Chapter 66 Waiting

"Failed?" Xu Li was a little surprised.

Lin Qiao knew more, and his first reaction was that the person had escaped. Was it because the news had leaked in advance?

Otherwise, with Ji Duo's personality, he could say that everything was going well and the scope had been locked, so there was absolutely no possibility of mistakes.

The couple looked at each other and said nothing more.

Xu Li felt a little sorry, "Mr. Gu will be so happy for nothing again. Did he know that you were leaving this time?"

Ji Duo talked to his family about going to look for someone, and Shaozhen had already been found. Currently, only he, Lin Qiao, Gu Lao and Su Zheng knew about this.

Then there is Guo Yan's aunt, but the aunt-in-law only knows that Ji Duo is helping her childhood friend's grandfather find someone. She has no idea who Mr. Gu is, or even who Ji Duo is.

Ji Duo did not directly answer this question, and his tone slowed down, "Mr. Gu is fine."

"I'm glad you're okay." Xu Li saw that her son's face was still a little gloomy, then looked at her daughter-in-law next to her, and thought that she hadn't seen the young couple for several days. She smiled and got into the car that had been prepared earlier, "Since the second son is back, Qiao Qiao, you can take a car with him." She waved her hand and left.

Now the young couple was the only ones left at the door. Lin Qiao stepped forward and asked Ji Duo in a low voice, "Did that person receive the news in advance?"

"Not sure." Ji Duo's voice was also very low, almost whispering, "But he did leave suddenly. He paid for a three-day stay at the guesthouse, but only stayed for one day."

They were just about to arrest the person, but he left early, and he left so suddenly, which was really suspicious.

Lin Qiao lowered his brows and thought for a moment, "No one should know about this. Even if you called me, with your personality, you wouldn't let anyone hear it."

This man is very careful. He usually disposes of any paper he has written on. How could he expose such a big flaw to others?

This shows that he knows him well and trusts him enough. Ji Duo's eyes fell on the little face that was close to him. "When he left, I hadn't called you yet."

This was even more strange. Lin Qiao raised her head, and just as the man was about to lower his head to continue talking, she felt something soft rubbing against her brow.

She was stunned at the time, and Ji Duo seemed not to have expected her sudden action, and his expression froze slightly.

At this moment, Aunt Zhang opened the door carrying the garbage. When she saw this scene, she was obviously stunned and subconsciously closed the door again.

An old man passing by the yard saw it and asked, "What's wrong?"

"No, nothing." Aunt Zhang couldn't say what she saw, "I just remembered that there was still some garbage that hadn't been packed away." She turned around and went back to the kitchen.

After entering the kitchen, she murmured, "Xiaoduo is usually such a serious person, I really can't believe it."

However, no matter how quickly she reacted, the sound of the door opening and closing, as well as the conversation between the old man and her, were still heard by the two people outside.

Not only her, but also the driver Xiao Fang was sitting in the car next to her. He might have seen what happened clearly.

This is because the couple are stable. If it were someone else, they would at least be embarrassed if they didn't jump away immediately like they were struck by lightning.

However, neither of them could continue talking here. Ji Duo picked up the thermos and said, "I'll talk to you when I get back."

Lin Qiao also stepped forward and changed the subject, "Let's go to the hospital first, don't let our mother wait anxiously."

At this time, the couple had a tacit understanding. They both chose that as long as I was not embarrassed, others would be embarrassed.

As expected, Xu Li did not go up by herself, but waited for them downstairs in the inpatient department. Lin Qiao stepped forward and took her arm, "I didn't keep you waiting too long, did I?"

"It didn't take long. I just got here."

The mother-in-law and daughter-in-law walked in front affectionately, while Ji Duo walked behind carrying a thermos. If you didn't know, you would think the couple in front were mother and daughter.

Ji Duo looked at it and somehow remembered that Xu Li seemed to have said that a maiden is a mother's little cotton-padded jacket, and if she gave birth to a son, he would only make her angry when he grew up.

If Lin Qiao had a daughter, she would be as close to her mother as she is to her mother when she grows up, or even closer...

