Li Chengze quickly chimed in, "This was personally made by the Chief after he learned that your family had three new babies."
Ye Weiwei never expected that this was actually made by Elder Zhong himself.
She took the gift, admiring it with obvious delight, and said with feigned nonchalance, "I never knew you had this skill!"
Old Zhong proudly raised his chin, "I'm not bragging, but back in the day, it was this skill that kept me from starving! It's a life-saving skill."
Ye Weiwei smiled and gave a thumbs up: "You're amazing! Thank you on behalf of the children."
Seeing that Ye Weiwei truly loved the gift, Grandpa Zhong's smile widened. "This was made from eleven bullet casings. That brat Huo Xiao has received many honors during his years in the army, but he has also suffered many injuries. I remember them all. He's had eleven gunshot wounds during his missions over the years. He is a true hero, and his children are worthy of the title of heroes and heroines."
When Ye Weiwei heard Elder Zhong explain the significance of the gift, she bowed deeply and said, "Thank you for all the trouble you've gone through these years."
The fact that he can remember so many gunshot wounds to Huo Xiao shows how much he values and cares about Huo Xiao.
Liu Guilan, standing nearby, couldn't help but wipe away her tears. "My third son always reports good news and never bad. I had no idea what he'd been up to all these years..."
Ye Weiwei quickly comforted Liu Guilan, "Mom, it's all in the past, don't be sad anymore. He's fine now, isn't he? I'll keep him safe and sound."
Liu Guilan knew she had lost her composure in front of the guests, so she quickly wiped away her tears and said with a smile, "You silly child, he's a grown man, it's his job to protect you!"
After the laughter subsided, Ye Weiwei and Liu Guilan invited Grandpa Zhong and Li Chengze inside to rest, and then served them tea. Ye Weiwei went to the backyard to pick some tomatoes and cucumbers, then pointed at a watermelon that wasn't fully ripe, ripened it, picked it, washed it, and cut it up for the guests.
As soon as Old Zhong took a sip of the tea, his eyes lit up, and he couldn't help but complain, "That brat Huo Xiao is so disloyal! So disloyal! When he gets back, I'll definitely give him a good talking to!"
Huo Xiao came in from outside and heard him shouting. He asked with a cold face, "What do you want to say to me? I'm here, so speak!"
Grandpa Zhong glared at him angrily and said, "I've been thinking about you and missing you all this time, even mentioning you while eating. You have such good tea and you didn't even think of ordering some for me!"
Huo Xiao gave a cold laugh that didn't hold back: "You're talking about me while you're eating? Are you sure you're not complaining that the food isn't as good as mine?"
Old Zhong coughed awkwardly, then waved his hand and said, "Don't worry about the details, but it's absolutely true that I often say it's you. If you don't believe me, ask Little Li!"
Li Chengze forced a smile and nodded vigorously: "The commander does indeed often mention you."
Huo Xiao added bluntly, "That must mean the people below didn't do a good job, or that they couldn't brag in front of other military region leaders because I wasn't there to participate in the competition!"
Li Chengze: ...
It's better to see through something than to say it!
Grandpa Zhong didn't care about any of that. He poured himself another cup of tea, drank it all in one gulp, and said stubbornly, "I don't care! I'm taking this tea."
Huo Xiao leaned back in his chair, relaxing and sprawling out. "These are my wife's uncle's tea leaves!"
Grandpa Zhong was momentarily speechless, then chuckled awkwardly at Ye Weiwei and said, "Little Ye, don't misunderstand. It's just that this is the first time I've tasted such delicious tea, and I got a little carried away. I didn't mean anything by it. Is your uncle still here?"
Ye Weiwei suppressed a laugh, "Yes, it's still there."
Grandpa Zhong seemed to have been instantly revived, and said happily, "That's good, that's good. This time, thanks to your uncle's help, the capture mission went so smoothly. I need to have a good talk with him when I have time."
Ye Weiwei smiled and responded, thinking to herself that this man was just like a rascal, practically wearing his ulterior motives on his face.
Thinking about how much her uncle treasured these teas, she suddenly felt a little guilty.
Then, as she turned around, she saw Chu Liang standing at the door, looking at her with an extremely resentful gaze.
Ye Weiwei rubbed her nose sheepishly.
I forgot about Cousin Chu in the movie!
Chu Liang felt a pain in his heart that felt like it was bleeding, as if his own flesh was being torn away.
This tea was originally rare, and he had to plead with Zhang Changnian for days before he finally agreed to give them some.
Before the tea even arrived, another competitor appeared. It's easy to imagine that his young master's share would definitely be affected.
Ye Weiwei quickly changed the subject, then took out the gifts that Old Zhong and Li Chengze had prepared and showed them to Huo Xiao, explaining their significance. Huo Xiao took them in his hand, weighed them in his hand, and then raised his eyebrows. "Honey, don't be fooled by this old guy. He's a master of these kinds of tricks. Do you know what nickname our comrades in the army gave him? Old Zhong the Stingy! That's him! This guy definitely can't afford to buy gifts, so he just made up these little trinkets to fool people!"
"Third brother, how can you talk like that! You have no respect for your elders."
Liu Guilan glared at Huo Xiao, feigning anger, and said, "Apologize right now!"
Regardless of whether it cost money or not, this gift was clearly prepared with care, and the sentiment behind it is very precious.
Grandpa Zhong's face was flushed. He was indeed trying to save money, but he really wanted to prepare something for the children himself. It's just that he hadn't done it for many years and was a bit rusty, so it wasn't perfect.
Upon hearing Liu Guilan's words, Old Zhong immediately seized the opportunity and said with great momentum, "You brat, you've got some nerve! Take this!"
Huo Xiao dodged the attack and darted into the yard. "I wouldn't dare fight you. With your old arms and legs, if you hurt them, my wife would have to treat them."
Grandpa Zhong was so angry that he was puffing out his beard and glaring. He chased after the man into the yard, grabbed a broom from the wall, and swung it around with great force. "Enough with the nonsense! Take this!"
The two were chasing and fighting in the yard.
Liu Guilan looked at the two of them with concern, unsure of how to offer any advice.
Seeing her unease, Li Chengze quickly smiled and reassured her, "Auntie, don't worry. They're always like this when they meet. I'm used to it. If they ever stop arguing and fighting, I'll think it's abnormal."
Liu Guilan sighed, "Huo Xiao is such an insensible child. How could he talk to his superior like that!"
Li Chengze laughed and said, "Don't be fooled by our leader's complaints. In fact, he values Huo Xiao the most. That's why he dares to act like this with Huo Xiao. If anyone in the army dared to bully Huo Xiao, it would be like they had cut off his eyeball!"
Liu Guilan felt relieved and said with a smile, "I'm so grateful for the care and support I received from the leaders during my years in the army."
Li Chengze: "It's all thanks to Huo Xiao's talent; he's good at everything, there's nothing he can't do!"
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