Thinking of this, Zhang Guoqing picked up the teacup and drank the cold tea in one gulp, then stood up and went out to find his wife.

On the way to Cheng's house, passing by Lin's house, he finally remembered that his mother-in-law had returned to her parents' home tonight, perhaps to give game to the old man. Thinking of this, he didn't care.

Looking at the open door of the Lin family, he listened carefully but didn't hear any unusual sounds, so he left without stopping.

Not far ahead, Mr. Mo came out of his house. When he saw Zhang Guoqing, he smiled and waved at him, "Where are you going? Why are you running around here so late at night?"

Zhang Guoqing quickly ran a few steps to the front of him, "Old man, you can't stop the people from lighting the lamps. Where are you going?

"Da? Grandma Mo is relieved that you can go out? Do you want me to be your walking stick?"

"You little brat! I say one thing to you, and you say the same thing back. I don't need you to be my crutch. Just remember to come to my house and play chess with me. Don't forget to go to bed early and exercise in the morning."

Zhang Guoqing made a bitter face and begged for mercy, "Grandpa Mo, dear grandpa, please forgive me. I can do anything you want me to do, just play chess. Can we discuss it again?"

When Mr. Mo saw this, he burst into laughter and shook his head decisively.

Zhang Guoqing sighed in mock frustration, "Looks like I'll have to stay up late to memorize chess moves for the next couple of days."

"You little bastard, just pretend, pretend as hard as you can. I'm not going to waste my time on you. I still have to go play a few games with Old Man Yi. Remember to find time to practice with me."

After saying that, Mr. Mo strode away, but he did not forget to turn around and give instructions. Seeing Zhang Guoqing smiling and nodding, he finally felt relieved.

Finding a new player to practice with is so hard these days. Old Man Mo lamented his increasingly rusty chess skills, but then realized that since Zhang Xiaowu had agreed to practice with him, he should soon be unbeatable in the compound. The more he thought about it, the happier he became, and he couldn't help but hum an opera tune.

Zhang Guoqing couldn't help laughing when he saw the old man entering the Yi family's alley before he turned and left. It was already past eight o'clock in the evening, and I wonder if Mr. Yi would be upset when he saw the bad guests coming to his door?

Ask Zhang Guoqing what he fears most, and he'll undoubtedly say he's afraid of playing bad chess. And Mr. Mo isn't just a bad chess player; he's an indecisive, indecisive one. Especially since Mr. Mo won't let him go until he wins, even if he loses.

Every time he played chess with Mr. Mo, it was exhausting. But since the old man treated him like his own son, he would just treat it as a colorful dress to entertain his parents.

Mr. Mo's voice was quite loud, especially at night. During this pause, people from several nearby courtyards gradually emerged, and Zhang Guoqing chatted again.

What puzzled Zhang Guoqing was that no one came out of the Lin family's open door. What was going on? Could it be that the Lin family was using the empty city strategy?

When he arrived at the Cheng family's house, he paid special attention and found that Lin Lishan was not there either. His eyes flashed, and he put the matter aside and took over his son who rushed over.

"Dad, where have you been? I can't find you."

Zhang Guoqing picked up the child and greeted everyone before whispering back. He knew his son was just asking casually, knowing where he could go.

Seeing him coming, Old Cheng thought he was here to pick up his family and said with a smile, "I've forgotten the time while chatting. Go back and rest early. The children are tired after getting off the bus today. Go back and rest first. We can talk later. Don't make things too awkward with the Lin family. After all, Old Man Lin is not a bad guy."

Zhang Guoqing looked at Zhou Jiao and saw that although she was smiling, the smile was not in her eyes. He frowned slightly, thinking that something must have happened when he left that night.

Zhou Xiaozheng stood up and nodded.

Old Mrs. Cheng glanced at her husband in dissatisfaction. What was good about it? She felt that Old Man Lin had it all his own way. A grown man who had never seen a woman in his eight lifetimes had spoiled that old woman so much that she became arrogant and domineering. This was karma! What a crap lady from a wealthy family, she thought she had found a treasure.

Old Lady Cheng refused to believe that Old Man Lin was such a careless person that he didn't know anything. The Lin family was basically all the same, no one was any better.

Old Cheng smiled apologetically at his wife. What could he say? Old Lin had spoken before him several times, hoping he could help persuade his nephew.

After seeing off Zhou Xiaozheng and his family, Mr. Cheng did not return to the bedroom, but went back to the living room and sat down.

Seeing the old man closing his eyes to rest, Cheng Sijin understood what was going on and advised him, "Dad, if Uncle Lin comes to you again, just tell the truth and don't be embarrassed."

Mr. Cheng opened his eyes and shook his hand, "You don't understand."

Old Madam Cheng, standing nearby, spoke slowly and logically, "That's right. We don't understand, but we're curious. Can you tell me why Old Man Lin asked you to mediate instead of having his family apologize? I'm just curious about this man's unique way of thinking."

Cheng Sijin nodded in agreement with his mother's point of view. "That's exactly what I mean. The Lin family has done so many things, and apart from sending that granddaughter to the military, they haven't even given Big Brother a direct apology. They just want to brush it off in such a vague way. How is that possible?"

I asked you to persuade my eldest brother, but why didn't you ask Uncle Lin? Besides the mess that happened to his old lady, why didn't his youngest son and his family apologize to our Jiaojiao? How could he have the nerve to ask for it? "

Old Cheng smiled wryly and looked at his wife, eldest son, and daughter-in-law, all of whom looked disapproving. It seems justice is in the heart of man!

