Zhou Jiao received a reply (telegram) from Zhou Xiaozheng in the morning and was just about to leave for home.
There were two cars parked in front of the yard. The car behind was piled with luggage to return the favor. They were waiting for a few people to get into the empty car in front and set off.
Seeing that the telegram only had a few simple words on it - OK, be careful. Zhou Jiao smiled knowingly, her father was still worried!
Zhao Chuangguang read the contents and repeatedly complained that his brother Zheng was too nosy. Without Zhou Xiaozheng in front of him, he finally had the opportunity to criticize him.
After saying goodbye to the uncles and aunts who came to see them off, the two cars drove quickly towards the county town.
During these long absences, Zhou Jiao often recalled her small home in the county town and Zhang's mother. Now, as the distance grew closer, the surprises diminished. She began to miss her parents...
Zhang Guoqing was in high spirits along the way, humming a little tune while holding his child, and occasionally chatting with Zhao Chuangguang and his wife. His face was full of excitement, as he could finally see his parents.
Zhou Jiao saw they were chatting and laughing happily. She didn't want to show her emotions and spoil the fun. But as Zhang Guoqing's smile became more and more unconcealed, she secretly grabbed him from behind. Humph, you are so proud!
Zhang Guoqing didn't dare to turn his head to look at her, and immediately said to Zhao Chuangguang who was driving, "Godfather, when are you going to Beijing, remember to tell me in advance. I'm starting to miss my father-in-law."
"We have to wait until the weather warms up, right? What you said yesterday about going out for fun in the summer is great. I happened to be passing through Beijing to see him, but if I go too early he'll be very busy and won't have time to accompany me."
"Jiaojiao, we won't wait for godfather. Let's wait until spring comes and flowers bloom before going to the capital. This time we won't notify them and give them a surprise. What do you think?" Zhang Guoqing smiled at her ingratiatingly.
Zhao Chuangguang and Huang Huimin looked at each other and burst into laughter. He was just wondering why Xiaowu suddenly said he missed his father-in-law, but it turned out to be this.
Zhou Jiao nodded at him and couldn't help laughing along with them.
"Jiaojiao, in less than two months, your dad will come to the Northeast to see you. Have you ever seen a kite? You are the string. Now that you are gone all of a sudden, your dad probably won't be able to sleep well these days." Huang Huimin said happily.
Zhou Jiao nodded in agreement. After putting one thing aside, she began to wonder if she should find a job. When people have too much free time, they tend to overthink.
As they entered the county town, there were more pedestrians. Zhao Chuangguang began to slow down. When he reached the intersection, he saw Zhang Dad waving at him. Just as he was about to stop the car, he saw Zhang Dad running home.
"Luckily we left early. My brother-in-law must have been waiting for a long time. You must be filial to them in the future. You haven't been home for a while, and they must have missed you terribly. Especially Xiaowu's mother, when she saw me, she asked if you were doing well in the capital and whether she had contacted you."
Zhou Jiao smiled and nodded. It seemed her godfather had come to visit her parents-in-law quite often.
She glanced at Zhang Guoqing, and they both understood that their godparents truly treated them as their biological children. Huang Huimin, in particular, was even more competent than Lin Lishan. Ever since becoming godparents, she had been traveling back and forth between the provincial and county capitals to visit them. Even Zhou Jiao, who had always been skeptical, was deeply moved by Zhao Chuangguang's family.
"Here they come...here they come. Sorry to bother you again, in-laws. Come in quickly." Mother Zhang said with a smile as soon as the car stopped.
The door was full of Zhang family members. In addition to Zhang Guofu and his brother who were at work, even Zhang Meili and his sister were waiting at the door. When the children saw Zhang Guoqing running into the house with Ping'an in his arms, they all followed them in, happily shouting that their brother was back.
Wang Dasheng, who heard the noise, came out to take a look and said with a smile, "Xiaowu and his family are back? It's good to be back. Without them at home, our area wouldn't be lively anymore."
"Uncle, come in and sit down." Zhou Jiao was a step behind and could only stop to say hello.
Wang Dasheng shook his head and said with a smile, "You go greet the guests first. Wait for your aunt to come back in the evening." After saying that, he saw that all the Zhang family members ran in, so he quickly let her in and turned around and left.
