Chapter 285: Not here to break up families, but to join them.

Lunar New Year's Eve.

For the people of China, if they had to choose the most important day out of the 365 days of the year, it would probably be Lunar New Year's Eve.

This is a day that represents happiness and family reunion.

On this day, people no matter where they are, will do their best to return home and spend the day with their families.

For children.

This is also the happiest and most joyful day.

Delicious food, fun activities, new clothes—it had everything! It was the happiest day of the year.

Although Qiao Qiao and Qiao Changdong slept in a tenement building, they rushed back to Qiaojia Village before dawn.

According to the customs of Qiaojia Village, people worship their ancestors early in the morning.

Construction on the new house stopped yesterday and will resume after the third day of the Lunar New Year.

Qiao Qiao usually wakes up around eight o'clock, but it's really not good to sleep in on New Year's Eve. It's not that she doesn't want to, but people start setting off firecrackers before dawn.

The noise comes from the east, then from the west, or sometimes all at once from all directions, making it impossible to sleep.

She could only get up, open her eyes wide, sit on a small stool, eat minced meat dumplings, and look at the men preparing ancestral offerings at the entrance of the main room.

To pay respects to one's ancestors, one must go to the ancestral graves, and the whole family must go.

Qiao Qiao ate about two glutinous rice balls. After she was full, she went with her family to the Qiao family ancestral graves.

The Qiao family ancestral graves are the ancestral graves of the entire Qiao family village.

As the Qiao family walked along the very edge of the village, they encountered many neighbors on the way to the plot of land located at the very end of the village.

Yan Liti and Shen Qingyan also came.

Upon seeing the two people, some neighbors couldn't contain their curiosity and asked the Qiao family who they were.

Prior to this, some people in the village had asked, but at that time the paternity test results had not yet been released, and the Qiao family only told outsiders that they were distant relatives.

When asked about it now, the Qiao family openly tells them that this is their granddaughter's biological grandmother and father. Due to some reasons, the child was lost outside, and after several years of searching, she has finally been found.

"Huh? This is Qiaoqiao's biological grandmother and father?" Everyone was shocked when they heard this.

First, I was shocked that Yan Liti looked so young, yet she was already old enough to be a grandmother.

Secondly, they were shocked. They had discussed it many times behind the scenes and made many guesses about the identities of the two people, but they never expected it to be this possibility.

Yan Liti has visited Qiaojia Village many times, and the villagers have speculated about her origins.

The most common guess is that she might be some kind of relative from Grandma Qiao's maternal side.

Grandma Qiao wasn't a local from Qiaojia Village; she was a child who had been stranded there during the war, as everyone in the village knew.

Therefore, this is the most common speculation about Yan Liti.

They never expected that Yan Liti was actually Qiao Qiao's biological grandmother!

They then looked at Shen Qingyan, who was holding Qiao Qiao. He was dressed in military uniform, with handsome features, outstanding temperament, and imposing presence.

Thinking about those military vehicles that have been frequently driving into the village lately, I can't help but feel both envious and sour.

Even a blind man could see that the relatives of Qiao's granddaughter were definitely powerful and influential!

Some people even wondered, "No wonder Qiao Changdong, that petty thug, was able to spend so much money to buy land in town and build such a big house. How much benefit did he get from that?!"

Thinking of this, the envious person couldn't help but feel regretful, thinking that they used to often come and go at the village entrance, so why didn't they find this girl back then?

At this moment, they completely forgot how they used to laugh at Qiao Changdong for picking up and raising a baby girl.

Some people even asked directly: "So, is Qiao Qiao going to go with them from now on? Is she going to be taken back? Will she come back?"

“We have indeed become relatives, but my son and I are not here to break up this family. We are here to join this family! From now on, we are members of the Qiao family who are not related by blood! A loving family!” Yan Liti answered first.

"..." The villagers.

Upon hearing this, the villagers all looked at Yan Liti with strange expressions.

I just felt that what he said sounded so awkward.

Of course, the Qiao family has never cared what the villagers think.

They exchanged a few casual words with the villagers and continued walking towards their ancestral graves. Twenty minutes later, they finally arrived at their destination.

Grandpa Qiao's grave is separate.

Grandpa Qiao and Grandma Qiao are buried together.

The whole process of setting out offerings, setting off firecrackers, and kneeling in worship took nearly half an hour.

After the Qiao family finished their ancestral worship ceremony and were about to leave, Yan Liti and Shen Qingyan went over alone. Yan Liti bowed, and Shen Qingyan performed a kneeling ceremony.

To the Qiao family.

Yan Liti and Shen Qingyan were genuinely grateful.

This gratitude cannot be expressed in words.

Seeing the powerful and influential Shen Qingyan kneel and pay homage to his elders, the Qiao family was deeply moved.

When they returned, the relationship between the two families became even closer.

Even Qiao Changdong, who had always looked at his beloved son's father with a rather unfriendly gaze, found the other man much more agreeable.

He even said to people, "Since that's the case, then I'll reluctantly invite you to my house to celebrate the New Year together. But let's make it clear first, I'm the dad of the adorable baby, and you can only be—the little dad!"

Qiao Changdong felt there was no room for negotiation on this point.

As he spoke, Qiao Changdong reached out and put his arm around the other person's shoulder, as if they were old friends.

But before they could even get on, Shen Qingyan dodged to the side.

"..." Qiao Changdong.

He awkwardly waved his arm, which had been flailing about in mid-air.

Smiling face: "Okay, then pretend I didn't say anything. Chief Shen, go wherever you want! My daughter is mine alone!"

After saying this, Qiao Changdong turned around, grabbed Qiao Qiao who was being led by Yan Liti and Li Wenyan, and ran away.

"Daddy, Daddy!" The little girl was startled when she was suddenly picked up, but soon she was being carried by a father and running against the wind, with another father chasing after her like a cat. She laughed heartily, overjoyed.

The little girl's laughter was clear and crisp, like the most beautiful nursery rhyme in this winter, full of joy, and everyone who heard it couldn't help but smile.

The group returned to the Qiao family home amidst laughter and cheerful conversation.

The New Year's Eve dinner in Qiaojia Village is at noon. After returning home, the family begins to divide the work and work together to prepare the New Year's Eve dinner.

Women are in charge of the kitchen, preparing delicious dishes.

Men are responsible for external affairs, doing dirty and tiring work such as slaughtering chickens and ducks, gutting fish, and washing vegetables.

The older boys, along with their beloved little sisters, were running around in the yard, playing with the fireworks and firecrackers that Shen Qingyan had bought for them—several large boxes in total.