I painted an aircraft carrier on the courtyard house for Dongda University.

Zhou Weiguo got goosebumps from what Elder Long said and said embarrassedly, "Um, Elder Long, you're exaggerating. This is what I should do. By the way, when I go to the fortifications, can I also put all the supplies from that ship there? As for that ship, can we put them there when it gets to the sea?"

Old Master Long nodded and said, "Alright, alright, that's enough. Go, put your things away, and then hurry back to rest. I'll have the driver take you."

Just as Zhou Weiguo was about to nod in agreement, his expression suddenly sharpened as he realized there was still one crucial matter that had not been mentioned.

He looked at the two elders, hesitated for a long time before finally saying, "Elder Long, Elder Qin, I stopped by Tieyuan on my way out this time."

"What? On the way? Tieyuan?" The two elders exchanged a glance, then looked at Zhou Weiguo.

Old Qin went even further, saying, "You brat, do you want to listen to what you're saying? What do you mean by 'going to Tieyuan on the way'?"

Old Master Long waved his hand and said, "Don't say so much, let Weiguo do the talking."

Zhou Weiguo nodded, his Adam's apple bobbing slightly, and continued, "At the site of that battle, I discovered the remains of many of my comrades... These heroes shouldn't be left to rot in the wilderness; I simply couldn't bear it..."

Both Elder Long and Elder Qin were taken aback upon hearing this, and the air in the conference room seemed to freeze instantly.

Old Qin abruptly stood up, slamming his hands heavily on the conference table, his eyes blazing as he stared at Zhou Weiguo: "You brat! You brought my soldiers back? How many did you bring back?"

"More than three thousand." Zhou Weiguo straightened his back, his voice trembling slightly.

Old Long, trembling, gripped the edge of the table, his eyes reddening: "Good! Very good! Excellent! The heroes have returned home, it's truly wonderful."

He patted Zhou Weiguo heavily on the shoulder, his tone firm: "First, settle the heroes in the fortifications; they're spacious there. I'll arrange for people to expedite the construction of the mausoleum, and then we'll find a way to confirm their identities. Go quickly; they also long to return to the land of Xia."

Seeing how he had caused the two elders' emotions to fluctuate, Zhou Weiguo inwardly cursed himself for his poor communication skills. He quickly stood up and said, "Alright, you two should rest now. I'll be going now. Oh, right, I haven't told you both yet, Happy New Year!"

"Okay, okay, Happy New Year!"

The two elders watched Zhou Weiguo leave in his car.

Back home, the two were silent for a while before Old Qin couldn't help but ask curiously, "Why were you in such a hurry to let this kid leave? To be honest, aren't you really curious about his secret?"

Old Long rolled his eyes at Old Qin, his tone tinged with helplessness: "Curious? Why should I be curious? If I keep being curious, I'm afraid my heart won't be able to take it. Besides, everyone has secrets, everyone has things they don't want others to know, let alone this kid's huge secret. Anyway, this kid is genuinely good to the country, why take that risk?"

Old Qin nodded in agreement: "That's right. As long as you get along well with this kid, he's genuinely sincere, so there's no need for him to cause trouble. To be honest, sometimes I even suspect that this kid is a god reincarnated."

Old Long nodded in agreement, filled with emotion: "Yes, every time I see this kid, I can't help but sigh, 'Heaven blesses China, heaven blesses China!'"

...............

Zhou Weiguo rushed around as fast as he could, finally finishing all his business around noon and hurriedly returning home.

As soon as I stepped into the courtyard, He Yushui's clear voice reached my ears.

"Auntie, there's so much delicious food today! Are you really planning to eat it all up? No wonder you didn't eat with us the other day."

Tian Zao's voice followed immediately: "Yeah, today's the last day of the holiday. If we don't finish it all, you'll just let all this good stuff go bad."

"Auntie, when is Uncle coming back? I miss him."

Tianzao playfully teased Yushui: "Then make a wish. Wishes made during the New Year are more likely to come true."

Zhou Weiguo saw Tian Zao grinning at him and immediately realized that the two of them probably hadn't told everyone that they were back.

He quietly walked up to her and saw He Yushui making a wish with her head down and eyes closed. He suddenly reached out and picked her up.

This startled the little girl quite a bit. She opened her eyes in a panic and saw Zhou Weiguo's face. Instantly, He Yushui's face lit up with a smile, and she excitedly exclaimed, "Hey! Oh my! Ahh! Uncle, you're back! Uncle, my wish really came true, hahaha!"

Zhou Weiguo carried He Yushui and spun her around in the yard. At this moment, He Yuzhu and Yu Li ran out of the kitchen with delighted expressions, and even Natasha came out of the bedroom, watching them play with great interest.

More than ten minutes later, Zhou Weiguo sat down at the head of the table, and everyone else followed suit.

He looked at the table laden with sauerkraut and pork hot pot, catfish stew with eggplant, twice-cooked pork, Dongpo pork knuckle... a total of eight dishes and a soup, and couldn't help but take a deep sniff of the aroma.

To be honest, he really missed Sha Zhuzi's cooking.

Just as he picked up his chopsticks, ready to take some food, there was a sudden, urgent knocking sound at the courtyard gate.

Zhou Weiguo frowned, puzzled. "What's going on? Who is this? Knocking on the door during the New Year?"

He looked at everyone in confusion, only to find He Yuzhu looking panicked, Yu Li looking pale, and He Yushui and Tian Zao hesitant to speak.

Seeing everyone's expressions, Zhou Weiguo felt strange and immediately got up to open the door.

He Yuzhu quickly stood up, seemingly wanting to say something, but was pulled back by Yu Li.

With a creak, the small door to the east courtyard opened, and Zhou Weiguo was stunned.

Standing outside the door was Qin Huairu. Not only had she not been sentenced, but she was also wearing a brand new outfit, which looked like it had been bought from a department store.

When Qin Huairu saw that it was Zhou Weiguo who opened the door, she panicked, her eyes darting around, and she was so frightened that she almost dropped the large bowl in her hand.

After catching her breath, she winked at Zhou Weiguo and said coquettishly, "Uncle Weiguo, you're back? Zhuzi is really something, he didn't even tell me he was back, he's so inconsiderate."

Zhou Weiguo almost felt nauseous upon hearing this, and instinctively slammed the door shut again with a loud "bang".

Qin Huairu, standing outside the door, was taken aback at first, and after a long while, she turned and left with a grim expression.

Without a word, Zhou Weiguo turned and walked back to the restaurant. As soon as he entered, he saw He Yuzhu standing up unsteadily.

He glanced at everyone and said to He Yushui, "Yushui, help Natasha back to her bedroom first."

He Yushui stuck out her tongue and quickly helped Natasha out the door.

Tian Zao's eyes widened as she grabbed a handful of sunflower seeds from the table and started cracking them open. Yu Li, on the other hand, looked helpless and sighed.

Zhou Weiguo knew perfectly well that He Yuzhu must have stirred up some trouble, otherwise everyone wouldn't be reacting this way.

P.S.: Please urge me to update more and give me good reviews. Thank you!