Watching her mother leave, Zhou Jiao took the opportunity to take out the small wooden box from the cabinet to show her mother.
Lin Lishan took a cloth bag and took out something as big as a shoe box and handed it to Zhou Jiao.
Zhou Jiao discovered that everyone liked to use boxes to store things, and she had a lot of boxes on her hands. "Mom, don't be anxious, look at what Dad gave me."
"It's quite a lot, but what's the use? Can these things make up for the suffering you've endured? Our family doesn't lack these. When you go back to the capital, I've prepared a lot of dowry for you and stored it with your grandmother."
"Really? Can't you just pretend to be happy? This is dad's love for me. I wonder if that house in Shanghai is still there after being unoccupied for several years? You can ask him later. It's a pity that I can't go because I'm in confinement. Otherwise, I would go and take a look. I don't know what it is like. Are there any clothes or gifts for me in there? Mom, are you jealous that my dad is thinking about me and missing you? Haha, by the way, mom, my dad hasn't found a woman in the past few years, right? Otherwise, I wouldn't recognize him. Give his things back to him. This time, you go back with this thing and tell her if there are any women or illegitimate children. If there are, take them back."
"Haha, I will pass on the message. Just put the things away. Even if there are those messy things, this thing is yours once it's given to you. Besides, your uncle is with your father. They have a good relationship. This will not happen. I haven't even looked for anyone, how can he be so unfair to me if he did?" Lin Lishan said confidently.
Zhou Jiao touched her head speechlessly, "Oh my god, these things must be clarified. Who knows if such a person will appear in the future? You have to know that I am a daughter. They all favor boys over girls. Can you trust a man's words? Even my dad can't be trusted completely. Oh, when my dad comes back, you should hurry up and give birth to a son. Otherwise, what if something goes wrong?"
Lin Lishan slapped her silly daughter's hand away: "Okay, don't think about it. You already have a gift, so why wouldn't I have one? I wasn't so sure before, but now I'm sure it must be from him. I'll open the box like you guys when I get home."
Zhou Jiao stuck out her tongue awkwardly. Wasn't he worried? 17 years? What vows wouldn't last? They'd only been married for two years, and she wasn't confident her father could keep his promise. But luckily, her uncle was there to provide some insurance.
Lin Lishan knew she was embarrassed by her expression, but it was still good for her daughter, because only her daughter was worried about her. She would definitely talk to her father about it later.
"Open the box and take a look. There are a lot of things inside. This is the marriage certificate I asked your aunt to get. It's necessary. Without a marriage certificate, there is no guarantee. It's just a hooligan."
Zhou Jiao laughed heartily. The marriage certificate looked more like a certificate of honor: At the top were the five-star Chinese flag and the national flag, and at the bottom were two large red "囍" characters, surrounded by a beautiful pattern of peonies, pomegranates, white doves, and rice ears, symbolizing auspiciousness, joy, and happiness. In the center were Zhou Jiao and Zhang Guoqing's names, gender, and age, along with the fact that they had voluntarily married and had passed the examination in accordance with the provisions of the Marriage Law of the People's Republic of China regarding marriage. There was also a watermark with the words "Unity and Friendship," but no photo or anything.
"This title deed should be considered the old house of your grandmother's maternal family, the Huang family. Your grandmother gave your father an old title deed, and I'm not sure if it can be taken back. I said this to your father and asked my husband and I to give it a try. If we get it, it will be ours, and the rest of the Zhou family's will go to the old family.
It's a small courtyard house with two entrances. When you were born, your father changed your household registration to your name. Your grandfather and the others all know about this, but I've obtained a receipt proving the original purchase price. It's considered a repurchase, just to prevent future misunderstandings.
We're ready to be transferred anytime, and your dad will transfer your household registration here. This yard is in a great location. It just so happened to have been rented to the Women's Federation since 1950. Your aunt-in-law works for the Women's Federation, and she saw the yard was empty and needed someone to take care of it, so she let me rent it out. She paid 50 yuan a month, and we rented both entrances to the Women's Federation. They agreed to take it back when you came of age, and we've already signed the contract. It's up to you whether to renew the contract or take it back.
"When he turns 18, we'll talk about it later. I'll talk to my aunt-in-law and see what she thinks. If there are any difficulties, we'll talk." Zhou Jiao didn't care about these things. As long as the house was safe and belonged to her, who knew if it would be confiscated during the "Four Olds" campaign if she lived there privately.
"Okay, you decide for yourself. This large courtyard with five entrances was exchanged by your father and me with the old Zhou family house. The original old house became a ruin, without the title deed, it was confiscated and the courtyard was built. We found someone to prove that it was the Zhou family's property that was exchanged for a courtyard with five entrances of the same size, at the foot of the imperial city. This is under my name and others can't find it. It's not safe to put it all in your name. But you keep the house deeds. Now except for the last entrance where your large dowry is placed, the rest are empty. I asked your grandmother to take care of it, saying that your father had arranged for it to be registered in my name. Do you think I got my revenge by mailing those things?" Lin Lishan glanced at her complacently.
Zhou Jiao looked at the property title worriedly, "Mom, isn't this five-courtyard quadrangle too ambitious? Does Grandpa know? What would he say? My family, mother and daughter, only have one each. Will people think we're landlords and capitalists?"
"Your grandfather knows. As long as it's not illegal, he won't be angry. That old house doesn't belong to your grandfather. I heard that it belonged to the main wife, and everyone has passed away. Otherwise, do you think your grandfather will let it go just because your grandmother has produced the house deed? As for your worry, it's in vain. You don't know that we children have aliases and can use them. Just look at the name and you will know. Now Lin Lishan is open to the public, so your mother and I don't have it in our name."
"You can do it this way. You high-ranking officials are so powerful. Do those big shots know about it?" Zhou Jiao said in surprise.
Lin Lishan knocked on her head. "What do you mean by high-ranking officials? Aren't you the child of a high-ranking official? Haha. Don't worry. Even if someone reports it in the future, it won't involve us. It's been too long, and the people who handled it are dead. Your father knows about this house. He was the one who handled it. Don't worry. Your father has a high IQ, even smarter than you. He was the one who asked me to find that person to handle it."
"Then I feel relieved. Since grandpa and my dad know about it, it's safe." Zhou Jiao put away the notebook.
"Well, don't worry, your mother has laid a solid foundation. Your grandmother is a good friend of that wife and knows a lot about what's going on."
Zhou Jiao was stunned when she saw her mother pointing at the roof. Was she seeing it right? Was she understanding it wrong?
"You're stupid. You forgot that your grandpa was a serviceman. There's nothing surprising about it. It was he who gave your dad the order for this mission. Otherwise, your grandpa wouldn't have known about it in 2017, and your dad often saw him. Your grandma is amazing. Go back and see her and ask her to take you for a ride so you can get to know everyone. We've all seen people like her." Lin Lishan looked at her with contempt. She was really useless.
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