Qiu Tong asked softly, not understanding why the three children had suddenly become so strange.
Qiu Xingyu turned his head away, looking as if he did not want to talk to her. Qiu Xingqiao and Qiu Xingyu stood on the same side as their elder brother and remained silent.
Qiu Tong gently pulled Qiu Xingyuan over and forcefully pulled his hands in front of her.
“Let me see.”
Qiu Xingyuan’s hidden item was actually a photo.
Jagged lines ran across the photo. It was obvious that someone had torn the photo apart and pieced it back together with tape.
Qiu Tong looked at the photo in her hand. Her heart filled with shock as memories flashed across her mind.
It was a photo of a woman and a middle-aged man.
The woman had a beautiful face, lively eyes and was in high spirits. It was Qiu Tong from a few years ago.
The middle-aged man beside her stood tall and straight. He had a scholarly aura which was very appealing.
And the reason for her shock was that this man actually looked exactly like her late father!
Qiu Tong looked at the picture with a complicated expression. She had not inherited Qiu Tong’s memory, so she did not know Qiu Rong’s appearance and temperament. The only information she knew was based on the book’s description of Qiu Rong.
She couldn’t help but feel a little strange. She felt that some things were really too coincidental.
“This is… your grandfather?”
“Give the photo back to me.”
Qiu Xingyuan looked at Qiu Tong’s profound gaze and panicked. He was afraid that she would tear the photo apart again, so he pounced on her, preparing to snatch the photo away.
Qiu Tong stood up and raised the photo high above her head. She looked down at the jumping child and asked seriously.
“Where did you get this photo? And why did you keep it?”
“As long as you tell the truth, I will return the photo to you.”
Qiu Xingyuan glared at her reluctantly. In the end, he gave in as Qiu Tong had the height advantage.
He said petulantly, “Ever since grandpa went to prison, you’ve been cursing and swearing at home every day. You keep blaming Grandpa for the loss of your good life and the status of the eldest daughter of the Qiu family. Falling from heaven to hell.”
“So you threw out all of Grandpa’s belongings, including his photos. You tore them into pieces.”
“While you were otherwise occupied, we found all these photo fragments in the trash. It took a lot to piece together such a complete picture.”
“Grandpa treated us very well before he went to prison. We’ve been on the constant move and our lives were unstable. Grandpa remained very concerned about us and our studies. He’s very kind, so we like Grandpa alot and miss him very much.”
“Grandpa has been in prison for so many years but you’ve only brought us to visit twice.”
“We can only secretly take a look at the photo when we miss Grandpa, in case we forget what he looks like.”
Qiu Tong’s emotions were in turmoil. She finally understood why the three children had such grim expressions. They must have heard her refusal to visit their Grandpa in the prison.
Her gaze once again fell upon the photo in her hand. Looking at Qiu Rong’s face, which was the same as her birth father’s, she decided to visit him. She hoped that after seeing Qiu Rong, she would be able to solve the doubts in her heart.
Qiu Tong placed the photo back into Qiu Xingyuan’s hands and gently rubbed his head. Her gaze was gentle.
“You’re all good children. Mommy’s previous way of thinking was wrong. After seeing how filial you guys are, I feel that you are right.”
“I’ll go and visit your grandfather now, but you heard what the prison guards said. There’s a widespread epidemic in the prison. There are many unknown dangers and variables.”
“So this time, I won’t bring you guys along. Once the situation there stabilizes, I promise I’ll bring you guys to visit Grandpa.”
Qiu Xingyuan saw that Qiu Tong’s words were sincere, and he had also heard the contents of the phone call, so he knew that she was not lying to them. He nodded stiffly, and the anxiety and wariness in his eyes eased a little.
Qiu Xingqiao and Qiu Xingyu were extremely excited. They were filled with anticipation for the next time they would visit Grandpa.
Qiu Tong hurried over to the prison. After she was done with the procedures, she put on a mask and was brought to a transparent window by a prison guard.
“According to the epidemic prevention rules, you only have twenty minutes with him.”
“Thank you.”
Qiu Tong nodded before turning to look at Qiu Rong.