Qiao Meili hurriedly said, “How could that be? If you don’t believe me, come inside and see for yourself.”
As the two were talking, the Qiao family finally got up, and the door to the main room opened.
Qian Jinghong noticed at a glance that the two conspicuous large vases in the room were gone. Looking at Qiao’s father and son Qiao Yingyong, he saw that they were no longer wearing those long gowns, nor were they wearing those thumb rings or jade pendants.
It seems that something decent was indeed done last night.
Qian Jinghong felt much better.
It was worth it for him to leave home at 3 a.m. to handle these procedures.
“It should have been done a long time ago; none of them understand the situation.”
But praise is out of the question. This whole family can’t be treated well. They have to be suppressed, suppressed, suppressed relentlessly. We absolutely cannot let hedonistic behavior emerge!
Qiao Meili, as one of the parties involved, did not argue back.
Qian Jinghong glanced at her and vaguely felt that this girl had changed. In the past, this girl was the kind of person who looked down on everyone and didn’t care about others.
She was able to humbly admit her mistake today, so it seems that falling into the river really made her realize her mistake.
If he had known it would be this easy, he should have thrown the person into the river to soak in the water long ago…
As Qian Jinghong was thinking this, he suddenly looked at Qiao’s father and Qiao Yingyong inside the house.
The two of them felt a chill for no reason and shivered at the same time.
“Captain, did you finish all the formalities before coming here?” Qiao Meili was afraid that her father and brother would be frightened by the captain, so she quickly changed the subject.
Qian Jinghong grunted in agreement, holding a stack of documents in his hand. “All the formalities are done. The letters of introduction and various certificates are all in here. I’ve also bought your train ticket. This afternoon, you’ll take a bus from the county to the provincial capital, then take the evening train to Nanshi, and from Nanshi, you’ll take a bus down to An County…”
At this point, Qian Jinghong suddenly stopped, his expression grim and uncertain. “You’re not going to get lost halfway there, are you?”
It’s no wonder he asked that question. Back then, Qiao Meili said she didn’t want to stay in the army and wanted to go home. She also said she didn’t know the way and asked her family to send someone to pick her up.
He accompanied Qiao Yingyong to An County. Along the way, the two siblings acted like an old man, and if he didn’t keep an eye on them for even a moment, they would get lost.
Qiao Meili also dredged up that past event from the original owner’s memories and quickly assured her, “I know her, Captain, don’t worry.”
Qian Jinghong was skeptical. “I’ve already sent a telegram to the troops. Someone should come to pick you up. Just be careful.”
“OK,”
Qiao Meili’s attitude finally won the approval of the captain. Qian Jinghong handed her the things and repeatedly told her to keep them safe and not lose them.
Qiao Meili made another round of assurances, which gave her the illusion that Qian Jinghong was her father.
My apologies, my apologies, she didn’t mean to offend her own mother.
“Then pack your things. Zhu Hui will drive the tractor to the fertilizer factory in the county town to buy fertilizer later. He’ll give you a ride. I have something to do, so I won’t see you off.”
“etc,”
Should Zhu Hui escort her?
Qiao Meili had just made up her mind not to get involved with this person. “Captain, can’t we let someone else deliver it?”
“No one in the team can drive a tractor except him,” Qian Jinghong said.
Qiao Meili: …
Oh well, I’m leaving anyway.
Thinking this, Qiao Meili tossed the letter of introduction and train ticket into her spatial storage, planning to take them out when needed.
“You’re leaving already?” Mrs. Qiao still felt like she was dreaming, it was unreal. She quickly said, “Then I’ll go boil some eggs for you to take on the road.”
“I’ll go help,” Bai Xiaohe followed her into the kitchen. Her sister-in-law was right; it was time for her to learn how to cook.
Qiao Meili rubbed her stomach. Eggs and such could wait. The whole family hadn’t eaten breakfast, and she was hungry too. The journey would take a long time, and she couldn’t go hungry all the way.
“How about we make some egg pancakes instead of boiling eggs?”
Mrs. Qiao looked embarrassed, “I don’t know how,”
Bai Xiaohe also held onto her clothes and remained silent.
Qiao Meili suddenly realized that she had almost forgotten that none of them knew how to cook.
“I’ll go,”
Since she was leaving anyway, she figured it wouldn’t hurt to cook one more meal, so Qiao Meili used the simplest and quickest method to make egg pancakes.
