As the villagers were intently watching over their injured relatives, suddenly, there was a loud bang, and a large rock fell from the sky, landing right next to them and nearly hitting someone. The onlookers were so frightened that they ran away with their heads in their hands.
"What's going on? Which deity have we offended?"
The older folks knelt down and kowtowed without a care in the world, while Jiang Qiao took the opportunity to help the old man of the Gu family up.
Qiao Jie's explanation was even more incredible: "My God, their legs are in serious condition. We need to carry them back quickly. If they don't receive treatment soon, their legs might be ruined."
You know, they're all strong, able-bodied men, none of them want to become disabled, right? The women cried and called for people to carry their men back.
"Gu Hanting, go back to the cowshed and reflect on your actions. Seeing the patients is the priority, so hurry up—"
Grandpa Qiao followed the others into the village. Gu Hanting looked at the little girl in front of him with a puzzled expression. Where did this child come from?
He didn't think he'd ever seen this girl before, but the more he looked at her, the more eager his gaze became. She looked so much like him; her eyebrows and nose resembled his son's, while the rest of her features resembled his daughter-in-law's.
Seeing the other person's tearful face after scrutinizing her, Jiang Qiao felt somewhat more confident.
Gu Hanting's hand trembled as he held Jiang Qiao's. His lips moved for a long time before he finally uttered a heartfelt "My Qiao'er—"
With just this one sentence, all the speculations have essentially become a settled matter.
"Grandpa, let's go back and talk about it—"
Gu Zhixuan and Jiang Qiao helped the old man to the cowshed. Jiang Qiao couldn't imagine how the old man and Gu Zhixuan lived in this place. It smelled of cow dung and the house was low and cramped.
As soon as they reached the door, the old man stopped Jiang Qiao from going in. The two of them had already gotten used to this place, and he was even more eager to know if the little girl in front of him was his lost granddaughter.
"Girl, let's sit down here and let me rest. What's your name?"
Jiang Qiao didn't force her; she could find out what was going on without even going inside.
Seeing the old man's earnest eyes, Jiang Qiao sighed, "Grandpa, my name is Jiang Qiao. I was picked up by an old lady and took her husband's surname, so I was named Jiang Qiao."
The old man became even more agitated, gripping Jiang Qiao's hand tightly. "Girl, do you have anything else on you, like a brand name tag—"
Although he suspected that this was most likely his granddaughter, the old man did not dare to readily acknowledge her until he saw real evidence. After all, blood relations were a big deal, and there were many people who looked alike, so it was best to be cautious.
Jiang Qiao took out a tag from her pocket and handed it to Gu Hanting. "This is the one I was wearing around my neck back then. My grandma named me based on this character."
When Gu Hanting saw the plaque with the character "Qiao" engraved on it handed to him by Jiang Qiao, he knew perfectly well that this was his own granddaughter.
Tears streamed down the old man's face as he embraced Jiang Qiao tightly, crying, "My Qiao'er, my poor granddaughter—"
The old man was truly moved. Over the years, they had worried and cared for their granddaughter, even thinking she was no longer in this world. But now, their living granddaughter was right in front of them. How could the old man not be excited?
Jiang Qiao wasn't unhappy about finding her roots, but she seemed much calmer than the old man.
Jiang Qiao had too many questions in her mind, and she waited until the old man calmed down a bit before asking them.
"Grandpa, why am I living away from home? Where are my parents?"
When the old man talked about his granddaughter going missing, he couldn't hold back his tears again.
“When your mother gave birth to you, they were still at war and couldn’t take care of you for long. So, she entrusted a comrade from the underground party to bring you to me. But things went wrong halfway there. That comrade was targeted by spies. In order to protect you, he lured the enemy away. When he came back to find you, he was nowhere to be found.”
When I first heard the news of your passing, I went to the city to look for you many times and asked around, but I couldn't find any information. I never expected that you, my child, would actually find your way to our home.
As for your parents, they're both in the army, and we don't see them all year round. They both have their own jobs, and our current situation has already burdened them—”
The old man suddenly remembered something. "Zhixuan, quickly get your sister your uncle's address."
Gu Zhixuan looked at Jiang Qiao expectantly, "Grandpa, is she really my sister?"
The old man then remembered that he had a grandson beside him. He patted his grandson's head and said, "Zhixuan, this is the daughter of your second uncle that I mentioned to you before. She's back now. Go and get your second uncle's address."
Jiang Qiao stopped Gu Zhixuan. "Brother, let's go in together."
The old man was troubled. "Qiao'er, it's too dirty inside. Don't go in."
Jiang Qiao was unusually insistent; since this was her own grandfather, she had to take a good look at their living environment.
Upon entering the house, just as she had expected, she gave the old man a complicated look.
"Grandpa, you live in this place?"
The old man smiled and sighed, "This place is already very good. After all, it provides shelter from the wind and rain. Compared to those who have lost their lives, our place is quite nice."
"Girl, where are you living now? How is your grandma? We really should thank her properly; she's a great benefactor to our Gu family."
Jiang Qiao briefly explained her address and what happened between her, the old lady, and Qiao Jie.
Gu Hanting was dumbfounded. While feeling sorry for his little granddaughter, he was even more surprised by the child's courage. He hadn't expected that someone so young would be so thoughtful.
He sighed deeply. "It's better to leave. Wang Dahua shouldn't have treated you like that. You'd develop feelings for a cat or dog by now. She didn't treat you like her own granddaughter at all. Just keep that in mind from now on and don't let them scheme against you again."
At such a young age, she dared to stand up against those who plotted against her; there were some things Gu Hanting would rather not say.
Jiang Qiao wanted to know who else was in her family, and where her uncle and the others had gone.
Speaking of his parents, Gu Zhixuan looked very sad. "My mother passed away, and my father was arrested and sent to a labor camp."
Jiang Qiao nodded without saying anything, but when she went into the inner room, she was surprised to see a little boy lying on the kang (a heated brick bed).
Who is he?
The old man affectionately patted his grandson's head and sighed, "He is your uncle's son, Gu Zhihong. He is eight years old and has been sick these past two days with a fever. I'm so worried about him."
Jiang Qiao understood her grandfather's current situation. They were sick, and no one was willing to treat them. They could only endure it. If they couldn't make it through, no one would care if they died, except for their own relatives.
"Uncle? Where are they? Where are they?"
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