A special birthday celebration for two

  Little kids can't control their emotions, they're unhappy in their heart and immediately express it. "Mommy, this sister is so annoying!" How can there be such an impolite sister? My mommy is right next to me, why are you asking my real mommy?!

  Ye Shanshan was also a bit startled by the question, but still pretended to be calm and leaned down to coax her with a smile, "It's okay, she just asked casually, didn't mean anything else."

  The three of them didn't look too good, and Xu Ting quickly reacted, "Uh, sorry, I misspoke."

  Ye Shanshan was about to speak politely for a moment, but was preempted by Gu Beichen with a cold face, "Don't ask about things that have nothing to do with you."

  "Oh." Feeling the thick murderous aura emanating from General Gu, the momentum of the young lady from the Xu family clearly weakened.

  Due to this unexpected little episode, the atmosphere also became somewhat strange.

  Gu Beichen walked alone at the front, his face as dark as a pot bottom. Ye Shanshan followed closely behind him, holding Xiao Xiao's hand, while Xu Jia was completely relegated to being a passerby.

  Who allowed you to speak without restraint!

  A group of four people returned to the General's mansion in a strange formation, and before they even entered the gate, the guards at the entrance eagerly came up to greet them, "Good afternoon, Chief of Staff, good afternoon, Madam, good afternoon, little princess."

  Gu Beichen nodded symbolically and continued to move forward. Ye Shanshan was still as polite as ever, smiling courteously at the security guard, "Good afternoon."

  The guards had just changed shifts and both were new, so it was only natural to be vigilant when they saw a strange face. "Is this little girl with you too?"

  "Uh," Ye Shanshan slightly hesitated, "She is Master Xu's daughter, don't you know?"

  Two guards stood at attention, saluting stiffly, "Good afternoon, Miss Hsu."

  The outgoing Xu Ting smiled and waved at the security guard brother, "Hey, now that we know each other, no need to ask again next time, right?"

  She smiled innocently, but Ye Shanshan saw a few strands of inexplicable loneliness in her eyes. It was the Chinese New Year, why did she follow Xu Shizhang to the troops alone?

  Ye Shanshan still had a soft heart and couldn't help but turn back and pull her, "It's windy outside, let's hurry back."

  "Ah." Xú Tíng let out a long sigh for no reason, "Thank goodness, finally someone is willing to listen to me."

  Looking at her relieved expression, Ye Shanshan became more and more determined in her intuition. This girl looks carefree, but seems to be hiding a lot of things in her heart.

  After this idea sprouted in her mind, Ye Shanshan's attitude towards Xu Ting became much more enthusiastic. As soon as she entered the house, she asked Xu Ting what hot drink she wanted to have.

  "I'd better behave myself, after all, Gu Shou and Little Princess haven't forgiven me yet." Xǔ Tíng said with a pretended ease, shrugging her shoulders half-jokingly and half-seriously.

  "They're not that petty, you've already apologized, haven't you?" Ye Shanshan said while giving the young master a meaningful glance. Xu Ting was after all the daughter of the great Young Master's household, couldn't she be a bit more gracious to others?

  No matter how angry he was, he still had to give his wife some face, so Gu Bei Chen could only reluctantly respond to her, "Don't be too tense, just sit down casually."

  "Your home is so tidy, sister-in-law is really capable." Don't look at Xiu Ting's young age, she is also good at flattering and bootlicking.

  Still smiling, she scolded with a straight face: "You sat on my mommy's pillow."

  Xu Ting stood up reflexively, awkwardly smiled and said "Sorry, I didn't mean to."

  "It's okay, you sit down, I'll take Xiaoxiao back to the room to change clothes." Xu Ting was a guest after all, and a special one at that. If Xiaoxiao continued to tease her like this, it wouldn't be good, so Ye Shanshan quickly found an excuse to take Xiaoxiao back to the room.

  Taking advantage of Xiao Xiao and her mother returning to their room, Xu Ting once again solemnly apologized to Gu Shou Zhang, "Sorry, I was just casually asking, no malicious intent."

