Jiang Qiao turned to look at him and said, "Then I'll ask you this: given your situation, you should be able to settle down and start a family, so why don't you two have any plans to do so?"
Speaking of this, Qin Junlin sighed deeply, "Let's not even talk about how we've lost all our family members. Just look at us, with our physical disabilities. If we go back, we won't be able to work as laborers. I can manage, but what about those who have no legs?"
Should we just let them fend for themselves? Besides, we've endured so much hardship, it's difficult for us to have descendants. Why should we burden others? It's better to stay and look after each other.
Even people like me who have lost an arm still have jobs, and everyone takes turns working, which also helps take care of those with mobility issues.
Jiang Qiao then realized that Qin Junlin and the others also had jobs. However, as Qin Junlin said, jobs that required both hands were impossible, but they could still do things like watchman or gatekeeper, so their jobs were almost the same.
“Those of us are doing alright. Those comrades with families aren’t much better off. Some of them went home to get married, but some of their wives left them halfway through. Sigh, in a way, we’re doing well. At least we have a supply to eat. Otherwise, we probably wouldn’t even be able to get anything to eat right now.”
Jiang Qiao didn't even look at their rations. Instead, she used the grain she brought with her, mixed it with the seaweed she had obtained, and steamed a pot of flatbread. It was very economical, unlike those that were mixed with other things like bran, which didn't even have a hint of wheat flavor.
As soon as you lift the lid, you're greeted by the unique aroma of corn.
Even the few people sitting in the courtyard who weren't very free to move around couldn't help but take a deep breath.
Jiang Qiao quickly prepared two cold dishes, a pot of fish stew with flatbread, and a stewed chicken, and served them all on the table.
Apart from Qin Junlin and Qiao Jie, everyone else looked at each other in surprise. Such a lavish spread?
"Hurry up and eat, everyone. We have to work the night shift soon. Don't be shy. Since she's Old Gu's daughter, she's no different from our own child. She's our niece."
Everyone else turned to look at Jiang Qiao. "Girl, are you really that child who's been missing for over ten years?"
Jiang Qiao smiled and nodded, then bowed. "Grandpas and uncles, thank you for your tireless search over the years. I'm so glad I'm back. Please don't be shy, try my cooking. Everyone, pick up your chopsticks, and I'll steam more if it's not enough."
The others quickly waved their hands, "That's enough, that's enough. We don't usually dare to eat like this. Today we're sharing in Jiang Qiao's good fortune. Come on, brothers, let's eat and make Old Gu happy."
Qiao Jie nodded with a smile, "That's right, don't be shy, eat up."
After saying that, he picked up a piece of cold dish with his chopsticks and ate it. To be honest, he liked it. Jiang Qiao and Qiao Jie usually didn't lack food. With Jiang Qiao around, how could they let the two old men treat them? So, Qiao Jie ate more cold dishes.
The others thought he was just being polite. "No, no, we're too old to eat anything too greasy at night. You all eat more and don't leave any. My grandson and I have small appetites and don't eat much. Leftovers don't keep well and will spoil easily. We'll eat freshly made food tomorrow."
"I'll give you all some more acupuncture in a little while and see if it helps."
It turns out that while Jiang Qiao was cooking, the old man had taken the pulses of everyone in the yard. Each of them had some kind of ailment, and the common point was that they all felt uncomfortable on rainy days. No wonder, they had no arms or legs, it would be strange if they didn't feel pain.
Jiang Qiao ate little and quickly put down her chopsticks, but that didn't stop her from urging others to eat. The more these veterans she admired ate, the happier she was.
The old man and Jiang Qiao didn't treat them like outsiders, and these veterans were even more generous. Since the girl and the old man had spoken, they ate as much as they wanted, as it was a rare treat to have a full stomach.
After the meal, everyone showed rare satisfied smiles. "Jiang Qiao, we all hate to see you leave. Your cooking is so delicious. None of us can make it taste like yours."
Jiang Qiao smiled and said, "I'll continue for the next meal, as long as you don't mind."
The old man was chatting with everyone when Jiang Qiao went in, brewed a pot of tea, and poured everyone's cups.
"Hey, tea? This is good. We've only ever heard people talk about tea, but we roughnecks have never actually tried it. This time, we'll follow the old man and give it a try."
Qiao Jie happily invited everyone to come and have a drink, saying, "It's not anything special, it just has that flavor, so don't be shy—"
While the old man and the others were drinking tea, Jiang Qiao went inside to tidy up. The courtyard had two sections, and some things were stored in the back room, while her things were in a side room in the back courtyard.
The lock hasn't been changed yet. Although it's a bit difficult to open with a key, it's not a problem for her. She just pours some oil on it and opens it quickly.
There was some furniture in the room, which looked very antique. Jiang Qiao looked it over carefully and sighed inwardly. No wonder her father put things here. They were all made of good materials, but it was a pity that they were left to gather dust.
She didn't pay attention to the furniture for the time being, but went to the inner room to open the kang (heated brick bed) and put everything away.
She couldn't quite understand what kind of business her father had been in back then, how he had amassed so much wealth. It was a shame he wasn't in business.
Looking at the furniture, she ended up putting it all into her space. She decided to keep the good stuff for now, since she didn't know what would happen in the future. As it stands, the house seems fine, but she couldn't guarantee what would happen in the future.
Fortunately, the glass here is sealed. Otherwise, people outside would definitely find it strange if they saw that some things inside were missing. Even Jiang Qiao thought her father was very reliable in this regard.
Jiang Qiao and the old man stayed in the back courtyard at night, which made it convenient for the veterans to come and go in the front yard, and also made it easier to deal with any disturbances.
Jiang Qiao tidied up the house and went over to see Qiao Jie giving acupuncture to these people. She got excited and quickly went over to lend a hand.
Everyone was wondering, "Jiang Qiao, you can do this too?"
Jiang Qiao smiled and said, "If I don't know how, I wouldn't dare to give you a stab. With my Grandpa Qiao here, I think it would be difficult for you not to know how."
"Grandpa Qiao, acupuncture alone probably won't be effective enough. Shouldn't we try some medicinal baths?"
The old man nodded. "That's how it should be, but are there any places to gather herbs around here?"
Jiang Qiao certainly knew whether there were mountains nearby, but she couldn't say it out loud.
The others spoke up, "Yes, we do have some, but the place is too far away, Old Joe. You don't need to go to so much trouble. Just giving me acupuncture is enough to thank you."
Jiang Qiao nodded. "It's alright, Grandpa. You can help out at home tomorrow, and I'll go gather herbs."
The old man nodded. "It's best to take a bath if you can. It will help your health. It's not good for you to just tough it out like this."
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