Rebirth: General, Don't Mess Around!

The morning breeze blew in through the open door, bringing with it the chill of winter. With a solemn expression, Principal Chen looked at the open door of the hall and said to Commissioner Cai, ”If you don’t mind, let’s go to the kitchen and have a seat. We can chat while warming up. How about that?”

He wondered if anyone had seen this Mr. Cai when he came to the village. There were a few famous gossip mongers in the village. If they saw him, they might say something.

The village was small. If any strangers entered, everyone would ask them a few questions. This was typical village life. There were no bad intentions nor secrets between the families.

”I don’t mind. Please lead the way.” Commissioner Cai smiled and stood up first. He had a good impression of Principal Chen. He could see the familiar aura of a soldier from him.

As a retired soldier, he felt that the distance between them was getting closer.

Ye Jian’s house was still an old house in the 1980s. It wasn’t like the small red-brick houses in the village that were starting to be built. It was covered with mud bricks and white limestone powder. Although it was an old house, it was clean and warm in winter and cool in summer.

The kitchen was used to light a fire and warm up. Normally, Principal Chen would eat here too. He would burn the split firewood and set up an old-fashioned wooden kettle. Commissioner Cai smiled when he saw this. ”I haven’t seen this kind of kettle in a long time. I saw it in the military unit before.”

When they talked about the military unit, Principal Chen, also a retired soldier, smiled. ”Our village is still like this. It’s convenient and durable. The water that was boiled is delicious too.”

The conversation was a little relaxed. There wasn’t the coldness and vigilance that they had when they met before. Unknowingly, the firewood was boiling and white mist was rising.

Principal Chen put on his gloves and picked up the water bottle. The water was black from the firewood. He made another cup of tea and passed it to Commissioner Cai. He sighed. ”Old Cai, tell me about Ye Jian’s mother.”

Half an hour later, one called him Old Cai, and the other called him Old Brother.

”Ye Jian looks like her mother, but she’s calmer than her mother. Her aura is more like a soldier too.” Commissioner Cai took a sip of the hot tea that had just been steeped. The tea leaves were self-made too. The fragrance of the tea wafted in the air.

The burning firewood crackled softly. The light from the fire lit up Commissioner Cai’s face and revealed a hint of melancholy on his face. ”Although I only met Ye Jian once, I can tell that this child has her own views. She’s exceptionally calm when something happens. She has the courage to make a prompt decision.”

”That’s right. This child is more opinionated and stronger than her mother.” Principal Chen nodded. After half an hour of interaction, he could tell that he had a good relationship with Ye Jian’s mother. They were comrades.

Hence, when he mentioned Ye Jian, he was talking about his child. He had the tolerance and love of an elder.

Commissioner Cai recalled the times he interacted with his comrades in the past. There was a smile and sorrow in his eyes. ”With such an outstanding child, Hongmei can rest assured in the afterlife. When she died, Ye Jian was only three years old. At a young age, she had no parents. But thanks to you and that senior who passed away helping her and taking care of her she could grow up.

If not, this girl would have been crippled by her uncle.”

A vicious look flashed past Commissioner Cai’s eyes.

”Ye Jian is an understanding person. She knows clearly who treats her badly and who treats her well. Her uncle is dishonest, but Ye Jian is a domineering child. She can differentiate between the main and the secondary.”