Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios

  “Is Qiao Nan crazy? Why would she act in a fit of pique and go back alone in the middle of the night, putting herself at risk?”

  “Is it so serious? There aren’t so many bad people around. Nothing will happen to her.” Ding Jiayi was dumbfounded. She had not thought of this.

  Qiao Zijin sneered. “If there aren’t so many bad guys, why do we need so many policemen? That said, there is no need for people like Zhai Sheng then. You watch television and news every day. Don’t you know what it’s like?”

  No bad guys?

  There were too many bad guys in this world.

  Qiao Nan was really crazy!

  “Okay, let’s not scare ourselves. There may be bad guys around, but Qiao Nan is very lucky. We can only hope that bad fortune will not befall our family.” Qiao Zijin rubbed her forehead. “It’s not that easy for something to happen to Qiao Nan. It is as difficult as winning the lottery.”

  “That’s right. It won’t happen. As they say, whom the gods love dies young, while a bad thing never dies. Nothing will happen to that wretched girl. Since I am already up, I will make breakfast.” Even though Old Qiao had gone back, she and Zijin still need to eat. “Zijin, do you want to eat sweet or salty glutinous rice balls?”

  “Sweet.”

  “Alright, the fillings are ready-made. I will go make glutinous rice balls now.” Since Qiao Zijin said nothing would happen, Ding Jiayi put her mind at ease. She was not worried about Qiao Nan at all.

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  On the contrary, Qiao Dongliang who was in Zhai Sheng’s car could not seem to sit still. He kept fidgeting as if there were nails on the seat.

  Zhai Sheng could tell from his peripheral vision that Qiao Dongliang was fidgety. He did not know what to say to him.

  “Zhai Sheng, thank you.” As soon as the car reached their house, Qiao Dongliang opened the door right away and dashed into the house. “Nan Nan? Nan Nan?”

  At the entrance of the small quad, Qiao Dongliang saw the wet and frosty bed sheets and blanket that were hung out to dry. Qiao Dongliang could tell from the pattern that they belonged to Qiao Nan.

  Since the bed sheets and the blanket were washed, it showed that Nan Nan must be at home. The sun was not out yet. The bedding would freeze if brought out to dry. Hence, he deduced that Nan Nan had just washed it not too long ago, which meant that Nan Nan reached home safely yesterday.

  Qiao Dongliang sighed with relief after ascertaining that Nan Nan was alright. “Nan Nan, why did you come back without a word? You gave me a scare.”

  “Nan Nan?” Knowing that Qiao Nan was safe and sound, Qiao Dongliang lowered his voice and went to Qiao Nan’s room.

  Qiao Dongliang opened the door gently and saw a small lump on Qiao Nan’s bed. Under the blanket laid Qiao Nan who was fast asleep. Qiao Dongliang finally put his mind at ease.

  Qiao Nan who had been asleep for a long time heard someone calling her. She opened her eyes slowly and called out softly, “Dad, you are back.”

  “Nan Nan, why didn’t you tell me that you went home?” Since Qiao Nan had woken up, Qiao Dongliang simply sat on her bedside. “Why did you wash the bed sheets and blanket early in the morning? Didn’t you wash them not long ago? Are you feeling unwell?” Qiao Dongliang reached out his hands and touched Qiao Nan’s forehead. Her temperature was normal.

  “I don’t feel very good but I’m alright now.” The discomfort that she felt on the first day of her menses had disappeared. Her legs and back were not as sore as before. “Dad, I will get up now.”

  “Alright. Hurry up. I will make breakfast for you.”

  After shutting Qiao Nan’s door, Qiao Dongliang turned and almost bumped into Zhai Sheng. “Zhai Sheng, you have not left? Thank you very much for the ride. You should get going.”

  He just kicked Zhai Hua to the curb after she had outlived her usefulness. He did not expect that he would receive the same treatment. “No need to worry. I am here to look for Nan Nan. It was just nice that I could give Uncle Qiao a ride.”

  “Look for Nan Nan?” Qiao Dongliang felt a pang of jealousy when he heard how Zhai Sheng called Qiao Nan. “Why are you looking for Nan Nan? Is it because of the money that you lent to Nan Nan previously? You can rest assured. I will definitely return the money. Nan Nan said that she has written an IOU. Since Nan Nan borrowed the money for me, and she is still a young student who does not have the ability to earn money, can you draft another IOU? I will return you the money.”

  Qiao Dongliang almost forgot that his family still owed Zhai Sheng more than a thousand yuan. Zhai Sheng was their creditor.

  Zhai Sheng’s eyes flashed. He looked composed, unlike Qiao Dongliang who was nervous. “There’s no need to draft another IOU. What Nan Nan has written is sufficient.”

  “Brother Zhai, why are you……” Qiao Nan dressed herself and came out. She was shocked to see Zhai Sheng.

  It had not been half an hour since Auntie Miao left and Brother Zhai was here after her. Were they playing hide-and-seek?

  “My mom told me to bring these over.” Zhai Sheng pointed to the two big sacks on the ground. “One sack contains Xinjiang jujubes, raisins, and the walnuts. The other sack contains fresh winter jujubes and sesame seeds. You can peel the walnuts and grind them together with the sesame seeds into powder. You must have more of them. It is good for you.”

  Sesame walnut powder was good for the brain.

  As for the fresh and dried jujubes, it went without saying that they were for Qiao Nan to nourish the blood.

  “How can we accept your kindness?” Before Qiao Nan could say anything, Qiao Dongliang spoke up. “Previously, you lent Nan Nan a big sum of money. Without that money, I wouldn’t be standing here today. If not for our family background, we should have visited your house with gifts. How can we still accept things from your family? This won’t do.”

  Qiao Dongliang not only refused but also took the initiative to bring the two big sacks of dried food onto Zhai Sheng’s car.

  However, although Zhai Sheng took no effort in bringing the sacks in, Qiao Dongliang noticed that they were very heavy when he tried to lift the sacks.

  Zhai Sheng took the two sacks from Qiao Dongliang and put them on the ground, lest Qiao Dongliang sprained himself. “Uncle Qiao, you must not stand on ceremony with me. We have a lot of these at home. Chairman Mao said being wasteful is shameful. There are only a few of us at home, and we cannot finish all these. If we keep them at home, it will be spoiled. As for the people in the quad, it is inconvenient to share it with them. Uncle Qiao, you must accept them. You are doing us a favor so that we will not waste so much food.”

  “Yes, Dad. The dried food is suitable for me. I have a hard time studying. Walnuts and sesame seeds that are grounded into powder are just nice for me.” Qiao Nan stood by Zhai Sheng’s side and spoke up for him.

  The two sacks of dried food meant nothing to the Zhai family. Just like what Brother Zhai said, they would not be able to finish all of them and it would be a waste.

  Furthermore, Brother Zhai was being good to her. Qiao Nan had no wish and no reason to refuse.