Zhou Xiaozheng nodded. "He has to be kept in custody. Sons are different from daughters. Daughters can live the way they want, but sons need some skills to start a family and build a career. If he's not sure he can get into college, put him out of the picture as soon as possible and let him work. If we can't keep an eye on him, we can send him directly to the provincial capital and let the army take care of him. Many troublemakers will behave themselves. Don't worry, once the recruit period is over, we'll arrange for him to join Zhao Chuangguang, which is not bad either. We also have a signalman who is pretty good, and he can work at the post office after he's discharged."
"Well, I'll listen to you."
Zhou Xiaozheng kicked over and scolded him with a smile, "Why are you listening to me? Your son is not given to me. If I had a daughter, I would consider it. Make plans early while you have connections in the next few years. Who knows what will happen in the future? Children of cadres like Zhao Chuangguang have their children cared for by their grandfathers at home, so they are not in a hurry. People like us who come from farming families should make plans early when we have the opportunity. Wait until you are no longer able to do it, and it will be too late to regret it."
Zhao Dashan nodded and said to Zhou Xiaozheng expectantly, "Brother Zheng, why don't you take him to the capital? I'd be relieved if he served under you."
Zhou Xiaozheng said to him sternly, "Don't worry, I don't. Just think about what I'm dealing with. The child is fine and well-fed, why leave him in a dangerous place? You've forgotten how we got here. Look, I haven't been there for more than ten years, and I don't know what it will be like if I go back this time. How dare I take your son with me? My daughter Jiaojiao wants me to retreat to the Northeast. Do you understand what she means?"
"Then why don't you retreat back to the Northeast? This is our old place, and there's nowhere better than here." Zhao Dashan asked in confusion.
Zhou Xiaozheng glanced at him sideways. "After two years, what will happen if my Jiaojiao returns to Beijing? Or is she transferred back? She's worried that I'll become a target for the Lin family, but I'm not worried about them getting schemed against? I really don't believe it. If someone dares to come to us, father and daughter alone, we'll be wiped out."
Zhao Dashan glanced outside the door worriedly and whispered, "Is your father-in-law planning to use you? He seems quite upright, do you have any idea? Don't be afraid of any trouble inside or outside. Didn't your brother-in-law come back with you? Is he above you or below you this time?"
Zhou Xiaozheng smiled mysteriously, "What do you mean by superior or inferior? Explain clearly, kid. I'm still superior to him. Besides the old man, I'm the most senior. I've even been given a car. I'm moving when I go back. I'm not under his control, so he can't use me. Jiaojiao is worried that if something happens to them, I'll be implicated."
Zhao Dashan breathed a sigh of relief and patted himself on the back. "Just take care of yourself, don't get involved. You haven't shown up in over 17 years. When you've made it big, everything will come out. Your sister-in-law has been waiting for you all these years. Otherwise, do the Lin family really think they're better than yours? You better understand this. As a brother, let me tell you something from the bottom of my heart. Look after yourself now. You don't owe the Lin family anything, and Jiaojiao doesn't owe them anything either."
Zhou Xiaozheng was silent for a moment, then nodded. He knew the Lin family better than anyone else. He knew the Lin family. This time, Jiaojiao was in front of him, and Jiaojiao knew it too. Sometimes, they knew each other's minds. With her daughter's temper, she could threaten them both. She could even tear apart her so-called great uncle, let alone the Lin family.
Shanshan didn't understand. She didn't understand Jiaojiao's way of dealing with things. She was even happy that Jiaojiao had given her father two wolf king skins and two ginsengs. That was Jiaojiao giving her father something in return. If they truly wanted to be equal, she wouldn't have spent such a large sum of money. Just like her words about going to the capital to retrieve her dowry early, she wanted to make things clear between them. Just like whether she mentioned whether her uncle had obtained the amulet from that person, she didn't take it to heart.
His Jiaojiao, has been through so much, understands human nature too well, her heart has become cold and hard, and she understands life too well. The old man probably knows this, which is why he is trying so hard to win over Xiaowu.
Zhao Dashan looked at his watch and stood up. "Brother Zheng, let's pack up, close the doors and windows, and go out to wait for them. Let's go eat early. If we're late, we'll freeze to death."
