Zhang Guoqing sent his father and nephews away. When he returned home, before he even entered the room, he heard loud laughter coming from inside. What was rare was that the voice was actually his father-in-law's.
Mother Zhang came out, holding the child in her arms, and pointed inside, whispering, "Jiaojiao and her father have been chatting in the room for most of the day. I don't know where they got so much to say. When your mother-in-law came in with a basket of things, she couldn't stop laughing. I didn't feel comfortable going over, but it's almost noon now, so why don't you go in and see what arrangements are?"
Zhang Guoqing pulled his mother, "Let's go, it's okay. Let's go in and take a look. We're sure to encounter something funny. Let's go in and take a look. Ping'an should be feeding."
Zhang's mother followed him inside, child in hand. She saw his daughter-in-law, clad in a sheepskin coat and boots, her eyes wide. "Oh my! Just last night, I was talking about how heavy those military coats and boots were. So early in the morning, they rushed to buy them. They're squandering money fast!" Imagine those villagers wearing padded jackets in the twelfth lunar month. What a fate!
"This is great. Did mom buy it? Where did you find it? It looks like a very sophisticated design. Once Jiaojiao puts it on, it'll be like she's walking around in a room." Zhang Guoqing's words made them burst into laughter. They really did grow up together.
Zhang's mother placed her grandson on the bed and caressed him lovingly, "This is so warm. It must be very expensive! Xiaowu's father has a coat he's worn for decades and can't put away every winter. I haven't seen anything as good as yours in the surrounding area. It's a good enough heirloom. No wonder he's laughing so hard."
Zhou Jiao was too lazy to explain and nodded in agreement with a smile.
"Dad, Brother Zhou just met me on the road and said that the old man asked us all to go to the guesthouse for dinner. Li Aiguo and the others are waiting for you to come over. Otherwise, you and Mom will go over for lunch? I'll stay at home to take care of Jiaojiao."
Zhou Xiaozheng shook his head. "You must go. This dinner is just the perfect opportunity to take you there to meet everyone. Jiaojiao doesn't have to go. It's too noisy there, she doesn't like it."
After finishing speaking, he packed up and picked up the basket, then said to Zhang's mother, "Second sister-in-law, I'll take Xiaowu over. You don't have to prepare lunch for Grandpa and the others. Jiaojiao's mother will stay here with you and help you. I won't ask you to go over there."
Mother Zhang quickly waved her hand, "No, you two should take Xiaowu over there. Both of you should go. I'll stay here to take care of Jiaojiao. Don't worry, I'll make arrangements."
Zhou Jiao thought about Zhang's father still taking care of the children, and she couldn't let them eat at her eldest sister-in-law's house. Even her mother couldn't help. She pushed her father forward and said, "Dad, don't worry. My mother-in-law is here. Ask Mom to go with you to accompany your aunt and godmother. I'll ask Xiaowu to ask his sister to come over to help with lunch. Remember not to drink too much. Be sure to come here before you go back."
"Xiaowu, there's no need to go to his eldest sister's place. I know the way. I'll go and call them. You guys go there early and come back early."
Zhou Xiaozheng looked at his wife's hands and realized they weren't meant for housework. He decided to take them with him to avoid being laughed at. Seeing Zhang's mother anxiously trying to pull her away, he quickly said to Zhou Jiao, "You stay with the kids and rest first. I'll definitely tell you before I leave. Is there anything you need? Write it down and I'll send it to you."
Zhou Jiao bid her father farewell, reluctant to leave. Looking at the empty room, she sighed. Luckily, her son was there with her. Zhou Jiao quickly picked him up and fed him, humming a little tune.
After he finished feeding, he still stared at her, "Son, have you missed me since you haven't seen me all morning? From now on, I will take you with me. If I have something to go out with, I will tell you. Son, you have to grow up quickly. When you grow up, I can take you out for a walk."
Zhou Jiao had no idea that the child was unconscious or didn't understand what she was saying. He could sense the quiet environment and the gentle voice. Every day, she whispered to him, and he was especially quiet.
When she saw colleagues bringing their children to work, she noticed that children with gentle parents tended to have less emotional fluctuations. Children with impatient parents cried louder. She disagreed with the idea that children take after their parents. She believed that environment shapes a person, and that parents are their best teachers. In her previous life, her nephew had a good temper until he was three, but he became distorted as he grew up. She watched with disdain, believing it was all caused by the indoctrination of her elders.
Her safety, when he turns three, will definitely be taken to the capital to let him see the world. It would be best if he could learn well from his grandfather. He is the eldest son and will shoulder the responsibility of the family in the future.
Zhou Jiao gently held the child in her arms as she lay down on the bed. Seeing that the child was beginning to fall asleep, she patted him gently and hummed a lullaby. She kept going over the events of the past few days in her mind, over and over again. She found that there was nothing she had missed.
He began to think about what Zhang Guoqing had said about his eldest sister's family last night, and frowned slightly. He recalled that after Zhang Meili got married, every time she prepared a gift, she would ask Zhang Guoqing to bring it to her.
Zhou Jiao frowned. This was too much of a sentiment. If she really listened to Zhang Guoqing, he would give her the old quilt that Professor Liu had left behind. She couldn't even bring herself to say it.
Zhou Jiao looked at the quilt covering her and sighed deeply. It seemed she would have to go to Master Fang herself and have the old quilt refurbished with some cotton. Thinking of this, Zhou Jiao couldn't lie still any longer. Seeing her son fall asleep, his little hands tightly grasping her clothes, she carefully took them off and stood up.
Zhou Jiao casually pulled out a pen and paper from her space and meticulously wrote down everything she needed to prepare for the next two days. She planned to give Zhang Meili two quilts on the day she warmed up her house; it would be quite a generous gift. She also planned to keep a kitchen set of old bowls and plates for Zhang Guoqiang's household expenses. She would wash the old curtain fabric and keep it for her village yard. She also had to buy some fabric at the market for the clothes she had promised Xizi and the others, draw a pattern, and have a tailor work on them. She had no plans to make them herself; four nephews and four nieces would tire her to death.
And then there was Grandma Zhou. Sigh… Zhou Jiao sighed. Thinking of the grandmother who raised her made her depressed. Her father had just left, and she still had to deal with the aftermath. She couldn't let her father's image be affected in the slightest. She still had to prepare this year's New Year's gift. She was thinking of making her a cotton-padded jacket, plus four gift boxes of cakes, and secretly slipping her some money. She also prepared the same gift for the old patriarch's grandson. That way, the Zhou family would be relieved of their worries.
Finally, before the end of the year. She was going to become a knitting girl. Her mother absolutely couldn't knit her father's sweater. It was underwear. She couldn't let the girls from the art troupe do it. Don't think you can't see that she knitted the sweater for Ping An and piled it with other ones, and you can fool yourself. Just the needle and thread must have taken a lot of effort. Zhou Jiao secretly laughed at the thought of this.
And Zhang Guoqing's sweaters and trousers—it wasn't that she was picky. Just two sets of sweaters, either with holes sealed shut or knitted by his mother.
His craftsmanship wasn't any better than her mother's. When he took it off after the New Year and went back to work, she felt like crying for him. Besides, the three of them were going back home at the end of the year. Would she embarrass her father?
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