Thinking about it, they had arrived at Ye Minshu's ward. Ji Duo raised his eyes and saw the obviously stagnant atmosphere in the ward and his nephew sitting beside the bed.

He paused and glanced at his eldest nephew. Sure enough, he saw that his eldest nephew gave him a look when no one was paying attention.

The look in his eyes was very complicated. He looked at Ye Minshu, then at Lin Qiao, then at the door, and he was squeezing them so hard that his eyeballs almost popped out.

It was obvious that this was not a good thing. Considering the atmosphere in the house and Ye Minshu's sudden illness, there was nothing Ji Duo did not understand.

As expected, if you give birth to a son, he will only make you angry when he grows up. He was away for only a few days and his eldest nephew showed his true colors.

Ji Duo paused again, not sure if Lin Qiao knew about this. Seeing how she walked on the road just now, it didn't seem like she knew about it. But this girl was always patient...

This made him look at Lin Qiao, and Lin Qiao happened to look back at him. Seeing him looking at Ji Ze, he raised his eyebrows.

So is this known or not?

Ji Duo wanted to frown.

Some things are easier to deal with once they are settled. Just think of ways to deal with them. But guessing all the time is the most frustrating thing.

He walked over as usual and put the thermos on the bedside table, only to find that Ye Minshu on the bed was feeling even worse than her.

Ye Minshu was not sure whether Lin Qiao knew that it was Xiaoze who used her formula.

If she knew, she would have to question Lin Qiaoan's intentions; but if she didn't know, wouldn't this question reveal everything?

By then, she would be handing the laughing stock to Lin Qiao, and when Lin Qiao knew about it, she would be so happy that she would not know how happy she would be.

With her heart in knots, her facial expression was distorted and sickly. With her pale face and hanging right arm, she looked nothing like her former elegance and grace.

Lin Qiao and Xu Li were not blind. Besides, they were just here for the formality. After a while, Xu Li stood up and said, "Then you should have a good rest. We won't stay any longer. Remember to drink the soup."

"I'll see you off." Ji Ze immediately stood up actively.

But before he could take two steps, Ye Minshu suddenly hissed, "Why does it hurt so much? Xiaoze, can you help me check if my arm is not properly suspended?"

Ji Ze could only go over to help her check. Upon hearing this, Xu Li, Lin Qiao and Ji Duo also stopped.

Ye Minshu smiled at them apologetically again, "I'm fine. If you're worried, just go back. Xiaoze is here."

If Lin Qiao was here alone, she might just say that she was not in a hurry and could sit here for a while. If Ye Minshu needed her, she could even sleep with her at night.

However, Xu Li was a good-tempered person. She said nothing when she heard it. She knew that she was deliberately keeping her son here because she was afraid that he would let the secret slip to them and let them know, but she still left.

But in this way, Ji Duo couldn't communicate with his nephew, and he was not sure whether Lin Qiao knew about the incident or not.

On the way back, he looked at Lin Qiao several times without making a sound. When he got home, he said hello to his old man and returned the things he had brought back to the house. Lin Qiao followed him in and asked, "Don't you have anything else to say to me?"

Now Ji Duo had to figure out what she was asking about. While sorting things out, he pretended not to have heard clearly: "Hmm?"

"You didn't tell me at the door before. Wait until you come back." Lin Qiao didn't beat around the bush.

Ji Duo knew it now, "Do you remember what I told you before, that the other party kept it a secret and never let it out?"

Lin Qiao nodded, "So

When your nephew came to visit, you said it didn't look like his work." She paused and asked, "Are you suspicious?"

"I suspect someone helped him clean up the mess back then, and the same is true this time."

At the time, Ji Duo was only fourteen years old, and Gu Shaoping was a little older than him, only fifteen. Many of the people who went there with the adults were teenagers, as the young and strong were transferred to other places, and it was really difficult for a teenager to kill someone without leaving any scars.

Judging from the moves made by the opponent these two times, they are not foolproof. It is possible that someone helped him cover up the incident.

"Can we investigate this matter further?" Lin Qiao frowned, also feeling that the situation was difficult.

"It depends on whether they know we have the portrait in our hands," Ji Duo said. "If they know, then this clue is broken. If they don't know, we can still find ways to investigate slowly."

