"Grandmother just went to Great-grandmother’s."
Zhou Jiao glanced at the pitch-black night and frowned slightly, not voicing the question in her mind.
"Mom, is everything settled?"
Zhou Jiao nodded heavily, "Let’s not talk, you’re almost frozen!"
Little Ping’an shook his head with a smile, took her briefcase, held her hand, and quickened his pace.
Frozen? How could that be. Trained in the sumr’s heat and winter’s cold, he was used to it. But who else besides his caring parents and elders would ask such questions?
As they neared the house, Zhou Jiao stopped, lowered her head, and reminded him a few things. Watching him enter his own courtyard, she then moved towards the Cheng Family’s house.
"Jiao Jiao’s here, your mom is in the grandma’s room."
Zhou Jiao smiled at the quickly approaching aunt, removed her scarf and mask as she walked, "Is the old man not ho?"
"He went out for a eting at noon, hasn’t returned yet."
Zhou Jiao thought he might be having a eting with her dad.
"The red date porridge is almost ready. Would you like a bowl?"
"Who’s here?" The old lady’s voice ca from the bedroom.
"Aunty, it’s ." Zhou Jiao responded loudly, smiling softly at the aunt, "A small bowl is fine, Aunt spoils ."
This flattery made Aunt Cheng beam with joy, she took Zhou Jiao’s coat and pushed her into the bedroom. Like Aunt Chen, she really liked Zhou Jiao and Zhang Guoqing.
Besides the close relationship between the main family and Zhou Family, it was inseparable from Zhou Jiao and Zhang Guoqing’s respect for her.
Pushing open the bedroom door, under the orange light by the window, sat the smiling Old Mrs. Cheng and the noticeably worried Miao Lishan.
Zhou Jiao’s eyes flickered, she looked at the steaming cups of tea on the table, and smiled, "Aunty, you need to change your habit of drinking tea before bed, it’ll affect your sleep."
Old Mrs. Cheng looked at her dotingly, "Little housekeeper. I’m just having one cup tonight, don’t worry, it’s very mild."
"Have you eaten?" Miao Lishan looked at Zhou Jiao and slowly exhaled, asking.
Old Mrs. Cheng asked in surprise, "Did you just return ho?"
"Been back for a while." Zhou Jiao found a seat, smiled to reassure her mom, "I ate before coming ho, did Dad call?"
Miao Lishan nodded while speaking, "Xiao Wu took the call before dinner, said he was with the old chiefs talking after the eting."
Zhou Jiao felt relieved. Turned out, tonight’s strange atmosphere had nothing to do with her dad.
"I did receive a call from your aunt."
Here it ca, Zhou Jiao looked at the old lady, then at her mom.
"One of your uncle’s acquaintances had an accident."
Zhou Jiao raised her eyebrow. So rare, but what’s it got to do with her family?
"That’s just part of it. Your aunty also received two calls today, both bad news."
Upon hearing this, Zhou Jiao imdiately looked at the old lady, "Involved you, old one?"
Old Mrs. Cheng smiled, shook her head slightly, paused, "So people back ho are getting restless."
"Oh."
Miao Lishan noticing her indifference, imdiately added, following Old Mrs. Cheng’s words, "Jiao Jiao, soone from the Big Courtyard got taken away today too."
Zhou Jiao nodded silently. As for who got taken away? She had no intention to inquire. Not adding insult to injury or taking credit for herself, she was already quite kind, should she be a saint?
"Your Aunt and I feel things are getting ssier..."
"Mom, be cautious with words!" Zhou Jiao imdiately interrupted, giving her a look, glancing outside the door. Naive! Does she really trust Aunt Cheng?
She then dropped a piece of news, "When I returned, I heard sothing happened to the Liang Family."
Miao Lishan was struck speechless by this shocking news, blurting out, "Liang Family? Liang Shengnan’s family? Impossible!"
Seeing their shocked faces, Zhou Jiao knew they hadn’t heard the news yet. She chuckled and glanced sideways at her mom, "I also just heard, whether it’s true or not, we’ll know tomorrow."
Old Mrs. Cheng wouldn’t doubt Zhou Jiao spreading rumors and imdiately restrained her emotions, "Seems being far from the city has made the news less accurate."
Zhou Jiao didn’t ntion that everyone was like startled birds now, learning to protect themselves wisely. That upon hearing these things, people deliberately avoided talking, fearing troubles from speaking too much.
If it were normal tis and the Liang family fell, Old Mrs. Cheng might have been happy, but now she was thinking more deeply. This ti, the consistently active Liang Shengnan also lost.
—Then another group will rise.
This situation has beco increasingly difficult to understand.
"What’s the charge this ti?"
Zhou Jiao glanced at the old lady, lowered her eyelids, "I didn’t ask specifically. Heard that it was unearthed, and a lot of things were found."
Old Mrs. Cheng remained silent for a mont and stood up, "I’ll make a call in the study; you two sit for a while."
Watching the old lady leave, Zhou Jiao moved her chair closer to her mom, glanced at the half-open door, and asked quietly, "What else did Aunt say?"
Miao Lishan whispered in her ear, "She ntioned so things found at several hos, difficult to discuss over the phone. Based on what she said, be careful about people coming to the house, beware of being frad."
"Oh."
"Always ’oh’, what are you oh-ing? You’re even less worried than Ping’an; he knows that guests can only be entertained in the living room, and checks after they leave."
Zhou Jiao laughed. Isn’t that good?
"I just wanted to warn the old lady. She has a lot of stuff at ho."
Zhou Jiao glanced at her speechlessly, "She’s their biological daughter."
"I’m just worried."
Alright, you’re amazing!
"Do you think the old lady went to find out what the Liang family was found?"
"Mom, you could beco best friends with Aunt Niu."
Miao Lishan couldn’t help but laugh, hearing her daughter’s teasing, slapped her playfully, "Don’t look down on Aunt Niu, she’s very friendly despite her love for gossip."
"I had forgotten about her until you ntioned. Doesn’t she have a grandson who’s classmates with Xiao Xian? That kid didn’t get to go to Beidahuang last ti either..."
Zhou Jiao really didn’t notice these trivial matters. Wen Zhixian’s classmates from childhood, she wouldn’t know them all, after all, they’re far.
"... took his grandfather’s position at the Thermos Bottle Factory." Miao Lishan said, sneaking a glance at her daughter’s expression, "Do you think Jiang Jiangyu will be caught for past issues at this critical mont?"
Zhou Jiao reflected on this, shook her head with amusent, "Worried about the old man? He no longer has power or influence, as long as he doesn’t harbor inappropriate thoughts, who would go bother the retirent ho?"
Miao Lishan smiled awkwardly, then sighed softly, "That’s good."
"Didn’t you see Li Jianjun got promoted?" Zhou Jiao worried she might not understand, thought for a mont and said, "Their family will soon move to the front family building, if anything happens, Lin Liyin will definitely co to you first."
Miao Lishan frowned, "What a headache!"
"It’s okay, they’re far away." Zhou Jiao replied with a double entendre, smiling.
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