Zhang Guoqiang carried his things to Xiaowu's door and heard his mother and wife laughing from a distance. He was delighted and shouted, "Mom, we're back."
"Oh, where is Xiaowu? Why are there so many cloths?" When Zhang's mother heard her second son's voice, she hurried out and was shocked to see so many cloths.
Zhang Guoqiang smiled secretly. This was more than enough. He would faint later. "They will move in some more later. They are all used to make curtain fabrics and bed sheets." After saying that, he put down the cloth and turned to leave.
Zhou Jiao walked forward and looked around the cloth, then saw her mother come in first, "Mom, where's my dad?"
"I'm in the back, coming soon. Big sister, it's a good thing you're all here, so you need to help. These fabrics are going to be used for four curtains and bed sheets and quilt covers. Cuilan, you can help me cut the fabric later, and Juhua, you're very skillful, so you can sew it directly. You guys have to go to bed late tonight, because I need them tomorrow."
Mother Zhang shook her head and said, "It's okay, just cut it open and sew it up, it's quick. We'll put it on the kang, you match the size, pull the cloth, and the three of us will cut the cloth and sew it just right for Juhua. Big sister, can you sew this bedspread? Otherwise, bring the quilt back and I'll sew it for you."
Zhou Jiao was watching from the side and felt anxious for her mother. She quickly stepped forward and gestured with her hands, "Mom, look, sew three sides tightly like this, stuff in the quilt, and sew the remaining side later. It will be convenient for me to change the quilt."
Zhang's mother said to Lin Lishan happily, "You see, our Jiaojiao is really smart. This way, we don't need several people to sew the quilt. Big sister, this is much faster. Once the whole set is done, it will be as good as a bright red satin."
The satin that Zhang's mother mentioned is the large piece of satin quilt added on the wedding quilt. There are various patterns, such as peonies of wealth and glory, and birds paying homage to the phoenix. Those who are well-off will find ways to buy it when their children get married. They will make it thick and put it on the first layer on the day of their daughter's wedding, which will bring double face.
When Zhou Jiao saw Zhou Xiaozheng coming in, she hurried over and said, "Dad, you're back. Drink some water and sit down for a while." Then she ran inside to get some water and handed it to him.
Zhou Xiaozheng quickly put down his things, stepped forward to take the cup, and complained: "Why are you still so rough? What if you get scalded by the boiling water?" After saying that, he smiled and ignored others, pulling Zhou Jiao into the inner room.
When they got inside, Zhou Xiaozheng whispered, "Don't go out. Just let them be busy. Be careful not to run into you. Just play with your son."
Zhou Jiao covered her mouth, looked outside furtively, and whispered, "Dad, your daughter is very smart. She won't get tired."
Zhou Xiaozheng laughed heartily at his daughter's playful behavior. "Dad knows our Jiaojiao is the smartest. Many people in the county praise you, and I'm very proud of you. I want to tell you something. Old Mr. Liu, who sold our yard, wants to befriend us and wants you and Xiaowu to visit him often. I suggested that Xiaowu become his disciple, but he refused. He said he would advise Xiaowu not to become his disciple in the future and to avoid forming cliques. He also gave me a copy of 'Zizhi Tongjian' with the darkroom and compartments he drew. Keep it safe. He said only he and his wife know about it."
After hearing this, Zhou Jiao looked at her father in confusion, "Dad, didn't he intentionally sell the house to us at a low price? No. He would rather sell it than keep it for his sons. How many grandchildren do they have under his two sons? He's worried about his sons and wants to be on good terms with us so that they can have someone to look after them after they pass away. It's such a mess that even the housework can't be managed properly by the son. How can a man sweep the world if he can't even clean his own house? With this level of ability to handle things, no matter how good he is at foresight, it's useless. Besides, helping someone in need and adding icing on the cake are two different concepts. If he had shown up two years ago and given me this book, I would have admired him. But it's too late now. What's the point if he can't help? Dad, don't blame me for being snobbish. I understand human nature too well. You are the only one in this world that I can trust. Everyone has their own little calculations in their hearts. It all depends on how you think and how much you tolerate."
Zhou Xiaozheng nodded and lowered his voice, saying, "There's one more thing I want to tell you. I have twelve brothers. Some are dead, some are gone, and the remaining five are in the provincial capital. They all follow me as their leader. One of them is Zhao Chuangguang. Xiaowu met him today. He's someone you can trust. When I get back, go find him if you have any questions. Are you wondering why a brother I trust hasn't come to see you?"
Zhou Jiao nodded. "Over time, I'm afraid that brotherly love will be eroded by power and interests. Since Dad said he can trust me, I trust you. As for why you didn't come to see me, I can't think of it. Maybe the relationship isn't there yet, and your brotherhood can't be extended to the next generation."
Zhou Xiaozheng nodded. "Other people haven't had conflicts of interest, but Zhao Chuangguang won't. For the past 17 years, he's burned a sack of paper money for Dad every year. He even went to the capital to inquire about you, mistaking your eldest cousin for you. He has a lot of grievances against the Lin family, and today he still doesn't believe you when he found out you weren't in the capital. He didn't say anything else, but it's clear that whenever he goes to the capital, he goes to see your eldest cousin. He's never set foot in the Lin family. And your mother doesn't know all this. Jiaojiao, Dad is unhappy. The Lin family, hehe, the Lin family..."
"Dad, the debt of favor is the hardest to repay. Isn't this good enough? You don't have to feel unhappy for me. Why bother worrying about irrelevant people? Besides, I think you know about the Lin family's affairs. It's hard to talk about it."
