At this time, the Qiao family, who had been eagerly waiting, were already preparing to go to sleep. If they didn't come tonight, they would have to wait until tomorrow.
Although everyone was extremely anxious, there was nothing they could do but wait.
Qiao Lian'er planned that if she didn't come tomorrow morning, she would go to the county town to take a look.
The earth slept, and the chirping of insects rose and fell from the fields, occasionally punctuated by the barking of dogs, making the village seem even more tranquil.
Grandma Qiao suddenly perked up her ears and sat up in bed.
"What's wrong?" Old Man Qiao asked.
“I feel like the children are back.” Old Mrs. Joe placed her hand on her heart. “It’s like they’re getting closer and closer to me.”
"Oh, old woman, you're just worrying too much. They must have rested in the county town. They'll set off early tomorrow morning. They've been traveling all day. Even if they get back to the county town today, they'll be exhausted."
"Shh, listen." Old Mrs. Qiao gestured for him to be quiet.
Old Man Qiao had no choice but to listen, and sure enough, he heard some noise.
In the distance, it seemed as if the tracks of a carriage were rolling across the ground, and the horse snorted as it drew closer.
"Could it really be them returning? Or perhaps they're just people traveling at night?" Old Man Qiao's eyes lit up.
The two old people looked at each other. The room was pitch black. They then got out of bed and threw off the covers. By the time Old Man Qiao lit the tung oil lamp, Old Woman Qiao had already hurried out of the yard and was peering through the gate.
"They're coming down to the village entrance." Old Mrs. Qiao was old and her eyesight wasn't very good, but she still tried her best to keep them open.
One by one, the Qiao family members came out.
During the day, the carriage would have bells attached, which could be heard clearly from afar. If it was too late, the driver would remove the bells so as not to disturb the villagers.
But now the carriage is making more and more noise as it approaches, and you can even hear the rumbling sound of it grinding against the ground.
The Qiao family members clung to each other, looking towards the village entrance. By the moonlight, two horse-drawn carriages appeared in their sight, one in front and one behind. Each carriage was quite large and was moving erratically along the village path.
"It's them, it must be them," someone said, choking back tears.
Grandma Qiao stared intently at the two carriages, fearing they might continue driving forward.
Fortunately, the carriage stopped in front of the house.
Then the curtain was lifted, and a group of tall men with long arms and legs walked out.
"One, two, three, four—"
Grandma Qiao counted up to seven, just like counting ducklings and chicks, before finally letting out a sigh of relief.
"Not a single one is missing."
The women were overjoyed and wept with happiness, rushing to hug their husbands and sons. The girls hugged their brothers, their tears smearing on their clothes.
My heart, which had been hanging in suspense, finally settled down. After a day of fear and anxiety, I can finally get a good night's sleep tonight.
The men were completely bewildered by the women's behavior.
"What's wrong? Did something happen at home? Is someone bullying you?" Boss Qiao subconsciously reached for the short knife at his waist, but when he arrived, the two Yang brothers had already confiscated it.
Qiao Lao Er said angrily, "Seeing how wronged they are, someone must have taken advantage of our absence to make things difficult for them. Now that we're home, let's pack our things and go find those people to settle accounts."
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