Zhou Jiao only then remembered that she had not told him that she had read her mother's letter.

"I have something to tell you about. My mother seems to really care about me. She said that any problem that can be solved with money is not a problem. You see, this kind of thinking has caught up with the new generation of people in the 21st century. Moreover, every letter is about missing my father. She repeatedly said that she was looking for his footprints. The hints are quite obvious. I don’t know if those who read it will think that she doesn’t believe it and won’t face reality. She always told me to learn to wait, and she waited again. She said that my father said that if a man can’t even protect the land under his feet and the woman in his arms, he is not a man. She also said that my father broke his promise and hated him when she saw my photo. She said that my father often said that you should prepare a dowry when you are young so that you can do whatever you want when you grow up.

She followed in my father's footsteps, preparing for his wishes. Oh, and finally, she said everything was with my grandma. She still didn't believe my father wasn't there, maybe there was a flaw somewhere. She wasn't hysterical, but rather sentimental, with that artistic flair. She had a personality. Every letter started with money, then when bills appeared, they were bills. She was meticulous about changing them to banknotes, a bit like me, like mysophobia. The bills, money, and stationery were all brand new. The bills were all military supplies, and they wouldn't expire.

In the last year, she sent me three foreign exchange coupons worth 200 yuan each. These 600 yuan were rare compared to ordinary ones. They were also foreign exchange coupons from our provincial capital, explaining why she didn't take me to her place. She used a different address on each letter. In the end, she said that my grandfather always gave her half-body clothes, but no full-body clothes. He didn't know my size, so the clothes were measured according to my cousin Xuezhen, who was the same age and month. My grandfather didn't know when he sent the photos, and he didn't mention it. I guess in addition to these, he also asked her directly for money. Zhou Jiao looked at him expectantly, hoping that she had understood correctly.

Zhang Guoqing did as she wished. He touched her back, patted her gently, and said approvingly, "First, make sure your mother truly loves you. Otherwise, she wouldn't have supported you like this for 17 years. Your mother knew to put receipts in the letters. This shows that she understands your situation and only sends you one copy publicly and another copy secretly. Every time she writes something in the letter, it's to let you know that your grandfather is not being honest. As long as she receives one copy, she will know the mistake. She is a very smart woman."

"In this case, we'll just wait until your mother arrives. We support a principle that you can't go to Beijing for now, so your father can stay away safely for the next 10 years. Northeast China is the safest place. It depends on what your parents plan to do. When your father settles down, you can choose any place in Beijing to go to college. Ideally, Beijing is the best place for resources, connections, and a career in politics." Zhang Guoqing analyzed carefully.

After Zhang Guoqing finished speaking, he paused for a moment, frowning slightly. "The last thing I want to talk about now is your eccentric cousin. She said outside, 'My family lacks everything except money and tickets. My aunt treats me like her own daughter. It's the only reason we didn't go back to the Northeast. Otherwise, the whole family planned to go to Beijing. Who would like this remote place? My grandfather stomps his feet in Beijing, and the whole city shakes three times.'"

If someone with ulterior motives were to steer this topic away, things would become very complicated. The main issue is that she mentioned my grandfather. Perhaps after so long, people might think it was you who said it. This is the rebellion of the restoration of the monarchy. This is a key topic in the Three Antis movement, overthrowing imperialism, feudalism, and bureaucratic capitalism. Who dares to claim such power in the capital? I heard my second brother say last night that her mother was so angry she wanted to kill her.

This was my chance to immediately distance myself from the matter, to cover up this topic and nail her down, so she wouldn't come out and cause trouble. I wanted to nail her down in front of everyone before my father-in-law and mother-in-law came back.

I've set up a trap to see if she'll show up tomorrow. If she shows up arrogantly, I'll nail her down. I'll have my second sister-in-law spread the word tomorrow about what they did, including the types and quantities of the packages they received and to whom they were given. If she comes to my house tomorrow to start a tirade, I'll just ask her if her grandfather, Huang Damao, is trying to restore the monarchy. I'll nail her down along with the first wife, her husband's Wang family, and Huang Zhaodi's Huang family, to avoid causing trouble for my father-in-law. This is already a source of trouble for a family of scholars. I'm worried sick about her.

If they're doing this now, no one needs to say whether the Zhou family will have a good future. Tomorrow I'll take this opportunity to poison the entire Zhou family. Your great-grandfather was poisoned to hide his revolutionary comrades. More than 100 people died. This will force your grandfather, an old revolutionary, to move forward.

I'm just worried the old man might faint. It's mainly because you're in confinement. If you go up and say it's more effective, every lecture you give at university is no joke. If you go up and say it, it'll be a double blow. We have to be the bad guys. We're kind enough to hide it for the eldest son, and if they come back, what will they do? By then, public sympathy will be all on our side. I think she'll come for this condom. Don't go out and wear it with you. I'll take care of this little thing."

Zhou Jiao decisively refused and firmly disagreed.

"No, now that this is set up, if you come forward yourself, anyone smart enough will think you're dishonest and want to sever my relationship with the Zhou family. The topic will escalate into something unpleasant, and it will become a matter of dividing the ownership of the golden doll between your Zhang and Zhou families. Haha, that won't be good for your future career in politics."

Really, I know this all too well. University offices are a daily drama. My situation is different. I've only just given birth, I'm at a disadvantage. Who knows better than me how to make this a big deal? With her idiotic mind, if she doesn't control the situation, even if Mr. Zhou comes, it won't work. Everything needs to be over before he arrives. It's all nailed down.

The most important thing is that you cooperate with me. If Mr. Zhou faints and I faint too after giving birth, you should bring me back immediately, otherwise it will be a disaster. And if he doesn't faint, I will not be able to bear such a big shock and my face will turn pale from the shock. You should just carry me back without saying anything to us and show your sympathy.

Tonight, I'll prepare my thermal underwear, down jacket, thick scarf, and hat, wrapping up just enough to reveal my little face. I'll apply some white powder tomorrow. For the sake of my child and this family, we absolutely cannot back down.

Don't worry. From what I know about her, she'll come around lunchtime, when many people are leaving work and the weather isn't too cold. I'll take care of myself and won't be out for more than 30 minutes at most. That's just a weirdo, a fool, don't worry. But tomorrow, you must control the situation and tell your family not to get impulsive. You can tell the truth to the people around you, but absolutely no cursing, that's uncivilized."

Zhang Guoqing watched her getting more and more excited as she spoke, knowing that with her temper she would definitely go out. There was nothing he could do. She was probably bored from the confinement period and was happy to have a rare chance to go out for some fresh air. He had to be more careful around her tomorrow.

"Yeah, okay. Tomorrow will probably shock everyone. I still remember that debate in college. The girl ran out crying, and you were still stupidly shouting, 'Hey, why are you running away? You haven't even argued yet!' The whole place burst into laughter. Afterwards, she held my hand so tightly that my hand turned blue from holding back laughter. Only then did I realize I like a little fox. Tomorrow, I'll let everyone in the village see if my wife is a softie."

"You still remember, I thought you were a really good brother back then. You even cooperated with me and pulled me out of the venue."

"I remember everything. The first time we kissed, you bit my lip and blamed me for sticking my tongue in it. And on our wedding night, after finally getting the beauty, you said you were hungry, so we went out to eat..."

"Son is here, go to sleep and don't talk, there will be another battle tomorrow."

Zhang Guoqing laughed silently. When he told her embarrassing stories, you could see her fur standing on end, like a Persian cat with its eyes wide open and its fur standing on end. Her big eyes were wide open, and she looked shy and trying hard to hide it. It was so cute.