Chapter 123 Obedience (Part 2)
Jiang Zhizhi was taken aback by Shang Xingzhou's words. This child had previously said that Zhou Xiye resembled his father, and now he was saying that she resembled his mother. She chuckled and said, "You certainly know how to describe people."
Shang Xingzhou said earnestly, "I'm serious, your eyes look just like my mom's."
Jiang Zhizhi's mind raced, and she jokingly said, "You're being so serious, is it possible that I'm your long-lost older sister?"
If the identity is unknown, then we can't let any information slip by. Even if it seems impossible, asking one more question is no trouble at all.
Shang Xingzhou immediately shook his head: "That's impossible. My mother only gave birth to me, and she had a difficult childbirth. My father won't let my mother have any more children."
Jiang Zhizhi was quite surprised: "Your dad spoils your mom a lot?"
Shang Xingzhou said with some pride, "Of course. My dad said that a man who doesn't even respect his own wife will never succeed. Although my mom's face was disfigured in the fire, my dad has always loved her and takes her everywhere he goes."
Jiang Zhizhi was surprised: "I'm a little envious of your parents' love."
Shang Xingzhou said with a proud look, "Everyone who knows my parents says they are a perfect couple."
Jiang Zhizhi thought about it and agreed. Only a loving and warm family could raise a child like Shang Xingzhou, who is sunny, clean, well-mannered, and loving.
These days, state-run restaurants serve large portions, so it's rare for two people to order four dishes.
Jiang Zhizhi couldn't bear to waste any food, so she pushed most of the remaining dishes to Shang Xingzhou: "You ordered them, so you're responsible for eating them all. We can't waste them."
Shang Xingzhou was stunned for a moment, stared at the dishes, and finally resigned himself to his fate: "Okay, I'll eat."
Jiang Zhizhi was satisfied only after she finished all the food: "That's right. From now on, when you go out to eat, order only what you can eat. Don't order randomly to save face."
Shang Xingzhou was quite pleased after being scolded: "Don't worry, sister, I wouldn't invite just anyone to dinner."
As they left the restaurant, Jiang Zhizhi glanced at Shang Xingzhou and said, "I'm going home now. You should go back and rest too."
Shang Xingzhou thought for a moment and said, "I'll still take you back. What if we run into those thieves' accomplices on the way and they retaliate?"
Jiang Zhizhi didn't object, but on the way back she still reminded Shang Xingzhou: "Thieves rarely work alone, they usually have accomplices. If you encounter something like this again, you must not act rashly."
Shang Xingzhou was quite obedient: "I'll definitely be more careful next time."
Jiang Zhizhi laughed: "I didn't expect you to be such an obedient child."
Shang Xingzhou smiled brightly: "You are Zhou Xiye's lover, so you'll be my sister from now on. I'll definitely listen to you."
Jiang Zhizhi was amused by his logic: "By that logic, you should call me sister-in-law."
Shang Xingzhou shook his head and said very seriously, "That won't do. You look only a little older than me. Calling you 'sister-in-law' will make you sound old."
Jiang Zhizhi gave a thumbs up: "Okay, you're a logical genius. Then call me 'sister'."
Shang Xingzhou muttered regretfully, "My childhood friends all have brothers and sisters. I also really want to have an older brother or sister. It would be so lively to grow up together."
Jiang Zhizhi laughed: "Aren't you afraid that you have an older sister who will beat you up since you were little?"
Shang Xingzhou thought for a moment and said, "Then I'd be willing too."
The two walked to the entrance of the family compound and happened to run into Tian Aiqin coming out.
Tian Aiqin looked at Shang Xingzhou carefully, surprised, and greeted Jiang Zhizhi with a smile: "You just came back from going out?"
Jiang Zhizhi nodded and quickly introduced Shang Xingzhou's identity: "He came from Shanghai to see Zhou Xiye, but unfortunately, Zhou Xiye wasn't there."
She was well aware that if a man and a woman walked together, even if they kept a distance of three meters, people would still gossip.
Although Tian Aiqin wouldn't overthink things, she couldn't guarantee that other people in the courtyard wouldn't have any ideas or gossip when they saw it.
It's better to be upfront about it beforehand, so that if anyone brings it up, she can be completely open and honest.
Tian Aiqin was a little surprised: "I thought you were some relative of yours. It's really unfortunate. Well, you guys go ahead and do your work. I need to rush to the school for my child's parent-teacher conference."
She had a slight doubt in her heart; she couldn't quite put her finger on how this boy resembled Jiang Zhizhi.
...
Shang Xingzhou returned to the guesthouse, thought about it for a moment, and decided to call home and stay a few more days to see if he could wait for Zhou Xiye.
We can't have come all this way for nothing.
The phone number at the front desk of the military district guesthouse can be transferred to my father Shang Shiyi's office.
The merchant, Zhou Zui Tian Hui, said that it was another call to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs office to apply for approval.
