The couple is indeed well-matched in terms of talent and appearance.

  "You saved two children in Wulan Village last time, it was a great achievement. I represent the department to express our gratitude." Xue Boyun thought this little girl was introverted and afraid of strangers, so he simply clarified the matter.

  It turned out that others were referring to this matter, and Ye Shanshan finally breathed a sigh of relief. "You're too polite, I just did what I should have done."

  "Not bad, at such a young age, you already have this kind of vision, and you're indeed well-matched with your husband Gu Can." Xue Boyun was a northerner, with a straightforward personality, always speaking his mind, and when praising someone, he never minced words.

  Ye Shanshan was praised to the point of embarrassment, and she became even more unsure of how to respond, so she could only carefully shrink back beside her husband and smile foolishly.

  It was a rare occasion to hear such direct praise from Vice President Xue, and Gu Beichen's pride was palpable. He couldn't help but glance down at his petite wife who was shrinking beside him, completely ignoring the big leader.

  The one who finally spoke up and took over the conversation was surprisingly their family's little imp: "Hehe, my mommy has thin skin, can't take praise."

  This little girl is really lovely. Xue Boyun couldn't help but tease, "Little girl is so generous, not like her mother."

  The little ghost responded quickly and replied straightforwardly: "In this regard, I follow my dad."

  The big and generous answer made all the adults laugh.

  Watching Xiaoxiao and the big leader chatting so happily, Xiao Ming felt superfluous being left aside, his good mood earlier also vanished.

  Xue Boyun only then discovered that behind the little girl stood a small boy, the young fellow surprisingly wore an expression of deep concern, he couldn't help but ask another question: "Whose child is this?"

  "Zou Jing's home." Gu Bei Chen replied casually, but his originally relaxed expression also became much more serious.

  "What about the child's parents?" It's New Year's Day, and they've left their child with someone else to take care of, which shouldn't be.

  "The couple had a small disagreement." The child was standing right next to them, so Gu Bei Chen didn't dare to say it too clearly.

  "Take care of it, if things go wrong, report to me at any time." Being a big leader is not easy either, and subordinates' private lives also need attention. During the New Year, it's also a problem that a family can't be together happily.

  "You go ahead and take care of it first." Even if Vice President Xue didn't instruct him, Gu Bei Chen would still have this matter on his mind. Moreover, it wasn't just him, his family's Shanshan was also very concerned about this matter.

  When the parties involved are slow to appear, even if they have a mind to help, they can't exert their strength.

  It was almost lunchtime, and there was still no news from Zou Jing's side. Gu Bei Chen couldn't sit still either, so he took the initiative to call him.

  At this time, Zou Jing had already found Xiao Ming's mother, but he didn't have the ability to persuade his wife to return home with him.

  Ye Shanshan was just beside him, and from her husband's words, she had guessed a little. If Xiaoming's mother insisted on not going home, she could only resort to a ruthless move: "Tell him that Xiaoming is ill, let's see if they will come back!"

  No need to say more, this trick really worked. Zou Jing quickly replied on the phone that he would bring his wife back immediately.

  After all, people still need stimulation, and when their son is ill, which mother has the heart to quarrel with her husband?

  Xiao Ming's mom was hiding in a place not far away, driving back, it took less than twenty minutes. When the couple got out of the car and walked into the residential compound, they saw the snowmen in the yard at a glance. The three on the east side were neatly lined up, with their names written in bright red on the fat belly part.

  The couple who had just been arguing loudly stopped in their tracks at the same time and stood in front of the three small snowmen for a full five minutes.

  Compared with adults' complex demands, children's requirements are much simpler.

  The house of Gu Bei Chen's family happened to face the courtyard, and from the kitchen window, one could clearly see the scene of Mr. and Mrs. Zou standing in front of the small snowman, lost in thought.

  Leaning on the window, Ye Shanshan couldn't help but feel a sense of melancholy, "I hope they can come to their senses soon and not quarrel endlessly over those unnecessary things, affecting the child's growth."

  Looking at her focused expression, Gu Bei Chen couldn't help but say something he had wanted to say for a long time: "Sometimes I really doubt whether you're actually only eighteen years old."

  "After passing the 18th birthday, it's 19, and after today, it's a new lunar year, so it should be 20 years old! Knowing that her husband is extremely sensitive about age issues, Ye Shanshan always tries to make herself older. Hmm, after turning 20, no one will call her 'little girl' anymore, right?"

  "I'm talking about your mental age." Gu Bei Chen's expression suddenly became serious, "You have many qualities that only people born in the late 1970s and early 1980s possess."