  She sincerely apologized, and Gu Bei Chen took the opportunity to teach her a lesson, "This time is a lesson learned, children's thoughts are sensitive, when speaking in front of them, one must be extra careful."

  "Next time I'll be careful." Xu Ting nodded obediently, but in her heart she was wailing: Woe is me, this Director Gu really lives up to his reputation as one of Father's subordinates, he doesn't mince words when scolding people.

  Gu Beichen was satisfied with her attitude, "You sit for a while first, I'll go take a look at Xiaoxiao."

  "Wait a minute." Although she successfully obtained Director Gu's understanding, Xu Ting didn't dare to relax at all. The little princess was so angry that she wanted to drive her out of the house, and she wasn't feeling secure here either. "Xiao Xiao, if you're really unhappy, I can go back by myself, Dad left me a key."

  "Don't worry too much, kids' moods come and go quickly. As long as you cater to her interests, she'll accept you." Gu Bei Chen's heart wasn't much harder than his daughter Su Su's, and with Xu Ting suddenly becoming obedient and listening to him, his attitude also became much more gentle.

  After listening to Director Gu's reminder, Xu Ting quickly came up with an idea. "Does Xiao Xiao like playing games? I brought an iPad."

  Gu Bei Chen also thought it was a good idea, "You try, if she's interested, she'll take the initiative to talk to you."

  At this time, in the room closest to the living room, Ye Shanshan was still persuading Xiaoxiao with a bitter face, "You see, sister has already apologized, and she didn't do it on purpose, let's not be angry with her, okay?"

  "It's all because of her that Dad can't take us out to play, and just now she sat on your favorite cushion." Doesn't this sound like adding insult to injury? Children have simple minds, once they dislike someone, they will cling to the mistakes that person has made and won't let go, even if those mistakes are not worth mentioning.

  Ye Shanshan also lost her temper, "But she is a guest after all, and still the daughter of the big leader, you can't always ignore her, right?"

  "You're being very naughty, aren't you?" The little girl still had some self-awareness.

  "We've never been petty kids, let's not stoop to her level, okay?" Ye Shanshan didn't answer directly, but instead cleverly gave Xiaoxiao a compliment. And she knew that this move was very effective on her family's Xiaoxiao.

  "Alright." The little demon reluctantly nodded his head, and the young master let out a soft sigh, "I'm a magnanimous person, I won't bother with her trivialities."

  Ye Shanshan returned to the living room with a smile, while Xu Ting was intently staring at her iPad playing games. She had already walked up to her side, yet she didn't notice anything.

  "Sister, what are you playing with?" Hmm, Captain Gu was right, as long as Xiao Hua likes it, she will definitely take the initiative to get close.

  "Hey, wanna play a game of Fishing Master?" Oh, the little princess actually initiated a conversation with me, and Xu Ting finally felt relieved.

  "I... won't." Although her tone was a bit weak, Xiaoxiao still carefully moved in closer.

  "I'll teach you, come sit here." Xuting didn't say another word and pulled Xiaoxiao to sit in front of her, "It's very simple, Xiaoxiao is so clever, she will definitely learn it quickly."

  Hehe, as expected, didn't disappoint Xu Ting's praise, mastered the game in three to five minutes, and played with great enthusiasm.

  "It's indeed a child, as long as they have something to play with, they'll forget everything." Yu Shanshan couldn't help but sigh as she peeked from the doorway.

  "You shouldn't have let her come back with us." After finally managing to clear out a whole day, he could only stay at home, and Gu Bei Chen couldn't help but feel a bit resentful.

  Ye Shanshan hastily pulled him into the room and asked seriously: "Where else would you have her go?"

  Gu Beichen replied matter-of-factly, "Isn't that what she had planned all along when she went to the troops with Master Xu?"

  "Xu Shizhang has gone to work, what's wrong with that?" Ye Shanshan retorted unequivocally.

  Gu Bei Chen let out a helpless sigh and reached out to gently stroke her forehead, "You, when will you start thinking more about yourself?"

