This simple northern dumpling meal at Pan Jun's home really made Dong Xiaoxue happy.

It felt like returning to the time before her father passed away, when on weekends she would eat dumplings made by northeastern chefs for the leaders at the military canteen; this is the real dumpling that a northerner eats.

Unlike the small and less filling Zhong dumplings from Sichuan, which are served with soy sauce and sugar in the dipping dish.

Feng Li was afraid that Xiaoxue wouldn't eat the fennel, so she specially made twenty dumplings with pork and green onion filling.

Unexpectedly, Xiaoxue really liked the fennel dumplings on her first try.

After the meal, Xiaoxue said: It was so delicious, I’m stuffed; this meal was enough for dinner.

Eat less, we have a dinner gathering with some old comrades tonight.

Pan Jun smiled and said, seeing her like this.

Since the meal of dumplings at Pan Jun's house, Dong Xiaoxue has opened the curtain for gatherings with her old comrades from the Beijing military.

After dinner, Feng Li also joined the conversation.

When she was dating Pan Jun, she had heard him mention Dong Xiaowei and Dong Xiaoxue as siblings, and today she was very happy to hear Pan Jun call to say he ran into Dong Xiaoxue and invited her over.

Seeing her and Xiaoxue chatting about children and grandchildren, Pan Jun walked from the living room to the study and started calling his old comrades in Beijing to arrange a dinner.

That evening, they arranged a small gathering to welcome Dong Xiaoxue.

Unknowingly, it was already around three or four in the afternoon when Xiaoxue stood up to say goodbye.

She needed to return to the hotel first, as her daughter and the others would join her for the evening's comrades' gathering after returning to the hotel.

Xiaoxue's family stayed at the New World Hotel outside Chongwenmen in Beijing, which was really not far from the State Administration of Foreign Exchange dormitory where Pan Jun lived.

Pan Jun said he would drive Xiaoxue over, and since she was not familiar with Beijing, she readily agreed.

On the way to drop Dong Xiaoxue back at the hotel, Pan Jun, while waiting for a red light, saw Xiaoxue's happy smile and felt as if he had returned to the time when he first put on his military uniform.

Xiaoxue saw Pan Jun glancing at her and said: I still don’t know how to address you? Mr. Pan? Director Pan? Or should I call you brother?

Then she playfully looked at Pan Jun: When we were in the publicity team in the division, others said we were dating, but only you and I know what’s really going on; even my brother Xiaowei doesn’t understand.

Pan Jun: Yes, it’s been over forty years, and it feels like it happened yesterday. When you joined the army, Xiaowei called me to take care of you, and he meant that; he didn’t think much of your boyfriend from the dance troupe.

Xiaoxue couldn’t help but laugh when she heard this in the car, saying: Our whole family didn’t think much of that guy from Guangdong at that time.

Pan Jun hurriedly changed the subject: Tonight's gathering is arranged at the Tang Palace Seafood Restaurant on the second floor of the New Qiao Hotel in Chongwenmen; we’ve booked a private room. It’s a last-minute call, not many people, but they are all comrades you know. Let me set a trap for you to guess who will be there.

Xiaoxue: Alright, alright, I won’t guess. I’ll follow your arrangements when I get to Beijing.

Pan Jun: The restaurant is very close to your hotel; just walk two hundred meters and cross the traffic light. I’ll send you the location shortly, and your whole family is invited.

As they spoke, they arrived at the entrance of the New World Hotel.

Pan Jun: You go back to the hotel and rest for a while. I can’t drive after drinking tonight, so I’ll drop the car at home, take a break, and then take the bus over to take you to dinner.

Thank you, Mr. Pan.

Xiaoxue's mischievous spirit from forty years ago came back, and Pan Jun couldn’t help but smile.

On the way home, Pan Jun recalled Xiaoxue's words, “Others say we are dating.”

In the 1970s and 1980s, female soldiers in military uniforms were particularly eye-catching, whether in the army or in civilian life. In the field army, besides the division hospital, there was the publicity team, and later some field army units also gradually recruited female soldiers for the telephone exchange.

After Dong Xiaoxue was specially recruited to the political department's publicity team, she naturally attracted attention; first, she had a good figure and was beautiful, and second, she wore a military uniform with four pockets as a female officer.

After joining the publicity team, she sparked discussions and speculations among some single male officers in the division's political department, all wanting to know more about this female officer, especially whether she was married.

Along with Xiaoxue, several others were specially recruited into the publicity team, including three male soldiers and two female soldiers. Besides the two male actors who were also officers like Xiaoxue, the others were special soldiers in middle school.

Xiaoxue's first performance in the division's auditorium was a month later on the Army Day, where she, standing at 1.68 meters tall, served as the announcer and made her first public appearance, receiving enthusiastic applause for her standard Mandarin and demeanor.

Xiaoxue and the deputy captain of the publicity team, Yan Yuanchao, who had been transferred from the military district's song and dance troupe two years earlier, performed a duet called "Goodbye, Mama," which was the highlight of the evening.

Then they went to the field to perform for three infantry regiments, an artillery regiment, and a tank regiment.

Dong Xiaoxue quickly became famous in the division, her influence rivaling that of the old comrades from the division's publicity team that had been established for over a decade.

This prompted the division's leadership to decisively request more special recruitment quotas from higher authorities. In the future, the division's publicity team would recruit more professional talents, whether by poaching from the military district's art troupe or by special recruitment from local art groups.

When the male single officers in the division's political department and publicity team heard that Xiaoxue was unmarried, they all wanted to get closer to her.

Dong Xiaoxue, who joined the dance troupe as a dance student at the age of twelve, had a posture of walking with her head held high and her feet turned out, which indeed set her apart from others, and she had long since become indifferent to matters between men and women.

This cold exterior often made some men who didn’t know her hesitate.

However, she had the military genes inherited from her parents deep inside her.

With a straightforward personality, she was well-liked by her comrades in the publicity team.

Because of her brother Dong Xiaowei, she often went to borrow books from Pan Jun at the division's office building or dormitory area. Occasionally on weekends, the two would stroll around the Xinhua Bookstore next to the department store in the city, and Pan Jun would treat her to a simple meal at noon; she regarded Pan Jun as her own brother.

Since both were still single, rumors spread that they were dating.

The military regulations state that soldiers, regardless of gender, are absolutely not allowed to date during their service.

However, there are no restrictions for officers.

At that time, both Pan Jun and Dong Xiaoxue had their own partners, and their relationship was purely that of siblings; they didn’t take it seriously at all.

To avoid affecting Xiaoxue, Pan Jun often teased her in a brotherly manner: Work well, and don’t come looking for me too often to avoid unnecessary gossip.

At such times, Xiaoxue would always playfully respond: Look how scared you are, Mr. Pan; I’ll come if I want to.

They were already working and living in the division's compound, seeing each other every day.

They would chat and joke, but still kept in touch constantly.