As she walked, Bai Li replied, “I’m going to the military district to find my dad!” Even if she had to knock Bai Dingting unconscious, she was determined to drag him back home. She, Little Pi Xiu, couldn’t afford to lose face.
Guo Jingbo hesitated. “But if we leave without telling Grandma Shen and the others, what if we run into bad people?”
Bai Li turned her head and glared at Guo Jingbo. “Are you stupid? Of course we won’t tell them. If we do, Grandma and Mom definitely won’t let me go find Dad. They’ll say something about not interfering with Dad’s work.”
“If you’re scared, stay home by yourself, but don’t tell Grandma and Mom where I went.”
Guo Jingbo shook his head. “I’m not staying here. I’m going with you.”
As they spoke, the two walked out of the Yu household.
Neither of them noticed that a few minutes after they left, Yu Qingqiu returned to the living room holding Wei Linlang, who had just stopped crying. Seeing the living room empty, she unconsciously curled the corners of her lips.
The two little brats had gone out. It was worth leaving Linlang alone in the living room to endure a bout of anger.
Meanwhile, as soon as Bai Li and Guo Jingbo stepped out of the courtyard gate, Bai Li keenly sensed two faint, elusive gazes fixed on her.
Bai Li pursed her lips but didn’t say anything. The military family compound was bustling with people coming and going, so it was possible that passing family members had glanced at her and Guo Jingbo unintentionally.
Guo Jingbo looked at the unfamiliar military family compound outside, a sense of unease rising within him. He couldn’t help but quicken his pace, sticking close to Bai Li. “Li Li, do you know where Uncle Bai is right now?”
Bai Li shook her head, her little face tense. “No, but I think as long as we go to the military district area, we’ll definitely find Dad.”
“Today, I must find Dad and bring him home, so Wei Linlang knows what it means to be proven wrong.”
As Bai Li and Guo Jingbo talked, Bai Li confirmed one thing: the gazes that had fallen on them earlier weren’t from passersby unintentionally. There were indeed two young men following her and Guo Jingbo.
What a nuisance. Little Pi Xiu couldn’t even go out to find her dad in peace. Annoyed, Bai Li absentmindedly tugged at the little buns on her head.
These little buns had been tied by Qin Xiuqiao earlier today using her own hair ties.
Though she thought this way, Bai Li deliberately took a slightly more secluded path. Along the way, she chatted intermittently about how Bai Dingting had promised her a few days ago that he would bring her reward back today.
Just as Bai Li and Guo Jingbo reached a corner with more trees and fewer people, a young man in a green military uniform appeared not far ahead of them, slowly walking toward them.
Soon, the young man reached them, bent down, and smiled at Bai Li, reaching out to touch her hair. “Excuse me, are you Comrade Bai Li?”
Bai Li took a step back, avoiding the young man’s hand, and looked up at Chen Huasheng, her large, watery eyes filled with vigilance. “No, I’m not. Who are you?”
The young man didn’t expect Bai Li to deny her identity. His smile stiffened. “Li Li, it’s my fault for forgetting to introduce myself. I’m Battalion Commander Bai’s assistant, Chen Huasheng. You can call me Uncle Sheng.”
Bai Li remained wary as she looked at Chen Huasheng, her eyes filled with disbelief. “You say you’re my dad’s assistant, so you are? Do you have any proof?”
Seeing the little girl who had just denied being Bai Li a moment ago now questioning him, Chen Huasheng twitched the corner of his mouth. Sure enough, she was just a three-year-old child—she had exposed herself in no time.
But this little girl was too talkative. He had already said he was her father’s assistant and was even wearing a green military uniform, yet she still didn’t believe him.
Chen Huasheng muttered a couple of words before replying, “Li Li, didn’t your dad promise to come home today? But just now, an extremely urgent mission came up, and he couldn’t make it back in time. So he asked me to come pick you up and take you to him. He said he wants to hand the reward to you personally.”
Upon hearing the word “reward,” Bai Li’s eyes lit up, and the wariness and suspicion on her face instantly vanished. She sweetly called out to Chen Huasheng, “Uncle Sheng, did my dad really send you?”
“Then hurry up and take me to him!”
With that, Bai Li urged Chen Huasheng to move faster.
Guo Jingbo watched the impatient Bai Li and reached out to stop her. “Li Li, don’t rush. This Uncle Chen hasn’t shown any proof to confirm he’s your dad’s assistant.”
Bai Li shook off Guo Jingbo’s hand. “Brother, if you’re scared, don’t follow me. My dad promised to bring the reward home for me today—only our family knows about it. If he weren’t my dad’s assistant, how would he know about this?”
In public, Bai Li still gave Guo Jingbo face by not calling him by his full name and instead addressing him as “brother.”
Guo Jingbo fell silent, thinking to himself, You’ve been talking about this all the way here, and you weren’t exactly quiet. Anyone passing by could have heard.
But he didn’t dare say it out loud. Instead, he silently followed behind Bai Li, occasionally glancing warily at Chen Huasheng and positioning himself between Bai Li and Chen Huasheng.
Chen Huasheng looked down at the two of them, naturally not missing Guo Jingbo’s actions. However, he didn’t say anything, merely wearing a faint smile on his lips, as if indulging the children’s antics.
After walking for a while, Bai Li noticed that Chen Huasheng was leading her and Guo Jingbo toward the military base’s entrance. She stopped in her tracks and tugged at Chen Huasheng’s sleeve.
“Uncle Sheng, didn’t you say we were going to find my dad? Why are you taking me and my brother outside?”
Hearing Bai Li’s question, Chen Huasheng remained unhurried. Instead, he grinned warmly. “Li Li, it’s precisely because Battalion Commander Bai left the base and was worried he wouldn’t have time to give you the reward this year that he asked me to come find you and take you to him.”
“If your dad were still at the base, there’d be no need for me to come get you.”
After Chen Huasheng finished speaking, Bai Li immediately nodded seriously. “Hmm, Uncle Sheng makes sense. Then let’s hurry, or I might not find Dad later.”
The two young soldiers guarding the gate routinely scanned the trio. Seeing Bai Li chatting and laughing with Chen Huasheng without any signs of coercion, they didn’t stop them and allowed them to leave the base.
Seeing Bai Li actually follow Chen Huasheng out of the military base, Guo Jingbo grew increasingly uneasy. But he didn’t dare speak up, afraid of upsetting Bai Li. He could only stick close to her, thinking that if she were in danger, he would be the first to shield her from harm.
After walking several hundred meters away from the military district and no longer able to see the main gate, Chen Huasheng suddenly stopped. He looked down at Bai Li with a gentle smile and said, “Li Li, your father is still quite far away. Are you tired? How about letting Uncle Sheng carry you to find Commander Bai? That would be faster.”