The next day, Jiang Qiao went to Qi Xiang's house to pick up eggs. She sent Grandpa Qiao to the captain's father's house, and of course, he received a generous gift.
This time, Qi Xiang's mother prepared a lot of eggs again. Anyway, the old man didn't know, and Jiang Qiao put them all into her space.
At noon, Jiang Qiao cooked a big meal of rice, but Gu Hanting's mood was far from pleasant. He wondered when his granddaughter would be back and whether she would be safe on the road alone.
Despite his outward support for his child to find his parents, only he knows in his heart that he is more worried than anyone else. They've already been lost once, and after finally being reunited, he doesn't want to go through that again.
"Here, these are the food coupons and other coupons your parents sent. We don't usually need them, so take them and spend them as much as you can. Be careful while you're away from home, and send a telegram home as soon as you arrive."
Jiang Qiao still had a question in her mind: what was the origin and purpose of the plaque with the character "Qiao" engraved on it? She felt that her father was the young master of a landlord family and her grandfather was a big landlord, so it wouldn't be so simple to put such an ordinary plaque on her, would it?
This question hit the nail on the head. Gu Hanting was just about to tell his granddaughter to wear the brand name tag properly.
"Don't underestimate it. When you were just born, a high-ranking monk told you that your destiny was extraordinary and that wearing this amulet would ensure your good fortune and health. He also named you Qiao and personally engraved it."
"Qiao'er, don't put this away, just wear it. Besides, this brand isn't made of ordinary wood, it's made of agarwood. It's perfectly normal for you to wear something else that would be out of place."
"A high-ranking monk? Where is he now?"
Jiang Qiao now suspects that her rebirth into the body of the younger Jiang Qiao is not so simple; perhaps the old monk also played a role.
Gu Hanting sighed and shook his head. "I don't know if he's alive or dead. We only met once back then, and he even came to our door in person."
He was already quite old back then; if he were alive today, he'd probably be over a hundred. I reckon he's probably long gone. Anyway, you should wear this carefully.”
Jiang Qiao was very obedient and put the plaque around her neck immediately. Regardless of whether it had any effect or not, just because it was made of agarwood, it was worth wearing.
In the afternoon, Jiang Qiao and Qiao Jie bid farewell to Gu Hanting and the others, and hurried back with their herbs.
On the way, Qiao Jie still gave him a few more words of advice out of concern.
"Girl, you can't go to that black market anymore. What will you do if you get caught?"
Jiang Qiao chuckled inwardly. It turned out that her grandfather actually thought the things he brought out were all bought from the black market. But she liked this beautiful misunderstanding.
With a serious expression, he said, "Grandpa Qiao, don't worry. I didn't go myself. I had my friends buy them for me. They went in batches to buy them so as not to attract attention. I will try not to go in the future. You stay home and take good care of yourself. Wait for me to come back."
Before leaving get off work, Jiang Qiao sent a telegram to her parents. Qiao Jie went to the neighborhood committee to get a letter of introduction for Jiang Qiao. The child wanted to go out to find her mother. Wasn't that a good enough excuse?
No matter how reluctant Qiao Jie was, she couldn't stop the child from going. She got up early to prepare a meal and even provided Jiang Qiao with plenty of dry food and money.
Jiang Qiao didn't take the money; she had plenty in her pocket. Besides, if she took it all, what would the old man spend it on?
However, Jiang Qiao still felt incredibly warm-hearted by the old man's actions. They hadn't known each other for very long, and she had even recognized her own family this time, but Qiao Jie treated her the same as always, without showing any unusual reaction because she had recognized her own family. Such magnanimity is something not everyone can do.
"Grandpa Qiao, remember, don't skimp on the food at home. I'll try to come back as soon as possible. If anything comes up, we can talk about it when I get back. Don't get angry with anyone—"
Qiao Jie reluctantly saw his granddaughter off. When he got home, he felt empty. Although the two of them used to live in separate rooms, there was always someone to keep them company when they talked or ate. He had gotten used to that kind of life. Now that the child was gone and he didn't know when she would come back, he didn't even feel like eating.
Jiang Qiao boarded the train, and the experience wasn't much better. It was incredibly slow, and in a hard seat, her back started to ache after a while.
However, seeing the passengers in the carriage chatting happily, she felt that she was being a bit dramatic. They weren't tired, so why did she feel tired?
Back then, she could lie face down in the freezing cold for hours without feeling anything. Could it be that after a lifetime, her body is not as good as before?
Perhaps it was just her mind; once she thought it through, she naturally stopped paying attention to it and started thinking about where her parents were.
She didn't say much to Gu Hanting at the time, but as someone who had been through it all, she didn't think it was a safe place. It was the frontier, and in the north no less. If war broke out, her father would be the first to be hit.
But as a former soldier, she also felt that her adoptive father, as a soldier, had a duty to protect national security and safeguard the peace of the region.
Come to think of it, she felt quite conflicted, and gave a bitter smile to herself. Back then, hadn't she also embarked on the path of defending the country and safeguarding its territory without hesitation?
We live in a peaceful era now, so why worry unnecessarily? Perhaps everything will be fine.
Jiang Qiao traveled alone by train. Although she maintained a cold attitude towards people, she still attracted the attention of those around her.
Across from her sat a mother and son, who seemed to be struggling financially. Next to them sat an old woman whose clothes were patched, but from her expression and hands, Jiang Qiao sensed that this old woman was no ordinary person.
Given how she was dressed, her hands and face must have been incredibly rough; she'd seen plenty of old women from the countryside.
However, why this person was dressed like that didn't really concern her. She was just taking a ride, so she didn't care what he was doing, as long as he didn't bother her.
Judging from the conversation between the old woman and the woman, they shouldn't be family. The woman was taking her child to visit relatives. Jiang Qiao heard that the child's father was a soldier, but she hadn't heard the other party mention where he was serving.
As for the young man next to her, he was wearing a faded military uniform and seemed quite warm and friendly.
I heard that she traveled by train alone to visit her parents. Everyone admired this little girl and took good care of her.
Especially the young man next to her, he wanted to lend Jiang Qiao a hand when it came to fetching water or getting food, but Jiang Qiao tried her best not to bother others.
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