On the way back, Jiang Qiao drove much slower than she had come. Just as she entered the mountain road, she suddenly saw a child crying on a woman's body by the roadside. The child's heart-wrenching cries made her feel sad.
He quickly stopped the car and jumped out, asking, "What happened? What happened?"
The child, who looked to be about five years old, pointed at the woman lying on the ground when she saw someone coming. She cried out, gasping for breath, "Sister, Mommy, save Mommy—"
Jiang Qiao quickly went over to check on her. The woman's condition was not optimistic; she was too weak. Hunger was one reason, but due to prolonged malnutrition and indigestion, her body was nearing its limit.
She was a little scared. What if she hadn't met her? Would that woman have died? Would there have been another orphan in the world?
Jiang Qiao quickly gave the woman acupuncture, then gave her some sugar water to drink. "Big sister, big sister, wake up!"
The woman slowly woke up to Jiang Qiao's calls, but her whole body was soaked in cold sweat.
What's wrong with me?
When the woman opened her eyes, her gaze was somewhat dazed, as if she didn't know what had just happened.
"Mommy, Mommy, you fell to the ground! My sister saved you! Mommy, how are you? Don't scare me—"
If the woman still doesn't understand what's going on, then she's truly foolish. Holding her crying child, who is crying uncontrollably, the woman's tears also fall uncontrollably.
"Thank you, young lady, thank you so much!"
The woman tried to get up and kowtow to Jiang Qiao, but Jiang Qiao wouldn't allow it. "Big sister, you're going to make me feel terrible. Please don't do that. I just happened to be passing by. You should rest first. Here, have some sweet water. There's food here. You and your daughter can eat something first."
Jiang Qiao took out the snacks, and the little girl stared blankly at what Jiang Qiao was holding, then turned to look at her own mother.
"Mom, can I just have one piece? I'm hungry."
The woman smiled weakly and patted the child's head. "Then you should thank your sister first."
The little girl clasped her hands in a fist and said, "Thank you, sister!"
After saying that, she couldn't wait to take one, but the little girl didn't eat it herself first. Instead, she gave her mother a bite first, and then the little girl slowly savored it herself, as if she were eating the most delicious food in the world.
After Jiang Qiao saw that the woman's condition had improved, she handed her a pill. "Big sister, this is a laxative. It can help relieve your bloating. Do you want to take it?"
The woman was surprised that Jiang Qiao could see her discomfort. Without hesitation, he swallowed the pill and soon went to relieve himself.
Jiang Qiao was worried that the woman might faint, so she asked her every now and then. Only after hearing the woman's answer did she feel at ease staying with the little girl.
When the woman walked over, she swayed unsteadily, and Jiang Qiao quickly went over to help her.
Jiang Qiao felt better physically, but his stomach was even hungrier; he could hear the woman's rumbling belly.
The woman felt embarrassed. She had been saved on the road and was now being asked to help so much; she felt indebted to him. But she really had no other choice.
"Big sister, eat something quickly. We can talk about it later."
Jiang Qiao was a kind and understanding girl. Before the woman could even speak, she told the mother and child to fill their stomachs. They must have been really hungry, because they ate one bite after another without even having time to talk. If it weren't for the concern that the child might overeat and upset his stomach, Jiang Qiao wouldn't have spoken.
"Little sister, let's not eat this. I'll put the rest in your bag for you, okay? You can eat it when you're hungry. If you eat too much, your tummy will hurt."
The little girl listened to advice, but she also seriously corrected Jiang Qiao, "Sister, my name is Liu Hui, and my nickname is Niu Niu."
Jiang Qiao chuckled and gently patted the little girl's cheek. "Alright, then I'll call you Niu Niu, little beauty Niu Niu. Let's have some water, okay? Come on—"
Being praised makes even a child incredibly happy. Without Jiang Qiao even asking, the little girl immediately told Jiang Qiao that her mother's name was Jing Aizhen and that the two of them had come to visit her maternal grandfather.
Seeing her daughter chatting and laughing with Jiang Qiao, Jing Aizhen finally smiled a little. These days, both she and her child had suffered.
"Big sister, is your father over here?"
Jing Aizhen sighed, "I asked around and found out that my father is locked up here. My mother is in poor health. She has no other wish than to know how my father is doing before she dies. Everyone in the family is busy, so I brought Niu Niu here. I didn't expect that my wallet would be stolen on the way. My mother and I have been begging all the way here."
Jiang Qiao sighed, "Big sister, here's some money and tickets. Take them first. After you've seen your father, head back home as soon as possible. It's never as convenient as being at home, especially with a child. Take your time. If the car could turn around here, I would have driven you there. But it's not far from here."
The woman thanked Jiang Qiao profusely and said goodbye. Before leaving, Jiang Qiao packed some food for the mother and daughter, just in case they couldn't buy any more. She didn't want to waste all her efforts in saving them.
Because of the delay caused by Jing Aizhen and her mother, it was already late when Jiang Qiao drove over. Gu Hanting and the others had drunk a lot of wild vegetable porridge before heading home. All the large canteens in the city were closed, but the ones in their village were still open.
Jiang Qiao drove the truck directly to the old house they were renting, but instead went to Jiang Weihan's house.
The old man was quite surprised to see a truck arrive at his door. He didn't think anyone he knew drove a truck, especially at this time. He felt uneasy and instinctively felt that the driver had probably come to the wrong house.
However, the old man was even more surprised to see Jiang Qiao get out of the car. This girl hadn't come over for a while. Gu Hanting said that she had gone on a long trip with Lao Qiao and there had been no news of her since. The old man was quite surprised to see her suddenly appear at his door.
Jiang Qiao looked at the old man with a smile and said, "Grandpa Jiang, don't you recognize me? Why are you staring at me like that? Come and help me, I brought you a gift."
Jiang Weihan snapped out of his daze and glared at Jiang Qiao. "You little brat, you almost scared this old man to death! Where did you come from? It's been more than half a year and I haven't seen you anywhere. Why are you here now? You scared me half to death just now. I thought something had happened."
The old man shouted into the house, "Old woman, come out and see who's here. Go and call our son, and tell him that Jiang Qiao is here."
When Jiang Weihan's wife heard that Jiang Qiao had come, she couldn't stay at home any longer and quickly came out to see her. This little girl is so adorable; she never comes empty-handed. She hadn't seen the child for quite some time.
Fortunately, Jiang Weihan and his father are tight-lipped, and to this day, no one else in the family knows about Jiang Qiao's relationship with Gu Hanting.
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