Qing Xuanzi could only sigh. This was the situation even among the workers in the town; he wondered what it was like for the farmers in the countryside.
He felt a little heavy-hearted, knowing that this year's drought had a great impact on everyone.
"Father Xi?" Rong Jiaojiao also noticed her master's unusual mood and called out.
Qing Xuanzi patted Rong Jiaojiao's head, thinking to himself, "The army must be even tougher, sigh..."
Back in the courtyard, not finding Fu Ya there, he turned around and went to find Rong Lianhu, wanting to donate the grain to the army as soon as possible.
Qing Xuanzi brought Rong Jiaojiao to the military camp where Rong Lianhu was stationed.
The sentry at the entrance of the family compound, not recognizing Qing Xuanzi, saluted and asked, "Comrade, who are you looking for?"
Qing Xuanzi nodded: "Hello, my name is Qing Xuanzi. Could you please help me find Rong Lianhu, the deputy regimental commander of the First Regiment?"
Upon hearing this, the sentry immediately realized that Qing Xuanzi's name was not unfamiliar in the army, especially his relationship with Rong Lianhu, which he had also heard of.
Judging from the chubby little girl in his arms, she must be Deputy Commander Rong's daughter.
The sentry immediately saluted and said, "Please wait a moment, I will go and inform Deputy Commander Rong right away."
Qing Xuanzi smiled slightly, nodded, and led Rong Jiaojiao to the side, putting her down so she could walk around.
Children are naturally curious, and Rong Jiaojiao's eyes lit up when she saw the soldiers on guard.
She toddled over to the soldier with her short legs, tilting her little face up to look at him curiously.
When the soldier saw Rong Jiaojiao, he stood up straight and kept glancing at her.
My heart felt like it was being scratched by a cat, and I kept thinking, "[The little girl from Vice Regiment Commander Rong's family is so cute, I want to hug her.]"
Rong Jiaojiao blinked her big eyes and said in a childish voice, "Gaga, what are you doing?"
The soldier was amused by her cute appearance and replied, "I'm standing guard here to protect everyone's safety."
Rong Jiaojiao nodded her little head, as if she understood everything, and said very seriously, "Gaga is so awesome! Baby is awesome too, baby is great!"
Upon hearing this, the soldier's eyes crinkled into a smile, and he couldn't help but burst out laughing: "Yes, baby, you're amazing! You'll definitely be a great hero someday!"
Upon hearing this, Rong Jiaojiao's little face lit up with a smug smile.
She turned to Qing Xuanzi and said, "Father Xi, baby wants candy!"
Qing Xuanzi, not knowing what she was up to, gave her one of the confiscated candies.
Holding the candy, she ran up to the soldier, raised her hand, and shouted, "Hey, baby's candy, you can have it!"
The soldier paused for a moment, then smiled warmly and shook his head, saying, "Thank you, baby, but I can't take it."
The little girl wouldn't retract her hand, putting the soldier in a difficult position. Qing Xuanzi, having watched the commotion for a while, finally called out, "Jiaobao, come back. Your brother is on guard duty. Wait until your brother changes shifts before giving it to you."
The little girl ran to Qing Xuanzi's side, called out "Father Xi" in a wronged tone, and then hugged Qing Xuanzi's leg to hide her face.
This made the young soldier feel awkward; he pursed his lips, looking very embarrassed.
Qing Xuanzi picked up Rong Jiaojiao and comforted her, "Brother has to follow the rules, so he can't take Jiaobao's candy. No one dislikes Jiaobao."
The little girl didn't understand what she was hearing, only noticing the last few words: "I don't like Jiaobao." The little girl couldn't hold back anymore and cried in grievance.
Qing Xuanzi quickly coaxed, "Brother likes Jiao Bao. Ask your brother if he likes Jiao Bao."
The little girl turned to look at the little soldier, but Xiao Zhan kept his eyes straight ahead, though he still answered, "Yes, brother likes Jiao Bao."
