1176 Good Names

When Feng Hua reached Qiao Qiang’s ward, the two men were still arguing over how the other party had come up with lousy names! They kept squabbling and it was so noisy that it made one’s head hurt.

“How long have they been arguing like this? Why hasn’t it ended yet?” Feng Hua stood in the living room with Jiang Deng, Xia Jun’s helper.

“These two old masters are like two overgrown children. They argue non-stop over the names they came up with for the two children. They might as well go to the streets to look for a fortune teller to do it for them! The fortune teller will come up with names that have good hidden meanings. My family had asked a fortune teller to pick names for the children based on their birth characters,” Jiang Deng said with a deep sigh.

“Qiao Mei has actually thought of two names and she asks me to come over and tell them. Do you think I should go in now? They look like they’re going to argue into the night.” Feng Hua could not make up her mind, but she could not just watch the two old men continue arguing like this.

Yesterday, the doctor and nurse even came to reprimand Qiao Qiang and Xia Jun. Between the two old men, one had heart issues while the other had high blood pressure. Due to them arguing for the past two days, their underlying medical conditions had flared up again.

Furthermore, Qiao Qiang and Xia Jun were people who ignored any advice they were given. Even though the doctors and nurses tried to be stern, it was to no avail. As time passed, the medical staff realized that it was useless to talk to them, so they could only give the two men medicine to control their blood pressure to prevent them from fainting if they got too agitated.

“Let’s go in. It’s already time for dinner anyway. Let’s go in together.” Jiang Deng went in with Feng Hua, bringing along the thermal lunch box she had brought from home.

When Qiao Qiang and Xia Jun saw Feng Hua enter, the two of them instantly stopped arguing. One of them picked up the newspaper to read while the other casually grabbed a cup and inspected it. The two of them put on an act to try to fool Feng Hua.

The two of them had come to an agreement that as long as someone from Qiao Mei’s side came to visit them, they would put on an act together and pretend to get along. They did not want to let Qiao Mei know about their quarrel as they could not bear to see her getting worked up!

“Master Qiao, Master Xia, Qiao Mei asked me to come and pass a message to you. She says that she has thought of two nice names. Do the two of you want to hear what the names are?” Feng Hua said with a smile.

“Tell us about it,” Qiao Qiang said.

“Qiao Mei says that the boy’s name is Xia Fan and the girl’s name is Xia Xing. Put the names together and they refer to the dazzling stars in the sky. Qiao Mei also asks me to tell you a phrase. She says that you will definitely understand the meaning behind it.” Feng Hua took a deep breath and said solemnly, “Gather like a ball of fire, scatter like a sky full of stars.”

Qiao Qiang and Xia Jun were stunned for a moment before they suddenly looked at each other and laughed. The way they quarreled with each other just now seemed to be an illusion.

This phrase was what Qiao Qiang had said to his comrades in the past and it also later became a secret code among them.

At that time, they were all under a lot of pressure. Everyone had a different fate. Some people chose to continue to rise through the ranks, just like Xia Jun, who worked hard in the army until he was old. However, there were also some people like Qiao Qiang who were discharged from the army once they were able to do so and live the lives of ordinary people.

Although Qiao Qiang had been framed and forced to leave the army in those days, he shared the feelings of everyone else who were discharged normally. It was the same sense of sadness and reluctance. He only had endless nostalgia and sentiments for life in the army.

Therefore, under those circumstances, Qiao Qiang had said this phrase to all his comrades. He hoped that when they were gathered together, they would be as hot-blooded as a raging ball of flames. Even when they were separated, they would be like the stars in the sky, each shining brightly and dazzlingly.

“What good names, such good names! As expected of my granddaughter!” Qiao Qiang said proudly.

“Alright! Let’s use these two names from Qiao Mei! Fan Fan and Xing Xing!” Xia Jun said.

“Do you think these two children will be a hundred times stronger than us in the future!” Qiao Qiang asked Xia Jun with a smile.

Xia Jun did not really want these two children to join the military. Qiao Mei had a good aptitude for business. If these two children study well, it would not be a bad idea for them to help Qiao Mei with her business in the future. Life in the army was really tough. Back then, he only stayed because he wanted to make a name for himself and create a better future for his family.