Zhou Jiao smiled as she saw him running back for his life. She looked around, greeted someone she knew, and hurried home without even caring about the contents of a car behind her.
"Jiaojiao, why did you come in just now? Drink some ginger soup to get rid of the cold." When Zhang Meili saw her, she quickly pulled her to sit down.
Seeing that Zhao Chuangguang and his wife were already drinking, Zhou Jiao said with a smile, "You all ran away before I even woke up. A few neighbors were still saying hello to them. Big sister, are you and second sister not going to work today?"
"What shift? I started switching shifts after receiving the telegram the day before yesterday. I've been so exhausted these past two days that I started coming here to wait for you at three o'clock today. Isn't it fun in the capital? You've been away for so long this time, I thought you and your family wouldn't be coming back."
Mother Zhang scolded her with a smile, "You're so impatient. You knocked on the door so early in the morning before daybreak, and scared your father so much that he almost fell down."
"Is Dad okay?" Zhou Jiao looked over at Zhang's father. He was talking happily with Zhao Chuangguang.
"It's okay. I'm fine. Let's all go in. Your godmother is still taking care of the child." Zhang's mother said quickly when she saw her finish drinking the ginger soup.
Zhou Jiao quickly stood up. In the commotion, she couldn't pay attention to her two sisters-in-law for a moment. She smiled at them and the group went into the inner room.
"Jiaojiao, come here and help Ping'an take down the red envelope." Huang Huimin had already pulled off the small quilt. Ping'an still had the red rope hanging on his body. She was worried, but when she saw Zhou Jiao, she shouted happily.
When Zhang's mother saw this, she burst into laughter. Her grandson was wearing a red jacket with colorful copper coin purses and red envelopes hanging on his body. He looked like a God of Wealth doll crying loudly.
Zhang Meili quickly stepped forward to count, "Our Ping'an has become rich. He must be filial to his elders in the future. Look, has he grown a lot? Oh, Ping'an said hello to his aunt? How can you, a little kid, understand?"
Zhang Meihao pulled her aside and said, "Let Jiaojiao take it off first. He seems uncomfortable with it. Look, he keeps pulling at it."
Zhou Jiao followed Huang Huimin's instructions and untied the red rope. She smiled at Zhang Meihao's words. The child was actually lying flat on his back, and the rope was so long, so where did the weight come from?
"We've made everyone spend money again. Sister, please don't bring anything when you come to our house next time, otherwise I really won't dare to let you come. Jiaojiao, your godmother sent a bunch of New Year's goods before the New Year. Don't accept gifts from your godmother in the future." Zhang's mother said uneasily.
Huang Huimin laughed and said, "Every time I come here, my in-laws always ask me to take back a lot of things. We are all family, so don't be so polite."
Seeing this, Zhou Jiao smiled and said, "Well, you're welcome. I'll take whatever my godmother gives me. My two younger brothers said that they will have to rely on themselves to get married in the future. All the private money of the godparents belongs to me, the elder sister."
After saying that, she joined everyone in laughing. The two little devils actually said that they had a lot of money and would never have to worry about finding a wife in the future.
Seeing everyone laughing, she continued, "That's not enough. They even found a red string, wrapped it in a red envelope, and hung it on Ping An, saying it was a gift from his uncle."
Mother Zhang quickly said, "How old are they? You can't do this. Why didn't they come today?"
"He's in school. He didn't go to class these past two days because his sister and her family came back. Today, his father sent him back to school. Boys are too naughty. They are not as considerate as us." Huang Huimin said with a smile.
Zhou Jiao said unhappily, "No way. They're not naughty."
"Yes, your two younger brothers are well-behaved and sensible, okay?" Huang Huimin knew that she would be unhappy when someone said something bad about the children at home, so she smiled quickly.
Seeing nothing else to do, Zhou Jiao asked them to chat inside. She went to the kitchen and saw Aunt Fang had already started making dumplings, so she hurried over to help.
In the kitchen, the two of them were busy. They could only serve one bowl at a time for so many people, and there was no rush. Seeing Aunt Fen in good spirits, she didn't bother to ask how she was doing.
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