Gu Zhixuan felt ashamed when he talked about what happened back then. He, a dignified man, couldn't even beat that woman.

“I’ll be with you from now on. We can keep each other company. We may not be able to reach your sister’s level, but at least we two brothers can’t hold her back. Taking care of the family is also our responsibility. We’ll protect it together.”

Ma Liu and Qiao Jie watched from the sidelines, feeling particularly gratified. These two children had grown up and become responsible. To this day, he still remembers the little boy who was beaten and could only squat on the ground, crying in grievance. In just a few years, the children have grown up.

Jiang Qiao had nothing to do, so she was preparing food in the kitchen. With so many people at home, she had hidden a lot of things in the storage room, so that even if she took something out, no one would say anything.

She prepared all the ingredients needed for cooking the next day. The family consisted mainly of men; she couldn't rely on the younger ones, and she felt embarrassed to do it for the older ones, so she had to do it herself.

After finishing all that, I made myself a cup of coffee and went back to my room. I read a book while drinking the coffee; it had been a long time since I'd had it, and I was missing it.

Gu Zhihong has a sharp nose; his hair was dry, and the rest of them came out. "Huh, what's that smell?"

Qiao Jie knew what this stuff was; he had drunk it before, but he didn't like the taste.

"It's coffee, your sister bought it before. Want some? Ask your sister for it."

Gu Zhixuan and his brother went to Jiang Qiao's room one after the other. "Sis, where's the coffee? Let us try some too."

Jiang Qiao was engrossed in reading when the little guy interrupted her. She turned to her younger brother and said, "Let me tell you, if you drink this stuff, you won't be able to sleep for a while. Be prepared, not everyone can get used to this taste."

Gu Zhihong sniffed, "It smells good, brother, don't you think so too?"

Gu Zhixuan smiled and nodded, "Whether it tastes good or not, let's try it."

Jiang Qiao stood up. "Okay, wait here, I'll rush over for you."

Not only did these two brothers want to drink it, but Ma Liu did too. The three of them held their coffees. For the first sip, Ma Liu and Gu Zhixuan could still bear it, at least the taste wasn't too unbearable, and it was better than Chinese medicine.

Gu Zhihong immediately vomited. "My god, what is this taste? It smells good, but it tastes really bad. It tastes a bit like chicken poop."

Gu Zhixuan took another sip and got used to it, and he felt like he wanted more and more as he drank.

"You're kidding me. I've heard my dad say this stuff is pretty expensive. If it didn't taste good, would it be so pricey?"

Ma Liu stopped talking and slowly savored the flavor, gradually figuring out what it tasted like.

"Oh dear, no wonder it's so expensive. This tastes completely different from our tea. Let me tell you, foreigners drink this just like we drink tea. Brother, why don't you have some?"

Qiao Jie waved his hand, "I don't want to drink it. I think this tea is fine. You guys drink it."

When Gu Zhihong drank it again, he finally understood what it meant to have bitterness before sweetness. "Hehe, no wonder you all drank it. It's not bad. Sister, you should learn from this. We're going back to our rooms to read."

Despite it being the Lunar New Year, according to the three children's habits, this is already reading time, and this habit will not change because of the Lunar New Year.

Ma Liu and Qiao Jie went back to their room to chat, their biggest concern being whether Gu Hanting could handle the matter properly.

When Gu Hanting returned, Jiang Weihan and her husband also came along. They already knew about it; Gu Hanting had told everyone he met on the way, so they didn't need to worry about it at all.

Jiang Weihan brought his wife over because the elderly couple wanted to take a bath at the Gu family's place. Their grandson was getting married in a few days, and the old folks were going to go to the city. They wanted to get ready so that the city people wouldn't laugh at them.

Qiao Jie chuckled. "City folks aren't exactly clean either. We're all the same. At our age, how clean can we really be? But it's the New Year, so taking a bath is a good thing. It makes you feel so relaxed. There's still a fire in the pot. Zhengkai, go add some firewood. Qiao'er and the others have gone to study."

Gu Qiuyue was dumbfounded. "Ah, it's this late and the children are still reading? It's almost New Year's, shouldn't they be resting?"

Jiang Weihan sighed, "Oh dear, we can't compare. He still takes after his grandfather. Han Ting was very studious back then. I would be at ease if our child could be half as good as his child."

Gu Hanting waved his hand modestly, "There's nothing to envy. I think your grandson is quite good, he looks like a child. Our three grandsons are a bit too mature."

As soon as she finished speaking, Jiang Qiao walked in. She could hear Jiang Weihan's voice from inside the room.

"Grandpa Jiang, Grandma Jiang is here!"

Upon seeing Jiang Qiao, the old man smiled and said, "Little girl, you'd better be prepared. By tomorrow, everyone who needs to know will probably know."

Jiang Qiao gave a wry smile. "It was bound to happen sooner or later, so we might as well just be upfront about it now. That way, we won't have to hide it anymore, and we can do whatever we want."

"Girl, who have you offended?"

Jiang Qiao shook her head. "I don't know either, but he's not a good person. You should be careful if you see unfamiliar faces in the village in the future."

Upon learning that the old man and his family had come to take a bath because their grandson in the city had also gotten married, I exclaimed, "Oh, congratulations! Should I give them a gift?"

Jiang Weihan said with a smile, "Little girl, you're not married yet, so you don't need to give this gift. Besides, we're not going to hold any special events, just a ceremony is fine. Your family has already given their share."

The elderly couple ate two oranges inside the house, and then Gu Zhengkai came in and called the two of them to go downstairs to take a bath.

"Grandma Jiang, do you need me to keep you company?"

The old lady waved her hand, "No need, no need, I have an old man with me, you guys go read your books."

As Jiang Weihan and his wife left, Qiao Jie sighed, "My dear wife, you're my companion in my old age. We just don't have that blessing."

Ma Liu disagreed, saying, "Brother, this is fine. The three of us old men keep each other company and have someone to talk to. We can't envy this. Our fate is all predetermined by God, so we can't blame anyone else."

That night, everyone who needed to know learned that Jiang Qiao was the Gu family's granddaughter. While everyone sighed, they also felt some sympathy for Qiao Jie.

The next day, when people came to pay their respects, their eyes were filled with pity when they looked at Qiao Jie.

"What's wrong? Why are you all looking at me like that?"

There was no one else in the room, and some of the bolder ones asked Qiao Jie how he felt. "This is a good thing. The girl has found her roots and has her own parents. Isn't that wonderful?"

"Brother Qiao, aren't you afraid that your child will be recognized as part of the family?"

Qiao Jie gave a wry smile. "So that's why you all see me this way."

Oh dear, what's there to worry about? I'm overjoyed to have another person love the child. Besides, she's on the same household registration as me. No matter how much they acknowledge her, she's still my granddaughter. There's no mistake about that.

My Qiao'er isn't the type to abandon her grandfather once she has other relatives. What do I have to worry about? You can all rest assured.