The main hall was packed with two large tables. As the atmosphere grew lively, everyone relaxed their inhibitions and found their own companions for toasts. Zhou Xiaozheng looked at Old Cheng, Old Lin, and their in-laws, all enjoying themselves. At another table, Old Lady Cheng, accompanied by Lin Lishan and Zhang's mother, was chatting animatedly. He secretly glanced at Zhang Guoqing and slipped away.
After leaving the main room, Zhou Xiaozheng listened to the conversation inside, laughed out loud, sighed secretly, shook his head and walked towards his daughter's bedroom.
Thinking back to when his daughter Jiaojiao had frowned slightly, wanting to say something but not speaking, he felt uneasy until he had spoken to her. Now, while everyone was gathered in the main hall, it was just the right time for them to have a conversation. As for the fact that the people in the main hall had noticed his absence, he felt relieved that his son-in-law, Xiaowu, was there.
Zhou Xiaozheng pushed open the outer living room and called out, "Jiaojiao, have you rested? Daddy is here."
Zhou Jiao hurried outside, pulled him along, and looked at his face. Finding nothing unusual, she breathed a sigh of relief and complained, "Dad, why did you come back before you finished eating? I'm fine."
Zhou Xiaozheng tapped her forehead with a smile, "You're my daughter, how could I not know that you have a lot of questions for me right now? And it just so happens that Daddy also has something to tell you. No matter what happens in the future, just relax. With your dad here, you won't have to worry."
Zhou Jiao glanced at him sideways, pouting, "I know my father is capable, but I'm still worried that you haven't noticed the details. And there's no need to tell those elders and clan leaders in Zhou Village that they're looking for you. You don't owe them any money. Don't they know how we've been doing all these years?"
The clan leader asked me today to persuade you to move the cemetery in the capital to Zhoujia Village. Do you really think I'm stupid? Principal wives have never been given burial plots in the same areas as concubines. And you're just asking for it today, just because you're entering the family tree at the ancestral hall? Do you really think we're easy to bully, father and daughter?
I refused outright at that time. If I didn't want to make it public in Zhoujia Village that we were not concubines to prove our legitimate status, I would not have been willing for us to go to the ancestral hall.
Our main branch should have had a family tree. It's just that it's nowhere to be found. I didn't have the chance to look at the entire tree today, but I'll definitely copy it down and pass it down to my younger brothers. Dad, when you go back this time, please try to give me a few younger brothers. I'll definitely take care of them myself, and I'll do whatever it takes to revive our main branch."
Zhou Xiaozheng laughed heartily upon hearing this, and followed her into the inner room. After sitting down, he said, "Silly girl, do you really think your father is stupid? This is just a polite remark. You should pay more attention to the lineage of the old patriarch of Zhoujia Village. When they ask for help, find a way to help them. With the old patriarch's kindness, we must not forget his help to our family. Dad still remembers how kind he was to me. I guess your grandmother trusted his character back then."
"Well, I know what's going on. There's plenty of time in the future, and there will always be a chance to repay a favor. Leave it to me. Dad, you're looking for Liu Xizhi. Does the old lady of the Lin family know about this? When she first met her in-laws and learned they were from the Zhou family in Beijing, she didn't seem unusual at all?"
Zhou Jiao simply couldn't believe the two families would meet without mentioning the Beijing Zhou family first. Old Master Zhou often boasted of his origins. Would Gu Ruyi not be suspicious? Would the two elders of the Zhou family not be suspicious when they saw Gu Ruyi and Gu Mingzhu exchange glances? Just one step away, his father could know the truth. Why would Gu Ruyi do that? Thinking back to the cold stare she'd received over the past 17 years, Zhou Jiao couldn't help but suspect Gu Ruyi's motives.
Zhou Xiaozheng sneered, "I think they knew the first time they saw me. They kept asking me where I was from and where I grew up. All your uncles have seen me. I don't believe they weren't curious. They all knew I was a descendant of the Zhou family in Beijing, so how could they not be suspicious? I was kept in the dark and never realized that I had some similarities with her. As for looking for your great aunt, I asked around secretly. And your great aunt and her have always had a bad relationship. Now I understand. No wonder the two old men are old partners, but the two families have no dealings."
Zhou Jiao nodded and fell into deep thought. After a moment, "Those concubines of the Gu family have grudges against us. They were in Jiangnan back then and were able to stay out of the matter and preserve the family fortune. There must have been some inside story back then, otherwise Gu Ruyi wouldn't have dared to acknowledge you. They are cold-blooded. Forty years ago, they ignored my cousin, and forty years later, they left their granddaughter away. They took our family savings and held on to them even though they knew you had an accident. Gu Ruyi is not a good person. She is greedy, selfish, and cold-blooded, yet she is still a smart person. Find a way to keep my mother away from her. There is one more thing I think I should tell you, so that you won't be unsure if you encounter it in the future.
Their Gu family had a missing daughter, who was Gu Ruyi's biological sister. Perhaps something scandalous happened to her, so the Gu family did not acknowledge her identity and announced her death to the public. But in the end, all the woman's property was swallowed up by the Gu family.
When my mother was eight, she happened to run into her while on a children's tour. They got in touch, but no one knew about this. She never married, and before her death, she left her a foreign inheritance to my mother. The rest of her domestic assets were swallowed up by the Gu family. The last time my mother came, she simply gave me the password and keys, instructing me not to tell anyone, even to the Gu family, who were supposed to pretend they had never heard of her. She was afraid you'd find out and have her turned over to the authorities, so she never told you.
I've always had a question in my mind: where did Fang Yunying get such a large fortune when she wasn't married? She had never been abroad in that era, so where did that inheritance come from? I'm thinking about where the Gu family's wealth originally went.
Zhou Xiaozheng nodded upon hearing this, "I know everything about the Gu family. Since your mother asked you to keep it a secret, she's worried that I'll turn it over to the authorities. So don't tell them I know. It seems your father has a good image. He has to rush to the capital to finalize his identity, so he can't stay here for long. Your grandmother's Gu family should still have some property, but don't look for it now. Even if you do find it, you can't let it get out of the way. Once Dad returns to the capital and announces his identity, who knows how many people will be watching him in secret. Maybe someone is already making a move. So this time when I go back, I'll make the donation public to avoid potential risks in the future."
Zhou Xiaozheng thought for a moment, then went on to talk about the historical origins of the Zhou, Gu, and Cheng families. Finally, he said to the frowning Zhou Jiao, "The Cheng family has two sons, Cheng Sijin and Cheng Siyu, and a daughter, Cheng Ruzhu. Judging from the years of searching and the names, it seems that they are still loyal to us. We'll see what happens in the future. You can decide for yourself how to get along with them. They don't expect us to be a help to their Cheng family now. The two sons of the Cheng family have great prospects and are both excellent people."
Zhou Jiao understood, "I understand what you mean. I trust my great aunt, and I'll see what else happens. To be able to get my great aunt to send a military plane over overnight, that's friendship."
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