Several elderly men from the neighborhood were sitting in the Cheng family's yard to enjoy the cool air. Several elementary school students whose parents were on duty also gathered in the yard, playing with paper bags in a group.

Ever since Wen Yu learned of his safe return, he'd been waiting at his grandparents' house with a change of clothes. Last night, Zhang Guoqing and his family arrived home, and if you were to ask who was happiest, he'd probably be at the top of the list.

Xiaoyu likes his grandpa's house better than his grandpa's. The compound is so nice! There are so many friends to play with, and the space is spacious. You can do whatever you want, watch movies, and skip stones in the pool.

After Xiao Ping'an came back, it was even better! There was so much meat that he almost cried. It seemed that without the Lin family, he could eat a few more meals of braised pork.

Xiaoyu glanced at the well-behaved little guy beside him and stuffed the paper bag he won into his little hand. "Here! I'll win you another handful of glass beads tomorrow."

Ping An nodded with a smile on his face, took one, and handed the rest back to him, "No, my mother doesn't allow me to play with glass beads."

"It's okay. I'll kill him with a bag, and my sister won't object. But you have to remember not to put the beads in your mouth. Last year, a little kid accidentally swallowed one and had to go to the hospital."

A child nearby couldn't stand his nagging and said, "Hurry up. There are no fools in our yard!"

"You're such a fool! You've lost so much and you're still not convinced."

"I'm just letting you go. Come again!"

The children gathered around laughed. If he did it again, he would be beaten when he got home. He was so brave that he could tear up the book!

Ping An looked boredly at the adults drinking tea and playing chess in the distance, then at his grandmother and the other women at the living room door. Oh, I really want to go home!

At this time, two figures appeared. Ping'an's eyes lit up and he quickly stood up from the small stool and ran towards the gate.

Zhou Jiao quickly took it over, "Are you having fun? Are you hot?"

I'm not happy at all! A bunch of idiots tearing up books and slamming them against rocks. How painful that must be.

Seeing that her son didn't say anything, Zhou Jiao smiled and didn't ask any more questions. Seeing that her father went to the old men, she picked up her son and went to the women's circle.

Old Madam Cheng beckoned her to sit beside her, "Xiaowu took that child out and hasn't come back yet?"

Zhou Jiao greeted everyone softly, and after taking her seat, she smiled and said, "I knew you didn't love me."

"Bad girl!" The old lady patted her hands and laughed.

"She went out after dinner, probably somewhere else. My aunt didn't come tonight?"

Liu Ting, standing by, reached out and hugged Ping An. "Your mother asked the same question when she just came over. You're truly a mother and daughter. Your aunt just came over last night, so she must be busy tonight."

The old lady asked in a low voice: "Is there something you need from your aunt? I'll call her and ask her to come over."

"No need. I miss my aunt, I'll go there by myself."

"Girls don't look good when they get tanned. If you miss her, give her a call and tell her I'm looking for her."

No one could be more partial than this! Zhou Jiao laughed with joy.

Lin Lishan patted her on the side and said, "Aunt Chen is home, right? Xiaowu didn't bring the key."

"It's okay. When we're not at home, he'll come here to look for us." Zhou Jiao glanced at her father and smiled when she saw him chatting with Cheng Sijin and the others.

Just now, outside the courtyard, the father and daughter were a little regretful about coming here. Who could have imagined that so many people would be at the Cheng family's? It would have been better for the father and daughter to play chess at home than to go out for a social gathering on such a beautiful night.

"...Has Ruzhu decided on a time to go south?"

"It's not the fair yet, but it should be here soon. I heard you're flying there this time, so you won't be leaving so soon. What? You want to bring something?"

Lin Lishan shook her head slightly.

Liu Ting smiled knowingly. This sister-in-law really has everything she needs. Having a capable son-in-law is great. Fortunately, she didn't give Jiaojiao to the Lin family to raise. Otherwise...

"I heard that when Elder Lin appeared, he fainted from anger, and when he woke up, he said he didn't have such a granddaughter. What disease can't be cured? Some things can be covered up, but this time it's difficult. Now there is a commotion over there, and people are saying all kinds of things."

