could this person have such good stamina? Was he solar-powered?!

After his bath, Mi Yang played until he was exhausted and drowsily fell asleep. He was even carried home by his mother in his sleep, completely unaware.

By the twenty-ninth of the twelfth lunar month, the military base was a sea of red, filled with festive cheer.

Spring couplets were pasted on the main gate of the camp, and strings of large red lanterns were hung around the grounds. At night, they lit up, casting a festive red glow. The quartermaster had specially gone out to purchase a lot of vegetables, rice, and flour for the New Year’s Eve dinner. He also sent some small carrots and other things to the two military wives in the camp, saying with a simple and honest smile, “Sisters-in-law, thank you for your hard work coming here. We don’t have much good stuff, this is all we could buy. You can steam them for the children as a side dish!”

And so, that evening, Mi Yang had carrot purée.

Cheng Qing had boiled it for him. It tasted sweet, especially the yellow core, which was particularly sweet.

Mi Yang ate with great relish, finishing almost half a small carrot.

That night, Mi Zehai went to report to Bai Jingrong on the recent study progress. Cheng Qing had him take the small pair of overalls along. Mi Zehai was a little embarrassed, hesitating to take them. “If people see this, they’ll think I’m giving a gift…”

Cheng Qing shot him a look. “Just for this tiny piece of cloth? Even if he’s not embarrassed to receive it, I’d be embarrassed to give it!”

Mi Zehai thought about it and realized he was overthinking. He then straightforwardly took the little outfit with him.

When he returned, he didn’t come back empty-handed. Mrs. Bai had sent a bag of White Rabbit milk candy for Mi Yang. Children couldn’t eat too much, but having some candy at home during the New Year was always festive. Mrs. Bai was very thoughtful, sending it over in the child’s name. Cheng Qing was very happy to receive the candy, murmuring that she had made them spend money and would have to make a few more outfits to repay them.

Mi Zehai lay on the bed, flipping through a military theory book, and said casually, “There’s no need. After the New Year, Bai Jingrong is going back to the division headquarters. I heard his wife isn’t a military dependent who follows the army; it seems she has a job in Shanghai. Shanghai is so developed, what kind of nice clothes can’t you buy there? Don’t trouble yourself.”

Cheng Qing’s enthusiasm waned, and she sighed. “That’s true.” She sat there for a moment, then reached out and patted Mi Yang. “After the New Year, your family visit leave will be over too. It’s already been extended. The leadership was considerate, seeing that Yangyang is small and worrying he’d freeze if we left in winter. Once it gets warmer after the New Year, I’ll take Yangyang back to our hometown.”

Mi Zehai didn’t say anything, but he couldn’t focus on his book anymore. He rolled over and hugged his wife. “I can’t bear to part with you and our son.”

Cheng Qing was amused. “I should be the one saying that. Why are you stealing my line! Deputy Company Commander Mi, aren’t you a tough guy out there? How come you’re crying on your wife’s shoulder? Hey, hey, stop messing around… Are you really crying?”

Mi Zehai wasn’t crying, but his expression wasn’t good either, looking as pitiful as a large wolfhound.

Mi Yang lay on his side, looking at the ceiling and blowing bubbles, rolling his little eyes, thinking that his dad was truly two-faced, and he hadn’t changed a bit after all these years.

But no matter what, the New Year still had to be celebrated.

The military didn’t have a holiday. Soldiers from all over the country gathered in the meeting room with their small stools to watch a color television. They sat in their usual military posture, backs straight, so neat it looked as if the lines had been drawn with a ruler. Only when they laughed would a roar erupt, followed by enthusiastic applause after each program, their expressions as serious as if they were watching a live performance.

Mi Yang and little Bai Luochuan were also carried out for a stroll. The two of them wore matching overalls, similar fluffy little hats, and even the same scarves, looking like two brothers. They were a delicate, pink and white bundle, exceptionally cute.

Mrs. Bai gave Mi Yang a small red envelope, placing it in the pocket on his belly. She said with a chuckle, “Happy New Year. This is lucky money for our Yangyang.”

Mi Yang delightedly touched the red envelope. This was the first time he had ever seen money!

Cheng Qing also gave a red envelope to the little young master, but he pushed it away with his hand. Little Bai Luochuan let out a “yiya” and reached out to grab Mi Yang.

Cheng Qing teased him, “Oh, you can’t have this one.”

The adults around them all laughed.

Many people came to pay New Year’s visits. Bai Jingrong, the Political Commissar, and Mi Zehai, the Company Commander, both had to go out to manage things. This left Mrs. Bai and Cheng Qing busy as well. People were constantly coming in and out, bringing in gusts of cold air. Worried about the children getting cold, they put the two little ones in a partitioned room off the small meeting room. They pushed two chairs together, put a cushion on them, and had them sit there, with an orderly watching over them.

Mi Yang looked up, curiously observing his surroundings. A large map hung in the partitioned room, covering an entire wall. Next to it was a huge sand table, the size of two office desks, with many small pine trees, vehicles, tanks, and soldier figurines on it, looking very novel.

Little Bai Luochuan was not as relaxed as him. Suddenly in a new environment without familiar people around, his little body was very tense, and he tried to roll over and crawl out several times. The orderly was startled. He had also been called over on short notice and had no experience with children. He could only stiffly pick the little young master up and put him back. But the little young master was very resistant to strangers, twisting and turning. When a toy was stuffed into his hand, he even threw a tantrum, letting out an “ah” and tossing it to the floor.

After protesting for a while, little Bai Luochuan started to stick close to Mi Yang and stopped moving.

Mi Yang tilted his head to look at him. Even such a small baby could express emotions. The little young master’s eyes lacked their usual spirited look; his large, grape-like black eyes were filled with anxiety.

Mi Yang thought for a moment and took the initiative to reach out his hand. The little young master grabbed it almost immediately.

He wiggled his fingers, and little Bai Luochuan was captivated, looking down as he fiddled with his fingers.

Mi Yang swayed his hand to soothe him, thinking to himself, Even the mightiest little tyrant gets scared. With this thought, when he looked up at the little young master again, his heart couldn’t help but soften.

He’s still just a child.

Mi Yang played with him inside for a good while. He could faintly hear the sound of the television. A classic line from the old actress Zhao Lirong came through: “Sima Guang smashes the vat—clang!”

Mi Yang giggled.

The orderly secretly watched them. Seeing that they weren’t really crying, he breathed a sigh of relief. He couldn’t help but take another look at Deputy Company Commander Mi’s child, thinking that although he wasn’t as pretty as the Bai family’s child, who looked like a snowball, he was really cute when he smiled!

Little Bai Luochuan stuck close to Mi Yang. Just as the two of them were about to fall asleep, hugging each other, firecrackers suddenly started popping and crackling outside!

Mi Yang was startled, and little Bai Luochuan was so scared he pursed his lips, about to cry. Fortunately, their mothers returned at that moment. Each picked up her own child and cooed softly.

When little Bai Luochuan saw Mrs. Bai come in, his aggrieved tears rolled down like golden beans. He grabbed her clothes and cried until he hiccuped.

Mi Yang was much better off. He lay in Cheng Qing’s arms and let out a big yawn, then tilted his head and squinted at the last flashes of the firecrackers outside. It’s New Year’s. How wonderful.