What surprised Jiang Qiao was not that the old man was sick, but that the old man lying in the hospital bed was actually a eunuch. That's right, a eunuch. She had that much insight.
Hearing the old man's voice, in particular, further confirmed her judgment.
Ma Liu opened his eyes, somewhat confused. He thought he had arrived in the underworld, but why were there familiar people in front of him?
"Brother Qiao, what are you doing here? Hehe, well, we're all getting on in years. If we don't meet here, where else would we meet?"
Qiao Jie glared at him. "Don't talk nonsense. We're both alive and well. Girl, get him some water to drink first, then boil some water, cook some food, and give him a bath."
Jiang Qiao quickly fed the old man the water from the kettle, not minding the dirt and smell. She could understand the situation. You know, an old eunuch, without any children, where would he find someone to take care of him? He may have been glorious when he was young, but his old age is desolate.
"Grandpa Liu, drink slowly. I'll boil water for you to take a bath in a bit. Don't rush, I'll cook the meal."
The way Ma Liu was drinking water suggested he had been thirsty for a long time; he was gulping it down as if he were trying to snatch it from someone.
"Slow down, there's plenty of water. If you want some, I'll feed you every day—"
The old man felt sorry for his childhood friend. If it weren't for Liu Zi's help back then, he wouldn't have been able to afford a house and settle down in that county town.
Seeing his brother's miserable state, he became angry as well. "What happened to you? Where is your adopted son? Why doesn't he care about you anymore?"
After catching his breath, Ma Liu sighed deeply, tears streaming down his face. "Brother Qiao, don't mention that little beast to me. I raised him to adulthood, helped him get married and settle down, and he turned around and schemed against me. He took all the money from the house, and he completely abandoned me, this old hag. Only the neighbors took pity on me and brought me some food; otherwise, I would have died long ago—"
Qiao Jie and Jiang Qiao didn't have time to talk to him about family matters. Jiang Qiao went to boil water, and the old man looked for something, but after wandering around, he couldn't find a single decent piece of clothing.
"That little beast took all your nice clothes and bedding."
He could only take out his own clothes, while Jiang Qiao prepared the water and helped the old man give Ma Liu a bath.
The old man was still embarrassed, but Qiao Jie glared at him and said, "Just treat my granddaughter like your own. You're already like this, what are you embarrassed about? Do you think I can move you at my age? Hurry up, don't get cold."
Upon seeing Jiang Qiao, Ma Liu couldn't hold back his tears any longer. He cried as he washed, until Jiang Qiao and Qiao Jie had cleaned him up, changed him into new clothes, and even changed the bedding with the ones they had brought themselves.
Qiao Jie didn't have time to ask any questions. He first took his brother's pulse and asked, "Grandpa Qiao, what's wrong with Grandpa Liu? Did he have a stroke?"
Qiao Jie sighed and nodded. "I'll give him acupuncture first. Girl, go get the medicine according to the prescription I gave you. We'll cook the meal when you get back. Getting him treated is the priority."
Jiang Qiao had the medicine in her space, and it was the right medicine for her symptoms, but she couldn't just take it out at home. Besides, there were some things she still needed to prepare. Not to mention that Ma Liu's house had nothing left, just look at the kitchen. Apart from the pot and the water tank, there was really nothing left. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that the house was practically bare.
Jiang Qiao prepared a lot of things before going out: Ma Liu's change of clothes, bedding, cotton-padded jackets, oil, salt, soy sauce, vinegar, grains, vegetables, and medicine. She brought out a huge amount of things. There was a flatbed cart in her space, and she, a young girl, pushed such a large cart of things back. When passersby saw Jiang Qiao like this, they were all kind enough to come and lend a hand, and escorted her all the way back.
Jiang Qiao felt bad and wanted to give them a thank-you gift, but these people waved their hands and left.
"Wow, there are still more good people than bad!"
Hearing a commotion outside, the old man quickly came out to see what was going on, but he was surprised to see his granddaughter bring back so many things.
"My God, where did you get this?"
Jiang Qiao waved her hand dismissively, "Don't worry about it, old man. With money and my dad's connections, I can easily buy it. You hurry up and help unload the truck—"
One thing about Qiao Jie that Jiang Qiao found particularly heartwarming was that if she didn't say anything, the old man wouldn't press her for details and would just go about his business.
With all the things she brought back, the house instantly felt like a home, and she could cook for the two old men with peace of mind.
Qiao Jie was preparing to brew the medicine, but when he saw what Jiang Qiao brought back, the old man was surprised. The medicine that the child brought back was somewhat different from their family's ancestral secret recipe. In other words, the ingredients were much more abundant, and of course, the price was not cheap.
"Girl, you changed the prescription?"
Jiang Qiao nodded. "Yes, I've revised it based on the medical notes I've read. This should be more effective. The previous one was effective, but it was slow-acting. Grandpa Liu needs treatment quickly; he's been delayed, and we can't let his condition worsen. Grandpa Qiao, let me get you some water—"
The water was well water from the space, and she thought it would have some effect.
Qiao Jie watched as the medicine was being brewed, while Jiang Qiao quickly cooked. The food they brought back was mainly coarse grains, but there were also some refined grains. She planned to make porridge for Ma Liu.
"Grandpa Qiao, what's the deal with this Grandpa Liu?"
Speaking of this companion, Qiao Jie looked sad. "I didn't dare tell you his identity before we came. Girl, you saw it too, right? Your sixth grandfather is a eunuch. You know what a eunuch is, right?"
Jiang Qiao nodded. "I know. So how did he become a eunuch, and how did he end up like this?"
Speaking of this, the old man told Jiang Qiao about Liu Zi's past. Back then, the Ma family lived a hard life. His father had no choice but to give the child away. Who would have thought that the family would sell the child to the palace for money?
“My parents were killed by the Japanese, and Liu Zi’s family was not spared either. Back then, I wandered around and didn’t earn much money. I could barely make ends meet. Then I met your grandfather Liu Zi. He had just left the palace and still had some money, so he paid for a house for me.”
He later went south and later heard that he adopted a child. Who would have thought that the child he raised would turn out to be such an ingrate? It would have been better not to raise him at all. Even strangers might not have been as ruthless as this child. All the valuables in the house were gone, and even your sixth grandfather's nice clothes and bedding were taken away by this little beast.
He really doesn't care about your sixth grandfather anymore. I guess he'll come and take back the house after your sixth grandfather starves to death.
Girl, your sixth grandfather has had a tough life. He's from a poor family, and there are some things he can't control—"
Jiang Qiao frowned and sighed, "Grandpa Qiao, I know there are some things that Grandpa Liu can't decide on his own. Tell me, which man would want to be a eunuch? Isn't it because the world is bad and people are too poor to survive?"
Sigh, but with him like this now, what are we going to do? Do you have any ideas? Can we just leave him like this?
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