"Are you talking about Nanpozi?"

"Yes, that's it. I didn't know before, but since I was able to go up the mountain, very few people have gone there. Old Wang and his son went there. There's a really steep slope there, and they went down to the bottom of that slope."

"After Old Wang and the other man went down, I went to check the steep slope and saw a rope. It must have been there all along. You wouldn't see it unless you looked carefully. I guess those two went down the rope."

"But I don't know what those two did down there. I didn't dare go down with them. I just wanted to come back and tell you."

"Dad, do you think those two people are the spies from the movies? Otherwise, what would they be doing there?"

Qian Jiefang ruffled his daughter's bald head and said, "You even know about spies?"

We don't see a movie in the village even once a year, I don't know how my daughter knows all this.

"Who do you look down on? I've already seen two movies, both times the projectionist came to show them. They were really good. When I grow up, I'll go to the commune's movie theater to watch a movie."

This was also her biggest wish before she regained her memories of her past life. There were too many people showing movies in the village, so she couldn't see anything clearly and it wasn't satisfying at all.

"Dad, do you want me to show you the way?" Goodness, could she be a little hero too? She's actually quite excited about it.

"As expected of my daughter, you are both brave and resourceful. But you are not well yet, so I will go and see you myself. You stay at home and behave yourself, so as not to upset your mother."

Qian Xiao pouted. If they don't want her to go, then she won't go. Why scare her with her mother?

She lay down on the pillow and said, "Then you go ahead, I'm going to sleep."

Qian Jiefang glanced at the sun outside. What kind of nap was he taking this afternoon?

He gently touched Qian Xiao's forehead with his large hand: "Girl, are you feeling unwell? If you are, you can't just bear it. I'll go find your Grandpa Zhang to come and take a look at you."

Qian Xiao brushed her father's large hand away: "I'm fine, I just get tired easily, but I'll be fine after a nap."

Qian Jiefang pulled over a small blanket and covered his daughter with it, saying, "Okay, you can sleep now."

When she said she was going to sleep, Qian Xiao really was asleep. She fell asleep within a minute of lying down. Her thin, bony body had lost so much blood, and she hadn't been eating enough. How could she possibly recover in just seven days?

Qian Jiefang shook his head and went out the door. He called Zhang Heping and they went out together. They delivered some things to each household and walked around the village before leading Zhang Heping up the mountain along the path.

I already saw that the old man from the Wang family has returned, so it's a good time to go up the mountain to investigate.

"Why are we going up the mountain at this hour? If we want some meat, we can come early tomorrow morning. Aren't we going back tomorrow night?" The two of them can only stay here for a day or two, and it won't be good to go back too late.

"Just follow me, why are you talking so much nonsense? Hurry up, it'll be dark soon and the road will be difficult to walk on."

Zhang Heping rolled his eyes, but didn't say anything more and followed. There was definitely something wrong with his brother's behavior.

Both of them were soldiers, so they moved very quickly and soon arrived at the south slope. Qian Jiefang squatted down and searched carefully, and sure enough, he found the rope his daughter had mentioned. Judging from the condition of the rope, it should have been replaced not long ago.

Why do we say it was just replaced rather than just existing? The key is that the roots of the large tree with the rope tied to them clearly show signs of having been there for a long time. The rope has definitely been tied there for more than just a day or two.

"Hey, why is there a rope tied to this? You did this, and after five years, the rope is still so strong!"

"Shut up already! Go down and take a look. This is the place my daughter found by following the Wang family father and son today. Why would a perfectly good farmer do this?"

"You mean..."

"I didn't say anything. Let's go down and see for ourselves. Hurry up, do you want to go down first or should I?"

"You go first, I'll cover you. We need to hurry, or we won't be able to see anything once it gets dark."

Going up and down slopes was quite easy for soldiers who spent most of their time on the front lines. The two quickly reached the bottom of the slope, which was rather steep; if they had fallen, they would have certainly lost their legs.

Once their feet touched solid ground, the two men split up to look for anything amiss. If there was nothing there, the father and son wouldn't have come here; they couldn't have just come here to exercise because they had nothing better to do.

Not long after, the two men came up one after the other. Qian Jiefang led the way, while Zhang Heping cleaned up their tracks. They quickly returned to the village. There was no one in the village at the moment. Evenings in October were still quite cool, and those who were sensitive to the cold had started heating their kang (a traditional heated bed).

On this day, very few people go out after dark, because if they catch a cold, they'll have to spend money on medicine, which isn't worth it.

The whole family was waiting for them to come back for dinner. In the village, people don't eat three meals a day. If it weren't for Qian Jiefang bringing his comrades back, the Qian family would only have two meals a day.

"You're back! Quickly wash your hands and eat. We've been waiting for you two," the old lady said with a smile when she saw them.

As for what the two went to do, no one asked. Soldiers carry out secret missions, and they would never ask questions they knew they shouldn't.

"Mother, I'm coming."

This meal was almost as good as the New Year's Eve dinner. We killed a chicken, traded it with the villagers for a wild rabbit, and also had the pickled roe deer meat that Qian Xiao had brought back last month. There were three meat dishes, a rare feast.

Even Qian Jiefang couldn't eat this kind of food often. When they were away from home, they could only make sure they had enough to eat. The country was in trouble, and they simply couldn't afford to eat well.

Qian Jiefang found it amusing to be looked at so closely by his daughter, and reached out to pat her little bald head: "Eat quickly, Dad's here too."

Qian Xiao then focused on her meal. From what her father said, he had gone to check on things, so there really was a problem. However, the details were not something she should ask about; she knew those things herself.

Patting his belly, which was about 70% full, Qian Xiao said contentedly, "Mom, let Sandan and Sidan sleep with me."

She couldn't let her two younger brothers delay their parents' reunion, since her father had finally come back.

San Dan and Si Dan looked at their mother with bright, sparkling eyes. They wanted to sleep with their eldest sister, a chance they didn't usually have.

Five Eggs and Six Eggs immediately objected: "Sleep with my sister."

Seven Eggs and Eight Eggs pointed at the money with their little fingers and laughed and shouted, clearly wanting to follow their older sister.

The second aunt slapped each of them across the face: "Your sister is still a child. How could she possibly look after you? You two better behave yourselves, or you'll regret it."