"You're... giving up?"
Commander Lin knew the new political commissar came from Beijing and had good conditions, but he hadn't dared to imagine that they would eat meat at every meal. Now, looking at this table full of dishes—three out of four were meat dishes, all served in small bowls—he hesitated to start eating.
"Don't go bankrupt just to entertain us. Take it easy, you have a long life ahead of you."
Qin Qinghuai quickly put a chopstick on his plate.
"Don't worry, Commander, I know what I'm doing. Hurry up and eat, we still need to go back and deal with those good things later."
Commander Lin immediately grinned, glancing at Qin Qinghuai, then Jian Dan, and finally at Sheng Zhiyuan, his expression a mixture of laughter and tears, his eyes subtly moist.
“You are all our brothers’ benefactors,”
As he spoke, he raised his teacup and drank it all in one gulp.
"Alright, we're all grown men, let's not do that."
In this situation, it wasn't appropriate for Qin Qinghuai to say anything like "you're welcome," since the items weren't his. He looked at Sheng Zhiyuan, who nodded slightly. With men present, it wasn't appropriate for Jian Dan to handle these social interactions. Besides, they all knew that Jian Dan didn't like this kind of thing.
"Let's not talk about being benefactors or not. You are soldiers who protect our country. I also have brothers in the military. I admire you and I am willing to do my part."
To be honest, while I admire you, you all know the current situation outside. No matter how passionate or patriotic you are, this kind of thing is easy to be targeted. Because you donate things, because you have money, once the Sheng family is overthrown, it's impossible for anything to happen again under my control.
I am a businessman, and businessmen prioritize profit. If you're talking about patriotism, I can offer these things, but I would never knowingly risk danger to sacrifice my life for such a small thing; that would be a joke.
So I've thought about this, but in practice, I've been hesitant. After all, the country is facing difficulties right now, everywhere is difficult, otherwise there wouldn't be so many displaced people.
When I heard she was getting married, I thought I'd come and visit. I hadn't planned to bring so much, but after asking around, I found out this place is remote and poor. So, after a few of us discussed it, we prepared some practical things, but then they said it was snowing heavily.
That's when I knew the opportunity had arrived.
I know this girl fairly well. She's tough on the outside, but she's incredibly soft-hearted. Back in the day, she took my daughter home and raised her for several years, even though we were complete strangers on the street.
That was my most desperate time. I thought I would die, but my daughter was so young. The streets were full of people smashing things and watching the spectacle. I thought I might as well take my daughter with me, so she wouldn't have to suffer in this world. Then I met her. I told her I would give her all my savings and ask her to raise my child. She did.
When I returned, having narrowly escaped death, everything had been returned to me without a single thing missing.
"No, why are you saying this?"
When talking about the past, Jian Dan felt a little uncomfortable.
"Haha, never mind, never mind. Back then, I was thinking that with the heavy snow blocking the mountains, this was the hardest time to get through. Even the villagers couldn't bear to see her like this. If something happened to you, she would definitely be worried too."
Everything else is his husband's responsibility; that's all the family we can help with.
Not only did Commander Lin nod repeatedly, but Qin Qinghuai also listened with great interest.
Seeing that he was about to continue, Jian Dan quickly stopped him.
"Alright, if you keep talking, we'll just have cold dishes later. We still have work to do, don't we?"
"Yes, yes, eat quickly, go back to work, and the soldiers will be able to have a full meal tonight."
Except for those few years, Sheng Zhiyuan had almost never worried about food and drink. However, after so many years of experience, he had also felt the coldness of human relationships and the sorrow of poor people struggling to make ends meet. He could understand the urgency and helplessness that Commander Lin was experiencing now.
After finishing their meal, the two left in a hurry. Only then did Sheng Zhiyuan ask,
"Tell me, why are you in such a hurry to get married? The last time I saw you, you didn't seem to have a boyfriend. Could it be..."
Sheng Zhiyuan was also aware of the treacherous nature of people.
"Could it be that we've been set up?"
She simply rolled her eyes at him, brought in the washed and cut fruit, placed it on the kang table, and watched as the two children rushed over with shining eyes. Sheng Zhiyuan didn't hesitate to reach out his hand as well.
"You're overthinking it. Who could possibly scheme against me?"
"You're really generous. You can't even find this fresh fruit in the capital."
"Hey, do you have any left? Bring me some later?"
Speechless
"Here, here, here. You're traveling all over the country these days, do you really need some food?"
"We don't lack anything, but it's just the same few things. The apples and oranges are all wrinkled and don't look appetizing. Sigh, I don't care, but my poor daughter hasn't been able to eat any fresh fruit for so long."
"Go away, go away, I'll give it to you. I didn't say I wouldn't. Don't try to play the victim with me."
Sheng Zhiyuan immediately seized the opportunity to make his demands.
"I want that watermelon too. Those things are a rare treat these days. The ones I ate in the south during the summer weren't as sweet as this one."
Simple and straightforward.
You're dreaming!
"Don't you even look at what season it is? I planted all year and this is all I have left. I'll give you half to take back, and I'll see if I can plant more next year, then I'll give you more then."
"Okay, okay, okay,"
Sheng Zhiyuan wasn't worried about the amount being discussed, and fearing that further discussion would cause an explosion, he immediately changed the subject.
"Hey, tell me, how did you two get involved? One of you is in Beijing, and the other is in the far northeast, so far apart?"
This chapter is not finished yet. Please click on the next page to continue reading the exciting content!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
