In the east wing, Zhang Guofu put the children to bed, covered them with quilts, and then lay down himself. Huang Cuilan looked at the pile of things and packed them into boxes. "Dad, there are so many things here. You don't need to buy clothes or fabric for the New Year. I saw that your brother was wearing this military coat so warmly. I have been wanting to ask him to bring one to you for a long time. Now you don't feel cold in the winter. Look at all the things. Go back to the village and see who has mushrooms or other local specialties. Buy some as a return gift for Xiaowu's mother-in-law."

Zhang Guofu nodded and told her to get on the bed quickly. "I understand. Besides mushrooms, dried pheasant and rabbit meat is rare in the city. I'll go check it out later. I think this family is honest. His grandfather and our father got along really well. Go to sleep. You've been busy all day and you have to get up early tomorrow. Send all the good wine and cigarettes Xiaowu gave to your father. I'll ask him for some if I want some."

Huang Cuilan lay on the kang and heard it. She hit him and said with a smile: "You are really something. You took out a lot today. Xiaowu didn't have much. One bottle is enough for my father."

"You didn't see how much stuff there was. It took us, several grown men, two helpings to move it. Both cars were packed to the brim. There were so many things and they weren't even opened. Every cloth bag and box was packed tightly. I think it was really a golden baby. Luckily, no one in the village saw it. There were two boxes of wine. My second brother and I estimate there were 40 bottles. You and Jiaojiao should get along well. I owe you a favor for so many things."

"I know. She's been well-behaved and kind to me since she was little. She's more likable than the second son's daughter. I'm not greedy, so I'll treat her the way I want."

In the second room, Zhang Guoqiang put on his military coat and tried it out. It was really warm. "Don't look at the things anymore. Put them all away. Wash the children first and let them sleep."

Lin Juhua packed her things into the box, but then she felt uneasy and locked it with the key.

"Why did you lock it? No one in our family is interested in this thing of yours. If someone comes, they will look into Xiaowu's room." Zhang Guoqiang looked at her busying with amusement.

Lin Juhua shook her head and looked at him with a face full of resentment. "I'm not afraid of anyone, but I'm afraid of my mother coming to our house. I guess she heard that Jiaojiao's grandfather is coming, so she will come over in a couple of days. If she doesn't take it away after seeing it, I still don't have many clothes. Do you think I did something wrong in my previous life? Why don't I have caring family members?"

Zhang Guoqiang picked up the foot tray and poured water. "Reincarnation is arranged by God. Don't worry. When my mother is around, my mother-in-law will be embarrassed. See if you can pack something for her."

"I don't have anything to give them. I've seen that they are all rare items. You can't buy them even if you have money. Those cloths and cottons require some old receipts. This wine is also rare. I'm doing you a favor. I can't give it to my mother. If you had married a wife like Dasao or Jiaojiao, our second branch wouldn't be the poorest in the family. It's all my fault. My parents don't help, but they can't help you either."

"The children are so old now, why are you still saying these things? I never thought my wife is worse than them. Don't worry, I know what I'm doing, you will have a good life." After Zhang Guoqiang said this, he remembered what Xiaowu had secretly said to him today. He was happy for himself and kept a low profile.

Look at the relationship between those officials and Xiaowu today. This guy has secretly gathered the younger generation of the county leaders. I've only heard that her grandfather's family is powerful, but I didn't expect it to be so powerful. Looking at their attitude today, it's no wonder that men all want to get promoted and get rich.

This silly boy is really a fool with good fortune. I'll ask him tomorrow if he knew this day would come when he married Jiaojiao.

"Haha, I'm living a good life now. I can't compare myself to them. I'm the best in the village."

Zhang Guoqiang laughed heartily, hugged Lin Juhua and gave her a kiss, "I like this about you. You understand the principle of not being as good as the best but better than the worst. We don't compare ourselves with others. We just need to live our own lives."

Zhang Guoqing returned to his room, quickly washed and went to bed, tidied himself up quietly, ran to the kang and hugged his wife, finally feeling comfortable. As they slept, Zhou Jiao smelled a familiar scent and rubbed her face against his chest. Zhang Guoqing looked at her lazy look with amusement. He carefully tucked the quilt in for her, looked at his son on the right, who was a little ball, closed his eyes and fell asleep peacefully.

