Once they were out of sight, Jiang Qiao called Fu Lin out. Brushing the dirt off his clothes, Fu Lin patted his chest with lingering fear: "My god, thank goodness I ran into you, otherwise I would have been killed by these people today."
Jiang Qiao pulled Fu Lin away from the scene of the incident quickly, saying, "What's wrong with you? How did you end up here? They're cracking down really hard now. You've got some nerve."
Fu Lin sighed and gave a bitter smile. "There's nothing I can do. My grandfather is in poor health and can't eat those things. He doesn't have many days left to live anyway. I just wanted to get him some fine grains. Alas, I didn't expect something to happen on the way."
Jiang Qiao glanced at Fu Lin and asked, "Your family is out of refined grains?"
Fu Lin shrugged helplessly. "What can we do with the little bit of refined grain we've been allocated? Besides, we can get more by exchanging refined grain for coarse grain. Nobody's stupid. The key is to fill our stomachs. Refined and coarse grains don't really matter to us. If it weren't for the elderly, do you think I would be so stupid as to pay such a high price for this little bit of stuff?"
Jiang Qiao shook her head, her brows furrowed. "You'd better be more careful in the future. If you get arrested, your colleagues will naturally find out, and that will have a bad impact."
Through today's events, Fu Lin also realized the enormous profits in the black market. "Jiang Qiao, do you have any way to get your hands on something? You don't need to step in, I'll do it. This is much more profitable than when we sold seafood back then. I regret not going to the black market back then."
Jiang Qiao shook her head. "You're kidding me. The black market may seem very profitable, but have you considered that if you get caught, the label of 'speculation and profiteering' will be a real problem for you? And we don't have any powerful connections—"
Jiang Qiao would be lying if she said she wasn't tempted, but she definitely wouldn't cooperate with anyone without a guarantee.
What she said sounded somewhat plausible to Fu Lin.
With bright eyes, he looked at Jiang Qiao and said, "Qiao'er, let me tell you, my brother-in-law works in the disciplinary team, but he's off these days, so I'm just unlucky. But he's just a low-ranking soldier, so I wonder if that can be considered a guarantee for us?"
Jiang Qiao sighed, "Aren't you afraid? To be honest, if something really happens, even your brother-in-law can't protect you."
Fu Lin nodded firmly, "I'm not afraid. If it's like this every day, I might as well be dead."
Jiang Qiao gave a wry smile. "Now, it's not just you, even I'm like this. Even if I want to eat some meat, I still have to do it secretly. I'll consider what you're talking about. Even if I want to get something, I need to have a place to get it."
Other places aren't much better off than here. I still have to go to school, so I don't have much time to deal with this. Give me some time to think about it. Even if I want to do it, I need to have something to offer first. Okay, I'm leaving now.
Fu Lin watched Jiang Qiao leave, feeling somewhat dejected. He really wanted to fight with Jiang Qiao. Don't underestimate her just because she's a child; this unassuming little girl is full of energy. Although he's older than her, he doesn't think he has the ability to compete with her.
He now misses Ning Hao a bit. When that kid was around, they were never short of money. There were always opportunities for them to dabble in small things and make some pocket money. Moreover, Ning Hao and Jiang Qiao worked together very well. Without Ning Hao as a link, it seems like something is missing between them and Jiang Qiao.
Jiang Qiao carried the meat back, and Qiao Jie had already prepared the meal, just waiting for the girl to bring the meat back.
The old man didn't fail to buy anything; he simply couldn't find any. When he arrived, the counter was completely empty, with nothing left. So, he could only pin his hopes on the child, and fortunately, Jiang Qiao didn't disappoint him.
The meat was brought back, but the old man was worried again. If it were used to cook, the aroma would travel far and wide, and the whole courtyard would be able to smell it.
Jiang Qiao didn't have a better solution either. "How about you take the meat to the countryside tomorrow? The yard there is big, and no one will bother you. I got some of my brother's food from the restaurant and sent it over."
Sigh, I ran into Fu Lin on the way; he was chasing me.
Qiao Jie looked at Jiang Qiao in surprise, "Qiao'er, are you alright? You should go to that place less often in the future."
Jiang Qiao chuckled, "Grandpa Qiao, do you think those people can outrun me? I train every day. Unless they grow two more legs, they definitely can't outrun me. Don't worry, I have plenty of ways to deal with them. It's settled then. You can take the meat with you tomorrow."
Since she wasn't eating meat, she could only eat pickled vegetables. Fortunately, the pickled vegetables at home were delicious. After eating, Jiang Qiao quickly processed the cabbage at home. She pickled some spicy cabbage, which was not only good with rice but also delicious when stir-fried.
Qiao Jie lent a hand to Jiang Qiao, and Jiang Qiao casually asked if the eldest son of the Ning family had returned.
"He's back. Sigh, he came back with his wife. You didn't see her, tsk tsk, it's been so many years. She hasn't changed much over the years. She's far inferior to Ning Hao's mother. Anyway, we old folks don't really like that kind of woman."
Jiang Qiao had always been quite curious. Neither Ning Hao nor Qiao Jie had a good impression of this woman. She seriously suspected that besides her questionable character, her conduct was probably not very upright either.
"Grandpa Qiao, do you think that woman might have been having an affair with Ning Hao's father before she got married?"
Jiang Qiao's words startled the old man, who looked up and glared at her, saying, "You can't say that outside."
Since the old man had said so, Jiang Qiao understood everything. She snorted and said, "I knew it. None of you had a good impression of this woman. So you really are like that."
Qiao Jie sighed. "We should just talk about this between the two of us. We can't go around saying it out loud. The Ning family is covering this up, do they really think nobody knows? To put it bluntly, Ning Hao's mother was driven to her death by those two. What do you think? Ning Hao was such a smart kid, how could he have fallen out with his father? Maybe he knew everything. Sigh, it's just so pitiful for Hao's mother, such a good woman—"
Jiang Qiao snorted coldly, "So, the Ning family has really done something wrong. From now on, we won't interfere in their affairs."
The old man shook his head. "It has nothing to do with your Grandpa Ning and Grandma Ning. Their son is so grown up, how could they possibly control him? When Haozi's mother was sick, the old man and the old woman went to scold their son, but unfortunately, it didn't work. Sons grow up and are no longer under their fathers' control, daughters grow up and are no longer under their mothers' control, that's a well-known fact. Besides, he's already an official, how could his parents possibly control him?"
Jiang Qiao gave a bitter smile. "Just wait and see. There will be retribution later. I hope the retribution will fall on this couple. I bet Ning Hao hates his father to death. He could have gone to university earlier, but he insisted on sending him to the army. Fortunately, Ning Hao is a good man and at least he didn't let himself down."
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