Zhou Jiao whispered in his ear, "Do you know where he hid those diamonds and deposit slips? In the heel of his shoes, the seams at the bottom of his pants, the deposit slips are in three places inside the hem of his military coat. Tearing them open leaves no trace, wrapped in oil paper, thin and clever, right?" She laughed as she rembered her dad handing them to her. If only there were scanners back then, they would have beeped all over.
Zhang Guoqing nodded repeatedly, "No wonder, being a military king, so many years have passed, and still people rember him. Today, Zhao Dashan recognized Dad first and respected him greatly. Zhao Dashan is older than Dad but kept calling him Brother Zheng and wouldn’t let him leave. When we got to his house, even Yuanyuan’s mom was crying. It was said that when the news of his reported sacrifice ca out, several female soldiers in the regint fainted from crying. To this day, that one beauty from back then still misses him, even after getting married. Zhao Dashan joked if Dad wanted to visit the provincial city to see how popular he is. People’s fa really casts a shadow like a tree; even we benefit from it."
"Yeah, it’s truly impressive. He even got to et that significant person directly and secured calligraphy and paintings. If he wasn’t exceptional, do you really think Mom and Dad would have agreed to the marriage? They say no intermarriage, but they focus on those with ability, which works even better. The Lin Family isn’t as indifferent about family backgrounds as Xiao Fei suggested."
Zhang Guoqing nodded in agreent and continued, "Besides our Dad, even my uncle is quite impressive; he’s a battalion commander now. The second aunt is from the sa Big Courtyard. The first aunt works at the Won’s Federation because her family background is worker class. She is well-educated and manages affairs in the Won’s Federation. Many things look ordinary on the surface, but with deep thought, it’s different. Grandpa is a bit better, straightforward in personality, just like our Mom. But based on Mrs. Lin’s sole authority over her family, she’s probably not simple."
"When soldiers co, block them; when water cos, cover it with earth. Take it step by step, and with Dad by our side, nothing will happen." Zhou Jiao quickly comforted him. Her father’s comnts about the old lady made her even more impressionable of Mrs. Lin. She felt she had to go back to Beijing once; her dad valued appearances, but she did not. She had to et Mrs. Lin properly to see how thick her skin really was. Also, with her dad alone out there, the situation in Beijing needed them to personally check and have an understanding.
Zhang Guoqing saw her being absent-minded, guessing she was preoccupied with matters regarding the Lin Family, but he didn’t want her to ddle in others’ affairs. Besides, with his father-in-law around, the Lin family issues were not really issues.
"Jiao Jiao, let’s move to our county house once it’s all set. It’s quiet there, and we won’t draw attention while gathering resources. It’s also inconvenient to go out from here." Zhang Guoqing knew she was concerned about resources the most, and ntioning them would shift her thoughts.
Sure enough, Zhou Jiao excitedly looked at him, shook his hand back and forth, and said coquettishly, "Brother, I’ve almost been cooped up for a month. Why don’t we move in as soon as everything is ready?"
Zhang Guoqing enjoyed her rare display of affection imnsely. It seed staying inside was truly frustrating her. After a while, seeing her glaring, as if she’d bite him if he disagreed, he chuckled.
"It’s not really up to . The four elders above, our Mom and Dad, support you. Then there’s your parents-in-law; your father-in-law won’t be happy about leaving before a month is up, and your mother-in-law would probably worry about nobody taking care of you. Our courtyard is ready, but didn’t you ask to get it fixed anyti for moving in?"
Zhou Jiao looked at him plaintively and sighed, "If I had known, we wouldn’t have built a new house. Do you think we can live comfortably there with our son?"
"It’s already built, and you’re saying that? Looking for trouble. Growing vegetables and grain will be useful in the future. As for moving to the county, let’s do it after our son’s full-month celebration. Spend these days properly accompanying parents; hunting season in the village brings fun and food." Zhang Guoqing sighed as well; not building the house wasn’t an option, it was his root, and even empty, it needed to stay.
Zhou Jiao rembered the courtyard full of corn and sweet potatoes, his painstaking sowing, fertilizing, weeding, and harvesting, laughed heartily, "You wouldn’t really plant grains, would you? I can’t bear to see you work so hard. Let’s plant so waterlons, sweet lons next year, and fill up with grapes. Brother, if I don’t eat fruits soon, I’ll dry out; there aren’t many left in the pantry. We don’t lack money for grains, let’s buy them!"
Zhang Guoqing saw her pitifully blinking, and his heart softened. For her, he’d even hunt a tiger in the mountains if necessary, "Alright, all according to you. Next spring, we’ll find fruit trees in the mountains, plant them full in the backyard, save them for you to eat, and what’s leftover, you can brew wine with them for fun."
After saying this, he checked his watch, then continued, "It’s getting late, I still haven’t talked to Dad and Mom about Second Brother’s matter. According to Zuo Lin, from what Zhao Dashan ntioned, it’s quite urgent regarding the temporary worker, and might need to start working within these days. Tomorrow, I plan to take Second Brother to find Zuo Lin and Uncle Chen to have Uncle Chen talk. What do you think?"
"Tomorrow night, take Second Brother directly to Zuo Lin’s house with two bottles of grandpa’s liquor, two cartons of cigarettes, and a box of premium costics. When you get there, Zuo Lin will know as soon as he sees him. Also, tell Second Brother, when asked by others, say Uncle Chen introduced him as a temporary worker. You stay composed." Zhou Jiao intentionally emphasized the temporary worker part.
"Got it. Then I’ll go and talk to Dad and Mom about it. When they co back later, we’ll drink and eat dumplings, no ti for more chatter. I’ll have everything arranged in their room. You go sleep first."
Zhou Jiao nodded, waving him away. After feeding their son, she went to the outer living room, checking the ginger tea and contemplating which fruit trees to plant and what vegetables would be most cost-effective in the courtyard. Tomatoes and cucumbers, which can be eaten raw or cooked, were definitely things to rember. She needed a good plan.
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