Zhao Shumeng was flattered and quickly said, "This is too precious, I can't accept it..."
Rong Jiaojiao simply shoved it into her hand, saying, "Take it. Go back and make it into a necklace or something to wear. It'll be good for you."
Zhao Shumeng said shyly, "But the gift I prepared for you is too cheap."
Rong Jiaojiao was surprised: "I have a gift too?"
"Yes," she said somewhat shyly, "My brother told me about your situation. I didn't know if I would be able to meet you today, so I prepared two summer dresses for you."
She got up, picked up a bag from the kang (a heated brick bed) in the living room, and took out all the gifts she had prepared for everyone.
One outfit is pink, and the other is light yellow; both are currently trendy.
It was the dead of winter, yet she took out summer clothes, which drew strange looks from everyone.
She explained, "It was in the summer when Zhigao said he was going to take me home, so I made the preparations."
As she spoke, her face turned even redder, as if she were in a great hurry.
Rong Jiaojiao felt that this was a sign that she valued Rong Zhigao, and she was very happy. She picked up her dress and thanked her, saying, "Thank you, sister-in-law, I like it very much."
The atmosphere was very pleasant. Fu Ya remembered that she hadn't cooked yet, so she stood up and said, "You guys talk first, I'll go cook."
Rong Jiaojiao got up and followed, saying, "Mom, I'll go help."
Fu Ya nodded: "That's fine, it'll be faster with you."
Zhao Shumeng and her mother wanted to help, but were stopped: "No need, no need. The kitchen is small, and it would be inconvenient if there were too many people."
After Fu Ya said that, the mother and daughter had no choice but to sit down.
Upon arriving in the kitchen, Rong Jiaojiao took out all the cooked dishes and placed them on a plate, planning to steam them briefly in a moment.
The mother and daughter cooked a whole bunch of stir-fries and deep-fries, but people outside couldn't smell anything and thought the Rong family probably hadn't prepared properly.
But when the dishes were served, seeing more than a dozen main dishes and a few green vegetables, the Zhao family knew that they had underestimated the Rong family.
No, it should be said that they underestimated Rong Jiaojiao's abilities.
The meal was a pleasant one for both the host and guests, and they quickly set a wedding date.
Today is the 26th day of the twelfth lunar month. Rong Zhigao only has ten days off, and today is the third day.
He thought it would be best to hold the wedding before the end of the year, and the two families discussed it for another afternoon and decided to hold it on the 29th.
The Zhao family lives in Bing City, and if they were to hold a wedding, they would prefer to do so at the state-run restaurant in Bing City.
But in the dead of winter, state-run restaurants also face supply shortages, so the food probably isn't very good.
Rong Jiaojiao thought for a moment and said, "How about I go and get some wild boar and seafood?"
Fu Ya waved her hand: "We can't afford to be extravagant at a time like this."
Rong Jiaojiao said, "Then put it in the canteen and let all the soldiers eat it. They will definitely bless you and your sister-in-law, and you will be happy for the rest of your lives."
Rong Zhigao and Zhao Shumeng were both quite interested, and Rong Lianhu said, "I'll go and talk to the leaders."
Rong Lianhu acted swiftly and decisively, going to the military base early the next morning to discuss the matter with the leaders.
Upon hearing that it was Rong Zhigao's wedding, Wei Guodong immediately agreed and even specially approved the canteen kitchen staff to help prepare the banquet.
“However…” Wei Guodong rubbed his hands together, “We have quite a few people in our brigade. Why don’t you talk to Jiaojiao and see if we can let our soldiers have a good New Year?”
Rong Lianhu was taken aback. This leader really was always thinking about how to benefit the soldiers.
When Wei Jingqi returned before, he often ordered him to bring back game for the soldiers, and now he's back again.
He laughed heartily: "I'll talk to Jiaojiao about it."
