When it was time for bed that night, Aunt Zhou noticed that the old lady was in low spirits and realized that she was sad that her grandson and granddaughter were not close to her. She quickly comforted her, saying, "Don't be sad, Madam. Young Master Chenchen and Miss Xinxin have clearly suffered a lot in the past year. Miss Qiao and her husband are the two children's saviors. It is only natural that they rely on them from the bottom of their hearts."

"Once they come back and stay for a few days, they'll adjust and naturally become as close to you as before."

The old lady sighed deeply, "I'm not sad, I just feel heartbroken and distressed to see my two children grow up so fast."

Aunt Zhou understood what the old lady meant. At their age, they had no other desires but for their children to be safe and sound.

Fortunately, all the hardships have come to an end.

Suddenly, Aunt Zhou thought of Qin Huai's face and couldn't help but say, "Madam, don't you think Miss Qiao's husband looks remarkably like Young Master Baoguo? Do you think he might be the eldest young master's orphan?"

Their unfortunate eldest son was kidnapped by villains at birth and his whereabouts remain unknown.

Although Aunt Zhou felt that the hope was very slim, the old lady had never given up hope all these years and always firmly believed that her child was still alive in this world.

Originally, Aunt Zhou thought it was impossible, but she only thought it to herself and dared not say it out loud, for fear of upsetting the old lady.

But today, seeing Qin Huai's appearance, even Aunt Zhou was a little unsure.

However, it might just be a coincidence...

The old lady thought of her eldest son, who had been declared dead at birth. Later, they learned from a runaway nurse that her child had not died, but had been sold.

The old lady was heartbroken and had been searching for so many years without success.

Everyone advised her to give up, but she firmly believed that her child was destined for good fortune, and since he could come back to life, he would surely be able to turn misfortune into good luck.

Thinking of Qin Huai's face, the old lady could not control her excitement. "Today, in front of Qi Qi, I didn't get a chance to ask Bao Guo. So, tomorrow morning, call Bao Guo to my room, and I'll ask him alone."

"Okay, then I'll get up earlier tomorrow."

As the night deepened, Xin Xin had been asleep for a long time, but Qiao Qi Qi tossed and turned, unable to fall asleep.

She kept thinking about how Qin Huai and Qin Baoguo looked alike, and Xiao Tanghai's reaction today. He must have something going on. He let Chenchen stay overnight because he was afraid Chenchen would complain to the old lady. But he can only watch for a while, not forever. This matter will be exposed sooner or later.

Just as Qiao Qiqi had predicted, after breakfast the next morning, even though Xiao Tanghai was unwilling to leave, he had to go to the factory.

Before leaving, he glanced at the old lady with worry, then gritted his teeth and left.

Qiao Qiqi saw this scene, exchanged a glance with Qin Huai, and then said to the old lady, "Qin Huai and I will go for a walk in the courtyard."

"Go ahead!" The old lady was quite pleased to see how good the couple's relationship was.

Once Qiao Qiqi and Qin Huai left, only the old lady, Qin Baoguo, Chenchen, and Xinxin remained in the room. Clearly, Qiao Qiqi had deliberately given them this opportunity.

The Qin family's courtyard was not large, but the outer courtyard was very large.

Qiao Qiqi took Qin Huai's hand and went outside for a stroll, asking as they walked, "Have you missed me during all this time we've been apart?"

Qin Huai paused for a moment, then uttered a single word, "Want."

Qiao Qiqi turned her head in surprise and was astonished to see that he had actually admitted it.

Qin Huai's face flushed slightly, and he was too shy to look her in the eye. He could only stare at the ground and say, "Isn't this what you wanted to hear?"

Qiao Qiqi was immediately displeased upon hearing this. "What do you mean by 'what I want to hear'? If you thought about it, you thought about it; if you didn't, you didn't. Did you only say it because you wanted to hear me say you missed me?"

"No!" Qin Huai immediately denied, and when he met Qiao Qiqi's angry gaze, he quickly explained, "I didn't say it because you wanted to hear it, I just... really missed you."

"Then what did you mean by what you said earlier?" Qiao Qiqi persisted.

Qin Huai's face turned even redder. After hesitating for a long time, he stammered, "I'm embarrassed to say it, but I know you want to hear it."

Qiao Qiqi was satisfied, and immediately took advantage of the fact that no one was around to quickly tiptoe and kiss the man on the cheek. "I really like it when you do this. Keep it up in the future."

Qin Huai immediately looked around in a panic, and only breathed a sigh of relief after seeing that no one was around.

Qiao Qiqi knew he was shy, so she stopped teasing him and continued walking forward with his arm in hers. "I've missed you too. I've been missing you for half a month now, but because Xin Xin's illness hasn't gotten better, I stayed an extra week. Then, because the old lady and Xin Xin recognized each other, I didn't go back. But I've missed you so much these past few days! I'm so eager to go home! If you don't come soon, I'm going to take the train back to find you."

Hearing Qiao Qiqi's sudden confession, Qin Huai felt his heart burning.

His Adam's apple bobbed a few times before he said, "Xiao Tanghai is the one who wanted to kill Chenchen and Xinxin, right?"

When the topic turned to business, Qiao Qiqi immediately became serious and nodded, saying, "Yes, it must be him."

Qin Huai said, "Battalion Commander Qin said that there is a lack of evidence for this matter, and there is only Chenchen's side of the story. He was afraid that the old lady would not believe him, so he decided to find evidence before talking to the old lady."

"Yes, I see." Qiao Qiqi could tell from the fact that Qin Baoguo did not accuse Xiao Tanghai last night.

The two chatted for a while longer and learned that Lin Chunying, Qiao Weiguo, Qin Baojun, and Wang Guihua were all well. They also learned that when Qin Huai came to Beijing, they all sent him money and tickets, but Qin Huai refused them. Qiao Qiqi was relieved.

The autumn harvest in the village is coming to an end. In about half a month, it will be finished. Then there will be drying and polishing work. Although it is tiring, it is easier than harvesting.

The two wandered around outside for a while longer, and then went back when they estimated it was about time.

Upon entering, I found the atmosphere inside to be rather somber.

Qiao Qiqi looked at Qin Baoguo with a puzzled expression. The latter paused for a moment, then said, "Grandma already knows what Second Aunt's husband has done."

Qiao Qiqi was somewhat surprised and subconsciously asked, "You said that?"

Didn't we agree not to tell? Why the sudden change of heart?

Under Qiao Qiqi's gaze, Qin Baoguo's expression turned helpless. "It wasn't me who said it. Grandma noticed my second aunt's husband's unusual behavior last night and realized it herself."

So that's how it is.

Qiao Qiqi's gaze returned to the old lady's face. Seeing that her expression was normal, as if she had already accepted it, she thought for a moment, then sat down next to the old lady and asked softly, "Are you alright?"

The old lady turned her gaze to her face, reached out and took her hand, patting it gently. "Thank you for your hard work."