Chai Qiuxia teased from the side, "Jiang Qiao, let's give the others food and give your second uncle water, see if he's tempted."

Jiang Qiao poured the water and smiled, "Second Aunt, if my second uncle really goes hungry, he'll be heartbroken. Don't worry, everyone will get some. I guarantee you'll be satisfied. You two chat first, I'll go get busy."

Chai Qiuxia and Wen Jingwan chatted with everyone for a while and then came over to help. How could they let Jiang Qiao do all the work alone? Cooking for so many people was a huge undertaking.

Jiang Qiao prepared the food first. As for the children, she would prepare them when they returned. She would keep the food warm in the pot for now. Fortunately, there were two large pots here, making cooking much more convenient.

Seeing that it was almost time, Jiang Qiao quickly called out to everyone to get ready for dinner, "Okay, hurry up and put the table down, let's get ready to eat—"

When Lu Zhiyuan saw the dishes on the table, he was amazed. "My God, Jiang Qiao is really capable."

Everyone knows that the tickets they issue are limited in quantity, and the tickets they bought today can't possibly make as many things as are on the table.

"Come on, brothers, raise your glasses! Let's have a drink, just to show we're still alive and can meet again! Cheers!"

While Jiang Qiao was in the kitchen, she had almost finished eating. She was feeding her younger brother when she saw her former comrades-in-arms raising their glasses in a toast. Even Wen Jingwan and Chai Xia, whom she thought were not good drinkers, had downed a drink.

Seeing these people reminded her of Shen Ruifang and her husband. She really should go and visit them sometime.

After the group of people finished their drinks with great enthusiasm, Gu Zhengfeng told them to eat more food.

"Have something to eat first, then we'll drink more later—"

Gu Zhengfeng put his arm around Lu Zhiyuan's shoulder. "Second Brother, I have to toast you. These brothers all rely on you and your wife for support. We live far away, and sometimes, we have the will, but not the opportunity—"

Lu Zhiyuan glared at him. "What are you saying? We're brothers. Talking about those things is too distant. They're my comrades-in-arms, my brothers too. Let's drink, let's drink—"

Jiang Qiao fed the stone until it was full, then took it out to relieve itself. After a short while, the children returned. Some of the older ones were apprentices and wouldn't be coming back for lunch.

Upon seeing Jiang Qiao, despite being very hungry, the children happily surrounded her, asking her all sorts of questions. Although these children were young, they all understood that without Jiang Qiao, they would not be where they were today.

"Sister Qiao'er, when did you arrive? Is this your little brother? We've missed you so much! Why don't you ever come to see us? And Grandpa Liu, he went back and never came back..."

With so many children chattering away, Jiang Qiao didn't know which one to answer.

"No rush, no rush, let's eat first, and we can talk slowly later."

When the children saw the food Jiang Qiao brought out, their eyes widened and they involuntarily swallowed. It was so plentiful, with so much meat and vegetables.

Jiang Qiao urged the children to eat, "Don't stand there, hurry up and eat, let's chat while we eat—"

She held her younger brother and asked everyone how they had been doing lately.

Even though the food was much better than what they usually ate, the children didn't fight over the food and took care of each other.

Jiang Qiao wasn't in a hurry to chat with them. After the children had finished eating, they all started telling Jiang Qiao what they had been doing since they parted ways, mainly studying and helping their families.

These kids have experienced hardship and won't forget the difficulties they faced just because their lives have improved. So, despite their young age, they are quite resourceful. They gather firewood whenever they can, dig for wild vegetables whenever they can, and collect recyclables in their spare time to supplement their family income.

“Sister Qiao’er, we went to the secondhand market with our uncles and aunts to help Grandpa Liu collect some things. They’re all in the backyard. Grandpa Liu said he’ll help you move them back when you come over.”

Jiang Qiao hadn't expected that Ma Liu had a backup plan.

She knew it! How could the old man go back so easily? It turns out he has these little helpers.

Jiang Qiao now suspects that these kids brought back fakes. They're so young, what could they possibly know? What Ma Liu taught them was just the tip of the iceberg. Even professionals can easily be fooled by those old objects.

"You didn't put all the money and tickets we mailed here on this, did you?"

I'm telling you, those are for you to supplement your nutrition. Your health is the most important thing; everything else is just nonsense.

These kids are very perceptive; they know exactly who treats them well.

"Sister Qiao'er, no, we bought some food, and we'll all eat together. Besides, you also mailed some other things over, which is enough for us to have a nice meal. We didn't buy everything; Brother Erping and the others helped us choose. His grandfather knows about these things."

Jiang Qiao touched each of them, saying, "I'm telling you, eat more. It's not too late to help your older sister when you grow up. Right now, nothing is more important than your health. Remember that."

Jiang Qiao then inquired about the story of those who went to become apprentices.

It turned out that the older children, after studying for two years, couldn't keep up with their studies and weren't old enough to work, so they couldn't find suitable jobs for the time being. Lu Zhiyuan and the veterans thought about it and decided to let the children learn a trade. Once they were skilled, it would be easier to find them jobs later.

After the children finished eating, they went to that room to say goodbye to Gu Zhengfeng and the others, and then went to school.

After seeing the children off, Jiang Qiao noticed that they were still drinking in the other room. She carried her sleeping younger brother back inside. The bedding in the backyard clearly smelled of sunshine, indicating that the family often aired it out.

After settling her younger brother in, she went to the side room to take a look. There weren't too many things, and they varied in size, but there were all kinds of items. It was clear that they had all been carefully selected. There were some things that she could tell, but there were others that she really couldn't tell. If you're not a professional, you really can't tell. However, she trusted Erping and the others' skills. These guys had probably all learned Ma Liu's true skills.

After finishing their meal, Wen Jingwan and Chai Qiuxia quickly left the table. These people, who had finally managed to get together, were practically drunkards. Even if they could drink, they couldn't keep up. They quickly retreated to the backyard to have a proper chat.

"Mom, you guys rest here for a bit, I'm going to check in at the guesthouse."

Wen Jingwan was worried that her daughter would get lost, but Chai Qiuxia smiled and said, "Your daughter probably knows the way better than you do. Girl, have the driver take you there. If you don't have to stay there, come back. If you have any requests, don't force yourself. Stay there."

Jiang Qiao was naturally delighted to have a convenient car. "Alright, alright, you guys keep chatting, I'll go take a look."

Jiang Jinyu had already given advance notice at the guesthouse that Jiang Qiao should be notified beforehand to arrive.

His main concern was that Jiang Qiao was stubborn, and he was genuinely afraid that the child wouldn't come.

Just as he was getting anxious, a message came from below that Jiang Qiao had arrived and checked in. Jiang Jinyu was relieved and quickly asked the person below to bring Jiang Qiao over, as he had something to say.