After discussing the matter, the two decided to hold only one banquet, without accepting any gifts or money, and invite relatives and friends from both sides to have a meal together at the military base.
Once the decision was made, Zhao Shuxuan grabbed Rong Jiaojiao and insisted that she give him some pointers.
Unable to resist his persistent advances, Rong Jiaojiao actually taught him a few tricks. In the end, seeing his admiring look, she even gave him a spiritual herb that could strengthen the body when eaten by ordinary people.
This made Zhao Shuxuan extremely grateful.
That evening, the Zhao family had dinner at Rong's house and stayed overnight at the military guesthouse before returning home.
…………
The next day, deep in the mountains and forests.
Rong Jiaojiao stood on the snow, surrounded by several wild boars lying haphazardly.
Zi Ling flew back, still clutching two silly roe deer in her paws. After dropping them to the ground, she landed on Rong Jiaojiao's shoulder and asked, "Does Master want more?"
"That's enough, that's enough. We've already killed several fish already." Rong Jiaojiao smiled and rubbed its head. "We still need to get some more fish."
With a wave of her hand, she stored the wild boar in her spatial talisman, then flew to the nearest sea area and used her spiritual power to catch several thousand kilograms of sea fish before returning home.
Rong Lianhu went directly to He Da and asked him to find someone to drive a truck to the camp to pick it up.
He Da didn't call many people, only Qian Manguan, and went with him.
The two men, each in a truck, arrived a few miles from the camp and found Rong Jiaojiao and Rong Lianhu waiting for them.
He Da hadn't seen Rong Jiaojiao for many years and was surprised to find that she had grown up so much. After exchanging a few pleasantries, Rong Jiaojiao put the wild animals and seafood into the two cars, filling both cars to more than half capacity.
He Da was used to magic, but he was still very excited about the amount of meat and thanked them repeatedly.
Qian Manguan was seeing such methods for the first time, and his eyes widened in disbelief. Looking around at the people, he seemed to be the only one who had never seen anything like it before. It seemed that their minister was already used to it. This reminded him of the grain he had received in the past.
Not only did he think of it, but Rong Jiaojiao did too; she probably has dozens of tons of grain now.
Rong Jiaojiao asked, "Uncle He, do you still need food?"
He Da's eyes lit up: "You have it?"
Rong Jiaojiao nodded: "A lot."
"How many?"
Rong Jiaojiao didn't want to donate too much at once. She said, "You should prepare 300 sacks for corn and 300 sacks for rice, each weighing 200 jin (100 catties).
Upon hearing the number, He Da grabbed Rong Jiaojiao's hand and asked, "Jiaojiao, are you sure?"
300 bags of corn and 300 bags of rice, that's a whole 120,000 jin of grain!
He Da's voice trembled slightly, "So much grain..."
Rong Jiaojiao smiled and nodded: "Uncle He, don't worry, everything is clean. Find a warehouse and I'll deliver it to you tonight."
Rong Lianhu listened from the side, without interfering with any of Rong Jiaojiao's decisions.
Qian Manguan, who was in the back vehicle, heard everything clearly and rubbed his hands together excitedly: "Now the soldiers can have a prosperous New Year!"
Late that night, Rong Jiaojiao delivered the grain to the designated warehouse as promised.
Looking at the mountain of sacks, He Da's eyes reddened: "Jiaojiao, on behalf of all the soldiers in the brigade, thank you!"
…………
On the morning of the 28th, Rong Jiaojiao said to Rong Lianhu and Fu Ya, "Mom and Dad, I want to go to my second brother's place."
Fu Ya asked, puzzled, "Where are you going?"
Because Rongzhi lives far away, it's inconvenient for him to take leave and come back. They just called to tell him about Rongzhi's wedding; they didn't expect him to come back.
Rong Jiaojiao said, "I'll go and bring my second brother back."
Fu Ya and Rong Lianhu's eyes lit up: "If it's just a day off, it's possible to get him back to attend your brother's wedding."
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