After Father Zhang took his three sons back to the village to pay homage to Grandpa Zhang and Grandma Zhang, he returned to the county town. He finally mentioned the main reason why he did not allow them to return to their hometown.
He had not wanted to say it out loud, so as not to add to the children's worries. But soon after his son and his wife returned home, everyone in the county knew about their return.
In order to prepare the children, they had to give the young couple a heads-up. The Zhou family was not a pushover.
Zhang Guoqing saw that he seemed to want to say something but hesitated during lunch. Now that he finally managed to pull the couple into the house to talk, it was not difficult to guess that there must be something that was difficult to say.
"Dad, if you have something to say, just tell me. If you have any troubles, leave them to me. I will definitely take care of it."
Zhou Jiao nodded after hearing this.
Father Zhang smiled and shook his head. "What could possibly happen to me? The Zhou family came to my house. I should have mentioned this to you in the letter, but I was worried you'd be soft-hearted. Then I thought about it and decided to forget it. The Zhou family has already severed ties with you, so why should I let you know?"
Zhou Jiao's eyes flickered as she heard this. She had already guessed something: the Zhou family was simply trying to get food through her father-in-law. How shameless! How dare they ask for it?
Father Zhang tapped his pipe. "Isn't there a saying in the opera about something being cut off and then sorted out? If it can't be cut off, it's a mess. If you've already severed ties, there's no point in maintaining any ties. I don't think the Zhou family is as food-starved as most rural folks. Your grandmother gave them so much gold back then, and they still have a pension and food rations, so they'll never go hungry."
Last month, Old Zhou came to visit with his grandson. I didn't let them in, so we just chatted for a while at the gate. It was midday, and Old Zhou was crying like a woman, saying he was wrong and wanted to find your father and you.
Zhou Jiao remained silent upon hearing this. She had long expected this day to come, but felt sorry for her father-in-law, who was disgusted. Didn't Mrs. Zhou say last time that it was all her fault? It hadn't been long since she said that, and now that the situation wasn't even at its most difficult, he actually came running over. Was he planning to act like a rogue?
Zhang Guoqing smiled and shook his head, "This old guy is really sick!"
"Don't worry about whether he's sick or not. You have to be aware of this. I'm worried that he'll kneel at the gate when he hears you're back. What are you going to do then?"
Seeing Father Zhang looking at her, Zhou Jiao smiled and shook her head. "Old Man Zhou won't see me. He came here just to get you and Mother to sympathize with him. He's deceiving himself into thinking that if you sympathize with him, you'll speak up for him."
Father Zhang asked in surprise, "Really? Is he getting senile? I don't care about my own son and daughter-in-law, but I sympathize with him? How could he possibly think of that?"
Zhang Guoqing laughed heartily. "Dad, Old Man Zhou really doesn't dare to see Jiaojiao. He'd rather go to the capital to see my father-in-law than come to see Jiaojiao. In the past, Jiaojiao worked under him for a living. Doesn't he know this? If he really wanted to see Jiaojiao and her father, he would definitely have the old lady come in person."
Zhou Jiao thought of another possibility. Old Man Zhou, seeing that they were not in Northeast China, was deliberately trying to get closer to Father Zhang. If the two families became closer, wouldn't he be able to leverage Father Zhang's influence?
Zhang Daddy is now in the county town. He has Zhang Guoqing in Beijing above him, Zhang Guoqiang at the bureau below him, and his eldest son at the grain station in between. Everyone around him looks up to him.
By making this move, Old Man Zhou underestimated her father-in-law and mother-in-law. Did he really think that her father-in-law, a peasant with no knowledge or experience, would be easily fooled by him? Putting aside other things, her father-in-law himself would not deal with such a person.
A clown as disgusting as Gu Ruyi, self-righteously overestimating his own intelligence and looking down on others, his vulgarity making people sick. She didn't deal with these people, but instead they came up to her and set their sights on her.
"It seems this old fellow knows he can't get through to your father-in-law, but he's unwilling to give up such a good backing. So he wants to go around and get involved with our Zhang family, deliberately putting on this show."
Zhou Jiao laughed to herself. Look! Her father-in-law had guessed the other party's intention.
Zhang Guoqing said worriedly, "Let me take care of it. Otherwise, neither you nor my mother can live a stable life."
Father Zhang waved his hand and said nonchalantly, "As long as he doesn't cause you two any trouble, that's all that matters. If he comes crying again next time, I'll have him stay at the gate and ask him if he should return the gold to your father-in-law now that he knows he's wrong. I'm sure they'll all run away if I ask him that."
Zhou Jiao couldn't help but laugh.
