Chapter 0005: Hide and Seek

"Is this what you dug?" Changsheng asked in surprise

Are you getting old and confused? Both of us are waiting for you to come back for dinner, hurry home

The small bag contains pliers, a cone, scissors, a ruler, a compass, a shoehorn, a screwdriver, a small iron rod, chopsticks, toothpicks, and so on. In any case, it is fully equipped with anything that can be used for digging, and there is also a baby bottle

"There aren't enough fingers." Xiao Yuanchao shook his head and said, "Uncle, don't bother me, I'm counting."

The superior was furious, Sun Honglie withstood the pressure, while Xiao Hongjun gradually lost hope

The child is hungry, let the child eat first. Sun Honglie helped Xiao Hongjun up and said with a smile: "Old Xiao, I am also hungry. Now that I am here, you have to treat me to a meal, right? Hehe"

Xiao Yuanchao suddenly burst into tears on the phone, but in front of his father, he did not dare to cry out loud, only managing to stifle his sobs.

Where is my son? Where is my son? I want to talk to him

This wall is made of 24 bricks, and there is cement on top. Even an adult would find it difficult to dig through, let alone a five-and-a-half-year-old child making a hole here. Moreover, this hole was dug right under the noses of adults, yet it went unnoticed!

"The person has been found, at home!" Xiao Hongjun exclaimed loudly after hanging up the phone

Those people who can play hide and seek with you, just like the ones you played hide and seek with on your way home from the mountain today, for example... your brother

As time passed second by second, the deadly order from the headquarters, two hours away, drew ever closer, yet there was still no sign of Xiao Yuanchao at Xiake Ridge

Xiao Yuanchao stared with tearful eyes at Sun Honglie's military uniform, reaching his right hand towards the dining table. After feeling a piece of meat, he quickly stuffed it into his mouth and swallowed it, then looked fearfully at his weeping father

"Just walk to the right, walk to the right, then walk to the left, and take the bus," said Xiao Yuanchao, who was eating Wangwang Snow Cakes, while gesturing with his hand.

Wasn't his son kidnapped? How did he return home? Xiao Hongjun couldn't understand; he needed to hear his son's voice to dare to confirm and believe.

Throughout the journey, Xiao Hongjun continuously smoked cigarettes, his face occasionally displaying anger and at other times a sense of relief. His son was at home, that was correct, he had not misheard; it was indeed his son's voice. But how did he come home, how exactly did he come home

"Xiao Hongjun, what exactly do you want to do!" Zhao Xiuying pulled her loudly crying son out from under the table and held him tightly, shouting at Xiao Hongjun: "If you dare to lay a finger on my son today, I will perish together with you!"

Zhao Xiuying, holding her child, also cried, and the family of three was in tears together

Xiao Yuanchao, curled up in the blanket, bit his finger, his little head in a state of excitement: Dad didn't hit me today, he really didn't hit me. That uncle didn't lie to me, he is a good person

Tell me! '' Chang Sheng grabbed Xiao Yuanchao's thin shoulders, stared into the other person's eyes, and asked: `` How long did it take you to dig this hole? ''

"Tell me, do you want to be a soldier?" Changsheng picked up Xiao Yuanchao.

"Xiao Yuanchao, can you tell me how you managed to return home by yourself?" Chang Sheng asked.

After bending his fingers many times and bending his toes many times, Xiao Yuanchao finally took a breath, raised his head, and said to Chang Sheng: "I am all set!"

Xiao Yuanchao, Wangwang Snow Cakes. Changsheng placed a large bag of Wangwang Snow Cakes on the bed and said with a smile: "After going down the mountain, turn left, then turn left again, then turn left again, turn right, turn right again, make a turn and go right, go right, jump over, go right, go right, go right. I found the hospital and got treated."

Hide and seek? Playing hide and seek with special forces? A five-and-a-half-year-old child playing hide and seek with special forces without being discovered?

Hehe, it's nothing, it's nothing, hehe. Xiao Hongjun smiled and reached out to take his son from his wife's arms

Xiao Yuanchao tilted his head to look at the ceiling and began to count on his fingers

The phone of his wife rang repeatedly, and Xiao Hongjun was uncertain whether to answer it or not. He did not want his wife to know about this matter; he hoped to return home with his son unharmed, as if nothing had happened.

