Pei Nansheng has already eaten two servings. If he eats any more... if he eats any more, he'll throw up!

But what can be done if he doesn't eat? He's the older brother, after all. If the older brother doesn't step up, who will? Resigned, he reached out his hand...

Xiao Hao is clever:

“Uncle Mei, the brother who brought us here isn’t getting enough to eat. He wants to take us back. Why don’t we give it to him?”

Chief Mei smiled gently and praised:

"That's good, he's a kind-hearted child. Go ask who picked them up, call them up, and let them eat these two portions."

Having escaped unscathed, Pei Nansheng breathed a long sigh of relief, while Chief Mei chuckled to himself.

A short while later, the orderly who brought them arrived, looking anxious.

Chief Mei said:

"You're lucky, you got a great job. They said you weren't getting enough to eat, so they gave you these two meals. Eat up, eat quickly."

When they arrived, the orderly thought something serious had happened and was extremely nervous.

Hearing that he would get an extra meal, he was so happy he practically blew snot out of his nose.

High-protein earthworms, high-protein maggot cakes, real grain black husks, rare vegetables... wild ginger, plus two servings of scallion soup.

There was meat, vegetables, and grain; both soupy and dry dishes were provided—a complete meal indeed, befitting a leader's treat, all the best stuff!

He ate heartily, munching on both sides, pondering as he ate. Zuo Ling and her brother were truly his benefactors; bringing them along had brought him many benefits.

Xiao Liu, who had just gotten a bargain, was so envious that he kept swallowing his saliva, thinking to himself, "Why wasn't it me who went to pick them up?"

The grueling banquet has finally come to an end.

As the plates were cleared away, Chief Mei's expression gradually turned serious:

"In the eight years since the apocalypse, our country has gone through a lot, and our people have gone through a lot too. Everyone has been struggling to survive in dire straits. I think you have also gone through a lot. I won't go into the big principles. You are all smart people and know what to do."

Chief Mei used a meal to tell Zuo Ling that the country was facing a food shortage, which had reached a point where it was urgent.

If even a military commander can only serve such food to his guests, what about ordinary people?

He only donated two bags of barley seeds as soon as he learned that Zuo Ling had returned; otherwise, he could have fed Zuo Ling's family something even more disgusting.

Chief Mei stopped there, turning her gaze to Xiao Hao:

"Your name is Xiao Hao, right? Are you interested in joining the army? I heard you're good at martial arts, how about becoming my bodyguard?"

Xiao Hao came back wanting to join the army, but when he thought about the food he had just eaten... he had second thoughts.

Having grown accustomed to a comfortable life with my sister, I couldn't possibly swallow those damned things.

Seeing Xiao Hao's dilemma at a glance, Chief Mei continued to incite him:

"Not just anyone can be my bodyguard. Promotions are definitely easier than serving in the military elsewhere. Natural disasters will pass eventually. Don't you want to make a name for yourself?"

Of course I want to. As Xiao Hao gets older, he has more and more ideas, and he can't always rely on his older brothers and sisters for his life.

Zuo Ling said, "How about we wait a couple of years? He's only 13. Let's wait until he's a little older."

The reason they came back was because Xiao Hao wanted to join the army.

The conditions are too harsh now, so Zuo Ling wants to wait until they are better before letting Xiao Hao join the army.

"Oh? Only 13? This guy's getting senile, he's forgotten his age."

Chief Mei is a cunning and shrewd man; how could he not know Xiao Hao's age? It was precisely because he knew that he encouraged Xiao Hao to join the army.

Older children have more ideas; they're not as easy to train as younger ones.

Besides, what if Zuo Ling runs away again someday if he doesn't keep a hostage by his side? Where would he go to catch her?

"If you can beat any one of my guards, I'll make you a lieutenant, how about it?"

The soldiers were divided into privates, corporals, and privates.

Above the soldiers are sergeants of ranks one through six, and above that are lieutenants.

Soldiers without connections may not necessarily become captains even after they are discharged.

The temptation offered by Chief Mei was considerable.

Xiao Hao's eyes lit up; he still remembered how smug He Guiqi looked when he became a captain.

"real?"

"Of course, I, a dignified army commander, would I lie to you?"

Pei Nansheng and Zuo Ling watched helplessly as their younger brother, whom they had raised with such care, was abducted by the old fox.