Two days after returning from the prairie, one morning, the heart-wrenching cries of Aunt Wang came from Wang Dasheng's house next door.

Old Huang is dead.

The proud dog ancestor of Aunt Wang's family finally couldn't escape the hands of the meat-hungry people and died with only a pile of fur left.

The neighbors watching the show were laughing, wondering if they would be beaten up by the Wang family. Zhang Guoqing had just thought someone in the Wang family had died, and he had run out in fear.

Who would have thought there would be such a dramatic turn of events?

Human life is nothing, let alone the death of a dog. This is truly difficult to console. We can't just let the Wang family mourn their loss. Soon everyone dispersed and went home.

Even though Old Huang was dead, the Wang family had to go on with their lives. Before noon, the aroma of meat wafted from next door. It was unclear whether it was Old Huang's remains or his food.

Zhang Guoqing was filled with curiosity, but he couldn't go into the Wang family to observe. He and the Wang family were the same, half a catty and half an ounce each—no difference.

At this moment in his kitchen, there was also stewing meat in a clay pot on the stove, and beggar's chicken in the stove below.

In order to prevent the smell from mixing, the couple tried every possible method. After testing, they found that this method was the safest, but unfortunately, the speed was too slow to consume the raw food in the space.

"It seems that our family has to go back to the village. It's more convenient to burn it a few times in the mountains."

Zhang Guoqing nodded. He didn't say anything. Being in the mountains was convenient, but the more he burned, the more wild game he'd find. His wife and son wanted to grab whatever they saw. Why was there so much raw food in his space now? It was probably because he'd been storing it, so much that he couldn't even kill it all.

"Whenever I think of returning to the capital, I feel a strong sense of crisis. It seems that there is something wrong with my mentality. I know that enough is enough, but I still can't calm down. I am always worried that you and your son will starve to death."

Zhang Guoqing knew there was no way to resolve the situation, so he could only let her fulfill her wish. He would support her in whatever she wanted to do. She would recover naturally upon returning to Beijing.

After a while, Zhou Jiao sighed and said quietly, "And as for Grandma Zhou, I plan to go see her. This departure may be the last time we meet as grandparents."

Zhang Guoqing hesitated whether to tell her the truth.

People change over time, and a biological granddaughter is always more important than a granddaughter from the Outer Eighth Route Army, not to mention that Zhou Xue is still in prison. Comparing the two, the old lady has forgotten the suffering Zhou Jiao endured in the old Zhou family.

The last time he went to see the old lady, she had told him not to go see her. The Zhou family had almost paid back what they owed Zhou Jiao and her daughter. He was so surprised that he thought he had recognized the wrong person.

What does it mean to have almost paid it back? His father-in-law sends her alimony every month, and he visits her every month. So this is what is called having almost paid it back.

"Maybe when we meet again, things may have changed, but you still support me?"

Zhou Jiao smiled. "I'd have guessed it even without you saying it. It's human nature. She hasn't come to see me once in the past two years, how could I not understand? If she moves out of the Zhou family, she'll be even more angry with me. I didn't stop you from visiting her because I wanted to repay her for her kindness. I just wanted to see her one last time and put an end to the past grudges."

Zhang Guoqing smiled and shook his head. Sure enough, she already had an idea. It was true that if you didn't expect something, you wouldn't be disappointed. He couldn't understand what the old lady was thinking. She'd raised a cat and a dog for over ten years and still develop feelings for them, so how much more so for a human being?

The next day at noon, Zhang Guoqing accompanied his wife and son to Lin County.

In the hotel, after settling his wife and children down, he was about to turn around and leave.

Zhou Jiao stopped him and handed him a package. "If she doesn't come, give it to her. Just say thank you for her education over the years."

Zhang Guoqing knew that there was a set of clothes made by Zhou Jiao herself, as well as the Huang family's traditional medicine and prescriptions compiled by Zhou Jiao herself.

When he arrived in the village, he still found an acquaintance and called out the old lady.

More than half an hour later, Mrs. Zhou finally came over and learned that Zhou Jiao and the children were waiting for her in the county town. She was silent for a long time, then shook her head.

"Grandma, how about I bring her and the child over? You wait here for a while."

The old lady hurriedly grabbed Zhang Guoqing and said, "Xiaowu, I don't want to see her now. Let's wait until later."

Zhang Guoqing was very unhappy after hearing this. This old lady was really confused.

He helped the old lady sit down and said softly, "Grandma, are you blaming Jiaojiao? What did she do wrong? You are being unfair to her."

"I know it's wrong for me to do this. But I feel bad. If it weren't for Jiaojiao, our family would be living well in the village and wouldn't have to leave our hometown. Xue girl wouldn't be as old as me, and her husband would have remarried. What would she do in the future? If it weren't for Jiaojiao, my old son would still be my old son, and he wouldn't hate us. But Jiaojiao, who I raised, has destroyed the Zhou family. How can I face my parents-in-law in the underworld?"

Zhang Guoqing looked helplessly at the tearful old lady. He didn't know how to defend himself. Once someone gets stuck in a rut, they can't get out. It was crystal clear how this happened, so why was Jiaojiao being held responsible?

"Grandma, why are you blaming Jiaojiao for my dad's problems? Jiaojiao only found out about the whole thing later. When Zhou Xue showed up, Jiaojiao didn't do anything to her. She was arrested for her own mistakes. Don't you know Jiaojiao's life best? Don't you understand Jiaojiao's personality? What do you mean Jiaojiao ruined the Zhou family? It was the Zhou family that ruined themselves. What's your fault? They brought this upon themselves from the beginning to the end. Why are you taking all the blame on yourself?"

Old Mrs. Zhou stared at him with dazed eyes. After a while, she shook her head and said, "I still don't want to see her. I need to think about it. Go back and don't come here again."

Zhang Guoqing shook his head and sighed. "As you get older, you really become confused. The old lady before you was so much more sensible." He didn't want to explain anymore.

"Grandma, we've been admitted to Beijing University, so we don't have time to come back. I'll send money and things to Auntie from now on, and you can come and get them, okay?"

"I'm not senile, you don't have to talk to me like a child. I know it's not Jiaojiao's fault, it's just that there's something wrong with her. It will be fine after a while."

Isn't this a mistake? Zhang Guoqing looked at the time and thought Zhou Jiao must be getting impatient. After hesitating for a moment, he decided to forget it and not meet her.

He handed the package to the old lady, "Everything in here was made by Jiaojiao herself. She said thank you for raising her for so many years. If you're not doing well, remember to send a message to my parents. My dad will take care of you in your old age."

The old lady picked up the package and walked out. "No thanks. We're even, no one owes anyone anything. Don't send it to me anymore. I have enough money to spend on my own."

Zhang Guoqing watched her walk out the door quickly with her small feet.

Sigh...what's going on? What's wrong with his wife? And is the old lady just getting confused due to her age? Should I tell Zhou Jiao and her father the truth?

After bidding farewell to the hostess, Zhang Guoqing returned to the county town with a heavy heart. Facing Zhou Jiao's understanding gaze, he chose to speak the truth.

Zhou Jiao smiled, "Let's go. Let her do what she wants, and let her feel at ease. That'll make us even!"

On the way back, Zhou Jiao asked herself, "Do I feel lost? Do I feel regretful?" Then she chuckled. She was such a fool. If she had it to do over again, she would still choose what she believed was right without hesitation. How could there be any regrets?