Several bachelors, upon hearing An Hao speak thus, instantly felt disgraced.
Not being able to find a wife was already an embarrassing matter, and now with An Hao’s words, the old ladies in the village couldn’t help but laugh uproariously, holding their bellies.
Having lost face, naturally they were unwilling, and they were about to blurt out some even nastier words when they saw Qin Jian suddenly leap up and fiercely kick a dead old elm tree beside the bridge.
There was a loud thud, and the tree was actually kicked through, revealing a hole.
"If anyone’s mouth isn’t clean, come and experience whether your mouth or my foot is more powerful," Qin Jian’s words made everyone promptly shut their mouths.
Once the villagers saw Qin Jian get angry, they all obediently closed their mouths.
In jest, how could they have forgotten him?
The demeanor of Qin Jian and his group was extraordinary, clearly on a different level from the villagers, making it difficult to keep a low profile even if they wanted to.
Along the way, they attracted many glances.
Those who were nosy had already gone to Qin Jian’s home and told his mother, Li Junping: "Junping, your son came back today, and he brought two older people with him. They walked in front, followed by a soldier carrying lots of bags and items."
"What? You’re talking about Qin Jian?" Li Junping was kneading dough when she heard this and hurriedly wiped her hands and walked outside.
"Yes, go and see! You see, you are blessed to have such a good son! And he can be a high-ranking official!"
Hearing her neighbors’ compliments, Li Junping’s face beamed with joy: "I will go out and meet them on the road."
Li Junping rushed out the door and had only walked a few steps when she met Qin Jian, An Hao, and the Ning couple. Seeing that the pair had an extraordinary demeanor, unlike ordinary people, and then looking at Zhang Yun, who was older but still appeared very spirited.
Looking at her clothes, they were clearly of high quality, something village women rarely had the chance to wear.
"Qin Jian! You’re back," Li Junping said joyfully, looking at her son as she stepped forward and took his hand, "I didn’t expect you to come back for Mid-Autumn Festival! It’s really better to be a big official, you can even come back for Mid-Autumn."
"Mom! It’s because the barracks weren’t busy, so I could arrange some time off. In the past few years, there’s been a lot to do, both domestically and internationally, with the situation being serious, so the soldiers didn’t have a chance to rest, not just me!" Qin Jian finished speaking, then introduced, "Mom, this is a leader from my unit. He heard our place is scenic and wanted to come have a look."
"Oh my! Is this leader a division commander or a corps commander?" Li Junping had discerning eyes; seeing Ning Yibin’s age, and then observing his demeanor, she guessed his rank must be higher than that of Commander Zhang.
"Mom, Commander Ning is the Commander of our military region!" Qin Jian said.
"Military region Commander!" Li Junping was genuinely startled, "I’ve never seen such a high-ranking official before. Now I must take a good look."
As Li Junping joked, her gaze fell on Ning Yibin’s face.
This one look set her heart fluttering in panic.
How come Ning Yibin looked so much like Qin Jian? At a casual glance, not so much, but the more she looked, the more astonishing it was.
When Ning Yibin and Zhang Yun saw Li Junping at that moment, they were genuinely taken aback as well.
Her appearance really did bear a strong resemblance to their Ning Bo at home.
At that moment, Zhang Yun’s heart pounded violently; the more it throbbed, the more intense it became, and she suddenly had a premonition that they were getting closer and closer to the truth.