Zhou Jiao, who was walking with her sister-in-law and cousin, walked forward, looked at everyone in confusion, and asked curiously, "What's going on?"

"Sister Jiaojiao, your son is doing bad things."

"Sister Jiao, you have to make the decision for us."

Zhou Jiao nodded halfheartedly, "Okay, I'll teach you a lesson when I get home. Where were you going so early in the morning? Is the temple fair still open these two days?"

"Sister, it's a good time for you to go there now. When I went there yesterday, there were still many stalls open, but there were not many people."

"Okay, Haozi, you are not being honest. You just said you went to your grandma's house yesterday."

Zhou Jiao looked at the noisy kids with a headache, waved at them, and pushed Zhang Guoqing away quickly.

After walking for a while, Zhang's mother asked curiously, "Is this also a child from the compound?"

"Yes, they are all in junior high school, and they are very naughty."

"The stones in our family are much more stable than them."

Zhou Jiao smiled and nodded at Zhang's mother's sentiment. How could they be the same? The environments and things these children were exposed to were completely different.

"Grandma, there's a carnival for the Lantern Festival. I'll take you there that day. Last year, my mom guessed a lot of riddles and won a lot of gifts. Last time, I sent you five boxes of matches in a package. Did you see them? That's it."

After walking a short distance, they met a young couple while they were talking. When the man saw Zhang Guoqing, his eyes lit up. He smiled and pulled the girl next to him, pointing at Zhou Jiao.

"Xiao Wu, this is my aunt, right?"

Zhang Guoqing nodded with a smile on his face: "This is my mother. Mom, this is my friend He Zhigang."

"Hello, Auntie!"

Mother Zhang laughed cheerfully and said, "Okay, okay, this is your date, right? He's so handsome."

"Thank you for the compliment, Auntie. You guys can go out now. Jiaojiao, I heard you are pregnant. Congratulations." The woman took out four or five candies from her pocket and stuffed them into Ping'an's hand.

Ping An looked at Zhou Jiao.

Zhou Jiao smiled lightly: "Thank you, auntie, baby."

Ping An then clasped the candy in his hands and said, "Thank you, Auntie. You are so beautiful."

"Then we won't disturb your family's enjoyment. Xiaowu, find some time to come to our compound and sit down. Brother Yang was still talking about you yesterday."

"Okay, I'll definitely find time to go over there. See you."

After walking for a while, Zhang Guoqing looked into the distance and immediately stopped: "Let's go this way, there is a bus stop there."

Zhou Jiao pursed her lips and smiled.

Zhang's mother nodded quickly: "Yes, it's better to get in the car. If we run into some acquaintances and chat for a while, we won't be able to leave until noon."

Lin Juhua whispered in Huang Xiaomi's ear: "Wherever our Xiaowu goes, he's known. That's still a small number. Once he returns to his hometown, everyone in the county will know him."

Huang Xiaomi smiled and nodded.

"Have you decided on a partner? Let Jiaojiao introduce you to a good family so you can live in the capital in the future."

Huang Xiaomi glanced at Huang Cuilan and blushed shyly: "Big cousin, what a jerk! I don't want to marry so far away from home."

"You're on the train all day anyway, so this is nice."

Huang Xiaomi didn't take it personally. Her third cousin was the only one from the powerful Yue family, so of course he could thrive. Who was she?

Didn't she see those people just now nodding in greeting or stopping their conversation? They didn't even look at her people. The more city people there were, the more snobbish they were. She didn't want to marry into such a family and let her family suffer in the future.

Lin Juhua also shook her head in disapproval: "Don't listen to your cousin's jokes. Marrying so far away all alone, your second aunt will cry her eyes out in the future."

Huang Xiaomi smiled and took her arm: "I don't want to get married at all."

"We women have to get married eventually, so we should pick a good family while we're still young. What did that officer say last time? Why is he still not interested?"

"There's no reason why I shouldn't like her. I'm just a country girl. The difference between our two families is really too big. The more I think about it, the more uneasy I feel."

Lin Juhua didn't know she had such an idea. "Then you can't find someone from the village, right?"

Huang Xiaomi nodded with a smile: "Second cousin, don't tell me, I really have this plan. I know my background well. I have a salary, and my in-laws will support me."

"Xiaomi, you're not really interested in someone in the village, are you?"

"How is that possible! All the men in the village who are about my age have babies."

Lin Juhua breathed a sigh of relief, then rolled her eyes at her. It was funny. Besides those serving in the military and those who had passed the exams to join other places, there really weren't any suitable candidates in the production teams.

After strolling around for the entire morning and having lunch at a restaurant, Zhang Guoqing glanced at Zhou Jiao's face with concern. Seeing his son yawn, he suddenly had an idea. "Son, are you feeling sleepy?"

"Dad, it's time. I want to sleep."

Mother Zhang waved her hand and said, "We've seen enough and strolled around enough, let's go back now. I think it might snow again this afternoon, so we'd better go home early."

Zhou Jiao breathed a sigh of relief. She wasn't used to wandering aimlessly, needing a ticket everywhere she went.

It was already two or three in the afternoon when the group returned to the compound. Ping'an couldn't hold on any longer in Zhang Guoqing's arms and fell into a deep sleep. As soon as he got home, he was full of energy again with his eyes wide open in a short while.

Zhang Guoqing patted his butt, feeling both amused and helpless. Fortunately, the experienced Aunt Chen brought a small quilt, otherwise what would he do if he caught a cold?

The phone rang quickly, and Ping'an ran into the study and rushed out again after a while.

"Mom, your phone."

Zhou Jiao stood up after hearing this and said, "Slow down, who is looking for mom?"

"Auntie, she said she called several times but no one answered the phone."

Zhang Guoqing watched as everyone in the living room stopped talking. He smiled and explained to Zhang's mother, "It's Aunt Cheng Ruzhu. She must have known you were coming, so she might not be able to come here because of work. Her parents-in-law caught a cold a few years ago and they haven't recovered yet. She has to take care of the elderly and can't get away."

Just as he expected, this was exactly what Cheng Ruzhu on the other end of the phone meant. Of course, the topic was about not being busy and ignoring her pregnancy, and he also asked her if there was anything she wanted to eat.

"Aunt, I'm fine. How are Grandpa and Grandma Wen doing now? Should I introduce you to a doctor?"

Cheng Ruzhu on the other end of the phone flatly refused: "No need! Just take care of yourself. The child's grandfather is much better today and can eat a big bowl of dumplings."

"Oh, that's fine."

"After the New Year, your mother shouldn't be so busy. Let her take a few days off to spend time with your mother-in-law. You can take a good rest for two days and go to school. Forget it, I'll discuss it with your mother."

Zhou Jiao covered her mouth and laughed.

"If you encounter any problems, remember to find your aunt. I'll come to see you in a couple of days when I'm free. Don't knit the sweater, remember. Just be good and take care of your baby."

"Okay." Zhou Jiao hung up the phone and smiled. She looked outside the door, hesitated for a moment, and decided not to go out yet. She leaned back and closed her eyes to rest.