  "I think it's great now, Grandpa often teaches me that when helping others, I will also be happy, and I think this sentence makes sense." Although Xu Ting's arrival disrupted the original plan of the three-person family, Ye Shanshan didn't feel disappointed at all. "Moreover, Xu Ting really needs someone to accompany her, if you observe carefully, you'll find that she may not be as happy as she looks."

  "It's imaginable." Although he didn't deliberately observe, Song Shu had this feeling that Gu Bei Chen didn't find it strange at all. "Xu Ting's mother is a prosecutor, her imposing manner is in no way inferior to Xu Shi Chang's, and she is also the only child of the Xu family. Growing up in such a family, the pressure on children is also very great."

  "No wonder she followed Master Xu to the troops alone, she must have been forced too hard." Upon hearing this reminder, Ye Shanshan's confusion in her heart also decreased a bit, "You say... should I go talk to her?"

  Looking at her serious expression, Gu Bei Chen couldn't help but tease her, "Want to give someone a lesson again?"

  Ye Shanshan glared at him with a bad temper, "Don't say it so harshly, Xu Ting is in her rebellious youth, someone giving her some kind guidance can't be a bad thing."

  "If you can make her behave, I'll go find Master Xu to take credit and get rewards." When they just got married, Master Xu asked Gu Bei Chen more than once, picking and choosing, how he ended up marrying a young girl who had just come of age. At the time, he replied, "Some people, you can only know how good she is after seeing her with your own eyes." Now, finally have the chance to let Master Xu see Shan Shan's uniqueness, make him convinced!

  "I just casually chatted with her, but I don't dare guarantee that it will definitely work." After all, she wasn't very familiar with the other person, and Ye Shanshan didn't have much confidence in her heart, so she could only try her best.

  In the living room, a big kid and a little kid were playing happily. Ye Shanshan specially prepared some snacks and hot drinks to send over to them.

  After laughing and playing for so long, Xu Ting's courage also grew, and she pulled her earlobe with a sly smile, "Hey, I think your mom is not much older than me, how old is she?"

  Just set a new high score in the game, and now I'm feeling a bit hungry. Laughing and feeling great, "I don't know, anyway she's an adult."

  Xu Ting, at her age, was extremely curious. Since she couldn't get an answer from Xiao Xiao, she went straight to the person involved, "Sister-in-law, I want to borrow something from you."

  Ye Shanshan walked over with a smile, "What?"

  "It's inconvenient to say here." The little girl from the Xu family had a mysterious look on her face, and others found it hard to guess what she was thinking.

  Ye Shanshan was worried that she wouldn't have an excuse to pull Xu Ting back to her room for "class", and this opportunity she certainly wouldn't miss, "Then come back with me."

  Xu Jia's little girl spoke quickly and was pulled into the room, immediately confessing, "Hehe, actually I have a very private question to ask you, of course, you can also choose not to answer."

  "Ask away." Ye Shanshan seemed not to feel surprised at all.

  "How old are you?" Xǔ Tíng asked straightforwardly.

  "Twenty." Although this question was a bit unexpected for Ye Shanshan, she still answered very succinctly.

  "Hmm, getting married at such a young age, how can your parents bear to part with you?" Although she had been prepared for this, Xu Ting was still slightly startled.

  "I've already answered one of your questions, so in return, can I ask you one too?" Ye Shanshan reacted quickly and smoothly dodged the second question.

  "Feel free to ask." Xuting said with a relaxed expression, shrugging her shoulders without any pressure.

  "Why did you come with your father alone to the troops?" Ye Shanshan was straightforward and went straight to the point.

  "I just wanted to find a quiet place to get some fresh air." Xun Ting replied calmly, but now it's hard to find any trace of a smile on her lips.

  "Kids in their rebellious phase are all like this, they think their parents are too annoying and nagging, always wanting to stay far away." Ye Shanshan's expression also became somewhat solemn, what Xu Ting was desperately trying to avoid was precisely what she had been most looking forward to.

  Xu Ting was oblivious and didn't notice anything unusual about Shanshan's expression, smiling as she patted her shoulder, "Oh, sister-in-law is also a veteran."

