For several days in a row, children stood by the river bank and on the stone bridge, waiting for a miracle to happen.
I heard from Zhang's mother that many people were initially hesitant to eat the fish, fearing they might be poisonous. But within a few minutes of releasing them into the water, all the whitish fish came back to life, much to the delight of the elderly women who caught them.
Zhou Jiao was stunned. After that day, she never dared to take it out again. But she knew the drug she had prepared herself was truly non-toxic. But was he still alive? That was something she really didn't know.
After that fright, Zhou Jiao never dared to go to the river again. Now she eagerly awaited Zhang Guoqing's return. His return meant they could go up the mountains and down the river with him and have fun.
After two days of picking wild vegetables, Zhou Jiao lost interest. She pulled out all the weeds in the garden and even accidentally damaged some of the vegetable seedlings.
In the kitchen, Xizi and the other children gathered around Zhou Jiao, smelling the aroma emanating from the pot. When they saw that Zhou Jiao was finally ready to cook, they howled with joy.
Zhou Jiao picked up a basin of fried snails and placed it on the table. "Eat less and leave some for us to take home."
Tongsuo from Uncle Zhang's family said unhappily, "Aunt Xiaowu, just let us eat to our heart's content. My mother doesn't like it. You see, she doesn't even want to cook it."
"Yes, every time I bring it home, I get scolded by the adults. They must not like it."
Seeing them winking at each other, Zhou Jiao said with a smile, "Don't be weird. I'm just worried about you eating. Can you eat the shrimp later?"
Cooking requires oil—which of the Zhang family's daughters-in-law would be willing to waste oil on something that wouldn't fill their stomachs? The older children were fine, but how could the younger ones understand their parents' actions?
"Aunt Xiaowu, don't go back to the county town. We'll help you look after the children and keep you entertained every day. How could the county town be as good as our Zhangjia Village?"
"Brother is right. Aunt Xiaowu, don't go out. We will accompany you to the mountain in a few days."
Zhou Jiao smiled and said, "Come on, go to school if you need to, and don't skip classes. Your brothers and sisters are all watching you. Be careful not to get burned."
"Aunt, don't you really consider staying in the village? My uncle works every day anyway, so just let him come back to the village after work."
"Haha...Okay, just discuss it with your uncle and make sure he agrees."
Zhou Jiao looked at the children's disappointed faces, smiled and shook her head, and hurried to wash the pot and cook. If she really lived in the village, she would never have the time to help them cook every day.
Zhou Jiao had just finished cooking when she heard footsteps outside.
"Jiaojiao, Xiaowu is back." Zhang's mother's voice came from afar.
Zhou Jiao didn't care about the work at hand, wiped her hands and hurried out.
Looking at Zhang Guoqing as he entered the room—luckily, he didn't look tired or exhausted. She was really worried about this idiot helping with the work.
"Jiaojiao, when I came back and saw the house was empty, I was shocked by you. I thought you had gone somewhere. Luckily I saw the note."
Mother Zhang scolded with a smile, "How foolish! If it's not in the county town, then it must be in the village. Go wash up first. Have you had lunch yet?"
Zhou Jiao looked at Zhang Guoqing and knew that he had digested his lunch long ago.
She took the child who rushed over to her and said with a smile, "Mom, Xiaowu likes the noodles you cook. As long as it's cooked by you, he will definitely eat it. There is broth at home, remember to use it."
Zhang Guoqing watched Zhang's mother leave and asked, "Is there something urgent you want to tell me?"
Zhou Jiao glanced at him sideways - why are you so clever when there's nothing wrong? She motioned him to come in and talk.
In the bedroom, Zhou Jiao turned around and took out Zhang Guoqing's spare clothes from the space, then thought about it and took out a fish. When she saw her son's big black eyes staring at her, she laughed with joy.
Seeing this, Zhang Guoqing quickly told her to put the fish away - don't underestimate his son, he's very smart. He sniffed his body and asked Zhou Jiao to wait for him in the room while he took a shower first.
Zhang Guoqing took a quick shower and returned to the room. He took his son and looked at Zhou Jiao.
Zhou Jiao smiled embarrassedly and leaned out the window to look. Seeing that there was no one around, she returned to Zhang Guoqing and whispered in his ear about the misunderstanding about the drugged fish.
Zhang Guoqing tried to suppress his laughter and asked a few details, but he couldn't hold back his laughter anymore.
After stopping his laughter, he teased her a few times. He then asked her about her daily life in Zhangjia Village. He was truly impressed by his wife – she really knew how to have fun.
After Zhou Jiao finished speaking, she began to talk about business. She still had to keep an eye on the Zhou family's affairs. She didn't know how her father would respond after receiving the letter.
After listening to her, Zhang Guoqing agreed very much with her concerns. He planned to find time to go and take a look in person, and by the way, find someone to keep an eye on the other party.
After the couple finished discussing these trivial matters, Zhang Guoqing began to recount his reporting experience. He focused on the fun he had encountered to cheer her up, avoiding the days when he had put down his pen, personally taking charge of the planning, and personally working with everyone from dawn to dusk to dig ditches and carry soil.
For five days, the work was exhausting. Zhao Chuangguang even lectured him for two hours. Zhao Chuangguang called him foolish, but Zhang Guoqing knew his purpose. The report in his hand made him feel that it was worth it.
What he has done will not be just a brief mention of his follow-up experience on his resume. The extra honors will give him more advantages in the future.
Gu Ruyi was right. He was a peasant now. And his future capital would also be his peasant status. Being a peasant was good. Zhang Guoqing was truly not afraid of insults from others. Sometimes, the malicious words of others were true.
Being pointed at and insulted—this shame was deeply engraved in his heart. He must be like his father-in-law, someone no one dared to offend easily, allowing Zhou Jiao to live as freely as her mother-in-law. One day, he would be able to protect his wife and children on his own.
Zhang Guoqing was awakened by her mother's screams. He responded loudly, then happily hugged his son and took Zhou Jiao out.
Zhou Jiao lowered her head to hide the worry in her eyes. Zhang Guoqing was now back to the hardworking state of his previous life, no longer as easygoing as before.
Is this good or bad? She didn't know, but she knew that this man had the motivation to fight again.
In the living room, Zhang Guoqing ate noodles and listened to his mother's chatter. He occasionally responded, and when his mother mentioned Zhou Jiao driving a sidecar back to the village, he smiled.
Forget about driving a sidecar, even if it was a tank, his wife would be fine. As long as it didn't endanger his own safety, he would be willing to hand over the knife even if his wife wanted to kill someone. Who is he working so hard for? He just wants his wife to do whatever she wants.
Zhang Guoqing understood that Zhang's mother had good intentions, and patiently explained to her that Zhou Jiao could drive and that the city had been driven around several times by her daughter-in-law.
Seeing Zhang's mother burst into laughter, Zhou Jiao quickly carried her son out of the house. This man was really good at bragging. Was she supposed to sit next to him and follow him around in circles?
After seeing her leave, Zhang's mother complained to her eldest son that Zhou Jiao was too silly. The old family asked her to go to the old house for dinner, but she refused. Now, the whole family went to her eldest son's house for dinner.
Zhang's mother settled the score with her eldest son. Seeing him burst into laughter, she was so angry that she hit him hard - how could he be so careless?
Zhang Guoqing listened to her mother's advice and nodded repeatedly. Her partiality once again warmed his heart. People are all made of flesh and blood. He and Jiaojiao are not stupid. They are willing to suffer for the sake of their old couple.
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