Back in the emergency room, if Zhou Jiao still had any resentment towards her mother, it had now disappeared with Lin Lishan's risking her life to save her.
She rejected the medical staff's advice and asked them to treat Lin Lishan's wound first. Her father had just treated her roughly, and she didn't know if her mother's brain would be damaged.
Zhou Jiao stretched her arms and legs, finding she was fine. She turned to Lin Lishan and smiled, "Mom, please don't cry. It's too ugly. I'll go out with you tomorrow. Wherever you want to go, I'll go with you. From now on, I won't make you angry. If you tell me to go east, I won't go west! If you tell me to chase a dog, I won't chase a chicken!"
"Stop talking nonsense and just lie down peacefully." Zhou Xiaozheng saw that she started twisting and turning as soon as she regained her composure, and frowned with worry.
"Dad, will my mom be disfigured? It would be a pity if such a beautiful woman were disfigured." Zhou Jiao knew that her father was in a bad mood and teased him on purpose.
Zhou Xiaozheng saw Zhang Guoqing helplessly trying to stop his daughter from getting out of bed, and he secretly laughed. ——Where did that murderous aura just now go?
The doctor beside him laughed and said, "Don't ask your father. I promise to give you a beautiful mother."
His words made the nurses around him laugh.
"Mom, why didn't you say anything? Are you stupid? Brother, go see if Mom can tell the difference between one and two. She won't be so beaten that she forgets about us, right?"
Zhang Guoqing was in tears. Wasn't it just to get him out of bed that they were tormenting him so much?
"Squeak..." Lin Lishan was unable to speak because of the blood on her lips. She had to speak quickly, otherwise she would really become a fool.
Everyone laughed when they saw this.
The doctor suppressed a smile. He quickly bandaged the wound and told the nurse to fetch water for Lin Lishan to wash her face.
"Okay, your mother's injury isn't serious. She's just a little skinned. It looks scary because her face is covered in blood. Those are tears. Take these medicines home and let her rest for a few days. If she vomits, come to the hospital immediately. How are you? Are you still not in pain? You're not afraid of the injection, are you?"
As soon as he finished speaking, Zhou Jiao covered her mouth, not wanting to laugh out loud. She quickly slapped Zhang Guoqing away and took a few steps to the ground. She had to prove to the doctor that she hadn't concealed her illness.
"Aside from a little pain in my elbow and some bruises on my knee, I'm fine," Zhou Jiao said with a smile as she walked back and forth twice. Her poor knee had been accidentally injured by her mother while she was protecting her. Her mother was pressing down on her incredibly hard, nearly breaking it.
Seeing that there was nothing wrong with her walking, Zhou Xiaozheng winked at Zhang Guoqing and quickly stood outside the door.
He felt a little embarrassed by the doctor's teasing look. ——That was too much noise just now.
Inside the car, the family avoided the topic of the Lin family.
Zhou Jiao joked that her mother finally had another day off. She asked her father to find a way to get her a car. Since her father was working for the next two days, she planned to take her mother to explore the surrounding towns.
This plan immediately made Lin Lishan smile, and Zhou Jiao breathed a sigh of relief.
Zhou Xiaozheng nodded in agreement. He wanted to let them go out for a few days, let them forget about the past and relax. He didn't want his soft-hearted family to get involved in this mess; he'd endured it long enough.
When the news about the Lin family spread in the compound, Zhang Guoqing had already driven away with his mother-in-law, wife, children and nanny Aunt Chen.
Three days later, Lin Lishan returned to work, but there was still no movement from the Lin family. Zhou Xiaozheng didn't mention it, and Zhang Guoqing waited and watched.
As time went by, the friends in the compound began to prepare travel equipment, tempting Zhang Guoqing and his wife to set out together to accompany their elders to cool off.
After the incident, many people expressed goodwill towards Zhou Xiaozheng and his daughter. Regardless of whether these good intentions were true or false, the Lin family, with retirement approaching, was already on the decline, and it was undoubtedly a wall that everyone pushed down.
As the director's daughter-in-law, Lin Xuelin, the troublemaker, was fired from the hospital, and her marriage was once again in jeopardy. Fortunately, Lin Lishan didn't pursue the matter, classifying it as a family dispute.
Zhang Guoqing was very dissatisfied with this outcome. Zhou Xiaozheng told him not to interfere. No one could expect his daughter's life to remain intact. Some things could not be rushed. Therefore, the father-in-law and son-in-law discussed the matter for a long time in the study.
