Ping'an was flipping through the book, looking at the alarm clock from time to time. When the hour hand, minute hand and second hand all reached twelve o'clock, he immediately stood up, put the book in place, and walked out of the living room with his little legs.
Seeing this, Lin Lishan advised: "Wait inside. They didn't come back so quickly in the past."
Ping An listened to the footsteps, turned around and smiled, "My parents said they would be back before 12:30. They never lie to me."
"Then it's not time yet." Lin Lishan stood up and followed him.
Ping An was reluctant to speak. Don't think he was young; he knew his parents always agreed to things in advance, didn't they? He still wanted to meet them at the door.
Sure enough, before Ping'an reached the gate, Zhang Guoqing and Zhou Jiao came in one after another. When they saw their son, they immediately stepped forward and picked him up.
Ping An raised his chin proudly and smiled at his grandma.
Lin Lishan smiled and shook her head, then smiled at Zhang Guoqing and his wife and said, "Ping An said it was time for you to come back, and he guessed it right. The child misses you and keeps checking the time."
Zhang Guoqing hugged his son tightly with heartache...it seems that he spends too little time with his children.
"Do you want to go to school with Dad?" Even though the child would not agree, he still couldn't help asking.
"No. I can see my parents every two days, and I also need to accompany my grandparents. They say it's lonely without me at home."
"I also have to accompany my great-grandmother and help my aunt take care of the children. I'm so busy."
Lin Lishan laughed happily, "Our Ping'an can massage grandma's back, chat with her, and even go shopping with her. Grandma is so worried when you are not at home."
"My son is so capable! It's incredible. Well, Daddy will give you a reward. If you have any wishes, just tell me and I will definitely satisfy you."
Ping An frowned and thought hard.
Food? His mom hid a lot of stuff in the box, and he hasn't finished eating yet. Toys? He has everything the other kids have, and he has everything others don't have.
Zhou Jiao smoothed her son's frown and said with a smile, "Okay, don't think about it. Mom and Dad will play with you today. Think about it when you have time. Write it down on paper. We will take it one by one."
Zhou Jiao breathed a sigh of relief when she saw her son nodding cheerfully. If the child really made a request and the two of them couldn't fulfill it, it would hurt him so much.
She didn't want to miss out on spending time with her child, or break her promise and disappoint the child.
Zhang Guoqing then said, "You can also write a note and post it in Mom and Dad's room. We didn't see you when we came back, but now we know we're safe and sound."
"I know, just leave a note."
"Yes, my son is really smart."
Lin Lishan watched them chatting and reminded them, "You're starving. Eat first."
Speaking of eating, the little snitch finally got his chance.
Sitting on Zhang Guoqing's lap and eating the meat in his mouth, he stared at Lin Lishan and Aunt Chen walking back and forth.
Finally, the two of them left to do their own things.
Ping'an saw this and began to whisper, "Aunt Chen brought two bowls of this to great-grandmother. Grandma saw this and took a bowl of this and ran away. Great-grandmother gave her the fish in return, and grandma came back with an empty plate."
Ever since he started poking his head in, Zhang Guoqing hadn't dared to put anything in his mouth, lest he choke. Now, seeing him with his chubby little hands tapping on the dishes on the table, trying to hold his breath, it was hilarious. He secretly sighed at how lucky he was to have foresight.
Zhou Jiao didn't say anything about adults' affairs, saying, "Don't interfere with children." It's good to let children observe their surroundings, as long as they don't interfere and stop others from spreading the news.
"Grandma told me that great-grandfather loved to eat this the most. Mom, when you and Dad were not at home, that great-grandfather always came to our house with Great-Grandfather Cheng. He said he loved me, but he didn't even give me a piece of candy."
Zhou Jiao said softly, "Mom knows. Just watch and don't let anyone see what you're thinking."
Ping An blinked and nodded.
Throughout the afternoon, the couple told their child stories, took him to nap time, and played games, trying their best to make the child happy.
In order to continue the child's laughter, the two did not return to school that night. The three of them squeezed together, with the child lying in the middle, listening to the child's childish talk.
Waking up in the early morning, Zhou Jiao touched her son's smiling face as he slept soundly, and reluctantly followed Zhang Guoqing away. The more sensible the child became, the more guilty she felt.
Yesterday, Old Lady Cheng had urged her to have more children while she was still young, but Zhou Jiao was unwilling to do so. Giving birth without raising them, raising them without educating them, was probably better off not having any children at all.
She just smiled at the time, but she had a plan in mind. She would wait at least two years until Ping'an grew up, and then she would give birth to another boy.
It was too early. Zhou Jiao worried that the family's attention would shift to the newborn, which would make Ping An feel lost. She had experienced that kind of overwhelming disappointment before and was determined not to let her son follow in that footsteps.
As for children, the couple agreed that having a second child would be enough. If it weren't for his father-in-law and the desire to have a child to inherit the Zhou surname, Zhang Guoqing wouldn't have wanted Zhou Jiao to take the risk of having another child.
Having many sons isn't necessarily a blessing; raising them well is key. One Ping An already fulfills all his expectations for a child; having more would simply take away from their personal space.
He neither wants nor desires it.
Zhang Guoqing was quite satisfied with his mother-in-law. Compared with the one in his previous life, this one was simply the perfect mother-in-law. But the only thing that made him dissatisfied was... why didn't she give birth to a brother-in-law?
Even if he had to raise the child himself, he would be willing to do so.
He admitted that he was selfish, but when it came to Zhou Jiao, he would rather be selfish. He couldn't afford to lose his wife. Without Zhou Jiao, what was the point of living for him?
With this idea in mind, Zhang Guoqing has been calculating the time and paying close attention to the current situation.
In order to get some information in advance, he approached Yang Qun, hoping to get a more accurate understanding of the authoritative obstetrician and gynecologist's true qualities.
Zhang Guoqing didn't mention this obscure thought to Zhou Jiao, fearing it would put pressure on her. After hearing Zhou Jiao say they'd talk about it after graduation, his eyes flickered, wondering if he would be severely punished if he went against his wife's wishes.
I don’t know where Zhang Guoqing got the confidence that the second child will definitely be a son?
Walking on the road leading to the school, the sky was just getting light, and members of the cooperative were already seen doing farm work in the wasteland outside the city. They were all pale and thin, with runny noses due to the cold, and barefoot children were helping them.
This scene made him determined not to have more children.
With a "slap", a thin little girl was slapped and fell to the ground.
"I asked you to take care of your younger brother, where are you going? You're just a spendthrift who only eats and doesn't work..." A thin woman cursed while pinching the child who fell to the ground.
Zhang Guoqing stopped, hesitating whether to step forward and intervene. Sometimes good intentions can backfire; after he helped and left, the adults might take their anger out on the children.
Zhou Jiao pulled him and said, "Let's go."
This scene brought back unpleasant memories for her. Zhou Jiao's face was gloomy, and she pursed her lips tightly as she walked quickly forward.
Once upon a time, this kind of treatment often happened to her in her childhood. The only difference was that she would resist and struggle. This was a common tactic used by her mother in her previous life.
Therefore, she always had a special feeling for her mother, Lin Lishan. Even when Ping An found out that her mother had secretly given money to Mr. Lin many times, she turned a blind eye.
As Zhou Jiao walked, she tried to think about her father Zhou Xiaozheng. Thinking about how her father asked her to put on more clothes before going out and stood at the gate watching her leave, she gradually smiled.
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