The little star from the Gobi Desert, handed over to the state, is hailed as a national treasure.

Zhao Zhifeng immediately led him toward the women's clothing counter, but Professor Qian stopped in his tracks.

He had been away from home for many years and could no longer remember if his wife's clothing size had changed, whether his two children were fat or thin, or even how tall his granddaughter was.

Seeing this, Zhao Zhifeng quickly took out a second piece of paper with various clothing sizes drawn on it and explained, "When Teacher Jiang went to school to teach, we asked her students for verbal descriptions and then asked the tailor to estimate the sizes. We also confirmed the sizes of other people, so they should be roughly the same."

"Then let's buy it." Professor Qian had barely finished speaking when he suddenly remembered that he had given all his money to the clerk and only had ten yuan left. If he bought several pieces of clothing, it would definitely exceed his budget.

He paused, then pointed to a light blue polyester shirt. "Buy this one. This size should fit."

"Mr. Qian, don't worry about the money. The commander said..."

"No need to say anything more," Professor Qian interrupted Zhao Zhifeng before he could finish speaking, "I have my principles, I only want this one."

Everyone knew that Professor Qian was extremely principled and would never easily back down once he made a decision. Zhao Zhifeng then advised, "Why don't you buy something else? Snacks, malted milk powder, and fresh fruit—these are all things your family likes to eat."

They initially wanted to prepare everything for Professor Qian in advance, but they were afraid of going too far and offending him, so they had to settle for second best. Fortunately, Professor Qian did not refuse and, following Zhao Zhifeng's suggestion, bought several gift boxes of food.

With his exceptional calculation skills, he spent the ten dollars without missing a single penny, leaving not a single coin behind.

He was, of course, unaware that the department store had quietly changed the price tags to lower the prices of these in-demand items in preparation for the return of this hero. Otherwise, ten dollars wouldn't have been enough to buy so many things.

Song Dazhuang and Zhao Zhifeng wanted to help, but Professor Qian shook his head and refused. Since it wasn't far from home anyway, he simply carried the two full net bags and walked home.

Deep down, he still felt a sense of unease and trepidation, like being close to home.

He still remembers the last time he returned home, it was snowing heavily and the wind was biting cold. He pushed open the door, feeling cold all over, only to find his wife lying in bed with her cheeks burning hot.

That time, he regretted it for a long time and repeatedly told his wife that she must tell him immediately if anything happened. However, he was engaged in top-secret scientific research and his whereabouts were secret. Even his family did not know where he was, so how could they contact him?

Over the years, his wife has single-handedly managed the household chores and raised their children, while he, as her husband and father, has even forgotten her clothing size.

A bittersweet feeling spread through his heart, and the home that was so close yet made him feel a little nervous, as if he dared not step inside.

The guard at the door recognized Professor Qian at a glance, and his face instantly lit up with surprise. Just as he was about to greet him, Zhao Zhifeng quickly made a "low-key" gesture.

The guard immediately understood, nodded slightly, and silently returned to his post, not daring to make a sound.

Professor Qian, carrying his net, slowly walked downstairs. Just then, a child's voice suddenly rang out, clear and mischievous: "Little Fatty, you're cheating! Don't you dare break my ball!"

Professor Qian was slightly taken aback. His first reaction was to think it was Tian Tian, ​​but upon closer listening, he realized that the voice was a year or two older than Tian Tian's, so it was obviously not her.

He stopped and turned around.

Under the elm tree downstairs, several five- or six-year-old children were squatting together. Four chubby-faced little boys and a little girl with pigtails were playing some lively game.

Professor Qian felt a surge of curiosity and quietly took a few steps toward them.

Among the children was an empty tin can covered in dust. One chubby boy stepped on the can, raised his chin, and shouted defiantly, "You're talking nonsense! This isn't a ball at all! Erzhu, the one you're holding is the ball, isn't it?"

The little boy named Erzhu looked down at the deflated ball in his arms, then at the tin can on the ground, and whispered in protest, "But, Duoduo's tin can can also be kicked..."

