Ning Hao wasn't stupid; how could he not see what was in the eyes of the person in front of him?

Xiaoxiao said, "Commander, we live in a large courtyard and usually play together."

Lu Zhiyuan nodded knowingly. That's more like it; at least he's not a bad person.

"Alright, let's go. Let Qiao'er get a good night's sleep."

Even if Ning Hao really wanted to stay, he didn't dare with Lu Zhiyuan around. Judging from Lu Zhiyuan's rank, he was obviously a high-ranking official, especially in this area, where you couldn't stay without some ability.

He saluted Lu Zhiyuan and then turned to leave without hesitation, which completely put Lu Zhiyuan, who had been somewhat doubtful, at ease. It seemed that the two children were just childhood friends and playmates, not what he had thought.

After all, his niece was too young. He felt that Jiang Qiao should do things appropriate for her age.

Jiang Qiao had no idea that such a lawsuit would arise while she was asleep. Anyway, she slept quite soundly. In all these years, she had never felt that sleeping could be such a good feeling.

Unbeknownst to her, Hou Diankui had set up a temporary spirit-gathering array for her in her room.

Jiang Jinyu was waiting outside the door. After learning about Jiang Qiao's situation, he rushed over. Coincidentally, Hou Diankui was also inside. The two of them discussed it, and that's how the old man got involved.

Seeing Jiang Qiao sleeping with a smile on her face, Hou Diankui smiled affectionately beside her. This girl has had a tough time. Others only see how capable she is, but who knows the hardships behind it? She has carried so much at such a young age. Even he admires this little girl.

As I walked out the door, I said, “The girl will wake up around dinner time. Let me tell you, don’t let her give injections to so many people at once. It’s exhausting, and she can’t keep up with the physical demands. She’s still a child and growing. If she’s not handled properly, she might be ruined.”

Jiang Jinyu was startled. "No way?"

Hou Diankui snorted coldly, "You don't know how? Why don't you let someone else give those people acupuncture and see if it has such good results? The reason I suggested Jiang Qiao is because this child's acupuncture technique is different from others."

Remember this: next time Jiang Qiao uses acupuncture on someone, have someone watch over her and make sure no one disturbs her. It's similar to practicing martial arts; if done wrong, it's easy to suffer a qi deviation.

Although Jiang Jinyu was surprised, he had seen a lot of the world and he had indeed heard of this kind of thing before, but he never expected that Jiang Qiao would actually practice it.

"Alright, alright, I'll give the order right away, Master Hou—"

Jiang Jinyu had another idea in mind, but before he could say it, Hou Diankui cut it off, saying, "You want me to do fortune telling? I can't, especially not for Jiang Qiao."

This time, Jiang Jinyu was surprised. "Why?"

Hou Diankui glanced at Jiang Jinyu and said, "I can't predict just anyone. Some people are destined by fate. People like me are not qualified to see it. If I were to force myself to have my fortune told, I probably wouldn't live much longer. Remember, let it be."

Jiang Jinyu was a little confused by Hou Diankui's words. The old man didn't even ask what he wanted to do before saying such a thing. Could he be that amazing?

He had heard of Hou Diankui's abilities, but to have the ability to read people's minds? Was he even human?

However, he couldn't say this to Hou Diankui's face; he could only grumble in his heart.

"Alright, you can go now. I'll keep watch here. Remember, take your grandson outside for ten minutes at midnight tonight. That way, Jiang Qiao's efforts won't be in vain."

After saying that, Hou Diankui stopped talking and sat down in his chair to rest with his eyes closed.

Jiang Jinyu had thoroughly experienced the eccentricities of highly accomplished people. He wanted to ask Hou Diankui, but Hou Diankui clearly didn't want to say anything more, so he could only give a reply and turn to leave.

As for the doubts in his heart, he could only suppress them quietly. Sometimes he thought about it and found it a bit bizarre. Perhaps it was just his imagination.

Just as the old man had guessed, Jiang Qiao woke up around dinnertime. When she opened her eyes, a smiling face almost startled her.

"Sister Sun, what are you doing here?"

Sun Hong pulled Jiang Qiao up, saying, "Why can't I stay here? My second uncle asked me to take care of you, his little sister. You're so scary! My second uncle said you were always carried back by someone. You can't do that anymore. You're still so young. If you keep working so hard, you might not grow taller."

Jiang Qiao was completely baffled. What was going on with Sun Hong? Although the two of them had a pleasant chat last night, they weren't that close, were they?

They entered her room without her permission. Is this a strict guesthouse? Are they even soldiers? How can they not understand the most basic manners?

Although Jiang Qiao's expression didn't change, Sun Hong couldn't possibly not know why he remained silent.

"Jiang Qiao, let me reintroduce myself. I'm Sun Hong, and my father's name is Sun Chenglin—"

"Fifth Uncle? You're a child from Fifth Uncle's family?"

Sun Hong smiled and nodded, "I didn't know who you were before. It's only now that Second Uncle is here that I know you're Fourth Uncle's daughter."

Jiang Qiao then understood why Sun Hong hadn't mentioned her father last night. It made sense; Sun Chenglin had sacrificed his life on the Korean battlefield, and it was a painful memory to talk about, so it was better not to mention it.

"Sister, sit down quickly. Tell me, what a mess this is. We sisters didn't even recognize each other when we met. If it weren't for Uncle coming, who knows how long we would have had to wait to recognize each other. Aunt and the family are doing very well."

"Everything is fine. With the help of our uncles and elders, our family is much better off than other families."

Every year we receive things and money from you. Unfortunately, I only know that my second uncle is here. I have never met the other uncles and elders. I have only heard their names but never met them in person.

"But I've heard of your name before. You even asked us to help you find you back then. Where did you go? We can't find you anywhere. What happened to your name? Did you not change it?"

Jiang Qiao nodded. "We've been using this name for so many years, it's easy to change, but it feels really awkward to say it out loud. So, my parents said we should just leave it like this for now. A name is just a label."

"Sister, tell me, why did you quit being a member of the performing arts troupe? Was someone bullying you?"

Sun Hong sighed, "Well, how should I put it? Where there are many women, there are many troubles. I was young back then, and my second uncle wanted me to join the army temporarily so that the family could have some less of a burden."

As time went on, I understood some things, and my second uncle was also aware of them, so he stopped letting me do it.

He said that as a young woman, I should find a proper job. How long can I keep dancing? I should just find a man my age and marry him.

So my second uncle arranged for me to come here. It's quiet, and there's no fighting around. I quite like the environment here.