Gu Hanting shook his head in disapproval. "Don't send too many people. Let Ning Hao and Qiao'er go. Too many people will only make things worse. Let Qiao'er go in. She's good at fighting and knows how to handle things. Haozi can keep watch outside. It would be too conspicuous for Zhengfeng to go. Haozi is also familiar with that place."

Gu Hanting made the decision, and Jiang Qiao no longer objected. In fact, she felt that going there was the most suitable option for her.

Jiang Qiao stood up. "You guys keep chatting, we're leaving now."

Gu Hanting chimed in from the side, "Remember to bring some food with you."

Jiang Qiao responded, walked around the kitchen, then carried the basket on her back and disappeared into the night with Ning Hao.

In early winter, the weather in Northeast China can turn cold very quickly, with a biting wind blowing. Luckily, she was wearing a thin cotton-padded jacket, otherwise she would have caught a cold.

Ning Hao carried Jiang Qiao towards the commune's brick factory.

The two didn't speak to each other on the way. One pedaled hard on the bicycle, while Jiang Qiao paid attention to the surrounding situation and movements.

Once they reached the main road, Jiang Qiao asked, "Does Song Shutian also know about this?"

Ning Hao responded, "After you left, he asked me to take good care of this place. I have working relationships with the Revolutionary Committee of the commune, so when I come to inspect the work, I can also go over there to inspect it."

However, they could only look at it at most. The things were all delivered by Grandpa Qiao and his group. The people guarding the outside were Da Tou's men. As for the members of the work group inside, they wouldn't let anyone get close to these people at all.

Jiang Qiao nodded knowingly. "Those people seem quite wary. What are they up to? Why do they insist on getting the old man and the others to tell them everything?"

Ning Hao sighed, "Who can argue with that? But some things are hard to predict, so let's just go with the flow and help if we can. I heard that Grandpa Zuo isn't a bad person; even Grandpa said so. There must be some hidden story here. But for now, this is all we can do. We'll find a way to deal with it later."

The most formidable was Zuo Zhankui. The old man's arm was broken, and although Qiao Jie helped to reattach it, it was not very usable. Therefore, he could only work with his other arm, which was very strenuous. People even said that the old man was being lazy and shirking his duties.

After listening, Jiang Qiao remained silent for a long time. "It would have been better to kill him. You know, the old man came from the battlefield. You broke his good arm. What will he do in the future? Those people never seem to think about the consequences. How deep must the hatred be?"

By the way, I haven't had a chance to properly ask Grandpa Zuo what exactly his problem is.

Ning Hao sighed, "It's a long story. Do you know who Zuo Zhankui's daughter-in-law's best friend is?"

Ning Hao's question puzzled Jiang Qiao: "Do I know him?"

"You don't know this person, but you know her daughter."

Jiang Qiao paused for a moment, then frowned slightly. "I know her daughter. Don't tell me she's Dou Yanhua's mother?"

Ning Hao smiled and said, "It's her. Moreover, Grandpa Zuo's daughter-in-law's family has run into trouble, and she herself seems to have been bribed. Once this comes out, do you think it will end well? In the beginning, it was he who suggested that Zhao Anbang go there. Now that Zhao Anbang has run into trouble, the old man can't escape either."

Although Zhao Anbang is fine now, there are still many complexities involved. Don't try to understand too much; it'll strain your brain. Just know that he's a good person.

Jiang Qiao snorted twice, "We really can't afford to get involved in the affairs of big shots. We're really not as good as ordinary people like us."

When Jiang Qiao and the others arrived, the people on the work group hadn't rested yet. It was just a coincidence that it was Wang Datou's turn to be on duty today. He was playing cards with a few people in the room. That's when Ning Hao arrived, carrying a bottle of wine and some food, which Jiang Qiao had given him.

"Oh, what brings you here?"

Upon seeing Ning Hao, not only Wang Datou, but also his subordinates in the room stood up to greet him.

Ning Hao showed them what he had in his hand. "I brought you some food and wanted to chat with you guys. I'm getting married soon, and I'll have a family to support, so I won't be going out at night as often."

"Let's enjoy ourselves while we can, or we'll miss this opportunity! If you have time, come over for a drink; if not, have Big Head bring you some good food later."

Wang Datou grabbed Ning Hao and asked, "Is Qiao'er back?"

Ning Hao smiled and nodded, "You're back, you're back! Otherwise, I wouldn't have had time to come. These are things she brought back. Everyone, try them. They're some snacks from out of town, things we don't have here. Come on, don't be shy, have a drink, but don't drink too much—"

With food and drink to their hearts' content, everyone stopped being polite to Ning Hao. They all knew who he was, and Ning Hao often came to guide their work. Although Ning Hao was nominally their leader, their behavior was definitely that of brothers.

While Ning Hao and his group were drinking, Jiang Qiao had already quietly slipped inside and given some sleeping powder to the staff who were still smoking and chatting. Soon, they were all panting heavily and went to bed.

Having dealt with these people, Jiang Qiao followed Ning Hao's directions and found the house where Zuo Zhankui and the others were staying.

Speaking of which, the room wasn't big, but it housed six people, with all six sleeping on a single large communal bed.

When Jiang Qiao pushed the door open, the six men were sitting on the kang (a heated brick bed) preparing to sleep. They had been carrying bricks all day and were so tired that their backs ached and their bones felt like they were about to fall apart.

Upon hearing the door open, the six people sitting on the kang (a heated brick bed) all turned to look at the doorway, their eyes filled with fear and confusion. When they saw Jiang Qiao standing at the door, they all froze in shock.

Upon seeing Jiang Qiao, Zuo Zhankui and the person sitting next to him were so excited that their lips trembled, and the old man's eyes even reddened.

"Girl—"

Jiang Qiao nodded to everyone and then rushed in quickly.

"Everyone, be quiet. I brought you some food. Eat and drink something to refresh yourselves."

He took out the food he had brought and put it on the kang (a heated brick bed), inviting everyone to come and eat. He then carried the food to Zuo Zhankui and Cheng Baichuan.

"Grandpas, please eat something, I'll treat you right away—"

Jiang Qiao met Cheng Baichuan at a meeting, and she never expected to meet this old man here.

Zuo Zhankui never dreamed that they would meet again in such a setting, and the old man was filled with mixed emotions.

"Girl, you're back?"

Jiang Qiao nodded, feeling a little guilty, and said, "Grandpa Zuo, I'm late. I didn't know you were here. Please eat—"

Although Ma Liu and Qiao Jie secretly brought food, they were under someone's nose, so they didn't bring too much food to avoid attracting attention. Also, if the food was too good, the smell would be too strong and the staff could easily smell it.

They brought out too many good things, and Ma Liu and his men felt that his wife was attracting attention and making people suspicious.

Therefore, the food that Jiang Qiao brought this time was truly something that would satisfy the old men's cravings.

The meat slices, cooked and chopped, can be eaten directly with soy sauce, along with steamed buns and eggs.