That night, the family gathered in the study of the Zhou family courtyard in Beijing to chat, telling each other about some things they had encountered or heard in a short period of time.

The delicate fragrance of premium Tieguanyin tea drifted through the room along with Lin Lishan's tea art, leaving Zhou Jiao with a look of regret as she could only appreciate it but not taste it.

Lin Lishan jokingly made a cup of brown sugar water from the kettle beside her and handed it to her: "What do you think about what your father said just now? If you don't want to drop out of school, you can only find an excuse to transfer to the company for internship."

Zhou Jiao chuckled and shook her head. As long as she showed up with a big belly, who wouldn't be able to miss her? She knew better than anyone how risky this was. Why set up a blatant target for others to attack?

"Will it be too much?"

Zhou Jiao smiled with a relaxed expression: "Look at my complexion? Don't worry. In the countryside, pregnant women in their seventh or eighth month still have to work on the farm, and that's fine. If you don't believe me, ask me. Some children are born in the fields."

Zhang Guoqing quickly looked away and took the opportunity to play with his son. His wife was very stubborn, and he had been prepared for this and kept a close eye on her.

"Brother Zheng..."

Zhou Xiaozheng shook his head: "Didn't you see that our Jiaojiao is very confident? She should have a plan. Let's listen to what she says first. If it's feasible, we'll see what she says first."

"It's not fun at all. I knew you would guess it."

Zhou Xiaozheng laughed heartily when he saw his daughter pouting and complaining, rolling her eyes.

"What's the plan? Tell Mom about it."

Zhou Jiao didn't want to say it at first. Before the matter was successful, she didn't want to speak easily. She glanced at the anxious Lin Lishan, thought for a moment and said, "My due date is in August."

"Gregorian calendar or lunar calendar?"

Zhou Jiao glanced at her speechlessly. She was already almost four months pregnant. What did a ten-month pregnancy mean? According to the lunar calendar, she was about to give birth to Nezha.

Zhang Guoqing, standing by, was also having trouble explaining how to calculate the due date. Things like adding 9 or subtracting 3 from the last menstrual period, and adding 7 to the day, were too complicated for his mother-in-law to understand. Even his father-in-law probably didn't understand.

He kindly reminded his mother-in-law: "Mom, it's the Gregorian calendar. Maybe the baby will be born on August 1st."

"Why don't you look pregnant at all? Are you lacking in nutrition? No, I have to find someone to get some nutritional supplements tomorrow."

Zhou Jiao knew that her mother never got the point.

Zhou Xiaozheng shook his head. "No need to look for anyone. I'll find a way. Do you understand what Jiaojiao means? School doesn't start in August, so it won't affect my internship next year."

Zhou Jiao nodded quickly. Talking to her dad was much easier.

"Have you thought about what to do during the busy farming season in the first half of the year? Xiaowu's medical records will probably be useless during the busy farming season. At most, you won't have to go to the fields, but you'll still be asked to do light work."

Zhou Xiaozheng knew his daughter better than anyone, and he probably feared she might be a bad influence. The thought of seeing his precious child sweating, sunburned, and unable to even squat made his heart tighten, and he wondered if there were any suitable tasks for her after school. Thinking of that old man, Shi Dashen, he frowned; he was truly pedantic.

Zhou Jiao pulled his arm and shook it, "Dad, I won't let myself suffer any loss. Even with the sick leave note, I will still insist on participating in the busy farming season. If I feel unwell at that time, others will have the time to speculate."

Zhou Xiaozheng knew his daughter's thoughts when he heard her words. He touched Zhou Jiao's head and said, "Don't let any accidents happen. Consult with Xiaowu before doing anything. Don't worry about dragging Dad down if something happens. I'm so happy to be dragged down by my own daughter. You are different from others. It doesn't matter what outsiders do to you."

Zhou Jiao continued with a smile, "Yes, I have elderly parents and young children to support. I am extremely precious. Dad, you have to believe in your daughter's intelligence."

Zhang Guoqing watched his father-in-law compromise once again, and couldn't bear to see his wife secretly happy. He said quietly, "Yeah, how could you come up with such a bad idea without some intelligence?"

Zhou Xiaozheng looked at his son-in-law and saw him rubbing his face with his hands. He immediately understood. He immediately decided: "It will be implemented after the fifteenth day of the first lunar month."