If we knew this person, we would have no way of tracking him down if he ran far away, out of the province, out of the country, or even went underground.

But if I don't know, I can guess his hometown from his accent and ask about his home address. It's impossible for him to never go home in his life.

It was just that something that was going smoothly at first suddenly encountered twists and turns, which inevitably made people feel unhappy. "I thought that after the matter was investigated and the New Year was over, Mr. Gu would be able to recognize the person back."

During the Spring Festival, other families are having a great time together, but you have to spend more than a decade alone. It makes me sad to think about it.

Ji Duo understood what she meant, and he understood her inner softness even more. Looking at her furrowed brows, he suddenly remembered the touch at the door before.

Without thinking too much, he lowered his lips and gently pressed his seal on her. "It's already very good to be able to find Shaozhen and have the clues from that year."

The tone was soothing, the words were soothing, and when he felt the touch under his lips, even he was stunned.

But he had done it, and this was not outside, so Ji Duo immediately returned to normal, and even raised his hand to pat Lin Qiao's soft head.

If Lin Qiao still can't sense it, he'd be a fool.

But weren't the male protagonist and her in a cooperative relationship? He had done well before, so why did it suddenly change?

Lin Qiao subconsciously raised her eyes and found that the man was looking down at her, very intently, just like the casual glance she gave him when the snow fell in her hometown.

There were many other clues that she had not thought much about before, such as when she said that Sister Yue Hua studied there, he asked her if she also studied there.

For example, he suddenly asked her when she would give another public class.

For example, when Guo Yan's aunt comforted him at her house, he immediately shook her hand, and there was the jade tiger on his chest, and the hug before leaving...

There are few girls majoring in science and engineering, and even fewer pretty girls. In her past life, there were boys who wanted to develop a relationship with Lin Qiao, and Lin Qiao handled them all with ease.

But no one got married to her and slept with her first...

This makes their relationship very delicate. To call them partners is obviously beyond that, and to call them husband and wife is not close enough.

Lin Qiao had never seen a truly close couple. Compared to what she had seen since she was a child, a cooperative relationship was her comfort zone.

But this man has now stepped out of his comfort zone and wants to seek a more intimate relationship with her. For the first time, Lin Qiao feels lost and even a little overwhelmed.

And this was completely contrary to her cognition. She had always known that she was wearing a book and married the male protagonist, who would divorce her in the future...

Thinking of this, Lin Qiao couldn't help but think of the heroine in the original book. Because she had little interaction with the original author, her friends mentioned the heroine less than the hero. She only knew that the two had known each other for a long time, but there was no spark. Later, the hero got divorced and frustrated, so he got together with the heroine who was also unhappy in love.

Maybe it was because he had been eating meat for a long time and had always been very satisfied with it, Lin Qiao actually felt unhappy that the vegetables in his bowl were about to be taken away.

She couldn't help but look at the man who was trying to cause trouble for her, "What do you think about divorce?"

No matter how unbelievable it was, the other party's actions were also very obvious. Otherwise, how could he, a veteran cadre, do such a thing as hurting his relatives?

But if he wants to step out of her comfort zone, it depends on whether she is willing. If he is still the same as before and has no intention of staying with her for a long time, then he should get out of here as soon as possible.

Lin Qiao wanted to confirm, but Ji Duo only heard the word divorce, and that was after he had just comforted her.

Even before those words, she should have noticed the difference in his attitude.

The man's sword-like brows immediately wrinkled, "I did not tell you something, but marriage is serious. How can you file for divorce without any reason?"

You can't just bring up divorce all the time. Does that mean he doesn't want a divorce now?

But there is something I didn't tell her...

Lin Qiao took a step back, distanced herself from the man, and raised her eyebrows, "You also know that you haven't told me something."

This was pure deception. Unexpectedly, the man pursed his lips into a straight line for a long while before saying, "As long as it doesn't involve other people and I promise to keep it a secret for others, I can tell you my own affairs."

It seemed that other people were involved. Lin Qiao looked up at the man without saying a word.

Ji Duo thought that this look was angry, and he couldn't help but grab Lin Qiao's hand, "From the moment I got married, I never thought about divorce."