  "No, I didn't have such an opportunity." Ye Shanshan smiled lightly, but her pretty dimples were filled with regret and bitterness.

  Xu Ting didn't dare to make a random guess and carefully asked, "What... does it mean?"

  "When I was very young, my father passed away. In the same year, my mother went abroad and only came back last year. When I was your age, I always envied a classmate who lived next door. As soon as she got home, someone would supervise her to do her homework, and on weekends, her mother would take her to learn piano or painting."

  Xu Ting's face turned red with embarrassment, and she hastily apologized, "I... I'm sorry, I didn't mean to bring up your painful past..."

  "It doesn't matter, it's all in the past. Look, I'm fine now, aren't I?" Ye Shanshan smiled and interrupted her, this time with a genuine smile from the heart. "I told you these things just to let you know that you should cherish what you have. In this world, there are no parents who don't love their children."

  "Controlling my life in a domineering way, is this also called love?" Xǔ Tíng laughed disdainfully, her eyebrows and eyes full of rebellious stubbornness.

  "They just want to lead you onto the right path." Ye Shanshan after all had limited experience, and could only think of so many excuses.

  "My own life, no need for their guidance!" With such a strong pair of parents, Xu Ting's personality wouldn't be weak either.

  He's not afraid of confrontation with the head of the military district, so Ye Shanshan won't be intimidated by this little girl. "You're still not fully grown up, without them, you might not even have basic self-care skills. As parents, they naturally want their children to succeed, and it's hard to avoid being a bit radical, but... ask yourself with a clear conscience, which of the things they've done isn't for your own good?"

  Xu Ting was stunned, and in her heart, she secretly wondered: Is she really only twenty years old? How come she seems to be just as sharp-tongued as her mother, the prosecutor?

  Taking advantage of Xu Ting's momentary distraction, Ye Shanshan took the opportunity to launch a fierce counterattack. "From head to toe, your outfit, the various trendy electronic products in your bag, and the various cards in your wallet, which one wasn't given by them?"

  Uh, I guess so.

  "Even if you don't like the life they've arranged for you, can't you just communicate with them properly? Why do you have to sulk and hide? You're basically escaping reality!"

  Xu Jia Xiao Niu was still a bit intimidated, "They're so overbearing, is communication... useful?" The little girl was arrogant, but after all, she was just a big kid who wasn't even seventeen years old. Her words like 'I don't need them to guide my life' were purely venting her anger, she didn't dare really rebel against her parents.

  "I don't dare to guarantee if it's useful or not, but if you keep hiding and confronting them, things will only get worse!" Finally seeing a glimmer of victory, Ye Shanshan let out a sigh of relief.

  "Why don't we do it this way, when my dad comes back tonight, you go to our house and help me tell him not to send me to learn piano and ballet, I don't want to attend debate class either." Because of curiosity, she was dragged here for half a day's lesson, Xu Ting was very unwilling. Little sister is so eloquent, why not make good use of it and let her be the spokesperson?

  "This is ridiculous! What's going on? Can't even get rid of it now? "Not tonight, you also heard what Teacher Xu said just now, my husband's birthday is today."

  "Oh, you must have prepared a very special birthday gift for Director Gu, right?" Nowadays, kids are really mature at a young age. At the age of 16 or 17, they can even wickedly associate some impure things.

  "That's for sure, it was the first birthday I spent with him after marrying him." Compared to the precocious little girl of the Xu family, Ye Shanshan is much more innocent. The gift she mentioned was completely different from what Xu Ting had in mind.

  "Well, I'd better make some careful preparations and give Director Gu a big surprise."

  "I don't know if he will be surprised or not, anyway it's just a token of my heart." Ye Shanshan still prefers a calm and peaceful life.

  "Don't worry, just give yourself to him and he'll be so surprised that he'll wish every day was his birthday." This little girl, her ability to speak without reserve is even more impressive than Ziyan's.

  Ye Shanshan's face turned red immediately, "You're just a kid, don't talk nonsense!"

