As soon as school was over in the afternoon, Zhang Guoqing said a few words to Yi Jiefang and immediately took Zhou Jiao away from the campus.
He was determined not to interfere with the arrangements for when to go to the paddock. He would just take his wife with him and let her have a good time.
During this period, everyone was so hungry that they wished the school would cancel physical exercise. Zhang Guoqing no longer dared to ride his bicycle with his wife around the campus with such confidence.
The couple got on the bus and looked out the window.
A stone-walled farmhouse in the suburbs, tall trees behind the house, a mottled wall of cabbage at the base of the wall, an old man with a cane in his hand and a rope on his shoulder, and playful children.
The city has green tiles and red walls, wide streets and few people. There is an old lady pushing a stroller at the entrance of the alley, wooden telephone poles with the lower half painted with asphalt on the side of the street, traffic police wearing half-sleeved white sleeves directing traffic, and buses with yellow upper and red lower parts.
As the pace of life slows down, they discover many sights they have never noticed before. Looking out the window at the world outside is also a kind of enjoyment.
The annual winter cabbage storage season has begun with great fanfare. Along the way, you'll often see carts piled high with cabbages, and in the city, you'll see people pulling carts full of cabbages.
After getting off the bus, Zhou Jiao felt relaxed and at ease. She had been in Beijing for so long, either visiting schools or the campus. She decided to take in the sights and then walk home slowly.
Zhang Guoqing had no objection. It was not far from home, so he could just take a walk.
It was late when they got home, and Zhou Xiaozheng and his family had just finished dinner. Sitting in the living room, he heard Zhou Jiao's call and responded loudly with joy.
Ping An had already run to the door and was picked up by Zhang Guoqing with one hand. "Dad, what good things did you buy? Is there any meat that I like?"
Zhang Guoqing smiled and nodded, greeted Zhou Xiaozheng and his wife, and handed the bag to Aunt Chen.
Lin Lishan: "You can't just eat meat, you have to eat vegetables too. Good children are not picky eaters."
Zhou Jiao took her father's blanket and drank some water. "Do we have enough cabbage? Should we buy some more? Has the coal been delivered yet?"
"Dad has asked Secretary Chen and the others to prepare, and the logistics department will take care of it. Don't worry about these trivial matters, just leave it to them. Have dinner first, and tell Dad later how school is going."
Zhou Jiao stuck out her tongue at him and said, "Studying is okay, but I just eat plain rice every day."
Lin Lishan frowned and advised her, "Listen to your mother. This time, you must bring cooked food back to school. Don't worry about any repercussions."
Zhou Jiao smiled at her father.
"Don't worry, Mom. We won't have to worry about not having good food when we come back the next day." Zhang Guoqing said, smiling and whispering to her, "Dayong and his friends have stolen a lot of cabbage to make soup these days. It's really interesting."
Zhou Xiaozheng smiled and glanced at him, "You should also bring a small stove, don't learn bad things from those wild boys."
Zhou Jiao laughed, "Dad, he's the only one who leads others astray. You'll know when someone complains to you later."
"Oh, what do you mean?"
Zhang Guoqing saw his father-in-law was very interested and explained with a smile, "Everyone is going to Mulan Paddock to hunt this weekend. They will discuss the arrangements tonight."
Zhou Xiaozheng knew it was his idea as soon as he heard it. "Just go and have fun, and be careful. It's not a big deal. Just do whatever you want. You have nothing to be afraid of with Dad around."
"Dad, you're not afraid of spoiling us."
Zhou Xiaozheng listened to his son-in-law's words and smiled, shaking his head. Anyone could become arrogant and domineering, but not his own child. He was worried that the child would become timid.
Lin Lishan reminded him, "You need to apply for a car in advance."
Zhang Guoqing chuckled softly and said, "Mom, several of the cadres' children from the compound are going out, so I don't need to show up. Just wait for me to bring back the good stuff."
"I don't need you to bring anything, just remember to be safe."
Zhou Xiaozheng saw Aunt Chen had prepared the meal and motioned for them to eat first.
Ping'an hadn't seen his parents for two days. Now he stayed by their side and didn't leave for a moment, constantly muttering about what he had done in the past two days.
