The next morning, the couple saw Jiang Qiao off to her car. Jiang Hu wanted to get her something to take with her, but Jiang Qiao declined.

She has everything she needs, so why would she compete with this family for food? She can't do that.

Carrying his things, he took a car to the Tian family's house. Upon hearing that Jiang Qiao had arrived, Tian Da ran faster than anyone else. They didn't know where the girl was going, and he was worried that she might run away for no reason. His mother's illness hadn't fully recovered yet.

Jiang Qiao arrived in the afternoon, and changing cars back and forth was indeed inconvenient.

"Oh my god, why did it take you so long to get here? I thought you had already left!"

Jiang Qiao pointed to the things on the ground, "Take these. Am I that kind of person who would run away after treating someone only halfway through?"

What is this?

It was quite heavy when she picked it up. Jiang Qiao sighed, "If I'm staying at your house, I'll have to prepare some food, otherwise I'll feel embarrassed."

Tian Da wasn't usually a talkative person, but after meeting Jiang Qiao, he immediately became very talkative.

"Our family would never be short of food. In fact, we should thank you for not charging us a consultation fee."

Jiang Qiao waved her hand, covered in sweat that even she couldn't stand. "No need for thanks. Did you really think I brought you food? It's all meat. What, you don't like it?"

Upon hearing that it was meat, Tian Da's eyes lit up. "No way! This is good stuff! We're lucky to have it. We're getting some too. This kind of thing isn't available every day."

Tian Da walks with a slight limp. He craves meat, you know. Although everyone in his family works and their conditions are better than other families, they can't escape the rationing. Plus, they have to help their comrades, so their family is actually quite strapped for cash.

Tian Da had already thought of many ways to cook Jiang Qiao's meat, and the more he thought about it, the more he wanted it.

"Mom, Jiang Qiao is here! Look what she brought—meat, a whole basket of meat!"

Jiang Qiao brought not only a braised pork knuckle, but also pork belly, the kind of fatty meat that everyone loves to eat these days. Nobody likes to eat lean meat, but she just happens to like it.

"My goodness, there are so many, Jiang Qiao, you've gone to so much trouble."

Jiang Qiao smiled and said, "Auntie, I made this. It wasn't much trouble. I have to stay here to treat your illness. Consider this payment for your meals. I don't care how you eat."

Come on, let's go get some acupuncture—

Jiang Qiao also came to terms with it. Not wanting to go through all the back and forth, she figured it was better to stay here and go for a stroll with Tian Da and the others. At least she'd have a convenient car.

After giving Li Wenxiu acupuncture, Tian Da quietly told her about the results of his investigation over the past two days.

"Ah, there really is! Then what are we waiting for? Let's hurry up!"

Before Tian Da even got a bite of the meat, he said, "No rush, no rush, we can go over tonight. I've already talked to my friends. I said, 'Jiang Qiao, why are you interested in those things? They're neither food nor clothing, and they just get in the way at home.'"

Oh dear, speaking of this, it reminds me of that brush washer. My mom was always uneasy about where to put it. You've really given our old lady a job this time.

Jiang Qiao chuckled and said, "It can't be that bad, can it?"

Tian Da chuckled and sighed, "You wouldn't know if you didn't see it. Let me tell you, you'll have to get me two more later, otherwise, this one thing won't be enough for her to mess around with. If there are too many, it won't matter if they break."

This time, Jiang Qiao shook his head. "You don't understand. You don't know the value of this thing. I'm telling you, brother, this thing can be a family heirloom. It's been passed down for hundreds of years. Don't you think it's precious?"

You even broke it! Don't go out there saying you know me. You have no taste! Let me tell you, this one item alone, if it were old enough, could be worth a house.

It's no wonder Tian Da doesn't know his stuff; he's never been exposed to this kind of culture since childhood and has no idea about market prices.

Jiang Qiao sighed, "Listen to me, just keep it safe. When you get to your father's age, you'll know if I'm right or not. The older something is, the less there is, and the more valuable it becomes."

Don't be fooled by its current insignificance; by the time you want it as an object later, it'll be gone—

Although Tian Da didn't understand antiques, he still thought Jiang Qiao's words made sense.

"Okay, I'll listen to you. Later, help me find two items so I can keep them as family heirlooms."

By the way, Jiang Qiao, when my dad comes back, could you take a look at his back and legs? All these years of wind and rain have taken their toll on them—”

Jiang Qiao nodded. "Okay, I'm here anyway. If it's treatable, I'll definitely treat it. Now that I've finished treating your parents' illnesses, I should go. I have other things to do. How many days of vacation do you have left?"

Tian Da turned to look at Jiang Qiao. "What's wrong? Do you have something in mind?"

Jiang Qiao smiled ingratiatingly, "I'm just seeing how many more days you can stay at home. I can hitch a ride with you and go shopping for some nice things. Otherwise, what do you think?"

That teasing look made Tian Da's heart skip a beat. "You really shouldn't laugh, especially in front of strangers. Be careful, it won't hurt."

"Okay, I understand, Comrade Tian Da. I'll go find your aunt now."

Jiang Qiao felt terrible; her clothes were almost soaked with sweat. She needed to ask Li Wenxiu where she could take a shower. Although it should be possible inside the space, it wasn't convenient here.

When Li Wenxiu came out of the guest room after tidying up Jiang Qiao, she saw Jiang Qiao come in and quickly pulled her inside, saying, "Quickly, it's too hot. Go wash up. It'll be time to eat soon."

Fearing that Jiang Qiao wouldn't understand, he gave her a thorough explanation of how to use it.

"Auntie, I understand, I'll do it myself."

Jiang Qiao had just finished showering and was drying her hair when Tian Hong came home from get off work, accompanied by his daughter Tian Yu.

"Wow, the house smells so good! What's the good news?"

Li Wenxiu took her husband's briefcase and explained with a smile, "Jiang Qiao came over this afternoon and brought us a lot of meat, so we made your favorite braised pork for dinner. That girl was taking a shower upstairs and carried a basket of meat down with her. It's really not easy for her in this hot weather. I feel so sorry for her—"

Tian Hong nodded. "It seems this child intends to stay with us to continue treating your illness? We should have done that a long time ago; this child is too kind—"

Jiang Qiao finished combing her hair and came downstairs. "Uncle, you're off work. Perfect timing, let me take your pulse—"

Li Wenxiu quickly pulled her husband to sit down. "Jiang Qiao, please take a look at him. This old man just endures it all year round. He doesn't even realize how old he is. If it can be treated, please treat him quickly. It's too painful. I can't bear to watch him in pain. He's a grown man, and I'm sweating profusely."

As soon as Jiang Qiao took her pulse, her smiling face turned serious. Tian Hong was also observing her.

Seeing that Jiang Qiao's expression changed, he also felt unwell, and it was highly likely that something was wrong with his body.