Chapter 34 is over! His true nature is revealed!
By the time they got home, it was already dark. To prevent Zheng from worrying, Zhou Jin didn't tell her the truth about what happened in the pawnshop that day. He just said that the pawnshop in town was a rip-off. He only paid one or two taels of silver for several pieces of silk clothing. The clerks were also very vicious and he should never pawn anything there again.
Zheng also felt that the amount was too little. She had originally thought that the bundle of silk and clothes could be worth at least five or six taels of silver. However, she was more worried about her son's safety. When she heard that he was about to be beaten, she hurriedly asked what happened.
Zhou Jin then told Zhong Shun about what he had heard on the way: that all the pawnshops and casinos in Baili Town were controlled by Captain Liu's family, and that they were specifically targeting outsiders like them.
"Ah? It's so dark? Then our family should pawn less things in the future. Fortunately, apart from those silk shirts, we don't have anything else worth pawning." Zheng made a gesture of parting ways in a very Ah Q-like manner, which made Zhou Jin and his sister laugh.
"Mom! You are becoming more and more cheerful and strong. That's great!" Zhou Yu leaned her head on her mother's shoulder and couldn't help but praise her.
"I have such wonderful children like you and your sisters by my side, so even if life gets tough, I don't think it's a big deal. Besides, the exile was so difficult, but we all made it through. I think our lives will only get better and better, right?"
Zheng touched her eldest daughter's face and spoke gently.
But she thought in her heart that it would be better if her eldest son did not have to go to the army. Even if she had to work like other women in the village all day long to prepare three meals a day and her hands and face became rough, she did not mind. As long as the family could be together and her children were well, that was enough.
But she also knew that their family was now a military household, and that her eldest son's enlistment was a foregone conclusion and could not be changed.
Although she was very worried, Zheng felt that as a mother, she should encourage her son and make arrangements for the family instead of showing anxiety and making her son more worried. So she appeared much more cheerful on the surface.
Zheng was worried about her son and didn't dare to say it out loud. Zhou Jin was also worried that her mother would be worried about him, so she deliberately brought up what Li Gui had said about buying equipment on the way.
"Then, Jin, we must buy good equipment. Even if we don't build a house first, I can just rent a room in the village with your siblings. It might be a little inconvenient, but with more people, we can take care of each other!"
Zheng was indeed very excited after hearing this, and she wanted to spend all the money in the family to buy equipment for her son.
"Mom, don't worry. I've already calculated that even if I build a house, the remaining money will be enough for me to buy equipment. I'm telling you this because I want you to know that I'm not a reckless person. Even if I become a soldier, I will definitely put my own safety first. I will never ignore my family and blindly charge into battle, putting myself in danger!"
"Yes, yes, mother knew that my son is a very sensible person! Your brothers and sisters and I don't expect you to achieve great things or become famous on the battlefield. As long as you are safe, mother will be satisfied!"
What Zheng was really worried about was Zhou Jin's safety after he went to the military camp. She was afraid that her son would risk his own life out of a sense of righteousness!
Although she has a kind heart, she is not a saint after all. If she were to choose, compared with her son's life, even if a hundred or a thousand others died, she would rather choose her son to live!
"Mom, don't worry. I've made up my mind. Starting tomorrow, I'll start training. I still remember all the martial arts I learned from my grandfather and uncles when I was little. I'll start practicing tomorrow so that I can better protect myself when I go to the military camp!"
Zheng's maternal family ran a security company. His father and brothers were all skilled in martial arts. Zhou Jin was weak when he was a child, so his grandfather took him home and taught him a lot of martial arts. But later, because Zhou Wangju didn't like his son practicing martial arts, he took him back. After a few years, Zhou Jin's original body had almost forgotten several sets of boxing techniques, but that didn't stop Zhou Jin from talking about them now.
"When the time comes, mother and my brothers and sisters should follow me and exercise. Otherwise, the work of clearing wasteland and farming in the future will be quite physically demanding, and I'm afraid you won't be able to bear it."
Zhou Jin knew her mother's worry and continued.
"Okay," Zheng agreed immediately for her son's sake, not caring about being embarrassed. She had seen that the women of the Li family in the village were now strong and sturdy, and they were no worse than the men at work! You know, they were all daughters-in-law from scholarly families before. If they could adapt here, then so could she! For her children, she would do anything!
