On his way home, he ran into Dongnan, who was carrying water. Dongnan looked around to make sure no one was watching, then told Yan Xiaoqiang about his suspicions. Yan Xiaoqiang was shocked, then his face darkened. "If you dare to lay a hand on my daughter, don't blame your brother for being ruthless."
The atmosphere at dinner was rather quiet tonight. Yan Xiaonan had eaten too many shrimp chips and dragon beard rolls and couldn't eat any more dinner. Cuihua could only coax her into drinking a couple of sips of soup.
After dinner, Yan Xiaoqiang told Cuihua to quickly boil more water to help Yan Xiaonan take a bath. Since his second brother and his family had been here for a few days, his little girl hadn't had a proper bath.
Yan Xiaonan had already had enough sleep, and she definitely wouldn't be able to fall asleep at this hour. Yan Xiaoqiang's words were exactly what she wanted to hear. Seeing the little girl beaming with joy, Cuihua playfully pinched Yan Xiaonan's nose and went to boil water.
In the main room, Grandma Yan was making shoes by the light of a kerosene lamp. The shoes were for Yan Daqiang, and every stitch was filled with a mother's love. Yan Daqiang felt a warmth in his heart when he saw them.
"Mom, go to bed early. It's dark at night, don't hurt your eyes." Yan Daqiang took the needle and thread from Grandma Yan's hands.
Grandma Yan glanced at Yan Daqiang: "You won't be home for many days, so I was thinking of making you a few more pairs so you can wear them interchangeably."
"Oh, Mom, no rush. Are you tired? If you are, go to bed early. If you're not tired, let's chat."
"Alright, let's have a chat, Daqiang. What exactly do you manage in Beijing? I'll come visit you in Beijing when Nannan grows up," Grandma Yan said with a smile.
"Mom, I'm a major general now, and I still need to work hard to get the rank of lieutenant general. That's a task my father-in-law gave me. When Nannan grows up, you must come to the capital to see me. I'll be waiting."
"Oh, don't let your wife be unhappy then. After all, there are old people and young children, and a lot of people in the family." Grandma Yan's smile deepened.
Yan Daqiang laughed too: "Mom, don't belittle your son. I'm not a coward. My military rank was earned with my own blood and sweat. Nobody can bully you."
Grandma Yan nodded. Her eldest son had always been filial and was now quite successful. When Nan Nan grew up and went to Beijing, he would have a strong backer.
"Mother, Nan Nan is such a clever girl, much smarter than her brothers," Yan Daqiang said tentatively.
Grandma Yan knew exactly what Yan Daqiang meant. This son had always been observant, and he must have noticed all the changes in their family recently.
But after all, it had been more than a decade since they last met, and he was a soldier, so what needed to be kept from him had to be kept from him, and what needed to be reminded still needed to be reminded.
After thinking for a moment, she said, "Daqiang, your mother will follow Nannan for the rest of her life. She is the apple of my eye. If you can help her in the future, then help her; if you can't, that's okay too."
Yan Daqiang understood immediately. His mother was telling him not to meddle in other people's business. Thinking about how he hadn't been home for over ten years, he realized he shouldn't be meddling so much. He should just spend more time with his mother this time.
Seeing his mother's somewhat sad expression, Yan Daqiang changed the subject: "Mom, wasn't I awesome yesterday? I snapped a wild boar's neck with a carrying pole! You have to reward me."
This statement stunned everyone. Grandma Yan immediately understood that her son knew what she meant, and that Yan Daqiang was once again taking the blame for her sake.
Grandma Yan finally felt relieved. Yan Dongnan glanced at this uncle and sincerely admired him. Just like his own grandmother, he always did the right thing at the right time.
The atmosphere became noticeably more harmonious, and Yan Daqiang felt relieved. After all, he would be staying for a while longer, and it would be too tiring to keep on guard against each other.
But deep down, she knew that Nan Nan was a treasure, a key to ensuring her mother, brother, and the whole family had enough to eat and wear.
Anyone who does anything to harm Nan Nan will face a backlash from so many people. Unfortunately, the younger brother and his friends are too inexperienced and too easily exposed, so they have to take the blame themselves.
The next morning, Yan Daqiang sat in the main room eating breakfast. Southwest and North South went to the outskirts of the mountain to collect some firewood before the cold wave fully arrived, as firewood was very important during the freezing weather.
Xuemei also cleaned the room where Yan Erqiang and the others had stayed, washing all the bedding and sheets thoroughly so they could go back to their own rooms to sleep tonight.
Seeing that only Grandma Yan, Yan Xiaoqiang, Cuihua, and Dongnan were left in the main room, Yan Daqiang spoke very seriously:
"Mother, Xiaoqiang, Nannan is my niece, and she's the darling of our Yan family. I will definitely protect her. But you must be careful in the future. The world is not very stable now, and such a young child has no ability to protect herself."
These words reminded Yan Xiaoqiang and his grandmother of the past when the little girl was stolen by Widow Zhang, and they were both very nervous. Seeing their nervousness, Yan Daqiang felt relieved, because only when they were nervous could they take precautions.
"I'll be here for another two weeks. I'm planning to teach a few kids some martial arts. Anyone who wants to learn military boxing from me can at least improve their health."
Yan Dongnan was the first to raise his hand, and Yan Xiaonan raised both hands. Military boxing, huh? I learned it during university military training, but I've probably forgotten most of it now.
Seeing Yan Xiaonan raise her hand, Dongnan smiled and pinched her cheek: "Little girl, you can't even walk properly yet, what are you learning boxing for?"
Yan Xiaonan protested, "Big brother, let's have a contest." She then clenched her fist. Dongnan looked at the pink little fist and deliberately tried to bite it, but Zhongnan stopped her with two barks.
Yan Daqiang looked at Zhongnan, completely baffled. "How did a wolf learn to bark like a dog?" he thought, but wisely, he didn't ask.
At mealtime, Bei Nan and Xin Nan arrived home on time, their baskets filled with firewood. Looking at the two sensible boys, Yan Daqiang was truly envious. His own son only knew how to study and wouldn't even practice boxing.
Lunch was very simple. Apart from Yan Xiaonan's small bowl of white rice and an egg custard, there was a large bowl of corn porridge, a dozen or so steamed buns made from a mixture of wheat and water, and some homemade pickled vegetables. Everyone ate it like that.
Right after lunch, the village chief came to our door. It was the third day of the Lunar New Year, and everyone was too cold to care about going into the mountains to find materials. Of course, they were only going into the outer mountains; they dared not go into the inner ones.
Even so, the villagers unanimously demanded that Yan Dongnan lead the team. With Dongnan in the team, the safety factor would be much higher. Looking at Yan Dongnan's embarrassed face, Yan Daqiang smiled.
So it turns out that the way Southeast killed the wild boar with a single palm strike is similar to how he broke the wild boar's head and neck with a carrying pole.
Since the village chief had personally invited him, how could he refuse? He grabbed his machete and had no choice but to go with the village chief and the others. Yan Xiaoqiang, obviously worried about Dongnan, grabbed his shovel and followed as well.
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