First, crack the eggs into the batter, then chop some scallions and sprinkle them in. Adjust the batter to the desired consistency. Heat oil in a pan, and once the oil is hot, pour a thin layer of batter into it.
This method produces golden and fragrant egg pancakes, and it’s very quick; you can make several in just over ten minutes.
She was quick and efficient, and the egg pancakes she made were delicious, leaving Qiao’s mother and Bai Xiaohe completely stunned.
I had no idea Qiao Meili had this skill before.
Qiao Meili started by making up a story: “When I was with the army before, no one cooked for me, so I learned a few dishes myself. After I came back, I found it too troublesome and became too lazy to cook.”
Qiao’s mother immediately felt a pang of heartache. “That’s right. I heard life is tough in the army. I’ll go find your father and ask him to give you more money.”
Mr. Qiao appeared at the kitchen door. “Do you need to tell me? Do you think I don’t care about my own daughter? I’ve already prepared it. There’s a thousand yuan on the table. Take it with you when you leave.”
As he spoke, he glanced at the egg pancakes on the stove; they looked golden and appealing.
Mr. Qiao didn’t care about his image or anything, and grabbed a piece of food and started eating.
“It’s delicious, daughter. Why don’t you stay home instead of going with the army…”
He swallowed the rest of his words under Qiao Meili’s cold gaze, and Qiao’s father gave an awkward laugh.
“I…I’ll take the egg pancakes out.”
Because there are many people in her family, Qiao Meili spread out a few extra bills and planned to take a few with her on the road as food, just in case she couldn’t buy food.
Suddenly, the sound of a tractor sputtering came from outside.
Qiao Yingyong glanced out of the yard and called out to the kitchen, “Sister, Zhu Hui is here.”
So fast?
Qiao Meili’s hands were still covered in batter when she heard this, and she said “Oh”.
Anyway, she doesn’t want to say a word to Zhu Hui right now. If it weren’t for the fact that no one in the team knows how to drive a tractor, she wouldn’t want to have any contact with Zhu Hui at all.
“The captain said you were going out and asked me to give you a ride to the county town.”
While Zhu Hui was talking, he didn’t walk into the yard, but instead propped his long legs up against the car body.
Now that Zhu Hui had arrived, Qiao Meili didn’t linger any longer. After finishing her work, she turned around and went back to her room.
Her luggage was already packed. Important items were left in her spatial storage. The small suitcase contained a few pieces of clothing, some skincare products that the original owner used to use, and some personal items. Since leaving them at home would just lead to them expiring, she brought them along.
Anyway, not a single suitcase was fully packed.
As they came out carrying their suitcases, Qiao’s father and Qiao Yingyong also came out of the main house, each holding a stack of money.
“Take it, there’s nothing else we can do to help you,” said Mr. Joe.
Qiao Yingyong said, “If you can’t make it there, come back.”
Qiao Meili: “…Hey bro, can’t you wish me something good?”
My two little nieces held their heads high, one holding a delicious calcium milk biscuit and the other clutching a milk candy.
“Auntie, here, have some.”
“Auntie, are you leaving? Will you come back?”
Qiao Meili didn’t feel sad at first, but looking at the two little ones, a pang of sadness suddenly welled up inside her, and her heart ached.
He squatted down and patted each child’s head.
“Be good at home, your auntie will come back and bring you delicious food.”
“Okay, we’ll wait for Auntie to come back.”
The family took her to her doorstep, and Qiao Yingyong helped put her luggage into the truck bed.
Qiao Meili felt a pang of jealousy. Just as she was about to step into the truck bed, she suddenly remembered something and grabbed Qiao Yingyong’s arm.
“What’s wrong?” Qiao Yingyong was startled by her.
Qiao Meili whispered, “Brother, don’t we have the old custom here to worship our ancestors during the Spring Festival, Qingming Festival, and Ghost Festival? Don’t forget, we must serve Grandpa and our ancestors some hearty dishes, chicken, duck, fish, and meat, whatever we have.”
Qiao Yingyong’s head was completely fuzzy. “Sis, what do you mean? Are you worried that I’ve mistreated our ancestors? Don’t worry, that’s absolutely not the case.”
“Okay, I’m relieved to hear that. I’m leaving now. Take care.”