"Then are you hiding something from me?" If this was a cooperative relationship, Lin Qiao would definitely let it go, but since this man wanted to cross the line, don't blame her for asking more questions.

Ji Duo was stumped by the question and had no other choice but to hold her shoulders and say, "Lin Qiao." He felt unfamiliar with the question and lowered his voice, "Qiao Qiao."

Not only his voice, but even his body posture was lowered. Just looking at her like that, there was actually a hint of seeking peace.

Lin Qiao just raised his eyes and said, "Really not going to tell me?"

Ji Duo was silent for a while before he said, "I should be able to tell you soon."

Since he has agreed, anyone can tell about it. Lin Qiao can also find out by herself, but it cannot come from his mouth.

He promised to keep the secret, but later told everyone about it. He couldn't do such a thing.

To be honest, it seems that real couples rarely keep things secret from each other. Leaving some space and leeway for oneself is the human instinct of self-protection.

But since the man was so concerned and took the initiative to bring it up, and said it should be soon, Lin Qiao was actually aroused and took away the man's big hand on her shoulder, "Then I'll wait."

Just at this moment, Xu Li called Ji Duo, "There's a call for you."

Ji Duo had no choice but to go out. He felt that talking to Lin Qiao for a while was more tiring than carrying out a mission.

Unexpectedly, the other party only reported to him one sentence: "Our boss asked me to tell you that his mother knows, but his aunt doesn't know yet, and he can't leave now." Then he hung up.

"This Ozawa."

Ji Duo couldn't help rubbing his brows, and it was rare for him to feel the emotion of regret.

If I had known this, I would have never agreed to keep Ozawa's secret...

Thinking of this, he paused again. If Ozawa came to him and told him about this now and asked him to keep it a secret, would he still agree?

The next day was New Year's Eve, but because Ye Minshu was in the hospital, only Ji Jun and Ji Ling returned to the old house. They ate the New Year's Eve dinner and left in a hurry.

The table was already full, and two people left. Xu Li helped to pack some dishes in lunch boxes, but Old Master Ji was silent for a long time, "What a good family."

Xu Li understood the following words without him saying anything, and deliberately joked, "You may complain about the lack of people now, but don't complain about the noise in two years."

As he said this, he glanced at Ji Duo and Lin Qiao with a smile. The old man also looked over and saw his son picking shrimps into Lin Qiao's bowl.

This made him pause, and he checked again in disbelief, and he was really picking up shrimps. Seeing that Lin Qiao didn't care, the man even picked up the shrimps, peeled them with his hands, and put them back into Lin Qiao's bowl.

He remembered that his son didn't seem to eat shrimps?

Not only do I not eat shrimp, I am insensitive to all seafood.

It can be picked up with chopsticks and peeled with hands. Don’t you find it smelly?

Ji Duo was indeed dissatisfied, so he helped Lin Qiao peel a few. When he saw Lin Qiao said that was enough, he immediately went to wash his hands.

He washed it more than once, and after washing, he put it under his nose and smelled it, and then his brows relaxed.

Lin Qiao also noticed it. She didn't know whether this man felt guilty or something, but since he said those words yesterday, he has been taking better care of her.

She pretended not to notice the old couple's look, but Xu Li smiled and took out a red envelope and gave it to her, "You two have to give dumplings to Mr. Gu later, right? Mom will give this to you first."

"I'm so old now, and I still need red envelopes?" Lin Qiao felt a little embarrassed.

"How old is she? She's only 19 after the New Year. As long as you don't have a child, you are

Child." Xu Li stuffed the red envelope into her hand.

Lin Qiao actually has no shortage of money. After receiving her last share of profits at the end of the year, her savings will exceed ten thousand yuan again.

Maybe because it was the end of the year, the last month's income was particularly considerable, nearly four thousand, which was a huge sum of money in the early 1980s.

But she still accepted the elder's kindness with a smile. After dinner, she went to give Mr. Gu some dumplings, and Mr. Gu gave her another one.

"This is really, give one away and take two back." On the way back, Lin Qiao couldn't help laughing.

That one was for Ji Ling. Ji Ze was older and had started working, so Ji Jun didn't want it.

