The next morning, when the bugle sounded, Zhang Guoqing got up and put on his clothes when he saw Zhou Jiao getting up too. "Sleep a little longer, it's still early."
"No, don't go running today. Walk with Dad in the courtyard."
"Okay. Let me see if the three little guys next door are awake."
In the study, Xizi immediately stood up when he saw him come in, pointing at Ziwen and Ping'an, "Should we call them?"
Zhang Guoqing stroked his short hair and said with a smile, "Let them sleep. Even calling Ping An now won't wake him up. He'll come out on his own when the time comes."
"Uncle, this place is really big. I drove for a long time yesterday."
Zhang Guoqing picked up the clothes and threw them to him. "This is just the beginning. This time, your uncle will take you for a good tour. If you need anything here, ask your aunt for it."
After instructing the children, he left the room and found that everyone had gotten up. Even his mother-in-law, who always got up late, was in the kitchen with his mother and the others.
Seeing the two fathers walking out of the yard together, Zhang Guoqing hurried to follow.
As the sky brightened, not long after everyone had breakfasted, Mrs. Cheng came over with her grandson Cheng Jingbo, smiling broadly.
"Did you sleep well last night? If there's anything wrong, ask Jiaojiao to change it."
Mother Zhang smiled and shook her head. "Very good. Why don't you get more sleep?"
"I'll go shopping with you today. Xiaozheng, don't worry about going to work. Auntie is at home."
Zhou Xiaozheng nodded and said, "I have a meeting in the morning. I will come to see you in the afternoon."
Father Zhang quickly refused, "Business is more important. Go and do your own thing, don't miss the official business."
"That's fine." Zhou Xiaozheng looked at his son-in-law. "I'll take everyone to the roast duck restaurant we met at last time. We'll meet there at noon."
Zhang Guoqing laughed and said, "Dad, you should just eat the steamed buns. We can eat wherever it's convenient for us to go. It's too much trouble to run back."
Old Mrs. Cheng smiled and said, "Xiao Wu is right. Go take care of your own business first. We are all family, there is no need to be polite. Auntie will bring you roast duck."
Zhou Xiaozheng was at a loss for words, as if he was greedy. Seeing that everyone agreed, he could only nod helplessly.
For two consecutive days, Old Lady Cheng took Zhang's mother and others to visit all the major tourist attractions in Beijing, allowing the old couple and Xizi and others to see enough novelties.
On the third day, Zhang Dad saw that the old lady was very tired and didn't want her to go out and suffer any more. He used the excuse that he wanted to rest first to relax.
The next day, Zhang Guoqing saw him staying in the compound with nowhere to go. After a brief discussion, the couple decided to take them to the theater for tea. An intense wandering around clearly wasn't suitable for Zhang's father and his family.
Next, the couple accompanied their parents-in-law to stroll around the alleys and listen to plays. However, since Xizi and his friends had a few friends from the Cheng family, they stayed in the compound and no longer wanted to go out.
The days passed quietly, and in the blink of an eye, Mr. and Mrs. Zhang had been here for a week.
After dinner that day, Zhou Xiaozheng sat in the living room with Zhang Dad and his family, chatting. He didn't want to hear his in-laws talking about returning home.
"Second brother, you've only been here a few days. Is it inconvenient to go in and out of the compound? How about letting Xiaowu and Jiaojiao take you to stay in the courtyard for a while?"
Father Zhang smiled and shook his head. "It's so safe here, what's the inconvenience? I've seen the most lively places in the capital and tasted all the delicious food. Xiaowu and the others are living well here, and I feel at ease. Now I miss home a little, and I don't know how they are doing."
"It's a rare opportunity to come here, so stay a while. Shanshan, you can go shopping with your second sister-in-law these days. Let's find some time to visit the school."
Zhang's mother heard this and shook her head. "Forget it, there are people everywhere. Don't ask for leave all the time, it's not good for you. Let's stay a few more days. It's time to go to Xiaowu's school. We are familiar with the route now, so we don't have to worry about not having time to come over later."
