"Your Grandpa Zhou is also amazing. He joined the army carrying a big pot on his back, saying it was his family heirloom. Once, when we went to ambush the Japanese and attack their stronghold, he got lost. Coincidentally, he ran into a Japanese patrol squad. There were five of them and just him. He picked up his big knife and took them all down from behind."
Uncle Yang also slowly started to speak.
"A real hero never dwells on past glories. Why are you still bringing up my embarrassing incident?"
Chef Zhou felt a bit embarrassed.
"Grandpa, we love listening to these stories. Grandpa Liao has also told us a lot of stories about the war. It would be great if Grandpa Liao could come too."
Li Wu quickly voiced his interest, and the other kids nodded vigorously one after another to show their willingness and love for the stories.
"Well, you'd never finish listening. Good kids, grow up well. Peace didn't come easily. Although we got injured, we survived. There are many more fallen predecessors who exchanged their lives for today's peace but never got to enjoy a single day of it."
Old Zhou's words made everyone fall silent for a moment.
"Speaking of that, we all fought so that future generations could hold their heads high. You kids should study hard. If a country lags behind, it will be beaten. The current peace is only temporary. Only by constantly getting stronger can we avoid being bullied."
Old Yang tilted his head slightly and looked up at the sky. In the dim night sky, the stars were twinkling faintly.
"When I grow up, I want to be a soldier and kill all the bad guys to avenge those predecessors!"
Li Wu's childish voice echoed in the yard, and the adults sitting on the porch couldn't help but smile knowingly.
"I want to be a diplomat."
Wang Xing couldn't help but express his aspiration.
"I'm going to research more powerful weapons."
Li Wen said firmly.
"I want to be a teacher."
Qingqing was also infected by the atmosphere and spoke up actively.
"I don't know yet, but I'll keep studying hard."
Yaoyao thought for a while and then spoke.
"Can I also say one? I'm in poor health, but I think I can be a businessman, earn a lot of money, and use the money to do good deeds."
Qian Jiabao thought for a moment.
"I want to be a doctor!"
Little Baby shouted seriously.
Finally, everyone's eyes fell on Miaomiao. Miaomiao blinked her eyes, still holding an unfinished watermelon in her hand.
"Haha, good, all of you are good kids. As long as you behave uprightly, whatever you do is honorable."
Of course, the kids' aspirations should be encouraged.
When Qian Jiabao mentioned making money, the kids suddenly remembered that they still had a very important thing to do. However, it was already dark, and it was time to go to bed.
"Look! There are fireflies!"
Miaomiao's words attracted everyone's attention to the fireflies.
Perhaps because they had run around a lot during the day, the kids slept soundly at night.
Lianxiang closed her stall, and Boss Qian helped. At night, the two of them had a simple meal. Lianxiang was a bit worried about whether the kids would get used to staying in the orchard.
"Jiabao has a poor health. Why don't you go and pick her up tomorrow?"
Lianxiang couldn't help but say.
"It's okay. Jiabao hasn't had many friends over the years. It's rare for her to play with so many little friends. If she doesn't like it, she'll ask to come back by herself."
Boss Qian took a towel and handed it to Lianxiang. Lianxiang's hair was still wet.
"Thank you."
"Have you ever thought about opening a shop like your aunt? It would be better than setting up a stall."
Boss Qian had observed for a whole day. He used to think it was just a small thing, but unexpectedly, Lianxiang not only persisted but also did it quite well.
"Open a shop? I don't have that much money on hand right now. Renting a storefront would be less cost - effective than continuing to set up a stall."
Obviously, Lianxiang had thought about it.
"Don't worry about the storefront. In fact, if you open a store and stabilize your business, it will be more beneficial for expanding your business. The amount of stuff you prepare every day is actually not enough to meet the demand, but it's already the maximum you can prepare."
Lianxiang nodded upon hearing this.
"Don't you mind me doing business?"
Lianxiang asked the question she most wanted to ask.
"Why would I mind? I think what you're doing is great. Jiabao lost her mother at a young age, but she's past the age when she needs her mother's careful care. Now she's at an age where she needs a female role - model to guide her.
You're doing very well. Instead of finding a good husband for Jiabao, I'd rather she be able to take control of her own destiny in the future instead of relying on others. Jiabao isn't very good at studying, but she's very smart and suitable to be a businessperson."
Lianxiang was stunned for a long time upon hearing this. Her look at Boss Qian also changed.
"You're a very different father. No wonder Jiabao has grown up so well even without a mother. You really love your daughter. Jiabao is very lucky."
There was envy in Lianxiang's tone, but more of it was a sense of relief.
So this was true love, truly planning for one's child in the long - run.
"I think your business can be expanded. The capital city is so big. The smoked chicken you make tastes great, and you have a stable supply of goods. You can open a store and hire people for sales. Once you build up a good reputation, you can let others buy from you and sell the finished smoked chicken in other places. It's entirely feasible."
Boss Qian explained some business principles to Lianxiang in simple words bit by bit.
"Make small profits but sell in large quantities. As long as you guarantee the taste, just like those time - honored brands, it's never too late to start now."
After this night, Lianxiang seemed to have had an epiphany. She would never have children of her own in this life. She had already sacrificed her marriage once for her parents. She always remembered the kindness of her aunt's family who had treated her well.
What was there for her not to dare to do? The man in front of her was thinking for his daughter whole - heartedly. He had his own motives, but he had made everything clear before they got married. She didn't care about what would happen after. She just needed to bravely do whatever she wanted to do right now and leave no regrets in the future.
Several kids squatted together to dye the feathers they had selected, but the colors they dyed on the feathers for the first time were not as nice as they had imagined. They all frowned.
"Feathers are different from paper and cloth. The same color can dye bright colors on cloth and paper, but feathers are difficult to absorb the dye in the water."
Wang Xing and Li Wen both noticed the problem.
"Shall we go and ask Grandma Wen?"
Wang Xing looked at Li Wen. The two of them were in charge of dyeing the feathers, and everyone had their own tasks, such as selecting feathers and making shuttlecocks.
The shuttlecocks could be dyed after they were made. It took quite a bit of time to select the right feathers because there were so many of them.
The two kids found Professor Wen and pulled her over.
"Did you just soak them directly in the water?"
Professor Wen asked after taking a look, and the two kids nodded.
"There's a little problem in the process, but it's not difficult to solve. The feathers need to be soaked in water first, and the dye needs to be heated before use. After dyeing, they also need to be rinsed clean with clear water so that the color will be good and not dull."
"Heat it?"
The two kids didn't expect the problem to be here.
"Yes, but be careful. Heating doesn't mean boiling. You need to control the temperature well."
Professor Wen then explained the reason to the two kids in detail, and they immediately got to work.