Zhang Guoqing was awakened from his deep sleep by Xiao Ping'an's loud cry. He instinctively lifted him off the kang, grabbed the bottle, and fed him. After a while, seeing his son was full, he picked him up, patted him, and changed his diaper. His son fell into a comfortable sleep. He suspected his son was crying because his diaper was wet. He hadn't seen him cry during the day when he wanted to feed.

Now he's figured it out: his son needs milk within four hours of being born. Otherwise, his little lips will move, whether he wants to cry or not, and he'll be looking for food. He'll cry if his diaper is wet, and if you delay any longer, his cries will get louder. As expected of his son, he's so smart.

Zhang Guoqing held him and slowly laid him on the kang, holding him close to him. He secretly thought that it was winter and he had to find a way. It was too cold to get up to feed him. He was too young and had weak resistance. Did he really have to wait for Jiaojiao to feed herself on the kang?

He began to worry about what would happen to his son after he left tomorrow. His mother-in-law wasn't going to help him either, so he should talk to his mother tomorrow and make sure she stayed by Xiao Ping'an's side tonight. He was really worried his son would cry, and they wouldn't be able to wake up even if he called. Zhou Jiao hadn't even noticed he'd made such a big move to get out of bed, and she kept hiding in his arms. Haha, what a silly woman.

It was still dark in the early morning, the sky was full of fog, and no one could be seen ten steps away. The ground was covered with a thin layer of silvery-white frost, and the biting cold wind made people shiver.

There were already people exercising in the yard. Zhang Guoqing heard the noise and got up and dressed. Seeing that Zhou Jiao and his son were sleeping soundly on the kang, he took his toiletries and went out of the room and walked towards the kitchen. As expected, many people got up. He whispered hello to a few of them and they went out for a run. Zhang Guoqing went to the kitchen to get some hot water and ran to the well to wash.

After washing and putting things away, he ran to the backyard and finally saw his mother. "Mom, isn't it too early for you to cook pig food so early in the morning?"

Mother Zhang poked the pig with a wooden stick and put in some pig food. "We have guests today. If you don't feed the pig, it will make a lot of noise and make people uncomfortable. It's better for it to eat quietly and not make any noise. This way, Jiaojiao and Grandpa can sleep longer."

Zhang Guoqing picked up the bucket and followed Zhang's mother. "Mom, I'm going out with Grandpa today. Tonight, please don't be so polite as to leave them alone to chat. You must keep an eye on them for me. I'm afraid they'll fall asleep and not know when my son cries."

Mother Zhang lowered her voice and laughed, "What nonsense are you talking about, child? They are definitely not so asleep that they can't be woken up."

Zhang Guoqing was anxious. "Mom, Ping'an only gets up once at night and eats at two or three in the morning and waits until dawn. On weekdays, he only eats every three hours or so. You can sleep on the kang in the outer room, it's warm there too. The three of you will definitely hear it."

"I understand. I'll sleep at your place tonight, don't worry. Just be careful out there and control your temper." Mother Zhang comforted him.

Zhang Guoqing nodded. "Just eat whatever you have at home. Don't save it. Buy it at the end of the year. I have plenty of tickets and money."

"I've packed up all the dried pheasants and rabbits at home. You can take some with you first. I'll ask your father to collect the rest and send them to Jiaojiao's uncles and her husband when you come back. After your mother-in-law leaves, it will be easier for you to pack more."

"Okay, you decide. I'll give you the money. Buy more for the family. Also, buy some dried mushrooms and fungus. I don't have time to hunt lately."

Mother Zhang washed her hands and walked out. "It doesn't cost much. I'll come back to you if it's not enough. Don't worry. I also want to show someone who has a good fur coat to keep warm in the winter. Her grandmother is not feeling well and that would be a good gift for her."

Zhang Guoqing and his mother were whispering to each other. When they returned to the front yard, the sky was gradually getting brighter, the roosters began to crow, and there were also sounds of villagers walking outside the yard.

Zhang Guoqing looked around and found that nothing was wrong, so he returned to the inner room of the west wing. Zhou Jiao was still drowsy, holding her son and feeding him with her eyes closed. When she saw him come in, she smiled at him with her eyes wide open.