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

A dozen minutes later, the convoy appeared on the horizon, kicking up dust. Outside the base gate, Commander Liu, Chief Designer Wang, Professor Qian, and others had been eagerly waiting. Before the vehicles had even come to a complete stop, a crowd surged forward.

As soon as Liang Zhe jumped off the car with Tian Tian in his arms, Commander Liu strode forward and almost snatched the little girl into his arms.

"My goodness! Were you scared? Did you bump or hurt yourself anywhere?"

The old commander examined Tian Tian carefully from head to toe, as if she were his own granddaughter. Professor Qian and Chief Designer Wang also gathered around, their eyes filled with concern and affection for Tian Tian.

It wasn't until the three big shots personally confirmed that, apart from her braids being messed up by the wind and sand and her face being a little cold, Sweetie had no injuries whatsoever. Only then did their hearts, which had been hanging in suspense all night, finally settle down.

Commander Liu suddenly turned around and punched Liang Zhe in a bad mood. He didn't control his strength and punched Liang Zhe so hard that Liang Zhe staggered back several steps.

"What the hell?! Are you crazy?! What kind of wind was blowing yesterday?! How dare you take the child out like that?! If anything goes wrong, how are you going to compensate me?! Huh?!"

Liang Zhe lowered his head, actually terrified. He had taken that punch willingly and dared not argue, only muttering, "Commander, it was my fault."

Brigade Commander Bai quickly caught up from behind and took half a step forward: "Commander, this isn't Liang Zhe's fault, the responsibility lies entirely with me..."

"You have no responsibility?" Commander Liu turned his head sharply, interrupting him with a livid face. "Comrade Bai Shuyong, you're an old revolutionary. Don't you understand this kind of risk? In such extreme weather, do you think you can't find a way to safety based on your experience? Why did you have to send that child, Tian Tian, ​​to take such a risk?"

Brigade Commander Bai looked ashamed. "Commander, to be honest, in that situation, our experience as adults really didn't work. If it weren't for Tian Tian, ​​it probably wouldn't have been just a simple matter of being trapped. It's really hard to say whether more than twenty lives could have been saved."

"She saved us all."

The air suddenly became quiet.

Commander Liu stared at him, then slowly looked at Tian Tian, ​​who was blinking innocently in Liang Zhe's arms, and his chest heaved violently a few times.

Chief Designer Wang gently patted Brigade Commander Bai on the shoulder: "Old Bai, when the Commander received the message last night, the convoy had already set off. He was so anxious that he didn't sleep a wink all night. He stayed in the communications room, afraid of hearing even the slightest bad news."

Professor Qian also spoke up gently: "Yes, Commander. Our little girl really escaped danger this time, miraculously! Everyone is back safe and sound now, it's truly a miracle."

"Yes! Sweetie is absolutely amazing!"

"He truly is our little lucky star!"

"Having Sweetie at the base is such a blessing!"

The people around her echoed her sentiments, praising Tian Tian in unison.

Commander Liu let out a long breath, his expression finally softening. He reached out his rough hand and gently patted Tian Tian's head: "This is a one-time exception. From now on, any more dangerous missions like this must be reported in advance and approved by me!"

"Yes, sir!" Brigade Commander Bai and Liang Zhe stood at attention and saluted at the same time, their voices resolute.

"And also," he looked very seriously into her big, sweet eyes, "remember this, no matter what, safety comes first. Don't make the adults worry like this again, understand?"

"Okay, Grandpa Liu." Sweetie hugged Commander Liu's neck, nestled her little face in his arms, and nodded obediently.

Commander Liu was finally satisfied.

His gaze shifted to the three military trucks loaded with millstones, a glint of ambition flashing in his eyes: "Unload the millstones, grind the wheat! Tonight—steam white flour buns for the entire base!"

"Yes!" The soldiers' cheers instantly resounded throughout the base.

To unload the millstones, the base had already brought in large lifting equipment. With the help of the soldiers, they quickly moved all five sets of stone mills and three hand-operated mills into the mill.