Seeing Zhou Xiaozheng trying to persuade him, Father Zhang said with a smile, "We've been friends for a long time, why should I be polite to you? Before I came to the capital, I looked forward to coming here every day, but after a tour, I realized that my hometown is still the best."
"What the kid's father said is true. None of the attractions here can compare to our provincial capital. That mountain, I don't think it's even as high as the slope. They talk about that lake so much, but we can see it everywhere in our hometown. I think the capital is just a name."
Zhou Xiaozheng and others laughed out loud at what she said.
Lin Lishan advised: "Sister, please stay a little longer. I happen to be on a business trip to the south. Let's go together. The scenery over there is quite nice."
Zhang's mother was so frightened that her face turned pale. "Big sister, you can't go to the south. We heard a lot of rumors on the way here. Those places are all gone. You didn't even stutter when you went there. Can you please not go on business trips?"
"That's not so exaggerated. Okay, I won't go. Don't worry, big sister, I'll go to a big city, not the countryside."
When Zhang's mother heard her say this, her expression finally eased a lot.
"It's never wrong to be careful. You have to listen to Brother Zhou and stay out of the way. I heard at the theater earlier that there was a typhoon on the coast a while ago, and hundreds of people were missing."
Zhou Jiao had been traveling to many places with Zhang's mother recently. Seeing her mother's skepticism, she nodded. In fact, it wasn't just the typhoon; the north was experiencing drought, and many parts of the south were flooding. The situation was already very bad.
Alas... this year is another year of poor harvest.
Zhang Guoqing didn't want these things to affect his family's mood, so he quickly changed the subject.
A few days later, Zhang's father and his friends accompanied Zhang Guoqing and his wife to visit the university campus. When they learned that their eldest son was about to start school, they were so eager to go home that they didn't want to stay any longer.
When Zhang Laoer's letter arrived, asking when his parents would be back and when he would go to the provincial capital to pick them up, Zhang's father quickly asked his eldest son to book a ticket. Could he say that he felt more at home?
Zhou Jiao was attentive and knew that her parents-in-law were not only homesick but also unaccustomed to living in the courtyard because they were about to start school. With this in mind, she took them to the courtyard the next day.
"Dad, I've cleaned up everything here. The aunt who opened the door just now has a husband who works for my dad and is staying at home. Do you think there's anything else that needs to be fixed?"
Zhang Dad listened to his daughter-in-law's gentle words and smiled, "Silly child. Do you think Dad is tired of living in the compound and wants to go home? You think too much. I saw so many people crowding the train to the north along the way. Dad is worried that some people will run to our village."
After saying that, Father Zhang touched the furniture and said, "It's not too late for your father and mother to come over. You should pack up all these things and don't let them get wasted here."
"Jiaojiao, you and Xiaowu must not move out if you can live in the compound. Ping'an is safe there, and the food in the nursery is good. Others can't even beg for it. Remember that, right?"
Zhou Jiao laughed after hearing what Zhang's mother said.
"What are you laughing at? I've been here for quite a while and I can see it clearly. No matter how beautiful your life is here, it's useless. You have to queue up to buy food and go shopping. In the compound, you don't have to worry about anything. Don't make a fool of yourself for us."
"Don't worry, Mom. I'll take Jiaojiao and stay at my father-in-law's house."
Seeing her son's disrespectful remarks, Zhang's mother angrily slapped him, "Don't be so playful. I've lived for most of my life, and I don't know anything. If my grandson stays in the compound all the time, what good will his future be like?"
Father Zhang nodded in agreement. "Be filial to your father-in-law. Without him, it would be useless even if you got into university. I feel relieved after coming here to see him. Don't worry, we're at home. Your second brother is making progress, and no one can let you and your parents suffer. Don't send money back in the future. Keep more of it with you and don't let yourself suffer."
"And Jiaojiao, don't send any packages. Mom and Dad have enough clothes. Read more when you have time, don't knit. If we need anything, ask your eldest sister to write to you."
Zhou Jiao nodded with emotion. How could she not be considerate of the old man who was thinking about her?
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