Jiang Si took a closer look—the basin contained rice, flour, dried noodles, and some frozen pork, beef, and lamb, rock-hard from the cold. There were also five or six yellow croakers and two live chickens.
Oh, she almost forgot—some time ago, when the Huo Family came to propose marriage, they had also brought two white geese, which were still being kept in the yard!
Before Jiang Si could finish taking stock of everything, Uncle Zhong spoke up again.
"There’s still plenty of vegetables left—potatoes, radishes, and cabbage, each with over half a basket remaining."
"As for alcohol, there should be about 10 pounds, and around 20 pounds of mixed candies and sunflower seeds. Cigarettes? Two and a half cartons left…"
Third Elder Uncle gave a hum of acknowledgment before turning to Jiang Si. "These are all the leftovers from your wedding banquet. Take them back with you later."
As he spoke, he untied the keychain from his waist.
There were two sets of keys to this courtyard—one had already been given to Jiang Si some time ago.
"Take this key back and give it to your mother-in-law."
Jiang Si understood his meaning but pushed the keys back. "Third Elder Uncle, they won’t come to live here."
To her surprise, Third Elder Uncle clicked his tongue and pressed the keys back into her palm.
"A house left empty ages quickly. Believe me, if no one lives here for three months, the weeds in the yard will grow taller than a person."
"And these doors, windows, and beams—they’ll all rot over time."
"It’d be such a shame to let such a fine house go to waste."
He added, "Old Ninth may have arranged for people to keep an eye on it, but they don’t live in this area. There’ll always be things they miss."
With Third Elder Uncle insisting like this, Jiang Si had no choice but to accept the keys.
"Then I’ll go back and talk to them about it."
"Good. Hurry back now."
When they left in the morning, the two of them had gone empty-handed.
But after spending most of the day out, the trunk of the jeep was nearly overflowing.
Seeing them hauling back so many things, Grandpa Huo and Grandma Huo were so astonished they didn’t know what to say.
Finally, the elderly couple turned their gazes to Huo Tingzhou. "You went to your in-laws’ house—how did you end up clearing out their entire kitchen?"
Thankfully, Jiang Si explained quickly, or else he would’ve faced undeserved blame.
After hearing the full story, Grandma Huo sighed, though not without a hint of admiration.
"To have such good in-laws—Tingzhou, you should be counting your blessings."
Noticing the shift in her tone, Jiang Si looked puzzled. "Grandma, what’s wrong?"
Grandma Huo didn’t hide it from her.
Turns out, not long after the two of them had left the compound that morning, the Ling Family had gone to the Yu Family.
"This time, Old Master Ling didn’t show up. It was Madam Ling and a few of the Ling daughters who came."
"They already knew about the Yu Family’s youngest daughter running away from the marriage and disappearing. Today, they came to discuss calling off the engagement."
At this, Grandma Huo sighed again.
"When those two families first decided on the marriage alliance, everyone in the compound saw just how eager the Ling Family was."
"And now, after just a few days, they’re turning their backs without a second thought."
Jiang Si pressed her lips together. "Did things get ugly between them?"
Grandma Huo nodded. "Ugly doesn’t even cover it—it nearly escalated beyond control."
"Yu Changqing is usually such a restrained man, but today, he was so furious he threw a punch at the eldest son of the Ling Family."
"With that one punch, I’d say the two families are now sworn enemies."
"Serves that brat right," Old Master Huo snorted.
"That girl’s fate is still unknown, and the Ling Family immediately starts talking about reputation—that’s like twisting a knife in their hearts."
Though he wasn’t fond of Yu Changqing either, the Ling Family was even worse.
"Enough, let’s not talk about them."
Bringing up scum like that was just bad luck, Old Master Huo thought.
Grandma Huo felt the same. "By the way, Si, when you went to the police station today, did your Fourth Uncle mention how far along the investigation is?"
Since it wasn’t a secret, Jiang Si shared what she knew.
"By the time I left, the police task force had already set out. They even brought sniffer dogs—there should be news by today."
"That’s good," Grandma Huo said. "As long as she’s alive, nothing else matters."
Then she turned to the young couple. "You’ve been running around all day—go rest in your room for a while."
Having been out all morning, Jiang Si was indeed exhausted.
After saying goodbye to the grandparents, she and Huo Tingzhou headed upstairs.
"If you’re tired, sleep first. I’ll take care of the luggage…"
Before Huo Tingzhou could finish, Jiang Si tugged at him. "Sleep with me."
Rarely hearing her ask so directly, Huo Tingzhou didn’t hesitate—he scooped her up and carried her to bed. "Sleep."
Though her mind was still preoccupied, Jiang Si had expected to lie awake. Yet, within five minutes, her breathing evened out into a light slumber.
By the time she woke, the sky outside had darkened considerably.
Huo Tingzhou was crouched on the floor, quietly organizing their luggage.
"What time is it?"
Perhaps from oversleeping, Jiang Si’s head felt foggy.
Seeing her drooping and listless, Huo Tingzhou immediately set down what he was doing.
In one long stride, he was at the bedside, pulling her into his arms while gently massaging her temples.
Only when Jiang Si repeated her question did he answer softly, "Almost six-thirty."
So she’d slept for three and a half hours. Jiang Si glanced up. "Why didn’t you wake me?"
His odd expression and silence told her everything—he probably had tried, but she’d slept right through it.
Well, during her period, she did tend to sleep more deeply.
Patting his hand, she signaled for him to stop. "Are Mom and Dad back yet?"
Huo Tingzhou shook his head. "Haven’t heard anything—probably not."
Sure enough, when they went downstairs after packing, only Second Brother and Fourth Brother’s family were in the living room.
Jiang Si looked around, surprised. "Where are Grandpa and Grandma?"
"They went out for a walk," Second Brother said, though even he found the excuse flimsy—who’d stroll outside in this cold?
They waited in the living room until past eight, but the elderly couple still hadn’t returned.
Jiang Si turned to Huo Tingzhou. "Take a flashlight and go meet them."
After a pause, she added, "Actually, I’ll come with you."
Huo Tingzhou didn’t object. Flashlight in hand, they set off toward Old Master Huo’s usual haunt—the Wang Family’s place.
Halfway there, the sound of an approaching car made them stop.
Recognizing it as a police vehicle, Jiang Si and Huo Tingzhou paused.
Unexpectedly, the car slowed to a halt beside them.
The window rolled down, revealing a face drained of color, twisted in fear.
It was Yu Manli.
Her first words, choked with sobs, were: "Thank you… thank you…"
Overwhelmed, her tears fell like broken strings of pearls—unstoppable.
Yet Jiang Si’s reaction remained eerily calm.
She wasn’t that noble—not after what the Yu Family had done behind the scenes.
She hadn’t forgotten, nor would she ever.
And she certainly wouldn’t let Yu Manli’s single word of thanks erase it all.
She simply believed that revenge or retaliation should come from her own hands, not some strange man, and certainly not at the expense of a woman’s dignity.
So, when faced with Yu Manli’s tearful, grateful apology, her heart remained unmoved.
Yet the next day, after hearing Mother Huo recount the details of Yu Manli’s abduction, Jiang Si was genuinely shocked.
Who knew the girl could be so fierce?
She had indeed been deceived and nearly trafficked.
But at the critical moment, she’d kept her wits about her.
Yu Manli had actually kicked Wang Dachui so hard he was left incapacitated.
If not for that—well, the consequences didn’t bear thinking about.
Just as Jiang Si was struggling to process this, Mother Huo dropped another bombshell.
Early that morning, Yu Changqing had withdrawn from the military’s top leadership race, citing health reasons!
