Although Jiang Qiao went to bed late last night, she woke up before dawn, got dressed, and went outside for a run.

It was quite a coincidence that I ran into Fu Lin on the way. This guy was carrying a bag full of things. Jiang Qiao was back, and he was planning to settle accounts with the little girl.

There were too many people around last night, so he couldn't say anything. Actually, he had wanted to send it to Jiang Qiao for a long time, but no one was home. Now that he had finally returned, he was taking advantage of the time before dawn to bring the things over to Jiang Qiao to settle the bill.

Jiang Qiao went back with Fu Lin and saw a pile of things on the kang (a heated brick bed), including jewelry, antiques, and calligraphy and paintings.

Just as he was about to speak, he saw Fu Lin take out a bag of money and tickets from his bag.

"These are all for you; I've kept my share."

Jiang Qiao smiled and glanced at Fu Lin. "Not bad, impressive. You got everything out of there so quickly. But I can't keep it all—"

Jiang Qiao selected the jewelry she liked, and then looked at the old items. To be honest, they didn't seem to be fake.

"You have some appreciation skills. I'll keep the old items, I'll keep these pieces of jewelry, give me half the money, and you can take the rest."

The rest were just ordinary gold ornaments and jewelry, which Jiang Qiao really didn't lack.

Fu Lin didn't want the items; he had already taken his share, and the rest should belong to Jiang Qiao. However, he couldn't resist Jiang Qiao's persuasion. He didn't take the money, but he did keep the gold jewelry. As for the jewelry, he didn't think it would be valuable in the future. Fu Lin didn't want it, and Jiang Qiao didn't insist either.

As for the tickets, Jiang Qiao kept half of them and gave the rest to Fu Lin.

"This is enough; it's enough for me to explain myself to my friends."

Fu Lin sighed with emotion, "Qiao'er, I've realized that being friends with you is really a win-win situation. To be honest, I've benefited a lot. But how are you going to explain this to your friends? Don't let them get angry and cause a next time."

Jiang Qiao just smiled faintly, "It's not as strange as you say. We're all friends. You should be getting married by now, so consider this a wedding gift from me as your friend. If my friends ever need any help in the future, just help them out. Consider it repaying a favor. Okay, stop nagging and hurry up and pack it up. It's time to go back to work."

Fu Lin wasn't one to dawdle. He'd already incurred this favor, so he might as well continue to owe it. As for the friend Jiang Qiao mentioned, he didn't delve into it. In any case, he would definitely help Jiang Qiao whenever she asked.

After seeing Fu Lin off, Jiang Qiao quickly packed her things. She had come back because she hadn't visited her two grandfathers yet.

I had just finished eating and was about to ride my bike out when I unexpectedly ran into Wang Dahua, her country girl, and her son at the gate.

"Grandma, Happy New Year!"

Wang Dahua simply nodded and asked, "You're back?"

Jiang Qiao nodded, "I'm going to see my grandfather. I'll bring you a gift later."

Then he rode away on his bike, and Wang Dahua's cousin spat fiercely in the direction Jiang Qiao left.

"You ungrateful thing, sister, you shouldn't have let her go. Why should she? I raised her all these years, and she just leaves like that. If I had known it would turn out like this, I would have sold her. At least I could have gotten some pocket money."

Wang Dahua was in a difficult situation, but she didn't tell her cousin the specifics of the matter. If she did, her cousin wouldn't be in the right.

In addition, she was also afraid that her younger sister would come to borrow money. The two families had not been in contact for several years. She did not expect that her cousin would choose to come at this time. She was not stupid. Could she not see through her?

"Sigh, let them go if they want. I've done my duty anyway."

When Li Meilan came out to pour water, she saw what her cousin Wang Dahua was saying.

With a half-smile, she said, "Oh, Auntie, relatives have come to visit. It's been quite a few years since I've seen my little sister—"

What could Wang Dahua say? She gave a bitter smile. "Just because we don't go out much, I've come over to visit. When did Jiang Qiao come back?"

Li Meilan shrugged. "How would I know? Anyway, the lights were on at home last night. Auntie, you're not waiting for that kid to give you a gift, are you? Enough already. He's just a kid, he doesn't even earn money himself, where would he get the money to buy you something? You have to have a conscience, right? That kid hasn't wronged you."

After saying these words, she turned and went inside. Wang Dahua's cousin wondered to herself, "Sister, what's going on? Jiang Qiao is gone, is there something else going on? Did she give him money?"

Would Wang Dahua admit it? "What are you going to give me? It was a mutual agreement. If I wanted to leave, even if you gave me something, I would have eaten it all long ago. Let's go."

Li Meilan stood on tiptoe until she could no longer see anyone before pulling her head back in.

Then he snorted and gave Wang Tiezhu, who was still sleeping on the kang (a heated brick bed), a push.

"Honey, there's going to be a good show soon. Wang Dahua's poor relative is here, and I bet Niu Guihua will start making a scene soon."

Wang Tiezhu stopped sleeping and immediately perked up, "Really?"

Li Meilan nodded with a smile, "Just you wait and see. Niu Guihua and Wang Dahua have been arguing so many times lately. This time, her sister came empty-handed again. Do you think she'll give her a good look? Humph, let them make a scene. It's better if they all leave."

Jiang Qiao rode her bicycle to Gujia Village. Listening to the sporadic cracking of firecrackers along the way, and looking at the children running wildly in the streets, oblivious to their troubles, she felt a pang of envy. A carefree childhood, that was something she no longer had any connection with.

Just as I was about to turn off the highway, I ran into Wang Datou. This guy was dressed smartly, and his whole demeanor seemed to have changed a lot.

"Big Head Bro—"

Jiang Qiao called out, and Wang Datou turned around and saw Jiang Qiao. He was excited too, "Jiang Qiao, I haven't seen you in so long—"

The guy came running over excitedly and immediately reported some good news to Jiang Qiao: "I've joined the commune and been working there for over a month. I was going to send you a message, but I saw your grandfather, and he said you went on a long trip—"

Jiang Qiao smiled and congratulated Wang Datou, "Brother Datou, well done! Your efforts were worthwhile. How was the work arrangement?"

Wang Datou scratched his head and said embarrassedly, "For someone like me, it's already good enough to be able to go in and do odd jobs. At least I can get paid, which is much better than me hanging around outside every day. It's not going according to our plan yet, but don't worry, I will definitely work hard."

Jiang Qiao smiled and patted Wang Datou on the shoulder. "Not bad, take your time, there's no rush. As long as you're willing to work hard, anything is possible. Here, this is a gift for you. I went on a long trip—"

Jiang Qiao took a bag of small silver fish out of the basket. "Take these home to add to the dishes. I'm going to see my grandpa now."

Wang Datou wanted to see Jiang Qiao off, but she refused, saying, "Go do whatever you need to do. I'm leaving. If you need anything, you can come to me or my grandfather."