Lin Lishan laughed when she heard this. She was relieved that Jiaojiao was fine. She was worried just now because she saw her collapse. "Luckily you saw the little trick, but Xiao Zhou, will anyone else notice?"
"No, I've observed. No one at the scene noticed except Xiaofei. Besides, everyone was focused on those words at the time. And you don't know, big sister, your daughter is very smart, and your son-in-law is also very shrewd. We stayed in a relatively remote location. When he saw us, he only raised his eyebrows slightly, and at the same time, the hand that was supporting your daughter clenched his fist, but he was very calm, and then acted as if nothing had happened. And when we left, Xiaofei hinted with lip reading that Jiaojiao and the others were really here. I guess he said it when we were running home with us. Commander, how did they guess we would come today?"
Lin Xinsheng looked out the window, listening to Xiao Zhou's analysis, which was more detailed than what he had witnessed in person. He roughly understood Xiao Zhou's abilities. The fact that he could praise them showed that the two children were also very outstanding. However, he didn't have the mind to consider how outstanding they were at the moment. He was thinking about his wife's words and the situation after Zhou Xiaozheng came back. Then he thought about Zhou Jiao and Zhang Guoqing he met today. They were very different from what he expected. The Zhang family was considered wealthy in this area, with a clean and harmonious family. Then he thought about his granddaughter Zhou Jiao, who was no ordinary person. He probably guessed their intentions. He didn't have the worries of his wife. Jiaojiao would not embarrass them, nor would she blame her mother. As for getting into her heart, it was probably difficult. With her temperament and arrogance, ordinary people were not in her eyes, let alone in her heart.
He acts decisively, never dragging his feet, and is afraid of trouble, preferring to avoid controversy. Like Zhou Xiaozheng, he prefers to rely on himself. Alas, he doesn't know what his daughter Shanshan will do when Zhou Xiaozheng returns. He hasn't come to see this child in all these years for many reasons, and ultimately, he feels sorry for her.
Lin Xinsheng said, "I guessed it. She said she sent 28 parcels in the first eight months of this year. You didn't pay attention to her tone. At the beginning, there weren't many parcels, and she just said that so-and-so's things were mine. Later, when she mentioned 28 parcels, she didn't mention what was in them. In fact, she wasn't very clear. I guess she only found out after checking the post office this year. Do you really think she found out the post office where the money was first sent? She just guessed it."
With her steady, cautious nature, she'd be suspicious of our sudden change. It could only mean something big was about to happen, something that might even require her. What could possibly cause us to suddenly send such a large sum of money? It would have to be something profitable, something significant and joyful. Since they couldn't afford to benefit our family as a young couple, her closest connection was to her father, a soldier. She was so smart, she figured that out.
If something was going to happen, she had to meet her in person. She'd been pregnant for eight months, with 28 pieces of luggage. If she hadn't gone into labor prematurely, her mother would have definitely been here to be with her before the due date. But she went into labor prematurely, so her maternal family would have been there just in time for the baby's third birthday. She'd calculated the timing perfectly.
She was certain her father, Zhou Xiaocun, was still alive, and had calculated that he would be back soon. Therefore, she had to rush to separate the Zhou family's first and second branches before the third day of the new year. By the time Zhou Xiaozheng returned, the situation would be settled. She was very protective of her father, and she had planned everything, absolutely not letting the Zhou family hinder him. She had already planned the next steps after her father returned. If I'm not mistaken, her only wish for her mother was to keep her father safe and sound. She didn't care about her father's position; she really didn't care, and she was very proud.
We calculated that the truth would be exposed before the third day of the wedding, before we showed up. Public opinion would be harsh on her, alone, forced to sever ties with the Zhou family after being bullied and scolded by a young girl from the Zhou family. If we showed up after the third day of the wedding, and her father returned to cause trouble, exposing the truth, it would be too late. Public opinion would be divided, and most would sympathize with the weaker party. Before we showed up, she was the weaker party, alone. But with us, the eldest wife was the weaker party. In everyone's eyes, she had someone to back her up, and she didn't want to rely on us. She had a personality like Zhou Xiaocun, full of arrogance.
Listen to that line about my grandfather stamping his foot in the capital, and it would shake three times. This was probably the main trigger. She feared this would eventually become her fault. She didn't care about material possessions like money, but she would never allow danger to exist. A wise person plans things beforehand, preferring to take precautions and leave a way out for themselves. So, this could be used to sever ties. She proved Zhou Xue's claims in front of so many people, and then refuted them. Think about what she said to Old Man Zhou at the end: the Zhou family suffered the Japanese invasion for their comrades, and his father died young for his country. She also emphasized earlier that she followed the Chairman, that the Lin family had been in the army for generations, and that the 28 packages were all my mother scraped together, sending my cousins' share. She saved every penny she could to buy them for me. Isn't that what she meant? This child is very modest, afraid of showing off her wealth and attracting envy. She emphasized that her grandfather's family are old revolutionaries, that she's not a child of wealth, and that it was all the family's savings that pitied her. This shows that this child is very concerned about the situation and has good political vision!
Ask Xiaofei to write down what she said today and send it to your brother and the others, and let the other kids see it too. She is only 17 years old, grew up in the countryside, and graduated from junior high school. She has a good vision and strategy, and the family should also tighten up.
You need to think carefully about this child. Don't let her do whatever she wants. This is the only child you have. If she's mediocre, that's fine. Is that your daughter, Old Zhou? Would you believe her after seeing her? She's secretly engaged. She's timid and indecisive. She should live in the countryside and marry a kind man. Our Jiaojiao doesn't bother to pay attention to him. If he wasn't pushed to the limit, he wouldn't try to deal with her.
