After venting his anger, Qiao Zhenhua took Liu Shuhong back to the small Western-style house.
Before they even reached the entrance, they saw three or four people standing in the garden of their house, seemingly discussing something.
Liu Shuhong looked extremely nervous. “Our house has already been emptied out. How can there still be thieves?!”
Qiao Zhenhua, with his pent-up anger finding no outlet, rolled up his sleeves and charged forward.
“You thieves actually dare to come back!”
Without even looking, he threw a punch at Director Liang Zhiqiang, who was closest to him.
Fortunately, the comrade beside Liang Zhiqiang reacted quickly and pulled him aside, otherwise the fist would have landed right on his face.
Liang Zhiqiang clutched his chest, still shaken.
“Comrade Qiao Zhenhua, what are you doing?!”
Qiao Zhenhua and Liu Shuhong, who had hurried over, saw that these people were from the neighborhood committee and were completely baffled.
“What are you people from the neighborhood committee doing at our house so late at night? And breaking in? That’s illegal!”
Liang Zhiqiang explained, “Your daughter Qiao Yu has already donated this house to the state. The paperwork was completed this afternoon. We’re here to take inventory.”
Qiao Zhenhua froze, as if he hadn’t heard Director Liang’s words clearly.
“What did you say?”
Liang Zhiqiang patiently repeated himself.
Qiao Zhenhua’s vision went dark, and he nearly fainted. “This is the Qiao family’s house. Since when does she get to decide? All of you, go back. The Qiao family is not donating this house!”
Liu Shuhong chimed in, “Exactly! If we donate the house, where are we supposed to live?”
This small Western-style house was worth a fortune. That wretched girl Qiao Yu must have lost her mind, actually going to the neighborhood committee to say she wanted to donate it.
Liang Zhiqiang produced the land deed and the form stamped with Qiao Yu’s fingerprint.
“This house originally belonged to Comrade Qiao Yu. She said she wanted to donate it, and the formalities are already complete. Please leave now.”
Qiao Zhenhua’s face flushed red with rage. “Qiao Yu is my daughter. I have the final say over all her property!”
Liang Zhiqiang suddenly realized he might not be able to communicate effectively with Qiao Zhenhua.
He had no idea how Qiao Zhenhua had managed to reach his current status. Probably through his ex-wife. After his ex-wife passed away, the Qiao family began to decline.
“Comrade Qiao Yu mentioned that she signed a severance agreement with you. You no longer have a father-daughter relationship.”
Liang Zhiqiang gave a meaningful glance to the other comrades from the neighborhood committee. “It’s already very late. Please escort these two comrades out so as not to disturb their rest.”
Seeing them approach, Liu Shuhong panicked. “No! We’re not leaving!”
Ignoring the struggles of Qiao Zhenhua and Liu Shuhong, the other comrades picked them up and carried them outside the small Western-style house.
Qiao Zhenhua had never suffered such humiliation in all his life.
Gritting his teeth, he said, “Let’s go! Without this small Western-style house, we’ll sell the things in the old house’s warehouse and rent a bigger villa!”
Liu Shuhong’s eyes were red from crying. Her freshly permed hair from the morning was now a mess. At this moment, she looked nothing like a lady of high society.
“It’s all Qiao Yu’s fault! If it weren’t for that wretched girl, Xiangxiang wouldn’t have been taken in for questioning, and we wouldn’t have been reduced to this state!”
Liu Shuhong hated Qiao Yu to the core.
Qiao Zhenhua also wondered. Qiao Yu had donated the house behind their backs. Where could a young girl like her possibly run off to?
Could she have gone to the island to look for that Gu family boy?
Once he used his connections to get Qiao Xiang out of jail and avoided the higher-ups’ investigation, he would definitely go and skin that wretched girl alive!
…
Qiao Yu spent fifteen hours on the train before finally arriving at Ganquan County.
She felt like her bottom had turned into an iron seat—numb and senseless—but at least nothing unexpected had happened along the way.
The thought of having to take a boat to the island next made Qiao Yu feel half-dead.
Aside from traveling to university in her original world, she had never journeyed this far before.
Worried about the humid island air, Qiao Yu took the opportunity to buy three sets of dacron clothing in the county town—they didn’t absorb moisture and dried quickly.
Passing by a department store, she bought a straw hat and a flashlight, since power outages were common on the island at night, and both would come in handy for beachcombing or late-night trips.
After gathering all her supplies, Qiao Yu endured another three-plus hours on a boat before finally reaching the island.
It was high noon, and quite a few people were gathered at the shore to greet arrivals. Carrying her small leather suitcase, Qiao Yu stepped off the boat and glanced around.
Perhaps her arrival was too sudden—no one had come to meet her.
The shore was bustling and lively, unlike the remote, desolate island she had imagined.
Suddenly, a beautiful young woman appeared on the island—delicate features, fair and smooth skin, a single braid draped over her front, wearing a light blue checkered dress paired with small leather shoes.
For a moment, everyone on the shore couldn’t help but stare at Qiao Yu.
“This girl looks like she’s from a wealthy family. Why would she come to our island?”
“Yeah, I’ve never seen such a pretty girl before. Look at her skin—it’s even fairer and smoother than a peeled egg!”
Qiao Yu felt her social anxiety kicking in under their gaze. Just as she was about to approach a friendly-looking older woman to ask for directions, the woman warmly stepped forward.
“Miss, are you here to see someone?”
Qiao Yu nodded obediently. “Yes, I’m here to see Officer Gu Shaoyuan.”
Hearing that she was looking for Commander Gu, the woman looked surprised.
She examined Qiao Yu’s attire and wondered if this girl might be Commander Gu’s fiancée from the big city.
“Are you Commander Gu’s…”
“I’m Gu Shaoyuan’s fiancée.”
Facing the woman’s curiosity, Qiao Yu stated her identity without hesitation.
She was here to fulfill the marriage arrangement—there was nothing to hide.
The woman’s eyes lit up, and she kindly reached out to take Qiao Yu’s small suitcase. “So you’re Commander Gu’s fiancée! You’re truly lovely!”
“It’s alright, I can carry it myself.”
Qiao Yu gently stopped the woman’s hand and smiled. “Auntie, could you take me to him?”
“Of course!”
The woman led Qiao Yu away from the shore and into the island. “Commander Gu is probably leading training right now. I’ll take you to him.”
As Qiao Yu followed, she occasionally noticed the woman and passing islanders stealing glances at her.
Everyone was still quite curious about her.
Unable to resist some gossip, the woman asked, “By the way, everyone calls me Auntie Li. Are you here to get your marriage certificate with Commander Gu?”
“Yes.”
Qiao Yu thought Auntie Li seemed easy to talk to and had a kind face. “My name is Qiao Yu. You can call me Xiao Yu.”
Auntie Li smiled and praised her. “What a nice name!”
After walking a bit further with Auntie Li, Qiao Yu finally arrived at the beach where Gu Shaoyuan was leading training.
Even before getting close, she could hear his steady, penetrating voice shouting commands.
“Attention!!”
Qiao Yu saw them standing neatly in four or five rows, with Gu Shaoyuan’s tall figure at the very front, looking quite intimidating.
She felt too embarrassed to walk over directly.
Auntie Li assumed she was just shy and gave her a meaningful glance, saying, “Little Jade, Auntie Li will go call Commander Gu over for you!”
Auntie Li quickly walked over, and it was unclear what she said to Gu Shaoyuan.
Gu Shaoyuan’s dark eyes grew slightly somber as he looked toward Qiao Yu, meeting her clear and bright almond-shaped eyes.