Zhang Guoqing heard a familiar and pleasant laugh, looked at the two figures, squinted his eyes, got into the car, started it, and slowly approached.

People say that old people become more cunning. This aunt must be old and confused. She takes her wife to wander through the alleys in this desolate mountain and wilderness in the middle of the night, and she is not afraid of anything happening.

Fortunately he came.

"Brother, why are you here?"

"Auntie, good evening. Hurry up and get in the car." Zhang Guoqing glanced at her hand with a distressed look. How silly! Why was she holding onto someone's arm when she couldn't reach into her pocket to keep warm?

Aunt Zuo got in the car and took her seat, sighing with relief. "When did you get here? You must have been waiting for a long time."

Zhang Guoqing saw Zhou Jiao sitting down and loosened his grip on the steering wheel. "That's good! I almost thought I missed you. Have you decided on the yard?"

"It's settled. 4,500 yuan for a small yard. I'll have Shitou come over tomorrow to pay and transfer ownership directly."

"It's cheap. If it's close to the inner city, it'll cost at least 7,000 or 8,000 yuan." Zhang Guoqing accelerated the car and got to the point. "Aunt, when are you planning to move?"

"This weekend."

"So soon! I was planning to call my second brother after I got home. My second sister-in-law won't be here so soon. When Shitou goes to school, it won't be okay for her to live alone, right?"

Zhou Jiao's eyes flashed when she heard that, and she glanced at Aunt Zuo.

Aunt Zuo smiled and said, "Don't rush to ask Juhua to come over. I'm not working right now so I can take care of Yue'er first."

"Okay, let me see what my second brother says."

Aunt Zuo looked at Zhou Jiao and bit her lip. "Have you considered transferring the second son over? Now that we have a yard, it will be convenient to transfer the household registration."

Zhang Guoqing was stunned when he heard this. "Shitou wants to register the yard in my brother's name?"

He still remembered that the second brother mentioned that the five thousand yuan in Shitou's hand included the betrothal money, and the Zhang family didn't want people to gossip about what they did.

Aunt Zuo nodded and said, "Of course, we haven't divided the family yet."

Zhang Guoqing pondered for a moment, "I really don't know about these things. My second brother doesn't want to be transferred here yet. Let's wait and see after he works for a few years."

“What a pity.”

Zhang Guoqing smiled. As for what was the pity? He didn't think much about it. He subconsciously glanced at Zhou Jiao in the rearview mirror, pondering the meaning behind the words.

"How is Brother Zuo now?"

Zuo Lin has two sons. The eldest, Zuo Bei, now works in a military factory, and the second son, Zuo Nan, was also taken to the police station by his grandfather Zuo who passed away not long ago.

"That's all. I'm just quite busy. The kids at home who are in school still have to rely on Yue'er's mom to take care of them. Otherwise, I wouldn't be able to take care of Yue'er."

"You are so lucky. Now you have a great-grandson."

"Hehe...it's pretty much the same as before. Now that it's the weekend, they go home."

"Why don't you consider buying a bigger yard with my uncle? The house allocated by the company is still too small."

"That's not the case. The eldest and second sons have to sleep on the floor when they come over. Your uncle and I have thought about buying a yard, but unfortunately, there are more children in the family in recent years, and the expenses are high. We two old people have to contribute a lot of money. We are worried that if we buy a yard and something happens, we won't have enough money."

"If you have a house available, you should buy it first. Nowadays, many young people in the workplace can't get a house when they get married. If you have a yard, you don't have to worry about losing it. If you put money in the bank, you only get a few interest."

"Jiaojiao just said that. I'm going back..."

After sending Aunt Zuo home, Zhang Guoqing chatted with Zuo Lin for a while. As he had to go to work the next day, he declined the invitation to drink and hurried home with his wife.

I don’t know if it’s an old habit or because I’ve lived in the Northeast for too long, but whenever I meet old acquaintances, I always have to clink bowls and drink with them.

Drinking too much alcohol is harmful to the body. After all, he is almost 40 years old. In order to live a few more years, Zhang Guoqing rarely drinks. Even when he is entertaining people, he only drinks a little.

He is now afraid of anyone inviting him to drink, especially the wine enthusiasts in his hometown.

Zhou Xiaozheng waited for a long time. Seeing his precious daughter return safely, he secretly breathed a sigh of relief and calmly put down the newspaper. "Don't go out too late in the future. The security situation is not good now."

Zhang Guoqing nodded in agreement, his tone tinged with complaint, "That's not the case. Dad, you don't know how frightened I was looking for it over there. It was all in big courtyards and small alleys."

It wasn't summer yet, so it was late and there wasn't even a ghost around. Worried about getting lost, I went to Yue'er's dorm. Wow, she was actually snuggling up in there, munching on an apple.

Aunt Zuo is really something. As an old lady, no matter how late she wanders in the alley, at most she will lose some money. Why doesn’t she think about what you would do if you encounter a gangster?

You said you wanted to see the yard, but you didn't even check what time it was. Even if you did, the transfer would still take place during the day. What's so good about a shabby yard? It's just a few tiles and bricks."

Zhou Jiao glared at him speechlessly, "It's only a little after eight o'clock."

"If I don't pick you up, you won't be back until the early morning."

"Okay, okay, I was wrong. Aunt Zuo won't dare ask me to go out again. You just told Uncle Zuo that it was too late and unsafe. Didn't he hear it?"

"It's not your fault."

Zhou Xiaozheng looked at the couple and shook his head with a smile, "Have a midnight snack and go to bed early."

"Okay." Zhou Jiao looked around, "Where's my mom?"

"Just heard a noise and went to the kitchen."

As soon as Zhou Jiao left, Zhang Guoqing went to sit next to him and said, "Dad, Aunt Zuo mentioned that my second brother should be transferred here again. It seems that Zuo Lin's work is not going well, and I want to say hello to Dazhi."

Zhou Xiaozheng handed him a glass of water and said, "Just do whatever you want."

Zhang Guoqing took a sip of water and shook his head. "That's why you can never owe anyone a favor. If it weren't for him, Jiaojiao would have turned down the offer tonight."

"How are Fan Lin and the others now?"

When Zhang Guoqing heard that serious matters were being mentioned, he immediately sat up straight.

The Fan Lin that the father-in-law and son-in-law were talking about was a little beggar from Haishi Jiangwaigong Village. He had been in contact with Ping An since he was a child and is now the battalion commander.

Besides Fan Lin, the father-in-law and son-in-law had chosen twenty-nine other people. Their talents varied, but without exception, they were all orphans.

The reason for training these thirty people and arranging their paths according to their respective interests and hobbies is to provide additional support to the three Ping An brothers.

"Fan Lin and Sun Chaomei have been admitted to the military academy this year and are now assigned to be with the children. The rest of the personnel are still here, waiting for the children to graduate."

Zhou Xiaozheng nodded when he heard this, "After cultivating it for so long, it's finally time to use it."

"We still have to wait and see for a few people."

Zhou Xiaozheng narrowed his eyes. "Have someone keep an eye on them, especially the kids who aren't in the army. They could easily get lost. If you see any signs of getting lost, give up. Don't be soft-hearted."

"I understand." Zhang Guoqing nodded solemnly. Not only for the sake of his child's future, but even for his child's safety, he wouldn't allow himself to be soft-hearted.

Hearing the footsteps outside, Zhou Xiaozheng said quickly, "This weekend, the two of us will get together with your uncle Wang and the others. The location will be over at the old house."

Zhang Guoqing nodded in understanding. The father-in-law and son-in-law dropped the topic and began to talk about other things.