The group arrived at the Lin family's courtyard. A large table had already been set up in the living room, with food and wine on it. Except for them, everyone else who was supposed to be there had gathered in the living room.
Old Mrs. Lin spotted Zhou Jiao from afar, surrounded by the crowd. When she took off her hat, revealing a face resembling Gu Mingzhu with that familiar smile, she immediately lowered her head, closed her eyes, and then opened them again. Seeing Zhou Jiao taking off her coat and slowly walking toward her, her heart trembled.
Zhou Jiao was reminded of the last time she saw Gu Mingzhu. That was the day Gu Mingzhu and Zhou Jinyu came to her house, smiling as they left. What happened next?
Later, the two disappeared, and soon after, the patriarch's family encountered accidents one after another.
She calmed herself down, staring into Zhou Jiao's eyes. As she watched her slowly approach, she stepped forward with a smile, took her hand, and praised, "Is this our Jiaojiao? So pretty, come and show grandma a good look. No wonder your grandpa keeps praising you all the time. Why didn't you bring the kids over?"
"It's too cold, so my aunt is helping take care of the children. Is grandma feeling well? I was just thinking of asking grandpa to take us to visit you tonight."
Mrs. Lin clapped her hands and said with a smile, "Grandma is fine. It's just an old ailment, nothing serious. This is our grandson-in-law, right? Let grandma take a look. He's so handsome, and he and our Jiaojiao are a perfect match. How are your parents at home? Let them come over when the weather warms up."
Zhang Guoqing smiled and nodded when he heard this.
Old Master Lin said with a laugh, "Mother, let's eat first and talk while we eat. Jiaojiao, sit next to your grandma, and Xiaowu will drink with us."
Mrs. Lin took Zhou Jiao's hand and walked towards the dining table. "Grandma doesn't know what dishes you like. See if they suit your taste. Ask Auntie to make whatever you want. This is your grandma's house, treat it like your own, don't be polite."
Zhou Jiao nodded and helped her to a seat, smiling slightly at Lin Xuelin on the other side. After seeing her aunt and the others sit down, she took her seat.
Seeing her own daughter take the first seat, Chen Jingru looked at Zhou Jiao across from her and said with a smile, "Jiaojiao, feel free. We're all home alone. Your cousin won't be working tomorrow, so ask her to take you shopping. In a couple of days, your aunt will take you to the temple fair."
"Jiaojiao, I'll take you to the Friendship Shopping Mall tomorrow. Aunt, please remember to prepare tickets for us. Jiaojiao, your clothes are nice. Do you have such nice clothes in your place?" Lin Xuelin looked at her suspiciously.
"Thank you, aunt. Cousin, I want to go see my grandparents tomorrow, and then go shopping together another day. I draw the patterns of my clothes myself and ask the master to make them." Zhou Jiao smiled after hearing her calm tone.
"Your coat yesterday was also very nice. Come with me to make some clothes in a couple of days. I'll make some clothes based on yours, okay?" After saying that, seeing Zhou Jiao smile and shake her head, Lin Xuelin was delighted. She needed to buy fabric tomorrow, and the day after tomorrow would be perfect for her to go shopping.
While Mrs. Lin was busy asking her two sons-in-law to pick up food and stop drinking, she also complained that the old man kept asking Zhang Guoqing to drink, saying that drinking too much was bad for the body.
Zhou Jiao finally saw the old lady's smooth-talking tactics. Faced with her father's indifference, she actually smiled brightly. This tactic of playing dumb was quite effective—she was quite the character!
Looking at the dishes in the old lady's bowl in front of her, Zhou Jiao answered her aunt and cousin's questions with a smile.
Halfway through the round of drinks, the old lady put down her chopsticks and said with a smile, "You guys continue eating. I'll go back to my room and lie down for a while. If there's not enough food, ask Auntie to bring more."
Zhou Jiao knew the real show had begun when she saw this. She stood up tactfully, supported the old lady and said, "I'm full. I'll stay with you, grandma. You guys take your time eating."
"I'm full too. I'll stay with you." Lin Liying's eyes flashed with worry, and she quickly stood up and said.
Zhou Jiao raised her eyebrows slightly when she saw this, then looked at her mother Lin Lishan's confused face, and secretly sighed that it was true that the dragon gave birth to nine sons, each one was different.
When Mrs. Lin saw that the women had stood up, she did not stop them. She smiled and asked the men to continue drinking, and she took them back to the bedroom.
In the bedroom, Mrs. Lin listened to her daughter and granddaughter's conversation with a smile on her face. After a moment, she noticed that her youngest daughter, Lin Liying, ignored her gaze. Then she looked at Zhou Jiao, who was well-behaved and smiling. She felt secretly anxious.
After a while, Chen Jingru, the eldest daughter-in-law of the Lin family, finally smelled the scent, found an excuse, and took her daughter away.