Upon hearing these words, Xiao Hongjun slammed his fist on the table, crouched down, and began to cry uncontrollably while holding his head.

How long exactly is it

Xiuying, Xiao Hongjun held his phone tightly, making an effort to steady his somewhat trembling voice, and said in a usual tone: "I am out dining with my son and will return a bit later"

It has been a long time! Xiao Yuanchao opened his small arms and drew a large circle.

With a thud, Xiao Yuanchao was so frightened that he fell to the ground, supporting himself with both hands and continuously retreating until he backed himself under the table, at which point he opened his mouth and began to cry loudly: "Daddy, woo woo woo... please don't hit me, I won't run around anymore, I promise I won't, woo woo woo..."

He came here to clarify this issue: how did this child return home without anyone noticing?

"What are you doing cracking your toes?" Changsheng asked.

How long?

Xiao Yuanchao nodded vigorously, glanced at the bedroom door, and put his little hand in front of his mouth to shush, saying: "Dad won't let me go out to play, so I'm digging a hole to sneak out and play hide and seek"

"Lao Xiao, what is wrong with you today?" Zhao Xiuying asked in confusion

"It's just hide and seek." Xiao Yuanchao raised his head, sucking on his fingers and said softly, "Uncle, my dad really didn't hit me, you didn't lie to me, you even bought me Wangwang snow cakes, let me tell you how to play hide and seek."

"Where did you run off to!" Xiao Hongjun roared like a raging beast, charging at Xiao Yuanchao with a shout, raising his right hand to strike

Xiao Yuanchao's body immediately trembled, and the fear in his eyes turned into terror

"Uncle, you are really foolish. The wall is so hard; of course, it needs to be soaked with water before it can be dug out." Xiao Yuanchao seriously took the milk bottle and poured water into the hole that only he could squeeze through.

Sun Honglie has already left, and it is unnecessary to inform Zhao Xiuying about this matter. Moreover, he still needs to pursue that bandit

"Let's play hide and seek," Xiao Yuanchao said, tearing open another Wangwang snow cake without raising his head.

What? What are you saying? Xiao Hongjun gasped for breath, his eyes wide open, and asked almost in a shout.

In front of Xiao Hongjun, Xiao Yuanchao's courage was smaller than that of a mouse. What he feared the most was being beaten by his father, afraid that his father would beat him to death

The phone rang once again. Xiao Hongjun stared at the familiar number, took a deep breath, forced a smile, and finally answered his wife's call. He needed to use a lie to reassure his wife, no matter how long it could last, every moment counted.

After a while, Xiao Hongjun clearly heard his son's timid voice: "Dad, let's go home for dinner, I am hungry"

Xiao Yuanchao's mother is named Zhao Xiuying, a name commonly used by many people of that era

Sun Honglie, who was on the mountain, received the news and immediately descended, getting into a vehicle with Xiao Hongjun as they rushed frantically towards Xiao Hongjun's home

Xiao Yuanchao's eyes lit up as he nodded vigorously: Brother is the best at playing hide and seek, being a soldier is just like playing hide and seek, and I can play hide and seek with brother again when I join the army, plus there are new Transformers, hehe...

Chang Sheng did not disturb the child until he saw Xiao Yuanchao begin to bend his toes

"But there are so many people on the mountain, how come you were not discovered by them?" Changsheng continued to ask

"Don't worry about what's wrong with me today!" Xiao Hongjun shouted at his phone, "Immediately hand the phone to my son and let him talk to me!"

When Xiao Yuanchao saw his father walk in, his face was filled with fear, and he stood up straight, his small body trembling incessantly

"Did you really dig this?" Changsheng repeatedly asked.

"What are you doing eating with your son?" came Zhao Xiuying's surprised voice over the phone. "Your son just got home, where have you been? Hurry back home for dinner."