While waiting for the call to connect, Shang Xingzhou spent a good while mentally preparing himself. Hearing his father's deep voice, he immediately blurted out his thoughts: "Dad, are you and Mom alright? I don't want to go home yet; I haven't seen Zhou Xiye. But I've taken on a sister; she'll take care of me. By the way, she's Zhou Xiye's wife..."
Before Shang Shiyi could finish listening, he felt his temples throbbing and his voice became stern: "Shang Xingzhou, you'd better come back right now, or I'll report you and have you arrested and sent back across the country."
Shang Xingzhou exclaimed, "Dad, wait a minute, let me tell you, the sister I've recognized looks just like my mom, really like her, especially her eyes, and her smile is exactly like my mom's."
He knew that Lao Shang only had eyes for his wife, and as long as the topic turned to something related to his wife, he would definitely forget about dealing with him.
Sure enough, after listening to Shang Xingzhou's words, Shang Shiyi remained silent for a moment before speaking again, his tone becoming much calmer: "How old is the girl you're talking about?"
Shang Xingzhou couldn't tell: "Eighteen or nineteen? She doesn't look much older than me, but she's already married, so she should be eighteen."
Shang Shiyi paused for a moment, then asked, "What's her name?"
"Jiang Zhizhi, Dad, why are you asking this? You don't think I'm lying to you, do you? I'm telling the truth. I'll stay here for another week, and if Zhou Xiye hasn't come back by then, I'll go home, okay?"
Shang Xingzhou carefully discussed it with his biological father. After all, although he was the only child in the family, his father never showed any mercy when disciplining him.
Unexpectedly, Shang Shiyi readily agreed: "Don't cause trouble or bother others. If you don't have enough money, go to the division headquarters and find someone named Wen Jianzhang."
Shang Xingzhou was quite surprised, not expecting his father to agree so easily: "Okay, Dad, you and Mom take good care of yourselves, I'll hang up now."
Fearing her father might change his mind, she quickly hung up the phone.
The more I thought about it, the more unbelievable it seemed; my father hadn't gotten angry at all.
Shang Xingzhou decided to thank Jiang Zhizhi properly tomorrow. If he hadn't come up with the idea of mentioning Jiang Zhizhi in a moment of inspiration, he would definitely have been scolded!
He turned around happily, almost bumping into someone.
Shang Xingzhou quickly apologized: "I'm sorry."
Wang Qinglan said with a dark face, "What's the point of having eyes if you can't even watch where you're going?"
She was already in a bad mood, and when she received a call from Beijing that morning, she found out that Bian Suxi was not pregnant when she was trapped in the fire. However, the people who were involved in framing Bian Suxi had all died mysteriously.
This frightened Wang Qinglan. If Bian Suxi was still alive, and she had taken revenge on those who hurt her, but hadn't come looking for her, did she not know that Bian Suxi was the mastermind, or was there something else?
She decided to return to Beijing tomorrow to investigate whether Bian Suxi was alive or not, and whether the deaths of those people were coincidences or something else.
Otherwise, this matter would be like a sharp knife hanging over her heart, making her unable to sleep soundly at night.
Just then, he was almost bumped into by some clueless young man, and he had nowhere to vent his anger: "What are you doing out here at such a young age if you can't even see where you're going?"
Shang Xingzhou was furious. He had already apologized, but the other party was still being unreasonable. He immediately put on a stern face and said, "I didn't even bump into you, and I've already apologized. What more do you want?"
Seeing that the child dared to talk back, Wang Qinglan glared at him and said, "What kind of tone is that? Didn't your family teach you to respect the elderly and care for the young? You have absolutely no manners."
Shang Xingzhou was even more displeased. He might tolerate being insulted a couple of times, but if anyone insulted his family members, even if the King of Heaven himself came, he wouldn't tolerate it.
He glared back at Wang Qinglan: "I think you're the one who's ill-mannered. You're disrespectful to your elders and you expect me to respect them? Have you never looked in the mirror at home? You look like an old hag, scaring people when you go out."
Wang Qinglan never expected the other party to call her an old hag. A ball of anger instantly rose from her head, and she reached out to slap him.
But Shang Xingzhou grabbed her wrist and glared at her, saying, "If you dare to lay a finger on me, I'll break your hand."
A fierce glint appeared in his eyes. After all, he had been spoiled since childhood and possessed pride and unruliness in his bones. How could he possibly allow someone to slap him?
His willingness to apologize earlier demonstrates his good upbringing and politeness.
Wang Qinglan shrank back, not expecting that a child who hadn't even grown a full beard could have such a ferocious look in his eyes.
He forcefully pulled his hand back: "Whose child are you? How dare you!"
Shang Xingzhou scoffed: "What? You want to complain to my dad? Or do you want to use your power to deal with my dad? You're not worthy!"
Having said that, he didn't bother arguing with Wang Qinglan anymore and turned to leave.
