When the two arrived at the department store, it was just opening time.
The brother and sister walked and looked around. Although winter had arrived and the days had gotten colder, their enthusiasm for shopping in the department store had not been extinguished and it was still bustling with activity.
"You said the old man has good teeth, right? Then weigh some honey. It's sweet, and older people like it."
Qiu Yuling wanted to ask for money, but Qiu Dahe stopped her, "Second brother is here, and he can still ask you to spend money. Save your money, and when you feel hungry later, come out and have a good meal."
Then I weighed five kinds of snacks, and later I weighed some bulk biscuits, egg cakes, crystal cakes, and small twisted dough sticks, all of which were weighed but did not require a ticket.
His sister told him that the old man was still making medicinal wine to drink. They didn't bring any jars or earthenware pots, so Qiu Dahe spent another four dollars and seven cents to buy a bottle of Moutai.
When Qiu Yuling found out, he had already paid the money and came over with the bottle of wine.
Before his sister could say anything, Qiu Dahe took the initiative to explain, "This little bit of money is nothing compared to the care they have given you all day long. What's more, the favor we owe to our eldest brother alone is more than enough to be repaid with this little bit of money."
Although Qiu Yuling knew everything, in Qiu Dahe's eyes, she was always a little sister. He always wanted to do what he could for her and break down everything he could say and tell it to her in detail.
This feeling was new to Qiu Yuling.
When she came here, her parents' initial control over her was repressive. They said, "You are my child, you must obey me." The other two brothers would not give in without principle, but this second brother was the only one who respected her as an adult and cared for her as a little kid.
She listened attentively without making any effort. Seeing Qiu Dahe staring at her eyes, she unconsciously replied, "I'll remember."
After it was over, she felt amused. This second brother had become more and more majestic since he joined the army. Just now, she felt like she was being lectured by the dean of studies and couldn't help but behave well.
Qiu Yuling was very familiar with the way to the old man's place. After a few turns, she instructed her second brother to ride to the destination.
"Grandpa? Are you in the room? I'll just come in." Qiu Yuling knocked on the door and pushed it open out of habit.
Qiu Dahe grabbed her wrist and held her back, "Wait, you haven't responded yet. It's so rude to barge in like this."
"What? Are you a guest? You have to ask me, an old man, to come out and greet you before you can let me in." The old man waited for a long time but no one came in chattering as usual.
He came out with his hands behind his back to open the door, only to find that it was not locked. He had just thought that he had remembered it wrong and had not opened the door in advance, so when he walked to the door and found that it was not the case, he was not in a good mood.
Qiu Yuling glanced at her second brother innocently. He told her to just follow her lead and see if he was still polite.
The old man opened the door and was about to have an argument with Qiu Yuling when he saw a soldier standing outside.
I don't know what he was thinking about, and his face suddenly turned red. "Little comrade, has my child done anything wrong? Why did you ask someone to bring him back personally?" As he said this, he pulled Qiu Yuling behind him.
"Grandpa Li, I'm Yuling's second brother. I passed by yesterday and heard my younger sister tell me a lot about you. I came here specially to visit you today. I apologize for disturbing you."
Only then did the old man realize that the soldier's eyebrows and eyes were somewhat similar to the little girl behind him.
He turned his head and asked Qiu Yuling with his eyes, and Qiu Yuling blinked twice in response.
"Come in, I was wondering what kind of trouble this girl had gotten herself into, but it turns out it's her second brother.
Come here if you want, why bring all this stuff with you? Take it with you when you leave."
As soon as I let the person into the house, I saw the young man rummaging around and putting a pile of things on the table.
He immediately became unhappy. Was he trying to buy out his relationship with his goddaughter?
"Oh, Grandpa, what are you talking about? It's not right to take a gift back after it's been brought in. You're embarrassing my second brother, aren't you? Let's eat together after he leaves, okay?"
"That's right, Grandpa Li. This is my first time here, so I haven't prepared much. I'm just bringing something to fill your stomach. Please don't be offended. My younger sister calls you "Godfather," so I'm shameless enough to follow suit. Just treat it as a gift from your own child. Don't ask me to bring it up back home. It's embarrassing."
The old man now looked at the young man carefully. Previously, he only thought that they looked alike in a few ways, but now that he opened his mouth and spoke in the same way, it was clear that they were from the same mother.
He loves dealing with these youngsters who are good at trapping people, and he hates the ones who can't even fart after being beaten with three sticks.
This person will easily like everything if he likes one thing, especially when the young man calls his granddaughter "Grandpa", the old man immediately becomes enthusiastic.
After chatting for a while, I felt that I could have another godson, not just a relative.
The old man asked if life in the army was hard and what they did. Qiu Dahe answered without missing a beat. He talked about the embarrassment of the soldiers and the pride of defending the border. The old man laughed and felt very proud at the same time.
"When I was young, I was in a militia company. Rounding it off, I was also a soldier. Let me tell you, we were on the alkaline soil beach at that time. The Japanese were afraid of the hardship and didn't dare to come. Otherwise, I would definitely have achieved great results."
Qiu Dahe nodded in agreement, and even said that the old man looked strong and vigorous now, and even if he caught the Japanese now, he would be able to do it so badly that they would be ashamed of their ancestors.
"Good boy, there's no rush to go back today. I'll ask Yuling to clean up the east room. You can stay here for one night and come back tomorrow. When you come back, come and see me. I know someone who can buy you a sleeper ticket so you can sleep back to your unit.
"Yuling girl, clean up the house for Dahe first, and don't rush to cook. Grandpa will ask Chef Jin to prepare some dishes for you at noon, and ask your second brother to taste the cooking skills of our canteen chef."
Qiu Yuling had a handful of dough, so she had to rub off the flour lint, knead the dough until it was smooth, and then cover it and put it aside.
The room the old man was talking about was where his son lived after he came back. He usually dusted it, and there was nothing much to clean. He just put a brazier in there to dissipate the cold air in the room.
There's not much else to do once you're done.
"Come on, girl, follow grandpa to the canteen to get some food. Tell Dahe to rub his face and take a rest at home. The kid must have been tired from the journey. Look at his dark eye sockets..."
Is this a case of vying for favor just to be a godparent? But the second brother's personality is indeed much better than the eldest brother's.
It's his destiny to be out in society.
They went to the canteen where Master Jin was to get food. Qiu Dahe didn't really rest either. He had found out everything discreetly this morning. The old man was from a good family and a decent man. My younger sister would be well taken care of by him.
Calling me "Grandpa" shows that the old man cherishes his descendants and makes him happy, but this chance encounter and his kindness towards my younger sister are really worth repaying.
He remembered the dark alley his comrade had mentioned and went to look for a way out.
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