Seeing that no one was around him, Rong Jiaojiao dispelled her invisibility spell and landed beside him, frowning as she asked, "How did you know my home was here?"
Mo Bai grinned, revealing a set of bright white teeth, which made him look somewhat simple-minded and didn't match his outfit at all.
“When we were training together before, you invited me to your house, but I didn’t come.”
Rong Jiaojiao asked suspiciously, "Really?"
She had absolutely no recollection of this. "What are you doing here?"
With his thick skin, Mo Bai held up the gift bag in his hand and said, "I'm here to visit your house as you invited me before!"
He spoke as if it were the most natural thing in the world. Rong Jiaojiao looked at him speechlessly. Seeing that he had no intention of backing down, she could only say, "Alright, let's go in together."
The early autumn evening breeze was very pleasant. Rong Jiaojiao and Mo Bai walked side by side on the path leading to the 56th Division's garrison, the setting sun casting long shadows of the two of them.
The leaves on the trees along the roadside have begun to turn yellow, and occasionally a few fall with the wind.
"Are your parents... easy to get along with?" Mo Bai suddenly asked, his voice carrying a hint of barely perceptible tension.
Rong Jiaojiao glanced at him, a half-smile on her face: "What, even the fearless Young Master Mo gets nervous?"
Mo Bai coughed lightly and straightened his collar: "After all, this is my first time visiting your home!"
Just as Rong Jiaojiao was about to speak, the sound of a car driving by came from behind.
The two moved aside, but the car stopped right in front of Rong Jiaojiao and her companion.
Rong Lianhu's voice came from the car window: "Jiaojiao?!"
The car door suddenly opened, and Rong Lianhu rushed over in three strides, embracing his daughter tightly.
His military uniform still carried the dust of the training ground, but it couldn't hide the surprise in his eyes.
Rong Jiaojiao hugged him back, saying, "Daddy."
"You heartless girl, you've been gone for four or five years!" Rong Lianhu released his daughter and looked her up and down. "Still so beautiful."
With tears glistening in her eyes, Rong Jiaojiao smiled and said, "Dad is still so handsome, he hasn't aged at all."
Rong Lianhu stood up straight: "Of course, your father is strong and healthy, and can continue to serve the Party and the people for decades to come."
His gaze immediately fell on Mo Bai, and his eyes instantly became wary: "Who is this?"
"This is my friend, Mo Bai," Rong Jiaojiao introduced helplessly. "He just happened to be passing by..."
"Hello, Uncle!" Mo Bai took over the conversation, smiling and bowing. "I've come specifically to visit you and Auntie."
Judging from his appearance, Rong Lianhu looks older than Mo Bai's parents, but in reality, he is much younger than them.
Rong Lianhu raised an eyebrow, his gaze lingering on the gift box in Mo Bai's hand for a moment. Then, looking at his daughter's slightly embarrassed expression, he suddenly laughed heartily: "Good lad, you've got guts! Get in the car, your aunt will be overjoyed to see Jiaojiao back."
He got into the passenger seat, while Rong Jiaojiao and Mo Bai got into the back seat.
Seeing that they were all seated, Rong Lianhu said to the driver, "Alright, Xiao Ding, drive."
As the car slowly drove into the compound, Rong Jiaojiao gazed at the familiar scenery outside the window, her heart pounding faster and faster.
Four years have passed. Is the old pear tree in front of our house still there? Has Mom gotten a few more gray hairs?
Sitting in the passenger seat, Rong Lianhu turned to Rong Jiaojiao and said, "Has it changed a lot?"
Rong Jiaojiao nodded: "Two more buildings have been added to the family compound."
Rong Lianhu explained, "More and more people are meeting the criteria for accompanying military personnel, and the original housing is no longer sufficient."
The car stopped in front of Rongjia Building, the innermost building in the residential compound.
The environment here is serene, and several more rose bushes have been planted in front of the door.
"We're here." Rong Lianhu got out of the car first and called into the house, "Wife, come out quickly, Jiaojiao is back!"
The door was pushed open with a bang, and Fu Ya rushed out wearing an apron.
When she saw Rong Jiaojiao standing in the courtyard, the spatula in her hand clattered to the ground.
"Jiaojiao! My Jiaojiao!"
Rong Jiaojiao ran forward quickly and hugged her mother tightly.
Fu Ya's tears instantly soaked her shoulder: "You child, you've been gone for years."
Rong Jiaojiao's nose tingled with emotion, and she gently patted her mother's back: "Mom, I'm sorry for making you and Dad worry."
Fu Ya released Rong Jiaojiao: "It's good that you're back. Your master said you would be in seclusion for several years before you could come back. I thought it would be at least a few years before I could see you again. I'm already very happy to see you back."
She took her daughter's hand and said, "Come on, let's go back inside and talk."
Mo Bai stood aside, quietly watching this heartwarming scene.
Rong Lianhu patted him on the shoulder: "Young man, come inside and let's talk."
Looking at the clean and tidy house, Rong Jiaojiao knew that it was just the elderly couple who lived there.
She asked, "Mom, didn't my eldest and second eldest brothers bring their children back?"
Fu Ya shook her head: "I work during the week and don't have time to take care of their children. Your sister-in-law will bring her children back to stay with us for a while during the summer vacation."
“If your older brother has time off during the Spring Festival, they will come back.”
“But your second brother lives far away. After he got married, he only came back last year with your second sister-in-law and your nephew.”
Rong Jiaojiao nodded, "I understand. It takes several days to travel back and forth between the north and the south."
Upon entering the house, Mo Bai presented the gifts: "Uncle and Aunt, this is a small token of my appreciation for your first visit."
Fu Ya then paid no attention to the handsome young man and quickly took the gift box: "Oh dear, you came all this way, why bring anything? Please have a seat, I'll go make some tea."
Rong Lianhu gestured for Mo Bai to sit down in the living room, his gaze involuntarily glancing at the gift box.
The packaging looked extraordinary, with a faint glow emanating from it.
"Xiao Mo, how did you and Jiao Jiao meet?" Rong Lianhu began to inquire.
Mo Bai sat up straight: "Jiaojiao and I met during our training."
"oh?"
"How long have you known Jiaojiao?"
Mo Bai answered every question: "We've known each other for over ten years. When I first met Jiaojiao, she was only about eight or nine years old!"
Thinking back to the first time I met Rong Jiaojiao, how she mischievously played pranks on me, I couldn't help but smile.
"It's been so long! Where are you from?"
"Dad!" Rong Jiaojiao came out of the kitchen carrying a fruit platter, giving her father a reproachful glare. "Are you checking our household registration?"
Fu Ya came out with tea to smooth things over: "Old Rong, this is their first time here, don't scare the child."
Mo Bai replied with a smile, "My home is in Kyoto. You are welcome to visit Kyoto in the future. As long as I am here, I will definitely take you to see all of Kyoto."
Rong Lianhu nodded: "Okay, I'll trouble you if I have the chance to go to Kyoto in the future."
Seeing that his daughter didn't want him to ask any more questions, he stopped asking further.
Rong Jiaojiao said to Mo Bai, "Mo Bai, you and my dad chat for a while, my mom and I will cook."
Mo Bai stood up and said, "How about I make it, so that Uncle and Auntie can try my cooking?"
Fu Ya wouldn't let him do it, and immediately stopped him, refusing to let him into the kitchen.
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