  "Hey, with one sentence from you, I've aged ten years?"

  "What's there to be afraid of? Even if you were twenty years older, I wouldn't mind." Gu Bei Chen was happy to humor her.

  "Because I was raised by my grandfather, basically, the family education we received is the same pattern." Yeshanshan's explanation sounds reasonable, her grandfather and father-in-law are people of the same era, their way of teaching children is basically the same, which also explains her "retro" personality.

  "Personality is innate, even if you grew up under the care of your parents, you would still be as kind as you are now." Gu Bei Chen muttered to himself, and just as he finished speaking, a thought that made him shudder suddenly flashed through his mind: "Come to think of it, if your father An was around and your mother hadn't left you, maybe I wouldn't have anything to do with you."

  "How did you know it wouldn't? Even if not now, maybe... we'll still meet again in the future." Ye Shanshan was a woman who believed very much in fate. She firmly believed that if they were destined to be husband and wife, they would eventually end up together.

  She said it calmly, but Gu Bei Chen's emotions were particularly stirred up. "And then? If I wanted to marry you, would you still answer without hesitation?"

  "We'll see how you perform." Ye Shanshan didn't expect him to ask so directly, and she was momentarily flustered, blurting out a casual response.

  Gu Beichen originally wanted to continue asking, but after thinking about it, he realized that if something was never going to happen, why waste time being serious? It's simply looking for trouble!

  The Zou couple, who had been standing still in front of the snowman for nearly five minutes, turned around and walked towards this residential building. Ye Shanshan hastily withdrew her neck, "Are they coming up?"

  "You should go and see if Xiao Ming is ready."

  The trick to lure the Zhous back was just the first step, and in order to let Xiaoming's mother untie her knot as soon as possible, Gu Beichen and Ye Shanshan also arranged some follow-up actions.

  About one and a half minutes later, the doorbell rang on schedule.

  Gu Beichen personally went to open the door, but didn't expect that as soon as the door opened a small gap, the person at the door hastily squeezed in, "Xiao Ming, Xiao Ming, what's wrong?"

  Zou Jing followed up, apologizing with an embarrassed face: "I'm really sorry, Yao Hui was in such a hurry that she didn't even greet you."

  "It's nothing." Gu Bei Chen didn't take Zhou Jing's wife's blunder to heart at all.

  "Where is our Xiao Ming?" After calling out several times with no response, Yao Hui anxiously thought to ask the master.

  "You've been calling him for half a day and he hasn't responded, I think...he might not want to see you." Gu Bei Chen didn't respond directly, instead following the plan set by his wife step by step.

  "I'm his mother, how could he not want to see me!" Yao Hui said with a completely matter-of-fact tone, although she had many criticisms of her own husband, but when it came to her son, there was no question about it, and the sick Xiao Ming would definitely want to see her.

  "It seems so." Confirming that Xiao Ming was fully prepared, Ye Shanshan took Xiaoxiao out of the room together.

  "Who is this?" The family members of Gu Lao Da also came to visit, and Yao Hui had heard her husband mention it before. However, she really couldn't connect the soft and tender little girl in front of her with the lady.

  Gu Bei Chen disliked it when people looked at his family with disbelieving eyes, so he took the initiative to introduce them: "My wife Ye Shanshan, and standing next to her is my daughter Xiao Xiao."

  Because she was worried about her son, Yao Hui quickly regained her composure and walked forward to greet the woman who looked nothing like him, "Hello, would you mind taking me to find Xiao Ming?"

  "I just gave him some medicine, and he's fine now. However...he really doesn't want to see you, or else he wouldn't have locked himself in his room and refused to come out." Ye Shanshan pointed to the room on her left and suggested kindly, "Why don't you try calling out to him at the door?"

  Yao Hui nodded uneasily and walked slowly towards the door with a small bear hanging on it. Without saying a word, she tried to turn the doorknob and enter. But what she didn't expect was that the door was actually locked!

  She couldn't open the door and enter, so she could only anxiously shout outside the door: "Xiao Ming, are you in there?"

  "I like it here, I don't want to go home with you." At this moment, Xiao Ming was standing behind the door, his voice sounded particularly clear and powerful.

  "It's Chinese New Year, everyone wants to celebrate, can't stay in someone else's house, come on, open the door quickly and go home with us." Yao Hui had no idea what Xiao Ming was being sulky about, all she could do was patiently coax him.