When she thought of the unspeakable things her sister-in-law had said, she looked at Lin Lishan's smiling face, hesitated, and thought about it before speaking.

Her husband would have informed her eldest brother, and the same would have been true for her eldest cousin. Besides, Lin Lishan was no longer a member of the Lin family, and since she had no parents-in-law above her, no one could give her any harm.

It's a pity for the Lin family's children! If they knew that the child had contracted a dirty disease from the world of love, they would definitely be despised by their in-laws.

I didn't expect that girl, who was originally a medical worker, would steal food and not even wipe it clean. Also, what good could the girl taught by Gu Ruyi be?

Jealous, murderous, and dissolute. He has it all!

Cheng Sijin was indeed right on target with his wife. After chatting for a while, he found an excuse and pulled Zhou Xiaozheng into his study.

After Zhou Xiaozheng took his seat, he looked at him silently.

"Brother, dear brother, don't look at me like that. Relax! This isn't our family's problem, it's the Lin family's! Something's happened to that damn girl who hurt our Jiaojiao."

Zhou Xiaozheng said "Oh" nonchalantly and fell silent again.

"Are you unhappy? Or did you also get the news?"

Zhou Xiaozheng glanced at him sideways. "What does the Lin family have to do with me? Why should I care about them? That idiot would have killed himself without even having to do anything. Isn't that normal?"

Cheng Sijin thought it was true and nodded, "It's a pity for Lin Aiguo this time! He escaped the first time, I'm afraid he won't be able to escape this time."

Zhou Xiaozheng raised his eyebrows and waited for his next words.

"She was foolish enough to get caught in a factional dispute and was caught cheating. Worst of all, she contracted a lewd disease. An investigation revealed that two or three of the people she had contact with also had it. The Northwest is preparing for war right now, and military morale cannot be shaken. Even if the Lin family published a newspaper to sever ties, it probably wouldn't have any effect this time."

Zhou Xiaozheng listened silently. He didn't consider what would happen to the Lin family, but rather wondered how much involvement his son-in-law had in this matter. The boy had been in a very good mood for a while, cheerful all day long, and even jokingly asked him to watch a show.

"...Brother, do you think Mr. Lin will ask you for help?"

Zhou Xiaozheng raised the corners of his lips and looked at him with amusement. "How can I help? Refer him to a doctor?" He paused for a moment. "There were still quite a few plasters on the telephone poles earlier. I wonder if they're still there."

Cheng Sijin chuckled happily and cleared his throat, "My younger brother must be having a headache over there. He will definitely be back in Beijing in the next few days."

Zhou Xiaozheng shook his head. "Grandpa Lin is not an ordinary person. He must have a backup plan for this granddaughter. If I'm not mistaken, he should have tampered with the internal files long ago. Lin Aiguo will be fine. He only has one son."

"How could that be? I didn't hear a word about it."

Zhou Xiaozheng reminded: "Retired cadres and retired cadres are treated differently. He is now under local management. It is normal that we don't know what he did."

After saying that, he looked at Cheng Sijin who had come to his senses and lowered his eyes.

Zhou Xiaozheng knew his former father-in-law very well. Others said he was a reckless general without any scheming. How could he have risen to such a high position and become a general, besides luck, without some brains?

Even if Gu Ruyi has been helping him deal with external relationships, others still have to see something tangible. Otherwise, why would they promote Lin Xinsheng and not others?

With such a troublesome person, if it weren't for his eldest son, Old Man Lin would have killed him long ago. If he could secretly replace him with someone else to raise a comrade's orphan, if done well, it could also bring sympathy to the Lin family.

If nothing goes wrong, don't expose him. Anyway, such a person has become a useless chess piece. If something really happens and he is thrown out, will Lin Aiguo and his wife disagree for the sake of their own interests?

Haha... Zhou Xiaozheng never looks down on the Lin family.

Cheng Sijin frowned, "So, the old man fainted as soon as he got the news and put on a show for everyone to see?"

Zhou Xiaozheng couldn't answer this question. How could he elicit sympathy without fainting? Isn't showing weakness a tactic?

He smiled and said, "To know what happens next, please wait for the next chapter."