In the bedroom, Lin Lishan and the others were sorting the gifts brought by today's guests, sorting them into boxes. They were all amused by Zhang's mother's voice outside. Everyone had experienced postpartum confinement, and they knew that if a bird escaped the cage and forgot about its time to return, it would inevitably lead to some criticism from the elders. At the same time, they were happy for Zhou Jiao. Her mother-in-law treated her like a daughter, and their relationship was good, which was what her family wanted most.
Hearing is believing, seeing is believing. Although the elders who had visited Zhangjia Village all said that the Zhang family was well-off, their worries remained undimmed. Far from the capital, along the way, they saw thatched huts and adobe houses everywhere. The thought of a 17-year-old girl living alone in poverty made Lin Liying even more ashamed and worried. This was so different from what she had imagined. The two sisters-in-law of the Cheng family were even more distressed, and they couldn't understand why the eldest brother would obey the child's wishes. What they saw and heard that day at the Zhang family completely put their minds at ease.
"Where have you been shopping? You must tell me where you are going next time so that the elders at home can rest assured. Come and sit down and chat with mom. Mom will be back tomorrow, and it will be difficult for her to see you." Lin Lishan pushed Zhou Jiao to sit on the chair.
Zhou Jiao smiled, pulled her clothes and hugged her waist like a child, "Mom, there's a train. I missed you and ran to find you. I just have a lot of time now. Why don't you stay a few more days this time? I can go shopping with you."
"Let's talk about it later when we have a chance. Your cousin and the others have all taken leave to come here, and they're in a hurry to get back to work. Come home early at the end of the year, and we'll go shopping together."
After hearing this, Cheng family's eldest daughter-in-law Liu Ting asked her, "Jiaojiao, why don't you come back with us tomorrow? Your aunt is a doctor, and Xiao Ping'an will be fine with us."
Zhou Jiao spread her hands helplessly and said, "Aunt, I also want to go back early, but I can't. The school gave me face to resume classes, but I have to wait until I'm done with the exams. Don't tempt me. I miss my dad right now and I can't wait to go with you."
"Then let's get down to business. We'll pick you up at the station. Remember to send a telegram before you get on the train. Don't bring anything with you. You and Xiaowu will take care of Ping An and buy it when we get back to Beijing. It will save you the trouble of bringing things back and forth."
Zhou Jiao nodded. She had space and was not afraid of having too many things. The other person meant well, so she just listened to him.
They chatted about interesting places and delicious food in Beijing and recommended them to her. They agreed to take her along and visit the temple fair together during the first month of the lunar year.
My cousins Liu Ting and Cheng Ruzhu were very fond of Zhou Jiao. They had always wanted a daughter, but their hopes had never come true. Zhou Jiao fulfilled their ideal of a daughter. As the only daughter among the Cheng family's grandchildren, they hoped that Zhou Jiao would stay in the capital so that they could take care of her if anything happened.
Cheng Ruzhu put down her things and sat down next to Zhou Jiao, softly recounting how good the small courtyard Zhou Xiaozheng had moved into after returning to Beijing was, how convenient it was, and what it had. She also talked about how good the large courtyard was, what it had to offer, and what was trendy among the girls in Beijing these days. In short, if you didn't go, you'd definitely regret it, and if you didn't live in the large courtyard, you'd regret it even more.
Zhou Jiao listened to her soft words, her mind desperately searching for any clues, quickly thinking about her father's military rank. This time her father didn't talk to her about his position, and she didn't ask.
Now I listen to Cheng Ruzhu and her aunt talking about some gossip in the compound. It turns out that many couples in the compound are not original spouses, that melodramatic things don't necessarily happen to ordinary people, and that there are idealists who pursue fashion and freedom in every era.
After Cheng Ruzhu and the others finished discussing the gossip surrounding the compound, they moved on to discussing the deeds of someone, repeatedly telling Zhou Jiao to return to the capital and ignore them. Zhou Jiao had no interest in hearing about someone she hadn't even met, but she could still discern a clue about the situation. It turned out that Madam ** had already appeared.
Lin Lishan had always been uninterested in these matters. She was busy packing her things, wondering whether to tell Zhou Jiao about her grandmother's repayment. She took the bill without thinking, and hurriedly handed it to her husband before boarding the train. The more she thought about it, the more it seemed off. It was difficult to discuss this matter with anyone other than her daughter, not even her husband.
When it was time to go to bed, Zhou Jiao accompanied them back to their room. After making the arrangements, Lin Lishan found an excuse to go back to the west wing with her. Once in the inner room, she frowned and said nothing.
Zhou Jiao was startled and hurriedly asked her if she had encountered any difficult problems or if something happened at home that her father didn't want her to know about.
Lin Lishan looked around the room and whispered, "It's not a big deal. It's about your grandma paying you back. Before I came here, she gave me a gift to bring to you. When I was about to leave, she stuffed two deposit slips into my hand and said, without saying much, that this was the money our family had deposited with her.
Didn't I pay any attention to it? I took a look, handed it to your dad, and hurried to catch the train. During those two or three days on the train, the more I thought about the amount, the more it seemed wrong. Then I realized your grandma did give me two savings certificates. One in US dollars was your dad's. The other was the one I'd kept with her all those years. The difference in the amounts was huge. I didn't look closely enough to ask her at the time. The savings certificates your dad left behind were missing a third of their value, and mine only had 20,000. I was confused. How could there be so little in 17 years?
