The military compound was shaped like a courtyard. It was quite far away from the campsite, and the people inside were all family members.
As he pulled her along the tree-lined path, she could see the heaviness in his eyes as he looked around at the familiar scenery without saying a word.
"Uncle, tell me about your life here."
Sure enough, Lu Jin Ting couldn't help but laugh, "There's nothing much to talk about. Year after year, there's just no you."
"How is that possible? I didn't even know you at that time."
He had indeed known this little girl for a long time. When he was taken back by the Lu family, he was only a first lieutenant. After wandering the world for so many years, this was the first time he realized that he was the son of a rich family.
The brothers in the army seemed happier than he was, jokingly calling him Little Kai, but only Lu Jin Ting himself felt that it was an insult.
In the entire Lu family, other than the old man, no one else liked Lu Zhen. Lu Zhen had been coaxed into being biased by Lu Mingye, who was adept at winning over people's hearts. When Lu Jin returned to the Lu family, the world was dark.
"Do you remember when Lu Xin Tong got married?"
"You mean, sister-in-law?"
In the past, the Ye Family didn't have much contact with the Lu Family, but Lu Xin Tong was of the same generation as Lu Jin. Ye Guan had gotten used to calling her 'Little Aunt' from Lu Mingye, and the two of them had not met that often.
Such a grand ceremony was held in Jiangnan, and the Ye Family was also invited.
Wearing a small white dress, playing a piano piece for the wedding — "To Alice."
That was the first time Lu Jin Ting appeared in front of an outsider ever since he was recognized as the Lu family's member. No one noticed him as he hid in a corner, out of place, but he saw the young girl playing the piano like flowing water.
Listening to Lu Jin Ting's words, Ye Guan realized when that had happened. She couldn't help but feel her eyes go sour. History was always an amazing irony.
That day, after she finished playing the zither, she came down from the stage with her entire body covered in wine. She could no longer find her father and brother. Lu Mingye, who called himself a good friend of Ye Qiancheng, stood over.
Holding her hand to prevent her from panicking, it was also on that day that she began her eternal damnation.
"I remember when you were this tall," Lu Jin Ting gestured at a spot below his shoulder.
Ye Guan did not want to overlook Lu Jin Ting's interest, so he could only ignore his memories, "You're so much older than me!"
Lu Jin Ting pretended to be unhappy, "So you think I'm old?"
"No, no."
The two held hands as they walked into the courtyard. Lu Jin Ting first went to the office, while Steward Ye sat in the car downstairs to wait for him. It wasn't until he came out with a group of people that Steward Ye saw them.
That day, together with Little Zhang, they witnessed her 'initiative' and felt really awkward.
"She must be sister-in-law. I haven't seen her for a few days and she's become even prettier now!"
"Yes, sister-in-law, how are you?"
Perhaps he was punished by Lu Jin a few days ago for carrying five kilometers of weight across the country, Xiao Zhang was exceptionally obedient today.
When they arrived at their residence, they served tea and said hi to some unfamiliar people, so the atmosphere wasn't too awkward.
Although he said that he would bribe them with the steward of the Ye family, in reality, it was still for Tang Xiu, who was in charge of cooking, to cook a good meal.
Only when he ate and chatted with his subordinates could he see the rare smile on his face.
Even if he was just a poverty-stricken military officer compared to the powerful Lu Mingye, Ye Guan would definitely help him get what should have been his property in this life. He would never allow Lu Mingye to be so unscrupulous.
A few men liked to drink when they were sitting together. Chief Steward Ye told him in a low voice to drink less, so he moved a small stool to sit in the yard.
Tang Wulin's wife was the one in charge of cooking in the yard. She had a piece of emerald green kelp skin in her hand and was currently washing it. When she saw Tang Xiu come out, she hurriedly wiped her hands on her apron, feeling a bit helpless.
"Greetings Madam Chief."
Ye Guan was surprised, "You must have recognized the wrong person, I am..."
"I'm not mistaken. Those brats have already told me to cook well, and they've said quite a bit. How come they haven't eaten anymore so quickly? Are their meals not good for their appetites?"
Tang Sister-in-Law was so passionate that Ye Guan felt a bit uncomfortable. She pretended that auntie had admitted her wrongs when she was old. Besides, there were quite a few head ladies living in this courtyard. She was afraid that Sister-in-law would call everyone else that.
"No, your cooking skills are very good, but my appetite is only this big."
He touched his belly and smiled brilliantly. Coming here really felt peaceful.
No wonder, in her previous life, whenever she and Lu Jin Ting quarreled, he would always return to the army and in one go, he would be gone for half a month.
Sis Tang thoughtfully nodded her head, blinking her eyes as she continued to brush the kelp in her heart.
There were many ropes under the huge banyan tree, some to dry clothes, some to dry the sheets. The sun was at the west now, and there were only a few pieces of kelp that Tang Sister-in-Law had just washed.
Looking at Tang Xiu's chapped fingers, the autumn wind was so cold that Ye Guan had to tighten his clothes tightly. She felt a bit of heartache.
"Which family are you from?"
Sister-in-law Tang's hand that was washing the kelp stopped, a trace of sadness flashed in her eyes, but she still smiled.
"My wife has been dead for a long time. Fortunately, the army didn't abandon me, so they were able to live here with their children."
Saying that, a girl ran out from the other side of the room. She was slightly bigger than a small group of people. She looked to be about five or six years old.
"This girl wants to grow up and join the army. She's really pissing me off."
Sister-in-Law Tang smiled as she complained to Supervisor Ye.
He slowly squatted down and asked her, "Little friend, joining the army is very dangerous, but you're a girl …"
"So what if you're a girl? Girls can still beat up bad guys!"
The girl's face was full of stubbornness. Her expression seemed to be filled with determination, like she was extremely stubborn.
Sister-in-Law Tang hastily scolded, "Your father has already left. Who do you want to hit?" "You're still not going to go back to your room and do your homework!"
The little girl put her hands on her waist angrily, "I will hit whoever killed my father! "Humph!"
With her frail body and stubbornness that made her look like she couldn't be persuaded, wasn't this the same as him?
Steward Ye kept following the child into the house until the orange light in front of the window lit up. Only then did she look away.
Tang Xiu let out a sigh. "We only have one son, and he talked about his wife with so much difficulty. In the end, both father and son died on the battlefield, and his wife ran away, leaving only the two of us. This little girl still wants to join the army. Pfft, don't even think about leaving my wife by herself!"
It was no wonder that she was so angry when she heard the little girl talk about it. Ye Guan looked away and sighed.
He said, "Take care of yourself," and went back into the house.
The sky gradually turned dark, and the cold autumn wind blew on his body, forming a smooth layer of cold air.
Ye Guan sat down beside Lu Jin Ting, gently pulling on his sleeve, causing him to turn around.
"Uncle, you're drunk."