As the car passed the hotel that she had initially found strange, Jiang Qiao suddenly had a flash of inspiration when she saw the flowers displayed at the entrance.
She remembered that the foreign instructor once said that flowers are also a way to convey information, and different flowers and different ways of arranging them have different meanings.
The flowers displayed at the hotel entrance happened to be the ones with a meaning she knew well. She didn't know if the other party had placed them there unintentionally or on purpose.
Chai Qiuxia saw Jiang Qiao staring outside and assumed the child was interested in the buildings lining the street.
"Sigh, it's just that you came in a hurry and are in a rush to go back. Otherwise, you could stay here and we could relax and then show you around properly. There are quite a few historical sites and scenic spots here."
Jiang Qiao smiled and said, "Auntie, I will come again if I have the chance. You are quite busy now. When you retire, I will not be polite and will definitely take you to see the sights."
Although she was chatting with Chai Qiuxia, Jiang Qiao couldn't shake the thought of the hotel from her mind. What should she do?
Considering her limited time there, she estimated that there wouldn't be any results in the short term. If those people were real, how could they have been discovered so easily?
But if she didn't investigate these people, could she just let them continue like this? Thinking back to the ordeal she had endured at sea, she didn't want to let these people continue, as it would implicate too many innocent people.
She couldn't quite understand what these people were insisting on, and sighed inwardly, deciding to think about it more carefully when she got back.
Chai Qiuxia directed the driver to drive the car to that spot in the courtyard.
Seeing Jiang Qiao return, everyone in the courtyard breathed a sigh of relief. Although they wanted to alleviate their pain, Jiang Qiao was a young girl who had just arrived. If something happened to her, they would never be able to get over it. Unexpectedly, she not only returned safely, but also brought Chai Qiuxia with her.
"Sister-in-law and brother's wife—"
While everyone was wondering, Chai Qiuxia explained, "Jiang Qiao came to visit us. It just so happens that we went up the mountain to gather herbs with him. Today, you're in for a treat. My husband, Lao Lu, caught a bear, and we brought some meat over. Have a taste, and the rest can be shared with the families. We'll also make some meat soup for the soldiers. It's not much, just a token of our appreciation."
Originally, Lao Lu was supposed to come, but there was a last-minute meeting, so Jiang Qiao and I came instead. How's everyone been lately?
Chai Qiuxia was clearly familiar with these people. She sat down and chatted with them quite congenially. Jiang Qiao and Qiao Jie hurriedly prepared the medicinal herbs. In this hot weather, they would probably be able to use them by tonight.
"Come on, have some wild berries, we picked them on the mountain—"
After Jiang Qiao finished preparing the medicinal herbs, she washed the wild fruits and brought them out for everyone to eat.
"You two chat first, I'll prepare the meat. Auntie, driver, we'll have dinner here tonight. After you've eaten, you can leave and have a taste of the bear paw."
The driver glanced at Chai Qiuxia somewhat embarrassedly; with a leader present, he dared not agree casually.
Chai Qiuxia smiled and nodded, "That's great! It's been a long time since I've had a meal with everyone. Girl, cook well, cook a lot, I want to try what bear paws taste like."
As everyone was chatting, Ma Liu walked in carrying two watermelons. "Old Qiao, these are for you to eat."
Qiao Jie quickly introduced him to everyone, "This is my brother, he's staying at a friend's place, Liu Zi, where are you from?"
Ma Liu chuckled, "Just focus on eating, why worry about where it comes from? Hello everyone."
Qiao Jie pulled Ma Liu to sit down, and he went inside to get a knife to help the guy cut open the watermelon.
Dinner was plentiful, with meat and wild vegetables. Both the veteran and Chai Qiuxia ate to their hearts' content. After seeing everyone off, Ma Liu handed the key to Jiang Qiao, asking her to pick up the things that evening.
After giving his instructions, Ma Liu hesitated for a moment and said, "Brother, Qiao'er, there's something I'm not sure if I should say."
This was the first time Jiang Qiao and Qiao Jie had seen Ma Liu like this. The old man glared at him and said, "Liu Zi, what are you saying? We're family. What's there to say? Tell us quickly. What's going on? Why are you being watched?"
Ma Liu shook his head. "No, but when I went to my friends' houses, I felt something was off about two of them."
Jiang Qiao and Qiao Jie eagerly pressed, "What's wrong? Are they refusing to exchange items with you, or are they planning to report you?"
Ma Liu shook his head. "That's not it. These people are used to enjoying life, but in this kind of year, they're all practically cross-eyed. There's no reason not to replace them. We'll replace as many as we can. I'm going out tonight."
Two households told me that someone said they could save people like us, and that if we worked for them, we could regain our former wealth and status. But I didn't take it seriously. I just found it strange that they seemed to really believe it, and they were all as excited as if they had been injected with adrenaline.
"Brother, Qiao'er, do you think someone's stirring things up? A change of dynasty? I don't believe it. Life's pretty peaceful now; who wants to continue living like before? But those people, I really can't guarantee anything. They're still dreaming of one day being prominent and powerful again."
Speaking of this, Qiao Jie couldn't say for sure and could only sigh. However, Jiang Qiao's intuition told her that the enemy's agents were probably already making moves in secret. She didn't know what these people wanted to do. Although she didn't know much about those descendants of princes and nobles, once they formed a force, they would be a headache.
Especially regarding the hotel matter, she still hasn't figured it out, and now there's the Ma Liu incident.
Her fingers tapped erratically on the table. It was the first time Qiao Jie had ever seen his granddaughter like this. He looked up at Jiang Qiao.
"Girl, whatever you think, whatever you want to do, we'll go along with it."
Jiang Qiao frowned and sighed, "Grandpa Qiao, this matter could be a big deal or a small deal. Grandpa Liu, for the time being, please don't have any more contact with these two families. When you have time, go to the secondhand market or visit other people's homes, and find out if they have encountered similar situations with those two families. You can decide what to do yourself."
I'll go to the front yard and talk to those uncles first. The key is that we only have suspicions and no evidence yet. I'm afraid that if anything happens, Grandpa Liu will be implicated."
Qiao Jie didn't have a better idea either, so he and Ma Liu went to the front yard with Jiang Qiao. He also wanted to hear what the child thought.
Upon hearing Jiang Qiao's words, the veterans became anxious. It's understandable that they were anxious; they had worked so hard to earn this peaceful and tranquil life, and they would not allow anyone to disrupt it.
Despite their anger, these people were past the age of impulsiveness, and they were also well-trained veterans. Hearing Jiang Qiao's analysis, they naturally understood the significance and key points involved.
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