"Haha, everyone hopes their sons will become dragons. But you, you just want us to become spoiled brats. I've never seen a parent like that."
"What's wrong with being a spoiled brat? Like you said, that's life too."
"Hehe, you're twisting the facts. We do this so we won't regret it when we're old. We've fought for our ideals, for our country, and for our nation. Of course, we should enjoy ourselves too. I'm not Brother Zhang, he's a workaholic."
"Hehe, he's not as good as you."
Wang Ying and Wang Xiaoshun remained silent. They thought to themselves, "This is what a family should be like."
"This little girl wants to come with you? Let Xiao Shun test her skills another day."
"Uncle Zhang, I'm going there to learn, not to fight."
"If you're out there all by yourself, we won't be able to help you if anything happens. I can't trust you with anyone who's skilled in combat. Actually, we have some girls among our people. Why don't you take a couple with you?"
"No, thank you. Besides, I'm not someone to be trifled with. Don't worry."
"You make it sound so easy. You'll understand how hard it is for us when you become an elder. A mother worries when her son travels far away."
"You said you could just send someone out to learn, why did you have to go yourself?"
"Then you should just send people over to fight, why come yourself?"
Zhang Xingguo was speechless. Should he admit he didn't trust others? Or that he was siding with his son? Neither seemed like an option. Oh well, let her go abroad. Knowing her personality, she won't stay away.
"Uncle Zhang, aren't you just worried that I won't come back? Don't worry, I'll definitely come back."
"That sounds nice, but in the end, they'll be like birds that fly away and never come back."
"Isn't there always weary birds returning to their nests?"
"Red plum, remember, fallen leaves return to their roots."
"Well, with so many people at home who care about me, how could I not come back?"
All the way, Zhang Hongmei comforted Zhang Xingguo, knowing the old man's worries. Zhang Hongmei thought to herself, nothing could tempt her away from home.
The other two people in the car felt that they were the real father and son, and they envied the affection between them.
Two hours later, they finally arrived. Looking at the densely packed tents, Zhang Hongmei truly understood the hardships the soldiers had endured.
It's almost lunchtime, and almost everyone is here except for those who are out on patrol.
Zhang Hongmei wasn't with Zhang Xingguo; instead, she was waiting on the side for the young soldier to call Er Lengzi.
Looking at the thin, bony soldiers, Zhang Hongmei secretly wiped away her tears. Heartache and sorrow filled her heart. How could things be so difficult?
When Zhang Hongmei saw Er Lengzi running over, she burst into tears. He was so thin that he looked unrecognizable. Although he was in good spirits, it felt like a gust of wind could blow him away.
Er Lengzi also spotted Zhang Hongmei. Looking at the pitifully crying little girl, Er Lengzi was stunned, thinking he was just seeing things because he was hungry. He had just been thinking about the braised pork she made; how could he be hallucinating?
But something's not right. I pinched myself; this isn't an illusion.
"Red plum, it really is red plum."
Zhang Hongmei ran over and grabbed Er Lengzi's arm.
"What are you staring at? How did you get so thin?"
Er Lengzi hugged Zhang Hongmei tightly. "It really is you! I was just thinking about the braised pork you made, the sliced meat, and then I saw you. Of course, I feel like I'm dreaming."
Zhang Hongmei wasn't used to this kind of contact, so she pushed him away, and Er Lengzi let go.
"You brat, what are you doing here?"
At this moment, Zhang Xingguo also came over. How could he not be anxious when he saw another man hugging his daughter-in-law? Fortunately, the boy let go immediately, otherwise he would have beaten him up.
"I came to see you. Every time you write, you only report good news and never bad. Your family is worried about you. And you're so hungry? Why did you give me your food coupons?"
"Alright, alright, even if you had food coupons here, there's nowhere to buy them. Don't change the subject. I'm asking you, why did you get here?"
Zhang Xingguo approached the two men. Er Lengzi immediately saluted, "Greetings, Commander. This is Wang Baoguo, Deputy Battalion Commander of the Third Battalion."
After returning the greeting, Zhang Xingguo still glared at Er Lengzi.
Zhang Hongmei grabbed Er Lengzi's arm. "Er Lengzi, go get your food and come eat with me later. I'll wait for you by the car."
"Okay, I'm going to get my food. I can already smell the stewed meat."
Zhang Hongmei took the bag she had brought from the driver's seat and went to wait for Er Lengzi.
Sitting under the tree roots, I rubbed my eyes, feeling a deep sadness in my heart. How could these soldiers, who risk their lives for the country and the people, be so hungry?
Er Lengzi came over with a bowl of meat and three steamed buns and sat down next to Zhang Hongmei.
"Hongmei, you eat first."
“I’m not hungry, so you eat,” I said.
Er Lengzi nodded, picked up his chopsticks, and started eating, taking a bite of meat and a bite of steamed bun.
Seeing him eating with relish, Zhang Hongmei took out a lunchbox from the bag—actually, from her spatial storage—and said, "Brother Er Lengzi, this is pig's head meat. If you don't get diarrhea, you can eat it all. I specially prepared this for you."
Er Lengzi took the lunchbox without ceremony, picked up a large piece, swallowed it, and nodded repeatedly without saying a word.
"Take your time eating, there's no rush."
Er Lengzi finally swallowed his food. "Hongmei, aren't you going to eat?"
"I've already eaten, you can continue eating. Let me tell you about what's been going on lately."
"I was admitted to Capital University this year. It's summer vacation now. I came here on the orders of Gu Chuanming and Zhang Shouyi to deliver food to your troops. Do you have any questions? Ask me after we finish eating."
Zhang Hongmei took the empty bowl from when they finished eating meat, poured a bowl of water, and gestured for Er Lengzi to drink it.
Actually, Zhang Hongmei had been struggling with her inner thoughts. Giving the water to Zhang Xingguo wouldn't cause any problems, but giving it to someone else might lead to issues.
But then I thought, this is just a simpleton. Even if he notices something wrong, he won't say anything. If all else fails, I'll just say it's ginseng boiled water.
In the end, I decided to give Er Lengzi some treatment.
After finishing his drink, Er Lengzi paused for a moment, then handed the bowl to Zhang Hongmei, saying, "Another bowl, please."
Zhang Hongmei thought to herself, "You really aren't polite." But she still poured him another bowl.
Ten minutes later, Er Lengzi finished three steamed buns, a bowl of taro stew with meat, and a lunchbox full of pig's head meat.
She wiped her mouth contentedly. "It's so wonderful to be able to eat meat, but I still think it's not as delicious as your stew."
"Okay, I'll stew it for you again. I'll come over and bring you meat often until I go back."
"No need. You should just calm down. Once you've completed your mission, leave as soon as possible. We might be at war again any minute now."
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