When I had nothing to do in the evening, I wished Song Shutian a Happy New Year and casually mentioned that I had revealed my true identity.

Song Shutian hadn't expected the enemy to act so quickly. At the same time, he was quite relieved that Jiang Qiao's side acted even faster. "Little girl, Gao Can is quite capable."

"Sigh, we don't even know who the enemy is. This is all I can do for now. Have you made any progress on your end?"

Song Shutian sighed and replied, "They've all gone into hiding. I guess they're scared of being caught by us. I'm going on a business trip soon. If it's urgent, talk to the section chief."

Jiang Qiao saw the report and just snorted. Those people might be up to something bad.

Seeing that it was almost time, she stopped chatting with Song Shutian, packed up her things, and went back to her room to sleep. She was tired after husking corn all day.

Unexpectedly, Qiao Jie and Ma Liu returned the next day. However, it was Wang Datou who brought them back. The two old men had a lot of things with them, and they ran into Wang Datou when they got off the bus. He had brought the things over on his bicycle.

"Hey, Big Head, Happy New Year! Come on in!"

Wang Datou hadn't seen Jiang Qiao for a while, and he really wanted to have a chat with her. Qiao Jie handed Jiang Qiao a few letters.

Jiang Qiao glanced at the address on the envelope, understood what was going on, and then put it in her pocket.

"Big Head Bro, how are you doing now?"

Wang Datou smiled and said, "The situation is good now. After you helped me that time, I was able to gain a firm foothold. Before, those people had their complaints about me, but they didn't say them in front of me because of the leader's face."

Oh, by the way, I found a boyfriend—

Qiao Jie looked at Wang Datou in surprise, "You have a girlfriend? That's great! Whose girl is she?"

Wang Datou gave a name, and the old man thought for a moment and said, "That girl is good. Her parents are good people, but they are a bit poor. She is quite capable. When it comes to choosing a wife, we don't care about her looks. As long as she can live a good life and is healthy, that's enough."

With just this one sentence, Jiang Qiao understood that Wang Datou's wife was the kind of girl who wasn't pretty.

But people like that are good too. Beauty can't put food on the table, especially considering Wang Datou's family's current situation, which isn't much better than it used to be, and things have only gotten a little better in the last year or so.

"Are you getting married?"

Wang Datou nodded happily, "I think we're a good match. That girl has a good heart. I don't ask for anything else, as long as she's good to my family and we can make a living together. Yu Deshui has already given birth to twins, so I can't be too far behind."

My mother wants us to prepare for the wedding around May Day. Jiang Qiao, if you're free then, please come over.

Jiang Qiao glanced at Wang Datou and said, "Brother Datou, what you're saying sounds a bit forced. Let me tell you, marriage is not a game; it's a lifelong commitment. It's true that you want your wife to be filial to your elders, but more importantly, she has to be with you for the rest of your life."

You're not looking for a daughter-in-law for your parents, but a life partner for yourself. If you don't like her, I advise you to give up. Don't compare yourself to Yu Deshui; he already has children. Even if you ride a horse, you can't surpass him.

Finding a wife requires responsibility to yourself, and also to the woman. Regardless of her looks, every woman deserves a loving partner. If you don't like her, I advise you not to ruin her life.

Wang Datou was stunned by what he said, and then couldn't help but laugh. "Jiang Qiao, if my boyfriend knew what you said, he would probably treat you like a younger sister."

"Little girl, don't worry, I'm not a jerk. If I don't like someone, even if she's an angel, I won't want her. Don't look down on my current girlfriend just because she's not good-looking; it's because of poor living conditions and working hard every day. In a few years, you'll see, she'll definitely be just as good as you were before."

Jiang Qiao was relieved to hear such words. "I was just worried that you would settle for less. Life is not easy for a person. You can settle for anything, but you can't settle for a wife. Since you like her, I have nothing to say. Wait, I'll bring you some things. You have to please my sister-in-law, right?"

Jiang Qiao went inside and brought out two pieces of fabric. "Big Head Brother, take these to my future sister-in-law, and please give her my regards."

Wang Datou accepted it without hesitation. "Alright, with this, your sister-in-law will definitely remember you. I'm leaving now—"

Ma Liu shook his head. "You silly girl, you're always worrying about other people's parents. Wang Datou is really lucky to have a friend like you."

Jiang Qiao smiled and said, "I also treat this person as a friend. I was worried that it might not be suitable for him to marry, which would affect our future friendship. But it's good this way. A virtuous wife brings fewer troubles to her husband. With such a capable wife, it would be hard for the Wang family not to become wealthy in the future."

Jiang Qiao didn't rush to read the letter. Instead, she brought the old man some hot water and tea, telling them to wash up and drink some hot water to warm themselves up.

Jiang Qiao only opened the letter and started reading it after the old man sat down on the kang (a heated brick bed) to drink tea.

The first letter was written by Wen Songtao. The old man had passed away and left Jiang Qiao an address. Looking at the address, Jiang Qiao felt a bit overwhelmed; the place was quite remote. But that was for the best. In such a remote place, no one would know the Wen family's identity. Her grandfather had even changed his name. As long as the old couple could spend their later years in peace, it would be a good thing.

Crucially, Wen Songtao also instructed Jiang Qiao in the letter not to tell the rest of the family about their current whereabouts. If necessary, she could tell Gu Zhengfeng, but as for the others, the old man said he didn't want them to know for the time being.

Jiang Qiao sighed, and Ma Liu looked up at her. "What's wrong? Why are you sighing?"

Jiang Qiao gave a wry smile. "My grandfather moved. How can I not sigh?"

Ma Liu smiled and said, "Moving is good. Nobody knows anyone else's identity. It's much quieter that way. Your grandfather is a smart man too."

Jiang Qiao gave Ma Liu a thumbs up and said, "Grandpa Liu, you're so smart! If we had made you a high-ranking official back then, wouldn't the Eight-Nation Alliance have been a thing?"

"Oh, come on, what kind of official position can a eunuch like me hold? It would take someone willing to accept that. I dare not say the Eight-Nation Alliance, but if you give me a chance, I won't let those bastards loot our silver. Why should they think they're right to bully us?"

Qiao Jie nodded. "That's true. It's a pity the court was incompetent back then. Things are much better now—"

Ma Liu smiled and said, "That's right. Look at me, I even have someone serving me tea. I never dared to dream of that before. I just thought that when I got old, my husband and I would be happy as long as they could give me a hot meal. I never thought that I would be enjoying my old age. People are really unpredictable. Times change."