Since this is the first time we've met, these four gifts are quite significant here, as they are often part of the etiquette exchanged between the parents of both sides when arranging a marriage.
Is this okay?
Qin Qinghuai looked at them and found they were all rare items.
There's about two pounds of brown sugar, about two pounds of millet, and the rice cake is rather loose but not heavy. Adding a small bag of milk powder, it's something only close relatives could afford; it's not so valuable that they couldn't accept it.
"Yes, it suits you well."
The clinic wasn't far, not far from the entrance to the camp. However, the camp was heavily guarded, and Jian Dan definitely wouldn't have been able to get in if he hadn't been with Qin Qinghuai.
That's it; not a single step of the registration process was omitted.
After entering, there was a courtyard next door with a red cross clearly visible on the wall. Several people were going in and out of the courtyard. Just as Jian Dan followed Qin Qinghuai to the gate, he saw a man squatting in the courtyard.
I don't recognize it, and I have no feeling about it.
Qin Qinghuai took a step, let out a barely audible sigh, patted Jian Dan on the shoulder, and then strode over first.
"Commander, how's the situation?"
The man slowly raised his head upon hearing the sound, staring unfocused at Qin Qinghuai without saying a word.
Soon, someone else came out of the house; it was Zheng Aiguo, whom I knew briefly.
"Commander, Political Commissar, Xiao An has woken up. He has no external injuries. The doctor said he probably fainted from being frightened by the blood."
The old man is seriously injured and is still undergoing emergency treatment.
As they were talking, Commander Lin's bodyguard came out of the house, holding a small child by the hand. The child looked a little smaller than Huizhou, but Huizhou was strong enough to fit the child inside.
Zheng Aiguo's face was tense, and his voice was very low.
"Political Commissar, Xiao An has come out, but he's still not saying anything."
Commander Lin staggered over and hugged the child, burying his face in the child's body and trembling. The two guards stood silently to the side, clearly not seeing this for the first time.
Qin Qinghuai pulled Jian Dan a few steps away. Jian Dan looked up and saw the child's face.
She tried to raise her hand to greet the child, but as expected, there was no response.
"Why!"
Qin Qinghuai reached out and held her hand, whispering,
"Xiao An has always been like this."
This child is different from Huizhou; in fact, they represent two completely opposite fates. One was surrounded by love in every way, and his entire childhood was carefree. It is foreseeable that he will also be a child who does not lack love when he grows up.
But this child must have been pampered and loved by the whole family before.
He may not lack love now, with his grandfather and father who take care of everything personally and love him wholeheartedly. However, he has lost the ability to communicate and express himself. He must also have feelings of longing, pain, and moments when he wants to cry.
A commotion erupted inside. Someone came out and said something. The man holding the child swayed and staggered back inside, leaving the child standing there bewildered. The helplessness and loneliness in his eyes made Jian Dan's nose tingle, and she couldn't help but step forward and gently hug him.
The child did not struggle or refuse. Even when making eye contact with Jian Dan, her gaze was unfocused, as if she were looking at her, or as if she were looking through her at someone else.
"Political Commissar, the old man... he couldn't be saved."
Qin Qinghuai frowned, looked at Jian Dan, and was somewhat uneasy.
Jian Dan glanced over, waved gently, and pointed to the child, indicating that she should watch the child. Qin Qinghuai breathed a sigh of relief, nodded, and turned to follow the person inside.
She simply picked up the child; he was so light, just as she had expected—less than half the weight he carried back on the boat.
"Xiao An, is your name Xiao An? Shall I hold you and let you sit for a while?"
The child did not respond.
Jian Dan didn't press on. She put the child on a stool, sat down next to him, took two oranges out of her pocket, handed one to the child, and then slowly peeled it open.
Xiao An held the orange, turning it over and over as if it were a new toy. Jian Dan didn't care, peeled the orange, and fed him segment by segment. He hesitated for two seconds at the first bite, but then, perhaps after tasting the sweetness, he became very happy and even opened his mouth to take more.
I've spent a lot of time with Huizhou. Since he's about the same age as me, I just use the same routine: eating, playing, there's always something he likes.
She fed the child an orange and a piece of candy, and then stopped feeding him. Together with Qin Yi, who had rushed over, they took the child home.
Did you tell their family before you took them away like that?
"Don't worry, sister-in-law, this is the commander's idea. There must be some chaos at home. He's worried about not being able to take care of the child, so he said he'd have to trouble you with the child."
Brother Huai asked me to help you. Just tell me what to do, I can do it. He might not be back tonight, I'll leave after you've all gone to sleep.
After a while, as we headed back, it was getting late. We could see people coming out of the camp, most heading to the canteen, while a few were going with them to the family quarters.
"It's already after get off work, Xiao An, are you hungry?"
The child naturally didn't answer, but with Qin Yi there, there was no chance of an awkward silence.
"Sister-in-law, what do you want to eat? I'll go to the cafeteria and get some. The cafeteria was so happy with the meat you sent yesterday; they said they'd be making stewed pork tonight. I'll go get some more in a bit."
It seems that Brother Huai and Brother Zheng won't get any food.
Some are happy, some are sad.
It was a rare treat for Lin Tuan to eat meat, but he encountered this kind of situation. Qin Qinghuai and the others naturally couldn't stand idly by. The local custom was that when someone was in trouble, the neighbors would all come to help.
Putting aside the neighbors, Qin Qinghuai, as a partner, was definitely indispensable.
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