It was a child that Qin Yushen brought back during a disaster relief mission.
His family had all perished in the disaster. Despite his resolute character, when he saw soldiers coming to provide disaster relief, he helped them run up and down the mountainside. In the floodwaters, wearing tattered straw sandals, he led them through the ravines where landslides and mudslides could occur at any moment, rescuing the trapped villagers.
He didn't complain about the hardship or fatigue, but fainted due to low blood sugar after the rescue operation.
When he was taken to the hospital, the doctor said he hadn't eaten for at least three days, and his stomach contained nothing but tree bark and grass roots.
In fact, Qin Yushen and the others gave him plenty of food at every meal, and there was even leftover food.
Later we found out that he had hidden all the food we gave him.
When asked why he wasn't eating, he said he wanted to save the fine grains to give to the uncles and elders in the village after the rescue was over, so they could carry his family up the mountain and bury them.
Only then did the soldiers learn that his entire family had passed away.
Later, Qin Yushen led people to help him with the funeral arrangements for his family. The village chief was also a good man and asked Qin Yushen to find a way for the child to make a living. The child was not yet fourteen years old, had no skills, was poor, and was thin. He could not support himself by working in the fields.
Now that his parents have passed away, the village can't just stand by and watch him starve to death, so they will eventually have to use the team's grain to subsidize him.
Every penny and every grain of rice in the team was earned by the villagers from the soil, not by the wind. Now, with the disaster, the village is so poor that it can barely afford to eat. How can they possibly support a half-grown boy?
This kind of thing should have been handled by the commune, but unfortunately the whole commune was hit by disaster, and the commune leaders were powerless to help. After all, it wasn't just one or two households that were affected; there were many more people in need of assistance.
Even if the commune were to provide assistance in the end, it could only barely ensure that he wouldn't starve to death; as for what would happen after that, the commune would not care.
Everyone has their own destiny.
Qin Yu deeply admired the boy's resolute character, so he informed his superiors and, just in time for the recruitment season, brought him back.
Sure enough, that kid lived up to expectations and didn't embarrass Qin Yushen.
In basic training, he was top-notch in every aspect, except that he was too thin. Several months into his service, he hadn't gained much weight.
"Commander..." The child walked over hesitantly, glanced at Lin Xiaoxiao, and lowered his head somewhat embarrassedly.
Lin Xiaoxiao looked at the child and found him quite interesting.
Qin Yushen frowned. "Stand up straight. What kind of appearance is this, hunching over like that?"
The child reflexively straightened his chest and tucked in his stomach, standing at attention like a soldier.
Qin Yu sat on a small stool with his curious little An'an in his lap. The whole roasted lamb was slowly cooking, and the aroma was irresistible. The little guy's eyes were fixed on the meat being turned over in the cook's hands.
"Sit down and talk," Qin Yushen said to him.
The child shook his head vigorously, "No need, sir. I just wanted to come and say thank you."
In the few months since he enlisted, although he is only fourteen years old, he has grown a lot. He is the youngest in the company, and everyone treats him very well. Seeing how thin he is, they are afraid that he is not eating enough, and they will secretly give him food.
He had never received so much pure kindness.
It was only after joining the army and seeing the people around him that he truly realized that without Qin Yushen, he might never have been able to serve in the army, let alone learn so much knowledge or make so many good friends.
The best outcome might be that he stays in the countryside, goes to work every day, and barely makes a living. He might not even be able to get married.
As she thought about it, a glint of tears welled up in the child's eyes.
Qin Yushen waved his hand, "Alright, stop being so sentimental. Now that you've put on this uniform, you have to shoulder the responsibilities of a soldier. You're still young, there's no rush to stand out. Health is the foundation of everything."
Qin Yu thought the kid was too thin.
They look like they're malnourished.
He remembers the food in the recruit camp was pretty good.
It must be that this kid is too eager to prove himself, training like crazy every day, putting too much strain on his body.
I couldn't help but say a few more words.
The child took his words as gospel and didn't question them at all. "I understand, sir. I will not let you down."
After saying that, he ran away.
Qin Yushen shook his head helplessly, "What expectations can I have of him?"
If we must say there is one, it's that he should be an outstanding soldier, serving the people and always keeping his responsibilities in mind.
Lin Xiaoxiao said, "He seems like a good kid."
Knowing how to be grateful and understanding that everything you have now is hard-won, as long as you stay on the right track, you will definitely become a qualified soldier in the future.
This part was over quickly.
Lin Xiaoxiao handed An'an over to Qin Yushen with peace of mind, then went to greet the women in the family compound and chatted for a while.
Just as the whole roasted lamb was about to be ready, the busy Han Ming and Chu Xiaonian rushed over.
Chu Xiaonian saw Lin Xiaoxiao among the family members and said in surprise, "Wow, this girl has become much more sociable this year."
I hadn't seen Lin Xiaoxiao interact with the people in the family compound much before.
Qin Yu defended his wife, saying, "Last year she was pregnant and didn't have much energy to socialize. It's not that she's unsociable."
"You're still as protective of your wife as ever," Chu Xiaonian laughed, reaching out to him. "Quickly, let me hold An'an."
He knew perfectly well that this was a preemptive measure to silence certain people.
Some people had reservations about Lin Xiaoxiao not living in the family compound and not interacting with the family members. Even Chu Xiaonian heard a lot of gossip.
The gossip originated from Lin Wanwan, who had lived in the family compound for a period of time.
She did a lot of badmouthing to Lin Xiaoxiao in the family compound.
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