The soldier in charge of testing the machine gripped the grinding rod and pushed hard. The grinding disc slowly began to rotate, emitting a deep and even "rumbling" sound. This sound echoed in the vast sky and earth, sounding more powerful than a bugle call, making everyone present feel excited and their blood boil.

"It's done! The millstone is installed!" someone shouted, and cheers erupted inside and outside the mill.

This mill, originally a temporary warehouse, was now packed with people, three layers deep. Although all the doors and windows were open, they couldn't block the sweltering heat. Fine beads of sweat quickly appeared on the foreheads of the soldiers testing the mill, sliding down their dark cheeks. They didn't bother to wipe them away, just grinning with eyes full of anticipation.

The most anticipated part, grinding the wheat, has begun.

The wheat grains, already dried and winnowed, were carried into the mill by the soldiers. As soon as the sacks were opened, the fresh aroma of wheat instantly filled the air. The young soldiers jostled each other, eager to be the first to add wheat. Just as they were scrambling for it, someone suddenly had a bright idea and shouted, "Let Tian Tian do it!"

The crowd suddenly realized what was happening and immediately made way for each other.

Liang Zhe held Tian Tian in his arms, took her little hand, scooped up a ladle of wheat, and aimed it at the hopper at the top of the millstone.

"Daddy, what are you doing?" the little girl asked innocently, unaware of the ways of the world.

"Sweetie, pour the wheat in, and we can grind it into flour. With the flour, we can steam buns for Sweetie."

"Steamed buns? What are those?"

Sweetie was born at the beginning of a famine. From the age of one, almost every household had run out of fine food, so she had never even seen what a steamed bun looked like.

Liang Zhe felt a pang of sadness and hugged the child tighter. Song Dazhuang laughed from the side, "Thanks to Tian Tian, ​​she helped the uncles and aunties find the wheat field and dragged the millstone back from the sandstorm. The steamed buns made from this flour are a hundred times tastier than cornbread. I guarantee Tian Tian will love them at first bite!"

Upon hearing this, Tian Tian's big eyes immediately lit up. "Great! Daddy wants to eat steamed buns too!"

"Don't worry, everyone will have enough to eat." Liang Zhe kissed his daughter's cheek affectionately. "This is just the first meal. There will be many more delicious meals to come. It's all thanks to Tian Tian."

"Then Tian Tian needs to grind the wheat."

"Okay. Pour it in, and it'll be ground up right away."

Upon hearing this, Tian Tian happily picked up the gourd ladle, and a clattering sound rang out. Several soldiers immediately pushed the millstone, and it began to turn with a creaking sound.

Soon, the wheat grains were crushed little by little, and the bran separated out through the gaps in the millstone and fell into the cloth bag next to it, while the white flour, like the thin snow of early winter, was continuously sprinkled from the gaps in the millstone into the large cloth bag below.

"It's producing powder! It's producing powder!" the young soldiers shouted excitedly.

Someone carefully picked up a little flour with their fingers, brought it to their nose and took a deep sniff, then closed their eyes, a look of near ecstasy on their face.

Sweetie nestled in Liang Zhe's arms, watching this magical scene with wide, curious eyes. "Daddy, Sweetie wants to touch it too."

Immediately, someone presented her with a small handful of the mixture: "Sweetie, here you go!"

Sweetie stretched out her little finger, dipped it in flour, and put it in her mouth, but Liang Zhe quickly stopped her: "Sweetie, this is raw flour, you can't eat it. It has to be cooked first."

People around gathered to watch, their eyes shining as they watched the pure white flour gushing out like a waterfall.

"This flour is even whiter than the flour sold in my hometown!"

"Absolutely! The cornmeal and sorghum flour we ate before were nowhere near as good as this!"

"I'll be able to eat white flour steamed buns tonight! Just thinking about it makes my mouth water!"

The aroma of wheat in the air grew stronger, and everyone chatted away, making the mill as lively as a market.

Even the usually composed Li Guihua got flour on her nose and smeared it on the sweet little girl's nose, making her giggle nonstop.