The little girl named Duoduo immediately chimed in, hands on her hips, "Exactly! Mine can be kicked too, why doesn't it count?"

"So, anything you can kick is a ball?" the chubby boy shouted anxiously. "We're playing a kicking game, this is an empty tin can, it doesn't count!"

Tiger was getting anxious. He had clearly scored a goal, and if it didn't count, he was doomed to lose. He quickly argued, "As long as it's a kick, it counts! Duo Duo's can even make a sound when he kicks it!" Then, he turned to Tie Dan, who hadn't spoken, and asked, "Do you think there's a rule that only goals that hit the second post count?"

Tie Dan looked at the sulking Little Fatty, then at the aggrieved Duo Duo, scratched his head with a bit of difficulty, and whispered, "Er Zhu's ball is deflated, Little Fatty, how about we kick this can for a bit?"

"No, no, it doesn't count if it's not a ball!" Little Fatty's understanding was completely challenged, and he stomped his feet in frustration, his little face turning bright red.

The children argued heatedly, each sticking to their own version of events. Professor Qian watched quietly from the side, and the more he looked, the more familiar the little girl named Duoduo seemed—wasn't that his own granddaughter?

I never imagined that he would grow up so much in just a few years.

He rarely had such a leisurely time, so instead of rushing to mediate, he became quite interested in seeing how his little granddaughter would handle the current minor conflict.

Sure enough, seeing everyone arguing so fiercely, Qian Duoduo suddenly became anxious, put her little hands to her mouth, and shouted, "Stop arguing!"

The moment that loud voice rang out, the children fell silent. They looked at each other, none of them daring to utter a sound.

Qian Duoduo, hands on her hips and a serious expression, asked, "So, what game are we playing today?"

Tiger immediately raised his hand and shouted, "Down with the eagle devils!"

"How can we defeat the 'Eagle-country devils'?"

"Kick the ball into the opponent's territory!" the children answered in unison.

"That's right," Qian Duoduo stared into Xiao Pang's eyes and asked seriously, "Does that mean that as long as we can kick into the enemy's territory, we've defeated the 'Eagle-Japanese devils'?"

The chubby boy hesitated for a moment, a look of doubt on his face: "But, but this isn't a ball..."

"Don't worry about what it is, as long as we can get into the enemy's territory, right?" Qian Duoduo pressed on relentlessly.

Little Fatty was speechless at the question, while Tie Dan, who had already sided with him, quickly nodded. Er Zhu, clutching the deflated ball in his arms, hesitated and asked, "Then, what about my ball?"

"Wasn't your ball flat?" Qian Duoduo waved his hand, saying domineeringly, "We'll fight the Japanese even without your ball! It doesn't matter what it is, as long as we can beat them!"

"Yes, as long as we can win!" Tiger jumped up happily, so that the goal he just scored would count as a point.

"But...but..." Little Fatty hesitated a bit, so Qian Duoduo simply raised her little hand and said loudly, "Comrades, let's vote now. Does kicking my can into the field count as a win?"

"Yes!" Tiger was the first to raise his hand in support.

Tie Dan hesitated for two seconds, then raised his hand. Er Zhu pouted, looked at the ball in his arms, then at Duo Duo's expectant face, and slowly raised his hand as well.

Little Fatty was the only one left who didn't say anything.

"Little Fatty!" Tie Dan gestured towards him with his lip. Under the overwhelming pressure of the votes, Little Fatty had no choice but to nod reluctantly: "Alright, then, let's just forget about it."

"Yay! Let's kick it now, down with the eagle devils! Let's see who scores the most goals!" Qian Duoduo cheered, taking short strides and kicking a tin can on the ground.

This delightful scene brought a smile to Old Qian's lips. Qian Duoduo, this clever little devil, really did have some of the mischievousness his son had when he was young, and also displayed a tenacious spirit that refused to give up.

Suddenly, as if he had thought of something, the smile on his face vanished instantly, and his brows furrowed slightly.