As soon as Chen Jingru and her daughter left, the room suddenly became quiet.
Sister Lin Lishan and Zhou Jiao all looked at Old Lady Lin.
"Xiaoying, go out first. Your sister and I still have something to discuss."
After Lin Liying left, Mrs. Lin looked helpless, sighed deeply, and looked like she wanted to say something but stopped herself.
After a while, the old lady saw that Zhou Jiao and her daughter were still as calm as a rock and had no intention of speaking.
She paused, then said with a guilty look on her face, "Jiaojiao, take the things your mother prepared for you back later. Time flies! Seventeen years have passed. You were so small when you were born, and now you've grown into a big girl. You must have suffered a lot in the past few years. Grandma is sorry for you. I didn't take care of you..."
Zhou Jiao didn't wait for her to finish and said with a smile: "Grandma, there's nothing to be sorry about. Look, I'm fine, right? Let's not talk about the past."
Mrs. Lin was interrupted, a smile appeared on her face, and she said with a smile: "Okay. Let's not talk about the past. Just listen to our Jiaojiao."
After she finished speaking, she stared at Zhou Jiao, paused, and immediately stopped smiling. She said seriously, "Jiaojiao, your grandmother and your grandma are cousins. You should know this, right? You are also a member of our Gu family. Some things may be misunderstood by outsiders if they don't know. Grandma, today I want to talk to you about our Gu family."
Zhou Jiao always had a smile on her face.
Listening to Mrs. Lin talking about her friendship with Gu Mingzhu with a look of sisterly love.
Listening to the old lady's story of the decline of the Gu family's main branch.
I listened to the old lady repeatedly lamenting that her old father was powerless.
Listening to the old lady mention that the Gu family is now declining in population, she talked to herself and made an appointment for the Gu family's uncle to visit Zhou Xiaozheng.
At this moment, Zhou Jiao felt it was absurd. It turned out that when people acted against their conscience, they could still be so self-righteous and so shameless.
She knew the old lady was testing her father and daughter's understanding of the truth. Did she draw a conclusion by rejecting the Gu family's concubine? Would a meeting with Gu Changqing make her put down the knife?
Confusion of right and wrong, avoiding the primary and secondary issues, is this the old lady's sincerity? — Not a trace of apology, not a single word of truth. The lives of the Gu family's main wife can only be repaid with blood!
Zhou Jiao lowered her head in silence for a moment, then raised her head and said, "Grandma, my father and I are both quiet and not good at socializing. My dad has always been sad about my grandparents' early death. Why should he meet old friends and reminisce about them? Forget it. There's no need for a visit. With you at home, there will be plenty of opportunities to meet in the future."
"You are too young to understand the importance of your clan members. You don't understand that no matter how good others are, they can't compare to your own relatives. Several younger generations of the Gu family are in the capital, and grandma wants you to interact more so that you can help each other in the future. You are the only one in your family, so you will need your brothers and sisters to help you in the future."
Zhou Jiao laughed heartily upon hearing this and said, "Grandma, you may not know my personality. Ask my mom. I'm most afraid of interacting with people. They're noisy and demanding. If they all surround me, I'll run away. Besides, my parents are reunited now, and I'll have plenty of brothers and sisters in the future."
Lin Lishan nodded straight, frowned and said, "Don't mention Jiaojiao, even I'm annoyed. I'm busy with socializing with people coming and going, and I'm exhausted from work every day. How can I have the mood to entertain others? Jiaojiao is not afraid of not having brothers and sisters, she still has cousins. Those who are more distant can be forgotten. The younger generations of my uncles are playful and mischievous, and they are not the same type as our Jiaojiao and Xiaowu. She will go back after the first month of the lunar year, so there is no need to deal with them."
Zhou Jiao saw the old lady glaring at her mother and secretly chuckled. Her mother had a brilliant move that choked the old lady. She would have to praise her mother later.
Seeing the old lady's dissatisfaction, Lin Lishan said impatiently, "Mom, don't talk about the Gu family. My last name is Lin, and my Jiaojiao's last name is Zhou. Don't dwell on their family affairs. Let's go out and avoid the eldest sister-in-law and the others. Aren't you afraid that they will think you are giving Jiaojiao some private money?"
Old Madam Lin was so angry that she slapped her and cursed, "That's my mother's home. You stupid child, have you ever forgotten your relatives?"
Seeing this, Zhou Jiao quickly sneaked out. It was better for her to avoid the way the mother and daughter interacted. If she stayed inside, she would probably cry and force filial piety later.
Back at the table, Zhou Jiao said goodbye to everyone, citing the need to take care of her children. She declined Chen Jingru's offer of farewell and left the Lin family compound. She smiled self-deprecatingly, looked up at the sky, and let out a long breath.
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