It was already late at night. After a day of intense mental strain, Xiao Hongjun and Zhao Xiuying fell into a deep sleep, but Xiao Yuanchao was awake, his eyes wide open as he looked at the person sitting at the foot of his bed: his uncle, Changsheng, who had not deceived him.

How long exactly, Changsheng did not know, because he could not comprehend the world of children. However, he saw boundless potential in Xiao Yuanchao, this child he wanted

It seems like ... ... '' Xiao Yuanchao bit his finger and thought for a long time, then extended his five fingers and said: `` This is how long it has been ... ... ''

Xiao Hongjun wiped away his tears with great effort, looking at his son's timid eyes, and reached out his hand to touch his son's head

With a loud bang, the door of the family’s bungalow was pushed open forcefully, and the thin Xiao Yuanchao was sitting upright at the dining table in the main room

After finishing a meal, Xiao Hongjun smoked the cigarettes bought for him with the change from his son's piggy bank, gently embracing his wife in a daze

Zhao Xiuying wiped away her tears and nodded slightly. She was unaware of what had transpired today, and indeed, Lao Xiao's emotional state over the past two years had been quite abnormal, to the extent that it could be described as somewhat schizophrenic

Xiao Yuanchao nodded vigorously, kneeling on the ground, pulled out a small package from under the bed, and murmured to himself: "I am a child and can squeeze out, you are an adult and cannot squeeze out..."

"Where does the smoke come from?" Xiao Hongjun asked Xiao Yuanchao gently.

What is this used for? Changsheng held the milk bottle tightly and found that there was still water inside

Seeing his son safe and sound, Xiao Hongjun finally felt a sense of relief in his heart that had been hanging by a thread. However, what followed was anger, an overwhelming rage.

Standing there, Sun Honglie was unsure of what emotions stirred within him. He was well aware of everything concerning the three generations of the Xiao family, and he understood even more how the iron-blooded man Xiao Hongjun had been on the battlefield back in the day. Yet today, he knelt, cried, and pleaded.

Xiao Hongjun was taken aback, and Sun Honglie, who had already reported to the leadership behind him, was also stunned

Seeing his wife like a mother tiger protecting her cubs, Xiao Hongjun's right hand, which was raised in the air, came to a halt and then slowly lowered. His furious cheeks gradually returned to calmness, becoming gentle and kind.

"Old Xiao, it's all right now, it's all in the past," Sun Honglie said, patting Xiao Hongjun's trembling shoulder, and turned to Zhao Xiuying, saying, "Sister-in-law, Old Xiao saw some things today and is feeling a bit unstable. It's fine, it's fine."

What does it mean to be a soldier? Xiao Yuanchao blinked his eyes.

Upon seeing the Wangwang Snow Cake, Xiao Yuanchao smiled broadly, grabbed one, tore open the plastic wrapping, and took a bite that was delightfully crispy

Hearing that familiar voice, Xiao Hongjun's tears gushed out uncontrollably, followed by a furious roar: "Where have you run off to! You son of a dog, where the hell have you gone? All you do all day is eat, eat, eat; I swear I will beat you to death!"

In Changsheng's eyes, there was a deep and intense heat, as if he had discovered an undeveloped treasure

I bought this for you, sob sob... I see you, your cigarettes are finished, sob... "Xiao Yuanchao said through sobs: "I used the money from the little pig, little pig... I also bought Wangwang snow cakes. Dad, daddy... sob sob... I won't dare again, please don't hit me, sob sob...

A deep hue of unusual color appeared in Changsheng's eyes as he continued to inquire, "How did you play hide and seek with them?"

After finishing this sentence, Xiao Yuanchao put down the Wangwang snow cake in his hand, jumped off the bed as if presenting a treasure, and with great effort, moved the bedside table to reveal an opening leading outside

Seeing his son's expression, Xiao Hongjun let out a deep sigh, his face filled with regret and self-blame, and softly said: "It's time to eat"

"Dad, boo hoo..." Xiao Yuanchao tightly wrapped one arm around his mother's neck, crying as he took a pack of cigarettes from his pocket and handed it to Xiao Hongjun

However, Zhao Xiuying took a large step back, vigilantly staring at Xiao Hongjun