"Okay, I'll do as you say. Even if they don't eat it, our family can eat it ourselves."

Liu Xiaohua thought Zhou Chunmei's words made sense, so she made the decision.

"Ah Luo, it's hot today. Why don't you take two clean handkerchiefs to them to wipe their sweat?"

Li Xue looked at Su Luo and said, "Su Tiantian is asleep right now, so Su Luo came out to walk around."

Li Xue had just noticed that the soldier named Xing Yuan had glanced at Su Luo several times.

Su Luo's situation is special, but she didn't do anything wrong. The soldier seems to be an upright person, and he probably won't mind even if he knows the situation.

Don't dwell on the outcome of anything; just take action.

"You guys are so thoughtful."

Liu Xiaohua felt that her two daughters-in-law were quick-witted and more thoughtful than she was.

If you're going to help, you should help properly.

The sun is scorching, and repairing a car outside is a real ordeal. It would be great to have a cool cloth to wipe away the sweat at a time like this.

Su Luo nodded, took the basin and two new handkerchiefs, and went out.

"It's too hot, you guys wipe your faces."

After explaining her purpose, Su Luo put down the basin of water.

Thank you.

Xing Yuan looked at Su Luo, smiled slightly, and thanked her.

Su Luo nodded and turned back. She was still in her postpartum period, and her sister-in-law and mother had asked her to do it because they couldn't spare the time.

After Su Luo left, Xing Yuan said to his two subordinates, "Don't let the villagers' good intentions go to waste. The sun is scorching, wipe yourselves down to avoid heatstroke."

"Yes, sir!"

The two subordinates obeyed the orders.

I was changing tires here, and soon I could smell the fragrance.

The two subordinates' stomachs immediately started rumbling.

But they dared not speak, only observing Xing Yuan's expression; one of them looked somewhat pale.

Xing Yuan wasn't in much better shape; his stomach was rumbling. They hadn't eaten anything since they started their journey early in the morning, so they were naturally hungry by now.

But it's not good to eat at ordinary people's homes either.

"Hang in there a little longer, change quickly, and then we'll set off. Once we get there, we'll eat at the cafeteria."

Xing Yuan said sternly, thus dispelling the idea of ​​his two subordinates.

They don't eat at people's homes unless there are special circumstances, such as disaster relief. They won't refuse gifts from people.

Their faces were a little too pale, but Xing Yuan didn't think much of it, assuming they were just exhausted.

After Xing Yuan gave the order, the two quickened their pace and finally changed the tire.

When Xing Yuan returned the tools, the noodles were also cooked, and the whole yard smelled delicious.

"Comrades, we've cooked some noodles for you. Please have some before you go."

Liu Xiaohua extended a warm invitation.

"No need, ma'am, we'll head to the encampment now. There's a mess hall there..."

Xing Yuan politely declined, but before he could finish speaking, he heard a gasp.

"Oh, what's wrong, young comrade?"

Zhou Chunmei exclaimed in surprise when she saw one of the two comrades behind Xing Yuan suddenly fall down.

"Sir, Xiao Li probably has low blood sugar. He was too busy this morning and didn't eat much."

Another comrade helped his comrade up, checked the situation, and reported to Xing Yuan that he hadn't eaten much in the morning, but in reality, he hadn't had time to eat in the morning, and hadn't eaten all day yesterday because he had a mission.

However, he dared not tell Xing Yuan about this. Being able to stay by Xing Yuan's side was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. If Xing Yuan knew that they were working non-stop, he would definitely be angry and might replace them.

"You're so hungry! Don't wait to go to the cafeteria, just grab a bite here first."

Liu Xiaohua quickly said this and asked Zhou Chunmei to bring out the bowl of noodles.

Seeing that his subordinate Xiao Li's expression was indeed not good, Xing Yuan did not refuse again.

"Thank you, ma'am. I'm sorry to bother you."

After Xing Yuan finished speaking, he added, "Xiao Zhang, help Xiao Li inside to eat."

