In the west wing of the Zhang family compound, Zhang Meili and her sister listened to their second sister-in-law's description with their mouths wide open, repeatedly regretting that they hadn't seen it with their own eyes, which made everyone laugh. However, who wants to encounter these things?
After seeing that the baby was safe and sound, everyone let Jiaojiao rest and take good care of herself after the baby's birth. Mother Zhang took everyone to sit in the main hall. There was nothing much to clean at home. The Zhang family was very hardworking. Their family did not raise chickens in the front yard like some families did, with chicken droppings all over the ground, leaving no place to stand.
After a while, Zhang's father came back with roe deer meat and handed it to Zhang's mother. "Mom, this is from my eldest brother's family. We just caught it yesterday. Please clean up what else we have at home. We have to prepare for the guests to come tonight. And clean up my daughter's room as well. Let the guests stay at home instead of going to the guesthouse."
Zhang's mother picked up the meat and looked at it. It was quite a lot, about ten pounds. "Sister-in-law, you're just being polite. This is quite a lot. Tomorrow is Xiao Ping'an's third day of mourning, and I've prepared some dishes for dinner. There are also some pheasants and rabbits that Xiao Wu shot earlier. I've dried them and will stew them with mushrooms tonight. With this meat, there will be enough meat and vegetables. I can also make two bowls of rice, and it will be enough for Chinese New Year."
"Okay, that's it. You and your daughter-in-law cook something for the two sons-in-law. Let's go. The old man has come a long way and asked for leave. He will come again tomorrow, so it's better to go back early so that he can rest early."
Zhang Chunming and Chen Xiaobin both shook their heads and refused. "No, we came here after having lunch. We asked for leave together with my brother-in-law and the others after hearing about it in the cafeteria. We can't eat much now, and we're not used to being served neither too early nor too late."
After hearing this, Zhang's mother let it go. This son-in-law came every few days and they were very familiar with each other, so there was no need to be so polite. However, she still made two bowls of malted milk for the two of them. As for the two daughters, there was no need to do so. If they wanted to drink, they could pour it themselves.
"Drink some water first, so you won't be thirsty when you ride the bike and carry someone later. Or let Meili go to pick up the child, and you two can have dinner here, so you don't have to go back and forth tomorrow." Zhang's mother thought about it and advised.
Zhang Chunming shook his head. "We still have to go back. Xiaobin's father is still worried about what happened at home and is waiting for us to go back and report it. Besides, we didn't bring some things with us. We have guests coming, and we need to know if there is enough room for a few people. We should go back. It's not far from the county town, so we should go there early tomorrow morning."
Father Zhang only asked Xiaobin to go back and thank his in-laws on his behalf, and remember to come home for a drink when he had time. After chatting with his two sons-in-law for a while, he hurriedly urged his daughter and sons-in-law to go back early. He even took two pieces of bacon and put them in the basket of the car, waved his hand and closed the door without waiting for them to refuse.
Zhang Guoqing paced slowly. The small living room outside the west wing was empty. The sewing machine had been put away. It seemed that his second sister-in-law's clothes were finished. The children were no longer in their rooms. The room was clean and tidy. He gently pushed open the inner room and looked in. Jiaojiao was sleeping with her son. He didn't bother to disturb them. He just smiled at them from a distance for a moment, then returned to the small living room and lay down to rest.
He was dozing in the cubicle for less than half an hour when he was awakened by some noises. He listened carefully and heard a knock on the door in the yard. He jumped up from the couch and went back to the inner room to see that Jiaojiao was still asleep. He didn't wake her up, but hurried out of the room, put on his clothes, and quickly came to the front door. He just happened to hear someone knocking on the door. In the countryside, the doors are usually closed but not locked. Zhang Guoqing opened the door and saw a row of soldiers in uniform, including Grandpa Lin and his mother-in-law. He hurried to greet them and said with a smile, "Grandpa and Mom, right? I'm Zhang Guoqing, Jiaojiao's lover. You come in first. My parents are so happy to know you're coming."
