novellhall Chapter 132 Giving Gifts to the Witch
Chapter 132 Giving Gifts to the Witch
There are no entertainment facilities in the village, and everyone basically goes to bed around eight o'clock.
Hearing Huo Jiyun's even breathing, Qiao An entered the space.
Qiao An was reassured that Huo Jiyun never woke up at night.
There was no night in the little world inside the space. She sat in the rest area of the bungalow, writing and drawing with a pen and paper.
The blueprints for the rail mounter were already in her mind; all she needed to do now was draw them.
However, as the saying goes, it is better to teach a man to fish than to give him a fish.
Qiao An recently gave Mo Yuxuan another gold bar. Besides paying her a shopping commission, she needed the remaining money to buy supplies.
Among them are reference books.
Fortunately, Mo Yuxuan majored in industrial design in college, and she knew many senior students studying industrial machinery. After asking around, Mo Yuxuan bought ten books and sent them to Qiao An.
Qiao An looked through them one by one; they were all full of valuable information, which should be incredibly precious materials for Zhao Zhengang and his team.
So Qiao An didn't rest after finishing the drawings, but continued to copy the book.
The original book, of course, cannot appear in this world.
This put Qiao An's hands in a difficult position; she hadn't written so diligently in years.
Qiao An did not copy the entire book verbatim, but instead recorded the key points and combined them with what she had learned in her previous life.
It could be said that the reference book rewritten by Qiao An is more authoritative than the one sent by Mo Yuxuan.
When Huo Jiyun woke up, he found Qiao An still curled up in bed sleeping.
He checked the time; it was already seven o'clock.
Qiao An would usually be up by this time. He didn't do anything last night, so why would he sleep in?
Huo Jiyun gently nudged her, and Qiao An, like a little quail, shrank her head into the blankets. "Let me sleep a little longer, I'm so sleepy."
His muffled voice is so cute.
Huo Jiyun lifted the blanket and gently pecked her on the cheek. "Go to sleep, I'll make you breakfast."
When Huo Jiyun returned to the room at nine o'clock, he found Qiao An still lying in bed.
"An'an, wake up! If you don't get up soon, it'll be lunchtime soon." Huo Jiyun said, blowing into her ear.
"Mmm," Joan hummed.
"Little lazy pig."
Huo Jiyun helped her up, and seeing that she wouldn't open her eyes, he simply helped her get dressed.
He swept her up in his arms and carried her to the main room to wash up.
After washing her face with warm water, Qiao An finally felt more refreshed.
She then realized that Huo Jiyun had carried her there, and that he was even wearing her clothes.
She was initially a little embarrassed, but then she thought about it and realized that since he had been taking such a hard time of her these past two nights, it was only right that she take care of him.
Qiao An couldn't eat breakfast, so she waited until noon and made a pot of braised pork rib noodles.
After everyone had finished eating, Qiao An pulled Huo Fang aside and said, "Fangfang, your second aunt wants to ask you one last question."
"Would you be willing to never be able to return to the Huo family again?"
"Would you be willing to never see Huo Jifeng and Shen Xiufang again in this lifetime?"
"Would you be willing to sever ties with them?"
Huo Fang only thought for a few seconds after being asked "Are you willing?" three times.
She nodded deeply. "Second Aunt, I'm willing."
"I know they only want a son. Even if I die, no one will care. I've been away from home for so many days, and they've never thought of looking for me. If she hadn't seen the money on me, she wouldn't have spoken to me at all."
"Second Aunt, I know you and Second Uncle are good to me, so to me you are my parents, and they are just the people who gave me life."
Huo Fang's words didn't sound like something a child her age would say.
Qiao An felt heartbroken when she heard her say that.
Children who are precocious are often more sensitive.
"With your words, your second aunt can rest assured," Qiao An said softly in her ear as she hugged her.
In the afternoon, while the children were napping, Qiao An took some dried goods, fruits, and snack boxes from home and put them into an opaque cloth bag.
She went out by herself, which Huo Fang found strange.
If we are going to Secretary Tian's house, my second uncle should go with us.
But if she doesn't go to Secretary Tian's house, where will Second Aunt go?
Huo Fang had no idea that Qiao An had come out today because of her.
In the north of Lianchi Village, there is a family surnamed Dai.
Dai Youfeng is over eighty years old and is a well-known sorceress in the surrounding villages.
People often come to see her because of her reputation, and this has never stopped even during these turbulent years.
She can exorcise evil spirits from children, tell fortunes, and analyze birth charts.
Qiao An came to Dai Youfeng's house today.
After knocking a few times, a young married woman opened the door.
She is Ai Ling, the granddaughter-in-law of Dai Youfeng.
"You are...you are Qiao An?" Ai Ling had only been married into the Dai family for three months.
In the past three months, the person I've heard the most about is Qiao An.
He attacked people with a knife, verbally and physically abused his parents-in-law, and violently beat his sisters-in-law.
In short, to Ai Ling, Qiao An was a monster, the most domineering daughter-in-law in the entire Lianchi Village.
Upon seeing Qiao An, Ai Ling's first thought was, "Has no one in the family bothered her?"
They live in different villages, one in the north and the other in the south, and they don't see each other very often.
Why did she come to my house during the Chinese New Year?
Ai Ling's face turned from white to blue, then blue to red, and finally red to purple.
It was as if a dye vat was having a meeting on her face.
Joanne couldn't help but laugh out loud.
"Am I that scary?"
Hearing the voice, Ai Ling snapped out of her reverie and quickly asked, "Um... what brings you to my house?"
Who are you looking for?
Ai Ling did not move the door open while she was speaking.
It was obvious that she didn't really want Joanne to go in.
"I'm looking for Grandma Dai."
"Looking for Grandma?" Ai Ling breathed a sigh of relief.
People who visit Grandma are usually asking for her help, so they certainly wouldn't cause trouble at her house.
"Then come in."
Ai Ling stepped aside, and Qiao An entered the room carrying a cloth bag.
"Grandma usually lives here." Ai Ling led Qiao An to the east room of the main house.
There was also a door outside the east room, which must have been opened specifically for Dai Youfeng.
When Qiao An entered the room, she saw an old woman sitting cross-legged on the kang (a heated brick bed).
She was also holding a string of prayer beads in her hand.
The bracelet had been polished until it was shiny.
Although Dai Youfeng is very old, she is much better preserved than the old ladies in the village because she has not worked in the fields for many years.
Her skin looked even better than Liu Huying's.
"Grandma Dai, I am Qiao An from the south of the village, the daughter-in-law of the second branch of the Huo family," Qiao An said softly as she sat down.
After she finished speaking, she looked at Ai Ling.
Ai Ling was sensible and quietly left the room, closing the door behind her.
Dai Youfeng opened her eyes upon hearing the sound.
His eyes were calm and still, like a deep pool or an old well, as if he could see right through a person at a glance.
"So you're Qiao An. I've been married into Lianchi Village for so many years, and this is the first time I've ever met you."
Dai Youfeng's withered lips opened and closed, her voice hoarse, like a broken bellows.
"Grandma Dai, isn't it almost Chinese New Year? I want to visit the villagers more often and come to see you."
Joanne took out the gifts from the bag one by one and put them away, then opened the snack box in front of her.
Ten large unity sheets were exposed on the oil paper.
One hundred yuan is undoubtedly a huge sum of money for people living in rural areas.
When Dai Youfeng saw the money, she was stunned for a moment.
He immediately understood Qiao An's purpose.
"Speak, what do you want from me?"