Ding-ling-ling
"Qin Feng, here is your letter and parcel list."
"Here I come." Qin Feng trotted to the gate and saw Xiao Jiang, the postman from the commune post office.
"Thank you, Xiao Jiang."
"No thanks, your package is too big for me to carry on my bicycle, otherwise I would have brought it to you. Take the parcel slip and go to the commune post office to pick it up yourself."
"Okay, we'll get it ourselves."
Qin Feng walked into the living room with the letter and everyone gathered around him, "Dad, is this a letter from Uncle Grandpa?"
"Uncle, do you have a letter from big brother? He wrote a letter home when he went there and it didn't go well. This time we will write to talk about him."
Qin Feng held up the letters and said, "Yes, there are three letters in total. One is from your uncle, one is from your eldest brother, and the other is from Ke'er."
"Ah, why does my sister have a separate letter? Let me see."
Qin Feng showed everyone the letter Qin Chengrui had written to Ke'er. Xiao Si read the words on the envelope, "Qin Feng, for Ke'er." Xiao Si picked up the letter and handed it to Ke'er. "Sister, this is really a letter from your uncle. I'm going to write to your uncle and ask him to write me a separate letter next time, and to include my name—Qin Muchun."
Qin Feng smiled as he watched the children's chatter. "Come, open Uncle's letter first. Qin Muxiao, you read it. Everyone sit down and listen together."
Xiao Si snuggled up to Li Shuwan and sat at the table. Ke'er leaned on the table with her hands on her cheeks. Qin Muze and Qin Feng sat on chairs beside the table, listening carefully to Qin Muxiao reading Qin Chengrui's letter. Qin Chengrui said, "I had originally planned to go home and celebrate the New Year with everyone, but recently I received a task from my superiors to lead the team on a mission. He assured everyone that he would protect himself. He also said that he was now the deputy division commander and could come home to see everyone after completing this mission. Then he asked about the management of Daqingshan and Xiaoqingshan, encouraging everyone to work hard to manage the two barren sand mountains and contribute to the construction of their hometown."
Everyone was listless after hearing Qin Chengrui's letter. Qin Feng felt bad too. He hoped that Qin Chengrui could go home and spend the New Year with his family, but now... However, he had to encourage everyone, "Okay, it's better for your uncle to be well. If he doesn't come back for the New Year this year, he will be back next year. We still have to live a good life and not let your uncle worry. Come to Qin Muxiao and read the letter from your eldest brother again."
Qin Muxiao picked up the letter from Qin Muze, tore open the envelope, took out the letter and opened it. "Hello, uncle, aunt, sisters and brothers... I'm doing well in the army, don't worry about me. I have enough food and I'm keeping up with the training. I haven't brought shame to the Qin family. I can't go home to celebrate the New Year with you this year, and I miss you all very much. I'm now the deputy squad leader. I will train hard, improve my skills, and become a good soldier."
Then he greeted everyone and asked about the management of the two barren sand mountains. He said that he was not at home and could not help at all. He asked Qin Feng and Li Shuwan to take care of their health. Along with the letter, he sent some special products from Beijing. He sent a flower headband to Ke'er and a picture book to Xiao Si...
Everyone urged Qin Feng to go to the commune post office to pick up the package, so Qin Feng took Qin Muxiao and Qin Muzhe with him. Xiao Si wanted to steam buns with Li Shuwan, and Ke'er wanted to go to the room to read the letter sent by Qin Chengrui.
Ke'er went to her room, opened the letter, and saw the contents were just as she had guessed. "Ke'er, Grandpa is doing well now. All his old illnesses are gone. Ke'er, eat well and grow up quickly. Study hard and master more skills. Ke'er, always put your own safety first and don't be rash or radical."
Then the lower half of the letter was completely blank. Ke'er immediately understood and took out a small bottle and a few cotton swabs from the space. She opened the lid of the small bottle, dipped the cotton swabs in the liquid inside, and then smeared the blank space in the lower half of the letter paper. Soon, several lines of words appeared:
"Ke'er, I'm writing to tell you that the issues your great uncle and great aunt have been facing over the past three years have been thoroughly investigated. They've now accepted a secret mission and are traveling across several countries to the other side of the strait. Their return date is unknown. So don't tell anyone about this, or it will put your great uncle and great aunt's lives in danger. Remember this. After reading this, burn it."
After reading it, Ke'er put the letter in the desk drawer in her room. "Uncle, Ke'er, I'm only four years old, and you trust me so much. Well, okay, for this trust, Ke'er, I swear as a four-year-old: to keep the state secret."
Ke'er came out of the room and walked to the kitchen door. She heard Xiao Si brother say something to Li Shuwan, and laughed, "Alas, poor Xiao Si brother, I will protect you. You just live happily every day, and no one can bully you. Otherwise, beat him to death. Humph."
"Little brother, if you and mother are laughing and giggling, tell me and I will laugh too."
"Sister, look, this is the flower steamed bun that I learned to make from mom. Hahaha, look at what it looks like."
Ke'er tilted her head and looked for a long time. "Rabbit and grass?"
"Hahaha," Li Shuwan also laughed. "No, Xiao Si said he wanted to make a dragon for you, saying you were born in the Year of the Dragon, and steaming a dragon would bring you good luck and good health in the coming year. But you see, he tried several times and couldn't get it right. He messed up the dragon's claws and beard. Oh, I laughed so hard that tears came to my eyes."
"Thank you, little brother. I like it. Put it in the steamer and let mother steam it for me. I will offer it as a sacrifice."
Qin Muchun waved her hands and said, "No thanks, no thanks. You are my good sister. It's just that my pinching is a little ugly." Xiao Si said in an embarrassed voice.
"It's not ugly, it's your love for me that is most precious."
The three of them were busy in the kitchen until Qin Feng and his father returned from the commune post office. Li Shuwan brought a pot of millet and sweet potato porridge, Ke'er brought stir-fried cabbage and vermicelli with sliced meat, and Xiao Si brought steamed buns. When they arrived at the restaurant, they saw that Qin Feng and his father all looked serious. Li Shuwan asked Qin Feng, "What's wrong? What happened?"
Qin Feng said, "We went to the commune post office to pick up a package and saw a large group of people rushing to the police station. We put the package on a horse-drawn carriage and followed the crowd to the police station. When we got outside the police station yard, we heard loud crying and shouting inside. There were so many people, we couldn't hear what was going on. So we asked the people next to us, and they told us that several children were missing. In one village, three children were missing at the same time, all boys. Another child was lost when he was taken to the supply and marketing cooperative to buy something."
Li Shuwan quickly asked, "Have you found the child? Oh my god, what a sin! Whose family lost their child? How can they live like this? These damn human traffickers."
Xiao Si's eyes were filled with tears. "Daddy, will those children never see their mother again?" He pouted and threw himself into Li Shuwan's arms. "Mother, mother, I won't go anywhere. I will follow you closely. I don't want to lose sight of mother."
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