Wang Qinglan was so angry she felt dizzy. Pointing at Shang Xingzhou's back, she said, "You! If you have the guts, stand down and explain yourself. Let's see if I can punish you."
Bian Xiaoxiao came in from outside, watched Shang Xingzhou leave, and quickly stopped the cursing Wang Qinglan: "Mom, keep your voice down."
Wang Qinglan patted her chest: "I got so angry over a little brat. What kind of family could raise such a beast?"
Thinking about it, he felt somewhat unwilling and went to the front desk to ask about Shang Xingzhou's identity.
The front desk staff witnessed the entire incident and were well aware that Shang Xingzhou was in the right, while Wang Qinglan always acted arrogantly, looking down at them with her eyes practically reaching for the sky.
When she asked again in a very aggressive tone, a staff member answered clearly: "We don't know his identity, but his letter of introduction was issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs office, and he just called the office of the Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs."
Wang Qinglan was stunned for a moment: "Really?"
"Would we dare to tell such a big lie?"
Bian Xiaoxiao quickly pulled Wang Qinglan: "Mom, that's enough, let's go back to our room."
As Wang Qinglan walked towards her room, she wondered, "With such a good family background, why is he coming to such a small place?"
Bian Xiaoxiao wasn't interested in this: "Mom, you're going back tomorrow. Don't worry about who he is, it has nothing to do with us. Go back and find out as soon as possible whether Jiang Zhizhi is related to my aunt."
Mentioning this made Wang Qinglan's face even uglier, and she felt even more that meeting this little beast was bad luck.
...
The night was dark, and the crescent moon was obscured by dark clouds, while the stars were hidden behind them.
The Galwan River flowed gently, and on the cold riverbank, Zhou Xiye lay covered in blood.
In the distance, the screeching of vultures could be heard; they circled closer, then suddenly swooped down…
Jiang Zhizhi suddenly woke up from her dream, reached up and touched her forehead, which was covered in sweat.
I took a deep breath, thankfully it was just a dream.
She turned on the light and checked the time; it was three in the morning. Still unable to sleep after the fright, she decided to read the book Zhou Xiye had left behind. She continued reading until dawn broke outside and she heard people talking. Only then did she calm down a little, and she turned off the light, intending to sleep a little longer.
I felt like I had just fallen asleep when someone knocked on the door and kept calling, "Sister, sister..."
Jiang Zhizhi was confused for a moment before she recognized Shang Xingzhou's voice. This child had come to find her early in the morning.
He responded, sat up, and checked the time; it wasn't even nine o'clock yet.
I changed my clothes, folded the blankets, drew back the curtains and opened the window before going out to open the door.
Shang Xingzhou was holding a duck in his hand; to be precise, he was gripping the duck by the neck and just dragging it along. The duck was probably already dead from being squeezed.
Upon seeing Jiang Zhizhi emerge, Shang Xingzhou exclaimed excitedly, "I rushed to the supply and marketing cooperative early this morning to snatch these ducks. They only give out five ducks a day, and I was the first one to get one."
Jiang Zhizhi was both amused and exasperated: "You're about to crush it to death."
Shang Xingzhou glanced at the duck that was about to die: "There's nothing we can do, otherwise it would keep squawking."
Jiang Zhizhi pointed to the chicken coop: "Put it in there first, in case it really dies."
Shang Xingzhou obediently put the duck into the chicken coop, then poked at it a few times with a stick to make sure it was still alive: "Sister, are you familiar with this area? Could you take me for a walk around?"
He mainly wanted a playmate; being alone was too boring, and he had no interest in playing.
Jiang Zhizhi understood his little scheme: "Wait a minute, I'll go after I wash up. I'll go get something."
I forgot to pick up the clothes I made yesterday.
Shang Xingzhou had no objection: "Okay, I'll treat you to fried dough sticks later."
Jiang Zhizhi glanced at him with a smile: "You should keep a low profile. Just buy a couple of steamed buns and make do. Don't go out like a rich man's foolish son, spending money recklessly. Be careful that people don't keep an eye on you."
Shang Xingzhou was unhappy with the title: "Sister, I feel like you're insulting my father by calling him a landlord. Let me tell you, my father comes from a poor peasant family..."
Jiang Zhizhi covered her mouth, forgetting how sensitive the situation was and that she couldn't joke around like that.
Shang Xingzhou paused for a moment: "However, I only give my money to my sister."
Jiang Zhizhi turned her head and squinted at Shang Xingzhou, then touched her chest. Her heart was completely calm, and she chuckled, "Little brat, you're quite good at making people happy."
After she finished washing up, she went out with Shang Xingzhou and ran into Li Zhiguo, who was in a hurry, at the entrance of the family compound.
Jiang Zhizhi recalled her dream from the previous night and called out, "Political Commissar Li..."
As if he hadn't heard her, Li Zhiguo strode past her...
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
