As the end of the year approached, as the younger generations from all over the country returned to Beijing for the New Year, Zhang Guoqing became increasingly busy. Every day after work, the Zhou family would inevitably have their friends come to visit.
Many activities include going out for social events, going to the movies or ice skating in groups, and occasionally having a friendly match.
At first, Zhou Jiao even accompanied him to the party. But as time went on, she grew impatient. All day long, they were just talking nonsense, either the boys drinking and bragging, or the girls flirting like butterflies.
——How could such a positive and good girl like her fall into depravity?
When Zhou Jiao wanted to do something practical, she found she had no place to go. Her father was busy leaving home early and returning late, her mother was rehearsing the New Year's program, and her son was running off to daycare early in the morning.
Zhou Jiao had already prepared the family's winter clothing. In the past, there were markets to visit, but now, wherever you go, there's a shortage of supplies.
Things were still good inside the compound, with supplies from the army farms and livestock farms, so they could barely hold on. But the situation outside was not so optimistic.
One of her female classmates invited the other girls to her home. That entire afternoon, Zhou Jiao overheard many people in her compound discussing what they couldn't buy and how much they could buy from queuing up late at night until the next afternoon.
What made Zhou Jiao particularly embarrassed was that near evening, when her female classmate's mother came back from work and saw her and the other two of them, her expression was so complicated - fortunately, no one was planning to have dinner at someone else's house.
Therefore, during this period, Zhou Jiao refused to even answer the phone that had been installed at home, for fear that someone would suddenly invite her out. She was not used to visiting people with food coupons, and her diet was still cornmeal.
It was during this casual chat with her female classmates that she learned that many of her classmates thought the transportation was too expensive, so they found a lot of jobs while staying at school to earn money to support their families.
As a result, Zhou Jiao was even more afraid to invite people to her home, and naturally she was embarrassed to accompany them to visit other people's homes. Sometimes the gap between them was too big, and it was easy for a gap to form.
It was too boring, and just then Aunt Chen sent a letter from home saying something was going on, and asked if she could take a day or two off. Before Aunt Chen could even ask, Zhou Jiao immediately decided to let her go back.
Aunt Chen was so moved that tears came to her eyes, which made Zhou Jiao feel guilty. What a beautiful misunderstanding! Without Aunt Chen at home, she could freely show off her cooking skills, okay?
Aunt Chen happily left with a bag of food, and Zhou Jiao also happily began to stew supplements and prepare a big meal to welcome the family for dinner.
Zhou Jiao worked hard all afternoon, and the storeroom had a lot more food. If she wasn't worried that Aunt Chen would find out in a few days, she really wanted to fill the entire storeroom.
When Old Mrs. Cheng came and knocked on the door, she was a little surprised to see Zhou Jiao opening the door.
"Are you doing rough labor? Aunt Chen, why did you do it?"
Zhou Jiao looked at her old clothes and smiled. "Aunt, I didn't say anything and just cooked. Aunt Chen had an emergency at home, so I asked her to go back first. Come in and try my cooking."
The old lady slapped her forehead angrily and said, "Silly girl, you can't cook with this tattered dress. Who are you kidding? Go in and take a rest."
After saying that, the old lady pushed her into the living room with a look of heartache.
"Aunt, I really didn't do any heavy work. I just made some dumplings and sticky rice dumplings. If I were in the Northeast now, I'd be preparing for the New Year. I wonder if the village has already eaten the pig-killing dishes."
Mrs. Cheng was at a loss for words. Don't think she was from the South and didn't know what a pig-killing dish was. It was just pig offal with pickled cabbage, and at most, blood sausage and some meat bones. Was it worth this child's attention?
"Don't you like eating offal? We're going to cook a pig-killing dish tonight. I'll ask my aunt to bring some meat over, and she'll cook it herself, so you can enjoy it right away."
Zhou Jiao didn't want the old lady to pass on her message over the phone. Phones these days weren't direct dial like they are in later generations. A bus operator had to switch lines before a call could be made to the Cheng family's phone. In that case, what secrets could be shared?
"Hehe, I don't want to eat the pig-killing dishes. It's so cold, it's perfect for cooking mutton. Don't go back tonight. I'll ask my aunt, uncle, and cousins to come over later. Let's cook wine around the fire tonight!"
Old Mrs. Cheng nodded with a smile. "The child wants to have some fun, so let's have a get-together for the two families." She could just send over some of the newly distributed fine grain later.
Compared to her nephew's family's supplies, the old lady felt more confident. Her husband, eldest son, and herself, the three of them, had plenty of fine food every month. How could her nephew alone compare to that?
Zhou Jiao didn't need to think too much to know what the old lady was up to. Every time she sent fine food, it was because she wanted Jiaojiao to take good care of herself and Ping'an was still young. She was speechless!
She really didn't need food, but what about the old man's kindness? Every time, she listened to her father and accepted it, then returned it mid-month. This game kept both families entertained and exhausted.
Old Lady Cheng had never been inside the Zhou family's warehouse. This time, Zhou Jiao dragged her inside, which surprised the old lady for a moment. Then, she reasoned with her and told her not to go to the black market.
Why can't we go to the black market? The old lady said that families like them can't knowingly make mistakes and must put an end to bad practices.
Zhou Jiao felt so wronged, even more wronged than Dou E, wasn't she? She stood up straight, listened attentively, and finally, after the old lady's ideological education, she secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
Looking at the old lady's back, she secretly patted her chest. Fortunately, the old lady didn't let her hand it over.
Unfortunately, Zhou Jiao didn't see the cunning smile on Mrs. Cheng's face. She was old and cunning, and she had finally caught the child's fault, so she had to satisfy herself no matter what.
