Yesterday at noon, with the belated arrival of Zhao Dashan's family, two tables were packed with guests. That feast must have exhausted Zhou Jiao to death. After seeing off Zhang's group, the couple didn't even have time to give any gifts before falling asleep.
The next morning, Zhang Guoqing and his wife woke up early to prepare their things. Without outsiders around, and with Aunt Fen taking care of their daily needs, the family finally returned to peace and quiet, as it had always been.
At this moment, Zhou Jiao fed the child and finally started packing her luggage.
As soon as Aunt Fen came in, she saw the couple discussing a gift. She quickly stopped them and told them to have breakfast first. What did it matter if the gift came later? And what if they didn't give it at all? She knew Zhang Guoqing had to report to work today. That was the real business.
Zhang Guoqing pulled Zhou Jiao up after hearing this. Ping An was lying on the kang, looking at the toys hanging above his head, mumbling to himself and blowing bubbles from time to time.
He laughed heartily, "Jiaojiao, do you think our son is a chatterbox?"
"I really want to talk to someone. It's up to you." Zhou Jiao teased.
The couple finished their breakfast in a short while, joking with each other.
After dinner, Zhang Guoqing looked at the pile of things on the ground and joked, "What do you think? We don't want to send them away this time? How about letting them come and choose for themselves?"
Aunt Fen just came in to collect the dishes and said, "You're not going to give them all away, are you? You're really ruining things. Come on, I'll help you decide. You've already sent quite a few things to them. This time, apart from your parents' share, you can decide for yourself. Just give a little to the others."
Zhou Jiao paused after hearing this and said, "Brother, go report first. Leave this to me." She didn't feel unhappy about Aunt Fen's meddling in family matters. It was just that this time she felt that she was starting to take matters into her own hands.
Zhang Guoqing glanced at Zhou Jiao, smiled playfully, and said, "Except for the cakes, put the rest away for now. I'll give them away when I get back from get off work. Don't walk there by yourself, I can go very fast on my sidecar."
Zhou Jiao helped him take off his coat and urged him to go out. Otherwise, seeing his reluctant look, he probably wouldn't be able to report after today.
After seeing Zhang Guoqing off, Zhou Jiao began discussing the New Year gifts her mother-in-law had collected for her. Seeing Aunt Fen's lack of response, she asked directly who had delivered the gifts while their family was away. Seeing her quickly name the recipient, Zhou Jiao followed her into the next room, inspected the gifts, raised an eyebrow, and said nothing.
Many people only think she has a good memory, but forget that she is also good at mental arithmetic. Even if so many things are piled together, they can't be hidden from her eyes.
Zhou Jiao sighed secretly, and Gu Zier returned to the living room, took out a pen and paper and began to make a list.
After a moment, looking at the list, she felt an inexplicable urge to laugh. She didn't understand whether brothers should exchange gifts, but when she saw Lin Juhua preparing a complete set of new clothes for Ping An, and then looked at Huang Cuilan, who had nothing at all, the contrast was truly ironic.
Many people and many things are always unexpected, and many things are hard to predict. Looking at Lin Juhua's daily behavior, who would have thought that Lin Juhua is actually a caring person.
This person is like tea, you can only savor it slowly.
Zhou Jiao childishly crossed out some people's names and began to think about how to distribute the gifts.
Later, around ten o'clock, Zhang Guoqing came back humming a tune.
Zhou Jiao felt strange, but she didn't ask anything. She just looked at him and waited for his explanation.
"Uncle Dashan asked me to go back to work tomorrow." Zhang Guoqing finished speaking, and when he saw her say "oh", he became unhappy. "Jiaojiao, don't you ask me what my main responsibilities are? How much is my salary?"
Zhou Jiao laughed, "With Uncle Dashan here, why would I worry about your job? You have to hand over your salary to me when you get it. Besides, I'm very confident in your abilities. Any job will be no problem for you."
Zhang Guoqing smiled and nodded. "Yes. I'll give it all to you! I'll make 37 yuan a month. Do you think it's enough for the household expenses? I have to treat my colleagues out for drinks tomorrow night, so I don't think I'll have much money to give you this month."
"There's nothing we need at home, so you should start by getting along well with them," Zhou Jiao nodded. Zhao Yuanyuan had already calculated her salary a while ago, and it was a few dollars more than she'd expected. As for household expenses? It definitely wouldn't be enough. Even Aunt Fen's monthly salary was quite high.
Zhou Jiao handed the list to Zhang Guoqing, saying that some things should be given to others as soon as possible.
Zhang Guoqing saw that she was hesitant to speak. He reached out to take it and took a look at it, then realized that it was not a good gift to return.
He was silent for a moment, then said, "Give the ones who gave the most generous gifts two boxes of high-end dim sum, a roast duck, and a few small items. As for my second brother, I'll give him some cigarettes and alcohol privately; he'll need those special supplies. Don't give the fabrics and other things you originally planned to give to my sister-in-law and sisters this time. Give them privately to my eldest sister later."
"Haha... I guess the gifts that the eldest sister gave to our three families this time are almost the same, which is enough to make things difficult for her. Don't send it to her later. We can send it to her in person in the evening, and she won't tell anyone." Zhou Jiao said with a smile.
She was worried that Zhang Meili's gift would be frowned upon by her brother-in-law. She decided to send it over earlier to supplement the situation. She suspected Zhang Laoer might return the favor with a generous gift. But since the eldest brother didn't care about family matters, and Huang Cuilan was used to being frugal, the situation was different.
