The New Year’s bells rang, fireworks bloomed in the sky, and 1963 truly arrived.

Unlike previous years, this year Zhou Jiao is pregnant, and the family members have gradually started to stay at home. Unless necessary, they rarely go out to visit guests.

Zhang Guoqing had been complained about several times by Yi Jiefang and the others. "Your wife is pregnant, and you don't need a man like you to give birth to a child. You can just stay at home and grow mushrooms."

Zhang Guoqing smiled and said nothing, bowing and apologizing to his friends, and his behavior remained the same. However, there were many more guests visiting his home.

On the fifth day of the first lunar month, Fang Fei came over to tell him that a group of them were going to have a party and would be returning to their respective units after the eighth day, so he asked him to meet in the evening.

Everything is excessive or insufficient. Zhang Guoqing agreed with a smile and promised to bring some good wine over tonight.

Fang Fei glanced at him in surprise. "Don't stand me up. If you don't want to go, I'll find a reason for you to refuse."

"No need. They seldom come back once a year, unlike us who can see each other so often. But Brother Xiaofei, you have to help me block some of the wine."

Fang Fei rolled his eyes in disdain. "Are you worried your wife will vomit when she smells the alcohol? I think you've given up. If Zhou Jiao gets pregnant with ten or eight children, are you going to stop drinking for the rest of your life?"

Zhang Guoqing replied with a playful smile, "Wine is so rare, I can save you a few sips. Last time, those guys openly congratulated me and made me vomit twice. I had a terrible headache the next day."

The two chatted for a while in the study. After Fang Fei left for a while, Zhou Jiao came out of the bedroom and looked at Zhang Guoqing with a squint. Well, now her reputation as a fierce woman has been established.

"Meeting and separation are always impermanent, life is always going well." Zhang Guoqing put down his brush and looked up at her, "Jiaojiao, give me two bottles of good red wine."

Zhou Jiao looked forward at him worriedly, then lowered her head to look at the cursive writing on the desk.

"Don't let your imagination run wild. It's just a momentary sigh."

"You're upset."

Zhang Guoqing nodded. "Yes, they're all my good friends. They've always been very kind to me. I can't get over this. After this meeting, maybe..."

Zhou Jiao reached out and grasped his right hand, squeezing it firmly. She said calmly, "No! A smooth life isn't a good thing for many people."

Zhang Guoqing walked around the desk, came in front of her and hugged her tightly.

"You forgot our agreement to go with the flow. Brother, everyone has his own life. We help others when they are in trouble and don't add insult to injury. It is already a kind act. Many times, you have to remember that if you can save the green mountains, you will never lack firewood. Only when we are safe can we have the energy to help others."

Zhang Guoqing patted her back gently, his gaze looking off into the distance. It made sense, and it made sense intellectually, but he hated owing favors to others, and he especially hated knowing the outcome in advance.

"How about I give you some medicine and you go and kill some people."

Zhang Guoqing smiled wryly and shook his head when he heard his wife's words. Even without Zhang San, there was still Li Si. He was just a small figure, he couldn't save the earth.

After Zhou Jiao finished speaking, she laughed happily.

"Be careful not to get a stitch in your side from laughing. Is your back sore today? Do you want to go over with me tonight?"

Zhou Jiao shook her head. "I trust you to do what you do. You can go by yourself. If I go, everyone will have to take care of the pregnant woman and won't be able to enjoy themselves."

"Maybe it's too cold."

After finishing the business, Zhou Jiao didn't want to talk about these things to affect her mood. She pointed to the cursive writing on the table and said, "You are making progress. This can be mounted."

"Really? This doesn't have a good meaning. Let me start over." Zhang Guoqing also wanted to change the subject. He let her go with great interest and returned to his desk to pick up the brush.

Outside the yard, Aunt Chen walked quickly in with a telegram in her hand and knocked on the window: "Is Xiaowu here? There's a telegram for you, from the Northeast."