The old lady usually took care of the children, and Zhou Jiao had just finished knitting a sweater for the old lady and her husband. After dinner, Zhou Xiaozheng was about to take his family to visit the Cheng family.
Unexpectedly, Mrs. Cheng and her husband came to the house.
Mrs. Cheng always smiled when she saw Zhou Jiao and her daughter. When she saw Zhou Jiao coming back, she happily handed her a net bag of fruit.
Zhou Jiao quickly stopped them. Fruits were in short supply these days, so how could they compete with the old lady for food?
"Take it, and respect your elders in the future." Zhou Xiaozheng smiled and advised. He could see that he had to accept it. His own Jiaojiao had been secretly sending gifts to the Cheng family. A give-and-take relationship was a normal one.
Old Mrs. Cheng clapped her hands and sighed, "We have wronged Jiaojiao." With Aunt Chen around, there were some things she couldn't say out loud.
Zhou Jiao didn't want the old man to worry about her all the time. She smiled and said, "You always look at how rosy my face is." After saying that, she patted her cheeks in a showy manner.
This made the old lady laugh.
"You young people have big appetites. When you're hungry, go to a restaurant and eat. Don't save money and harm your health. Especially Xiaowu, don't skimp on yourself."
Zhang Guoqing smiled and nodded, "Don't worry, Auntie, there's a high-priced store next to the school."
"That's good... Is the money enough? Auntie earns quite a bit..."
Zhang Guoqing hurriedly shook his head and said, "You always forget that I have a salary. If it's not enough, I'll ask you for it again." Ping An has spent a lot of the old lady's private money now, so he can't be so shameless.
Zhou Xiaozheng saw that the two of them had just returned and came back again not long ago. He looked at them curiously and asked, "Why are you two old people out again so late at night?"
Old Cheng smiled and shook his head, "We were all about to rest, but someone came. What's going on? Ask your aunt to tell you."
Zhou Jiao had just poured the tea, quickly handed it to them, and sat down next to them. It would be a big deal to alarm the old man. She was very curious.
"Look, another group of relatives from the Jiang family has arrived..."
Zhou Jiao suddenly felt bored. She thought it was just some rare thing.
"...his relatives were waiting at the canteen door, refusing to leave. The children were crying and shouting they were hungry. This situation lasted until dark, and it had a very bad impact. Later, Lao Jiang came and took those people away."
Zhou Xiaozheng frowned slightly and lowered his head in deep thought.
"Then why are you looking for Auntie? You shouldn't be the one to be involved in this matter. What does the logistics department say?"
Zhou Xiaozheng looked at his daughter with approval. This child is so quick to react!
Old Madam Cheng shook her head and sighed, "It was just a few people from the logistics department who showed up. I went to the Jiang family with your uncle. Wow, the whole living room was filled with people, it was so noisy and annoying."
Seeing Zhou Jiao staring at him, Old Cheng smiled and said, "It's okay, it's just a formality. Old Jiang needs to handle this matter himself. If you trespass into the military camp again in the future, we won't let you go so easily."
Zhou Xiaozheng sneered. He had no ability to provide aid, yet he was still trying to act like one. If his soldiers had been driven away long ago, would the guesthouse be just for show?
Lin Lishan frowned as everyone talked, "Isn't Aunt Jiang at home? Why did she let those people mess around? His house is such a mess."
Zhou Jiao glanced at her speechlessly. She still needed to explain this? It was obvious that the Jiang family themselves had no food. Military dependents had always relied on basic rations, unemployed. Now that there was so much trouble, who would eat the little food they had?
"Is the problem solved now? There are so many of them going to Beijing, and they can even afford the train tickets, but they can't even afford to eat. The more I think about it, the more interesting it becomes."
After hearing Zhou Jiao's doubts, Mrs. Cheng immediately turned to look at her husband.
After a moment's hesitation, Old Cheng shook his head and said, "They say back home, black market food coupons are 50 cents a pound, and a bag of biscuits is 8 yuan. Now we only eat sweet potatoes and husks. Even radish tops and cabbage are 20 cents a pound and we can't afford them."
Zhou Jiao didn't comment after hearing this. Inwardly, she was thinking about asking Aunt Chen to watch over the house and keep an eye on her son for the next two days. Who knew if these people would come to her house under the guise of Jiang Jiangyu?
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