The mother and the others talked a little more about getting up early and exercising tomorrow, and then Zheng went downstairs to prepare dinner. Zhou Jin then had the opportunity to tell his sister about how he was almost cheated when selling a mirror today!
"It seems that before we have the strength to protect our family, we can no longer do this business of using mirrors as cosmetics! But I can't think of any business that can make money at the moment. We have very little money now, and I'm afraid we won't be able to sustain it for long after we finish building the house!" Zhou Jin sighed.
Zhou Yu could not think of any other way except to go into the mountains to collect herbs and sell them. The two discussed for a long time but could not come up with a good idea, so they decided to arrange the construction of the house first and go to the mountains when they had the chance.
That night, there was still a big pot of food, but because several families had purchased supplies, the big pot of food was very oily and had more meat than vegetables. Everyone had a bowl of food, and they ate it with freshly steamed mixed flour buns, which tasted very delicious.
The next day, Zhou Jin got up at dawn and kicked up his two followers, Zhou Dai and Zhou Luo.
"Who dares to kick this young master..."
Zhou Luo was kicked so hard that he groaned. Before he even opened his eyes, he started yelling! !
When he opened his eyes and saw that it was Zhou Jin who kicked him, he immediately became timid and touched his head and said aggrievedly:
"Boss! I was sleeping soundly, why did you kick me?"
"I told you to get up and exercise, hurry up and get dressed! Let's go jogging!" Zhou Jin put on his clothes first and walked outside.
Zhou Luo was still a little reluctant. He put on his clothes hastily while mumbling to Zhou Dai beside him,
"Is the boss sick? He finally doesn't have to walk fifty miles every day, and he's still getting up early to run?! Wouldn't it be better to sleep in a little longer?!"
Zhou Dai could understand Zhou Jin, as their family was now the most populous among the families, and there were two conscription quotas. His uncle's sons were still young, so their family had no choice but his uncle to go. However, their second family did have two able-bodied men, his father and him.
Although he was only thirteen and belonged to the lower class, which made him not a priority for conscription, he had already asked his grandfather. If he gave some gifts to the higher-ups and reported his father as sick, he could serve in his father's place.
Zhou Dai wanted to go in his father's place. His father had only known how to study all his life. He couldn't carry anything on his shoulders or lift anything with his hands. He would be out of breath after running a few steps. He was not as good as Zhou Dai. He was worried about letting his father go to serve.
He has learned a lot from Zhou Jin in the past few months, and he is the fastest runner in their group, much faster than his father. He has a much greater chance of surviving on the battlefield than his father!
Besides, he has a younger brother. Even if something happens to him, then...
Ugh! Pah! Pah! Nothing can happen to him. They are military households now. If anything happens to him, his father or his brother will have to take the blame, so he can't die!
It's okay! When the time comes, he will ask his grandfather to give him some money and try to share it with Jin Ge'er. With Jin Ge'er around, he will definitely not die... Knowing that Zhou Jin's training is also to prepare for future military service, Zhou Dai is very cooperative and responsive. When he hears Zhou Luo complaining, he drops a sentence.
"If you have the guts, don't come!"
Then he put on his clothes and followed Zhou Jin out!
Zhou Luo...
"A Luo, Brother Jin asked you to exercise for your own good. Hurry up and get up. Big brother will join you!"
Zhou Po, who was standing next to Zhou Luo, was woken up by his brother's loud shouting. When Zhou Jin said he was going for a run, he got up too! Their family also had no choice. His father was so sick that he couldn't even walk steadily. Zhou Luo was only twelve and too young, and he was already seventeen, so he had no choice but to go to the military camp.
Zhou Po never imagined he'd end up serving in the military. If he'd known this, why would he have spent all these years studying poetry, songs, and eight-legged essays day and night? Why would he even strive for the reputation of a young genius? It would have been much better to practice riding, archery, and other martial arts!
But knowing in advance is priceless. Zhou Po is a practical person. He knows that it is useless to regret now, so he thinks about exercising with Zhou Jin. Even if he can't change anything in a short period of time, at least he won't look as sickly as he does now!
"Brother, are you okay?" Zhou Luo asked worriedly. His father and elder brother have been ill since his grandfather died, and he was a little worried.