As for the black market, who could stop it? Which dynasty or generation since ancient times had ever been able to eradicate it? She didn't have the time to bother with such trivial matters. She didn't meddle in matters outside her position. After retirement, she didn't pay much attention to the secular world.
The old lady just wants her younger generation to be well fed and clothed. The idea that patriotism requires belt-tightening is nonsense. How can you contribute if you don't have the energy to study or work? That's a joke.
After inspecting the warehouse, Mrs. Cheng was satisfied. Now she no longer had to worry about her nephew's family having a hard time at the end of the year. She happily called her aunt and asked her to bring the items to Zhou's house.
Afterwards, she called her eldest son, Cheng Sijin. She didn't say much on the phone, but just asked her eldest son to come to Zhou's house after work tonight.
Cheng Sijin understood instantly and hung up the phone happily, his face beaming. This left the staff officer beside him wondering if there was a big happy event happening in the leader's family. Starting with the Cheng family members, both large and small, one staff officer shook his head regretfully. It seemed his knowledge was too shallow to even guess what his superior was thinking.
It was almost time to get off work, so Zhang Guoqing took his son back. The father and son waited at the door of Zhou Xiaozheng's unit, waiting for him to get off work.
As Zhou Xiaozheng left, he could hear his son-in-law and the guards chatting animatedly from a distance. Even Xiao Ping'an was giggling. He had no idea what they were talking about, but seeing his men, who were leaving work, gathered at the door and laughing together, he knew they must be talking about something funny.
Unfortunately, before he could step forward, those people scattered like ghosts. Zhou Xiaozheng glanced at the remaining people with a stern face. How boring!
When Ping An saw him appear, he immediately rushed forward and said, "Grandpa, go home."
Zhou Xiaozheng picked up the child and asked, "Are you cold? Next time, let your dad go to grandpa's office and find out."
"Dad said we can't disturb grandpa at work. I'm so good, grandpa and uncles all praise me..."
When Zhang Guoqing saw the grandparents and grandchildren leave, he said goodbye to everyone with a smile and walked behind them, chatting with the guard Xiao Wang and a few others.
As soon as the group arrived at the door, they smelled the delicious food, which made Xiao Wang and his friends, who had just finished work, start to growl. Before Xiao Wang and his friends could leave, Zhou Xiaozheng had already told them to stay.
As his personal guards, no one had it easy. Compared to other leaders' guards, Xiao Wang and his companions were often dragged into special training by Zhou Xiaozheng. If they relied on the meager provisions in the cafeteria, how could they have endured?
Being chosen by Zhou Xiaozheng, Xiao Wang and the others who were assigned to his side were thrilled for days. He was the Soldier King, their idol! They understood that their leader's efforts were for their own good. Therefore, they actively cooperated, vowing to become the most outstanding elite personnel around the Soldier King.
But you kids are too naive. Zhou Xiaozheng never does anything that loses money! He trained his trusted aides in this way, and he had long been secretly planning to send them to the army and military academy for intensive training when the time was right.
Not to mention the business empire that Zhou Xiaozheng was planning. At this moment, Zhou Jiao and Old Lady Cheng heard the sound and brought out three copper furnaces one after another.
Xiao Wang and the others desperately winked at Zhang Guoqing. They didn't want to eat and drink with these leaders in the living room. That would be too restrictive.
They were used to hanging out with Zhang Guoqing and were very familiar with him. They would always go to him for help when they had something to do, and he would always find the right solution.
Sure enough, Zhang Guoqing shook his head and smiled, picked up one of the copper stoves, and asked them to come forward to help. The young men ran happily to the west wing.
When the Cheng family arrived, the bone broth in the copper pot was already bubbling. Without much time to say anything, they all went to wash their hands and get to the table.
Zhang Guoqing was worried that the people in the west wing wouldn't have enough to eat, so he brought a leg of lamb so they could carve it themselves if they didn't have enough. After interacting with these people more often, he understood that sometimes being more casual would make both parties feel more comfortable.
He wasn't some dandy kid, so there was no need to put on airs. He came across as a man of integrity and righteousness, and his hunting prowess was a plus. Could he really let these future helpers think he was stingy?
If they really wanted to have a feast around the fire, cabbage, white radish, and wild game wouldn't be enough. Men like big cuts of meat, but Zhou Jiao didn't. The spinach and leeks she'd carefully prepared in the kitchen were completely wasted in one dinner, and she felt bad for the meal, trying her best to stuff herself with the vegetables.
Zhou Xiaozheng, who knew what she was thinking, smiled. He also said that Ping An's temper was not from whom, but it was from his daughter Jiaojiao.
My daughter even has tiger meat, so she has everything she needs. But this little temper is really funny. Zhou Xiaozheng was so pleased with his daughter that he helped pick up the dishes and was secretly proud of himself.
For a moment, a funny scene that often happened in the Zhou family appeared at the table - Zhou Xiaozheng and his daughter each picked up food for each other, Zhang Guoqing and Lin Lishan each picked up food for each other, and Ping An in the middle enjoyed being fed by four people.
The Cheng family had seen similar things happen so often every time they dined with their family that they were no longer surprised. They had become accustomed to the same thing, noticing that couples and siblings also picked up food from each other.
So, sometimes the environment can have a profound impact on people. At least Liu Ting, the eldest daughter-in-law of the Cheng family, often comes home and laments how she always overeats when she eats at the Zhou family's house; the atmosphere is truly cozy. Of course, her raised smile also suggests that she enjoys the affection of her husband and children.
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