“Yes, heh heh heh.”
Xia Mingyu formed a group, and Tuantuan and Yuanyuan immediately followed.
The mother and her two sons all looked at Sikong Huai with mischievous smiles, wearing the same expression, urging him to act quickly.
Oh, if he didn’t act, then wasn’t he lying just now?
A dignified commander actually lying to deceive innocent people—how frightening!
Under the teasing and playful gazes of the mother and her two children, Sikong Huai stiffened slightly. In the end, he reluctantly picked up the clothes.
“Fine, I’ll wash them!”
Sikong Huai gritted his teeth as he spoke.
In order not to lose face in front of his wife and children, he went all out!
Hmm… but thinking about it, whether he washed them or not, it somehow still felt even more embarrassing.
Lu Ning was also trying hard not to laugh.
“Then thank you for your hard work, Commander!”
Sikong Huai shot Lu Ning a sharp glare.
Just you wait!
Xia Mingyu didn’t care about the silent exchange between Lu Ning and Sikong Huai.
She and Yuanyuan quickly washed Tuantuan clean and pulled him out of the water.
After all that trouble, it was already mealtime. Zhao Jianguo and his wife had already prepared a full table of dishes.
Today’s meal was even more abundant than yesterday—not only egg and chive soup, but also stir-fried cured meat, meatballs, and five different vegetable dishes.
Even the staple food was refined grain.
People might not even eat this well during the New Year. It was clear how much effort Zhao Jianguo and his family had put into preparing this table of food.
However, compared to Sikong Huai’s home, it still seemed rather simple.
So Zhao Jianguo still felt a bit embarrassed.
“Commander, please don’t mind it. Come eat first. You can wash the clothes after eating.”
Zhao Jianguo rubbed his hands together and urged Sikong Huai.
Sikong Huai had been scrubbing for a long time, and only Tuantuan’s clothes were cleaned; the others were still piled aside, untouched.
Lu Ning’s clothes had even been stepped on by him in retaliation.
Sikong Huai sat there with a stern face, legs spread wide. Even while washing clothes, he sat in a domineering, authoritative posture. To someone who didn’t know better, it looked like he was studying some powerful secret weapon.
He was just short of scrubbing a hole through Tuantuan’s clothes.
Fortunately, Zhao Jianguo finally called him, giving him an excuse to step down. Only then did Sikong Huai stand up pretentiously.
With a tall nose, deep-set eyes, and sharp, well-defined features, combined with his imposing height, he naturally carried a strong aura even when he wasn’t smiling.
Even holding Tuantuan’s clothes didn’t diminish his presence.
Sikong Huai said calmly,
“Then let’s eat first. I’ll hang Tuantuan’s clothes up.”
“Alright, alright, please go ahead. Hang them on that bamboo pole.”
Zhao Jianguo politely pointed him in the right direction.
Sikong Huai truly treated the team leader’s home like his own—without the slightest awkwardness.
Xia Mingyu watched from the side and even felt embarrassed for him.
No wonder he could become a high-ranking official—this thick skin and mental strength were truly impressive.
She snorted softly and lowered her gaze, no longer looking at him.
Tuantuan and Yuanyuan, however, stared wide-eyed, watching with great interest.
For some reason, they felt that Sikong Huai had a very special, very attractive aura. They even wanted to learn from him.
Before they even understood what “showing off” meant, the two children already wanted to learn how to do it.
As the highest-ranking person present, Sikong Huai was seated first before anyone else dared sit down.
During the meal, everyone behaved properly, with Lu Ning livening up the atmosphere.
Xia Mingyu quietly ate with Tuantuan and Yuanyuan without saying much.
Sikong Huai kept glancing at the mother and her two children, trying to figure out their preferences.
However, they barely touched the meat and mostly ate vegetables—probably because they were shy.
Or perhaps they wanted to leave the meat for him and Lu Ning, the guests.
His eyes darkened slightly, and he barely restrained the urge to serve them food.
There were too many people here; it wouldn’t be appropriate.
During mealtime, the villagers also had free time and gathered nearby with their bowls, chatting while sneaking looks at the big leader from the capital.
The fact that Sikong Huai looked very similar to Tuantuan and Yuanyuan had already spread throughout the entire village, and everyone was curious.
They didn’t come in, only peered over the wall to watch them eat.
Zhao Jianguo was speechless and kept waving them away, but since they didn’t make noise, he eventually let it be.
Finally, after the meal ended, Xia Mingyu immediately stood up.
“The commander is a very busy person. He has already stayed here for a long time.”
“When he came, he said he would leave right after eating. Team leader, we shouldn’t keep him any longer.”
“I’m very grateful that the commander saved Tuantuan, and I would never dare delay his schedule.”
Originally, Xia Mingyu wanted to take Tuantuan and Yuanyuan home immediately, but thinking that keeping Sikong Huai here would be an even bigger trouble, she used a formal excuse to urge him to leave.
She looked at Sikong Huai with a clear gaze, carrying a faint but unmistakable warning.
Remember what you promised me!
“Alright, I’ll leave now.”
There was plenty of time ahead; Sikong Huai was not in a rush.
He nodded in agreement.
He was really leaving?
Zhao Jianguo didn’t dare to keep him either.
Before leaving, Sikong Huai gave most of the things he had brought to Xia Mingyu, and the rest to Zhao Jianguo’s family.
“I can see that Team Leader Zhao’s family is kind-hearted, and that he manages the production team very well. The atmosphere is honest, and the villagers are easy to get along with.”
“I believe that Comrade Xia living here with the two children will be very happy.”
“These two children look so much like me; we are quite destined. I also like them very much. I hope the team leader will take good care of them in the future.”
“Although I am leaving the production team, I will stay at the commune guesthouse to help handle Qiao Hongye’s matter.”
“No matter which unit he belongs to, he is a soldier. I cannot just stand by and watch him commit such heinous acts. I am duty-bound!”
Sikong Huai’s expression was stern. His aura was sharp and forceful as he declared each word with weight.
After speaking, he ignored everyone’s reactions, turned, and left with Lu Ning.
Zhao Jianguo stood there for a moment before finally reacting.
Sikong Huai was going to help Xia Mingyu and her children seek justice!
With a big leader like him stepping in, Qiao Hongye would definitely not be able to turn things around!
They no longer had to fear retaliation from Qiao Hongye!
Moreover, with Sikong Huai’s attitude—still insisting he wasn’t the children’s father?
Who would bother doing so much for strangers?
Everyone thought the same way.
“Mingyu, you’ve struck it rich! The children’s father is so powerful—why don’t you go after him!”
“Yeah! You’d be a fool not to enjoy a good life!”
Everyone urged Xia Mingyu to chase after him.
Some even grew jealous. Seeing that Sikong Huai had left them so many things, they demanded she open them so they could “see the world.”
“You still owe us grain. Don’t forget! We’ve treated you so well—if you become wealthy, you can’t forget us!”
Many people were like this: kind-hearted, but also jealous. When they saw you struggling, they sympathized; when they saw you doing well, they became envious.
Xia Mingyu could only try her best to explain.
“He really has nothing to do with Tuantuan and Yuanyuan…”
“I will repay everything I owe…”
Sikong Huai’s words, although meant to support Xia Mingyu and her children, inevitably caused her some trouble.
Tuantuan no longer paid attention to the noisy crowd. He anxiously looked in the direction where Sikong Huai had left.
The money hasn’t been given yet!
“Yuanyuan, stay here and protect Mom!”
“Brother will be right back!”