Seeing that it was noodles, Xing Yuan was visibly relieved; thankfully, it wasn't some fancy dish.

Xiao Li was a little weak. He looked at Xing Yuan nervously and said, "Commander, I'm sorry. I broke the rules."

"I'm sorry, ma'am."

Xiao Li then looked at Liu Xiaohua and apologized.

Liu Xiaohua looked at Xiao Li, who looked about the same age as her son. Liu Xiaohua felt only heartache. She waved her hand and said, "Don't say sorry. You soldiers aren't made of iron and don't need to eat or drink."

"Young comrade, hurry up and eat. Our country still needs you to protect it."

Liu Xiaohua handed the bowl and chopsticks to Xiao Li.

This child is calm and sensible. Even though he was starving, he still maintained discipline. He wouldn't touch his chopsticks unless his boss nodded in approval. It's really heartbreaking.

"Eat up, don't let down the villagers' kindness."

Xing Yuan wasn't stupid. He guessed something from Xiao Zhang and Xiao Li's obviously weak appearance, but he wouldn't say it in front of the villagers.

He picked up his chopsticks to eat the noodles, but before he did, he looked at Liu Xiaohua and the others and asked, "Aren't you eating?"

“We’ll wait for the children to come back before we eat. You all eat first. I’ll get a bowl of porridge and take it to my daughter.”

Liu Xiaohua explained with a smile, then went to serve the porridge.

The boys who went out to play haven't come back yet, so they're not in a hurry to eat.

Xing Yuan felt something was off, but he could only keep his questions to himself; asking would be impolite.

Seeing that Liu Xiaohua had made seafood porridge, Xing Yuan ate his noodles with peace of mind.

This noodle dish was specially cooked for them; seafood porridge was their lunch.

Li Xue and Zhou Chunmei also went out smiling, telling them to take their time eating.

He didn't know what kind of sea fish the fish balls were made of; he had never eaten such delicious fish balls before. They were fresh, fragrant, and bouncy—absolutely delicious.

The noodles had a seafood flavor, the vegetables were crisp, and the fried egg was fragrant. They finished the whole bowl and even drank all the soup.

"Are you all full?"

Xing Yuan put down his chopsticks and asked his two subordinates.

Xiao Zhang and Xiao Li nodded, feeling somewhat guilty.

"You were chosen to follow me not because you are descendants of someone else, but because I valued your abilities. People need to eat to survive, and this kind of thing must never happen again."

Xing Yuan had also been a youth once, and after thinking about it for a moment, he knew what was going on. No matter how hungry they were, they wouldn't faint from hunger in just one morning. He understood everything when he thought back to his own youth.

"Commander, we were wrong."

Xiao Zhang and Xiao Li were shocked and felt extremely guilty.

"Upon arrival at the encampment, each person was required to write a two-thousand-word self-criticism."

"They're gone."

Xing Yuan spoke sternly, and only after his two subordinates left did he take out five yuan and place it on the table, weighing it down with a bowl and chopsticks.

They broke the rules, so naturally they couldn't just eat the food from the villagers for free.

No one would accept money in person, so after leaving, he quietly went out. Only after leaving the courtyard did he call out, "Auntie, thank you for your help. We're leaving now."

Hearing the voice from the main house, Liu Xiaohua quickly replied, "Okay."

When she came out, she heard the car start and drive away.

Zhou Chunmei and Li Xue had just come out of the house. They had avoided the room earlier because they were afraid the three of them would feel uncomfortable while eating.

"Mom, here's five yuan."

After Zhou Chunmei saw the money, she called out to Liu Xiaohua. They didn't want the money either. What should they do now?

“Mom, soldiers have very strict discipline. They wouldn’t have stayed for a meal if it weren’t for the special circumstances. Xing Yuan is a commander, so he has to abide by the discipline even more. Soldiers can’t just eat and take things for free,” Li Xue said.