Before leaving, the old principal glanced at Zhang Guoqing and his wife a few more times. What he wanted to know most at this moment was which university the young couple had applied to.

Whether County No. 1 Middle School could achieve instant success depended heavily on Zhou Jiao. The old principal had high hopes for her; he hoped she would bring the school a provincial top scorer. Many people these days don't prioritize fame, but he was different. He'd taught for so many years, yet not a single student had truly excelled. It was a truly unbearable thought!

Zhou Jiao had no idea that the old principal was thinking so far ahead. Seeing him glance over, she immediately bowed, respectfully saluted with her hands, and smiled at him.

This old man deserves her respect. In this era, there are indeed many selfless people, but the virtues of elders like the old captain and the old principal are even more admirable.

After watching the old principal leave, Zhou Jiao finally had time to answer Zhao Yuanyuan's question. She whispered to him, "Let's talk about it later." She really wasn't trying to evade him.

She and Zhang Guoqing have not yet reached an agreement on volunteering.

As for school, I had no problem choosing a university in Beijing. After careful comparison, Huaqing University was the most ideal. The problem was that Huaqing University was now an engineering school. What should I do then?

Her husband wanted her and her husband to go to the same school so they could take care of each other. Zhou Jiao was quite excited by his thought. Of course, it would be better if he had no other intentions. After being married for many years, how could she possibly betray her lover? Putting aside the trivialities, she had her own concerns. Otherwise, she would not listen to his nonsense.

Foreign Languages ​​Department, dangerous! Military Medicine, no freedom! And the whole school history, a mess! It was hard for him to remember. It seemed like after hearing what he said, he had no choice.

As soon as class was over, Zhao Yuanyuan quickly dragged Zhou Jiao out, irritating Zhang Guoqing so much that he wanted to smack the damn girl to death—always so sloppy. Last time, Zhou Jiao had bumped into her leg. As Li Qinglin, Zhang Yuntao, and Zhao Hongbing went home together, he was still debating whether or not to let the damn girl enroll in the provincial capital.

Before I got home, I saw Ping'an standing at the door with his eyes wide open, with Father Zhang standing beside him.

Zhou Jiao didn't bother chatting with Zhao Yuanyuan and quickly ran over to pick up the child. She glanced at the child worriedly, and when she saw him smile brightly, she felt relieved. She was really worried that the child would have a miserable childhood like her own.

"The child is fine. We are safe and sound. When he saw your mother had finished cooking, he said you were going home. He ran to the door to wait. The children in the front yard didn't even want to play with him."

Zhou Jiao saw that Father Zhang had brought his grandson in advance with a smile on his face and said with a smile, "Dad, why didn't you let Mom wait for me to come back? It must be so tiring to prepare food for so many people."

Zhao Yuanyuan followed up, "I'll go in and help first. Why didn't my mom come over today? She's so shameless. Her daughter and son are both here, and she didn't even think to come over..."

Before he could finish his words, he had already run away.

Zhou Jiao shook her head and smiled. She was still a person who spoke without hesitation. She saw Father Zhang chatting with Zhang Guoqing and the others, and she carried the child to the kitchen.

As we walked, I whispered to him, "Son, have you drunk the juice Mom gave you?"

Ping An leaned over to her ear and whispered, "I drank it. Grandma asked me to eat stewed eggs, but I couldn't finish them. So I fed my grandparents and they praised me for being a good child."

Seeing his smug look, Zhou Jiao kissed him on the cheek and said, "If you can't finish it, let grandpa and grandma drink it too. Remember not to overeat. Tell mom what you want to eat."

The little snitch leaned over to her ear and whispered, "Grandma said: Ouch, ouch, Jiaojiao is eating something again. Grandpa said: What are you talking about? It's not a big deal to eat something for a child."

The child's imitation tone was so similar! Zhou Jiao tried her best to suppress her laughter. If she burst out laughing, the little guy would be angry again.

"Mom, let me tell you, the little brother in front was beaten by his mother."

"Well, he was beaten for being naughty."

Ping An shook his head, "No. The little brother said: You are not my mother, you are a bad guy, I will let my dad beat you to death. I told my dad that you stole the buns and gave the money to my grandma."

Zhou Jiao couldn't hold back her laughter any longer and stroked her son's hair. "Ping'an really imitates him. But that little brother is really his mother's biological child. If his mother does something wrong, then he does it wrong too. We, Ping'an, won't follow bad examples."

"I don't play with him. He keeps trying to pinch my cheek. I hit him! But I didn't hurt him."

"What would you do if he hits you too?"

Ping An looked behind him, then leaned over and whispered in Zhou Jiao's ear, "Then I'll beat you hard. Even after I beat you, I'll cry too."

"How clever! Remember not to hit the head."

The mother and son were so engrossed in their conversation that they didn't notice that someone had good hearing.

Zhang Guoqing had been paying attention to his wife and son, and now he listened with a smirk. His son had probably been corrupted by his wife. But it was okay this way, as long as he wasn't bullied.

After dinner, Li Qinglin and his friends did not rush to school.

Everyone gathered in the living room to discuss how to fill out their application forms. Their thoughts were all flowing and their imaginations were opened up.

Zhang Yuntao listened for a while and finally understood. He reiterated, "You mean, many universities in other places are quite far apart. For example, in Beijing, there's a university in the north and another in the south. Is that right?"

Li Qinglin smiled and nodded. His family had given him two places to live: Beijing and the northeast. But he wanted to go south, where he could find the Jiangnan region he longed for. He had never seen what the south was like, but the books described it so well, so it must be nice.

Zhang Yuntao shook his head. "I'd rather stay in the Northeast. You can still see me when you come back for the New Year. If I go to other places, who knows when I'll run into you again."

Zhao Yuanyuan frowned and glared at him, grabbing Zhou Jiao. "Have you decided where to go? I'll ask the teacher if there's any nearby schools with lower scores."

Zhou Jiao disagreed, "Your second brother is going to apply to a university here. You're going too far away, and your family is worried. It's not like we don't have the chance to meet. We have winter and summer vacations, and we only go to school for a few months a year."

Zhang Guoqing glanced at her and her story seemed so real.

Li Qinglin knew that no one could come to a decision right away. He had to go back and discuss this with his parents. This matter concerned his future, and his mother had been nagging him about it several times.

After seeing everyone off, Zhou Jiao saw that Mr. and Mrs. Zhang were full of questions, so she began to explain to them the notice given by the old principal today. She also gave them a general introduction to several universities.

Zhang's father was bewildered and half-understood. He pondered for a moment and then asked Zhou Jiao to write a letter to Zhou Xiaozheng for his opinion. In his opinion, an in-law who had seen the world and held a leading position would definitely have a plan. However, he still mentioned a point of concern: it would be best if the couple applied to the same university.

Zhang Guoqing saw his mother nodding repeatedly and chuckled to himself. It seemed that Zhou Jiao was truly a soft tofu in everyone's eyes, a poor little thing that was easily bullied.