I have a rough idea of it. Besides the basic salary, there's also some extra money deposited with your grandma, and she has almost 50,000 yuan. Last year during the first month of the lunar year, I told her to let me know when she had 50,000 yuan, and I'd give it to you when you returned to Beijing to attend high school. She even nodded in agreement. Do you think your grandma took it by mistake?
Zhou Jiao looked at her mother speechlessly after hearing this. Was she still hoping for a lucky break? This was intentionally given to her before she left, avoiding her father. How could she have taken the wrong thing? Thinking about her wonderful grandmother, this made sense to her. Ever since she knew Zhao Chuangguang had visited her cousin, she had given up hope in Old Lady Lin, who had single-handedly raised her cousin.
She comes from a wealthy family, but her horizons are so narrow. She has so much money in her possession, and her father has already received his military pension, yet she's still clinging to his savings certificate. She and her mother are the legal heirs. She was young before, so why should she keep it even after getting married and having children? If her father hadn't returned, she would have probably embezzled the money without anyone knowing. Both her father and daughter knew that she could repay so much money, but her mother was the only one who was kept in the dark.
Seeing her frowning with worry, Zhou Jiao hurriedly comforted her, "Mom, just think of it as being filial to her. Don't ask grandma, she probably has no money on hand. Just let it go. If grandma's family ever gets involved in money division or something like that in the future, just watch and don't say anything. If they ask you to borrow money, just push it to my dad and have them go directly to him if the amount is large."
I guess Grandma either supports her parents or my second uncle's family in the Northwest. Didn't she even take my eldest uncle's salary last time? I bet there'll be arguments in the future. Just pretend you forgot how much money you had with Grandma.
Our family isn't short of money. My dad doesn't value money and won't care. When you get back, don't mention this money to my dad, especially the extra money you earned. Just pretend you didn't see the amount and hurriedly give it to him. Don't worry about the money. Think about the good things. Look, Dad's back now. What's money? Now that our family is rich and powerful, the amount is just a number. Even if I give it to you, it's just on the deposit slip."
Lin Lishan pressed on, "Did you really take the wrong bill? Or miss one? I'd still like to ask your grandma. There's no reason to give my money to your second uncle and his family."
Zhou Jiao had no choice but to explain it clearly. If her mother lost her temper and made a big fuss, her grandfather would have to sell everything he had to raise the money. And if the matter got out, her father's money would be public knowledge. Ultimately, her father would suffer the consequences.
"When you came for the third day of your father's bath, grandma didn't bring you my father's savings certificate. She must have been short of money at the time. So she made a fuss during the third day of your father's bath and gave him a complete set of gold and jade. Why did she keep my uncle's salary when my father came back? It was to make up for it. In the end, the money was not enough, and when you and my father came to my place, she didn't return it, thinking that she would return it later when the money was collected. But it was such a coincidence. My father's background was exposed, and you hurried back. What should she do then?
I can only give it to you. It's easier to talk to my own daughter if I give her less. If you don't believe me, go to the bank and ask if there have been large sums of money deposited into these two deposit slips in the past few days. To put it bluntly, if my father hadn't come back, grandma would have never planned to return our family's money to us mother and daughter. Think about it, isn't this reasonable? I'm a daughter and I'm married. For grandma, this money shouldn't be given to me. As for giving it to you, aren't you her daughter? It's only natural for a mother to use her daughter's money.
So, don't ask. It's pointless. Actually, my dad and I already knew she had so much money. We just didn't mention it to you because we were afraid you'd overthink it. And don't make a big deal about this. If it gets out, my dad's family background will be questioned. No matter how legitimate his family's origins are, people will think the worst of him. It'll have a bad influence on my dad. Even if grandma didn't return the money to our family, you can't tell anyone else. It's useless to tell others about our own mother, and they'll just laugh at us. Let's just consider it our filial piety."
Lin Lishan cried, hugging Zhou Jiao and complaining, "It's over. I told your dad how capable he is and that he has a lot of money deposited with your grandma. This is so embarrassing."
Zhou Jiao covered her mouth and laughed. So she couldn't speak too early, or she would be caught. She knew without thinking that her mother would definitely show off to her father.
After a while, Lin Lishan suddenly stood up and asked her in shock, "Jiaojiao, do you think your grandma would exchange your dowry for money? She didn't even mention those things to me when she paid it back this time. We've moved, what can't be left?"
Zhou Jiao couldn't help but burst out laughing. Her mother's reaction time was too slow. Her father had asked her to go back at the end of the year to collect her dowry, and it was for these reasons.
"Don't worry, Mom. The money I had before might have been used for other purposes, and I can get 70% to 80% back by the end of the year. I don't know what will happen after my cousins get married. Don't worry, if they really did use it, they would have given it away long ago. What can you do? My dad is back, and Grandma is a little hesitant. She won't carelessly use the dowry after she used the money. She's a smart person and she's afraid you'll get anxious and argue. Okay, don't care about material things, your thoughts are more valuable than the dowry. If it's gone, it's gone."
Lin Lishan nodded helplessly. What else could she do now? However, she planned to go back and ask the old lady privately this time. She would not argue with her, but ask who she gave her money to. She had to find out where her family's money went.
She was utterly disappointed with her mother. She said nice things and supported her ideas, but secretly she'd already spent all her savings. What kind of fate had Jiaojiao endured? Why did the Zhou family embezzle her things, and her own grandmother also embezzled her money? No elder was truly sincere towards their own children.
She didn't even dare to go back and face her man. Even Jiaojiao thought that her man didn't know everything. Her mother was leaving her no chance of survival.
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