After the banquet, Lin Juhua took the initiative to stop her mother-in-law from working and let the three in-laws chat. She wanted them to chat while working.
Seeing this, Zhang's mother smiled and nodded, protecting Liu and the third mother-in-law and going to the west room, while the men had already brought out stools and gathered in the yard to chat.
In the yard, Zhang Guoqing watched Zhou Jiao come out with a stack of bowls, and for a moment he was a little confused. In the past few years, his wife had only cooked a few dishes and hadn't done any of the rough work with Aunt Chen.
"Jiaojiao, Ping'an should take a bath."
Zhou Jiao glanced at him speechlessly. Did he really think everyone was a fool? She smiled and said, "Your son is having a great time, so he'll be fine later. Do you want to go to Uncle Dashan's place?"
Zhang Guoqing watched her walk away while talking, and quickly said, "I've been there before, they will come later."
"Okay, go ahead and do your thing."
Lin Juhua watched him leave happily and said to Zhou Jiao, "You should have a child. Ping An is too lonely. He is still with Xiao Liu now."
Zhou Jiao smiled but said nothing.
Seeing the kitchen, Lin Juhua came up to her and whispered, "Something's not right with my sister-in-law and her husband. Don't be surprised if she asks about something later."
Zhou Jiao laughed: "Second sister-in-law, are you really going to ask me if I noticed anything unusual when I went there today?"
"Oh, I told you you're smart. I have a lot of things I can't tell anyone else. Go to bed later tonight and I need to talk to you. I'm really dying of suffocation."
Zhou Jiao smiled and nodded.
After Lin Juhua made the appointment, she remembered something and said as they walked, "Your little sister is still in the provincial capital. Have you seen her?"
"I was in such a hurry to get back that I didn't go to her place. I'll contact her in a couple of days." Zhou Jiao knew she was talking about Zhao Yuanyuan. She didn't ask why she didn't come back for summer vacation. It would be strange if that bad boy Zhang Yuntao was willing to leave Wen Yuman to return to the county town.
"You little sister, there's nothing to say. Every time the young couple returns to the county town, they will come and sit with parents and talk about what you said in the letter to her."
"Friends who have grown up together are different after all." Zhou Jiao guessed that this was Zhang Yuntao's idea. Zhao Yuanyuan, with her carefree personality, wouldn't have considered such details. Simple things have their own luck, and Zhao Yuanyuan had found a treasure.
In the kitchen, Zhang Meili took the bowls from her two younger siblings and said, "You two should stay aside. Clean up here for me."
Zhou Jiao glanced at her second aunt who was busy fetching water nearby and said with a smile, "Isn't it said that a daughter-in-law shouldn't offend her elder and younger sisters-in-law? Big sister, please be kind and let us join in the fun."
"Who said that? It must be my sister-in-law who is the enemy. She ate it and took it away." Zhang Meihao said with a smile.
"That depends on whose family it is. Second sister, this is strenuous work and I won't get involved. Go slowly and be careful not to hurt your back. Is my little nephew still nursing?"
"Still eating. Come here, sister-in-law. You've been cooking for most of the day. Go and take a break."
"Why take a break? It's just such a small job. Do you still have to work the early shift tomorrow?"
Zhou Jiao squeezed in next to Zhang Meili and rinsed the dishes she had washed. After Huang Cuilan came back after wiping the table, the aunt and sister-in-law quickly cleaned up the kitchen.
As soon as the work was done, Lin Juhua, who loved gossip, quickly moved two benches to the door and said, "It's cool here, let's sit here for a while."
Zhang Meihao glanced at her elder sister and said with a smile, "You guys sit down first. I'll be back after I go see the kids."
After watching her leave, several people sat on the stools and listened to Lin Juhua chatting about the gossip of the neighbors.
Zhou Jiao sat there, watching the men gathered not far away, and swatted two more mosquitoes. She glanced at the three people chatting animatedly, and worried that the bench would tilt if she stood up, so she nudged Huang Cuilan beside her, motioning her to sit a little further in, and quietly left.
Ping An saw her come in the living room, his eyes lit up, and he ran over quickly with his legs, "Mom, I want to take a shower."
