Zhang Guoqing went out and dealt with several waves of acquaintances along the way. He finally arrived at the gate, but saw that Wan Dayong and the others had already left.
"Xiao Wu, they asked you to go directly to the Yi family's house in the empty courtyard next door."
Zhang Guoqing quickly thanked the sentry at the door. He didn't rush to leave, but stayed there with a smile, chatting with a few sentries and chatting about family matters.
After being teased several times by several officers of the same generation as his uncles who came in and out, Zhang Guoqing said goodbye to the sentries and left, heading towards the empty courtyard.
Zhang Guoqing's popularity wasn't innate. He was a conversant person, a willing listener, and never sarcastic. Even when others criticized him, he simply smiled and never joined in. Over time, everyone said Zhang Xiaowu was a kind person, someone who said one thing to your face and another behind your back.
Interpersonal relationships are sometimes very important. Not to mention that he had been away from the compound for a while, but now he knew everything about the news, not to mention that his pass was like nothing.
Not long after he left, the sentry at the gate of the empty courtyard saw him, smiled, pointed in the direction of the Yi family, and told him to go in quickly as several people were waiting for him.
When Zhang Guoqing left, he still had to answer the sentry's questions. He had returned to the Northeast, and the entire street and several compounds had probably heard the news.
Speaking of Yi Jiefang's Yi family, they're actually related to Smiling Fox's Yi family. Yi Jiefang's father still calls Old Man Yi "uncle." It's said that the two families are still related to each other for at least five generations.
Zhou Jiao once analyzed that when Mr. Yi fought against the Japanese, he must have brought his family members with him, otherwise Mr. Yi would not have become the Deputy Chief of Staff of the Air Force.
The Yi family also lived in a small courtyard. Their conditions weren't as good as the Zhou family's, but they weren't bad either. Yi Jiefang had two older brothers and one older sister. The eldest Yi sister had married early and was still living in her hometown in the south. The eldest Yi brother had enlisted in the army before the liberation, and now he had a wife and children and lived separately.
The second son of the Yi family was killed by the Japanese before the liberation, which was a sad story for the Yi family. As a result, Yi Jiefang, the youngest, was spoiled by his mother and was spared the military career. After he was admitted to university, he was allowed to do whatever he wanted.
Unlike the Zhou family, the head of the Yi family is Mother Yi. Born a professor's daughter, she received a modern education and was a passionate activist in her youth. After having children, she raised them alone in the family. Now, like Chen Jingru, the eldest daughter-in-law of the Lin family, she works for the Women's Federation.
When Zhang Guoqing arrived at the Yi family, Yi's father was busy at work and couldn't take care of the family, while Yi's mother was knitting in the living room while listening to the radio.
As soon as she entered Zhang Guoqing's house, she pointed to the right wing with a smile and asked if it was cold when they went to Northeast China this time and why they didn't bring their parents with them.
Hearing similar questions again, Zhang Guoqing secretly thanked God that he was not an important person, otherwise his whereabouts would be exposed.
He smiled helplessly, "The weather back home is colder than here. It's winter now, and they don't want to go out in the middle of winter."
Mother Yi nodded in understanding and said, "Old people don't want to move around. You two will be in the capital from now on, so you don't have to worry about them not having the opportunity to come over."
After she finished speaking, she smiled and said, "Go ahead, you young people can have fun together. I, an old woman, won't disturb you."
Zhang Guoqing laughed cheerfully and said, "Aunt, you can't describe me as an old woman. If you say that, those aunties will rush to find a piece of tofu to kill themselves."
Mother Yi was amused by him and laughed. She shook her hands and said with a smile: "I am old. My grandson will soon become a young man."
Zhang Guoqing said as they walked, "Go out with Jiefang tomorrow. People will definitely think you are brother and sister when they see you."
Mother Yi laughed happily, "Bad boy, you're teasing your aunt. Go away, if you tease me again, I'll be a grown-up girl."
Zhang Guoqing entered Yi Jiefang's room and heard Yi's mother's cheerful laughter. As expected, no woman feels old. It was a perfect match.
"Dude, you're not coming here empty-handed, are you?"
"Hmm, you really come here empty-handed. What? Not welcome? Then I'm leaving." After Zhang Guoqing finished speaking, he deliberately raised his right leg to walk away.
"Come on, everyone knows each other, stop pretending. Tell me! What delicious food did you bring?"
Zhang Guoqing leaned back on the kang and said lazily, "We have wild boar meat and venison. If you want some, go to my house and ask Jiaojiao for them. Or you can come over and eat there."
Wan Dayong and the others cheered happily, but no one wanted to go to Zhou's house to see the Siberian tiger. That would be too scary, right?
Zhang Guoqing rolled his eyes at them. "You're fine at my house, aren't you? Why are you scared when you're not around? Dayi, ask your aunt to go over there."
Wan Dayong and others quickly shook their heads.
"We'll have dinner together in two days. Just stay a little longer."
"Don't worry, we have something important to discuss. You can eat anytime."
Zhang Guoqing's eyes flashed. He looked at everyone with a smile. He had no idea what important matter these idle people had with him.
Yi Jiefang laughed without saying a word, but winked at them.
A few people snickered at each other, but finally Ding Datou couldn't stand it anymore and spoke first. He squeezed next to Zhang Guoqing and said with a wink, "Do you want to go to the prairie again at the end of the year?"
"Will it be too cold?"
Yi Jiefang gave him a look of disdain. "Can it be colder than the Northeast? A lot of people have been organized from various institutes this time, and they'll definitely be looking for you. If you go, take us with you."
Zhang Guoqing had no objection and nodded. It would be a good idea to go once, so that he wouldn't have to worry about the smell of meat at home every day.
A few of them sat and chatted for a while about all sorts of things.
Zhang Guoqing looked at his watch, stood up and said goodbye.
Everyone also knew that he had just arrived home today and had a lot of things to deal with, so they began to urge him to go back and made an appointment to meet again the next day.
On his way home, Zhang Guoqing ran into Fang Fei and his friends, which delayed him again. By the time he got home, it had been more than two hours, and he had missed an extraordinary invitation.
At this moment, Zhang Guoqing found that there was no one at home, and he raised his eyebrows.
When Aunt Chen saw him come in, she asked him with a smile, "Are you starving? I'll serve you some food right away."
"No need. I just came back from eating outside. Aunt Chen, where is everyone at home?"
Aunt Chen stopped and turned around and said, "The chief and Jiaojiao went to the Cheng family, and your mother-in-law went to her parents' home. Do you want me to make you a cup of tea?"
Zhang Guoqing nodded. Sitting on the sofa, he didn't have time to think about why Lin Lishan suddenly went to her parents' home. At this moment, his mind was full of Fang Fei and the others' invitation.
Zhang Guoqing tried his best to avoid interacting with the princes and princesses, but he couldn't help himself in the world of martial arts. Lost in thought, he neglected Aunt Chen's hesitation to speak.
Aunt Chen was originally bored and wanted to chat with Zhang Guoqing about the Lin family, but when she saw his hands on the armrest and his fingers tapping non-stop, she could only gently put down her teacup and quietly retreat.
After a long moment, Zhang Guoqing exhaled, smiled, and shook his head. Going with the flow was so hard, but no matter how hard it was, he was still luckier than Fang Fei.
He chuckled maliciously at the thought of Fang Fei's proposed marriage. It was truly tragic that he couldn't even choose his own spouse. There was always a price to pay, and no one could escape this fate.
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