Song Ning thought for a moment, then said clearly:
"Comrade Lei Ming, you married Comrade Meng Yu on the fifth day of the fifth lunar month in 1972. On the second day of the ninth lunar month in 1973, you had twins, a boy and a girl. The older brother was named Lei Hongyuan, and the younger sister was named Lei Hongyan. But the boy was sickly from childhood and lived with his maternal grandparents on the grasslands. Only Little Hongyan stayed with you."
As Song Ning's words reached Lei Ming, his expression grew solemn and tense.
"When Little Hongyan was four, she decided she didn't like her name. She insisted on changing it to Lei Hong, without the 'yan,' because she thought 'Lei Hong' sounded more formidable! Many years later, she even bragged about it to me. She said, 'Compared with Lei Hongyan, doesn't Lei Hong have the impact of an abrupt stop...?'"
By this point, unmistakable disbelief had welled up in Lei Ming's eyes.
But he did not interrupt Song Ning.
"You love drinking Chaobai River Brand Red Grain Daqu and smoking Phoenix Brand Cigarettes. But you were shot while on a mission on March 15, 1969. A bullet grazed one of your lung lobes, and even now, you still cough when the weather changes. Comrade Meng Yu worries about your health, so she won't let you smoke and limits your drinking.
"So... you stash away a little money, though you don't dare hide too much. Most of it goes toward secretly buying cigarettes to satisfy your cravings!"
Lei Ming's eyes filled with alarm.
He turned to glance at Gu Zheng.
Gu Zheng's expression was calm as he listened attentively.
He did not seem to find it strange that this young woman knew every detail of Lei Ming's