Outside, Lin Xuezhen, who realized she had caused great trouble, was so frightened that she threw herself on Mr. Lin and cried, only to be forcibly pulled away by Mr. Cheng in anger.
Now is not the ti for crying, what use is there in not trying to save people?
Mr. Cheng didn’t expect to witness such a scene just as he stepped out. Earlier, he noticed Old Lin had taken too long in the restroom, and when he ca out to look for him, he found them eavesdropping. He was about to cough to alert Jiao Jiao, but who would have thought he would hear those few words?
In the living room, Zhou Xiaozheng and his son-in-law were chatting with the old lady; the commotion outside made it clear sothing had happened, and they rushed out in fright.
"Quickly, move him to the car and head to the hospital imdiately. Old Lin, please don’t get agitated. Hurry, Xiao Zheng, go start the car. Xiao Wu, carry your grandpa."
As soon as Zhou Xiaozheng ca out, he saw his daughter’s pale face standing dumbly at the door, her eyes vacant.
Disregarding Lin’s fallen figure, he hugged Zhou Jiao, patting her, "My dear, don’t be afraid. It’s alright. Dad is here. Darling, wake up, it’s okay now. Dad’s by your side, look at Dad."
Zhou Xiaozheng kept patting his daughter, glanced at the fallen Mr. Lin, and frowned, urging Zhang Guoqing to quickly get him to the hospital.
At this mont, he noticed his wife crying out loud, calling for her father, completely ignoring their frightened daughter.
Imdiate anger flared up in him, and he shouted, "What the hell happened? Can soone explain?"
Old Mrs. Cheng, watching the chaos before her and hearing Ping’an’s cries from inside, quickly drew Zhou Xiaozheng and his daughter into the room.
As for the fallen Old Lin, they had enough people around. The old lady was only concerned about her nephew’s family and couldn’t be bothered with others.
Zhou Jiao watched as Zhang Guoqing swiftly picked up Mr. Lin, and a group of people ran out of the courtyard.
At this mont, she closed her eyes and, with a trembling voice, asked, "Dad, could I have accidentally caused Grandpa’s death? I didn’t an it. I was just so angry I blurted it out, how was I to know he was outside."
Zhou Xiaozheng patted her lightly, saying, "It’s okay. I just saw, it was just a bout of anger that weakened him, it wasn’t a stroke, he won’t die."
Zhou Jiao let out a long breath of relief. As long as he’s not dead. She didn’t care about the Lin Family, but Mr. Lin had been kind to her. Her issues with Gu Ruyi should not get him involved.
Seeing Mr. Lin fall just now, she seed to see Grandpa Zhang again — Grandpa Zhang on the hospital bed, Grandpa Zhang smiling at her, Grandpa Zhang being wheeled into the crematorium with closed eyes.
In the courtyard, two girls from the Big Courtyard were too frightened to speak. It wasn’t until the group left for the hospital with Mr. Lin and the Zhou Family was left empty that they hurriedly held hands and ran to Zhou Jiao’s room.
"Jiao Jiao, are you alright? Sorry, we didn’t expect anything bad to happen. We just wanted to play a prank to scare you, but then Grandpa Lin told us not to make a sound."
"Jiao Jiao, you must be okay. Otherwise, I’m dead when I get ho."
By now, Zhou Jiao had regained her composure and shook her head, "It’s okay. When did my grandpa co over? How much did he hear?"
Under the watchful eyes of Zhou Xiaozheng and Old Mrs. Cheng, the two girls dared not hide anything. They exchanged glances, and one of them stuck out her tongue and whispered, "Grandpa Lin heard everything. We ca over intending to scare you, not to eavesdrop. It wasn’t until we huddled under the window that he ca and told us to keep quiet, even gave us a glare."
Zhou Xiaozheng gave a sideways glance at his daughter when he saw she had returned to her usual self, "Did you spill everything with your mom? Your mother has reached a point where you can’t stand it and spoke out."
Finished with his words, seeing Zhou Jiao lower her head silently, he sighed and stroked her hair. This child overthinks things, but since they dared to act, why shouldn’t his Jiao Jiao call them out?