Zhang Guoqing quickly put down his brush, came out, opened the door, and lifted the cotton curtain: "Aunt, come in and talk."

Aunt Chen sent the telegram to him, "Xiao Wang just met me, and your dad asked him to send him back. No, I'm going to make some noodles for Jiaojiao as a snack. She doesn't eat much at noon."

Zhang Guoqing didn't say anything else. He thanked her, watched her leave, and turned back to his room.

"Are Mom and Dad coming over? Do you see what it says?"

Zhang Guoqing nodded and opened it impatiently: Mother, sister-in-law and two of them went to Beijing on the tenth day of the first lunar month.

He raised his eyebrows, handed it to Zhou Jiao, and motioned for her to look at it herself.

"What's going on? Why doesn't Dad come over?"

Zhang Guoqing smiled and shook his head. "I should get a letter in a few days. Dad will explain the details in the letter. Do you want me to send a telegram to ask Dad to come over?"

Zhou Jiao shook her head: "Forget it, let's wait for Dad's letter to come. Maybe he has some arrangements. But whose idea was it to let the two sisters-in-law come over? Can they leave home?"

Zhang Guoqing shook his head. "I'm not sure. Maybe my two sisters-in-law have been behaving well recently, so my mother is happy and wants to reward them by letting them see the world."

"Strange! Really strange! That's a lot of money for the trip. It doesn't seem like Mother's idea." Zhou Jiao shook her head. No one knew her mother-in-law better than she did; she was such a thrifty person. If she'd told them she was pregnant and asked them to come visit, it would have been out of the question. Their relationship as sisters-in-law wasn't that close.

"You forget they'll definitely buy seats if they come, so it won't cost much. Mother's really something. Can her health handle it? I'd better send a telegram telling her not to come yet and wait until summer."

Zhou Jiao pulled him, not knowing whether to laugh or cry. "Don't leave so quickly. If you send a telegram like this, people will misunderstand that you don't want your parents to come over."

"No, I said I'll wait until you give birth soon. It's too cold now."

Zhou Jiao raised her eyebrows and said, "Sit down!"

Zhang Guoqing picked her up and carried her to a seat, then slapped her butt. "How dare you order your man around?"

Zhou Jiao glanced at him in a reproachful manner. "Have you considered the feelings of your two sisters-in-law? You can't send this telegram. You absolutely can't! With Second Sister-in-law's temper, I'm sure she's already spread the news to everyone. Maybe even the whole county knows I'm pregnant."

"Don't you think Mom and Dad are just causing trouble? Why did they come here? They still made you busy taking care of them. If they hadn't come, I could have asked Brother Liu to help move a berth for Mom. Now that they're here, how can I have the nerve to ask for help?"

It was indeed causing more trouble, but Zhou Jiao didn't want to say it out loud. Her in-laws were always reasonable, so they must have some ulterior motive. Perhaps they were worried about her becoming distant from her two sisters-in-law in the future?

Zhang Guoqing frowned in thought. It wouldn't matter if he spent a little money to take his sisters-in-law out for fun, but he couldn't let his wife go out with his sisters-in-law in the freezing weather while pregnant.

There was also the question of whether his two sisters-in-law would have strange thoughts if they saw the family's conditions. These were all unpredictable things, and he didn't like some unexpected things getting out of his control.

Father Zhang, who was far away in the Northeast, thought his eldest son could guess what he was thinking. Unfortunately, Zhang Guoqing really had no idea what his father was up to.

Pregnancy can make people stupid for three years. Although he was not pregnant, he could still be infected. Moreover, in his heart, his sister-in-law was just his sister-in-law, just an outsider who married his brother. She was no match for Zhang Meili and the others.

"If Dad couldn't leave, Mom could have brought Big Sister over. Why is she going out with two sisters-in-law? What's going on here?"

Zhou Jiao nodded, bewildered. Yes, she missed Zhang Meili so much, why didn't she bring her elder sister-in-law with her?