Zhou Jiao wrinkled her nose and bared her teeth at Zhang Guoqing proudly.

Zhang Guoqing burst out laughing at this, cleared his throat, and looked at Zhou Xiaozheng: "Dad, if there are bad rumors outside, you and Mom should not think wrongly at home."

Lin Lishan tilted her head and patted her grandson beside her: "Baby, can you understand what they are saying?"

Ping An opened his eyes wide, looked at the expressions of the adults, and shook his head: "I'm still young, I'll understand when I grow up."

Zhou Xiaozheng shook his head: "Don't ask, you will know when the time comes."

Zhang Guoqing understood why his father-in-law wouldn't explain. His mother-in-law was a stubborn person, unable to hide anything. If he told her that Zhou Jiao was using the powder to fake illness, she'd probably be furious and expose her plan if someone said something unkind later. It was better to keep it a secret to make it seem more genuine.

In order to change the subject, Zhou Xiaozheng asked her about the arrangements for the New Year gifts at the Miao family.

"Don't worry, Jiaojiao has made all the arrangements. When Zhicheng went home for vacation, we brought him gifts. But you haven't come back yet, so we don't know if we should go there."

Zhou Xiaozheng had no reason to worry. Remembering his plan to visit at the end of the year, he glanced at his wife and said, "Let's focus on our Jiaojiao now."

Lin Lishan didn't mind; she was especially busy at the end of the year. Besides, it felt strange to go and pay respects to the deceased knowing she wasn't their daughter.

"Dad, if you have a holiday, go there. It's only a two-day trip. You can take Ping An with you and come back early. I'll take care of Jiao Jiao at home."

Zhou Xiaozheng looked at his son-in-law with a smile in his eyes. The boy was becoming more and more mature. "Dad still needs to make some preparations. It doesn't matter whether he goes or not for now."

That means there are still some problems to be solved with this relative. Thinking of the people Miao Zhicheng mentioned, Zhang Guoqing nodded thoughtfully.

"Give that old man a heads-up tomorrow. Since he's connected to our family, I'll meet him tomorrow night." Zhou Xiaozheng said, glancing at his silent daughter. "Just stay home and relax. Dad will take care of things."

Zhou Jiao nodded slowly, stood up, and took her mother and son out for some midnight snack, leaving space for the father-in-law and son-in-law to talk privately.

Watching them leave, Zhang Guoqing mentioned the private words that Yi Jiefang revealed to him, as well as the gossip he got from Fang Fei, and added his own opinions.

Zhou Xiaozheng leaned back in his chair, twirling a pen in his right hand. As his son-in-law finished speaking, he stopped and said, "Once the food problem is alleviated, the situation will become more tense."

Zhang Guoqing immediately sat up straight and waited for the next words. Compared to him, a newcomer, his father-in-law was truly analyzing the overall situation from every point to the whole picture.

"The Yi family thought they were being very discreet with their little tricks, but your uncle saw through them. Everyone knows that they've married into the Fang family and have taken a liking to Fang Fei's father."

"I just don't know."

"Silly boy!" Zhou Xiaozheng slapped him on the forehead. "Why else do you think your uncle allowed you to enter the Beijing Research Institute upon graduation?"

Zhang Guoqing looked at him with a smile, but said nothing. His father-in-law had previously planned to have him go to the General Logistics Command Automation Management Laboratory. Was he changing his mind again?

But it doesn't matter where he goes. What has been confirmed is that he will transfer to the military after graduation. Apart from anything else, having a soldier son means his parents will have no worries in the future.

He had made a name for himself by giving up his military service, so it wasn't impossible for him to be assigned any other job in the future. Just in case, a job in the military logistics department or a research institute would be a possibility.

Zhou Xiaozheng also thought of this. "Your last internship was pretty good, the Automation Management Research Lab...it's a good match for your major. Let's first decide on these two units: your grandfather Zhou's side, the Armed Forces Department, the General Staff Headquarters, and even the Power Supply Bureau. I'm always uneasy looking at them. Anyway, it's the second half of next year, so let's wait and see how things develop and make a decision then."

"Dad, I'll listen to you. Just watch over it for me."

Zhou Xiaozheng smiled and shook his head. This guy was just good at sweet talk. No wonder even Mr. Cheng and the others were worried about him.