After a frost, as notifications were sent to various units, Zhang Guoqing packed up his bags and followed his colleagues to the countryside to support agriculture.

The countryside was busy with replanting, and Zhou Jiao and her son were also busy doing so. To ensure Ping An wouldn't be disappointed, she covered the ground with ash from the earthen stove and a straw mat, and the mother and son had a great time playing.

Zhao Chuangguang came over and saw that Zhou Jiao and her son had mud on their faces and hands, looking like two naughty kids. This completely reversed the image of Zhou Jiao in their minds, making them laugh non-stop.

This time Zhao Chuangguang and his partner weren't coming over on the weekend, so Zhou Jiao was still a little confused. She quickly washed up with the child and returned to the living room.

In the living room, Huang Huimin put down the bag in her hand, looked at it for a while, and nodded with satisfaction. She was relieved that the child could make a living.

When Zhao Chuangguang saw Zhou Jiao coming in with the child, he took Ping An and played with the child for a while.

He got down to business.

This time, the couple came to the county town mainly for Zhang Guoqing.

Zhou Jiao didn't know what was going on that was so troubling that they couldn't wait until the weekend and had to take a leave to come. She made some tea and brought it to them, letting Ping An sit on the kang and play by himself.

Zhao Chuangguang smiled and reminded her that Zhang Guoqing did not have to take the college entrance examination.

Zhou Jiao understood immediately. She and Zhang Guoqing had already discussed this privately. While the unit did have quotas for recommending outstanding grassroots workers from the Workers and Peasants category, they had no plans to accept any of them. Once recommended by the unit, they would essentially return to where they came from. They had already been stymied by this point.

Zhao Dashan hadn't reminded Zhang Guoqing yet. However, there was no point in saying anything. From all perspectives, Zhang Guoqing, a recent employee, wasn't suitable to take the position. It would be better to give Zhao Dashan an easy time.

Zhou Jiao told Zhao Chuangguang that they had known about the admission documents since they were issued two years ago. However, she still decided to take the exam herself. She wanted them to pass with honor.

Zhao Chuangguang rolled his eyes. Just as Zhou Xiaozheng had said, there was no need to persuade them any further; let the couple take the exam. He was worried about something unexpected.

This made Huang Huimin burst into laughter.

Zhao Chuangguang was still worried and kept asking Zhou Jiao how they were doing. Should they go to the provincial capital school for a few months to review? If they gave up on the recommendation and still couldn't pass the exam, they would have to wait until next year.

Zhou Jiao had nothing to hide from her godparents. She told them her plan. In May, the school had a Gaokao class, and Zhang Guoqing would be on leave to prepare for the exam. They had already made an appointment with the old principal to return to school as soon as the time came.

Zhao Chuangguang felt more at ease knowing that the couple had already made arrangements. This time, the two elders in the family asked him to persuade Zhang Guoqing to apply to military academy and Zhou Jiao to become a military doctor. He thought about it and decided it was unnecessary.

Just as his brother Zheng had said, the children could live as they pleased during college and plan their future after being assigned jobs. He agreed with the idea. If Zhou Jiao went to military school, her small frame wouldn't be enough, especially since she wouldn't be able to take care of the children. However, he hadn't planned to tell the children. Everything depended on which university they got into.

Less than an hour later, Zhao Chuangguang and his wife hurried back to the provincial capital to work. They left behind a bag of flour and cakes, skipping even lunch, and happily left with the tea Zhou Jiao had given them.

Zhou Jiao knew they truly treated her like their own daughter. They would send her anything nice. Last time, when Zhang Guoqing sent her game and ginseng, Huang Huimin scolded him for a long time, only to relent when he promised not to go up the mountain again. Even Zhang's mother often said that Zhao Chuangguang and his wife treated them like their own daughter and son.

Faced with a bag of food, Zhou Jiao had no choice but to accept it. Sometimes, refusing hurts feelings. Her father's words about owing favors being a strategy were also part of his strategy. Could this be what he meant?

Zhang Guoqing had been in the countryside for half a month, and except for a few quick visits, she hadn't seen him since. If Zhao Yuanyuan hadn't said Zhao Dashan hadn't returned home either, Zhou Jiao would have gone to the countryside to look for her husband.

