Qin Huai sighed when he saw that she had been woken up. "I thought I had nothing to do at the moment, so I went to the river to try my luck. They heard me and wanted to come along too."

Qiao Qiqi frowned. "The autumn harvest is tomorrow. Why don't you not go today? You should rest at home for the night. Otherwise, I'm afraid your body won't be able to handle it."

"It's alright, I already promised the two kids I'd go. I'll just go for a short trip and be back before dark." Qin Huai sensed her concern for him, and his expression softened.

Seeing that Qin Huai insisted, Qiao Qiqi didn't say anything more. "Okay, then you two go and come back quickly. I'll cook at home and wait for you."

"Um."

After the three left, Qiao Qiqi got up as well.

She first boiled a pot of warm water, then went inside to wipe the sweat off her body before starting to prepare dinner.

It's hot, I don't have a good appetite, I don't want to eat hot food, I just want to eat something cold.

Thinking about the terrible cold noodles she ate in the county yesterday, Qiao Qiqi scooped out two bowls of wheat flour and one bowl of cornmeal from the flour bag. She then went to the vegetable garden and picked an eggplant, two cucumbers, a few scallions, a few sprigs of cilantro, a carrot, and two potatoes.

I chopped the potatoes, soaked them in water to extract the potato starch, and then steamed the starch sheets on a flat plate.

Although this process is simple, it is also the most time-consuming.

Fortunately, Qiao Qiqi didn't make much; she only made three pink sheets and that was it.

Eggplant is cut into thin strips for making sauce. To improve the texture, Qiao Qiqi peels off the eggplant skin and throws it away, using only the tender flesh in the middle.

After working for more than an hour, all that's left is to cook the noodles.

Qiao Qiqi didn't dare to make the noodles right away; she had to wait for Qin Huai and the others to return before making them. Otherwise, if she made them too early, the noodles wouldn't be chewy.

With the sun about to set, and estimating that Qin Huai and the others would be back soon, Qiao Qiqi went back inside to wipe the sweat off her body.

We waited and waited, and finally it got dark.

But there was no sound at all outside the courtyard gate.

Knowing that it would take them time to clean the fish after they caught them, Qiao Qiqi waited a little longer.

But as time passed, it grew completely dark, and there was still no movement outside the courtyard gate.

Qiao Qiqi suddenly felt a little flustered.

I've come home late before, but this is the first time I've felt this anxious.

Qiao Qiqi had a bad feeling, as if something bad was about to happen.

She couldn't sit still any longer, so she immediately went inside, put on a coat, and headed out to find someone.

Just then, Zhang Qing suddenly came over with a bottle of plum wine. As he entered the courtyard, he saw Qiao Qiqi coming out of the house. He didn't notice her unusual expression and said with a smile, "Sister-in-law, this is plum wine that my mother brewed herself in the spring. She asked me to bring you a bottle to try."

Qiao Qiqi frowned when she saw Zhang Qing. "Didn't you go fishing with your brother Qin?"

Zhang Qing looked blank. "No, my brother Qin didn't come to see me all day."

Upon hearing this, Qiao Qiqi frowned even more deeply and took the wine bottle from him. "He took Chenchen and Xinxin fishing in the evening and said he would be back before dark, but he hasn't returned yet."

Zhang Qing knew she was anxious as soon as he heard this, and immediately said, "Sister-in-law, don't worry, I'll go look for you by the river. You don't need to go. What if my brother Qin comes back and can't find you? He'll have to go out and look for you."

Qiao Qiqi thought it made sense, so she could only ask Zhang Qing to find someone while she waited for someone at home.

Although she was at home, Qiao Qiqi felt uneasy, as if something was about to happen.

Unable to sit still inside, she stood at the gate of the courtyard and waited.

I don't know how long I waited, but I finally heard a sound outside the courtyard wall.

Qiao Qiqi immediately ran out the door and saw several figures hurrying towards her. Although she couldn't see them clearly because it was dark, she heard Zhang Qing's voice, "Brother Qin, slow down! Wait for me!"

Seeing that it was indeed them, Qiao Qiqi immediately hurried over to greet them.

"How come you're only..."

Before she could finish speaking, she suddenly noticed that Chenchen and Xinxin were on their backs, seemingly unconscious. Her heart tightened immediately. "What... happened?"

"It's a long story, let's go inside and talk," Zhang Qing replied breathlessly, and the group quickly went inside.

After Qin Huai carefully placed Chenchen on the kang (a heated brick bed), Qiao Qiqi immediately noticed a bloody hole in Chenchen's abdomen. Qin Huai was also in bad shape, with a bloody cut on his arm.

This situation...

It's obvious we've encountered thugs!

Qiao Qiqi didn't have time to ask questions. She quickly unbuttoned Chenchen's clothes and was stunned when she saw the bloody hole gushing from her stomach. "What happened? How did she get such a serious injury!"

Immediately check on Xin Xin, who is lying to the side.

When Zhang Qing saw this, he quickly said, "The little girl is alright, she just fainted from fright."

Qiao Qiqi breathed a sigh of relief and immediately looked up to ask, "What exactly happened?"

Before Zhang Qing could speak, Qin Huai interrupted, "When we were catching fish in the river, four unfamiliar men suddenly appeared. I thought they were from other villages, so I didn't pay any attention."

"Just as I was concentrating on catching fish, I suddenly heard Chenchen scream behind me. Only then did I realize that the four men had approached Chenchen and Xinxin at some point and were covering their mouths as they ran ashore."

"I rushed after them, but two men stopped me. I watched as the other two men grabbed Chenchen and Xinxin and ran further and further away. I knocked the two men unconscious, but the man holding Chenchen suddenly pulled out a knife. I was slashed by him while trying to save her. Chenchen rushed forward to take the knife for me."

None of them were doctors, so they couldn't assess the extent of Chenchen's injuries at the moment.

Qiao Qiqi made a quick decision, telling Zhang Qing to go back and get the donkey cart, and then having Qin Huai take Xin Xin to the Qin family, while she stayed home to prepare things.

When Zhang Qing brought the donkey cart over, she first laid two old quilts on the cart as a cushion.

After Qin Huai returned, he carefully carried Chenchen up to the bed.

Zhang Qing was originally going to go to town with the two of them, but Qiao Qiqi thought that the autumn harvest was tomorrow, and if Zhang Qing went with them, it would definitely affect the harvest, so she didn't let him go.

"Okay, I'll lock the door for you. If you need any help, just come and call me at home."

Zhang Qing didn't insist. He hurriedly brought the donkey cart from home, without even explaining to his mother, who was still worried at home.

"Alright, you should go back quickly too! Don't make Aunt Zhang worry."

It was an hour later when Qiao Qiqi and Qin Huai arrived in town in their donkey cart.

The on-duty doctor saw that the person was covered in blood and immediately asked about the situation.

Upon learning it was a stab wound, they quickly prepared for surgery.

Qiao Qiqi stepped forward and asked how serious it was. The doctor quickly replied, "We need to open up her abdomen to see if her intestines have been cut. Time is of the essence, so you should go and pay the fees right away!"