Jiang Qiao knew Wen Songtao's situation; the old man had money, and if he was short of anything, he probably only lacked votes.

"Grandpa, are you really not going to talk to my uncle about this?"

Wen Songtao shook his head. "Don't tell him about this for now. If he asks, just say I asked someone to inform him that we are both fine. As for where, don't say."

It's not that I don't trust my own son, but there's an outsider by his side. Although she's our daughter-in-law, don't forget what your aunt does.

"It's better to be safe than sorry. If things really don't go well for me, I'll contact him and make sure he gets to see me one last time."

Zhou Yaru rolled her eyes at her old man and said with dissatisfaction, "What are you saying, old man? We can both live to be a hundred years old. With our granddaughter here, don't think so much."

Jiang Qiao glanced at the old lady with amusement, then nodded with a smile, "I think so too. You should treat working as a form of physical exercise. You can do some work, but don't exert yourself too much. Later, I'll help you get some grain, year after year, to ensure you don't lack food."

After saying all that, I asked the old man about the surrounding area, what villages there were, where to buy things, and whether there was a market.

After finding out the details, I got up and went to the kitchen to prepare a meal.

The old lady and the old man were fine, so they quickly got up and started tidying up the things Jiang Qiao had brought. They were hosting a dinner party that evening, and they couldn't let outsiders see these things.

It's not that he's afraid people will come and take it; the old man is worried that if others see it, they'll feel disappointed. You can't see into other people's hearts; who knows what they're thinking?

Just to be safe, I put everything away, except for the alcohol I planned to drink that night.

"They're all kept in the storage room; it's safe there."

The old lady stroked the fur rug that Jiang Qiao had brought and sighed, "Now I understand why you said you got along well with Qiao'er. Those who know her think she's our granddaughter, while those who don't think she's our daughter. Children are always more thoughtful than our own children."

Speaking of this, Wen Songtao looked very proud, even shaking his head as he spoke, appearing extremely proud.

"That's right. If I don't love my granddaughter, who will? Besides, she's the only one we have, so we have to love her as much as we can."

None of the children in the family have suffered as much as Qiao'er has. It's just that the conditions have been a bit worse in the last few years. But I've never let any of the children lack anything. But Qiao'er is different. I have to treat her even better.

Alright, you stay home and help the kids, I'm going to check on things in the fields—”

Actually, there's not much to do in the fields right now; the seeds have already been sown. We just need to check if there are any weeds.

Zhou Yaru moved a stool and sat at the kitchen doorway to help Jiang Qiao pick vegetables, so the grandmother and granddaughter could chat.

The old lady was concerned about the situation outside. If things improved, could the two of them move out? The scenery here was certainly beautiful, but no matter how beautiful it was, it couldn't compare to their own home.

Jiang Qiao sighed and said while picking vegetables, "Grandma, although the summer harvest is okay, the yield is not high, and the grain ration is fixed. If there are problems with the autumn harvest, it probably won't be much better."

Even if there are no problems, the population is what it is. The countryside needs to supply the city. You can imagine that even if there are more people to eat, the yield per mu (unit of land area) cannot be increased. The situation is still not optimistic.

You wouldn't believe it, I've been to some places where people use tractors to plow and plant crops, and they're incredibly fast. However, not many places can afford to buy a tractor, so for now, you shouldn't count on it.

"Or, why don't you go stay with my mom?"

The old lady shook her head. "I'm not going. Your grandfather said we shouldn't cause trouble for our children. If anything happens to us, what will your parents do? I'd rather stay here."

Qiao'er, when you have time, keep in touch with your uncle. If things really aren't going well for him, find a way to send him over as soon as possible.

I only have these three children. Your mother has your father and you to protect her, so I'm not worried. Your eldest uncle's family has all gone out, and as long as they have money, I'm not worried about their livelihood.

But your younger uncle is different. He has always grown up around us. Even when he went to school, he stayed nearby, unlike your older uncle, who went out to make his own way in the world.

I'm worried that this child doesn't know the wickedness of people's hearts—"

What could Jiang Qiao say? Wen Zhongxuan's children were all grown up; even if he hadn't experienced it himself, he understood it all.

"Grandma, although my uncle hasn't gone out to exercise much, he was born to you. Even if he doesn't take after all of my grandfather, half of him would be enough."

Don't worry, my uncle will be fine. Don't overthink it. In a few years, your grandson will probably be old enough to be getting married.

The old lady said with a heavy heart, "Sigh, I guess I won't be able to see it. I wonder if your aunt has prepared everything for the child in advance. I hope she doesn't take everything to her parents' house."

Jiang Qiao smiled and said, "She's not stupid. No matter how close her family is, can they be closer than her own children? My uncle is right next door. If we keep the rent from that house, it'll be enough for the children to get married."

With someone to chat with, Zhou Yaru felt that time flew by. By the time the old man and the others finished work, Jiang Qiao had almost finished cooking. Luckily, she brought a lot of things; otherwise, given the family's current resources, they really wouldn't have been able to prepare a decent meal.

"Girl, is dinner ready yet? The guests will be here soon—"

Jiang Qiao wiped her hands and walked out of the kitchen. "Grandpa, are you tired? Take a rest, I'll get you some water to wash up—"

Not to mention the old man was covered in sweat, even Jiang Qiao was sweating profusely. It's no wonder he was sweating in the kitchen on such a hot day.

The old man waved his hand, "No need, my wife, you take the child to clean up, they'll be here in a bit."

Jiang Qiao never expected that her grandfather had built a simple shower shed behind the house. Fortunately, it was summer, so taking a shower was no big deal.

However, what surprised her even more was that the elderly couple had started a vegetable garden behind the house. It wasn't very big, but it was enough for the two of them to eat, and they also raised a few chickens.

Seeing her granddaughter's surprised look, the old lady said proudly, "How about that? Aren't we two capable?"

The chickens are mine; this vegetable garden was there when we bought the house. However, your grandfather opened a little more. They don't allow cutting down too many trees here, otherwise, we could have cultivated our own plot.

The old lady was very proud of this. Even though the two of them didn't know how to farm, they could learn. After arriving here, they went from not knowing to knowing, to adapting. Although the process was painful, there was joy in the hardship.

Fortunately, unlike other families where both the elderly couple have to work, they are not short of money, so she is relatively much happier.