The Sweetness of the Seventies
Chapter 758 - 727 Tender Father, Strict Mother, Teaching_1

Chapter 758: Chapter 727 Tender Father, Strict Mother, Teaching_1

Calculating the time, in another week, Huo Yingjie would be leaving.

He Tiantian didn’t want to part with Huo Yingjie.

He Tiantian didn’t want to waste time anymore, she threw herself into Huo Yingjie’s arms, kissing him passionately, teasing him, and enjoying the love and intimacy between them.

Huo Yingjie couldn’t have asked for more of his wife’s enthusiasm.

Lantern Festival.

Early in the morning, He Tiantian hung up two big red lanterns on the door, which were made by Grandma Wang from bamboo strips, covered with thin red cloth, and contained two thick candles inside.

However, the candles would only be lit at night.

During the day, He Tiantian made preparations, waiting for her in-laws to come home in the evening so the whole family could celebrate the Lantern Festival together.

He Tiantian personally ground sesame and peanut paste to make the fillings for tangyuan (sweet dumplings).

Huo Yingjie’s hands were usually very nimble, but today, for some reason, the tangyuan he made were very misshapen.

"Huo Ruimin, go play inside the house, don’t stay here," He Tiantian scolded. "Look, you’ve already wasted two glutinous rice balls."

"Mom, I just want to make tangyuan," Huo Ruimin said pitifully, her eyes fixed on the glutinous rice balls on the table, still wanting to take another one.

"No way," He Tiantian said. "You can stay here and play, but you can’t touch these glutinous rice balls anymore, otherwise I’m going to spank you."

Huo Ruimin looked to her dad, hoping her easy-going father would agree with her.

"Ruimin, wasting food does not make one a good child," Huo Yingjie said with a smile. "Don’t you want to be a good child?"

Huo Ruimin thought for a moment and said, "Then I’ll be a good child, I’ll behave."

"That’s wonderful," Huo Yingjie praised, kissing her chubby little face.

Huo Ruimin’s eyes darted around and she asked, "Dad, does being a good child come with a reward?"

"Yes!" Huo Yingjie nodded. "What would you like?"

"I want caramel pudding," Huo Ruimin said. "But Mom says I can only have it once every ten days."

Huo Yingjie looked towards He Tiantian, wanting to plead on behalf of his daughter.

As He Tiantian wrapped tangyuan, she listened to the conversation between her daughter and husband. Seeing her husband looking over, He Tiantian glared at him and said, "Too much and your teeth will hurt; you can’t eat too much of it."

Huo Yingjie shrugged his shoulders and said, "Hehe, looks like no caramel pudding then. Ruimin, would you like to choose something else?"

"Ah, let’s forget it," Huo Ruimin said. "As soon as Mom glares, Dad doesn’t dare to speak up, so it’s useless to ask for something else."

The expression on her face was as if she had written "stirring up trouble" on her forehead.

"You little rascal, don’t think about all those muddled things," Huo Yingjie said as he tweaked her little nose. "We’re going to eat tangyuan in a bit, they taste really good."

"Alright then," Huo Ruimin said with a tone that was somewhat begrudging.

The little one felt bored inside the house and went out to play with her brother, leaving Huo Yingjie and He Tiantian in the kitchen.

"Children get harder to manage as they grow up," He Tiantian complained. "In our home, the grandparents and Grandma Wang spoil them, and you, when you come home, spoil them even more. I, as their mother, can only put on a stern face and be the bad guy."

Huo Yingjie chuckled and said, "Kids don’t hold grudges; they won’t forget your love for them just because you’re stern. You may be strict with them pretty often, but there’s no denying that the kids are actually closest to you."

"Alright," He Tiantian said with a resigned smile, "I’ll take that comfort. Someone has to play the bad cop. It hurts me, too, every time I scold them, but I can’t always spoil them. Otherwise, they won’t learn right from wrong, and that would be even more troubling when they grow up."

"My hardworking wife," Huo Yingjie said, kissing He Tiantian on the face.

"After the Lantern Festival, you’ll be leaving," He Tiantian said, unable to hide her reluctance. "I have no idea when we’ll see each other again!"

Huo Yingjie chuckled mirthfully and said, "Don’t worry, I’ll aspire to get a vacation."

"I support your efforts to get a leave, but you have to take care of your health," He Tiantian said. "If you leave us prematurely because of exhaustion, just so you know, I’ll remarry. I won’t be waiting for you!"

"What?" Huo Yingjie exclaimed angrily. "Remarry? You dare entertain such thoughts? Are you asking for a spanking?"

He Tiantian tilted her face upward and said, "Come on, hit me right in the face! Hard! I’m worried about you, and you can’t even tell good from bad."

Huo Yingjie kissed He Tiantian’s cheek, finally lingering on her rosy lips and said, "I don’t have the heart to hurt you, how could I bear to hit you! I’m just joking; don’t take it to heart, okay? When I leave, I will absolutely take care of myself, my wife, so don’t you worry about me!"

"That’s more like it," He Tiantian smirked with pride. "Don’t try to act cute after taking advantage of me! I’ve got the house under control, so don’t worry about it. Just focus on your work, take care of yourself, and don’t think about anything else."

"Okay!" Huo Yingjie replied with a smile, feeling touched and yet bittersweet.

How could he possibly not worry?

And how could he not think about it?

During the Lantern Festival, Huo Ruimin and Huo Ruihua, the children, sang a discordant children’s song about counting ducks, amusing the family.

A lavish dinner, delicious sweet rice balls, the family together – they had a joyous Lantern Festival.

As the day of departure drew closer, Huo Yingjie wished he could stick to He Tiantian every second, and at night, his enthusiasm and sweat seemed inexhaustible.

Zhang Aijun and Li Yunzhong packed their bags.

He Tiantian also got quite a few spring and summer clothes ready for Huo Yingjie, and prepared thirty pounds of braised meat that wouldn’t spoil and could be eaten straight after arriving at the unit in the evening.

With so much carried along, some could be given to Chief Engineer Sun and Aunt Li, and he could also treat his colleagues to a meal.

He Tiantian watched Huo Yingjie leave, and only when the train had departed did she return home alone.

Her husband’s departure left He Tiantian feeling down, but thankfully, the presence of two adorable children alleviated the sadness of parting.

Life had to go on, and He Tiantian didn’t have much time to be upset.

She had to start her internship, manage the shop, and take care of the family.

He Tiantian’s job was relatively easy, as she helped the first-year class monitor manage the class, often visiting the dormitory or the classroom to get to know the students’ thoughts.

Huang Jingli took maternity leave and hadn’t arrived at the school yet; she would come for her internship after giving birth. Cui Ying and Huashan were assigned to intern at the Nan City Museum. As long as they performed well during their internship, they were likely to be placed there permanently.

Wu Youliang was assigned to intern at the Civil Materials Research Institute in Nan City, the place Huo Yingjie had once wanted to go to.

He Tiantian’s current position was that of a temporary counselor for the second class of the Chinese Department’s 79th grade.

In college, attendance at evening self-study was not mandatory; some students chose to attend, and some did not.

To better perform her duties, He Tiantian occasionally attended the class’s evening self-study sessions and gradually became familiar with some of the students.

While the students had classes, He Tiantian would sit at the back of the classroom to observe, listen to the lectures, and learn lesson planning. In a short while, she was going to start teaching an elective course on Tang and Song Dynasties poetry appreciation at the