With a clear look of doubt in his simple eyes, Cheng Chao felt too embarrassed to be so obviously lazy.
"Are you still able to walk? It would take more than two hours to walk there."
In the end, the two of them naturally left. They had been sitting the whole way, so they were just a little stiff, but they weren't really tired.
Moreover, Jian Dan hadn't forgotten what time it was. It was only a little over thirty miles away, so she really didn't dare to be pretentious, lest she cause trouble for her second uncle as soon as she arrived.
Besides, it's not a difficult thing for her.
Cheng Chao's eyes flashed as he noticed the small bundle that had appeared beside Jian Dan. He casually took it; hmm, it was quite heavy.
"You just went out?"
Simple was unaware that her alternate account was in grave danger.
"There's a state-run store not far from here, and next to the restaurant, there's a small alley. Didn't you see it?"
Whether it's true or not, Cheng Chao naturally cannot deny it.
"Oh no, you didn't end up in the black market, did you?"
He was momentarily stunned.
Does a black market really exist?
In the past few years, she hasn't lacked anything and hasn't thought about making money by reselling things, so she hasn't really paid attention to it. However, she remembers that the black market seems to have a pretty important role in novels.
"you do not know?"
"I didn't notice either. I just saw someone and went in."
Cheng Chao realized he had discovered his sister's secret, so he automatically skipped the topic and didn't press the issue further, since his sister would have to find an excuse.
"Although the black market is discouraged and the government officially prohibits it, it has indeed provided a lot of help to ordinary people and relieved them of many troubles."
However, the area is a mixed bag, so it's best to avoid going there if possible.
The siblings' luck returned. Before they had gone halfway, they encountered a car coming from Lianshan City—oh, it was a truck.
When Cheng Chao glanced back briefly, he saw that the vehicles traveling this route were military trucks, and 99% of them were heading to the same destination.
The driver didn't recognize them, but as soon as he heard they were going the same way, he kindly let them get in the car.
He has a slight accent, but it's still understandable.
When they went out with Cheng Chao, it was simple. They only smiled when they met. After that, Cheng Chao did all the talking. By the time they arrived at the camp, the two of them were practically brothers. If Cheng Chao hadn't repeatedly refused, the driver would have insisted on taking them there.
It must have been a car that went out to make purchases. After dropping them off, they went straight back to logistics. Cheng Chao picked up the bundle and led them inside, explaining as he went.
"To the left is the training ground, and at the end of the road is the family compound. Over there, looking into the distance, is the breeding area, where cattle and sheep live. That's at the foot of the mountain. We usually hunt on that mountain, but at the foot of the mountain there is a large area of specially cultivated grassland, surrounded by people who are dedicated to watching over it, just for feeding the cattle and sheep."
That meadow connects to the hillside behind it; it's all off-limits to strangers. Don't go there unless you have to, or someone might mistake you for a grass thief, haha.
Knowing that Jian Dan couldn't stay still and liked to go up the mountain, he explained in advance that there really wasn't much to do on the grassland.
Before even entering the family compound, you can see children running around on the road. This area is a military region, so no one is worried about safety, and the children are having a great time.
Upon seeing two unfamiliar faces, the children looked over warily. Then, a small child wobbled over, looked up at them, and...
"Who are you looking for? Are you here to kidnap a child?"
It was a little boy with a chubby face, slightly roughened by the wind, and big, wide eyes.
Are you bad people?
She simply bent down and pinched her little face.
Do I look like a bad guy to you?
A child behind them muttered something.
"Even if you're a bad person, you won't say you're a bad person,"
Okay, that's quite a warning sign.
Cheng Chao hadn't expected to be stopped at the door by a group of children; he couldn't be dealt with by being soft or hard.
At that moment, two figures darted out of the family compound.
"What are you doing? Do you even know each other? Why are you standing so close together?"
"That woman is so pretty, she can't be a bad person, right?"
"That bad guy from last time was pretty too, have you forgotten?"
The children looked at each other, unsure what to do. The two newcomers stood with their hands on their hips and looked over. Cheng Chao's voice rang out as well.
"Am I a bad person?"
"Bad people won't admit they're bad people!"
"Ah, brother, it's my eldest brother! My eldest brother!"
The afternoon sun was shining directly on the residential compound. The child who had just been speaking was facing the doorway, his eyes still glazed over. Upon hearing this, he didn't care about anything else and dashed out as well.
"Big brother!"
Cheng Chao was forced to catch two small firecrackers that rushed towards him.
"Big brother, big brother, what brings you here?"
"Big brother, you're here. I asked my mom to cook something delicious for me, but she wouldn't. She insisted on waiting for you."
"Big brother, what are you holding? Is it some treat for us?"
Another child frowned and tugged.
"Take care of yourself!"
Well, at that age where he's so annoying, before the novelty even wore off, Cheng Chao was already starting to frown.
"Alright, stand still, march in step, let's go home first."
Clearly, the two younger boys were still afraid of Cheng Chao, and they obediently led the way, while secretly glancing back at the young lady Cheng Chao was leading. The two boys huddled together and whispered to each other.
Cheng Chao explained in a low voice,
"The one who looks like the little madman is Cheng Rui, and the one who doesn't talk much is Cheng An. He looks well-behaved, but that's just an act. This kid is very cunning. Cheng Rui has been tricked by him quite a few times."
Simple, secretly smiling.
"It's actually quite fun."
The Cheng family is small; there are only these two younger brothers in this generation. Cheng Chao cares about them a lot, and he never comes empty-handed. You can tell from their attitude towards Cheng Chao that their closeness is genuine.
Oh, and there's also my second aunt. Cheng Chao said she's a good person. Judging from what the child said earlier, she shouldn't be stingy. We'll see when we meet her.
In short, he's thick-skinned; he didn't even blush when the two kids were staring at him like that.
Cheng Rui, being bold, shuffled to the side as he walked, eventually getting close to Jian Dan. He glanced at Cheng Chao, who hadn't looked up, and asked what he thought was a very quiet question.
"Miss, are you my older brother's girlfriend? Are you going to be my sister-in-law?"
Cheng Chao's deathly gaze immediately swept over them.
Jian Dan almost burst out laughing, but she turned her head, bit her lip, and coughed a few times to suppress it.
"Um, can't I have a different identity?"
"What are your other identities?"
"Look, you're calling me 'Miss' now?"
Cheng Rui is straightforward and doesn't think things through very carefully.
"Yes, I call my older brother's girlfriend 'sister,' isn't that right? You can only call her 'sister-in-law' after you're married, right?"
Cheng Chao's face turned pale and then red as he struggled to refrain from hitting the child.
Who would have thought that he would be indirectly pressured to get married by a ten-year-old brat?
However, Cheng An, who was also listening intently, had already thought of it.
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