Ding Qian didn't stand on ceremony with Jiang Qiao and chatted with her child while they ate.

She was quite puzzled as to why Jiang Qiao chose to take the train instead of the ship.

Jiang Qiao couldn't bring this up in front of outsiders. "We have time now, so we can take a train and go to the capital. I was just thinking of visiting my second uncle."

Little Lu Chen, who was listening nearby, understood and asked, "Sister, are you going to see my grandfather?"

Ding Qian patted her son with amusement, "Chenchen, you can't call her 'sister' anymore, you should call her 'auntie' now."

The little guy isn't stupid. "An auntie this young?"

Jiang Qiao pinched the little guy's soft little face. "If you don't want to call me aunt, then call me sister. Let's each address each other, okay?"

The little guy hesitated, looked at his mother, and then at Jiang Qiao. Being a perceptive person, he immediately changed his mind.

"aunt--"

Jiang Qiao chuckled and patted his little head. "I never thought I'd have such a big nephew. Wait for Auntie to get you something delicious."

Jiang Qiao didn't think a few snacks could fill a child's stomach.

Ma Liu and Qiao Jie sat on the side, laughing. Deng Mei and Jiang Qiao had prepared a lot of food at home for this trip, all of which was in their granddaughter's basket.

Jiang Qiao took out a lunchbox containing chopped roast duck and a large steamed bun from another bag.

The little guy was dumbfounded. "A steamed bun?"

In those days, even though Lu Zhiyuan was an official, his family might not be able to afford steamed buns every day, let alone Lu Chen, who had been treated very well at his maternal grandfather's house recently.

Just as Jiang Qiao was about to speak, waiters outside were already pushing food carts and calling out that they were selling food.

You can buy food on the train without using food coupons, but there are definitely limits. Given the situation outside, they won't let you take advantage of this loophole. You can buy food, and you can eat it sparingly. No one will care if you take the rest back. However, many people are reluctant to buy food on the train, since it's not as cost-effective as it is at home.

"Grandpa Qiao, Grandpa Liu, are you hungry?"

The old man smiled and shook his head. "I just ate before I left, so I'm not hungry right now. Girl, eat when you're hungry."

Next, Jiang Qiao took out cornbread, but it was different from what other people ate. While other people mixed in other ingredients, she put chestnut flour in it, making it very delicious.

Jiang Qiao originally invited Ding Qian and Chen Jianwu to eat together, but Chen Jianwu felt embarrassed and brought his own dry food, which was also cornbread, but it contained something mixed in.

Jiang Qiao pushed the meat in front of him, "Uncle Li, eat this. It's fate that we met. Let's eat together if there's good food."

Ding Qian had originally planned to eat in the car, but since Jiang Qiao had brought it out, she didn't refuse. She took a bite, then gave the little girl a knowing smile and quickly finished her lunch.

The four of them finished off the entire lunchbox of roast duck. Chen Jianwu was initially a little embarrassed, but he couldn't resist Jiang Qiao's enthusiasm and was really tempted, so he couldn't help himself and ate more than he should have.

"I'm so full! I've finally had a good meal."

Grandpa Qiao sighed, "Maybe things will be better in the fall. Right now it's tough, but there's nothing we can do. Come, have some tea to soothe your nerves—"

Jiang Qiao could only offer a limited amount of food, since it was so hot that it was impossible to store anything. It would be abnormal for her to keep bringing things out one after another, so for the next few meals, Jiang Qiao and the others relied on buying food.

They were about to arrive at their destination, and Ding Qian earnestly invited Jiang Qiao and the other two to stay at her home.

"Why stay in a hotel? Come to our house."

Not to mention Jiang Qiao, Qiao Jie and Ma Liu also politely declined. No matter how big the other party's house was, it couldn't accommodate so many people. Even if it could, it wouldn't be convenient. Ma Liu also wanted to revisit the place. Having lived here for so long, there were some places he really missed.

Besides, his current identity, especially returning to this place, makes him feel uncomfortable, so he doesn't want anyone to know.

Even though the two brothers had come up with a way to make his voice lower, the mental barrier in his heart wouldn't change just because of the change in his voice.

Jiang Qiao smiled and waved his hand, "Sister-in-law, there's no need for you to stay here. It's more convenient for everyone to stay outside. We'd like to go out and see the world. We can visit you later."

Chen Jianwu also left the school's address, telling Jiang Qiao and the others to come find him if they needed anything. Along the way, although he couldn't understand this strange family, he knew one thing: none of the three of them, young and old, seemed like simple people.

After getting off the car and saying goodbye to a few people, Jiang Qiao and Qiao Jie both looked at Ma Liu.

"Grandpa Liu, is there any place you'd like to recommend?"

Ma Liu gave a wry smile. "Oh dear, so many years have passed, things have changed so much. Who knows if it's still the same place as before? Girl, we're going with you. We didn't say we were going to find a friend, right? Let's go, let's find a clean hotel near your friend's place."

Jiang Qiao had been to this place in his previous life, and Qiao Jie was the only one who hadn't. The old man found everything novel, and Ma Liu explained things to him. However, some places were no longer the same as before.

He muttered to himself, "The changes are too great, I almost don't recognize him."

Jiang Qiao chimed in from the side, "I reckon the Forbidden City hasn't changed much. You can take us there for a visit later."

Qiao Jie exclaimed, "Everyone says the capital is great, and now that I've seen it, it's definitely different from our hometown. Compared to it, our small county town is like the countryside, so much worse. Just look at those houses—"

Ma Liu sighed, "This house is different from before, sigh—"

Jiang Qiao held the old man's hand and said, "Grandpa Liu, don't you think about what kind of society we live in now? Princes and nobles no longer exist. Their lives may not be better than ordinary people now. They may have some things, but right now, they probably can't even exchange them for food. The era of centralized purchase and distribution is over."

When this was mentioned, Ma Liu's eyes lit up, and he asked in a low voice, "Girl, has your friend arrived yet?"

Jiang Qiao smiled and said, "That's a good idea. Besides, I've been away for so long, so I have a share too. If you want to switch, that's fine, but you have to be careful. This place is different from the south. The interpersonal relationships here are complicated. You have to be careful and have a good eye. We don't have any connections here. Your old friends are probably not as good as you are now."

Ma Liu nodded. "I understand. Don't worry, once we get here, it won't be much different from home, if not exactly."

Qiao Jie nodded in agreement. "Liu Zi, how about I go with you then?"