The two old men who had taken the stone for a walk to vent their anger returned. Upon hearing about Ning Hao's situation, Qiao Jie and Ma Liu couldn't help but feel deeply moved.
"I truly didn't expect this child to go to such lengths. I'm impressed—"
Qiao Jie patted his brother on the shoulder and said, "Our Qiao'er is a lucky boy. Just wait and see, he'll have even more good fortune in the future."
Ma Liu is now worried. "Tell me, is it okay for the child to eat so little every day? Brother, we have to think of a way to get something better to feed the child."
Ever since Qiao'er fell ill, our family's living conditions are nowhere near what they used to be. Sigh, girl, have pity on your two grandfathers, come home soon.
Qiao Jie glared at him. "Look at you, so pathetic. Didn't Old Gu bring over a lot of stock? What, you're still not satisfied?"
Ma Liu smiled sheepishly, "Brother, nothing tastes as good as fresh stuff."
I don't have any other hobbies, this is my only one.
Qiao Jie gave a wry smile. "Just hang in there. Let me tell you, don't risk your life for a meager meal. It's not worth it. We still have to take care of this family and Qiao'er."
"Grandpa, Grandpa, eat—"
Stone brought out a fried dough stick from the kitchen, and the little guy held it high, offering it to the two old men. "Eat it, it's delicious!"
Ma Liu reached out, tore it in half, leaving a small half for Shi Tou to gnaw on, and sharing the other half with Qiao Jie, eating and chatting at the same time.
The Ning family was far from peaceful. When they saw their eldest grandson return, especially noticing that something was missing from his clothes, Ning Zhengtao understood perfectly well what was going on.
I was so angry I almost threw a punch.
"You brat, who did you consult with? You're just going to give up your promising future like this?"
Ning Hao smiled and said, "Grandpa, why are you so angry? Isn't it good that I'm back? This way I can take care of you and Grandma more easily. Besides, we have different roles in the revolutionary work. You can't have a biased view of me. You'll make a mistake if you do that."
Old comrade, please calm down. You're so old, why are you still so hot-tempered? Let me tell you, Jiang Qiao can't treat you anymore. You should take good care of your health.
Besides, I was bound to leave sooner or later, it just happened a few years earlier. Why are you so upset?
Ning Zhengtao pointed at his eldest grandson, unable to utter a single word. "You've really grown up. What are you doing back here? We're two old folks, we don't need you to take care of us yet."
Zhu Lin rolled her eyes at her husband and said, "You old man, really. The children are already back. There's no point in saying anything more. It's good that they're back. At least we can keep an eye on them. If something happens to them, it will be too late for you to regret it."
Ning Zhengtao snorted, "What could possibly happen to him?"
Zhu Lin said angrily, "Haozi, take off your shirt and let this old man have a good look at you—"
Ning Hao looked at the old lady with a troubled expression. "Grandma, isn't this a bad idea?"
“What’s wrong with him? He’s got nothing better to do all day. Does he really think everyone else is like him? Take your clothes off, listen to your mother. I’ve seen what you look like, hurry up and take them off—”
When Ning Zhengtao saw the scars on his eldest grandson's body, he was dumbfounded. His hands trembled as he wanted to touch them but dared not. "This, this, how could this be? Haozi, does it hurt?"
Ning Hao smiled and shook his head. "It's all better now, Grandpa. It doesn't hurt anymore."
This time, Zhu Lin snorted, "Now you know how hard it has been for the child to get to where he is today? It's good that he's back, so we don't have to worry about him anymore. Children and grandchildren have their own blessings. We, as the elders, just need to keep an eye on the child and make sure he doesn't go astray. As for the rest, I don't want to care."
Now that things have come to this, what can Ning Zhengtao say? He can't say anything at all. "If you're coming back, then come back. But if there's anything you need to say, you have to say it in advance. Luckily, your grandpa's heart is strong enough, otherwise, you would have been scared out of your wits."
"Alright, now that you're back, wife, hurry up and tidy up, make the kids a nice meal."
Ning Hao smiled and took out the gifts he had brought back for the old man from the package, which included food and drinks.
Zhu Lin packed some things out. "Take these to your Grandpa Qiao and the others later. Jiang Qiao used to always bring things back for us old folks whenever she went out. Sigh—"
"Grandma, don't sigh. You're sighing away all your good fortune. Jiang Qiao will be alright."
Zhu Lin straightened her back and followed her grandson's lead, "Yes, Jiang Qiao will be alright. The girl is so kind, even God will take care of her. In the future, our Haozi will definitely marry that girl Qiao'er."
Ning Hao grinned, and Ning Zhengtao could hardly bear to look at him. "Silly boy, what are you laughing at? You're still a long way from that point. From now on, focus on your work. By the way, how's your work schedule?"
Ning Hao's eyes gleamed. "We don't know yet. We'll find out when the time comes."
In the time it takes to eat a meal, the news of Ning Hao's return has already spread throughout their courtyard.
Song Lianfeng also nagged her son for a bit, "Look how determined Ning Hao is. Luckily, we didn't listen to you. If we had gone there rashly, what would we have done with our neighbors afterward?"
Chunming sighed helplessly, "This guy is really persistent. Even with Qiao'er in this state, he still won't let go. He's a real man."
Song Lianfeng nodded. She was quite surprised that Ning Hao would do this, after all, the boy was doing quite well outside, and she didn't expect him to give up so easily.
"They're all good kids. By the way, Chunming, do you know what those two next door have been up to lately?"
Chunming frowned and asked, "Which two?"
Song Lianfeng glared at her son. "It's Jiang Hong and Jiang He. How could I possibly say it's Guo Liang and his sister?"
"Oh, those two? I don't know them. I rarely have any dealings with them. I usually go to work and don't have time to pay attention to this kind of thing."
"Mom, what's wrong? Did you hear something?"
Song Lianfeng shook her head, looking puzzled. "I've never heard of it. But these two people seem different from before."
Chunming lowered his head and ate his food, looking indifferent. "What's the difference? Someone like Jiang He is disliked wherever he goes. I heard from Jianjun that he has been asking around to find a job, even Jianjun's father has approached him, but unfortunately, no company dares to hire him. He's notorious for being bad."
No matter how he changes, isn't he still the same person?
Song Lianfeng shook her head. "No, that's not what I meant. Jiang He never used to get up early, but lately, he's been leaving home at four or five in the morning. I don't know why he's suddenly become so diligent."
And Jiang Hong, I never see her all day long. What is she busy with?
Chunming didn't care about the two of them at all. "Who cares? Let each of us live our own lives. Besides, they still have parents."
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