  "You also know that it's Chinese New Year now, why do you still want to argue with Dad? Why did you run out and leave us behind?" The plan of closing the door and not seeing anyone was thought up by Ye Shanshan, but she didn't teach Xiao Ming what to say in detail. This speech was completely thought up by Xiao Ming himself.

  "I...I didn't come back, did I?" Facing her son's sharp questioning, Yao Hui finally realized some key points. Xiao Ming was a clever and sensible child with keen thoughts, he wouldn't quarrel with adults without reason, and she herself was the culprit who caused him to behave abnormally!

  "You'll still fight with Dad, I don't like going back to that quarrelsome home!" Perhaps because of the door between them, Xiao Ming was even bolder and directly said all the words he had been holding in his heart but didn't dare say before.

  Yao Hui suddenly fell silent, introspecting. Today she followed Zou Jing back, completely because of her concern for Xiao Ming, not because she had already let go completely.

  Xiao Ming's mother remained silent, and Ye Shan couldn't help but walk forward. "Excuse me for asking, why did you and Xiao Ming's father quarrel?"

  Although she had heard some from her husband before, it was just a guess after all. She still wanted to hear the person involved say it in person, so that she could think of a way to persuade him.

  Yao Hui leaned weakly against the wall, her face solemn as she let out a long, soft sigh. "You won't understand."

  "You won't say it, how will I understand? The problem needs to be solved, you don't want Xiaoming to stay unhappy forever, do you?" Ye Shanshan didn't give up at this point, this is the key to the problem. If they don't clarify things, there will be more quarrels in the future, and life will be unbearable.

  Thinking of Xiao Ming's firm tone just now, Yao Hui's heart was still slightly moved, but Xiao Ming was standing behind the door, and there were three people standing in the living room, some things seemed not quite suitable to be said here.

  Ye Shanshan saw through her concerns at a glance, and without saying another word, pulled her into the master bedroom next door, and even pretended to be busy closing the door. "Now you can talk."

  "How old are you?" Yao Hui finally spoke up as Ye Shuangshuang had hoped, but what she said wasn't something that interested her.

  Although she was choked for a moment, Ye Shanshan quickly gave an answer: "Twenty." After answering, she made a decisive decision: if someone asked her age again in the future, she would answer like this!

  "You're so young, there are still many things you don't understand, how can you get married?" Yao Hui seemed to not quite believe that the little girl in front of her had already reached the age where she could get a marriage certificate, and her tone was also somewhat strange.

  "Who says that just because you're young, you don't understand anything? At least... I didn't quarrel with my husband when visiting relatives." Ye Shanshan was a bit unhappy and happened to hit Xiao Ming's mother's sore spot.

  Yao Hui's reaction was relatively calm, without showing any signs of anger or unhappiness. "Do you think I want to quarrel with him? Who made him so incompetent, staying in the army for twelve years and only managing to get a single star?"

  "What's the big deal? There are many people who spend their whole lives in the army and can't even get two stripes." Finally getting to the point, Ye Shanshan's expression also became serious and solemn, with a hint of a wife's demeanor.

  Yao Hui put on an expression of 'don't stand and talk, it's not painful to the waist', lightly smiling: "Your family's just past thirty and already promoted to three stars, you're naturally unbothered."

  "Are the stars on the epaulette really that important? Is it just for the sake of meritorious service and promotion that Xiaoming's father has been working hard in the army?" Ye Shanshan disliked the tone of Xiaoming's mother, and her own tone was no longer as calm as before.

  "What if not?" Yao Hui asked matter-of-factly.

  "That's his duty and mission, he did his best and did what he should do, so he deserves respect. As a soldier's wife, you should be proud of him instead of complaining that he is not competitive."

  "Is this something your husband taught you to say?" Up until now, Yao Hui still thought that the young girl in front of her with a childish face was just an immature big kid.

  Ye Shanshan found it very funny, "I'm not his subordinate, I don't have to listen to him for everything, do I?"

  Yao Hui was shut up by Xiao Yatou's sharp words and didn't plan to dwell on the topic, "I understand the reason you're saying, it's just...you haven't encountered this situation, so you can't possibly understand my feelings."

  Xiao Ming's mother was indeed not ordinary in her stubbornness, and Ye Shanshan didn't bother to reason with her. "Maybe, everyone has different perspectives on things and desires different things, I can't expect you to have the same thoughts as me. However...I still hope you can think more about Xiao Ming, you want a husband who makes you feel proud, but he just wants a harmonious and happy home."

  Yao Hui was left speechless and suddenly lowered her head.