Unexpectedly, when she returned home at night, Ji Duo also gave her one. Not only a red envelope, but also a firecracker, which was a hearty feast.

Because he had taken leave before, Ji Duo returned to the army a few days after the New Year. Lin Qiao went with him because the second year of high school started early and he also had to coach for the chemistry competition.

Until they left, Ye Minshu was not discharged from the hospital. Every time Ji Jun came back, the old man's face became more unsightly.

Unexpectedly, on the first day back at school, Vice President Qi called Lin Qiao to his office and asked, "Would you consider being admitted as a graduate student at a normal university?"

"A graduate student from a normal college?" Lin Qiao was surprised.

Vice President Qi nodded. "Doesn't the country have a document that states that those who have outstanding professional abilities and have not attended college but have a college education can also apply for graduate school? I asked for you before, and the Education Bureau said that your situation is not good enough, so I didn't tell you."

Lin Qiao really didn't know this, but Vice Principal Qi didn't mention it before, but he said it now, which obviously means there is a way forward for this matter.

Sure enough, Vice President Qi said, "Originally, the country is short of grassroots teachers, and normal colleges have only recruited undergraduates in the past two years. But your performance is really outstanding, and Yandu Normal University contacted the school and expressed its willingness to accept you to study for their graduate school, and you can stay directly on campus after graduation."

This excellence is no empty talk. A laboratory and a competition admission are enough to attract the attention of these normal colleges, not to mention her students' academic performance.

The normal college was impressed by her ideas and thought that recruiting her to teach at the university would help cultivate more talents.

Vice President Qi said gently: "You can save four years of college time by studying for a master's degree directly. I just don't know if you are willing to do so."

It would be great to save four years, after all, Lin Qiao had already completed undergraduate studies in her previous life, and it would be a waste to do it all over again.

But she majored in chemistry for both her undergraduate and master's degrees, not teacher training, and she didn't hang out at the podium but in the laboratory.

Before today, normal colleges had never been within her consideration. She had to think carefully before making a decision whether or not to go.

Vice Principal Qi also knew that it was impossible to give an immediate answer to such a matter. "Go back and think about it carefully. The specific decision is still up to you."

Although he felt that this opportunity was rare, he did not keep persuading her, which made Lin Qiao feel very comfortable.

"Then I'll go back and think about it." She stood up to say goodbye, and just as she opened the door of the office, she bumped into Principal Zeng in the corridor.

"You're just in time for this." Principal Zeng walked in as soon as he saw her. "Did you own the Muzi liquid soap factory?"

When Vice Principal Qi saw that he closed the door before speaking, he knew that the matter was important. After listening to the content, he immediately frowned and asked, "What happened?"

Principal Zeng handed him the letter in his hand and said, "Someone reported to the school that Xiaolin was engaged in private business while she was in office. The circumstances are serious and they requested that she be severely punished."

The country does have clear regulations that in-service teachers are not allowed to engage in private business, but no one reports it and generally no one investigates it.

Vice Principal Qi looked at Lin Qiao, "That Muzi liquid soap..."

"I came up with the recipe," Lin Qiao said frankly, "but I don't participate in any management, and I don't have the time to do so."

This is the truth. Everyone can see how much she has contributed to the school and the students. She is busy herself and has to review and prepare for the college entrance examination. How can she have spare time?

Vice Principal Qi took a look at the letter and was a little speechless. "Who did this?"

"Don't worry about that for now." Principal Zeng said, I just came to ask if it has anything to do with Xiao Lin.

He put the letter down and asked Vice Principal Qi, "Last time you asked the people from the Education Bureau, didn't they say that if she wanted to be recommended, she had to have an invention or an award, right?"

No one would have thought that he would go to see Lin Qiao and Vice Principal Qi to raise this matter.

Vice President Qi pondered for a moment, "You mean to use this invention as a reason to recommend her to be admitted as a graduate student?"

"I'm afraid they won't say enough about this one."

Principal Zeng saw that he had paid attention to this information before, and said to Lin Qiao: "If the formula is really yours, there will be a national invention and creation exhibition held in Yandu at the end of next month. Gold, silver and bronze awards will be awarded at the exhibition. You can still sign up now."