Zhou Mingli came out of the room, his expressionless face covered with frost.
A cold, gloomy gaze swept over Zhou Gou.
Zhou Gou's ears turned red with embarrassment. He coughed somewhat awkwardly, still trying to explain even at this point, "Well..."
"Brother Er Gou, you go to the city first." Zhou Mingli interrupted his attempt to explain.
Zhou Gou was taken aback for a moment, then asked, "Don't you want to come with me? We can look out for each other on the way."
"I don't really want to," Zhou Mingli said decisively. "I'm worried I might hit someone on the way."
Zhou Gou: "..."
Zhou Gou also felt wronged.
Little did he know that in broad daylight, that blockhead Zhou Lao Er was actually being intimate with his wife at home!
Although there are some unsavory things in the countryside, most people are still simple and honest in matters of love. At this time, most marriages are arranged by strangers, and it is hard to say how much affection exists between the couple; they are just living together for the sake of it.
Some couples are lucky if they can close the door and make love once at night; people like Zhou Lao Er, who can be so intimate with his wife in the yard during the day, are extremely rare.
Zhou Gou never expected to stumble upon such a thing!
How embarrassing! How shameful!
He doesn't know how to face Jiang Ci anymore!
"Since you don't want to go with me, I'll go by myself."
Zhou Gou sounded aggrieved and tried to explain further, "I didn't see anything, Second Brother, don't worry about that."
Zhou Mingli: "..."
No need to explain! It's crystal clear!
Zhou Gou had originally planned to go with Zhou Mingli, but now he has to go alone.
"Oh, right, there's something I'd like to ask my sister-in-law for." When Zhou Gou got down to business, the awkwardness and embarrassment on his face disappeared, and he became much more serious.
Zhou Mingli said calmly, "Go ahead."
“I won’t be staying in the city for more than a few days. I was wondering if my sister-in-law could keep an eye on Xiaohuai for me? Whatever happens while I’m gone, make sure my sister-in-law tells me. Don’t hide anything,” Zhou Gou said in a somber tone.
Zhou Mingli raised an eyebrow and glanced at him.
Zhou Gou was also helpless. "You can see that Xiao Huai is too afraid of her mother. She almost obeys her every command. This can't go on. I want to know how they get along when I'm not around."
After listening to Zhou Gou's words, Zhou Mingli did not agree. Instead, he looked at him and said, "Brother Er Gou, is it inappropriate for my wife to interfere in your family's affairs and for her to describe what happened in your family like a gossip?"
Upon hearing this, Zhou Gou's face turned bright red. "No, no, I didn't mean that."
Zhou Mingli said, “I understand what you mean, but Er Gou, only you can resolve your family matters. Perhaps the villagers feel it’s inconvenient to tell you directly what Wang Zhaodi did, but you have eyes, you can see. You also have legs, you can find out. If you really want to know the truth, can’t you find it out yourself?”
Zhou Mingli's voice was indifferent, but quite reasonable.
Ultimately, Zhou Gou was still unwilling to investigate.
He joined the army at the age of fifteen and is now a battalion commander. Does he not know any reconnaissance methods?
How is that possible?
Zhou Gou wasn't completely ignorant; he simply didn't dare to investigate.
The fact that Xiao Huai has become like this, or that Wang Zhaodi looks like this now, is related to his inexplicable disappearance for several years. He owes Zhou Huai something, and he owes Wang Zhaodi something, so he dares not investigate.
He lacked a reason to make up his mind; he couldn't push himself, so he wanted someone else to push him.
Zhou Gou was ruthless towards his enemies and his younger siblings who had been living off him since childhood, but he became hesitant and restrained towards his fellow villagers, his daughter, and his wife.
There's nothing wrong with Zhou Gou wanting someone to give him a push to make a decision, but Zhou Mingli wasn't willing to let Jiang Ci do that.
Gossiping behind people's backs like a long-tongued woman is a thankless and exhausting task.
“Brother Er Gou, if I were you now, I would definitely find out all the truths I want to know.” Zhou Mingli stopped and said to Zhou Gou, “When things are tangled up, sometimes the best way to solve everything is to face the root of the problem directly.”
"My wife and I will take care of Xiaohuai. She calls us uncle and aunt and is willing to be close to us, so naturally we won't abandon her. As for the rest... it's everyone's family matter, and it's not appropriate for us outsiders to interfere."
"Brother Er Gou, think about it. I'm going back now."
After saying that, Zhou Mingli went home.
Zhou Gou stood there for a long time, his back bent over as if he had been punched hard.
He rubbed his face, said nothing, went home to get his packed belongings, and went to town.
Watching Zhou Gou's departing figure, Wang Zhaodi finally straightened her back, which had been bent for a long time. She angrily threw down the rag in her hand and looked at Zhou Huai, who was sitting on a small stool, lost in thought.
"You brat! What are you looking at?! Go get me a glass of water right now!"
Zhou Huai shuddered and quickly stood up to go to the kitchen to pour a cup of hot water.
Wang Zhaodi took a bottle of malted milk powder and a can of food from Zhou Huai's room. She mixed the malted milk powder with water and ate the canned food while giving Zhou Huai a cold look.
"You good-for-nothing! Did you just ignore everything I told you before? I told you to tell your dad you wanted a little brother, but you couldn't say a single word properly!"
"Still eating canned food and drinking malted milk powder... Do you think a worthless person like you can afford to eat these good things?"
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