The woman glanced at Jiang Qiao with amusement. "Little girl, are you all alone?"
Jiang Qiao nodded helplessly. "My dad said he'll come pick me up tomorrow, so I'll have to stay here for the night. If that person really is my dad's colleague, then I can ask him to look after me."
The woman checked the register. "That comrade's name is Shi Yan. Is he your father's colleague?"
Jiang Qiao shook her head helplessly. "Maybe I misjudged him. Sigh, it seems I'll have to wait for my dad to pick me up tomorrow. I'll go upstairs now."
After Jiang Qiao entered the house, she quickly washed up and ate something, but she kept listening to the sounds from next door. Sha Junchi lived next door to her, but he hadn't returned yet. If he had gone out to eat, he should have been back by now.
It's so late at night, and there's nowhere to go. She guessed that this guy was probably still doing what he used to do.
Otherwise, there's no way to explain why this person would use an alias again; they must be doing something shady.
However, she didn't plan to spy on the neighbors next door. They were all in the same industry, and she didn't believe he could go out so easily without any precautions.
So, wanting to avoid alerting the enemy, Jiang Qiao went to bed first. Lying in bed, she hesitated, wondering whether she should report this person, and if so, how.
If the other party asks her why, what should she say? She has no evidence at all. Before the bad guys are caught, she might be targeted herself. She absolutely cannot do something so foolish. She's not alone anymore; she has two elderly men at home to take care of.
She tossed and turned, unable to think of a better solution, but eventually fell asleep.
Even though she was exhausted from sleeping outside, the slightest noise outside still woke Jiang Qiao up.
She glanced at her watch; it was eight o'clock, not too late. Seeing the watch reminded her of her mother. She was so generous. It was true that she wanted a watch, but her mother bought her a designer brand one, very beautiful. Then she thought about the watches her mother and father wore, which had been worn for who knows how many years, their crystals all worn out.
Looking at her watch again, she felt a warm feeling in her heart. This was her parents' love, even though they didn't say it, it was all shown in their actions.
The noise from next door soon stopped, and Jiang Qiao closed her eyes and slowly fell asleep.
The next morning, before the neighbors could make a sound, she had already packed up, grabbed her things, and went straight out to pay the bill.
After leaving the house, I found a place nearby to eat something and asked around for directions to my uncle's place.
Just as she finished paying the bill, she saw Sha Junchi also coming out. Seeing how hurried he was, Jiang Qiao didn't know whether she should follow him.
After hesitating for a moment, I decided to stick to my own itinerary. If I rashly followed them now, although I wouldn't be exposed, I might not be able to hear anything.
It was quite a coincidence that Sha Junchi was in the same car as her. If she wasn't mistaken, this car was going to her uncle's place. Could it be that this person was also going to visit him?
Jiang Qiao sat in the back, closed her eyes and pretended to be asleep. The car was swaying, making it hard not to fall asleep.
However, she had been secretly monitoring Sha Junchi's every move. Like her, this guy closed his eyes to rest after getting on the bus and showed no intention of getting off. Several groups of people got on and off the bus, but the two of them remained still.
Upon hearing the ticket seller's announcement, Jiang Qiao saw that Sha Junchi had also stood up.
Several other people got off the bus with them, but Sha Junchi seemed in no hurry. He waited until everyone else had gotten off before slowly walking down himself.
While Jiang Qiao was asking locals for directions, she couldn't help but glance in the direction Sha Junchi had gone.
It turned out that the direction her fellow villager pointed was the same. Speaking of which, her uncle's location wasn't far from the station, considering how remote the place was. She just couldn't understand why Sha Junchi would come to such a remote place.
However, they weren't the only ones walking with them. Among the people who got off the bus, two others were there to visit the prison. Jiang Qiao lagged behind, looking around as she walked.
When they arrived at the destination and went to register, Jiang Qiao was immediately told by the staff that it was not possible.
"Ah, why not?"
The staff member glanced at Jiang Qiao and said, "There's no reason, it's the rule—".
Jiang Qiao muttered, "Even if someone is beheaded, they should at least be allowed to see their family. Why can't he? Honestly."
They wouldn't even let her see him, let alone write him a letter. Now she finally understood why her grandfather had never received any letters from her uncle.
Undeterred by the lack of visitors, Jiang Qiao strolled around the neighborhood. Surprisingly, there were indeed houses nearby. She went in, pretending to ask for water, to see what the owners were like before making any plans.
The family's surname is Liu. The lady of the house is very warm and speaks frankly.
"Little girl, why are you alone? Where are your parents?"
When the woman asked about this, Jiang Qiao's eyes welled up with tears. "The adults in my family are all busy. The fields are so dry, and we're busy watering them every day."
"Why did you come alone? Is there something you need to do?"
Jiang Qiao sobbed as she said, "Our neighbor, an old man, asked me to come and see his son. The old man is dying, and we can't get any news from here. He just wants to know about his son before he dies."
But when I went to inquire, they said they wouldn't let me see them. I don't know what's going on, and I don't dare go back, afraid that the old man won't be able to close his eyes in peace even after he dies.
I was thinking, maybe I could meet his son, at least so the old man wouldn't leave with regrets.
The woman looked at Jiang Qiao in surprise, her face full of sympathy. "Sigh, tell me, your parents are really something. How could they let a child like you go out alone? Aren't they afraid something might happen?"
"Girl, how about this, you stay at our house for now, and my husband will help me find out. After all, you've come all this way, it's not easy for you, and you're helping them out, so we should at least have you take a message back."
Jiang Qiao wiped away her tears and revealed a bright smile. "Auntie, I won't stay at your house for nothing. I'll pay for it. Don't refuse. I don't know how long I'll be staying. These days, no family is well-off, let alone having enough food."
The woman finally understood why Jiang Qiao's parents had let their child come out. This child was perceptive, especially good at handling things, and she liked dealing with people like that.
Their family wasn't well-off, let alone having enough food. They only ate two meals a day. Luckily, her husband worked outside and could bring back some leftovers. Otherwise, the children would have been starving long ago.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com