At the end of April, a letter from Zhou Xiaozheng caught Zhou Jiao's attention. The tone was still the same, but the meaning behind his words was that he urged her to hurry home.
Zhou Jiao searched for every detail anxiously, but found no trace of a hidden pattern. She wondered if something had happened at home. Her mother, Lin Lishan, had been writing to her, but she hadn't mentioned any family troubles.
While Zhou Jiao was packing her luggage, planning to take her children to Beijing the next morning, Zhang Guoqing returned home from work.
After learning the details, he decided it wasn't a bad thing. Given his father-in-law's way of dealing with things, he probably caught wind of some rumor, half true, half false, and didn't even bother writing the code on paper. It was safe to say the matter wasn't serious, but he did miss his daughter.
Upon hearing this, Zhou Jiao immediately decided to take Ping An to Beijing. She would go to her godfather tomorrow morning to find a solution. She missed her father, too. He had said he would come to visit her in the Northeast, but she hadn't seen him in months, which made her very worried.
Glancing at the time on his watch, Zhang Guoqing immediately asked her to wait a moment and ran out.
Looking at the direction he ran away, Zhou Jiao stood guard at the gate with her child in her arms.
More than an hour later, Zhang Guoqing appeared in her sight.
"How's it going? Did you contact your godfather? What did he say?"
Zhang Guoqing pulled her in with a smile and whispered, "Godfather told you not to worry. He reminded me that Dad might want to take advantage of the good weather to visit the old house and pay respects. He said he would write us a reply tomorrow."
At this moment, Zhou Xiaozheng returned home exhausted and saw his wife waiting for him with her hands behind her back and a smile on her face.
He took a quick look and went straight back to the bedroom to get some clothes to change into. He ignored Lin Lishan who was following closely behind him and went into the bathroom to take a shower.
Half an hour later, Zhou Xiaozheng came out and Aunt Chen had already set the table. Looking at the four dishes and one soup on the table, he frowned slightly and finally said nothing.
"Brother Zheng, I'm telling you, did you hear me? After May Day, I plan to go to the Northeast to see Jiaojiao."
How could Zhou Xiaozheng not hear his wife chattering non-stop? He was simply in a bad mood and too lazy to pay attention. He had been supposed to go to Northeast China for a meeting last month, but he couldn't go. The food his daughter Jiaojiao had prepared was almost finished, and he still hadn't seen her.
"Don't go yet. A-Guang will be in Beijing for a meeting on May Day, and Jiaojiao might come." After saying this, he ignored his wife's laughter and quickly ate his meal. He planned to go to Cheng's house tonight to see what his aunt had planned.
Before he finished his dinner, Mrs. Cheng came over with a dish, smiling, "Are you ready to eat? Your favorite fried meat strips are here. Come and try my cooking."
Zhou Xiaozheng quickly stood up and took the plate. "Why don't you help yourself to the meat?"
"Aunt, Zheng Ge said Jiaojiao is going home on May Day." Lin Lishan happily pulled the old lady to sit down and handed her the bowl and chopsticks.
The old lady looked at Zhou Xiaozheng in surprise. When he nodded, she burst into laughter. Then she realized that May 2nd was both their birthdays. She could finally cook longevity noodles for her children, which made her extremely happy.
Zhou Xiaozheng picked up a few dishes and put them into the old lady's bowl. "Jiaojiao, come over this time, let's go to the old house. I have a vacation, so I can stay with you for a few days and then go to the meeting."
"Okay... this time we're going to visit our old home. We've been waiting for this day for decades. Xiaozheng, are you really determined to rent the old house to the local authorities? With my aunt here, the yard will be fine. Things are different now. Who would dare to touch our old house? Do you want to reconsider?"
Zhou Xiaozheng gestured to her to discuss it later. Regarding the old house, that was part of his plan. Submitting it to the local authorities sooner rather than later would allow people to visit and remember this part of the Gu family's history. The distance between the two places was too great, and if something really happened, he would be helpless in Beijing.
After dinner, Zhou Xiaozheng took the old lady to the study. After saying a few words, he was interrupted by a knock on the door.
Hearing Zhao Chuangguang's call, Zhou Xiaozheng rushed to the office with his guards. It wasn't urgent, so there was no way someone would call him so late at night. His only concern was whether something had happened to his daughter, Jiaojiao.
In the office, Zhou Xiaozheng stared at the phone with a stern face. Feeling uneasy, he pulled a pack of cigarettes from the drawer, lit one, and waited quietly.
When the phone rang, he immediately picked it up and was relieved to hear Zhao Chuangguang's hearty laughter. As Zhao Chuangguang continued to talk, Zhou Xiaozheng gradually smiled and happily put out his cigarette.
After a pause, he unceremoniously asked Zhao Chuangguang and his wife to bring Zhou Jiao back to Beijing before May Day.
The two brothers chatted for a while, and after hanging up the phone, Zhou Xiaozheng walked quickly home. Such a big happy event had to make the old lady happy.
Not to mention the capital, how Zhou Xiaozheng discussed the itinerary with Old Lady Cheng and Lin Lishan.
Here, Zhang Guoqing was flipping through his textbooks in the study, absentmindedly thinking about how to ask for leave from Zhao Dashan.
His wife was taking their son to Beijing, perhaps even traveling. He couldn't help but feel uneasy. Looking across at his wife, Zhang Guoqing was secretly impressed—she was so calm. Wanting to conquer the world on her own? No way.
"Don't look at me. You're at home this time, and my son and I will be back soon." Zhou Jiao smiled sideways.
Zhang Guoqing said dissatisfiedly, "I have to follow you. I'll go to Uncle Dashan tomorrow to see if there's any solution. How can I not be with you on your birthday? This is your 18th birthday ceremony..."
"Wait. What did you say just now? Birthday? I know why my dad asked me to go home when I'm free. Have you forgotten that we have the same birthday as father and daughter?" Zhou Jiao stood up and said halfway through.
Zhang Guoqing was dumbfounded. He had truly forgotten about this—his father-in-law must have thought him utterly foolish.
Then he reacted and said quickly, "Then I have to go. How can I not go to Dad and your birthday? Uncle Dashan won't give me leave, so I won't go to work."
Zhou Jiao looked at his rare childishness and smiled softly.
After a while, she couldn't bear it any longer and secretly suggested to him, "Ask your godfather for help. I'll transfer you to the provincial capital for a month. If you can handle it well, maybe you can come back and get a raise."
Zhang Guoqing's eyes lit up when he heard this, but then he shook his head. The unit systems were different, so what was the point of adjusting them? Tai Chi Fox could certainly help. It was a shame I didn't hear my father-in-law mention whether the other party was a friend or foe.
In desperation, he shared his homework with Zhou Jiao, asking her to analyze it. His father-in-law had asked him to focus on—what, exactly? Their relationship? The other person's behavior?
"They're not enemies. If they were rivals, Dad would tell you to be careful, not to pay attention. But as for friends, I haven't had any contact with them, so I can't say for sure. Ask your godfather tomorrow how to ask for leave. He'll know. As for Fox, don't mention it to your godfather. Be careful that they're your hidden pawns."
Zhang Guoqing smiled knowingly. Zhou Jiao was probably the only one who knew Zhou Xiaozheng best. If she said that, she must be sure. He breathed a sigh of relief—as long as he could get some time off without any future consequences.
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