  "Sometimes silence means wavering, and at this time we must strike while the iron is hot. This principle Yeshanshan still understands, 'Do you want to know what Xiaoming said when he was building a snowman with us just now?'"

  Yao Hui still didn't say a word, but her urgent eyes had already given an answer - she wanted to know!

  "He said, 'It would be great if I could pile up with my dad and mom.' It was precisely because Ye Shanshan saw the despondent look on Xiao Ming's face that she became even more determined to help Xiao Ming's parents resolve their conflicts."

  Yao Hui Fu lowered her head again, and her eyes gradually became moist. Last night when she quarreled with the child's father, she only considered venting her emotions and relieving her grievances, but neglected that Xiao Ming was already a big kid who could hold things in his heart. The impact of parents' emotional discord on children is unimaginable; thinking about this, it made sense that Xiao Ming didn't want to go home.

  "He also said that although Dad's epaulets only have one star, in his heart, Dad is the best. The standard for measuring whether a soldier is successful is not how many stars he has, but his courage and hard work. Even Xiao Ming understands this truth, how can you not understand it?"

  "You don't know, our family lives in the old military dependents' courtyard in C City. In our building, Xiaoming's father has the lowest rank. When neighbors chat, they always mention this intentionally or unintentionally. My parents also ask about it all the time, and I feel a lot of pressure." Yao Hui isn't born to be vain, but is influenced by her environment, so she can't help being a bit radical.

  "What's the big deal, you're not living for them! Being a military wife is already tough enough, do you have to care about what others think? Don't you feel tired?" Although Ye Shanshan hadn't experienced what Xiaoming's mom said, she didn't think external factors had much of an impact.

  "You... are really only twenty years old?" Yao Hui also had doubts about Ye Shanshan's mental age, just like Gu Beichen.

  When it comes to age issues, Ye Shanshan's face finally reveals a few strands of childishness that match her actual age. "My husband said my mental age might be thirty years old."

  "Your husband is right, listening to you talk is like listening to a teacher lecture, one big truth after another, and they're all irrefutable." By saying this, it also means that the knot in Yao Hui's heart was slowly unraveling. She was also someone over thirty years old, what kind of truth didn't she understand? Although she would also have moments of being stubborn, as long as she was given proper guidance, she would quickly climb out of her stubbornness.

  Xiao Ming's mom suddenly had a 180-degree change in attitude, and Ye Shan Shan felt a bit embarrassed. "I just couldn't bear to see Xiao Ming so unhappy, if you don't like listening, then just..."

  Yao Hui smiled and interrupted her, "How could I? I'm still grateful!"

  Ye Shanshan was most afraid of this, and she awkwardly waved her hand, "Don't say that, I just want to see Xiao Ming happy."

  "By the way... our Xiao Ming was really uncomfortable just now, right?" Hurriedly rushing back, without even seeing her son's face, she was pulled onto the half-day shift. It wasn't until later that Yao Hui finally realized that something was off about this.

  The scheme was exposed, and Ye Shanshan's embarrassment could be imagined. She didn't dare to respond to this, it would be wiser to change the subject quickly. "I'll go persuade Xiao Ming for you, he's been calm for half a day, maybe he's already figured things out."

  Yao Hui is not a fool. Since she deliberately avoided it, it's equivalent to admitting it. She didn't need to ask further, as long as Xiao Ming was fine, she would be at ease too.

  Watching Mommy leave the room with Little Ming's mom, Xiao Xiao couldn't help but rush over and ask, "Mommy, is everything explained now?"

  "It's almost done, but let's see Xiaoming's reaction." Ye Shanshan hadn't recovered from the awkwardness of just now and casually made a few remarks before pulling Xiao Xiao back to the living room, so that Xiaoming and his mother could have a good chat.

  Yao Hui stood in front of the door covered with cartoon stickers again, but it was still locked. She could only knock on the door first, "Xiao Ming, it's Mom, open the door, Mom wants to talk to you about something."

  One second, two seconds... five seconds passed, and Xiao Ming still hadn't responded. Yao Hui was about to knock again when the door suddenly opened, and her beloved son stood in front of her with a smile on his face. "Mom, did Teacher Shan teach you a lesson?"

  Seeing her son smile, Yao Hui's heavy heart finally fell, and she also had a playful mood. "Gotcha! Mom took it seriously."

  "What about in the future? Will you still complain that Dad is useless?" Although Mom smiled, Xiao Ming still wanted to hear her say it herself.

  Yao Hui hastily bowed her head and covered her son's mouth, "Shh... let's talk about this at home." Children are innocent and speak their minds, but adults still need to consider saving face. It's not quite suitable to discuss this topic in front of outsiders.