"Alright. Since there's nothing wrong with this matter, just ignore him. Remember to tell Brother Zhou when you go back, so he knows what's going on. I'm just worried that Old Man Zhou will cause you trouble. The capital is different from other places. There are people who just want to watch the fun and not mind getting into trouble. When you go out, you have to be careful about everything."
Zhou Jiao nodded earnestly, convinced. It looked like Father Zhang had been mulling over this matter for a long time. Just in case, she had to make some further plans.
That afternoon, Zhang Guoqing had a brainstorming meeting with Zhao Dashan, Zuo Lin, Li Aiguo and others. Zhou Jiao didn't tell anyone and went to Lin County alone.
If they didn't take this trip, Old Man Zhou would probably still feel that he had tacitly allowed his family to approach the Zhang family. But who gave them the right to harass his family at will?
After getting off the bus in Lin County, Zhou Jiao went straight to the village to find Zhou Xiaocun. She didn't have Zhang Guoqing's patience. With two families at loggerheads, what friendship could there be? She might have been considerate of Old Lady Zhou before, but ever since he'd avoided her last time, Zhou Jiao felt cold.
Whenever there was trouble in the Zhou family, it was usually Zhou Xiao who was causing trouble. As for Old Man Zhou, they had been at odds with each other for years, and she didn't bother to pay attention to his scoundrel nature.
On a freezing cold day, Zhou Xiaocun was twisting hemp rope with others in the production team's yard when a young girl came running over to tell him someone was looking for him. He instinctively asked who it was, but the girl had already run away.
As soon as Zhou Xiaocun went out, he looked up and saw a girl standing in the distance talking to the captain. As soon as he saw the figure, he knew it was Zhou Jiao.
Even if the little girl had grown fat and looked different, he could easily recognize her. Even if the beast turned into ashes, he would still remember that it was this damned little girl who had ruined his family.
He hated himself countless times for not being ruthless back then. If he had just killed her without anyone noticing, what would Zhou Xiaozheng do if he came back?
No matter how much his father had wronged that bastard, they could still have some relationship thanks to my mother's kindness. Now, it was all ruined by this damn girl.
Thinking of this, his pupils shrank, and he quickened his pace. If he was late, this damn girl would probably exaggerate the situation in front of others.
The captain pointed at Zhou Xiaocun who was gradually approaching and said with a smile: "People are coming, so I won't leave in advance. Remember to shout if you need any help."
Zhou Jiao thanked him gratefully and watched him leave. She turned to look at the so-called "uncle"—still that timid person. It was this man, glaring at her like a venomous snake.
He must have considered himself a mortal enemy. Even if he pretended to be harmless, deep down he harbored an unconcealed hatred for her. Zhou Jiao didn't bother to defend herself, nor did she want to pay attention. As long as he was a bad guy, then congratulations to him for living in hatred forever.
Seeing Zhou Xiaocun standing aside with his head bowed and silent, Zhou Jiao glanced at him. It was freezing cold, and she had no interest in accompanying him to enjoy the snow. She wanted to play guessing game instead.
"You should have guessed why I came here. You're a smart person, but smart people often don't follow the right path. It was your idea for Old Man Zhou to come to my father-in-law and ask for atonement, right?"
Having said that, Zhou Jiao waved her hand to stop him from speaking.
Then she said in a cold tone, "I didn't come here to listen to your explanation. Since the two families have turned against each other, it would be better for them to have no contact with each other, no matter what happens.
Atonement? Can two generations of you, father and son, redeem it completely? I'm not my father, nor am I Zhang Guoqing. My father would give up the gold just to end the relationship between our two families; Zhang Guoqing spared your life out of the old lady's kindness.
But I'm different. I'll always remember how I survived in your Zhou family! If you don't believe me, just see if Huang Zhaodi can make it out alive.
You can take it as a warning or a threat. Zhou Xiaocun, live well! Don't force me to do anything! "
After saying that, Zhou Jiao sighed, turned around and left.
"Have you forgotten what the old lady did to you?"
When Zhou Jiao heard his unwilling howl, she walked away without looking back, head held high and chest puffed out.
A voice blew from the north, causing Zhou Xiaocun to crouch down dejectedly—"Are you alive enough to repay the old lady's kindness?"
Zhou Xiaocun knew this was the other party's final ultimatum. That damned girl wasn't wrong; it was indeed his idea to align himself with the Zhang family. Life was too hard, and he couldn't bear it!
Why can that bastard eat and drink the best food? Why can that bastard become a general? And I live cautiously, depending on others' opinions.
If he had run away from home, everything that bastard has now would be his. He hated his old man and that idiot Huang Zhaodi.
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