“Da Mao, Tie Dan, if you ever have time, remember to come back and visit,” the soldier watched as Da Mao and Tie Dan walked out the door, his eyes couldn’t help but turn red, his voice becoming hoarse.

Actually, Da Mao and Tie Dan were walking very slowly.

They were waiting, waiting for the soldier to call them back, waiting for him to say they could stay, that they didn’t have to leave.

So when the soldier called their names, they turned around together, their eyes shining with hope.

But they didn’t hear the words they wanted to hear.

They only saw the soldier saluting them.

Da Mao and Tie Dan understood the meaning of this salute.

They had coordinated with the other soldiers so many times; where wouldn’t they understand this gesture? When they went on missions, the soldiers saluted.

When they needed their help, the soldiers saluted.

For Da Mao and Tie Dan, this salute meant parting, it meant being entrusted with a task.

And now, their task was to take good care of Ning Shu’s family, to protect Ning Shu’s family.

With both of their hind feet on the ground and one front foot as support, they stretched out the other front foot together, saluting the soldier.

Although their movements weren’t precise, this scene became forever unforgettable in Ning Shu’s heart.

She really wanted to capture this moment with her phone, but she couldn’t.

This was the camp area; taking photos casually wasn’t allowed.

Finally, under the gaze of Da Mao and Tie Dan, the soldier turned and walked inside.

Da Mao and Tie Dan kept watching his figure until he disappeared from view.

They didn’t want to leave.

“Yibao, Erbao, Sanbao, go and comfort Da Mao and Tie Dan, tell them we’re going home,” Ning Shu said finally.

“Okay.”

The three children approached Da Mao and Tie Dan. Erbao spoke first, “Da Mao, Tie Dan, we’re going home. Mom said we’re having braised pork trotters tonight, and there’ll be meat for you.”

Yibao followed, “Da Mao, Tie Dan, don’t worry. From now on, our home is your home. We’ll take good care of you. If you miss Uncle Soldier, we can bring you back to see him.”

Ning Shu thought Yibao’s idea was great.

The walk back and forth would only take a few minutes.

They could bring Da Mao and Tie Dan back to see the soldier every week.

It would reassure the soldier and soothe Da Mao and Tie Dan’s feelings.

Sanbao was even more straightforward.

Maybe because Da Mao had supported him when he was about to fall, he felt close to Da Mao.

He leaned against Da Mao and hugged Da Mao’s neck with both hands. “Go home, eat meat.”

Ning Shu chuckled, her smile radiant like the afternoon sun.

“Let’s go, Da Mao, Tie Dan,” Lin Guodong called out.

Compared to the three children, Da Mao and Tie Dan listened more to Lin Guodong because they were used to his clothes, which triggered their habits and instincts.

So when they heard Lin Guodong’s words, they stood up and walked together with the three children, following behind Ning Shu and Lin Guodong.

It was already afternoon, time for work, so the soldiers had returned to the camp, making the area quite crowded.

Therefore, many soldiers saw Lin Guodong with his wife, son, and Da Mao and Tie Dan.

Someone they knew greeted them, “Captain Lin, did you adopt military dogs?” Bringing out military dogs and having Lin Guodong’s family present, anyone with a bit of sense would think of adoption.

Lin Guodong nodded, “Hmm.”

Then he turned to Ning Shu and said, “I won’t go back. Can you take Da Mao and Tie Dan back to the family quarters?”

“Sure, you go ahead and handle your business. I’ll take them home,” Ning Shu replied.

Then he called out to three kids and the newest members of the family, “Yi Bao, Er Bao, San Bao, Da Mao, Tie Dan, say goodbye to your dad.”

Yi Bao waved, “Bye, Dad.”

Er Bao waved too, “Dad, come back early, we want to eat pig trotters.”

San Bao also waved like the other two, “Bye, Dad.”

Da Mao and Tie Dan looked at the three kids, then at Lin Guodong.

Having just become part of this family, they weren’t quite sure.

But since they usually followed the soldiers, after some thought, they walked over to Lin Guodong’s side, then turned towards Ning Shu and the three kids.

“Da Mao, Tie Dan, come here, you’re coming home with us,” Er Bao said, going over to pull Da Mao and Tie Dan.

Yi Bao also stepped forward, “Da Mao, Tie Dan, let’s go home with Mom.”

In contrast to them, San Bao went straight over and hugged Da Mao’s neck, “Mao, let’s go.”