  As he looked at the child, his mother's face revealed a long-lost smile, and Zou Jing's heart also felt at ease. Only, unknowingly, he owed the Gu family another favor, "Today's matter is really thank you, originally just asked for your help to take care of Xiao Ming, didn't expect to resolve our family conflict as well."

  Uncle Zou only thanked Dad, but left the person who really helped out in the cold. Xixi couldn't bear to watch and stood up to speak up for Mommy, "Uncle thanked the wrong person, all of this is Mommy's credit!"

  Ye Shanshan's face turned red with embarrassment, and she quickly pulled the little ghost spirit in front of her. "I clearly said thank you to all of you, did you even listen carefully?"

  Gu Bei Chen didn't dare to take credit, "Haha, what you said is right, this achievement should indeed be credited to you." He was good at teaching new recruits, but when it came to handling trivial household chores, his wife Su Su was even more formidable.

  Zou Jing also didn't mince words and gave a standard military salute, "Thank you, ma'am."

  "This is more than I can bear." Ye Shanshan was frightened and retreated repeatedly. What's wrong with these people? A military salute shouldn't be given casually, if it should be given at all, it should be to a leader.

  "Don't be too serious, he just wants to express his gratitude and respect to you." Having been in the military for a long time, Gu Bei Chen didn't think there was anything wrong with Zou Jing suddenly "paying such respects". Military salute is not only a military etiquette, but also a way for soldiers to show respect and courtesy to ordinary people, and Shanshan absolutely deserves such respect.

  Zou Jingyi's family still had a long way to go in expressing their gratitude, and before leaving, Yao Hui and Xiao Ming once again solemnly expressed their thanks, but Ye Shanshan couldn't take it anymore and hastily found an excuse to hide back in her room, without even saying goodbye.

  "Mom, they've left." Finally seeing off the guests, Xiao Xiao hastily ran over to report.

  Ye Shanshan finally let out a sigh of relief, "Whew, they're quite the talkative family."

  "What's the big deal? Mom helped them so much, it's only right that they show gratitude." Xiaoxiao also thought like her dad, taking the Lin family's gratitude for granted.

  "You can't have such thoughts, when helping others you will also feel happy, this is already the best reward." Today, Teacher Ye is either addicted to teaching or something, every word that comes out of her mouth is a great principle.

  Smiling wryly, she shrugged her shoulders at her old dad who was hurrying after her, "Dad, you see, Mom now looks more like a leader than you do."

  "In our family, she is the biggest leader, and we all have to listen to her." Gu Beichen had already seen this point clearly.

  Ye Shanshan also realized that she had talked too much today, and hurriedly found a topic to shift their attention. "What's that... it's almost eleven o'clock, shouldn't we prepare lunch?"

  Want to change the subject? Ha, it's not that easy. "I've already written down the recipe and was just about to show it to my wife."

  "What task is the lady planning to arrange for Xiao Xiao?" The little ghost also came to join in the fun.

  Ye Shanshan was so angry that she wanted to hit the wall: "Both of you are crazy, I won't bother with you anymore! I'll go prepare lunch myself, don't follow me and cause more trouble!"

  The father and daughter duo, who had gone crazy, tacitly responded in unison: "Yes, ma'am."

  Alright, you want to go crazy, I'll accompany you to the end: "I don't like being disturbed by noise when I'm cooking, so... from now until lunch is ready, neither of you are allowed to make a sound. Whoever makes a sound will have to write a self-criticism!"

  Haha, obviously didn't expect Mom to make a move, scared speechless, "Ah? Can't even open mouth to say... words don't work?"

  Ye's leader pointed seriously at the electronic clock on the bedside table and gave a cool order: "Timing starts at 11 o'clock, you have two minutes to speak freely."

  Laughing anxiously, I grabbed Dad's hand for help: "Dad, what should we do? Mom wants us to be silent."

  "What Madam says is an order, we must obey unconditionally." Gu Bei Chen still had a relaxed face, wasn't it just being silent for an hour? For him, it was really too easy.

  What's more important is that he firmly believes that whoever issued the gag order absolutely can't bear an hour of loneliness without anyone to talk to!

  "Mommy, I was wrong. I won't go crazy with Daddy again. Please forgive me this once." This unconventional punishment had far exceeded XiaoXiao's tolerance, and she decisively chose to betray them.

  Someone who was just secretly rejoicing can't laugh anymore. You little rascal, you betrayed too quickly!