With fresh fish, shrimp, and crab available, Ma Liu happily took the food into the kitchen to prepare it, letting Deng Mei handle it herself.
Actually, they had already prepared the meal, and in Deng Mei's opinion, the food was quite plentiful. She didn't expect Jiang Qiao to bring these back as well. The problem was that the weather was hot, and if they didn't deal with them quickly, they really wouldn't keep.
Jiang Qiao took out some snacks she had brought back, saying, "Keep these for when you get hungry."
Li Youcai looked surprised because Jiang Qiao had brought back a famous local snack that money couldn't always buy.
"Because I have a ticket. My friend gave me a ticket for military personnel, which I can use anywhere."
Li Youcai suddenly realized, "No wonder, you're lucky, girl. We old folks are getting along well with you today, we're having a taste of the good life too."
Qiao Jie patted his brother-in-law on the shoulder, "So, if we have some, let's eat. It's the child's good intention. Hurry up, let's clear the dishes and get ready to eat."
Ma Liu cooks very quickly, and in no time, a delicious and visually appealing meal is on the table.
"Don't be shy, please do me the honor. I rarely cook so much, so please eat more. Oh dear, I need to have some wine. There's river fish here; it would be a shame not to drink some of it."
Jiang Qiao got up and poured everyone's tea, while she drank her tea.
The group devoured the food with lightning speed. At first, Li Youcai and his wife were a little embarrassed, but seeing how Jiang Qiao and the other two were eating, they stopped pretending and immediately joined in the food-grabbing frenzy.
Speaking of which, Ma Liu's cooking is really delicious. Even Jiang Qiao nodded repeatedly, "Grandpa Liu, you have to teach me later. Once you teach me, it will save you a lot of trouble. I'll cook for you all."
Ma Liu nodded, swallowed the food in his mouth, and said, "No problem, I had already planned to teach you when we got back. Eat up, it's delicious."
The result of the food-grabbing was that everyone ate too much. Jiang Qiao and the other two usually didn't skimp on their meals, so the reason they ate so much today was simply because Ma Liu's food was delicious.
Deng Mei and her husband are usually quite frugal with their meals, but when they suddenly see such delicious food, they can't resist and end up eating too much.
"We need to go for a walk, otherwise we won't sleep well tonight. We can't eat too much when we get old. Liu Zi, it's all your fault, why did you make such delicious food? Sister, brother-in-law, shall we go for a walk?"
Li Youcai and his wife nodded, packed their things, and took Jiang Qiao and the others for a walk nearby.
Ma Liu is a sly fellow; he's been subtly inquiring about the existence of a black market.
"Yes, of course we have it. I heard they have everything there. We don't lack anything. With Qiao'er's father supporting us, our lives are already much better than other families."
"How about we go take a look now? I'll show you around, and you can come and stroll around whenever you want. But I heard there are people arresting people, so you'd better be careful. You're not young anymore, and your old bones can't take much."
That's what they said, but they weren't joking at all when leading the way; they even introduced things to them as they walked.
Fortunately, their location is in the city center, and there are streetlights at night, so they are not worried about any problems. There are also people out for walks and play. After all, the weather is hot, and the streets are relatively lively.
However, the place Jiang Qiao and the others went to was rather remote, in a dark alley. Fortunately, there were lights there, so they could at least see what was going on. Otherwise, Jiang Qiao would have thought that someone was trying to steal from them.
There were quite a few people here, but no one spoke loudly. They were all whispering and negotiating prices. Once they reached an agreement and completed the transaction, they turned around and left, as if they didn't know each other.
Ma Liuyi got excited as soon as he saw the place. "Big brother, you guys go for a stroll around the area, I'll take Qiao'er inside to have a look."
Jiang Qiao wasn't really interested in this place anymore. She already had plenty of gold, silver, and jewelry in her spatial storage, and besides, she didn't know much about this place, so she didn't plan to make a move.
However, her not taking action doesn't mean Ma Liu won't. They may not exchange goods, but they can buy things.
This time, Jiang Qiao witnessed firsthand how Ma Liu, this old fox, conducted his business. Even she felt that Ma Liu was wasting his talents; if this guy were to go into business, he would definitely be good at it.
She effortlessly acquired jewelry that Jiang Qiao considered very valuable with very little money, and by the end of the trip, Jiang Qiao's bag was completely full.
However, after turning onto another street, I discovered a secondhand market where everyone set up stalls after their meals.
Upon seeing this place, Ma Liu's eyes lit up with excitement. He walked around looking at things, occasionally asking Jiang Qiao to pay. Jiang Qiao naturally didn't have the eye for some things, but she absolutely trusted the old man's judgment. Having lived in the palace for so many years, he had seen mostly good things and definitely had that kind of eye.
Jiang Qiao hadn't expected Ma Liu to buy so many things, big and small. She couldn't carry them all by herself, so she could only stay in one place to look at the items. Ma Liu continued on his way, buying whatever he saw that he liked and bringing it to her.
Finally, Ma Liu met up with Qiao Jie and the others, which relieved Jiang Qiao. They had to find a car to deliver all the things, give them some money, and send them directly to their residence.
Deng Mei and Liu Youcai didn't understand. They said, "Why not just buy something new? Why buy these junk?"
While sipping his tea, Ma Liu shook his head and said, "Brother-in-law, you don't understand. We people just like this kind of thing. We like things with a bit of history."
Liu Youcai shook his head. "I don't understand it. As long as you like it, that's fine. Come on, I'll show you the room."
Jiang Qiao went straight to sleep in the room her father had prepared for her. Qiao Jie and Ma Liu both went to take a look, and then the two old brothers went back to their own rooms and sighed with emotion.
They certainly couldn't do what Gu Zhengfeng did. A grown man, so busy with work, was actually putting his heart into decorating a house for his missing daughter. They were all amazed by the decorations in the house. Even Ma Liu, a man of many experience, felt that Gu Zhengfeng was admirable as a father.
"Sigh, I really didn't expect that Jiang Qiao's father would care so much about this missing child. It's rare. He's a good person and a good father. I certainly couldn't do that."
Qiao Jie concluded by saying, "So, from now on, let's focus on watching Qiao'er grow up. Just look at his dad; you'll know this kid's going to be great. Go wash up and go to bed early—"
Living in a villa is much more convenient than living in a house. Ma Liu likes the conditions here; the bathroom and shower facilities are complete and convenient.
After taking a shower, Jiang Qiao took out the clothes and tried them on one by one. Just because she couldn't fit into them didn't mean she couldn't compare them. She had already decided that when she left, she would take the clothes and toys with her. She couldn't use them herself, but she would save them for her child. She couldn't let her father's hard work go to waste.
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