Chapter 727 - 723: Giving Money

Just as everyone was marveling at how exquisite Gu Jiaojiao’s garden was, Chen JianShe squeezed his way through the crowd.

He was delighted to see Jiang Baishu.

"Bai Shu, it’s really you! You’re back."

Chen JianShe and Jiang Baishu were what you could call childhood playmates. Back then, Chen JianShe’s health was poor, so he couldn’t attend school. Whatever Jiang Baishu learned at school, he would come back and teach to Chen JianShe.

However, Jiang Baishu’s grades were only average, and he often taught Chen JianShe things incorrectly.

It was only after meeting Leng Yuan that Chen JianShe realized just how much his friend had been holding him back.

Still, Chen JianShe cherished the memory of their friendship, and he was thrilled to see Jiang Baishu again.

Jiang Baishu smiled as well.

"Yeah! I’m back."

Looking at Jiang Baishu’s face, Chen JianShe felt a sense of familiarity and couldn’t help but ask, "Have we met before?"

Jiang Baishu flatly denied it. "No, I just got back."

Previously, he had been undercover in a human traffickers’ den. He was the traffickers’ second-in-command that Gu Jiaojiao and the others had encountered, but his face had been disguised at the time. He looked different than he did now, though there was a faint resemblance in his bearing.

This matter couldn’t be spoken of publicly, or it would cause a great deal of trouble, so Jiang Baishu had to deny it.

However, he had been promoted because of this incident.

He now held the rank of major.

Chen Beiguo looked at the insignia on Jiang Baishu’s shoulder, very satisfied. "Not bad, not bad. You haven’t let the Qingshan Team down."

Just as they were talking, Sweet Girl and Xiao Yang returned, carrying wicker baskets on their backs.

The two of them had each gathered two large baskets of pig feed, earning four work points.

As they neared their front door, they saw a crowd gathered there and thought something had happened to their family.

The two of them immediately pushed through the crowd to get inside, where they saw the courtyard was also full of people. In addition to the villagers, their big brother and sister, there was a strange yet familiar figure.

"Eldest Brother."

Sweet Girl called out tentatively.

Jiang Baishu turned around at once. Seeing Sweet Girl and Xiao Yang, his eyes instantly grew red.

"Sweet Girl, Xiao Yang..."

Sweet Girl had been old enough to remember him when Jiang Baishu left, so they shared a bond. Seeing her brother back now, she was overcome with emotion.

Xiao Yang, however, didn’t approach. He stood in place for a moment before running directly to Gu Jiaojiao’s side and grabbing her hand.

Seeing this, Gu Jiaojiao patted Xiao Yang’s head. "Your eldest brother is back."

Xiao Yang pressed his lips together and didn’t speak.

The team leader was gratified to see the family reunited.

"Now that you’re back, you must properly thank Leng Yuan and Gu Zhiqing. If it weren’t for them, your younger sister and brother wouldn’t have been able to go to school."

The team leader stuck to the positives. He didn’t say a single word about how Xiao Yang had nearly been sold by Lin Jiandong, or how the man had also coveted the Jiang family’s house.

Lin Jiandong and Chen Shulan were also in the crowd. When they saw that Jiang Baishu was alive—and what’s more, appeared to be a man of rank and was physically imposing—they instinctively shrank back in guilt.

They knew they couldn’t let Jiang Baishu find out that they had almost sold Xiao Yang. Otherwise, the two of them would face serious consequences.

Jiang Baishu knew the team leader meant well and nodded hastily. "I’ve already been told about Sweet Girl and Xiao Yang. Part of the reason I came back was to thank Brother Leng and Sister-in-law."

As he spoke, Jiang Baishu took out five hundred yuan from his pocket and handed it to Gu Jiaojiao. "Sister-in-law, this is the money I’ve saved over the past few years—five hundred yuan. Thank you for taking care of Sweet Girl and Xiao Yang. Please accept this as a small token of my appreciation."

’As their eldest brother, he already felt incredibly guilty for being unable to care for his younger siblings personally. Of course, he couldn’t let Brother Leng foot the bill for their expenses.’