Da Mao and Tie Dan were a bit confused.

They looked at Lin Guodong.

As disciplined military dogs, they wouldn’t move without the soldier’s consent.

Lin Guodong hadn’t trained military dogs before, so he didn’t know how to communicate with them.

He thought for a moment, waved to Da Mao and Tie Dan, and said, “You guys go home with them, I’ll come back at night.” He understood a bit why Da Mao and Tie Dan followed them.

Da Mao and Tie Dan didn’t understand the words, but they understood the waving gesture, which meant they should go.

So, they were led away by Er Bao and San Bao.

“We’re leaving then,” Ning Shu said, taking the five kids with him, leaving Lin Guodong with just a silhouette.

Lin Guodong watched them leave for a while before turning his gaze to the soldiers watching him.

Expressionless, he walked past them.

Unfortunately, these weren’t his battalion’s soldiers, he couldn’t call out their names; otherwise, he would have trained them, one by one.

Ning Shu brought the five kids to the family quarters, and the afternoon there returned to tranquility.

The children went to class, while the adults went to work, to the fields, or to the mountains.

Don’t think that the families in the family quarters didn’t work; they had their own tasks too.

The guards at the guard post glanced at the military dogs several times, and curiously exchanged a few words, “Sister-in-law, did you adopt military dogs?”

“Yes,” Ning Shu replied.

“In the future, Da Mao and Tie Dan will be part of our family,” Er Bao boasted.

“Yeah, we have seven members in our family now,” Yi Bao added proudly.

The guard smiled, “Sister-in-law, you are really kind, and the three kids are good kids too.”

Every soldier liked to see military dogs have a good home, so seeing the military dogs find a good place made him happy.

“Thank you,” Ning Shu smiled and didn’t say much, then took them back.

Ning Shu, carrying five of them, looked like a squad marching out.

Especially with San Bao, Er Bao, and Da Mao and Tie Dan walking side by side, they looked quite imposing.

Passing by the clinic and the school, and walking past the small park, as they went further inside, they gradually saw several other families.

Although no one recognized each other or said hello, some family members saw Ning Shu bringing in two dogs and couldn’t help but ask curiously, “Comrade, are these your dogs?”

Ning Shu explained, “They are retired military dogs from the camp over there. I adopted them.”

“I see,” the woman nodded. “Military dogs are quite good, having them guard the house is not bad.”

Ning Shu smiled.

Many people simply saw military dogs as dogs, without adding any other meaning to them.

After Ning Shu left with the five kids, someone nearby who overheard the conversation spoke up, “This person can’t even support themselves, yet they’re raising military dogs. Who’s family member is this?”

“Yeah, if you have plenty of food at home, why not raise more people instead of wasting food on dogs?”

“That’s not how it should be said. Some military dogs have achieved great feats, and like soldiers, they also have honor.”

“Hmph, but aren’t they just dogs? Can’t dogs and people be chosen differently?” Some people were unconvinced.

Some people didn’t see eye to eye and didn’t continue the conversation.

However, some people, upon seeing Ning Shu adopt military dogs, felt a bit intrigued.

Not because they particularly loved dogs, but because they thought having a military dog guard the house wasn’t a bad idea.

However, those who harbored such thoughts were few.

After all, everyone was very practical; if people couldn’t even eat their fill, where would they find extra food to feed dogs?

Ning Shu didn’t care about what others thought.

She returned home with the five kids under the gaze of many family members.

Then she said to Da Mao and Tie Dan, “Da Mao, Tie Dan, from now on, you’ll sleep here.” She pointed to the dining room.

She had read in the information provided by the soldiers that wherever she placed Da Mao and Tie Dan’s belongings, they would sleep there.

So, Ning Shu went to retrieve the cloth bags hanging from Da Mao and Tie Dan’s mouths.

Seeing the mistress come to take the cloth bags, Da Mao and Tie Dan also released their mouths, but their eyes never left Ning Shu.

Or rather, they kept staring at what Ning Shu held—their luggage.

“Da Mao, Tie Dan, come in,” Ning Shu said, carrying their luggage into the dining room. I

nitially, Da Mao and Tie Dan didn’t follow.

It wasn’t until they heard Ning Shu call their names that they cautiously followed inside.

Being in an unfamiliar place, they remained alert at all times.

However, in this house, they also caught the strong scent of Lin Guodong’s family of five, so they faintly understood that this was their home, a safe place.

