He had given the property deed to his younger daughter out of fear that he would pass on before Ding Jiayi, who would have only one daughter, Qiao Zijin. Then, there would be no one to take care of her, and worse still, she might not even have a roof over her head.

  But these were just Qiao Dongliang’s own suspicions. There was no way Qiao Dongliang could express those suspicions of Qiao Zijin being an unfilial daughter out loud. It would just be embarrassing himself since he and Ding Jiayi were the ones who had raised such a heartless daughter.

  Qiao Dongliang knew that even if he were bold enough to say so, Ding Jiayi had already been poisoned by Qiao Zijin. Even if he was willing to rationalize with Ding Jiayi, she had to be willing to hear him out. Now, Ding Jiayi was unwilling to listen to anything. Her daughter, Qiao Zijin, was the best thing in the world.

  That was why Qiao Dongliang had not bothered wasting his breath on Ding Jiayi.

  He had taken such an effort to find a way out for Ding Jiayi on the account of their years of marriage. But who would have known that Ding Jiayi herself would try to destroy that path?

  In the face of Ding Jiayi, who was so foolish, Qiao Dongliang had the urge to let Ding Jiayi drive herself into the ditch. Very soon, however, Qiao Dongliang calmed down, knowing that he could not let her do so.

  If his elder daughter truly did not care about Ding Jiayi, she would not care about her own reputation either. Of course, his elder daughter did not have much of a reputation to begin with. His elder daughter could abandon Ding Jiayi, but would his younger daughter do so? The heavens were always watching one’s actions. His younger daughter was nowhere as heartless and vicious as his elder daughter.

  When Ding Jiayi became a problem, she would be his younger daughter’s problem.

  \r \r \r

  Qiao Dongliang had insisted on giving Qiao Nan the courtyard not only to give Ding Jiayi a solid insurance plan for her old age but also to avoid any possible trouble that might arise because of Ding Jiayi.

  It was unavoidable that Zhai Hua had overheard the Qiao family’s quarrels since Zhai Hua had intentionally taken the route past the Qiao family’s house. Zhai Hua stroked her chin. “Does that mean that the Qiao family knows where Qiao Nan lives?”

  Should she give Qiao Nan a call to let her prepare? Wait a minute. Just a few days earlier, had Zhai Sheng not called her mom, saying that Qiao Nan had moved? If they were really going to Qingshui Town, they had better not find Qiao Nan at her old address. Qiao Nan was not there. She wondered if the Qiao family had Qiao Nan’s old address or her new one.

  Before Zhai Hua could come to a conclusion, someone had already delivered the answer right in front of her. “Yes, Uncle Qiao?”

  Looking at the person before her, Zhai Hua wondered what Qiao Nan’s father could be asking for. On Qiao Nan’s account, she had no choice but to address him as ‘uncle’.

  Qiao Dongliang’s expression was awkward. He was clear that he was in no position to be addressed as an ‘uncle’, and Zhai Hua was simply being polite. “I-I know that Nan Nan stayed at your place for a few days. Don’t worry. I’m not here to find out about Nan Nan. I know that Nan Nan has had it tough, and I’m really grateful that you guys are willing to help her.”

  The courtyard had been abuzz about Qiao Zijin’s uremia initially, but Ding Jiayi had not heard about it and neither could Qiao Zijin care less about it. It was Qiao Dongliang who had heard most about it.

  When he heard the rumors that his younger daughter had gotten close to the Zhai family and had even gotten together with the Zhai family’s son, who was a chief, Qiao Dongliang could not help but feel excited and overjoyed. Nan Nan was already forty. Even if she was only twenty-four, with their family background, how could she ever get acquainted with the Zhai family?

  Those people had to be joking and were trying to make the Qiao family into jokes themselves!

  Even though the Qiao family had indeed gone through some embarrassing times, Qiao Dongliang was not so shameless to think that Qiao Nan had indeed gotten close to the Zhai family just because of these rumors.

  Qiao Dongliang had never even once considered that Qiao Nan could have gotten together with Zhai Sheng. He simply thought that Qiao Nan had encountered some trouble after moving out, and the Zhai family had happened to help her. The Zhai family was an old revolutionary family, and Zhai Sheng was a chief. It was normal for them to help others out when they were in trouble.

  That was his younger daughter’s relationship with the Zhai family.

  After hearing the humility and ‘self-awareness’ in Qiao Dongliang’s words, Zhai Hua’s lips twitched and she did not know how to continue the conversation. Perhaps, it could be a simple misunderstanding if it had happened to someone else. But with Qiao Nan, it was not as simple as a misunderstanding.

  However, she could not possibly say anything about that at this point in time. Zhai Hua cleared her throat. “Uncle Qiao, have you come to find me just to convey your thanks?”

  That could not be. Just a few minutes earlier, she had walked past the Qiao family’s house and had heard them having a huge argument. It had been just a matter of a few minutes. They could not possibly have solved their problems by now.

  “I have no other intentions. I just want you to help me out by making a call to our Nan Nan. I-I’m really useless. Just tell Nan Nan that her mom and her sister have gone to find her. It takes about two to three hours to get to Qingshui Town from Ping Cheng. If it’s possible, it’ll be best for her to hide or move away.”

  There was actually no need for Nan Nan to live such a tough life, trying her best to hide from her family as though she had committed a crime. But there was no choice since this was how their family was. Since Nan Nan had already hidden from them once, she would just have to do it again.

  “Oh. They’ve set off.” Zhai Hua nodded. No wonder Uncle Qiao had come to find her within a few minutes’ time. “Uncle Qiao, can I know which address they’ve gone to find Qiao Nan at?” At least, she could find out if the Qiao family had Qiao Nan’s old address or new address.

  Ever since finding out where Qiao Nan lived, Qiao Dongliang had never bought a bus ticket to Qingshui. However, he had memorized Qiao Nan’s address. The moment Zhai Hua asked, Qiao Dongliang immediately said it so smoothly as though he was saying his name.

  Upon hearing that address, Zhai Hua smiled. “I see. If that’s where they’re headed, there’s no need to worry, Uncle Qiao. They won’t find her there. Qiao Nan had some trouble and moved away a month ago. Her current address is a little far from that address you just told me.”

  “She moved?” Qiao Dongliang’s eyes twinkled and he heaved a sigh of relief. “That’s good. Then, Nan Nan…… I don’t have anything else. Thank you.”

  “You’re welcome. Uncle Qiao, you can always come to find me if you have any matters regarding Qiao Nan in the future.”