I have few friends, but many childhood sweethearts.

Chapter 238. Xiao Ruanwen's Father 2
"Your handwriting is quite good. Do you practice often?" Xiao Jianbiao appeared behind Xu Qingfan at some point and asked quietly.

Xu Qingfan was startled by the sudden shout, his hand holding the brush trembled slightly. He turned around casually and replied, "Yes, hello Uncle. I only practice occasionally, not very often."

"Hmm, I heard you wrote the couplets at the entrance too? Your calligraphy is quite impressive." He patted Xu Qingfan on the shoulder and said.

"Cough, um." Xu Qingfan glanced at the other person's hand on his shoulder. There were very obvious calluses on the tiger's mouth, which an experienced person would know at a glance was caused by years of holding a gun.

"You're a strong young man. Want to have a couple of drinks with your uncle sometime?" Xiao Jianbiao squeezed his shoulder hard and patted him twice.

Xu Qingfan looked at Xiao Lijian, but the old man was writing seriously, seemingly unconcerned about their conversation.

When the host asks this question in someone else's home, how can you refuse?
Xu Qingfan nodded: "Okay, I can't drink much, I'm still growing."

"It's nothing, just a couple of drinks." He patted Xu Qingfan on the shoulder again, then turned and left.

The five girls had already hidden in their rooms in the living room. Grandma was busy in the kitchen. Xiao Ruanwen's mother was not home; Xu Qingfan guessed she had gone to the market to buy groceries.

Xiao Jianbiao took a bottle of Moutai and two small wine glasses from the wine cabinet, sat on the sofa, and waved for Xu Qingfan to come and sit down as well.

He nodded and obediently sat down opposite Xiao's father.

The Moutai liquor has been opened, and the words "Special Supply to the Port City Military Region" are written in small white characters on the lower right corner of the bottle.

Xu Qingfan wasn't surprised. He had seen too many similar wines with Zhang Chunxue over the years, including Zhang Yiyi's grandfather, eldest uncle, and second uncle. They all regularly purchased their daily necessities from specialized supermarkets.

The so-called special supply liquor is actually not much different from the regular Feitian Moutai on the market, although it will definitely be older.

To save costs, government departments purchase a batch of wine from wineries every year. The purchase cost is naturally very low. The wineries are worried that someone will resell it, so they print the words "Special Supply for So-and-So" on the bottles.

Xiao Jianbiao filled both glasses with wine, pushed one of them in front of Xu Qingfan, and then downed the glass himself in one gulp.

He wasn't that brave; under Xiao's father's watchful gaze, he picked up his wine glass and took a small sip.

The two stared at each other for a moment, neither of them saying a word.

Xu Qingfan was the first to lose his composure, and he casually brought up a topic: "Uncle, are the calluses on your hands from shooting a lot?"

He regretted it as soon as he opened his mouth; what was he even saying? The more he thought about it, the stranger it seemed.

"Hmm." Fortunately, Xiao Jianbiao didn't surf the internet often and didn't think too much about it. He nodded and said, "What, are you interested in joining the army? You look quite strong and are a good candidate for the military."

Xu Qingfan naturally didn't want to. What kind of soldier could a reborn person like him be? He originally wanted to make a joke and say that he would do his duty if the country needed him, but thinking about Xiao's father's status, he probably wouldn't like such an answer. So he honestly said, "I haven't considered that. My mother probably wouldn't want me to be gone for so long."

"That's true." Xiao Jianbiao nodded in agreement, refilled his glass, and asked, "What do you think of Ruan Wen?"

"Huh?" Xu Qingfan was clearly not expected to be asked that. After a slight pause, he replied, "Ruan Wen is great. She's an optimistic and cheerful person. She sings well, is responsible, and is easy to get along with."

Parents are naturally happy to hear others say good things about their children, and Xiao Jianbiao was no exception. After drinking another glass of wine, he laughed and said, "To be honest, I, as a father, spend less time with Ruan Wen each year than you do. But I know her personality well. She's competitive, careless, and impulsive."

Xu Qingfan blinked, his survival instincts kicking in. How could he possibly respond? He could only take a sip of his drink, leaving everything unsaid.

"It's nothing, I just heard Ruan Wen mention you often since I was very young, and I was a little curious. You really are a very outstanding young man."

"Hehe, not at all, Ruan Wen is also very outstanding. With such a respectable father as you as her role model, Ruan Wen is doing very well," Xu Qingfan said, scratching his head. "I have witnessed Er Ya's growth over the years. She has changed a lot every year. If I had to name a role model, I would say it's because she has such an outstanding friend like you by her side."

[Is this some kind of self-praise contest?]
Xu Qingfan didn't understand what Xiao Ruanwen's father was trying to say, so he could only chuckle awkwardly.

Xiao Jianbiao thought Xu Qingfan would respond, but he didn't, so the two of them looked at each other in an awkward silence.

"From 96?"

"Yep."

"What month were you born in?" Xiao Jianbiao asked again.

June 29th.

“That’s two months older than Ruan Wen.” He nodded.

"Haha, right!"

After a while, the five girls came out of the room and saw a scene that left them dumbfounded: Xu Qingfan and Xiao Jianbiao were arm wrestling on the coffee table!
"Dad, Fan, what are you doing?" Xiao Ruanwen stared wide-eyed in disbelief.

"Arm wrestling," Xu Qingfan said through gritted teeth, his face flushed from the effort.

"Dad, what are you doing? You're an adult, how could Fan-ge break up like that?" Xiao Ruanwen thought her father was bullying her, but when she got closer, she found that Xiao Jianbiao was also blushing.

Lin Wanning looked left and right, and finally waved her little pink fist and cheered, "Go, Brother Qingfan!"

"Go for it, brother!" Zhang Yiyi naturally supported Xu Qingfan and encouraged him as well.

"Come on, Brother Fan!"

The voices of the five girls seemed to add the final weight to the previously stalemate. Xu Qingfan gripped the coffee table with his left hand and gave it a strong tug with his right, finally ending this protracted battle.

"Good lad, really not interested in joining the army?" Xiao Jianbiao secretly put his right hand down, too embarrassed to massage in front of his daughter and classmates.

"Dad, what are you thinking? Fan is the top student in our school, and he was also the top student in the district joint exam last time. You want him to join the army with such grades?" Xiao Ruanwen said, hands on her hips and glaring at her father.

Xu Qingfan was about to speak, but since Xiao Ruanwen had spoken for him, he naturally kept quiet.

Seeing that Qingfan's hands were red, Lin Wanning ran over to massage them to help him relax.

"Cough cough." Xiao Jianbiao was lucky not to choke on this scene. What a winner in life!
“We’re in modern warfare now, and sometimes one person can play a bigger role than an entire army,” he explained, patting his daughter’s head.

"Uncle, let's not travel far while our parents are alive," Xu Qingfan waved his hand.

"You can come find me anytime if you change your mind."

"dad!"

"Haha. Okay, okay, Dad won't say anything more."

(End of this chapter)