Although aware that this was Lin Guodong’s family’s home, they still looked around cautiously, instinctively on guard.

Ning Shu placed Da Mao and Tie Dan’s luggage in a corner of the dining room and said, “Da Mao, Tie Dan, you’ll sleep here temporarily. Later, we’ll build a small house for you in the yard, and then you can sleep outside.”

Yes, making a small house for Da Mao and Tie Dan, even if it was their own, they were a little couple after all.

Ning Shu thought this arrangement was good.

She even thought ahead that Da Mao and Tie Dan would have their own children in the future, so the small house would need to be larger.

Ning Shu said this not to keep them from sleeping inside, but because in the evening, she would close the door in the dining room.

Once the door was closed, it might feel a bit oppressive for Da Mao and Tie Dan, like being locked up.

Sleeping in the yard, they could move around freely at any time. Compared to inside, Da Mao and Tie Dan would definitely prefer the outside.

As Ning Shu spoke, she began to untie their luggage.

The luggage was light, and she was curious about what was inside.

“Mom, what’s inside?” San Bao squatted beside Ning Shu, while Er Bao asked curiously.

“This must be Da Mao and Tie Dan’s stuff,” Yi Bao remarked.

Seeing them squatting and opening their own luggage, Da Mao and Tie Dan also started to check inside the room.

However, there wasn’t much for them to see in the room, just tables and chairs.

Ning Shu first opened Da Mao’s luggage and found a enamel bowl and a small cloth bag inside.

The enamel bowl was white with “Serve the People” written on it.

However, the enamel bowl was a bit dirty now, with some traces of food residue on it.

In addition to the enamel bowl, there was a small cloth bag.

Ning Shu opened it and her heart clenched a bit when she saw what was inside – it was a medal of honor.

Obviously, this was Da Mao’s medal of honor.

Remembering that it had been mentioned in the soldier’s information, both the enamel bowl and the medal of honor were rewards from the state given to Da Mao.

“Mom, what’s this?” Er Bao pointed to the medal of honor and asked.

Ning Shu replied, “This is Da Mao’s honor.”

“Huh?” Er Bao didn’t understand.

Ning Shu asked, “Do you know that Da Mao and Tie Dan are military dogs?”

Both Yi Bao and Er Bao nodded, and seeing them nod, San Bao followed suit. Although San Bao didn’t understand the words, it was good at mimicking others.

Ning Shu continued, “Do you know the difference between military dogs and regular dogs?”

Er Bao shook his head, then asked, “Aren’t they all dogs?”

Yi Bao chimed in, “Military dogs are the kind of dogs that can go to battle with soldiers to fight bad guys, while regular dogs are the ones in the village, right?”

Ning Shu gave Yi Bao an approving look. “Yi Bao is right. Military dogs are the kind that can go into battle with soldiers to fight bad guys. When soldiers achieve something significant, the country rewards them. Similarly, when military dogs excel, the country also rewards them. This enamel bowl and the medal of honor are rewards given by the country to Da Mao. Our Da Mao is a hero, a great hero.”

Upon hearing his mother’s words, Er Bao’s eyes lit up with admiration. “Mom, Da Mao is really amazing. It can fight bad guys and even earn rewards.”

“Yes, Da Mao is very impressive. But now, when Da Mao was fighting bad guys, it got injured, so it retired. Tie Dan is the same. Just like Da Mao, it’s also a hero who fought bad guys. Now that they are here in our home, we must treat them well and thank them for guarding our country…” Ning Shu carefully explained Da Mao and Tie Dan’s experiences to the children.

The two older kids listened intently.

San Bao couldn’t understand, so he had already run off to find Da Mao. He hugged Da Mao’s head and rubbed against it, calling out its name, “Mao… Mao…”

Da Mao reciprocated by rubbing its head against San Bao’s, its paws raised, ready to catch San Bao if he fell.

Ning Shu shifted her gaze back and continued to open Tie Dan’s luggage.

Inside was also an enamel bowl and a small cloth bag. Unlike Da Mao, there were two medals of honor inside Tie Dan’s small cloth bag.

No wonder Tie Dan was the leader inside; it was so powerful.

Ning Shu put the medals of honor into the small cloth bag and packed them away. “Yi Bao, Er Bao, you guys play with Da Mao and Tie Dan. I’ll go wash their bowls.”

“Okay, Mom!”