Without a man in the family, Zhou Jiao and Ping An lived in seclusion, never leaving the house unless necessary. Although public security was good now, people's hearts were unpredictable. What if someone targeted her family? She absolutely couldn't afford to be careless.

The days went on like this. Every day, Zhou Jiao and her son would lock the door early before dark and stay in the bedroom without going anywhere.

After dinner that day, Zhou Jiao's heart began to pound again. She suspected it was Zhang Guoqing who had returned. Her father had just written yesterday saying he was incredibly busy and probably wouldn't be able to return to Northeast China during the Qingming Festival.

She quickly held Ping'an and stood at the gate of the yard, listening to the noise outside.

A familiar sound of footsteps came from the distance, "Wife...son...open the door quickly. I'm back."

Zhou Jiao quickly removed the door latch and said, "Did you know we were at the door?" After saying that, she saw him pointing to his ear with a smile, and she suddenly burst into laughter.

"Daddy, hug me."

Zhang Guoqing, with a haggard face, sniffed the smell on his body and curled his lips in disgust. "Wait for Dad to take a bath and hold Ping An. Dad suspects there are still fleas on his body. Jiaojiao, I have to go to the bathhouse first, please help me get a change of clothes."

Before he could finish his words, Zhou Jiao put Ping An down and ran into the inner room. When she came out, she handed him a change of clothes and two sticky rice dumplings. "Eat them first to fill your stomach. Don't wash the clothes, bring them back to me."

"Yeah, wait for me. I'll be back soon."

Zhang Guoqing, carrying a bag and a basket, had just arrived at the bathhouse when he saw Zhao Dashan and Zuo Lin waving at him. He quickly quickened his pace and went over to them. "Uncles, how come you guys have already connected in just a short while?"

Zhao Dashan smiled and said, "We are back, and your Uncle Zuo has also returned from his mission. The bathhouse is full of people from several of our units taking a bath."

Zuo Lin looked at Zhang Guoqing and praised him, "You've lost weight. You did a good job this time. Let your wife make you some delicious food to nourish you in the next two days."

Zhang Guoqing laughed.

"What are you grinning at? What's delicious at home? Hurry up and take a shower and take us back for a drink." Zhao Dashan knew Zhang Guoqing's family had plenty of meat. Last time, he even invited me over for a drink. Drink, haha, there's still wine! God can't let this kid starve to death.

Zhang Guoqing followed them into the bathhouse, laughing as he said, "If there's no food, I'll definitely conjure it up. And with the wine my father-in-law brought back, it should be okay, right?"

"You're really good at hiding things. You said you don't like drinking, so why are you so obsessed with it? Okay, enough. After dinner tonight, remember to bring two bottles back for me and your Uncle Zuo."

Inside, I met so many people that it was hard to say anything. Zhang Guoqing even saw his second brother in the bathhouse. He had lost a lot of weight. He was really trying hard!

After taking a shower, Zuo Lin, Zhao Dashan and Zhang Laoer followed Zhang Guoqing back home.

Zhou Jiao saw him wink and prepared some food and wine in the kitchen. After they finished drinking, she took the children back to the living room. She was secretly glad that the kitchen was open in spring. If they had been drinking in the living room in the middle of winter, she really wouldn't have been used to it.

Zhao Dashan and his companions did not bother to be polite with the young couple, knowing that even if they were short of food, they would not be short of meat.

Halfway through the round of drinks, Zhao Dashan mentioned the recommendation quota and asked Zhang Guoqing if he wanted to reconsider it. Although this quota was of little use to Zhang Guoqing, he still wanted to ask again.

Zhang Guoqing thanked him again but still refused.

Zuo Lin nodded in agreement. The school the company recommended him to attend was probably in Northeast China, which was no longer suitable for Zhang Guoqing. It would be better to raise his hand, show some respect, and do a favor for his colleagues.

Zuo Lin was actually interested in how the young couple filled out their college entrance exam applications. Remembering something his eldest son had said, he looked at Zhang Guoqing with amusement.

Zhang Guoqing pretended not to notice. Right now, he was focused on getting admitted first. As for the other elders' thoughts, his father-in-law was there to help, so he wasn't worried. He could deal with the future later.