Gu Zhengkai had too many questions in his mind, but he couldn't ask them. He could only watch Jiang Qiao leave with tears in his eyes.

In fact, he already had a vague answer in his heart. The fact that this girl was able to come here, and that his younger brother was willing to let her come, meant that the girl must have something extraordinary about her.

He also overheard the conversation between the little girl and the prison guard, and he was worried that his niece might take risks for him.

Prison guard Liu wasn't unaware of the pained look in Gu Zhengkai's eyes; although he was standing ramrod straight, his mouth was moving.

"Don't worry, it's already quite remarkable that the child was able to find you and even meet with you. I certainly couldn't have done that. Besides, my sister-in-law is taking care of him; they're both kind-hearted people."

After Jiang Qiao returned with Aunt Liu, she went back to her room to rest. She had met her uncle, but that wasn't her ultimate goal. She needed to find a way to actually see him and find out what really happened.

Relying on Prison Guard Liu and his team alone won't be enough. She'll have to ask around to find out where the leaders live; that would make things much easier.

As for Sha Junchi, she also had a worry in her heart, not knowing who he was going to see. She could only find out the answer to this question when Liu Taixiang returned.

She prepared the necessary medications, secretly lamenting that she had suffered a loss this time. Simple medications were simply ineffective in treating strokes, except for those containing bezoar.

Jiang Qiao took a nap. She felt that the nap hadn't lasted long, but when she woke up, the sun was already setting in the west, and the room was filled with a fragrant aroma.

Without even guessing, she knew that Aunt Liu had probably cooked the pheasant.

There's no need to wait for Liu Taixiang to return for dinner; all the workers will eat in the prison canteen and won't be able to come back until everything is cleaned up.

The family stewed chicken, which made the kids incredibly excited; they were all circling around the stove.

"Stop wandering around, hurry up and put down the table to eat."

Jiang Qiao went over to help, "Auntie, save some for Uncle. Even if he eats in the cafeteria, he won't get this."

Mushroom and chicken stew, that's definitely a delicacy! "Auntie, let's eat together—"

Seeing the children fighting over the meat, Aunt Liu quickly put a few pieces on Jiang Qiao's plate, afraid that her own child would snatch them all.

Jiang Qiao ate a piece of chicken, which tasted pretty good, but she wasn't short of food lately, so she gave the rest of the meat in her bowl to the Liu family's children.

"One piece is enough for me. I prefer mushrooms."

"Girl, don't be so polite."

Jiang Qiao smiled and waved her hand, "Auntie, I won't stand on ceremony with you. I'm a very honest person. You'll see in time. You all hurry up and eat. I think Uncle Liu will be coming to find me soon."

Jiang Qiao drank a bowl of wild vegetable porridge. She didn't have to work that night; the Liu family mostly drank porridge.

Sure enough, just as Jiang Qiao finished eating, prison guard Liu came over, bringing with him a message that Liu Taixiang had asked him to deliver.

“My brother said that he found out about the person you asked him to investigate. The man named Shi Yan went to see an engineer, who apparently worked for the Japanese.”

By the way, I heard from a colleague today that Shi Yan seems to know our Section Chief Xing.

He found it quite strange; the two brushed past each other, yet he could see their mouths moving, though he had no idea what they were saying.

"Section Chief Xing? What's his job?"

Prison guard Liu recalled, "This Section Chief Xing seems to be in charge of the archives. As for whether these two people know each other, I'm not sure. Perhaps my colleague made a mistake."

"Jiang Qiao, is there something wrong with this person?"

Jiang Qiao shook her head and sighed, "I can't say for sure right now. I'm just curious about why this person came with me."

By the way, what did your supervisor say?

Speaking of this, Prison Guard Liu could only apologize, "I reported this to my superiors, but they just laughed it off, saying it was just kids playing house, a joke, and told me not to take it seriously. Jiang Qiao, I really can't do anything about it; I'm just a lowly prison guard—"

Jiang Qiao understood this. After all, anyone would be nervous meeting with their boss. It was only because the other person's boss was decent and didn't criticize her that she was in trouble.

"It's alright, let's go see a doctor first."

On the way, Jiang Qiao asked where the leader's home was.

"The big leader lives in the city, but we don't know exactly where. However, he'll be off work early tomorrow morning, so he'll go home. If you have to wait, you'll just have to wait at the door."

Jiang Qiao said she understood. Upon further inquiry, she was surprised to learn that the leader also had to take the bus. However, upon reflection, she realized that things were different now. Management was strict in all aspects, and it was precisely because of this top-down self-discipline that the leader had won the heartfelt support and love of everyone. Even she had to admire this.

"Uncle Liu, is there a rule against sending things to Gu Zhengkai? You can see that his clothes are all tattered. It doesn't seem right for him to be dressed like this. After all, it's not good to expose anything. Could I ask you to send some cotton-padded jackets or something?"

You can have your colleague check it later. I just don't want him dressed like that anymore. Everyone has dignity, especially a grown man, don't you think?

Prison guard Liu can help with this. It's a small matter. They don't allow writing letters, but they don't say that family members can't send clothes. Everyone's living conditions are limited, and everyone's cotton-padded coats are limited. They simply don't have any extras for Gu Zhengkai to wear. It's convenient that Jiang Qiao sent some.

He readily agreed, saying that Liu Taixiang would bring it to him tomorrow.

The prison guard Liu's house was quite a distance from Liu Taixiang's house, but fortunately they lived in the same brigade.

Jiang Qiao was quite curious about how prison guard Liu had found this job.

"Hehe, speaking of which, I used to be a soldier. After I was discharged, I was assigned here. Here we are—"

The houses of prison guard Liu and Liu Taixiang were similar, but once inside, the difference in conditions was significant. Prison guard Liu's family only had two children, which reduced their household expenses considerably.

Prison guard Liu's elderly mother lay on the kang (a heated brick bed), listening to her son say that he had found a doctor to treat her illness.

The old woman was mumbling incomprehensible words, but her hand was busy slapping her son.

Although Jiang Qiao didn't understand what the old lady was saying, she understood the general meaning to some extent.

"Grandma Liu, don't be angry. Uncle is only trying to help you with your illness. I won't charge you any money. I'll treat you for free. As long as you cooperate with me, I guarantee you'll be able to speak clearly and move freely again."

After hearing this, the old lady's eyes fell on Jiang Qiao again. She was really dissatisfied just now. Was her son joking? Bringing a little girl of about ten years old to treat her illness? How big of a heart does this child have? What does such a young child know? Treating illnesses? It would be good enough if she didn't die from it.