The veterans in the courtyard didn't see anything wrong with it. The main reason was that they felt good about Jiang Qiao. This little girl was sensible and spoke in a way that made people feel cared for her. Unlike some people who looked at them with strange eyes, they saw heartache in the child's eyes.

The veteran rarely showed a smile, but his injured cheek made the smile look somewhat ferocious.

"Good child, feel free to stay if you want. No need to pay. In a little while, call your grandfather over. Although it's hot today, it's not as convenient to lie outside as it is inside."

Jiang Qiao then realized that she hadn't asked the man's name yet, and it was really inconvenient to call him "uncle" or "grandpa" like that.

"Uncle, my name is Jiang Qiao. May I know your names? Otherwise, I'm afraid I'll call you by the wrong name."

Qin Junlin smiled and patted Jiang Qiao's head. He liked this clever child.

"My name is Qin Junlin. Don't let my scary appearance fool you. Back in the day, I was a handsome young man. Come on, let me introduce you to him."

There were other veterans in the courtyard, and Jiang Qiao now knew them all.

"We have two more here, but they've gone out to work and won't be back until tonight."

"

Jiang Qiao bowed to everyone and said, "Uncles, grandpas, thank you for taking us in. We will bring our own food and won't cause you any trouble. I'll be going now."

After Jiang Qiao left, everyone else asked Qin Junlin, "Old Qin, what's wrong with you? Given your personality, you wouldn't easily let strangers stay here. Who is that little girl?"

Qin Junlin had a smile on his face, and everyone looked at him in surprise. It was rare for this guy to have a smile on his face. What was going on today? Had the sun risen in the west?

"What's up? Tell us what's good news, don't just keep it to yourself."

Qin Junlin sighed, "You old guys, really didn't you notice anything?"

The others looked at each other, then shook their heads. "What can you tell? She's just a little girl. But judging from her demeanor, she doesn't seem to be here to beg for food. It feels like she came here specifically to see us. Don't tell me you know her. None of us remember ever seeing a girl like her before."

Qin Junlin sighed and shook his head. "You guys, you're not on the battlefield anymore, and your vigilance has decreased. I bet this girl is related to this house."

Everyone stared in astonishment, their eyes wide. "It has something to do with this house? What do you mean?"

Qin Junlin smiled and said, "What can I say to you guys? Don't you understand why we're living here?"

Wu Dong spoke up at this moment, "Of course I know, it was arranged by our leader. What, is there something else going on? Could this child be from the Lu family?"

Qin Junlin smiled and shook his head. "It's probably not from the Lu family. I've never heard of it. I suspect it's from the Gu family."

This time, everyone's expressions weren't just surprised; their mouths were agape, wide enough to fit an egg.

"The Gu family? How could it be? Zhengfeng's daughter has been missing for so many years, how could it be her?"

Qin Junlin rolled his eyes at his brother. "What's wrong with your brain? Didn't we say last time that the child was found?"

Wu Dong slapped his forehead. "Look at my memory! How could I forget about this? Wait, how did this child end up here? Battalion Commander Gu, what are you doing? The child has been missing for so many years, and we finally found him. Why are you letting him run around outside? Aren't you afraid he'll get lost again?"

This is the common sentiment of everyone. Qin Junlin sighed, "I don't understand either. This is just my guess. With the child in such a state, it's hard to tell whether her face looks like her parents or not. We can only talk about this when they arrive. Anyway, her name is Jiang Qiao, and her name contains the character 'Qiao,' so I have to think about it in this way."

Jiang Qiao had no idea that her trip had already aroused suspicion. However, she should be thankful that these people were wounded soldiers under her father and Lu Zhiyuan. Otherwise, given her rashly entering and asking to borrow a room, most people would have refused, and a more vigilant person would probably have called the police.

When Qiao Jie and the others woke up, they didn't see Jiang Qiao. The two brothers weren't worried, and they chatted while drinking tea.

Ma Liu was mainly pondering the grain issue Jiang Qiao had mentioned: "Brother, how much grain do you think Qiao'er managed to get this time? How did she even manage to get this place over here?"

Qiao Jie smiled meaningfully, "Just think about it, the child has been gone for so long, do you think it's worth it if we lose too little? Besides, if we can think of something, why can't others? The world is full of smart people."

How much did the children bring back? The bulk of the money must have been handled by friends. This place is so famous, and there are so many rich people here. If they didn't ship here, they would ship to remote mountainous areas. What would they be after? They wouldn't do it if there was no profit involved. You can change it to whatever you want later.

I'm just baffled. Why do you always like to change things? You only need about enough of that stuff. Too much isn't food or clothing. It's much better to save your own food and feed yourself. I really don't understand your and Qiao'er's thinking.

Ma Liu leaned back in his chair, comfortably crossing his legs. "Brother, you don't understand, that's all history—"

At this point, Ma Liu sighed heavily again, "To be honest, I used to be a country bumpkin who didn't know anything. But after I went to the palace and learned from others, I realized that it wasn't easy for these things to be passed down. A couple of years ago, I saw a lot of old objects being smashed. It really broke my heart. There aren't many of these things left over to begin with, and if they're destroyed like this, there will be one less left."

My concern is that when the time comes, the younger generations will have no idea that our ancestors had such a glorious history and craftsmanship.

I suppose Qiao'er had the same idea. Sigh, when I first saw this girl, I always thought she was just a child. I never expected that this little girl would do such a big thing.

But don't worry about this. I know my limits here. I'm looking for those people because I know they have good things in their possession, all of which came from the palace.

Those descendants of the Eight Banners, without their titles and stipends, are worse off than ordinary people. Especially considering their status, I might as well take this opportunity to exchange something for them. It's better to keep it for our Qiao'er than give it to someone else."

Since his brother had said so, Qiao Jie didn't waste any more words. He knew that Ma Liu was quick-witted; otherwise, he wouldn't have survived so well in that cannibalistic place.

"Alright, then I won't worry about it. I don't care how you two manage."

But there's one thing you must remember: protect Joel.