This incident served as a warning to Zhou Xiaozheng. To avoid any school activities during the summer vacation, he prepared everything early, intending to take the children to the beach as soon as the time came.
As for whether his son-in-law would plan to return home, Zhou Xiaozheng was not worried at all. The boy's weakness was his wife and son. As long as he placed the fair and tender little guy in front of his son-in-law, would he be at ease?
Zhang Guoqing was unaware of his father-in-law's plan. He had just received a letter from his parents and family, and was happily reading it with Zhou Jiao in his dormitory.
"Second brother should be very happy this time."
Zhang Guoqing said disdainfully, "Old antique. What's wrong with having a daughter? When this son is born, his burden will be even heavier."
"It's always good to have many children and grandchildren."
Zhang Guoqing quickly said, "Don't be silly. Giving birth now is dangerous and there's no cure. You have to take good care of yourself before having a child. We can only have one more child at most."
Zhou Jiao smiled and nodded. Seeing that he looked relaxed, she said, "Let's talk about our parents' arrangements first."
Zhang Guoqing flicked the letter and sighed, "The palms and backs of the hands are all flesh. Lin Juhua has given birth to a son, which is like tying his parents' feet."
Looking at Zhou Jiao's smiling face, he said with emotion: "You guessed it right after all."
"This is a very normal thing. Lin Juhua has to go back to work after her confinement, and my second brother can't let his mother-in-law take care of the child. So what should I do?
My parents are the kind of people who only care about pleasure. They are also worried that their two daughters-in-law have unreliable families. What if their grandchildren go hungry? And my second sister is about to give birth. So, I can’t leave even if I want to.
Seeing her acting as if it was a matter of course, Zhang Guoqing smiled and said, "Then why are you cleaning the room? Aren't you exhausted?"
"Then you don't understand. There are always contingencies. Whether they come or not, we must always be prepared."
"I'll go back when Mom and Dad are on holiday. You and your mother don't have to go this time. There's really nothing to arrange. We've done our best by providing food and necessities. It wouldn't be appropriate for you to come and live in the compound for a long time."
Wouldn't Zhou Jiao have thought of this question? She rolled her eyes at Zhang Guoqing.
"I know you've prepared a room in the courtyard, but that won't do! That place is even less suitable for permanent residence. I'm a peasant, and I'm timid."
Zhou Jiao laughed dumbly. Was she just doing it as a precaution? She hadn't planned on living outside the compound with her family. She was even more timid. Besides, how could she bear to leave her father?
At this point, the couple understood that Zhang's father and mother had probably thought of this as well, especially when it came to food rations. With their personalities, it was possible for them to come and play for a month or so, but it was absolutely impossible for them to stay in the capital for a long time.
What can we do?
"Forget it, let's take it one step at a time before this kid turns one year old. What do you think about this kid following his brother Zhang Minghao and marrying Zhang Mingtao?"
Zhou Jiao looked at him speechlessly. Zhang Laoer and his wife wrote to him so solemnly just to ask him to choose a good name. How could they be so casual?
Zhang Guoqing touched his chin and chuckled, "My hometown is experiencing drought this year, so I'll have this little guy bring more water. He'll make the old captain happy by adding it to the family tree."
"It's up to you." Zhou Jiao felt depressed when she thought of the drought that Zhang Laoer specifically mentioned.
Although Zhang Laoer said in his letter that the village had reclaimed more mountain land and planted many fruits and vegetables, one could imagine how little harvest could be achieved without water.
The couple was discussing their hometown here, and at this moment, the old team leader of the Zhangjia Village production team looked at the bag on the table with a happy face and patted Zhang Dad on the shoulder.
Several people in the office looked at the two of them excitedly, waiting for the old captain to give orders.
Seeing this, the old captain smiled cheerfully. "Remember to tell Xiaowu in your letter that the hundreds of people in the Zhang family are grateful to him. We'll have seeds soon, and we'll plant even the smallest corners and cracks in the village. I don't believe we can't defeat nature. This kid is great. Every nearby team is grateful to him. He's so meticulous in marking the water sources on the mountain."
Father Zhang smiled modestly, but was deeply moved. His son had truly brought honor to the Zhang family. His father probably hadn't anticipated how capable his grandson would be.
Ever since receiving Zhang Guoqing's map after the Qingming Festival, Zhang's father has been both distressed and excited. His son, even from so far away, still misses his hometown. He's truly his own son, so loyal.
