"If you like it, after military training ends, come to our house for a meal!" Su Wureng heartily invited his comrades.
Although he hadn't discussed this with his grandparents yet, he knew their personalities; they would only welcome it and would never object.
Lu Yang looked at the dozen or so young men around him and felt it might not be a good idea.
With so many people, a small house wouldn't even have enough space for everyone to stand, let alone eat.
Moreover, so many people could consume a family's entire month's worth of food in one go.
He was actually content with just the portion from the company commander.
"I'll take this to the company commander, lest it disappear later!"
Su Wureng was very worried that these dishes would be secretly eaten by those rascals.
Although Qiao Guangyuan, the company commander, was addressed as such, he was essentially Su Wureng's squad instructor. Su Wureng and the others generally had a good relationship with him.
Seeing Su Wureng pick up the lunchbox, the others knew that this meat was destined not to be theirs. They then returned to their respective rests.
It was better to rest first, as they would have to train those clueless soldiers again early tomorrow morning!
Meanwhile, Qiao Guangyuan was on the phone.
A certain Brother Dong, who had just finished training, received a call from his friend.
"What made you think of calling me?"
A lazy voice traveled to Qiao Guangyuan's ears through the phone.
Qiao Guangyuan said, "Boss Dong, I recall you seem to have some connections. I need your help with something!"
Boss Dong seemed to come from a good family, but her specific status was unclear.
However, he had to try. He was out of options, and Boss Dong was the last connection he could think of.
Boss Dong let out a surprised "Yi" and asked, "Qiao Guangyuan, I remember you never used to ask for favors!"
Qiao Guangyuan quickly replied, "I'm not asking for myself. I've discovered a promising talent here and want to recruit them to our school!"
He had been racking his brains for the past two days for this student.
But with so many people vying for them, if he couldn't find the right person, he truly lacked the confidence to secure them.
"Company Commander Qiao, the school sent you to conduct military training, not to poach people!" Boss Dong said with a light laugh.
This Qiao Guangyuan was becoming more and more capable. Weren't there enough outstanding soldiers for him to choose from?
Did he have to poach people from other schools?
It was one thing to poach himself, but he was even asking for connections. With this kind of drive, wouldn't it be better to find connections to solve his own problems?
Qiao Guangyuan and Boss Dong had served together before, and they had some understanding of each other's families.
He had never spoken about his family background, but there were rumors within the unit.
To go to such lengths to poach someone, he wondered what kind of exceptional talent it was!
"I'm serious, Boss Dong. You know my personality."
His personality was indeed like that; he would never ask for favors for his own matters.
"How could I not know you? Tell me, can you get someone to make a move? Do you plan to be a teacher at the school for your entire life?" Boss Dong said, frustrated by his lack of ambition.
"We'll talk about this later. For this student matter, could you help me out?" Qiao Guangyuan was truly afraid Boss Dong would continue talking, so he quickly stated his intentions.
Boss Dong on the other end of the phone clearly knew what kind of person his comrade was.
"Tell me, what's the name of the person you've taken a liking to, and what kind of person are they? That way, I can put in a good word with my old man."
Then, he thought about his father's personality and felt that his father might not be willing to help.
"Let's be clear, Qiao Guangyuan. I don't know if my old man will help!"
He felt he couldn't serve his father's temper.
He had heard his mother say that his father doted on his eldest uncle's youngest granddaughter!
It was said that he was almost willing to do anything she asked.
He wondered whose biological father it was, yelling orders at him and his second brother, yet spoiling another family's child.
"I'll try my best. If it's really impossible, then forget it!"
Qiao Guangyuan rambled on, explaining everything he knew about Su Xiaotian.
Boss Dong took notes, and the more he listened, the more astonished he became.
What kind of child had Qiao Guangyuan encountered that so many people were competing for?
"So many people are fighting for them? No wonder you're looking for me. But what kind of person are they? I'm getting curious."
If he wasn't so far away, he would have wanted to visit Peking University himself to take a look.
"An exceptionally outstanding child!" Qiao Guangyuan said with conviction.
Truly outstanding, so outstanding that she couldn't help but want to snatch them away.
"I'll try. I'll call the old man."
After hanging up, Boss Dong thought for a moment, checked the time, guessed that his father hadn't slept yet, and casually called home.
A deep voice like thunder came from the receiver. Boss Dong knew it was his father.
"Dad, it's me."
Upon hearing his son's voice, the voice on the other end of the line rose a notch.
"You rascal, you actually remember to call home? If you didn't call, I would have thought I didn't have a son like you!"
Boss Dong pinched his ear. His father was getting older and his voice was getting louder.
He quickly said with a fawning smile, "Dad, I've been busy with work. I still think about other things every day, how can I focus on training? Didn't you teach me to focus since I was young?"
After a string of words, he actually rendered his father speechless.
"You little brat, you actually used that to shut me up. Speak, what do you need?"
He understood his son well. He wouldn't be so obedient without a reason.
Boss Dong quickly and indirectly explained what Qiao Guangyuan had said.
"You're getting more and more capable, asking your old man for something like this!" Dong Yuanzhong scolded with full vigor.
These brats, it was a waste to have given birth to them.
His two sons couldn't even bring back daughters-in-law. When would he have a sweet-smelling little granddaughter!
When he had a granddaughter, he wouldn't have to envy his eldest brother's little sweetheart all day!
"Dad, it's because there are too many people competing..." Boss Dong quickly said.
"Too many people competing, hmph, who are you trying to fool? Who is competing with you?" Dong Yuanzhong said indignantly.
Just a child, no matter how outstanding, how many people would be interested? Was she a hot commodity?
Not like his precious little sweetheart.
"I heard, the Ministry of Agriculture, the Ministry of Commerce, and I forget where else!" Boss Dong said politely to his father.
Dong Yuanzhong listened and felt it sounded familiar. It seemed Old Wu and Old Chang had mentioned to him that they wanted this child, Xiao Tian.
Could it be...
"What's her name?" Dong Yuanzhong immediately asked.
"Something like Tian... wait, let me think. It seems to be Su Xiaotian or something."
Dong Yuanzhong was amused and angered by his son's words.
"You little brat, when you get back, see if your mother doesn't spank you!" Dong Yuanzhong said, unable to contain his laughter.
Fan Shufang entered the room just as she heard her husband's words and came to join the fun.
"What bad thing has this rascal done now?"
"Old woman, your son wants to snatch someone, and he's even come to me!" Dong Yuanzhong became happier the more he thought about it.