Zhou Jiao finished speaking, then watched her father gesture for her to continue, "First, grandma's move to transfer my eldest cousin back to the capital was a bad one. Secondly, my family probably ran out of money, and they even embezzled ours. I didn't tell my mom, so grandma might be out of money."
Zhou Xiaozheng smiled and patted her head, then said softly, "Do you blame your mother in your heart?"
Zhou Jiao looked at her father with amusement, "I used to complain, but later I didn't feel anything anymore. There's no difference whether I have a mom or not. When I saw her, I didn't dare to complain. She was crying so hard, how could I dare to complain?" She smiled after saying that.
After a moment, Zhou Jiao sighed and said seriously, "A lot of people don't say it, but I understand what they mean. They think it was very sudden for me to accept my mother. Even if I cried and acted like a spoiled child for a while, I just don't have the temperament to do that. In my eyes, the fact that my mother stayed with my father for 17 years and didn't marry, that's enough. That's what I value most about her. Besides, she gave birth to me, and these two points alone are enough for me to protect and respect her. As for the details of not visiting me, she might mind not seeing me, but when I saw her hugging me and crying, tears streaming down my neck, I don't think I would complain. Everyone has their own difficulties. Why bother too much? As long as my mother is still waiting for you to come back, nothing else matters."
"Good daughter, you are worthy of being dad's daughter. You have the same ideas as dad. Jiaojiao, how about dad taking you to the county town to live for a few days?" Zhou Xiaozheng praised happily.
Zhou Jiao's eyes widened with joy. "Really? That's great. Dad, when are we leaving? I'll pack my things in advance and stay longer."
Seeing his daughter so happy, Zhou Xiaozheng couldn't help but smile knowingly and said softly, "Don't worry, I'll talk to your father-in-law and take you to the city to live for a few days to teach you a lesson. No one will dare to bully you in the future. He will definitely agree. Just pretend you don't know. Dad even went to the provincial capital today to borrow a car just to take you to the city. What do you think? Dad is awesome, right?"
Zhou Jiao looked at her father, who was begging for praise, and nodded with a smile, giving him a thumbs-up. Her father was more thoughtful than she had expected, and she felt very happy.
Zhou Xiaozheng said to her with a cheerful expression: "Dad will try to prepare fine food for you before he goes back, so don't worry about not having enough money. Today we have found a mother and daughter to clean the main room, and we specially went to the provincial capital to buy disinfectant. Tomorrow they will come to clean the kitchen and the yard. I asked someone to put all the things used by Mr. Liu and his family in the warehouse, and give them to you later. They are all good. I was worried that you would feel uncomfortable using other people's things, so I bought all new ones. The quilts are all 8 kilograms, so I bought three, and the mattress. Your uncle Zhao Chuangguang also gave a lot of military blankets and other military supplies. I think it is too narrow, so I put them in the closet and wait for you to use them. Deal with it yourself. Your mother saw too much and gave some to Zhao Dashan's wife. I heard that her daughter Zhao Yuanyuan didn't have a thick quilt. Your uncle Guang gave me a lot of coupons for coal, so I bought 300 kilograms of coal briquettes, 100 kilograms of coal, and 50 kilograms of rice. By the way, your mother went to the Friendship Shopping Mall and bought a lot of cloth to make curtains and bedspreads. Later, she saw that local cloth was cheaper, so she kept it and put it all in the county town. Throw away those old clothes, think carefully about what clothes you like, and draw a pattern. Your mother and Cheng Hongli will go to make clothes for you tomorrow. Listen to Dad's instructions and make more skirts. Our Jiaojiao looks good in skirts.
Zhou Jiao nodded with a smile and said happily, "Okay, I like skirts too. When summer comes, I'm going to make a long skirt and embroider it with dark patterns. It will definitely look great. It's a low-key luxury, which is my favorite style. Dad, when I gain weight, it will definitely look good. Haha, I have big eyes like you. Look at my eyebrows, don't they look similar? They look heroic too. I like my eyes and eyebrows the most."
Zhou Xiaozheng laughed heartily and looked at her little face. "She also has dimples like Dad. Dimples are cute on girls. Dad hated his own dimples the most back then. They made him look immature, so he deliberately kept a straight face. These dimples look great on my Jiaojiao, they suit her perfectly. She doesn't need to wait for her to gain weight. Now her Jiaojiao is very beautiful too. In Dad's eyes, no one is as pretty as her."
"Yeah, I also think that no one can compare to my dad. My dad is the most handsome and the most charming." After saying that, Zhou Jiao walked forward, took her father's arm, raised her head and laughed.
Lin Lishan heard the laughter and came in to listen. "Haha, yes, you two, father and daughter, look the best. You really look alike. Jiaojiao, what do you want to wear? How about your dad and I go to the city tomorrow and make you some overalls?"
Zhou Jiao smiled and said, "Okay, Mom, I want my pants to be darker in color so they can go with my clothes. Keep this extra plaid fabric for me. I want to make shirts. They'll look great with sweaters when the weather gets warmer. I'll make them for summer myself. I want to make lots of skirts, long skirts."
Zhou Xiaozheng watched the mother and daughter discussing the style with a smile. His precious daughter acted like a spoiled child in front of them, and he felt extremely satisfied. Lin Lishan patted Zhou Jiao with a smile, "Don't object. Besides, Mom will make you a flowery cotton-padded jacket. You're just a little girl, so bright colors will look good." After saying that, she ignored the father and daughter and ran outside to help.
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