Chapter 77

Li Yuechan noticed that everyone around them was staring at their table. Afraid that Tian Haozhe might say something shocking, she quickly said, “I want to join the army.”

Tian Haozhe looked bewildered. “Huh?”

“So, thank you for your kindness,” she added.

Cheng Huai’an, seeing that the girl had declined, felt a weight lift off his shoulders. He had been willing to help her get into the propaganda department, but now that it was no longer needed, it was fine.

Tian Haozhe was a little disappointed, but he quickly recovered and cheerfully invited everyone to continue eating.

Not long after, the two dishes Zhang Jinbu had ordered were ready, and the dumplings were served.

The group gathered around the table to eat. Tian Haozhe’s mouth was like a machine gun, constantly talking.

Li Yuechan occasionally joined in, while Zhang Jinbu shot him an eye roll, finding him a bit annoying, as though he thought he was the only one who could talk.

Cheng Huai’an hadn’t spoken a word the whole time, and Tian Haozhe was already used to his “dead face.”

After the meal, Li Yuechan and Zhang Jinbu said their goodbyes to the others. Tian Haozhe, still grinning foolishly, waved at the girl.

Cheng Huai’an looked at Tian Haozhe’s silly smile and said impatiently, “They’re already far away, why are you still looking?”

Tian Haozhe stared at the now-empty space, patted his chest, and said, “Old Cheng, I think I’ve fallen in love. Feel it, my heart’s beating really fast.”

Cheng Huai’an rolled his eyes at Tian Haozhe. “She’s not interested in you, stop being so self-indulgent.”

“Old Cheng, you’re too harsh!” Tian Haozhe complained.

Cheng Huai’an ignored him and turned to leave.

“Old Cheng, what do you really mean? Slow down!” Tian Haozhe called after him.

On the other side, Zhang Jinbu turned to Li Yuechan and said, “Sister, if you’re planning to join the art troupe, do I still need to go to the provincial capital? The place near that military district isn’t exactly close.”

Li Yuechan thought for a moment and replied, “It’s fine, if I can do a job, I’ll take it. I’m free anyway. But isn’t the price here a bit low? You should haggle with that guy, Jin.”

Zhang Jinbu hesitated, “Sister, it’s not that Brother Jin gave you a low price, it’s that transportation costs are really high right now. Plus, I heard from Brother Jin that there are highway robbers and vehicle checks along the way. They’re facing a lot of risks.”

Li Yuechan nodded. It was true; transportation was so inconvenient these days, and everywhere required references. They were in a small place like Luoan, but in the future, they’d have to venture out more to explore opportunities.

---

Meanwhile, in the big walnut tree village, at team leader Li Jianbin’s house:

“Jianbin, you called me over. Is something wrong?”

“Cousin, there’s something I’ve been hiding from you.”

“Hey, Jianbin, what’s going on?”

“It’s like this,” Li Jianbin began, “A few days ago, someone came to the village office asking about Xiangdong.”

“What? There’s news about Xiangdong?” Li Jianbin nodded and said, “It was someone from the army. They said Xiangdong signed up to join the army, and now they’re conducting a political review.”

“What? Xiangdong signed up to join the army?” Li Jianbin replied, “Yes, they said Xiangdong performed well, so he got in through a special recruitment channel. I’ve already sent the political review materials over there. At the time, your family was in such a mess, I didn’t tell you.”

Li Jianjun’s eyes reddened as he tightly grasped Li Jianbin’s hand, saying, “Thank you, Jianbin, thank you. If my wife knew that Xiangdong joined the army, this family would probably fall apart.”

“Heh, that’s what I thought too. I didn’t tell you until you were done splitting the family. It’s a good thing.”

“Yes, yes, it’s a good thing. Xiangdong has always wanted to join the army, but we didn’t have any connections, so this is really good.”

“Exactly. Since the army was able to recruit him through special channels, it shows he’s exceptional. Maybe he’ll develop well in the future and have a bright future. You’ll be able to enjoy the benefits later.”

“Heh, yeah, I didn’t expect this kid to have such luck.”

“Oh, by the way, the land foundation you mentioned—have you decided on which plot?”

“I talked it over with my wife, and we decided to pick the plot in the middle of the village. Your sister-in-law also thinks it’s a good spot, close to everyone.”

“Good. I was worried about how you two would live in those two rooms after the split. Now it’s fine. You’ll build a house, and in the future, you can get Xiangdong and Xiang Xi married. Your family will definitely do well.”

Li Jianjun chuckled and said, “Let’s hope so.”

“By the way, are you still going to build that wall?”

When Li Jianjun heard this, his face dropped. “Yeah, we’ll build it. It’s been chaotic around here with chickens and dogs everywhere; it’s not ideal. I’ve talked it over with my wife. Xiang Xi and I will find some time to build it.”

“Alright, whenever you’re ready to start, I’ll send my son over to help.”

“No need, no need. We’ll handle it ourselves.”

“Ah, we’re family, no need to be so polite.”

Li Jianjun went home. Recently, their house had been chaotic due to meal arrangements, but fortunately, the stove was almost finished and would be usable soon. Though they didn’t have an iron pot, using a clay pot to cook rice would still work.

He glanced over at the neighboring yard and quickly shut his door.

Liu Xinghua looked at her husband and said, “What are you locking the door for? It’s embarrassing if the kids see.”

“Ah, you old woman, stop overthinking. There’s news about Xiangdong.”

“What?”

“Keep it down, don’t let anyone hear.”

Liu Xinghua immediately clamped her mouth shut, listening as her husband spoke, “Xiangdong has a future now. He’s going to join the army.”

“Really?”

---

Meanwhile, Li Yuechan walked home slowly. As she entered the alley, she saw Mao Dou running excitedly toward her.

“Yuechan Jie, my mom gave me two cents. Come on, let’s go buy some soda. It’s to thank you for helping me yesterday.”

Li Yuechan happily nodded. She hadn’t had soda in a while and was a bit craving it. “Alright, let’s go to the supply and marketing cooperative.”

The two of them went excitedly to the cooperative and bought two bottles of soda. Li Yuechan was too lazy to return the bottles, so the two of them stood there, drinking it down in one go. After a loud burp, they strolled leisurely back home.

As they walked, they chatted casually. “That guy didn’t cause you trouble, did he?”

“No, I’m sure he was scared after I beat him up yesterday.”

“Good. If he dares to bully you again, we’ll go beat him up some more. I don’t believe we can’t deal with him.”

“Hehe, that’s exactly what I was thinking.”

Just then, Li Yuechan suddenly felt something was off. She turned around and saw a sharp knife coming straight at her.

Her eyes narrowed as she thought, This rookie dares to pull a knife in front of me? He doesn’t know who he’s messing with.

She coldly watched as the knife drew nearer.

Not far away, Cheng Huai’an saw this and thought the girl was frozen with fear. He quickly dashed over.

Unfortunately, it was too late to stop the attacker, but Cheng Huai’an managed to shield her with his body.

Li Yuechan, originally planning to kick Jiang Tongjie away, hadn’t yet lifted her leg when she was tightly embraced by a man.

She heard the man grunt, and when she looked up, it was Cheng Huai’an.

Cheng Huai’an immediately released her, and Li Yuechan swiftly turned to the side, delivering a powerful kick that sent Jiang Tongjie flying.

At that moment, Tian Haozhe hurried over. “Old Cheng, why did you run so fast? Are you alright? Oh no, you’re bleeding from your shoulder. Let’s hurry to the hospital. What if you have to return to the team soon? How will you manage with this injury?”