Chapter 177 His eyes were swollen from being hit.

Although he wasn't very well-educated, he knew that this property notarization meant that the money would still be under Yan Liti's control until Qiao Qiao came of age.

This can only be considered Yan Liti's statement to the Qiao family and Qiao Qiao.

Her statement undoubtedly solidified her credibility within the Qiao family and in Qiao Qiao's eyes, building upon her previous achievements.

The Qiao family has no right to comment.

Qiao Qiao herself only had a superficial understanding, but when she learned that she could use money to make Shen Qingrong half-dead, she had already begun to have wonderful fantasies about the future.

Qiao Changdong had one concern when he wanted to take over the hotel.

But Shen Qingyan told me that Baoyi City was about to launch a massive crackdown on organized crime.

With all previous concerns completely gone, the purchase of the hotel was finally settled.

After speaking with the hotel owner over the phone, I paid a deposit of five thousand yuan and was just waiting for the hotel owner to come from out of town to sign the contract.

Wu Yunkai was overjoyed when he heard the news.

They kept trying to get Qiao Changdong's attention, subtly and overtly probing whether a new batch of hotel staff would be replaced.

Wu Yunkai left happily only after Qiao Changdong made it clear that he would not change the hotel's operating model and would need Qiao's continued support in the future.

Of course, they worked even harder.

He seemed determined to impress his new boss with his professional skills.

Actually, there's nothing wrong with the hotel's operating system. If it weren't for those thugs causing trouble from time to time, the hotel would basically be profitable.

Qiao Changdong had absolutely no experience in this area, so of course he wouldn't rashly disrupt the existing business system.

On their way back from paying the deposit to the hotel owner at the bank, the father and daughter, who were walking like kangaroos carrying their babies and munching on roasted chestnuts like two hamsters, bumped into an acquaintance.

"Uncle Jiang?" Qiao Changdong called out tentatively, looking at the old man who was bent over with his back to them, holding an axe and hammering away at a cement slab with exposed steel bars at both ends.

Hearing Qiao Changdong's call, Qiao Qiao, who was huddled in her coat, munching on roasted chestnuts and occasionally throwing out the shells, was startled and then turned her head to look in the direction Qiao Changdong was looking.

She wasn't quite sure if the figure with his back to them was the old man from the Jiang family.

But she still obediently followed Qiao Changdong and called out, "Grandpa Jiang."

The old man seemed to recognize their voices, and was first taken aback, then his back stiffened.

He didn't turn around, but kept his back to them, and said in a surprised tone, "Brother Qiao, Qiao Wawa, it's you?"

"What's this?" Qiao Changdong looked at the old man's shriveled burlap sack beside him, then at the pile of cement slabs in front of him and the axe still clutched in his hand, and felt that the old man's back to him was a bit strange.

"What are you doing?" he asked, taking a step forward.

"Ah, the steel bars in here can be sold as scrap. I was just killing time anyway, so I came over and started tapping on them. Qiao Wawa, you guys are here playing again?"

The old man awkwardly put down his axe and explained somewhat embarrassedly.

But he didn't turn around. At the same time, as Qiao Changdong took a step in his direction, he slightly turned his body to the side, as if avoiding Qiao Changdong's gaze.

"Grandpa Jiang isn't selling sweet potatoes anymore?" Qiao Qiao peeked her head out completely from under Qiao Changdong's coat, also feeling that it was strange that the old man was facing away from them and not turning around to look at them.

"Ah, that doesn't sell well. Sweet potatoes aren't anything special. Even if you push them out to sell all day, you can't sell more than a few. So I'm too lazy to bother."

"I see." Qiao Changdong nodded, his gaze still fixed on the old man's back as he turned away from them with suspicion.

Just as I was about to ask him why he never turned around to look at them, I saw that familiar little bubble appear on his daughter's forehead.

The little person inside the bubble points to his mouth, which is locked by a zipper, with one hand, and holds up a whiteboard with the other.

The whiteboard had two words written on it: Surgery.

"Uncle Jiang, is the child's surgery ready?" Qiao Changdong asked as soon as he saw the little guy's prompt.

When Qiao Changdong asked about this, the old man remained silent for a long time.

Only after the father and daughter looked increasingly puzzled did he say, "We've already gone to the hospital for a checkup."

"The attending physician said that the weather is too cold now, and the family's living conditions are not very good, so it is easy to catch a cold, which leads to a decrease in resistance and causes wound infection."

"Since it's already this big, there's no rush to have surgery to remove it right away. We can wait until the weather is warmer, and having surgery in the spring will be better for recovery."

The old man spoke these words with his back to them the entire time.

“I see. Then when you have your surgery, you can go to that hotel up ahead and talk to the manager there, surnamed Wu.” Qiao Changdong said, taking another step forward.

But the old man reacted even faster and shifted his body to the side.

It was as if they simply didn't want to confront them.

Qiao Changdong frowned even more deeply.

He continued, seemingly oblivious to anything amiss, "If he needs any help, just have him contact me. Don't worry about the hassle; I'll let him know in advance."

"..."

This time, the only response the father and daughter received was the old man's suppressed sobs and his slightly trembling back.

Qiao Changdong took two big strides and stood in front of the old man. He stepped forward, grabbed the old man's arm that was across his body, and met the old man's gaze.

But this encounter made him gasp in shock.

Qiao Qiao in his arms was so shocked that she trembled all over and her face turned pale.

It had only been three or four days since I last saw the old man.

However, the elderly people's condition was completely different.

Last time, although the old man was dressed in tattered clothes, he was still in good spirits.

But in just a few days, the old man looked several years older, and his face was covered with bruises.

One of his eyes was so swollen that he could barely open it.

The old man noticed Qiao Qiao's reaction and realized that he had frightened her, so he quickly raised his sleeve to cover his face.

Qiao Changdong also noticed his daughter trembling in his arms, and first reached out to pat her back.

She gently comforted him, "Sweetie, don't be afraid, this is Grandpa Jiang we met before."

He frowned at the old man who was still covering his face with his sleeve, and asked in confusion, "Uncle Jiang, what's wrong...? Did something happen?"

The old man looked like he had been beaten up.

"I...I..."

The old man's eyes darted around, and he stammered, unsure how to answer.