How could he not know these issues? He had helped his nephew's family seek justice from Old Man Lin before. But Old Man Lin shed those tears. After so many years of friendship, he really couldn't wipe away his shame.

Cheng Sijin glanced at his father's face and said harshly, "Uncle Lin wants to restore the relationship between the two families. He is still interested in my eldest brother's status and ability. But it's too late. Who wants to be used?

There's another thing my younger sister told me. Jiaojiao tricked her into revealing something, and she quickly learned what happened in the ward that day. Her face darkened. Sure enough, the next day, my eldest brother's family banned the Lin family from entering or leaving freely. "Do you think it's appropriate for you to speak up and advise them?"

Old Cheng smiled and said, "Alright. I just mentioned it briefly, and I won't bring it up again. Besides, with the attitude your eldest brother and his daughter showed tonight, I don't believe Old Man Lin will still ask me for help."

Seeing the old man smile, Cheng's eldest daughter-in-law Liu Ting finally tugged at her husband cautiously and asked softly, "What did my younger sister say that made Jiaojiao angry?"

She knew that ordinary things really didn't make Zhou Jiao change her expression. The child was always calm and composed, taking everything to heart and rarely revealing her true thoughts.

Cheng Sijin glanced at his parents and saw that they didn't stop him. He said softly, "The last time Uncle Lin got into trouble, Old Lady Lin wanted to beat Lin Lishan, but Xiaowu stopped her. That damn old woman called Xiaowu a pig who relied on others for power and called my eldest brother a beast. If Dad hadn't been there at the time, the Lin family would have wanted to beat Xiaowu."

Liu Ting opened her mouth in surprise. She couldn't believe it for a moment. She stuttered and asked, "Then, then why didn't this matter spread? That's not right. How did I know?"

Old Cheng laughed and scolded, "Don't listen to the boss's nonsense, the situation is not that serious."

Cheng Sijin wasn't happy to hear his father say that. He retorted, "I didn't make it up. Xiao Chen and the others heard it clearly outside. I heard it from them. Do they have the guts to spread rumors?"

He winked at his wife. "Didn't something more serious happen that day? We've put this matter aside, and Uncle Lin later told the guards not to spread the news. But who are Xiao Chen and the others? They're close to Xiao Wu, so they've already spread the news privately."

Liu Ting was furious after hearing this. "The Lin family is so arrogant. They've done so many bad things and still want to beat people up? And now they have the nerve to come to the Zhou family? Our Xiaowu is a peasant, so what? What does that damn old woman have to do with her? She may come from a wealthy family, but the whole house is full of thieves and prostitutes. She still has the nerve to insult others. She really doesn't know how to be ashamed.

Xiao Wu is such a fool. Why does he care about Lin Lishan's affairs? That's not a good thing either. He watched his son-in-law being bullied and then went to his mother's house. "

Old Cheng's mouth, which was originally open, closed tightly after hearing what his daughter-in-law said.

Oh, forget it, let it be misunderstood. He didn't bother to explain that Zhang Xiaowu wasn't a pushover. The Lin family had suffered a terrible defeat that day. Besides, if a fight had really broken out, a room full of people wouldn't have been enough for Zhang Xiaowu to beat. Even Boss Lin might not have been able to defeat that guy with his bare hands.

Just as he thought of this, Cheng Sijin, worthy of being his son, slapped his thigh and looked at his father complainingly, "You shouldn't have stopped Xiaowu from beating up the Lin family that day, just to vent your anger. Maybe, if we kill a chicken to scare the monkeys, the little girl from the Lin family won't dare to harm anyone else."

Mr. Cheng silently sought comfort from his wife. If that were the case, it was all his fault? He couldn't possibly still be arguing with his son and daughter-in-law at such an old age.

Old Mrs. Cheng enjoyed watching the father-son dispute, laughing heartily. She had heard her husband describe the scene in the ward that day, and no one knew what had happened better than she did.

Peasant? Haha… Ever since Zhang Guoqing got admitted to a prestigious university, the Lin family has been slapped in the face. The old woman's eldest grandson is being pampered, but it's useless—he can't even be transferred to the Northeast Military Region. Where's the outstanding talent you promised, the most outstanding young generation of the Lin family?

Old Lady Cheng scoffed inwardly. How could the vine grow straight and healthy if the roots were not straight?

Cheng Sijin noticed his father was a little embarrassed and regretful after he said this. He immediately changed the subject, "Dad, what do you think big brother is thinking? Why is he stopping the old men from letting Xiaowu go to military school? Uncle Lin is so eager to win big brother over, isn't it because he has his eye on his position? But he's so good, if his only son-in-law doesn't take over, who will get the resources in the future? I've tried to persuade him several times, but every time big brother remains silent. I'm really worried about him."

When it came to business, Mr. Cheng regained his usual shrewdness. He smiled mysteriously and reminded him, "Sometimes if you don't want it, others will force it on you. Zhang Guoqing is still a long way from graduation, so why rush him?"

Cheng Sijin's eyes flashed and he nodded in understanding.

"Instead of joining the bureau too early, it's better to cultivate interpersonal relationships first. Look at Zhang Guoqing now. Doesn't he have connections with people from all factions? Didn't your eldest brother stop him? If he were in the military academy and the army now, would he have such good conditions?"

Seeing his eldest son and his wife's serious attitude, and the fact that there were no outsiders present, Old Cheng felt inclined to offer some advice. While the eldest son was capable, he still relied on courage and lacked strategic thinking.

This is why he chose Liu Ting as his eldest daughter-in-law. He is proud to have a daughter-in-law who is smart and generous.