Xizi, standing aside, said with a smile, "Aunt, Ping'an is feeling a little sleepy."
Zhou Jiao smiled and said, "He usually takes a nap, but he's tired from playing today. You guys continue playing, I'll take him to take a bath first."
"Do you want my help?"
Ping An shook his head and said, "I can do it myself. Good night, brothers."
Zhou Jiao smiled, carried him back to the bedroom, and went straight into the side room. She found the thermos was full. If she guessed correctly, Zhang Guoqing must have prepared it in advance.
Zhou Jiao helped him wash and asked softly, "Are you happy?"
"It's okay."
Zhou Jiao paused, "What did someone say?"
"without."
"Are you worried about them eating so much today?"
Ping An chuckled. After a while, he said, "Mom, I'm not stingy! I know Grandma is happy that we're home. I was just thinking about going up the mountain."
Zhou Jiao now understood what he had heard at the dinner table. "Don't listen to the rumors. Wait for your dad to go up the mountain himself and see what's going on. Since your dad plans to bring you out for training, he'll definitely come up with a solution."
Ping'an's eyes lit up when he heard this and he nodded with a smile.
Seeing this, Zhou Jiao gently reminded him, "Besides hunting, Mommy has an assignment for you. During this time, pay more attention to the words and actions of the relatives here, and analyze them for me when you get back."
"Can Dad know?"
Zhou Jiao tapped his nose and said, "There are never any secrets between your father and me."
After the music ended and the crowd dispersed, Zhang Guoqing returned to his room. Zhou Jiao was already sleeping peacefully with her son in her arms. Worried that he would wake them up if he took a shower in the side room, he took some clean clothes and went to the yard.
In the yard, Father Zhang hadn't yet rested, seemingly anticipating his eldest son's arrival. Seeing him, he sent him scooping hot water from the pot. After waiting for a while, he figured the meeting was almost over. He paced back and forth in the yard, his long pipe in hand.
Zhang Guoqing checked the time and asked, "Dad, why aren't you resting yet? Are you worried about something?"
"Are you sleepy? If not, sit with dad for a while."
Zhang Guoqing quickly pulled a stool for him to sit down and said with a smile, "I slept enough in the car a long time ago. Now that there's no one around, it's a good time for us to chat."
Father Zhang gestured for him to sit down as well. "That's what I meant. During the day, there are so many people around, so some things can't be said openly. There are some things I can't let your mother know."
Zhang Guoqing consoled her, "You tell me. If there's anything you can't solve, I'm here for you."
Father Zhang smiled and said softly, "You should have figured it out. I'm worried about your eldest brother."
Hearing this, Zhang Guoqing's eyebrows twitched.
"I know what my own son is thinking the moment he sticks his butt out. He told me he's never thought about divorce, and I believe him. But he keeps not coming home, and the more I think about it, the more something seems wrong."
"Dad, my eldest brother thinks the fare is too expensive."
Father Zhang sighed and shook his head. "Did you see something? If you had gone to see your eldest brother normally, you would have come back and nagging your mother about the eldest son. But this time, you just mentioned a few words to change the subject. Especially when it comes to your eldest sister-in-law, you were so polite, it was so fake. I know exactly what I said about my three sons."
Zhang Guoqing's forehead broke out in a cold sweat after hearing this. His father had become a demon!
Thinking his father might be trying to trick him, Zhang Guoqing quickly regained his composure and said half-truthfully, "We didn't talk much, and I came back. I think everything is going well for my brother there. If I tell him too much, my mother will worry."
"Good? Of course he's good. I've been there several times, and he always wears a white shirt. I think your brother has learned to dress up. It's not a good thing for a woman to suddenly change her style and dress up in a flashy way. Conversely, it's not a good thing for a man to start being particular about things either."
Zhang Guoqing laughed and said, "Dad, that's the environment he lives in. His colleagues and classmates all dress like that, so naturally he's influenced. My brother is very honest, so he wouldn't dare to do anything rash."
Seeing he couldn't get anything out of him, Zhang's father gave up. However, he still had to ask the second son to take action. That kid couldn't hide his words in front of him, so he was sure to succeed.
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