The little girl then stopped her tearful onslaught, and both the young soldier and Qing Xuanzi silently wiped the sweat from their brows.
A short while later, Rong Lianhu and Fu Ya hurriedly arrived from the family compound, each with someone on their back.
Rong Lianhu led his soldiers to call for help, while Fu Ya followed behind with her two sons.
Upon seeing Qing Xuanzi and Rong Jiaojiao, they showed expressions of surprise and delight. Rong Zhigao and Rong Zhiyuan called out to their younger sister from afar, their joy overflowing.
"Little sister!" Rong Zhigao and Rong Zhiyuan jumped off their bicycles and ran over. Their eyes lit up when they saw Rong Jiaojiao being held in Qing Xuanzi's arms.
When Rong Jiaojiao heard her brothers calling, she immediately peeked out from Qing Xuanzi's arms. Seeing her brothers, a bright smile appeared on her face: "Gaga, gaga!"
She broke free from Qing Xuanzi's hand and got off the ground, then, with her short legs, she wobbled and ran towards her brothers.
Rong Zhigao and Rong Zhiyuan quickly squatted down, opened their arms, and carefully caught her.
"Little sister, have you missed your brothers?" Rong Zhiyuan hugged Rong Jiaojiao, gently nuzzling her face, his eyes full of doting affection.
Rong Jiaojiao nodded, her little hands tightly gripping her brother's clothes, and said in a childish voice, "Baby misses Gaga, Gaga misses baby!"
Rong Zhigao chimed in, "Of course we miss you, we miss you every day."
He took a piece of candy out of his pocket and handed it to Rong Jiaojiao: "Little sister, here's some candy for you."
Rong Jiaojiao took the candy, happily put it in her mouth, her little face beaming like a flower, and mumbled a thank you: "Jiejie ga ga!"
Qing Xuanzi was speechless. This little girl was really quick; she grabbed it and immediately stuffed it into her mouth.
Fu Ya pushed her bicycle over and saw this scene, a relieved smile appearing on her face.
Turning to Qing Xuanzi, he asked, "Brother Qing Xuan, shall we go into the family compound to rest?"
Qing Xuanzi smiled and said, "No, I came here to see Lian Hu. Why are you here too?"
Fu Ya looked at her daughter: "I knew you wouldn't go to the family compound. Lian Hu and I were thinking of taking you back later."
Qing Xuanzi nodded and whispered to Rong Lianhu, "I have some grain that I plan to donate to the army. Tell Minister He that you want a donation certificate, and it would be best if only Jiao Bao's name was written on it."
Rong Lianhu nodded, understanding Qing Xuanzi's intention. He knew that Qing Xuanzi was doing this to protect Rong Jiaojiao, and he said, "Okay, I'll take care of it right away. Don't worry, I'll handle it well."
Fu Ya understood Qing Xuanzi's intention, and her heart was filled with gratitude.
Rong Lianhu went to the reception room to call He Da. He only said one sentence: "Minister, my brother Qingxuan is back. He said he needs to talk to you."
He Da's delighted voice rang out: "Where?"
Rong Lianhu: "We're at the entrance of the family compound now."
"Wait."
He Da left two words and hung up the phone. A short while later, He Da rode his bicycle over in a flurry.
When Minister He saw Qing Xuanzi, a big smile appeared on his thin face: "Master Qing Xuan, you're back! Come on, come on, let's go to my house for a meal."
Qing Xuanzi waved his hand: "Minister He, no need to be so polite. I've got some grain. How do you plan to receive it?"
He Da rubbed his hands together expectantly and asked, "Master, how much grain do you have?"
Qing Xuanzi laughed and said, "Not much. There are only a little over a thousand catties of rice and about four thousand ears of corn."
Now, let alone several thousand kilograms of grain, even if it were only a hundred kilograms, He Da would still be extremely grateful to Qing Xuanzi.
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