As everyone was preparing to leave, Lu Zhanguo led a few officers over to inspect their work. Gu Xiaobei saw a woman with a child nudge the youngster forward. The child ran up to a soldier standing next to Lu Zhanguo, shouted, "Uncle!", and promptly dashed back to his mother's side.
Gu Xiaobei recognized the man standing next to Lu Zhanguo as Zhang Dacheng, a member of the battalion staff.
Zhang Dacheng scratched his head awkwardly and chuckled, "Silly boy, calling me uncle when you can't even recognize your own father."
Zhang Dacheng's wife, Gao Qiaoyun, blushed. The child had been with them for several days and still refused to call him dad.
This little incident caused a noticeable dip in the spirits of some of the visiting army wives. On their way back, the group clearly split into two, with one group heading towards the family quarters, and the other toward the guesthouse.