As they ate and chatted, Fang's father, who rarely had time today, spoke with Qiao Qiqi for a few moments: "Who else is in your family? Are your parents farmers?"

Qiao Qiqi put down her chopsticks and said obediently, "My family includes my dad, mom and younger brother. My dad is the village group leader, my mom can't do farm work because of her back problems, so she stays at home to recuperate, and my younger brother is in school."

Mr. Fang then asked, "Are all of you native to Heilong City?"

Qiao Qiqi nodded, "Yes!"

Suddenly, Mr. Fang asked, "Do you have a picture of your father?"

?

A hint of doubt flashed across Qiao Qiqi's eyes. Although she didn't understand why Fang's father would ask such a question, she still told the truth: "Our area is relatively poor and backward. My father has never had his picture taken in his entire life. Uncle, do you want to see what my father looks like? If so, I can draw him for you when I get back. I'm quite good at drawing portraits."

Fang Ke suddenly looked up: "Qiqi, you can draw too?"

"I just draw for fun when I'm bored. I've drawn before, so I should be alright."

Qiao Qiqi was definitely being modest; after all, she's a professional.

Fang Ke became interested, "Can you draw one for me? I saw a self-portrait that my colleague paid for, and it was drawn so beautifully. I've always wanted to have someone draw one for me, but I've never had the chance."

“Sure! You can draw whatever you want. Just get your paper and pen ready, and I can draw it for you.”

“I have paper and pens at home. You can draw for me when we get back.” After saying that, Fang Ke immediately said to her parents, “Mom and Dad, do you know? Qi Qi is amazing. She can even write articles. She’s not like a village child at all; she’s more like a city girl.”

"Yeah?"

Fang's mother was also surprised. She didn't expect Qiao Qiqi to not only cook so well, but also have so many other skills. However, after hearing Fang Ke's words, she couldn't help but say, "Look at Qiqi, and then look at yourself. How dare you say that?"

Fang Ke: "..."

That's heartbreaking!

The meal was enjoyed amidst laughter and cheerful conversation.

But there was just too much food, and most of it wasn't finished, so Mr. Fang asked the waiter to pack up the rest and take it home.

Back home, Fang Ke immediately asked Qiao Qiqi to draw his portrait as soon as he got out of the car.

But as soon as she entered the courtyard, she was stunned. "Auntie, what brings you here?"

A large bag was placed at Fang Jingru's feet. When she saw the group return, she slowly raised her head. When her gaze fell on Qiao Qiqi's face, she immediately walked over and said with some excitement, "You're back."

Fang Ke: "???"

Feeling ignored, she looked at Fang Jingru in confusion: "Aunt..."

"Let's go inside and talk." Fang Jingru saw her mother open the door and led Qiao Qiqi directly into the house, without glancing at Fang Ke once.

This strange behavior was noticed not only by Fang Ke, but also by Fang's mother.

"What's wrong with Jingru today? Why is she paying so much attention to Miss Qiao?" Fang's mother looked at Fang's father with suspicion.

But Mr. Fang also looked bewildered. "How should I know? But we'll find out once we go in and take a look."

The three exchanged a glance and quickly went inside.

Then she saw Fang Jingru sitting on the sofa, holding Qiao Qiqi's hand and asking, "What are your parents' names? How old are they?"

Although Qiao Qiqi didn't understand why Fang Jingru suddenly asked this question, she still told the truth: "My father's name is Qiao Weiguo, my mother's name is Lin Chunying, my father is 43 years old, and my mother is 42 years old."

"Is your father born in the Year of the Tiger?" Fang Jingru asked immediately.

Qiao Qiqi nodded, "Yes, his birthday is Xiaohu, it's the winter month."

Fang Jingru did some mental calculations, and her expression became even more excited. "Do you know what your grandparents' names are? Where did they give birth to your father? In the village or in the hospital?"

Upon hearing this, Fang's mother finally couldn't help but ask, "Jingru, why are you asking such detailed questions? Don't scare Qiqi."

Fang Ke also felt that her aunt was acting strangely today, as if she was very curious about everything about Qiao Qiqi.

She couldn't help but ask, "Auntie, are you inquiring about her household registration? Qiqi's family background is very clean. Her father is a small village official. She is definitely a good person. You don't need to ask."

Upon hearing this, Fang Jingru immediately frowned and looked at her. "When did I say she was a bad person? I just... I just have an old friend in Heilong City, so I wanted to ask her about it."

"Do you have any friends in Heilong City? How come I don't know?" Mr. Fang asked, puzzled.

Fang Jingru ignored him, realizing that her actions were indeed a bit abrupt, and immediately said to Qiao Qiqi with an apologetic look, "Don't misunderstand, I didn't mean anything by it, I'm just very curious."

Although Qiao Qiqi found Fang Jingru's behavior today a bit strange, she could also sense that Fang Jingru meant her no harm.

So she smiled and said, "It's okay, I can tell you anything you want to ask. My grandfather's name is Qiao Baozheng and my grandmother's name is Lu Xiufen. My grandfather passed away when I was very young, so I don't know how old he was or even what he looked like. My grandmother was born in the Year of the Dog and is about sixty-four or sixty-five years old this year."

Qiao Qiqi thought for a moment, "As for where my grandmother gave birth to my father, I don't know, but I guess she was born at home, because I was also born at home by my mother. In our area, it's rare to be sent to the hospital. There are midwives in the village who can deliver babies, and we ask them to come and help when we give birth."

Seeing that Fang Jingru seemed to be deep in thought, Qiao Qiqi added, "If you want to know if you know my father, I can draw a portrait for you. I can draw portraits."

Fang Jingru's eyes lit up. "Really? Then draw one for me to see."

Fang Ke went to find paper and pen, and Qiao Qiqi immediately started drawing. Drawing portraits takes a long time, but she was quite skilled, so she finished drawing in just over twenty minutes.

"Take a look." Qiao Qiqi handed the finished portrait to Fang Jingru, and Fang's father also stood up to look at it.

The face on the paper was completely unfamiliar, but there was a sense of familiarity in both the face shape and the eyebrows.

Fang Jingru suddenly stuffed the portrait into her bag and said to Qiao Qiqi with a smile, "I promised to treat you and Xiao Ke to dinner that day, but I had to go out because of something urgent. If it's convenient for you, how about I treat you to dinner tonight? Brother and sister-in-law, you should come too, everyone should come."

The Fang family had no objections.

But Qiao Qiqi thought of the dishes she brought back from the Beijing restaurant, so she said, "Auntie, if you don't mind, please stay and try my cooking tonight. We just came back from eating out at noon and brought back a lot of dishes. They'll go bad if we don't eat them. I'll also make two extra dishes for you to try."

“You’re a guest, how can I let you do it? If anyone’s going to do it, it’s me!” Fang Jingru frowned.