"You two girls, why don’t you tell Uncle what Jiao Jiao and her mother said? Don’t be nervous, take your ti."
Zhou Jiao hurriedly pinched her father’s hand in fright, but he glared at her, and in her anxiety, she fearfully watched over Old Mrs. Cheng — hoping not to have a second person collapse tonight.
Thinking it over, Zhou Jiao quickly waved Aunt Chen over and whispered a few words in her ear, indicating that she should take the child.
Zhou Jiao quickly pulled the engrossed old lady, softly saying, "Aunty, I don’t dare go to the hospital alone, please accompany ."
"Not going! Let listen till the end first." As she finished, the old lady pulled her down to sit together.
Zhou Xiaozheng gestured to Zhou Jiao that all was well. He had already inford the old lady about the truth at the Gu Family ceremony, and now that vengeance had been served, there was nothing that couldn’t be said.
After listening to the entire story, Zhou Xiaozheng sarcastically curled his lips, "You spoke lightly, yet your grandpa couldn’t hold up. If you had revealed everything, who knows if he’d have died from rage."
The two girls exchanged shocked glances and cautiously asked, "Jiao Jiao, I finally understand why the Lin Family is doing so well. Don’t feel burdened, having that grandma is worse than none."
"Exactly, don’t bother with their family in the future. A family of miscreants! They carry themselves well usually but turned out to be so wicked. Your mom’s no good either, having that kind of mother—"
The older girl quickly covered her mouth, "Stop talking nonsense. Grandma Cheng, Uncle Zhou, we’ll head out first." With that, she hurriedly pulled her companion away.
Inside the room, Zhou Jiao could still hear, "Why are you covering my mouth? There’s no mom like that. If it were , I’d have disowned her long ago and wouldn’t treat her that nicely, dream on..."
Listening as the sound faded away, Old Mrs. Cheng sighed, extending her arms to hold Zhou Jiao tightly, gently patting her back.
Aunt Chen quickly took the opportunity to carry the child to the study room outside. The night’s events shocked her greatly, and she couldn’t believe this always smiling child bore such grievances silently.
Recalling the rumors circulating the Big Courtyard, she finally understood why the Zhou and Lin Families’ relationship was so strained. Alas... who knows if Lin Lishan can stay with the Zhou Family any longer.
In the bedroom, the three were silent.
After a while, Zhou Xiaozheng broke the heavy silence, "Jiao Jiao, how about your mom and I separate?"
If anyone in the world understood Zhou Xiaozheng best, Zhou Jiao considered herself unmatched. Such words carried many implications. If it was their first eting and her parents were separating, she would have agreed.
But having witnessed their life together and understanding her father deeply, Zhou Jiao comprehended that love doesn’t follow logic. Her mother deeply loved her father, and her father was no less in love with her mother.
Seeing Zhou Xiaozheng’s solemn face as he spoke determined Lin Lishan’s fate.
"Dad, moving causes more trouble than staying still. My mom is innocent, you have feelings, and this family needs stability. With her by your side, I have peace of mind. I need a pure-hearted mother, one who puts you first, and a mother who will never betray you. Outside is too tiring, too complicated, maintain the status quo."
Zhou Xiaozheng heard her and nodded silently.
Zhou Jiao reached for his arm, resting her head on his shoulder, "Dad, tonight was unexpected. My mother ant nothing else, nor did she force . I lost control thinking about certain things, don’t bla her, she has it hard being caught between our families."
Zhou Xiaozheng didn’t know how to express his mix of disappointnt in his wife and heartache for his child. He knew his daughter too well. Zhou Jiao had asked him to hide the truth from her mother, but tonight where everything was revealed couldn’t have been that simple. His wife must have touched a nerve, and that nerve was likely him. Clever as she was, she had a knack for understanding people’s hearts. Haha...Shanshan was clearly dissatisfied with him.
"Dad, we still need to go to the hospital. Aunty, we’ll leave the house and baby to you." Zhou Jiao said, pulling him up with a smile.
"Go and co back quickly. Rember not to hold a grudge against them and just co back after seeing Old Lin." Old Mrs. Cheng advised with unease, watching them out before standing lost in thought.
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