Throughout the journey, the old lady held Zhou Xiaozheng's hand tightly, and the two of them stared at the box in his arms in a daze. Everyone was silent, not knowing what words to use to comfort them.
When we arrived at the courtyard in the county town, before the car even stopped, we saw Zhao Dashan and Zhang Guoqiang, the second son of the Zhang family, waiting at the door, and the yard was brightly lit.
Zhao Dashan heard from his neighbors that four military vehicles came to look for Zhang Guoqing, and they drove from the front of the small courtyard to the main street. When he came to check, he found that everyone had run away. After hearing a few words from Zhang Guoqiang, he realized that something had happened. He was considering whether to go to Zhoujia Village.
Seeing Zhou Xiaozheng getting out of the car, he looked at Zhou Xiaozheng carefully and found nothing unusual on his face. He hurriedly looked at Zhang Guoqing and was relieved when he saw him shake his head slightly.
"Brother Zheng, come in quickly. The family has packed some delicious food. Let the old man and the old lady eat it first to warm up."
Zhou Xiaozheng supported Mrs. Cheng and said, "This is my aunt, uncle-in-law, and cousin. Let's go in first."
When Elder Lin saw Zhao Dashan, he said to Elder Cheng, "He's a veteran from our old unit, now in the armed forces. He and the youngest son of the Zuo family have always taken care of Xiaowu and Jiaojiao. I heard that when Xiaozheng returned this time, he realized he was an old acquaintance."
Old Cheng smiled and nodded at Zhao Dashan, "Let's go in and talk."
Everyone entered the living room. Zhang Guoqing saw that a large round table had been set up in the living room. The eldest sister Zhang Meili was so anxious that she made gestures with her eyes and said with a smile, "Sister, serve the food." She invited everyone to the table.
When I returned to the kitchen, I saw that Xiao Zhou and the others had already started eating. "Why don't you guys go over there? There's a table reserved in the living room."
Xiao Zhou and the others hurriedly postponed it, "We've already eaten and didn't plan to go over, so you stay with the old man and the others. We have your second brother here. You just go about your business."
Zhang Guoqing looked at it and didn't pull it anymore. "Okay, second brother, you take care of it. The wine is in the warehouse next door. If you don't have enough food, ask eldest sister. I'll go see if there's anything else I can help with."
Dishes were served one after another on the table in the living room. When Zhang Guoqing came in with two jars of wine, everyone was seated and waiting for him.
Old Cheng said with a smile: "Our little grandson-in-law is very busy today. Come over and meet people. I am your great-uncle, and this is your great-uncle. The one next to your father is my eldest son, Cheng Sijin, and you should call him your eldest cousin. There is also your second cousin Cheng Siyu and your youngest aunt Cheng Ruzhu at home."
Zhang Guoqing knew from the moment he heard their names that this couple deserved respect. After calling them, he directly brought the wine jar to Old Cheng and said with a smile, "Uncle, I'll pour you some wine. This is a filial piety to you, you must drink it well. I'll serve fruit wine to my great aunt, and my mother happened to be with her. It's a happy occasion for my great aunt and my father to be reunited tonight, and we are all very happy."
Old Cheng smiled cheerfully, "Okay, well said, we will all be happy from now on."
Zhang Guoqing poured wine for everyone, sat in his seat and listened quietly to them chatting about family matters, and stood up from time to time to refill everyone's glasses.
Old Mrs. Cheng listened to Lin Lishan's detailed talk about Zhou Jiao, and gradually became absorbed. Zhou Xiaozheng poured soup into a small bowl for her, "Auntie, eat more. You can see Jiao Jiao tomorrow morning."
"Can't we just leave after eating? Is it inconvenient for her?"
Zhou Xiaozheng advised, "Let's get a good night's rest first. Don't we have to go to the ancestral hall early in the morning? I'll take Jiaojiao there tomorrow morning. As for you, rest here for the night. I won't go back tonight. I want you to tell me about my parents' childhood."
Cheng Sijin agreed immediately, "Yes, Mom, I will sleep with my eldest brother tonight. I still have some things to tell him."
Old Cheng made the decision immediately, "Alright, after we finish eating here, let's all go to the guesthouse. Xiaozheng and his wife will follow, you can chat all you want. As for Xiaowu, wait until we leave, pack up and go back to accompany Jiaojiao. We'll meet at the ancestral hall tomorrow morning. After that, we'll go to the Zhang family to visit the in-laws and see the children. By the way, don't bring the child to the ancestral hall tomorrow, it's full of negative energy."
Zhou Xiaozheng agreed and said, "Okay, this place is too small. Then Xiaowu, drive back and have a good talk with Jiaojiao. Reassure her that I'm fine. Also, since we can't go hunting, tell your father and the others hello. Dashan, I'll leave Aguang to you."
"It's okay, business is more important. I'll be waiting for A Guang in the county town."
Everyone saw that it was getting late and they had things to do the next morning, so they didn't continue drinking and just filled their stomachs and finished quickly.
They watched as they all got into the car and drove to the guesthouse. It took Zhang Guoqing and his two siblings an hour to finish packing up and sorting out the washed dishes and loading them into the car. Zhang Guoqing saw his second brother hurriedly running in to get out his work clothes.
"Haha, I thought you had taken it back this afternoon."
Zhang Guoqing locked the door and made sure everything was alright. The three of them got in the car. "I haven't stopped walking today and I was so busy I forgot. I left my clothes in the inner room and didn't see them. Big sister, I'll take you home first. Have you decided on a date for the housewarming? I always forget to ask you when I see you."
Zhang Meili laughed heartily. "It's quite busy. I see your relatives keep showing up one after another. Speaking of warming the house gives me a headache. Few of your brother-in-law's brothers are good people. They are jealous of us buying a house. My father-in-law chooses the date because they are either busy or have family matters. But the old man wants all his sons to come together. Your brother-in-law was so angry that he said, if you don't want to come, don't come, don't come in the future, as if no one cares. This time it's agreed to be next week."
Zhang Guoqing smiled and said, "Don't pay attention to them. They can come if they want. The three of us brothers can go over next week. You have three brothers like us, so you can stand up straight. We will make it a lively party for you."
Don't be angry with your brother-in-law. It's not necessary. Your father-in-law wants his sons to be united, but he can't let you two suffer. You want them to live in your house, and I think you've given up on it. If they really move in, it will definitely cause chaos. I'd rather go to the village and see them and give them money and things than let them live in your house."
Zhang Guoqiang followed suit, saying, "That's right. If this old man insists on treating everyone equally, it's better to stay away. Filial piety doesn't always come in front of you. Don't treat everyone the same as your parents. If I really want to live with you, you'd better think about it. Today one son needs your help, and tomorrow another son has no food to eat? What will you do?"
"Don't compare yourself with your second sister's family. They have only one son, so their situation is different. I think you should wait and see. Once the old couple sees the faces of their other sons and becomes disappointed and heartbroken, it won't be too late for you to take them back. Just think about the last time your mother-in-law was hospitalized, and your father-in-law still hasn't given up. You should figure it out yourself."
"Sister, we're at your house now. We won't go in. By the way, don't buy anything you need yet. When I'm done, I'll take you to the warehouse in my yard to see if there's anything you can use. Don't be disgusted, they're all good things from Professor Liu's house."
Zhang Meili got out of the car with a laugh. "There's an empty yard in the village. You don't have much. Be frugal and don't waste it."
Watching her enter the tube building, Zhang Guoqing drove quickly, wondering if there was anything else he needed to do.
Zhang Guoqing returned the dishes and chopsticks to the fat master and thanked him again and again. He knew in his heart that he had charged too little tonight.
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