Pei Ji couldn't help but grin as he looked at Xiao Wei's adorable appearance, revealing two small dimples on his face.

He said to Min Yueqing with great interest, "Mother, did you see how fast Xiao Wei rolled out, but how difficult it was for him to roll back? Hahaha, how interesting!"

Min Yueqing looked at her laughing little cub with a mixture of amusement and exasperation. The blanket was so soft, it was already difficult to get a foothold. It was alright when Xiao Wei rolled out, as he rolled from a high place to a low place, but when he rolled back, he rolled from a low place to a high place. How could it not be difficult?

Such a simple truth, yet it could make her little one so amused. Min Yueqing glanced at Pei Han with concern, her eyes seeming to say: Look at our little one, so innocent, what will become of him in the future?

Pei Han had felt the same way not long ago, and when he saw Min Yueqing's expression, he immediately understood and almost couldn't help but laugh out loud.

To save face for his son, Pei Han changed the subject, "Lele, do you still want to read? If not, it's time for bed."

Pei Ji snapped out of his reverie. He had only read two pages of the book that day and didn't want to go to sleep yet. He quickly told Pei Han, "Yes, Father. It's still early. Let's continue reading now."

And so, today's bedtime reading session changed from a family of three to a family of four.

Amidst the rhythmic sound of page turning and Pei Han's pleasant voice, Xiao Wei played for a while and then quieted down, seemingly listening attentively to Pei Han's explanation.

The next day, Pei Han got up as soon as it was light. He did not continue his leisurely state of the previous two days. He ate breakfast hastily and went to the front yard.

Inside the second hall, Wu Dazhuang had already been waiting for a while.

As soon as Pei Han entered, Wu Dazhuang walked up to him and began to report, "Sir, you guessed right. As soon as the news of our bandit suppression operation spread, several soldiers tried to sneak out in the last three days, but they were all caught halfway by our ambushes and are now locked up in the secret dungeon!"

"Has it been reviewed?" Pei Han asked.

Wu Dazhuang replied with both contempt and hatred, "We've interrogated them all. These traitorous dogs originally wanted to deny it and refused to tell the truth. But when we took them away separately for interrogation, they immediately started to break their stories and finally confessed."

Pei Han nodded and said, "Well done. Did they reveal the bandits' hideout?"

Upon hearing this, Wu Dazhuang perked up. "Sir, they've confessed everything. In our Sanping County alone, there are three hideouts. They told us exactly where each hideout is, how to get there, and how many people are inside."

Pei Han pondered for a moment and said, "This matter should be done sooner rather than later. Go and gather the men now, divide the soldiers into three teams, and allocate the number of men in each team according to the number of bandits in the hideout. Let those spies lead the way, and we will try to wipe out all the bandits in the county in one go."

"Also, after the soldiers set off, send a few men to tell the three platoon leaders to be on high alert and to report immediately if they find anyone harboring or contacting bandits."

Wu Dazhuang was thrilled and responded loudly with a "Yes!" before immediately going out to make the arrangements.

Their patrol and inspection department is not what it was a year or so ago. Back then, they had neither manpower nor weapons, which is why they couldn't deal with the mountain bandits.

Now, the number of soldiers in the patrol office far exceeds that of the bandits. After nearly a year of training, everyone's weapons are gleaming, and capturing a few bandits will be a piece of cake.

Wu Dazhuang quickly gathered his men, divided them into teams, and the three teams escorted the spies and set off immediately.

Pei Han did not go out with them, but stayed at the patrol station to oversee the situation. If anything unusual happened to the mountain people, he would be needed to handle it on the spot.

Besides, three teams were dispatched in total, and he was not suitable to work with any of them, which would make it seem as if he did not trust any of his subordinates.

The nearly year-long training paid off, and things unfolded exactly as Pei Han had envisioned.

Pei Han waited in the second hall until dawn. The three squads of soldiers who had gone out returned one after another, with Wu Dazhuang being the last to return. Because he was the strongest, he chose to go to the furthest hideout with the largest number of soldiers.

As soon as Wu Dazhuang entered the government office, he said to Pei Han, who was still waiting in front of the desk, "Sir, we have successfully completed our mission. All three hideouts were wiped out in one fell swoop. Not a single bandit escaped; we brought them all back. It's a pity that there was very little wealth left in the hideouts, but we still brought it back."

Pei Han asked first, "Have all our people returned?"

Upon hearing this, Wu Dazhuang knew that his lord was worried about the safety of the soldiers, and said with emotion, "Sir, they have all returned. Only a few people were slightly injured, but I have checked on them and they are all fine."

Pei Han immediately said, "Let them recover well from their injuries. The medical expenses will be covered by the department. They can resume training once they are healed. I will submit the names of all the soldiers who participated in the bandit suppression and recommend them to the court for commendation!"

Wu Dazhuang and the other two leading soldiers bowed and clasped their hands in greeting, saying loudly, "Thank you, sir!"

Pei Han continued, "First, imprison all the bandits. Hot meals have been prepared in the kitchen. Take the soldiers to fill their stomachs, and then go back to rest. Inform everyone that today's morning exercise is canceled so they can have a good rest."

Wu Dazhuang and the others readily agreed.

While everyone was fighting and arresting people, they didn't feel it, but once they returned to the government office and relaxed, they immediately felt exhausted and hungry, as if their chests were sticking to their backs.

Looking at it now, it's already this late, and there are still hot meals prepared for them in the kitchen. They can eat their fill and go back to get a good night's sleep. It really warms everyone's hearts.

The wounded soldiers were even more grateful when they heard that Lord Pei had paid special attention to their minor injuries.

After making proper arrangements for everything, Pei Han returned to the courtyard.

When he finished showering and went into the bedroom, Min Yueqing and Pei Ji were both fast asleep.

To avoid waking the two, Pei Han didn't light a lamp. Instead, he walked to the bedside by the soft moonlight. Listening to their gentle breathing, he felt all his fatigue disappear and lay down to sleep as well.

Early in the morning, as soon as Pei Ji woke up, he subconsciously looked to the side and saw Pei Han lying next to him, and he breathed a sigh of relief.

Min Yueqing opened her eyes at this moment. Seeing the little one's nervous expression, she teased him softly, "What's wrong? I told you yesterday that Daddy would definitely come back, didn't you believe me?"

Pei Ji gently rolled into Min Yueqing's arms, wrapped his little arms around her waist possessively, and whispered in her ear with dissatisfaction, "Why did Father come back so late? I waited for so long, but Father didn't come back."

Min Yueqing whispered in the little boy's ear, "Daddy must have had some urgent business to come back late. Let's not wake him up and let him sleep a little longer."

Pei Ji immediately covered his mouth with his hand, nestled against Min Yueqing's chest, and gently nodded, indicating that he would not speak and that his father should continue sleeping.

Min Yueqing's lips curled up slightly.

Pei Ji didn't want to disturb Pei Han, so he simply didn't get up. He buried his face in Min Yueqing's arms, closed his eyes, and prepared to take a nap.