Jiang Jinyu was surprised that the little girl still remembered this matter. It seems she wasn't nervous at all and hadn't forgotten about it.

Actually, in his heart, Jiang Qiao was no simple girl. She knew how to speak to the leader with great skill and artistry. Otherwise, how could she have tricked the old man into giving her his calligraphy?

To be honest, he admired Jiang Qiao quite a bit. He had been worried that the child might say something inappropriate, but now it seemed that his worries were unfounded.

This girl was nothing like the one who used to be so disrespectful to him. However, he was secretly pleased that Jiang Qiao treated him like a normal person.

As Jiang Qiao walked, she said, "My legs are a little weak right now. Did I say anything wrong just now?"

It was rare to see Jiang Qiao like this, and Jiang Jinyu felt rather pleased. This little girl finally had someone to be afraid of.

However, I still told the truth: "No, everything you said was very good. The old commander praised you. Don't you remember?"

How could she not remember? Jiang Qiao hadn't forgotten a single word the old man had said.

"Director Jiang, I still want to thank you for today's matter."

Jiang Jinyu smiled and shook her head. "You really can't thank me for this. It's all the result of your own hard work. Besides, I only found out from the comrades above that the old leader wanted to meet you personally. Otherwise, what do you think? To be honest, I really don't have that kind of ability."

Jiang Qiao frowned, then relaxed her brow. She knew why; Zuo Zhankui was probably involved, and she had to accept his favor.

She carefully placed the inkstone into her bag, or rather, moved it into her spatial storage. This place was safe; she wasn't really comfortable leaving it anywhere else.

When they arrived at the guesthouse, the people she knew were already waiting in Sun Baichuan's room. They were all back except for Jiang Qiao. Although they didn't know what she had been up to, they had all planned to have a proper get-together.

Upon seeing Jiang Qiao return, not only Sun Baichuan but even Zhou Tianyu happily came out to greet her.

"Jiang Qiao, we've been waiting for you. There's a luncheon going on—"

Jiang Qiao waved happily to Jiang Jinyu, "If there's something, we can talk about it later. I'm going in first, take care!"

Seeing Jiang Qiao's cheerful appearance, Jiang Jinyu's mood inexplicably improved as well. This was more like how a young girl should behave. The previous Jiang Qiao wasn't bad, but she was too calm and acted like an adult. This was so much better; she was full of energy.

In Jiang Qiao's mind, a banquet is always a big table of food and drinks, where everyone gathers together, drinks and chats.

Unfortunately, she was wrong. The meal was just two more meat dishes than usual, and everyone served themselves, though the portions were a little larger than usual.

Seeing Jiang Qiao's somewhat dumbfounded look, Sun Baichuan and Zhou Tianyu tapped her on the forehead with their chopsticks.

"What are you standing there for? Hurry up and get your food! Aren't you hungry?!"

Jiang Qiao said that she couldn't imagine such a meal, but after thinking about it, she understood what was going on. It was still a difficult time, and everything was in short supply. It was already very good that they could have two meat dishes. It wasn't even autumn yet, and who knew what the situation would be like?

Besides, eating like this won't lead to waste. Now everything is about saving money. After all, we have a lot of savings. She was overthinking it and applied the standards from her previous life. But it's fine this way. At least we're not being extravagant.

Even so, it couldn't hide everyone's happiness. Eating simple food couldn't affect their joyful mood.

I knew they were coming to receive awards and recognition for their merits, but I hadn't been there in person and hadn't experienced the atmosphere. Especially since they met several important figures they never dreamed of meeting and even took photos with them. How could they not be in a good mood? When they get back, they'll have something to talk about with their comrades.

Jiang Qiao was also infected by this atmosphere. Looking at the simple and vivid faces in front of her, she was reminded of her life in the military camp in her previous life. Unconsciously, she also blended in.

After the initial excitement, everyone started preparing for their departure. Having come all this way to the capital, they felt they had to go out and buy some things to take back as gifts.

Jiang Qiao's parents are here, and the time she can spend with them is limited. She doesn't want to stay here any longer; there are many things waiting for her to do outside.

After a brief farewell to everyone, I packed my bags, checked out of the hotel, and left.

The family is also getting anxious. They wonder how Jiang Qiao is doing and whether the child is alright.

Wen Jingwan paced back and forth in the yard, holding her son. "Shouldn't our daughter have finished eating by now?"

Gu Zhengfeng was much more composed. "Don't worry, Qiao'er will definitely be anxious to come back. Maybe she can leave after dinner. Let's just wait patiently."

You know what kind of person our Qiao'er is, right? She's very reliable. Even though she hasn't been to many big events, if my daughter were to go, she would definitely do well, if not outstanding. Do you think everyone has the opportunity to attend meetings in places like that?

To be frank, most of them are doing this for the first time, so there's no question of whether they have experience or not.

However, the fact that our daughter was able to attend the award ceremony here already shows how outstanding she is.

Neither of us has reached that level yet—"

Wen Jingwan chuckled, her eyes filled with longing. "Yeah, if one day the two of us could sit there waiting to receive an award, what would that feel like? I can't even imagine, it would definitely be so nervous and exciting—"

Gu Zhengfeng took the sleeping child from him. "So, compared to our daughter, we two need to work even harder. Alright, I'll take the child back to her room to sleep. You can help mend the clothes."

There's one downside to not having a woman in the house: they have to do everything themselves. Those veterans who have difficulty moving around have become quite skilled; at least, mending clothes isn't a difficult task for them.

As Wen Jingwan worked, she sighed, "If only there were a woman here, at least someone could help you with these tasks. Don't Lao Qin and Xiao Wu want to find someone?"

The veterans shook their heads in unison. "These two are so stubborn. No matter how we try to persuade them, they won't listen. We're the ones who are dragging them down. To be honest, it wouldn't be difficult for them to find wives."

"If it weren't for your help, we'd probably be buried alive by now. We'd be in this situation today too. We've also been a burden on Jiang Qiao. She always thinks of us and sends us everything she can. Look at this wheelchair, if it weren't for her getting it for us, we'd have trouble even getting out of the house—"

Even the perfectly healthy people starved to death, let alone people like them. Everyone knows that their existence is a burden to too many people.

"What are you saying? Don't forget, we are comrades-in-arms, we fought the Japanese in the same trench, we carried guns together, we risked our lives together. There is no such thing as implicating each other. Don't think about anything else, just live well, help those comrades who have passed away, and protect the fruits of our victory."