I've researched how Jiaojiao, under Zhang Guoqing's protection, lives in her own world. Aside from Zhang's parents-in-law and her grandmother, she's indifferent to everyone around her, maintaining a distance from everything and everyone around her. She has no best friends, and nothing to talk about with her peers. She simply enjoys reading, and comes across as quiet and steady.
During their school years, both of them had excellent grades and could go directly to high school. Zhang Guoqing didn't even want to be a soldier, but he rushed to get married. What happened that made her so eager to leave the Zhou family? I guess she has grown up and your sister-in-law is plotting against her.
Zhang Guoqing is well-known in this area. He possesses supernatural powers and is a man of integrity. Everyone, from the youngest to the oldest, praises him highly. His family is kind, and the two of them have known each other since childhood. That's why I agreed to this marriage. Otherwise, who would trust Old Man Zhou? He's an old fool. Jiaojiao is only in trouble because of her grandmother and her father. Otherwise, ten Old Man Zhous wouldn't be enough for this couple.
They say children from poor families grow up early. We weren't around when she was little, and it was only Grandma and Zhang Guoqing who kept her company. Grandma was weak and couldn't keep her company, and Zhang Guoqing wasn't close enough to her and couldn't always be there. In an environment like the Zhou family, this also caused her to look down on others, be wary, cautious, and do things steadily. Look at the difference between Xuezhen and her, a 17-year-old girl. This is the difference between having a mother and not having one. In the future, you should treat her well. Loving her isn't just about saying you love her in a letter or sending her enough child support, nor is it about letting her do whatever she wants. Your mother and I had no other choice back then. We didn't know where the soldiers would be, so we had to entrust you to others. You have several brothers and sisters to rely on, but she's really helpless here.
You're smart, but you're clueless. You'd have gone up there right then and there, wanting the mother and daughter to embrace and cry. Do you think Jiaojiao would? She'd have been cold and asked you to wait, and even angry at your stupidity. You'd have disrupted the atmosphere, made her lose control. With over 500 people, a small accident would be a major event. She had to control the situation and win public sympathy. Why would you go up there? You'd just cause trouble.
Do you know why your son-in-law didn't greet us when he saw us, but instead remained silent? It's because we couldn't show up. If we did, it would be like the elders bullying the younger, like the Lin family was being disloyal and looking down on the Zhou family. Did you see the Zhang family say anything today? And looking back at the whole thing, your son-in-law only said one sentence to Old Man Zhou at the end. Do you understand what that meant?
This means that Zhou Xue went to find Jiaojiao, and they were just quarreling between peers. Their family is reasonable. You can go to their house to quarrel, but you can't hit Jiaojiao. The people surrounding them are a circle of Zhang family members, and they are there for the Zhou family to see. If you fight, the Zhang family will not be afraid of you.
After we came out, they knew we were there, so why didn't anyone chase us? Are you wondering? You'll find out later. Xiaofei will come back and say that Zhang Guoqing found him and asked him to bring a message.
Jiaojiao is a very low-key person; she doesn't want to be the talk of others. Did you just hear that? "Golden doll," hehe. At first, I didn't know. Then the old man said, "Oh, Golden doll! Besides the Zhou family, who else is Golden Doll? Everyone in our city knows this is Golden Doll. The Zhang family is truly blessed to have married such a wonderful daughter-in-law."
But aside from Jiaojiao's patchless clothes, their family lived a very simple life. Even Zhang Guoqing's clothes were patchless, though they were washed white. The Zhang family was very low-key. Later, I heard that the Zhang family gave 800 yuan as a betrothal gift, while Zhou's family only gave a wardrobe as a dowry. Zhou Jiao married into the Zhang family with nothing, only a few sets of clothes. She used the 800 yuan to buy a sewing machine and nothing else.
If the Zhang family can even come up with 800 yuan, how could they be broke? You wouldn't be able to tell. Haha. This family likes to keep a low profile.
Let's drive back first. Don't say anything back in the county; someone will naturally report it and put pressure on us. Let's have lunch first. By afternoon, most people will have dispersed, and then we'll go over there with a big fanfare. "My dear, be careful when you take things. Your daughter said you saved up for months to send it to her, and we also gave her the share from her cousins. To protect her from being exposed, be careful with what you take."
The three people in the car laughed. Xiao Zhou was one of them, so there was nothing to be embarrassed about. Besides, he liked Zhang Guoqing and thought he was a good soldier. "Commander, Zhang Guoqing is a good soldier. I'm optimistic about this guy."
Lin Xinsheng shook his head. "He shouldn't plan to join the army. There are already many people in the family who have served. Our Jiaojiao has suffered for so many years, and her grandmother has ordered that he not join the army. If the couple comes to Beijing, it will be good for her to accompany her grandmother. If not, ask an old friend here to arrange a job for them and see what they say before making a decision. They are not ordinary people and probably have some ideas. I will ask them then. I only have a week to go to the Northeast Military Region. I will leave after I have made the arrangements. My daughter, are you just going to wait for the child's father to come back or something?"
"Dad, I'm not going back so soon. It'll take at least a month to recuperate after the baby is born. I can't wait here any longer. I want to go pick up his dad myself and come here together. No matter what his father is like, he's come back after more than ten years and he should definitely visit his parents."
"Okay, you decide. The most important thing is that the child cannot be ruined. You only have this one child, so you have to make good arrangements for him."
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