Zhang Guoqing nodded. His eldest sister wasn't as well-off as his second sister, but she was always generous to her brothers. Both her in-laws and her own family were demanding New Year gifts, so this New Year was probably going to be tough.
Seeing nothing was wrong, Zhou Jiao dragged Zhang Guoqing to the next room. A scattering of pastries, snacks, and toys lay mixed together, and Aunt Fen hadn't sorted them out. Without saying anything, she pointed to the New Year gifts on the list, smiled at him, and asked him to help sort them out.
Zhang Guoqing pulled a bamboo basket from the corner, half filled with potatoes. He had no idea who had given it to him, nor had Aunt Fen mentioned it, and it certainly wasn't on the list. He couldn't help but sigh. He began to wonder if some gift was just a trivial one, and this auntie hadn't mentioned it. It was all a favor.
"Jiaojiao, please ask Aunt Fen to come over."
Zhou Jiao knew he was furious. For Zhang Guoqing, a small gift wasn't something he could ignore. He was particular about the thought. This also gave Aunt Fen the allure that this house wasn't hers.
After leaving the room, Zhou Jiao called Aunt Fen to the kitchen.
I heard the other party's response early, but Aunt Fen didn't come over until half an hour later.
Zhou Jiao smiled helplessly and said, "Aunt Fen, go see who sent the potatoes to the room. Xiaowu will wait for you to come over."
"Potatoes? I really forgot. Wait, let me think about it." Aunt Fenn frowned and thought hard as she walked.
Entering the room, I saw Zhang Guoqing checking lists. The items that had been piled together had now formed a small pile behind him. It was obvious that some of the items on the list were still unchecked.
Aunt Fen stopped and looked around. Seeing Zhang Guoqing looking up, she smiled and said, "Xiaowu, the man who brought the potatoes was named Wang. He also brought two pheasants and a piece of venison. He said you know who it is. Hey, Xiaowu, I cooked the two pheasants and the venison. Is that okay?"
"It's okay. Besides him, who else would send it to me? Think about it now. Even if someone sends me a piece of onion, I have to give something in return." Zhang Guoqing shook his head and said.
They'd already eaten, what else could they say? He and his wife weren't stingy, but they'd left quite a bit of food at home. This morning, he went to the warehouse to get something, but it was completely empty. Luckily, he hadn't given the supplies to the other party. It looked like he'd have to find another babysitter.
"The neighbors on both sides and the families in front have all sent sticky buns and tofu. An old man named Ye also sent two fish. The original owner, Mrs. Liu, gave a bag of milk candy, saying that her relative brought it back from outside. Aunt Wang from the neighborhood committee also brought a pound of raw pumpkin seeds for Jiaojiao. There were also seven or eight young men who came with things, saying that they were your friends and saw that you were not around, and some of them just took the things back..." Facing Zhang Guoqing's eyes, Aunt Fen became more and more silent.
Zhang Guoqing ignored her and squatted down to pack his things. Some things no longer needed to be said. If she had been more self-aware, she should have asked to leave. If Zhao Dashan hadn't been involved, he would have told her to get out. Jiaojiao was right, after all. No one knew how to appreciate what they had.
The atmosphere suddenly became awkward. Zhou Jiao left Aunt Fen mid-sentence and returned to her bedroom. Seeing her claim that everything was missing, yet she hadn't told her, she felt a surge of anger rising within her. Fortunately, Zhang Guoqing had caught on in time; otherwise, both she and her husband would have been embarrassed.
Aunt Fen stayed there for a moment, then said she had some work to do in the kitchen and would go off to help. She told Zhang Guoqing to call her if anything was needed, then hurried out.
Zhang Guoqing packed up his things and returned to his bedroom. He asked Zhou Jiao to check the wardrobe and boxes for any unusual items. Although they had put their valuables into the space before returning to Beijing, there were still quite a few things in the house. He was very disappointed with Aunt Fen! He had thought it was a good thing, but he didn't expect her true colors to show up so soon after they were away.
Zhou Jiao whispered her suspicions into his ear. She felt the son was a bad person. Just because he could read didn't mean he was a good person. He and his mother had been living here all this time. How could they not have noticed their inappropriate behavior?
She asked Zhang Guoqing to go to the study and check immediately. She had already checked the master bedroom that morning. Apart from the wardrobe being rummaged through, nothing else was unusual.
Zhang Guoqing returned to the next room, took a look around, and then returned to the bedroom. He said, "Fortunately, you were smart enough to put away most of the books. The bookcase has been disturbed, even the drawers have been turned over. There are several sheets of rice paper missing from more than ten piles, almost two piles, but there is one newspaper missing. There are too many brushes, I don't know if any are missing."
"Just quit! Uncle Dashan, don't tell the truth, just make up a reason. I'll stay to accompany my son at noon, so it's okay for you to go and give him a gift, right?" Zhou Jiao said with a frown.
Zhang Guoqing quickly said, "You stay home and take care of the kids first. I'll take care of everything else. Before we eat, I'll go visit some of the neighbors."
"Which ones do you know?"
Zhang Guoqing smiled and nodded. He probably guessed that the elderly men and women he met during morning exercises would bring him some gifts. It just so happened that they had already prepared a lot of soft pastries for the elderly.
Each family received a box of preserved fruit from Beijing and a box of sweet-scented osmanthus cake from Hangzhou. The black bags seemed abundant. Zhang Guoqing surveyed them with satisfaction, then accepted the gifts Zhou Jiao had specially added for the two neighbors. After a few words, he walked out.
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