A few days later, news broke that Lin Aidang, a Northwest official, had been investigated in April, and that his wife, Jiang Jiangyue, had been detained in May. The detention, which happened just the day after the incident, left many baffled by the complexities of the situation.
While the people in the compound were watching the Lin family's affairs, two major figures in the city fell one after another at a rapid pace. For a time, everyone was introspecting and warning their families.
There is always a layer of separation when seeing flowers in the fog. Zhou Jiao just smiled when she heard these rumors and gossip.
During this period, the homework her father assigned her was to not want to use anything and to have fun as much as she wanted.
Now, she spent her days playing around with her friends in the compound, having a blast. At night, she spent her days with her family, enjoying a carefree life. She refused to pay any attention to those people or things.
Towards the middle or end of the month, Zhang Guoqing and his wife began to prepare to return to Northeast China.
One day, Xiao Zhou came to convey Mr. Lin’s words that he wanted to meet Zhou Xiaozheng and his family.
Zhou Xiaozheng left his daughter alone that night. He wanted her to be away from these people. Who knew if another accident would happen? His daughter had him as her father, so she could just do what was right for her age. There was a lot of dirty stuff behind things, and he didn't want her to be further disappointed in human nature.
When they returned home that night, Lin Lishan was all smiles, Zhou Xiaozheng was expressionless, and Zhang Guoqing seemed lost in thought. This trio left Zhou Jiao feeling very depressed.
"Don't waste your brain thinking about it. Go to the study and Dad will let you know." Zhou Xiaozheng couldn't bear to see her frown, so he said with a smile in his eyes.
When Zhou Jiao saw this, she knew that her family had not suffered any loss.
In the study, Zhou Xiaozheng took the teacup and pointed at Zhang Guoqing.
"Tonight, it's just Grandpa, my uncle, and us. Grandpa later sent Mom out, so there are some things she's still unclear about. Let me tell you about it now."
My second aunt did accept things she shouldn't have, using the names of my grandfather, her father, and others in Beijing. The items weren't particularly valuable, and a company commander exposed her for accepting gifts without actually doing the job. As for my second uncle, he was implicated, and the investigation revealed some minor issues. The disciplinary action hasn't been taken yet, so my grandfather can't intervene, so I've asked my father for help."
Zhou Jiao didn't respond, waiting silently for him to continue. Any excuse, big or small, was just an excuse. She wasn't interested in the process; she wanted to know the end result.
Zhang Guoqing hesitated for a moment, then continued, "Grandpa is going through the retirement procedures. Lin Dingsheng's place in the training program was returned, and Grandpa wants Dad's help."
Zhou Jiao frowned when she heard that. Why was her mother so happy?
"Finally, Lin Xuelin's marriage was cancelled in person by Yang Liqun and his grandmother. To protect her from gossip, Grandpa planned to send her to the Northwest Army Corps."
Upon hearing this, Zhou Jiao immediately looked at Lin Lishan, only to see her give her a strange look and say, "Why are you looking at me? Her thinking needs to be reformed. Not to mention that she's lying, she's trying to kill people. What kind of girl would do that?"
Can she still get married here? I think your grandfather just wants to send her over there so she can get married. Your mother is not stupid! Your grandfather sent her so far away and arranged a good job for her, and we don’t even know what she has to suffer.
Zhou Jiao laughed. Her mother was quite clever. But how could it be so easy? Not to mention her father, even Zhang Guoqing was eagerly awaiting his opportunity.
"Mom, what are you happy about?"
"Your grandfather said that he was lucky to have me and your uncle, otherwise his life would be meaningless. Hearing this, I was satisfied. Finally, someone in the family spoke up for me."
Zhou Jiao smiled and nodded, feeling extremely depressed. It was all for nothing. He really only remembered the food and not the beating!
"Your dad promised your grandpa that he would do his best for your second uncle's matter. He probably wouldn't be able to help your eldest cousin and your second aunt, so he would give it a try first. Your grandpa was very happy and kept praising your dad. Alas...the storm is finally over. I am close to your grandpa in that family."
Zhou Jiao opened her mouth, wanting to say something, but for a moment, she didn't know the words to express the complex and conflicting emotions within. Ultimately, she gave up. It was rare to be confused—just make her mother happy.
Zhou Xiaozheng listened to the conversation between the mother and daughter before him. He glanced at his son-in-law, who was already pretending to read the newspaper. Then he looked at his wife, so clueless that neither his daughter nor his son-in-law could bear to expose her. A smile crossed his eyes at the thought. He didn't expect much from his wife; a simpler life like this would be enough.
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