Chapter 23 Qiao Changdong reports the case

Qiao Changdong didn't see Meng Zhengcheng at Qiao Xiaoyun's place, so he simply took Grandma Qiao and Qiao Qiao to his workplace, the county police station.

He came over with a bright red handprint on his face, which startled Meng Zhengcheng, who thought he had been beaten up.

Upon learning that he had slapped himself, he, like Qiao Xiaoyun, also gave him a dressing down.

Meng Zhengcheng was a full twelve years older than Qiao Changdong, and he treated his brother-in-law like a son, just like the Qiao brothers.

He came to him asking for a favor, and although the second matter was somewhat difficult, he still agreed.

Half an hour later, Qiao Changdong emerged from the police station, beaming with pride. He hailed a small three-wheeled vehicle and returned to Qiaojia Village.

Qiaojia Village is more than an hour away from the county seat, and the road is a dirt road that hasn't been repaired, so his truck can't get in.

When he's not driving, the truck is usually parked in the martial arts hall in town, where his second brother and sister-in-law live.

When Qiao Changdong arrived at Qiaojia Village with an elderly person and a child, it was lunchtime.

Although it was autumn and far from cold, Qiao Changdong was worried that Qiao Qiao's forehead would get cold from the wind, so even though the injury on her forehead had almost healed, he still wrapped her in his big coat.

Just like a mother kangaroo carrying her baby, she tucks the whole thing into her bosom, leaving only the little head sticking out to breathe.

When Qiao Qiao went to the hospital before, she was unconscious. Now, wrapped in Qiao Changdong's arms, she finally has time to fully appreciate the rural scenery that she missed so much in her previous life.

Qiaojia Village is not large, with only twenty or thirty households in the whole village.

In those days, everyone was poor, so the roads were full of potholes, and the houses along the way were mostly adobe houses, with a few red brick houses interspersed among them.

There weren't a single apartment building, at least not in the countryside.

The Qiao family used to live in mud-brick houses, but a couple of years ago, Qiao Changdong started driving long-distance trucks and made a lot of money. So he demolished the mud-brick houses on the Qiao family's land and rebuilt them into red brick houses.

They built a courtyard around the perimeter. Although it couldn't compare to the grand buildings in town, it was still considered modest in the countryside.

Grandma Qiao had four sons and one daughter. Her eldest son, Qiao Changqing, now works in Beijing. He joined the army after reaching adulthood and has never retired.

He found his partner himself; they met when he was in the army, and she accompanied him to Kyoto as part of the military.

The second son, Qiao Changcai, had little formal education but possessed great strength. He had been an apprentice at a martial arts school in his younger years. After marrying Mo Wenpei, the daughter of the martial arts school owner, they separated from the family and moved to the town.

Only the third son, Qiao Changhong, remained in Qiao Family Village. Because his grandmother was still alive, he and Qiao Changdong never separated their households and lived together.

Although the two families lived together, they ate separately.

Grandma Qiao currently eats and lives next to Qiao Changdong. Usually, the other three brothers and Qiao Xiaoyun contribute some grain, oil, rice and flour.

When the tricycle drove into the Qiao family's courtyard, Qiao Laosan was sitting in the main room smoking. Hearing the sound, he immediately looked over.

Also coming out was Fang Zhengnan, who was preparing lunch in the kitchen.

Fang Zhengnan was not tall and was a bit chubby. His face was tanned, and although he was dressed in coarse linen clothes, he was very clean.

She was standing at the kitchen door wearing an apron when she saw the two people on the tricycle and was surprised for a moment.

Then she took off her apron, casually draped it over the pile of firewood beside her, and walked over to ask, "Mom, Dongzi, why are you back so soon? I was just telling Lao San that I would go upstairs to see you after lunch."

Seeing that there were only two people on the tricycle, she hurriedly asked, "How is Qiaoqiao? Is she serious? She didn't come back because she was in the hospital..."

Before she could finish speaking, Qiao Changdong's bulging coat suddenly moved, and then a fluffy little head popped out from inside.

On the top of the little head's owner's head, there were a few tufts of hair that had been squeezed out by the gauze. They swayed three times as she popped out, which was incredibly cute.

"Third Aunt, I'm here." Qiao Qiao stretched out her little hand to greet her.

The little girl's face was flushed pink from being covered by Qiao Changdong's clothes, and her eyes were squinted into crescent shapes with joy. She looked absolutely adorable.

Looking at his little niece, Fang Zhengnan felt his heart melt.

She quickly wiped her hands on the hem of her clothes, then hugged the smiling little girl tightly, looking at the gauze on her head with heartache.

"Poor thing, my little darling has really suffered a lot. Does it hurt a lot? Let me blow on it for you, and it will stop hurting."

As Fang Zhengnan said this, he pouted and actually blew on the little girl's forehead, his eyes reddening.

After he finished speaking, he complained to Qiao Changdong in a tone of disapproval.

"Dongzi, why are you back today? Shouldn't you have been observed in the hospital longer? What if there are any long-term effects..."

She stopped mid-sentence, staring in astonishment at the large handprint on his cheek.

"Dongzi, what happened to your face...?"

"You were beaten up?" Qiao Changhong's brows furrowed deeply, thinking that he had been bullied outside.

"No, I took the picture by accident." Qiao Changdong casually touched his still slightly burning cheek.

He helped Grandma Qiao off the vehicle, paid the fare for the tricycle, and walked towards his house, saying as he went, "Brother, sister-in-law, you're busy. Make more food for lunch. I'll go and pack my things first."

"Are we going out again?" Fang Zhengnan asked, a little surprised, and chased after them for a few steps while holding Qiao Qiao in his arms.

She looked at the little girl in her arms, thought for a moment, and then said, "Dongzi, how about I take care of her for you for the time being?"

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