Ke Yuanda turned his head to look. The little girl had a round face with a bit of baby fat, and her beautiful eyes were tinged with a light red. She looked at him timidly, like a small, soft white rabbit in the mountains.

He remembered his mother and sister's instructions, took a deep breath, softened his features, and smiled as he bowed slightly to her: "Hello, Comrade Li Juanmei, I am Ke Yuanda, the eldest son of the fourth branch of the Ke family in Luofeng Village. I am twenty-three years old this year. After the New Year, I will go to the Provincial Naval Submarine Academy to report for university."

"My dream is to join the army, serve my country, and protect our homeland!"

"I am studying hard at home now, striving to get into the best major in the school, and also hoping to get the title of outstanding graduate after graduation so that I can do the job I like."

Ke Yuanda repeated what the girl had told him, and then, amidst the stunned silence of all the sales clerks at the supply and marketing cooperative and Li Juanmei's blushing face, he revealed the purpose of his visit.

“Our family got some wild boar meat, and my grandma and sister were thinking of Comrade Xiao Li, so they asked me to help deliver it.” As he spoke, Ke Yuanda began to pile the things in his hands onto the counter.

"Oh, right, there are also scallion pancakes that my mom made. We were cooking at home, so I brought some for you too."

Finally, he handed the pretty little bundle tied with a bow to Li Juanmei.

Li Juanmei instinctively took a step back, her head about to hit the corner of the container hard.

Ke Yuan's eyes narrowed sharply. He stepped forward and reached out to shield her head in time. "Be careful."

The man's domineering aura was overwhelming; his deep voice and warm, large hands made Li Juanmei stare up at him in a daze.

Sister Yang couldn't help but laugh first, "Alright, we don't need to worry about it today, Xiao Li has someone to feed him."

"Oh my, young man, you're from the Ke family in Luofeng Village. Could you be the family that produced seven college students all at once? You look so handsome!" another woman couldn't help but praise.

College students have a bright future ahead of them; no matter where they are assigned after graduation, they are definitely potential leaders.

She then couldn't help but exclaim, "Little Li is so lucky!"

Everyone nodded in agreement, casting envious and jealous glances at the two of them.

Li Juanmei quickly tried to push Ke Yuanda away, but the man was full of strength and she couldn't budge him.

It was Ke Yuanda who belatedly realized something was wrong and quickly took a step back.

It was already quite cold in December, and the men weren't wearing much—just a coat and a thin shirt, it seemed.

The hard touch of his chest still lingered in her palm, and the strong, powerful heartbeat echoed in her ears.

Completely different from her brother, it made her cheeks burn. Li Juanmei nodded haphazardly, "Thank you, Comrade Ke."

"I can't eat all of this by myself, you should take some back with you."

As she spoke, she squatted down and took out the good things she had accumulated over this period of time from her storage box.