After four years of marriage, the military officer husband came back

Lu Jingzhe's hands were very big, almost completely wrapping Xia Qingning's hands. His palms were warm and dry. Due to long-term training, a thin layer of calluses were left on the fingertips, but they did not feel rough. Instead, they exuded infinite power, making people feel extremely at ease.

After walking through that section of the road in silence, Xia Qingning pulled her hand out of Lu Jingzhe's and said gratefully:

"Thank you for helping me out."

She knew that Lu Jingzhe only wanted to shut up those people who had just speculated about their relationship and prevent them from looking down on her, so he held her hand. It was not because he liked her or anything else.

A trace of sadness flashed across Lu Jingzhe's eyes, but he quickly returned to normal and said in a deep voice:

"fine."

As soon as the two of them walked to the gate of the courtyard, they met Xia Qingcao who was running out quickly with an anxious look on his face.

Seeing the two people coming back, Xia Qingcao seemed to be suddenly relieved, turned around and walked back into the house.

"I'm back." Guo Yumei came out and said to Xia Qingning and the others, then looked at her youngest son who had just passed by her:

"You're still being stubborn. Don't you care about your sister? Why are you running so fast?"

After saying that, he walked to Xia Qingning, took her hand, smiled and whispered to her:

"I just lied to him and told him that you guys had already gone back to the city. Look how anxious he was. He immediately ran out to chase you. I couldn't stop him even if I called him. Haha..."

After hearing this, Xia Qingning looked into the room, but could no longer see Xia Qingcao.

This kid is really stubborn and hard-nosed! I wonder if I can help him untie his knot and hear him call me sister before I leave.

Dinner was ready. On the table there was white rice, pork vermicelli, braised rabbit meat, and stir-fried sweet potato leaves...

The meal was even more sumptuous than the Xia family’s New Year’s Eve meal. Everyone sat at the table and Guo Yumei urged everyone to eat quickly.

Xia Qingcao sat far away from Xia Qingning, with his head down and not looking at her. There was a table full of delicious food, but he didn't take any of it. Instead, he raised his hand and took a rough dough and started to chew it silently.

The dough was what was left over from lunch. It was hot now, and if they were not eaten in the evening, they would go bad by tomorrow and had to be thrown away. The Xia family never had the habit of throwing away food, so even though there was a large table full of delicious food, Guo Yumei still brought it out and placed it in front of herself.

"This kid, why doesn't he eat all the delicious food on the table, but instead eats dumplings as soon as he gets here?" Guo Yumei asked deliberately while looking at her still angry little son.

"The dumplings are delicious." Xia Qingcao replied stubbornly.

"Then I'll have one too." Xia Qingning said with a smile, obviously trying to get close to him. She raised her hand to take the last one on the plate, but before she could get it, Xia Qingcao took the plate away.

"Isn't it delicious? Why don't you give it to me?" Xia Qingning asked deliberately.

"That's why I'm not giving it to you because it tastes good." Xia Qingcao didn't look at her and ate both balls of dough in a short while.

The dough was not made of pure white flour at all. Instead, a large amount of double-husk rice was added to the flour. Double-husk rice is the broken rice with bran left over when the rice is husked and turned into rice.

This kind of rice tastes very bad, it is rough and prickly. This kind of rice is usually used to feed chickens, but the Xia family is so poor that they can't bear to feed the chickens with it, so they mix it with dough and make dumplings for their own consumption.

Xia Qingcao was not reluctant to give it to his sister, but he knew that the dumpling was really not delicious, so he said that on purpose.

Xia Qingshu, who was standing by, patted his brother on the head. He knew what he was thinking, but he didn't expose it. He smiled and said to Xia Qingning:

"He likes it, let him eat it." Then he picked up a large rabbit leg with chopsticks and put it in Xia Qingning's bowl:

"Xiao Ning, you eat rabbit meat. This is a rabbit raised on grass. It is usually very precious to me. It is only after you come back that I am willing to let my mother kill it and cook it for me."

"No." Xia Qingcao retorted in a low voice, and said angrily: "It's that rabbit that is disobedient and always tells lies to deceive people."

Xia Qingning felt a chill on her back when she heard this. This was clearly an attempt to kill Sister Tu Jing! She quickly said:

"Qingcao, I really know I was wrong. I will never lie to you again."

Everyone laughed when they heard this. Although Xia Qingcao still lowered his head and didn't want to speak, the corners of his lips had secretly risen.

Guo Yumei, who was standing by, joked:

"Qingcao, don't scare your sister. She won't even dare to eat rabbit meat soon."

*

After dinner, Lu Jingzhe returned to the room that Guo Yumei had specially cleaned up for them. Just as he was about to take off his military uniform, he saw a little head hiding behind the door, secretly looking into the room.

In fact, he had already noticed that Xia Qingcao had been looking at him non-stop while eating. He stopped what he was doing, sat on a chair beside him, and solemnly called the child outside to come in:

"Little devil, come in."

His voice was steady and intimidating, the result of years of training in the army. Hearing such a voice, Xia Qingcao, who was hiding behind the door, subconsciously wanted to run, but as soon as he turned around, he suddenly stopped.

The desire in his heart overcame his uneasiness and awkwardness. He turned around and walked into the house cautiously.

He is much younger than Lu Jingzhe. Lu Jingzhe's family left the village when he was very young, so he has basically no impression of him.

But he also learned a little about his sister from the conversation between his mother and brother, and knew that he was forced to marry his sister. So when facing this man who always had a cold face and seemed difficult to get along with, he was a little scared.

He lowered his head and didn't dare to look at Lu Jingzhe. He called out softly:

"Brother-in-law."

Lu Jingzhe's eyebrows twitched, and he obviously hadn't gotten used to this name yet, but he didn't correct him and asked in a deep voice:

"What are you doing hiding there?"

Xia Qingcao lowered his head even lower, as if he was worried. He was silent for a long time and did not answer.

"Man, why are you hesitating? Just say it if you have something to say." Lu Jingzhe said in a calm voice. Although his voice was cold, it did not sound like a reproach, but rather like encouragement.

Maybe it was because of the word "manly" that stimulated her, but Xia Qingcao raised her head and looked at Lu Jingzhe, and said boldly:

"Let me see your uniform."

After hearing his words, Lu Jingzhe rarely showed a smile on the corner of his lips. After a moment, he raised his hand, took off his military uniform, and handed it directly to Xia Qingcao.

Xia Qingcao was flattered and raised his hand to take it, but when he looked at his black and muddy hands, he retracted his hand. Lu Jingzhe didn't say anything and just put the clothes on him.

The military uniform was very long, and it looked very inappropriate on the thin 12-year-old child, but somehow, as soon as Xia Qingcao put on the clothes, his back straightened unconsciously.

Lu Jingzhe's action silently protected the child's self-esteem and also gave him great encouragement!

"How old are you?"

"Twelve, soon thirteen."

"Want to join the army?" Lu Jingzhe seemed to see through Xia Qingcao's thoughts and asked directly.

"I do!" Xia Qingcao answered loudly without any hesitation.

"Are you not afraid of hardship?"

"Not afraid!"

Lu Jingzhe listened to his sonorous answer and raised his hand to pat him on the shoulder twice. Although the child was thin, his muscles were quite strong. When he was patted, his body could not bear the force and shook twice, but soon stood up straight again, revealing a kind of stubbornness and unyielding pride from his bones.

Lu Jingzhe nodded and said in a deep voice:

"Come to the army in a few years and I'll give you a military uniform."