Hou Diankui patted his apprentice on the shoulder. "So you have to learn your skills well. Your master will get old eventually, and then it will be your turn to help Jiang Qiao."
Chunming nodded. Compared to Jiang Qiao, he felt rather inadequate. He wanted to help, but he couldn't.
Chen Fang smiled and looked at Hou Diankui, "Old Hou, you're quite something. You managed to fool that special envoy."
Hou Diankui waved his hand, "You can't say that. That woman doesn't have any real skills; she just got in through connections. She wasn't interested in completing the mission; she just wanted to save her child. What a pity—"
Chen Fang knew why the old man said "it's a pity," because "there's always something hateful about a pitiful person."
Jiang Qiao ate in silence. These people were all in the past and had nothing to do with her anymore. She couldn't be bothered to comment on them anymore.
Chen Fang, after tasting the soup, finally realized what was going on: "Wow, there's abalone in here!"
Jian Ling chuckled, "If you're giving food to a pregnant woman, you have to make sure it's good. We brought it back from the south to help Jiang Qiao recover. My niece really got a treat this time. She's been running around and can't meet people easily. She even has to sneak around to buy groceries. Poor Jiang Qiao's baby."
Chen Fang thought about it and agreed, "It's really a shame for these two kids. Jiang Qiao, you need to eat more, you're too thin."
Hou Diankui sighed, "With her worrying attitude, no matter how much she eats, it won't help; she'll still be at a disadvantage."
Jiang Qiao grinned and said, "It's okay. I'll eat more from now on. With you guys around, I don't have to worry about anything. How can I not gain weight?"
While the others were chatting, Chunming and Zhou Yu took the opportunity to gnaw on bones, and they were quite satisfied with the large amount of meat they ate.
When Chen Fang realized what was happening, he immediately regretted it and quickly snatched a large bone. "That's so unfair! Sneaking around and eating while we were talking! Jiang Qiao's pickled bones, I still can't forget the taste, so delicious—"
Chunming grinned, showing his big teeth, "Uncle Chen, you're here, so let's eat! We can't wait until we're done eating to talk. Let me tell you, at Qiao'er's place, everyone's fighting over food. Once it's in your stomach, that's when it's real."
Jian Ling couldn't help but laugh. "Look at you all, do you think we're short of food? Let me tell you, there's plenty in the kitchen, enough for you to eat. I'm just worried your stomachs won't be able to hold it all."
"Our Qiao'er said she's happy today, so you can eat as much as you want. We finally wiped out the enemy, shouldn't we celebrate? It's been so long! Even I feel like it's been ages! Come on, let's drink! Let me tell you, this is wine brewed by our Qiao'er, it's delicious!"
The next morning, after Jiang Qiao finished her stroll and had breakfast, she was just getting ready when she heard a lively commotion outside.
What happened?
Hou Diankui couldn't sit still any longer. "I'll go out and take a look—"
Not long after, the old man returned, his face beaming with joy. "Qiao'er, Haozi is back, but there are people waiting for him at the station. They say Haozi has also done something meritorious—"
Jiang Qiao was a little dumbfounded. "So fast?"
Jian Ling said anxiously, "Qiao'er, hurry up and pack, let's go take a look."
Zhou Yu chimed in, "What's the rush? Haozi's back, so he's definitely going home. With so many people, what if Jiang Qiao gets jostled?"
Jian Ling then remembered that Jiang Qiao was not feeling well, and hurriedly said, "You all wait at home, I'll go check on her."
Watching his wife run off, Zhou Yu shook his head helplessly. "Your Aunt Jian is just that kind of impulsive person. Qiao'er, let's pack up too. I bet Haozi will be invited over by them too."
Jiang Qiao smiled and nodded. Ning Hao was back, and a weight was lifted from her heart. Despite her ruthlessness towards enemies, she still longed for her husband's company when she returned home. A family without its male head always felt empty.
Although she didn't say anything, she moved much faster. Moreover, Jiang Qiao dressed up specially when she returned to her room. Although she was pregnant and no longer had her former figure, she still wanted to be a beautiful pregnant woman.
In the past, she didn't pay much attention to her appearance, but that was for various reasons. Now it's different. The enemy has been defeated, her family's class background is no longer an issue, and she's a married woman again. In a few months, she'll become a mother. As a married woman, no one should be interested in her anymore.
Besides, their situation is different now. She's not afraid at all. If anyone dares to provoke her, she'll just give them a dose of the drug and render them impotent.
Jiang Qiao's makeover surprised Hou Diankui and Zhou Yu. They both knew Jiang Qiao was beautiful, but she usually didn't bother with her appearance. However, they could understand; she was always on the go, so why would she bother with dressing up? It wouldn't be convenient for her either.
"Wow, this time you've really caught my eye. Girl, you should dress up nicely like this. What are we missing?"
Jiang Qiao smiled, pursing her lips, "I'm a little unaccustomed to dressing up all of a sudden."
Zhou Yu looked her up and down. "She's beautiful, even pregnant. Qiao'er, let's go to Haozi's place."
Ning Hao and Jiang Qiao shared the same thought: they were both eager to go home. He never expected such a huge commotion to come as soon as he got off the train. He also never expected that the higher-ups would act so quickly; they received the news before he even arrived.
While sighing, he searched for his wife in the crowd. He didn't see Jiang Qiao, but he did see Jian Ling standing in the crowd, grinning.
After exchanging pleasantries with everyone, the leader said to Ning Hao, "Comrade Ning Hao, don't rush back. Comrade Jiang Qiao will be here for a meeting soon, so you and your wife can meet up with us."
Jian Ling nodded to Ning Hao, who looked at himself, embarrassed, as he was covered in dust.
"Would it be impolite of me to go over like this?"
"Oh, no problem at all. You're even better off this way. Come on, let's go over together. Have you eaten yet?"
Ning Hao nodded, and as soon as he stepped out of the crowd, he saw Jiang Qiao standing in the distance, accompanied by Zhou Yu and Hou Diankui, waving at him.
"Hey, Comrade Jiang Qiao, you've arrived just in time! Come on, let's go together. Perfect, you two can keep each other company."
Ning Hao raised an eyebrow at Ou Ziyang, who flashed a white smile and gave Ning Hao a thumbs-up. The two brothers knew what it meant.
Ou Ziyang quickly followed behind the leader, while Jiang Qiao and Ning Hao rode in their own car. There were no other people around, and the group chatted for a while.
Ning Hao was concerned about his wife and child, while the others were wondering why the battle had ended so quickly.
Jian Ling was even more outspoken: "We were almost going to go, but the leader didn't agree, so we couldn't go. This speed is really unexpected."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com