"Okay, I'll move the cloth to the car first. Your sister-in-law will need it when we get back. It will be done in one day tomorrow. My little Jiaojiao can finally live here. It's worth it."
"When are you planning on moving? Let's warm up the house and have some fun."
"Let's not bother with that. We can just have a few drinks to warm the house, so we don't have to entertain all those friends and relatives and bother my Jiaojiao. If they want to warm the house, they can wait until the village courtyard is built, and they can take care of it."
Zhou Xiaozheng closed the doors and windows, locked the door, and just as he and Zhao Dashan were carrying things to the door, they saw Zhang Guoqing and his second brother walking towards them. Zhou Xiaozheng put down the cloth on the steps, touched Zhao Dashan beside him, and winked at him to look at who was coming.
Zhao Dashan put down the cloth and saw that the person coming up was not Xiaowu. He looked at his brother following behind him. Well, his brother Zheng said to go up the ladder. He really had foresight. He gave Zhou Xiaozheng a thumbs up and winked.
Zhang Guoqing saw his father-in-law and Zhao Dashan at the gate from a distance. There was a pile of cloth in front of them. He looked at his second brother with a headache. He thought he was going to make a lot of trouble again. He hurried over with his second brother. Before they reached the front, a car stopped at the gate. His mother-in-law shouted, "Xiaowu, Mom is here. Why did you go to the county town? Come over quickly. We can have dinner together."
Zhou Guoqing brought Zhang Guoqiang to the front of the car, greeted them, and looked at the car curiously. "Mom, when did you and Dad go to the provincial capital?"
Zhao Dashan asked in surprise, "How did you know this was a car from the provincial capital? Why didn't you say it was a car from our department?"
"License plate" Zhang Guoqing quickly stepped forward, picked up the cloth on the ground and put it on the car, "Mom, are you going to take these cloths back or find someone?"
"How about taking them back to make curtain fabrics and quilt covers? At first, your dad and I went to the Friendship Shopping Mall and bought several pieces. Later, your Aunt Cheng took me to Master Fang in the alley to buy quilts and I found out about the homespun cloth. So I bought these. Will Jiaojiao know about them when you come back?" Lin Lishan gestured around the homespun cloth for Xiaowu to see.
Zhang Guoqing looked at the plaid and found it acceptable. "This plaid is quite nice, very Scottish. I saw in a magazine that people in Country Y love plaid, and you can see plaid everywhere in their homes. But what are these two big red flowers for? I'm making clothes for Jiaojiao, but she won't wear them. She'll say she's not an opera singer. She definitely won't wear them. Do you want to change them to a different color?"
Everyone laughed out loud when they heard this. Lin Lishan was so happy that she didn't even bother to spend money. "Don't worry, it's for making quilt covers and sheets. Your Aunt Cheng said it's always plaid, so why not try a change?"
Zhou Xiaozheng opened the door and let everyone in first. He estimated that there would be no room in the car. After all, it was not far and everyone could walk. Zhao Dashan looked at his watch and said, "Forget it, let's not go in. Xiaowu and his brother can come and see us anytime. Let's hurry to the restaurant and wait for a while. They will leave when they see we are not here."
Zhang Guoqing followed Zhou Xiaozheng and whispered, "Dad, I want to find Zuo Lin tonight. Doesn't he have a temporary worker there? I want to take my second brother over to see what he means. Everything at home has been taken care of, so there's nothing to worry about."
Zhou Xiaozheng looked at him with a smile, "You only brought two bottles of crappy wine, and you managed to get such a good thing? Come on, your Uncle Dashan has already set up some connections for you, have dinner with him tonight. Go in and park the car first, and take these two bottles."
"Hey, great. Can you come over tonight for some good food and drinks? Otherwise, I'll drive over first."
Zhou Xiaozheng shouted, "Dashan, where are we going tonight? Tell Xiaowu to drive over first and we'll walk slowly."
"Xiaowu, you guys wait for us next to the textile factory. When you see Zuo Lin, ask him to bring his wife over." After Zhao Dashan said this, he put his arm around Zhou Xiaozheng's shoulder and left with his wife.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