After that, he greeted them and shouted, "Dad and Mom, there are guests coming."
People in the main hall gradually came out. Father Zhang hurried to greet them, his wrinkles smoothed out by his smile. He secretly rubbed his hands against his thighs and nervously shouted, "General, you're here. I'm Zhang Dayou, Guoqing's father. Please come up to the room and have a seat. Mother, take my in-laws to the west wing to see Jiaojiao."
"Why call me General? I'm Jiaojiao's grandpa, a generation older than you. You can just call me Uncle Lin. If it weren't for the difference in seniority, we could just be brothers." Lin Xinsheng looked like he was taking advantage.
The corner of Zhang Guoqing's mouth twitched. Father Zhang had aged due to the hardship of life, and Old Man Lin looked about the same age due to his long-term care.
After hearing what Lin Xinsheng said, Zhang Dad was no longer as nervous as before. He said happily, "You are not respecting the seniority, so I dare not call you brother. We grew up listening to your stories. Come in quickly."
Zhang Guoqing interrupted them, "Mom, you and my mother-in-law go to the main room. I'll wrap Jiaojiao in a quilt and go up there too, so Grandpa can chat with Jiaojiao too."
Xiao Zhou stepped forward and followed him, "Guoqing, where are the things your grandpa and the others brought? Hurry and move in now while there are no outsiders around. Don't look after me. Ask your two brothers to help too."
Zhang Guoqing looked at him and said with a smile, "Let's put it in the small living room first. The main room is crowded with people coming and going." Then he called his two brothers to help with the things. He went into the inner room of the west wing, asked Zhou Jiao, who had been woken up, to put on her coat and hold Ping An. He wrapped him in a quilt and carried him to the main room like a princess.
"Hubby, I finally feel your divine power now. You are really strong."
Zhang Guoqing said worriedly: "Jiaojiao, wait a minute, don't be surprised when you see grandpa. Grandpa looks a lot like our old man."
After entering the main room and putting the person on the kang, Lin Lishan had been eagerly looking forward to seeing her daughter since she entered the yard. When she finally saw her, tears kept flowing. Looking at the face that was about 60% similar to her mother's, with big eyes and eyebrows like her husband's, Lin Lishan wiped her face vigorously with her hands, hesitant and not daring to go forward, just staring, with no one else in her eyes.
Lin Xinsheng already knew his daughter's temperament, so he stepped forward to take the child, clumsily. Zhang Guoqing stood by Old Man Lin, afraid that his son would wake up and cry, so he kept an eye on him the whole time.
"Okay, stop hanging around me. I've given birth to four children and I still don't know how to hold a baby." Lin Xinsheng said unhappily when he saw his attitude.
This time, Lin Lishan took out her handkerchief and wiped her tears again. Mother Zhang, who was standing next to her, saw this and her eyes twitched. She anxiously pulled her hand and asked her to sit on the kang. These two mothers were really just looking at each other without saying a word.
Zhou Jiao didn't know how to start. Besides, she saw that she was crying non-stop. She hated it most when others looked like innocent girls with tears in their eyes. But this was her mother. Even if she was impatient, she had to control her temper. Looking at her mother's expression, if she spoke louder, she would probably die to apologize.
Zhou Jiao smiled at her, but couldn't bring herself to call her "Mom." The woman before her didn't look thirty years old. Naturally beautiful, she looked not much older than her previous life. Aside from being a bit thin and looking gaunt, she was well-maintained. She lived in a well-fed family. Besides her military uniform, her shoes, watch, and handbag were all made of fine materials, and she lived a comfortable life. Perhaps the only missing piece in her life was her husband's death. Her demeanor and demeanor remained as innocent as a young girl. She'd been able to remain single for 17 years; if it weren't for the Lin family's support, she'd likely have been schemed and wiped out long ago. Looking at her, Zhou Jiao truly believed her mother couldn't protect her. She was too straightforward. She could tell at a glance that she was a blessed woman. Protected by her parents during her youth, by her father after marriage, and by her parents again in her later years, she had a connection at work and no one was so unkind as to offend her.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
