Because they came back with Aunt Zhao and the others, the family had not yet cooked the meal, but Xiaofeng picked a lot of wild vegetables on the mountain. She was lucky enough to find a pheasant's nest and picked up six pheasant eggs. The little girl had eaten a lot of candies given by Shen Anning and the others in the past two days, and she was very generous. She took out all six eggs for her mother, saying that she wanted an extra meal.
Several female classmates from the Medical University happened to hear her say this in the kitchen. They touched her head curiously and praised the little girl so much that she ran out embarrassedly.
We did a lot of physical work today, and the senior sisters also took two cans of braised pork. We can't eat the little girl's eggs for free.
There were two cans of meat, and for so many people, a whole basin of potato cubes was cut to ensure that everyone could eat.
Scrambled eggs with green onions, braised pork with potatoes, corn pancakes with cold wild vegetables, and a pot of mung bean soup. The two children of the Zhao family rarely see meat throughout the year. Looking at the dishes on the table, they swallowed unconsciously.
The cornmeal pancakes were made when the potatoes were roasted, and were covered with some meat-flavored soup. Although the two children were greedy, they did not put their chopsticks to the meat. They kept eating potatoes and wild vegetables, and each of them only took a piece of egg with their chopsticks.
Seeing such a sensible child, everyone felt particularly distressed. They put some meat into the brother and sister's bowls and said, "Xiaofeng, Xiaowei, eat more. Don't be polite to these brothers and sisters. They can eat a lot. If you don't eat now, they will eat up all the meat and eggs."
"It's okay. Let the brothers and sisters eat more. They are very tired from going up the mountain every day."
Everyone's heart melts when they hear about such a sensible and obedient child.
We came back late today and it was already dark, so no one went to the river to wash clothes. We burned mugwort sticks in the house to smoke out mosquitoes, and a group of people sat in the yard to enjoy the cool air. As they talked, they could hear the sound of swatting mosquitoes.
Xiaofeng was sitting between Shen Anning and Fang Yuan. Children attracted mosquitoes more, so Shen Anning sprayed some floral water on her and Xiaowei.
"Sister An Ning, this smells so good."
"This is floral water. It has mint and other spices in it. Mosquitoes are afraid of it." Shen Anning looked at Xiaofeng, who was only a few years older than Xixi. They said that children from poor families grow up early. If given a choice, which poor person would want their children to "grow up" so early?
"By the way, Xiaofeng, do you usually go to town or the county town with your parents to buy things?"
Xiaofeng thought about it seriously. She had grown up but had rarely left the village. "Sister An Ning, I've only been to the commune twice with my mother during the Chinese New Year. I haven't been to the county yet. The village chief and his uncle don't allow us to go far away. They say there are beggars in the county, and the bus fare is too expensive. My parents don't make much money in a year."
The little girl looked at Shen An Ning and Fang Yuan, then looked towards the door, as if she had made up her mind, and said, “Sister An Ning, Brother Liang Zi and the others asked me today if you asked me anything at my house?”
Shen Anning and Fang Yuanyi asked, "Is this Uncle Liangzi from the village chief's family?"
"Yes, he is the nephew of the village chief, from Grandpa Li's family."
Shen Anning smiled and said, "What did you say, Xiaofeng?"
"I said you didn't ask anything. You all went up the mountain during the day, and we were only together at mealtimes. And you didn't ask anything."
Shen Anning touched her head and said, "That's right, Xiaofeng, just tell the truth. The sisters just chatted with you and didn't ask anything."
Everyone was chatting, and there was nothing special about what Shen Anning said to Xiao Feng, but she was still more alert in her heart.
"Xiaofeng, don't we usually have many outsiders coming to our village?"
Xiao Feng didn't even think about it. "Yes, but they all came to see the village chief and his family. People with the surname Li have many relatives. My father said that our relatives with the surname Zhao are not here. During the holidays and New Year, we always go to grandma's house."
The Shen family in the Beijing Military Region compound.
Cao Jingheng had just finished his meal with Grandpa Shen and Grandma Shen, and was sitting on the sofa with Xixi in his arms to help digest the food.
Seeing the grandpa and grandma talking on the phone, Shen Zixi quietly leaned over to Cao Jingheng's ear and said, "Uncle-in-law, did you buy me some candy?"
Cao Jingheng's face froze. "Xixi, my uncle came here in a hurry today and forgot to buy it for you. Tomorrow, I'll make it up to you, okay? I'll buy you a double portion."
"Okay then, don't forget it tomorrow." After getting the promise, the little girl smiled very happily. She has been changing her teeth recently, and her family members don't allow her to eat sweets. She can only see them every day but can't eat them, so she is too greedy.
"Jingheng, come to the study."
Shen Zhaolin sat on the chair with his brows furrowed. The situation over there might be worse than they thought.
Bandits have been rampant in southern Sichuan since ancient times. When the People's Liberation Army went there to suppress the bandits at the beginning of the People's Republic of China, most of the bandits were ordinary people. They farmed when they were busy and robbed when they were free. All the strong laborers in a village were among them, and their families would also protect them. The bandits took advantage of the performances of the art troupe to fish in troubled waters, which led to the sacrifice of a troupe leader. The casualties of that expedition were comparable to those on the battlefield.
These are all historical issues. The remnants of the bandits have integrated into the people, and nothing major has happened in recent years. It is probably because they have relaxed their vigilance.
"Jingheng, I just called the higher-ups and spoke to the military region in southern Sichuan. They've heard about the situation and will actively cooperate with us."
"You're from the military too. So, go there with the comrades from our Youth League Office and coordinate with the local armed forces. They're likely armed, so be careful."
Cao Jingheng saluted and said, "Don't worry, Grandpa." An Ning called him. He might not be familiar with the local terrain, but he had rich experience in fighting in the mountains. Moreover, many of the educated youths in the educated youth center there came from Beijing and Tianjin.
Time was tight and the task was heavy, so Grandpa Shen asked them to leave by train overnight. Cao Jingheng could only apologize to the little girl and promised to bring her a lot of delicious food when he returned from Sichuan.
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