"It's okay. It's because you're not feeling well that you should exercise. Ayu said that my father and I don't exercise enough, which is why we get sick easily."
"Well then, if that's what Ayu said, then I think it can't be wrong."
Although Zhou Yu was a bit aggressive, she was a good doctor. She had been giving acupuncture to her father these past few days. After the treatment, her father's cough got much better. When Zhou Luo heard that it was Zhou Yu who said that, he did not object. He obediently got dressed with his elder brother and went to find Zhou Jin.
So, three more people joined the morning exercise plan that originally belonged to the whole family. Zheng Shi and Zhou Pei didn't do much exercise in their daily lives, so Zhou Jin didn't dare to let them run right away. Instead, he took Zhou Li to walk slowly along the dirt road beside the mountain. Zhou Ying was still too young, so Zhou Jin didn't let her come.
Zhou Jin took Zhou Yu, Zhou Luo, Zhou Dai and others to warm up first, doing a simple set of military boxing, and then jogging along the mountain path.
Except for Zhou Yu, Zhou Jin had the rest of the people's legs tied with sandbags. The sandbags were also ready-made. On the way to exile, Zhou Jin had asked Zheng Shi to sew a few bags for fried noodles, which came in handy.
The result was that after a ten-kilometer run with weights, Zhou Luo and Zhou Dai were so tired that they didn't even have a trace of strength left except for gasping for breath. They just wanted to lie on the ground forever.
"Don't lie down, get up and stretch with me, or your legs will hurt like hell!"
Seeing the two men running back and lying on the ground without caring about their image, Zhou Jin hurried forward and pulled them up.
"Oh, no, no, no, no, boss, just let my brother lie down for a while, it will be fine in a while..."
Zhou Luo lay on the ground, panting heavily and refused to get up no matter what. He was so tired!
Zhou Dai didn't say anything, but his butt was very heavy and he couldn't get off the ground no matter how hard he pulled.
"Stop talking nonsense! Hurry up and stretch! Two grown men can't even hold on as long as my sister, a girl, and you still have the nerve to complain?" Zhou Jin couldn't pull the two men up after trying for a long time, and couldn't help but sneer.
"Your sister? Is your sister a girl?"
Zhou Luo couldn't help but shout. Yesterday, that girl went to give his father an acupuncture. She was so fierce that even her master couldn't help but ask her to be gentler. His father was scared so much that he broke out in cold sweats and his cough was much better.
Besides being cruel to others, that girl is also cruel to herself. You said it would be better for you to just walk slowly with your mother and my eldest brother, but she insisted on running with them and insisted on finishing the run, making them feel embarrassed to give up halfway!
Zhou Dai also felt that Zhou Yu didn't act like a girl. What kind of girl would run after several men and actually run faster than him? And she turned around and mocked them. It was unbearable! It was so unladylike! If this happened in the past, I'm afraid she wouldn't even be able to get married.
"You can't compare to others, so you laugh at them. Is this how you act as a man? If all men thought like you, I wouldn't even bother marrying them!!"
The two were muttering when a crisp voice came from the side. Turning around, they saw Zhou Yu wiping his face with a cloth and looking at them with a half-smile!
Zhou Luo, Zhou Dai... Covering their mouths, they thought, how come this girl's ears are so sharp? She can even hear the two of them mumbling so quietly?
"I didn't hear what you said clearly, but as soon as you stick your butts out, I know what you are talking about. As soon as I see your eyes, I know what you want to say!!"
Zhou Yu looked at them with disdain. Seeing that the two of them were speechless after being confronted by him, and couldn't utter a word even after opening their mouths for a long time, he couldn't help but burst into laughter. Just as he was about to make a few more sarcastic remarks, he heard Zheng's shocked voice behind him...
"Ayu!! What the hell did you just say?! Who did you learn that from?!"
That's a lot of ass and shit, how could her gentle and sensible eldest daughter say that!!!
Zhou Yu...
It's over! I didn't check it out, and her true nature was seen by her mother! What should I do?!
The author has something to say:
Zhou Dai, Zhou Luo: Stick your butt out...
Zhou Yu: Huh?! You two are going to poop!
Zheng: Ahhhhh!! Yu! Where are you looking? And stop talking shit!!
Still asking for comments, collections, and flowers!!
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