Qi Xiang's eyes lit up. "Sure, just remember to call me when the time comes. I'm counting on you."
Others might have doubts, but Jiang Qiao had absolute faith in her. Despite being younger than him, after getting to know her over the years, he found her to be more reliable than anyone else.
Jiang Qiao was actually quite puzzled as to why Qi Xiang was unwilling to join the army. Wasn't joining the army supposed to be every man's dream?
"Hehe, I'd better not. I haven't been able to go home for several years, which has delayed my marriage. Look at your father and uncle, I heard they can't go home for years. What will they do when they miss home? I don't have any great ambitions. I just want to stay with my parents and be with them until they grow old."
Jiang Qiao didn't expect Qi Xiang to be such a filial child. "Alright, just for your kindness, your parents will definitely live a long and healthy life. Alright, my uncle will stay here. You guys keep an eye on things and don't let everyone drink too much. He's had a tough time all these years, spending time in prison, and he hardly has any friends left."
This man needs two friends, at least someone to talk to. Luckily, they've been childhood friends, and their friendship is still there. If you ever need anything, you can just come to me.
When Gu Hanting learned that his granddaughter had found someone for his son to talk to, the old man couldn't help but smile wryly. "You child, why do you always worry about adults? If he can't find anyone to talk to, that's his problem. You, as his niece, are even taking care of this for him. What use is he?"
Jiang Qiao sighed, "Grandpa, that's not how it works. My uncle is capable and a good person, but he just lacks a bridge. I'm just a young girl, so I can build a bridge for him. Once everyone starts chatting, friendship will naturally develop. Men will open up about anything once they've had a few drinks."
Sigh, to be honest, my uncle has it tough too. Raising a child alone isn't easy. We've suggested he find someone, but he's unwilling.
Gu Hanting understood his son's inner turmoil. How could his son feel good after losing his eldest daughter-in-law?
After all, he knew the couple back then. How should I put it? As their father, he understood that his son was a romantic at heart. Otherwise, the third son wouldn't have left with his wife.
"Sigh, he didn't get any good gifts, but he got all the bad ones. I was hoping he'd find a partner, but what a pity—"
This matter cannot be forced. If the son is unwilling, the father cannot do anything about it either. Moreover, in the current situation, even he himself cannot understand whether bringing a daughter-in-law into the family is a good thing or a bad thing.
Jiang Qiao understood what the old man meant. "Never mind, everyone has their own way of living. Grandpa, aren't you the same way?"
Gu Hanting patted his granddaughter's shoulder. "Oh dear, don't you see how old your grandpa is, and what his social class is? Your uncle is different from me. Never mind, let's not talk about him."
Where are my brother and the others?
"After feeding the livestock, he went out to play. It's been many years since the children have set off firecrackers. He went to find other children to set off firecrackers."
Jiang Qiao took out some food for Gu Hanting, mostly snacks. Her grandfather didn't stay at home much during the day; he was mostly in the cowshed. This was just to give the old man something to chew on.
After the grandfather and grandson ate some lychees in the cowshed, Jiang Qiao disposed of the body to cover up the crime before getting up and going home.
"Grandpa, I'm going back to cook now. You should go back early too."
To be honest, the year went by quickly. In the blink of an eye, a day had passed. For the past three days, Jiang Qiao had been preparing various dishes for her family. Ma Liu was not to be outdone. The two of them, grandfather and grandson, were willing to teach and learn, and they prepared a lot of food for Gu Hanting and the others to take on the road.
Jiang Qiao also got some food for Gu Zhengkai's father to take back. His uncle was home alone, so he would probably just make do with whatever he could find.
As for Gu Zhihong's studies, that can only be left to Gu Zhengfeng. Taking them there is not just about Gu Hanting looking after his grandson; it's also about training these two adults.
After seeing these people off, the house became much quieter. The New Year was over, and everyone was back to doing what they were doing.
Qiao Jie and Ma Liu went out for a stroll and brought back two piglets for Jiang Qiao. "You can figure out how to raise them yourself. They're so small, they're not easy to keep alive."
Jiang Qiao felt a fondness for the piglets; once they grew up, they would be all meat.
"Leave this to me, I'll send it to someone to be raised tomorrow."
Qiao Jie hesitated for a moment, "Girl, when we went out, some people asked us about your background. I guess it must be the enemy agents behind it, otherwise how could it spread so quickly? I bet many people from our village who went out to visit relatives have heard about it."
Ma Liu laughed from the side, "That's for sure. Otherwise, who would bother paying attention to a little girl like Jiang Qiao? How would she even know who she is? Those people are just bored and have nothing better to do."
"Girl, we asked around, and the source of this conversation is probably someone who went to the city. Someone mentioned it while we were on the bus. After all, your grandfather is quite a well-known figure in the area, so finding that person will be quite difficult. If it really was those people who did it, they probably won't give you a chance to investigate."
Jiang Qiao snorted, "They're not even idle during the New Year. Instead of sending someone to kill me, they're planning to use public opinion to put me in a difficult position."
Hmph, my sixth grandfather is so smart, he saw through this.
Grandpa Liu, for lunch we'll have soup and flatbread.
The two old men weren't picky about food; a hot meal was enough for them. While they enjoyed meat and fish, at their age, they weren't as craving those kinds of things anymore.
The three of them ate the flatbread with the seafood soup and were quite satisfied. They felt warm all over and had a good appetite.
"Grandpa Qiao, Grandpa Liu, when are you going back? Aren't you going to collect your food rations?"
Qiao Jie thought for a moment, "Tomorrow, go early and come back early. It's just the two of us. We need to leave someone at home. Although we don't have anything valuable, a broken house is still worth a fortune. We still have food and supplies, and you need to find someone to take care of the pig as soon as possible."
Since she didn't need to go back with her, Jiang Qiao was relieved. "Alright, you two be careful. Take this money and tickets. Buy whatever you need. If there's anything you want, just buy it. Don't be stingy."
Ma Liu accepted it without hesitation, saying, "Okay, we understand."
After the old man and the others left, Jiang Qiao immediately put the pigs into his spatial storage. To be honest, the two little piglets were quite well-behaved at first in the unfamiliar place, but after getting used to it, they ran off happily.
Fortunately, there are restrictions on the ranch, so these two little ones can't go beyond the boundaries. Jiang Qiao is very satisfied with this. Otherwise, if these two little ones went to the fields and wreak havoc, and there's water, what would she do in the future?
Jiang Qiao tossed some food to the piglets and quickly gathered up the vegetables. After thinking for a moment, she decided to plant some dryland rice this time. She felt she would be letting herself down if she didn't produce rice from such a precious place. Although the rice produced here couldn't be called "spirit rice," the taste would definitely be good. Moreover, she had a feeling that the elderly in her family didn't get sick often, which seemed to be related to the grains produced here.
Look at those ears of corn, resignedly take them out, and sit on the kang (heated brick bed) to rub them.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com