Jiang Qiao got up and put her things away. "What's so great about it? I've been training with my uncle since I was little. I'm only good at hunting small prey. Didn't you see how many knives were stuck in the bear's head? I'm not strong enough. I had no choice but to use knives to make up the numbers. Uncle, let's keep this pheasant for dinner. I'll walk around and see what else I can find."
This time, Lu Zhiyuan really didn't stop Jiang Qiao from making the suggestion. He figured that even without him, the girl could roam freely in the old forest. It would be good for the child to see, and maybe she could even hunt some prey.
Jiang Qiao walked away, and sure enough, she really did catch her prey. However, she immediately stored it in her spatial storage. She didn't actually want to reveal this trick today, but Lu Zhiyuan and the others were in danger, and it was a matter of life and death, so she had no choice but to show it. Fortunately, it wasn't an outsider; at least this second uncle was a thoughtful person.
She gathered quite a few herbs, and even dug up a ginseng on the way, which was quite old. It was a kind of compensation for the fright she had today.
However, when she reached the middle of the mountain, Jiang Qiao stopped because she saw many cigarette butts in a pile of rocks, and they were all the kind with filters. After looking around, she even found condoms.
Isn't this a place that ordinary people can't come to? How come these strange things are here?
She didn't understand either, so she simply took a cigarette butt back with her.
From afar, I could see Lu Zhiyuan leaning against the base of a tree, resting with his eyes closed.
"Second Uncle, come on, have a wild peach, it's quite sweet. Look, I've caught another rabbit."
Lu Zhiyuan's face was somewhat pale. He opened his eyes and gave a weak smile. "I'm actually quite hungry. I'll grab something to tide me over. You can't deny you're getting old—"
Jiang Qiao didn't know what he ate for breakfast, but judging from his appearance, he probably didn't eat enough.
She wiped her hands and handed the water to Lu Zhiyuan, saying, "Uncle, I have some water here. You can drink some if you're thirsty."
Lu Zhiyuan nodded and ate the peach first. It was really sweet, but it was a bit small. After Lu Zhiyuan finished his peach, Jiang Qiao took out the cigarette butt from her pocket and told her about her discovery.
Lu Zhiyuan immediately became restless, looking at Jiang Qiao with a serious expression and asking urgently, "Girl, where is she? Take me there quickly."
Just as the two were about to leave, a voice called out to them from afar, "Here you are—"
Lu Zhiyuan replied that the two of them couldn't leave now and could only wait for someone to come. Jiang Qiao took the opportunity to tell Lu Zhiyuan the exact location.
This time, Chai Qiuxia brought a large group of male comrades, including soldiers and officers.
Lu Zhiyuan beckoned to one of them, and the two whispered to each other for a while. Then, Lu Zhiyuan turned to Jiang Qiao and his wife and gave them a few instructions before heading towards the place Jiang Qiao had indicated.
Such a large bear was impossible to carry outside, but fortunately, these people were prepared, each carrying a basket, clearly indicating that they were skinning it on the spot.
Seeing that the other party was prepared, Jiang Qiao remained silent and stood beside Chai Qiuxia, watching.
When it was time to disassemble, Jiang Qiao asked for the two forelegs. Everyone else wasn't interested in those, so they readily gave them to Jiang Qiao. As for the meat, Jiang Qiao only asked for five catties, as did Chai Qiuxia.
The rest, as previously instructed, should be distributed to the families so as not to benefit the children. Some should be kept for the canteen. Chai Qiuxia didn't take the leftover bear skin; she gave it to a comrade whose elderly family member was in poor health.
Just as they were about to leave, Lu Zhiyuan and Ji Weijun walked over with serious expressions.
Everyone was confused; these two had gone into the mountains, so why did they have such expressions?
"Old Lu, what's wrong? You're not happy even though there's meat?"
Lu Zhiyuan smiled and said, "No, I'm just worried about how to eat this meat."
The others joked, "You're so happy you're crazy! Eat as much as you want, but take it easy. Unless you're so lucky again, it's really impressive how you managed to put such a big thing down. You're still going strong! We're just basking in your glory. Let's go!"
After chatting for a bit, everyone quickly shouldered their things and headed back. Lu Zhiyuan carried the meat that Jiang Qiao and the others were carrying, while Chai Qiuxia carried the basket that Lu Zhiyuan had used to store medicine.
Once home, Jiang Qiao asked about the findings of Lu Zhiyuan and the others.
Lu Zhiyuan felt there was nothing to hide from Jiang Qiao: "Girl, it's lucky you found out. The security department will come to investigate later. Your Uncle Ji also thinks this is not simple. As for what the situation is, I can't say for sure yet. We suspect it was left by enemy agents."
As for more specific details, we'll have to wait for the investigation results. But that's beyond my scope of work. Let's grab something to eat and we'll be leaving in a bit.
Lu Zhiyuan never expected that going into the mountains to collect herbs would lead to such a situation. He really had to thank Jiang Qiao. This girl, as expected of the fourth son's daughter, was very vigilant.
Lunch was a bit late, since they had spent most of their time on the mountain. When Jiang Qiao saw the food that Chai Qiuxia brought back, she could only swallow it down because it was almost devoid of oil and was practically just boiled vegetables. The dry rations were even worse; they were small and contained some other things, making them a bit rough on her throat. But she knew better than anyone that she was lucky to have anything to eat.
She put down her chopsticks after eating one.
Are you full?
Jiang Qiao nodded, while Chai Qiuxia shook her head in disapproval. "Girl, you eat too little. No wonder you're so thin. With this amount of food, it's hard to gain weight. Children need to eat more, otherwise they won't grow tall. You don't take after your father in this respect. That guy probably eats a lot."
When talking about her father, Jiang Qiao couldn't help but smile.
“My dad has a good appetite and enjoys everything he eats. Even my mom admires him for that. But they are quite lucky to have a daughter like me. I’m easy to feed and they don’t have to waste food.”
Lu Zhiyuan chuckled after hearing this, "You silly girl, you have no idea what parents feel. They would rather you eat more than see you get thin. Especially since you are your father, that guy, oh my, I can't even describe it. When you were born, he contacted all his brothers he could, as if his children were different from others. Oh my, I can still remember how excited your father was back then, like a crazy young man."
Chai Qiuxia nodded with a smile, "You know what, it's true. But I can understand, it's the first time being a father, the feeling is always different. Okay, let's go."
Before leaving, Chai Qiuxia gave Jiang Qiao a red envelope, but Jiang Qiao refused to accept it.
Chai Qiuxia's face darkened. "Girl, this is the custom. You can't refuse it. Otherwise, we won't be able to accept the things you brought either. This is an old custom. Children have to be given red envelopes when they visit for the first time. Take it, or your aunt will be angry."
Jiang Qiao reluctantly accepted the red envelope. She didn't know how much was inside. Fortunately, the couple were both soldiers with decent salaries. If it were an ordinary family, she really wouldn't have been able to accept it.
As soon as Lu Zhiyuan and the others stepped into the courtyard, they heard Ji Weijun calling out to him, "Old Lu, hurry up and go to the meeting. Sister-in-law, I'll have a car take you there directly."
Lu Zhiyuan was going to visit his comrades-in-arms, and Ji Weijun had heard about it from him. However, there were new developments in the situation on the mountain, and Lu Zhiyuan was the first to see them, so he had to be taken along.
Lu Zhiyuan sighed, "Alright, Qiuxia, you and the children go and see them. We can talk about it when you get back tonight. I have to go now."
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