The aloof military doctor arrives at the unit, and the tough guy can't sit still.

The car started, and after about half an hour's drive, they soon arrived at the gate of a small courtyard on the side of the street.

Lu Zhenghan personally found this courtyard. There is a garden in front of the house where vegetables can be grown, and there is a market not far away, making it convenient to buy things. It is just right for elderly people like Xia Qiuran's parents to live in.

Xia Qiuran got out of the car and walked to the door. This was her first time visiting her parents' residence in the city. In the city, it was very difficult to find a house like this with its own courtyard. Lu Zhenghan must have put a lot of thought into it.

Pushing open the door, I saw Qian Guifang washing vegetables.

"mom."

Xia Qiuran immediately called out.

This shout woke up Xia Dazhi and Xia Pingsheng inside the house.

"Xiao Ran, you're here! Your dad went to the shelter today, but they said you weren't there, so he came back," Qian Guifang said happily as she greeted him.

"I went back to my unit today. I've been quite busy lately, so I only managed to take two hours off to come over after finishing my work."

After Xia Qiuran finished explaining, she glanced somewhat embarrassedly at Lu Zhenghan behind her.

"This is our commander, you've all met him before, so I won't go into details."

Qian Guifang and the others looked over and quickly said politely.

"Commander Lu, please come inside and have a seat."

Lu Zhenghan had helped their family a lot before, so he was considered their great benefactor.

"Auntie, Uncle Xia, Brother, I know you've moved to the city. These are some things I bought at the store. If you need anything else, just let me know and I'll bring it next time," Lu Zhenghan said politely.

Although he had met Xia Qiuran's family before, they were just ordinary acquaintances. Now, it was his first formal visit after confirming their relationship. It would be a lie to say he wasn't nervous, but he also knew he couldn't show it. He had to leave a good impression on Xia Qiuran's family this time.

"Commander Lu, I can't accept this. This must cost a lot of money. How can I let you spend so much?"

Qian Guifang accepted the gifts. Although she was surprised by the number of gifts, she didn't think too much about it. She assumed that Lu Zhenghan was visiting them as their leader, just like he had done when he visited them at the hospital.

At the same time, he couldn't help but think to himself, "Lu Zhenghan really knows how to be a leader. He knows how to win over his subordinates. Who wouldn't be willing to work for him wholeheartedly if they followed a leader like that?"

"Auntie, you can just call me Xiao Lu as before. It's nothing, don't worry about it."

After Lu Zhenghan entered the house, Qian Guifang quickly tugged at Xia Dazhi's sleeve and took out all the money from her pocket.

"Go quickly and buy some cooked food from the individual stalls. Commander Lu is a distinguished guest and must be treated well."

Individual stalls don't require receipts, but they are a bit more expensive. Normally, they would never buy anything from them, but today Lu Zhenghan is here, so even if they spend all their savings, they must make sure the food is plentiful.

"Okay." Xia Dazhi replied and quickly walked out.

Qian Guifang quickly busied herself preparing other dishes, while Xia Pingsheng excitedly introduced the household items to Xia Qiuran.

"Xiao Ran, this city is so nice! Look, there's even running water. Back home, the thing I worried about most was getting water."

Every ordinary object here seemed so novel to Xia Pingsheng. In the past, he had to go to the village entrance to fetch water, but due to his leg problems, he could only carry a small bucket each time. In winter, the ground was slippery and he often slipped and fell.

Now that we have running water, things are so much more convenient.

"Brother, tap water is convenient, but sometimes the water supply might be interrupted. You'd better find a bucket to store some water."

Xia Qiuran offered a timely reminder, and seeing her older brother so happy, like a child, she felt an indescribable joy in her heart.

"Yes, I've saved it. There are quite a few things left behind by the previous residents in this house, and they're all usable." Xia Pingsheng said, pointing to the bucket on the ground. After speaking, he looked up at the light on the ceiling, his lips curving into a smile, his eyes full of satisfaction with the current situation.

"I've been staying here with my parents for two days now, and the power hasn't gone out even once. Last time, my mom fell while looking for candles in the dark because of a power outage, and she had to use crutches for a week. This time, I don't have to worry about that anymore."

"Huh? When did that happen? How come I didn't know?"

Xia Qiuran was stunned when she heard this. How come she had never known about this before? She looked nervously at Qian Guifang.

"Mom, how are you now? Does your leg still hurt?"

"Why are you saying this?" Qian Guifang gave Xia Pingsheng a reproachful look before continuing to speak to Xia Qiuran.

"Do I look like something's wrong? It's been so long, I'm fine now."

Xia Pingsheng then realized that he had spoken too quickly, scratched his head and continued.

"Xiao Ran, come over here. This is your room. I partitioned it off with wooden boards."

"And my room? I usually stay in the dormitory, so there's no need to reserve my room."

Xia Qiuran turned around and walked over. She saw that Xia Pingsheng had divided a room into two parts with wooden boards. One part was small and could only fit a wooden bed. The other part had a bed and a wooden table next to it. On the table was a round wooden mirror that was a bit old but very shiny.

"You can come back when you're resting. Before, when we were poor, we could only comb our hair in front of the water. There happened to be a mirror left by the previous owner in this house, so I cleaned it out and you can use it as your dressing table."

"Thank you, brother."

Seeing her family's satisfied and happy faces, Xia Qiuran suddenly felt incredibly happy. This scene was probably the greatest meaning of her hard work after being reborn. If it could continue like this, she would be willing to endure any more hardship and fatigue.

"What are you thanking me for? You're the one who made the difference. Without your hard work, how could we have come to the city and live such a good life?"

A hint of guilt flashed in Xia Pingsheng's eyes. These things were originally his responsibility as a son, but now they all fell on his younger sister, Xia Qiuran.

After hearing this, Xia Qiuran glanced at Lu Zhenghan. This credit had nothing to do with her, and she couldn't just quietly take it for herself.

"Big brother, Mom, you really shouldn't thank me for this. It's all thanks to Commander Lu. He found Dad and Big brother their jobs, he found them their houses, and he even solved their household registration problems."

After Xia Qiuran finished speaking, Qian Guifang and Xia Ping were taken aback for a moment, and then they both looked at Lu Zhenghan.

If buying so many things could be somewhat explained as a leader caring for subordinates, then such great favors as introducing a job and handling household registration can never be explained by a superior-subordinate relationship.

Qian Guifang first wiped her hands with her apron, her body tensed slightly, and there was a hint of unease in her eyes. After a while, she cautiously spoke.

"Commander Lu, why are you helping our family so much?"

Lu Zhenghan stood up, his fingertips clenching slightly. He had thought about how to say it many times before coming, but when it came time to actually say it, he couldn't help but start to beat faster.

"Auntie, brother, it's like this, I've liked Qiu Ran for a long time, and I've come here today to ask for your permission for me to be with Qiu Ran."

As soon as Lu Zhenghan finished speaking, Qian Guifang, clutching her apron, visibly froze.

Logically speaking, with Lu Zhenghan's qualifications, they were definitely climbing the social ladder. However, after Xia Dazhi was hospitalized last time, she saw clearly that the interpersonal relationships among city people are not so simple. If things go wrong, they could easily be taken advantage of.