  "What I'm saying is the truth, okay? Don't all guys like this?" Cough, cough, the more I talk, the less it sounds right.

  "You... you're really only sixteen?" Ye Shanshan was severely stimulated, she didn't know anything at all when she was as old as Xu Ting.

  "It's less than two months before I turn seventeen, don't be so shocked, all high school students know this stuff nowadays." Xǔ Tíng said with a nonchalant expression.

  After hearing her say that, Ye Shanshan couldn't help but reflect on herself: Could it be true that I'm too conservative and outdated?

  "Don't be dazed, take the initiative tonight and give Director Gu an unforgettable birthday night. I won't disturb your sweet love anymore, let's talk about teaching my dad another day." Hmm, little girl is quite considerate, although she likes lively scenes, she didn't insist on staying to celebrate together.

  "Uh, your dad is the big boss, how dare I give him lessons? Besides, Shuang and I will be leaving in a few days anyway." Ye Shanshan really didn't want to help with this matter. With her personality, she could still manage to lecture children, but giving lessons to the big boss was something she didn't even dare think about.

  "Ah, it's only a few days since we arrived, and you're already leaving?" Xu Ting couldn't hide her disappointment. It was rare to meet a young military wife who wasn't much older than herself in the family quarters, and she had hoped to stay until school started again. She hadn't expected them to leave so soon.

  "My husband is busy with work and will be attending a meeting at the General Military Region in a few days. He's not here, what's the point of me and Xiaoxiao staying behind?" Ye Shanshan looked helpless, if she could, she would have liked to stay for a few more days, but reality wouldn't allow it.

  "Poor thing, so young and yet she's married to a soldier." The little girl from the Xu family continued to speak without reserve.

  "What's with the soldier? He and your dad are both military men! If you talk nonsense again, I'll turn against you!" Ye Shan Shan was furious, her scrunched up eyebrows and glaring eyes scared Xu Ting into retreating repeatedly.

  "Uh, I was wrong." Xú Tíng was so scared that she didn't even dare to breathe. Hmm, Hello Kitty is more terrifying than a lioness when she gets angry.

  "Besides, I don't feel sorry for myself at all. As a military family member, I'm very proud of it, and you should be too." Xu Ting's words had touched Ye Shanshan's reverse scales, and her anger was unlikely to dissipate in the near future.

  Xu Tingke didn't dare to provoke her again, and immediately put on a flattering smile. "Hehe, I've always thought so. In a few years, my dad will be promoted to Major General, just thinking about it makes me excited."

  "Alright, no more questions then?" Ye Shanshan finally relaxed her eyebrows and said.

  "Wait a minute, that... about finding my dad?" This matter is crucial and can't be glossed over.

  "I'll discuss it with my husband first and get back to you tomorrow." Ye Shanshan still couldn't bring herself to reject him outright.

  "Alright, alright, I'll buy a SLR and learn photography, all thanks to you." Xuting had already taken this seemingly weak but surprisingly energetic little army wife as her savior.

  Ye Shanshan was struck by the childish behavior of Xu Jia's little girl, and I don't think I've formally agreed to it yet, why are you so excited?

  Xu Ting's people are still not done, just now Ye Shanshan said she wanted to discuss with her husband, after going out she immediately started flattering Director Gu, "Director Gu is really lucky, marrying such a beautiful and lovely wife."

  "Have you said something wrong again to offend her?" Being overly eager for no reason, definitely not a good intention! Director Gu is so clever, how could he not guess her little thoughts.

  Yeshan couldn't help but smile wryly and laugh at his misfortune, saying "The chief is indeed wise."

  Xu Ting coughed dryly twice, her face full of awkward smiles. "No way, I really think so. Among all the military wives in this compound, Shanshan Jie is the most beautiful and virtuous."

  "I remember you used to call me Uncle before, why are you calling me Auntie now?" Gu was particularly sensitive when it came to forms of address.

  Xia Xu Ting couldn't laugh anymore, she didn't even get to flatter him successfully and instead got Director Gu angry, what to do...