Jiang Qiao disagreed with letting the old man raise pigs.

“Grandpa, you can catch the piglets, but don’t raise them. I’ll find someone to take care of them. They’ll have to feed them all year round. You should use that time to get some rest.”

Ma Liu also thought Jiang Qiao's words made sense. "Brother, stop raising pigs. The smell is too strong and attracts flies. Let Qiao'er find someone to raise them. We can still slaughter pigs and eat pork in the future. It won't delay anything. We're not young anymore. What if we fall down? Who will you pay for that?"

Gu Zhengkai absolutely agreed with Ma Liu's statement: "Uncle, we're not going to raise these pigs. You get the piglets, and let Qiao'er figure out how to raise them."

Gu Hanting saw Jiang Qiao wink at him. Although the old man didn't quite understand, he knew that the child wanted him to speak.

“Brother Qiao, you can’t raise pigs. You’re too old. You should use that time to treat everyone’s illnesses. Later, find out if anyone has piglets and we can get one.”

Jiang Qiao smiled and said, "More is fine too. We can eat meat every day."

Qiao Jie pointed at Jiang Qiao lightly, "You little rascal—"

While Qiao Jie and Ma Liu were out for a stroll, Gu Hanting asked his granddaughter curiously, "Girl, can you raise animals there now?"

Jiang Qiao nodded. "I guess it should be possible, but I haven't tested it yet. Grandpa, what are you planning to bring to my mom and the others?"

Gu Hanting was also worried, "Your mother should have enough food, right?"

Jiang Qiao nodded. "I kept quite a lot back then, but I don't know if your son is going to give it away again. The two of them are so generous; they don't seem like people who are frugal."

Gu Hanting wholeheartedly agreed with his granddaughter's words. "That's right. Your father was like this when he was a child. As for your mother, well, we had money, so she didn't have to worry about anything. When she grew up, she joined the army. Most soldiers are like that. Forget it, it's better to rely on my grandson than on them."

Prepare some food for your younger brother. Your father isn't getting enough fruit, and your brother needs something to eat. I don't care about the adults, I care about my grandson. Prepare some fine grains and such for me.

After talking with the old man, Jiang Qiao went downstairs to prepare things, while Gu Zhengkai went out for some fresh air and came back. Mainly, he didn't seem to have many friends in the village. He went to school as a child, then went abroad, and then went out to work, not to mention his childhood.

He later worked for the Japanese, which had a bad reputation, and he was imprisoned for another ten years. Even though he knew some people, so much time had passed that he didn't have much to talk about with the villagers, and he was too embarrassed to visit them door to door.

He's feeling a bit wistful now. He's so glad his niece helped him get justice; otherwise, if he had gone back to being a farmer, he probably would have been bored to death. Given their family background and his status, he and his father would probably have been stuck staring at each other every day.

Jiang Qiao finished packing her things and came out, only to see Gu Zhengkai walk in listlessly.

"What's wrong? Couldn't find anyone to chat with?"

Gu Zhengkai gave a wry smile. "Sigh, don't even mention it. I don't know who to talk to anymore. I've already visited everyone I went to this morning, so it doesn't seem appropriate to go to anyone else's house."

Jiang Qiao smiled and said, "What's inappropriate about that? Didn't you have any playmates when you were little?"

Speaking of playmates, Gu Zhengkai actually had several, all of whom were tenants of his family back then. Gu Hanting didn't just focus on his child's studies; he also selected several friends for him.

"So many years have passed, and those childhood friends are almost grandfathers now. What am I supposed to say to them?"

Jiang Qiao smiled, "You just wait—"

After saying that, he went into the kitchen and soon came out with two bottles of liquor. They weren't anything fancy, just ordinary white liquor. He also took out two bags of spiced peanuts and handed them to Gu Zhengkai.

"Alright, take this and go find your friends. Get together and chat. Don't just be busy with work; people should have friends too."

Gu Zhengkai's situation is different from others. Everyone else has a wife and children, but her uncle doesn't have a wife. If he had a wife to keep him company, he might not be so bored, but without an aunt, only she, as his niece, can worry about him.

"Come on, I'll go with you to find them."

Jiang Qiao never expected that Qi Xiang and Qi Lin's fathers were actually Gu Zhengkai's childhood playmates, and there were two more of them.

Jiang Qiao instructed Qi Lin and Qi Xiang to find the other two and bring them to their house, so that the old buddies could get together for a drink and a chat.

It wasn't that Qi Xiang and Qi Lin's fathers didn't want to chat with Gu Zhengkai; they weren't busy and were just sitting at home anyway. It's just that Gu Zhengkai was an official, and it seemed like they were trying to curry favor with him. It wasn't entirely because Gu Zhengkai was a landlord's son; it was just that they had been apart for a long time and didn't know what to talk about.

"Uncle, tell me, what was my eldest uncle like back then?"

When the topic turned to Gu Zhengkai's childhood, everyone found a common topic. The stories hidden in their memories seemed to have been unleashed, and they all came flooding back. With Jiang Qiao, a young girl, keeping the atmosphere lively, the topics they talked about were endless.

Gu Zhengkai himself had almost forgotten about it, but he didn't expect these people to still remember. When talking about the embarrassing things that happened when he was a child, Gu Zhengkai felt a little embarrassed.

As Jiang Qiao poured them drinks, she said, "It seems that my uncle was a naughty child when he was young. Luckily, he was my grandfather, otherwise, most families would have given him a good beating."

"That's right. It's only because your uncle stood up for us that our family let us off the hook. We even burned the corn in someone else's field. You tell me, no one would let that happen to them."

Your grandfather is so kind; he waived the rent for that family as an apology. We also avoided a beating, otherwise, our family would have had to pay compensation.

"Sigh, to be honest, the rent your grandfather collected back then wasn't high at all. It was within a range that everyone could afford. It was enough for him to make ends meet, and it also provided some income for your grandfather."

Gu Zhengkai poured everyone a full glass of wine. "Come on, just because you still remember these things from back then, we have to have a drink too."

Once the conversation started, it was easy to continue. Jiang Qiao withdrew halfway to find Qi Lin and Qi Xiang to find out about their situation.

“I want to join the army. I have older brothers and sisters at home, and there’s no future for me if I stay at home.”

Qi Xiang didn't want to go out; he wanted to stay home with his parents. Jiang Qiao sighed, "To join the army, there are quotas available, and you have to pass the physical exam. I heard that these quotas are quite sought after."

When the time comes and there are openings, you should quickly tell the team leader to keep an eye on it.

If all else fails, I'll ask my dad and uncle to help you figure something out. We'll talk about it later. Remember, I'm afraid I'll forget while I'm busy, so please remind me when the time comes.

Qi Xiang, if you don't want to join the army, that's fine too. We can just stay home and work hard. I'll contact you if anything comes up.