Now even the pond in front of the shack has dried up. Even Mr. Wang admires the three water sources he drew. It can be seen how much thought the eldest son put into it. No wonder he took his wife up the mountain with him. It seems that the young couple had planned it long ago.
Now there's a bag full of all kinds of seeds. Father Zhang is happy for the tribe, but he doesn't know how many favors his son has wasted. From the beginning of spring until now, he's been sending packages non-stop for ten days and a half months, and he doesn't know if the money he has is enough.
"We're all family, so what he did is nothing. Uncle San, when you have time, have someone try to use bamboo tubes to draw water. Carrying water like this all the time is not a solution."
The old captain shook his head and sighed, "The team still needs to look after the young, and there aren't enough people. It's okay to be tired, but in a month or so when the weather gets cold, everything will freeze and it's useless."
After saying that, the old captain winked at Zhang Dad.
Zhang's father understood immediately, knowing that the old captain had kept the land in the dense forest as a retreat. His son had long suspected there was a hot spring there, but unfortunately he had never found it.
After resolving the issues in the village, Father Zhang did not stay in the village for long. He chatted with his elder brother and younger brothers for a while and then returned to the county town.
Before I even reached the door of my house, I saw my wife chatting with the neighbor next door. When she saw me, she raised the letter in her hand and waved it.
Aunt Wang saw this and said with a smile, "Brother, Xiaowu is urging you to go to the capital again. You two really don't know how to appreciate your blessings. You haven't even visited your old son yet."
Father Zhang laughed heartily. "The second son's family just gave us a grandson, so we can't leave for a while. Why don't you guys come inside and chat?"
Huang Juan shook her hand and said with a smile, "We'll be preparing dinner soon. Big sister, you two should have a good chat. If there's anything you don't understand, I'll help you."
Mother Zhang smiled and shook her head. "Thank you, sister. I'm so blind but I'm lucky to have you."
Everyone dispersed, and Zhang Dad followed his wife into the living room, complaining, "Why let outsiders read the letter? What if Xiaowu said something? Wouldn't everyone know?"
Mother Zhang glared at him. "Don't you know my own son? I memorize every letter he writes. Jiaojiao writes anything important. I knew it was Xiaowu's handwriting the moment I saw it, so I contacted an outsider."
Father Zhang was speechless, pointed at his wife, and then burst into laughter. "What a promising young man!" he asked. "He's getting older and more like a regressive person, and he's still showing off like a child."
Seeing her thoughts exposed by her husband, Zhang's mother awkwardly smoothed her hair, turned around and walked out, saying to him, "Dad, I'm going to the second son's house first. We'll have dinner there tonight."
"Walk slower." After saying this, Father Zhang's wife disappeared and he shook his head and laughed.
Zhang's mother closed the door and hurried to Zhang Guoqiang's house. She heard noises in the kitchen and saw Lin Juhua working inside.
"Kid, didn't I tell you to lie down more and get better?"
Lin Juhua smiled and said, "Mom, I'm almost a month old, and I still want you to serve me? It's because our family is so lucky. Who else is as lucky as me?"
Mother Zhang glared at her, then laughed, "You kids are so silly. Jiaojiao couldn't sit still, and neither could you. We women have a hard life; giving birth takes half our lives. We didn't have the means before, but now that life is better, we should make up for the losses we suffered so that we won't have back pain when we get older."
Lin Juhua nodded gratefully. She had truly found happiness, just as her family had said. Her in-laws were sensible and kind, and her husband was a caring family man. She had nothing to worry about.
After listening to her husband's words, Zhang's mother pondered over this second daughter-in-law and became more and more satisfied. This child really has good taste. She can't be compared with her own Jiaojiao. Yes, she can't be compared with her younger daughter-in-law.
"Mom, what do you think I should do since Jiaojiao sent so many things? How should I respond?"
Zhang's mother laughed heartily. "Why return a gift? Didn't you see she's already prepared quite a bit for Meihao? She can give you a bigger gift when things get better. Now, don't hesitate to accept it on behalf of the child."
Despite this, Zhang's mother was very satisfied with her attitude. She was grateful. Speaking of her daughter-in-law, she was so angry. How could she not keep things to herself after teaching her for so long? Fortunately, the child was smart and knew to send the things to her.
Thinking of this, Zhang's mother decided to ask her eldest daughter to write a letter, but she had to keep the secret well and not let it leak.
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