Zhang Guoqing took his son to the afterglow. When they returned home, Zhou Jiao was spreading the clothes and supplies she had bought from Huaihai on the kang and picking them out.
Entering the house from the back door, Zhang Guoqing dropped his things, picked up his son, and rushed to the main room, slowing down his pace with a guilty conscience. He wondered what his wife had prepared for him.
"Cough cough..." Zhang Guoqing stood at the door of the west room and coughed a few times to remind the silly woman who was standing with her hands on her hips, shaking her head and lost in thought!
Zhou Jiao turned her head and smiled in surprise, but then quickly suppressed her smile and pointed at the father and son fiercely: "Alright, you abandoned your wife, you abandoned your mother, tell me! How should I punish you?"
Xiao Ping'an opened his arms towards her and said in a coquettish voice, "Mom, I miss you so much. There are all kinds of things in there. You almost can't bear to see your son."
Zhou Jiao couldn't bear to blame them after hearing this. She quickly took over and lifted the child's clothes. "Is it dangerous? Is he injured? Are you feeling uncomfortable? Tell your mother quickly."
Ping An saw that the usually calm Zhou Jiao turned pale with fright. He didn't realize that the joke had gone too far, so he stood there obediently and let her check him, and kept winking at his father when she wasn't paying attention.
Zhang Guoqing rolled his eyes at his son and quickly took off his shirt, saying, "Wife, look at me. We are very good together. Not a single hair has fallen out."
Zhou Jiao asked him to turn around again out of concern. Seeing that even his back was not injured, she ran to open the luggage and found that most of his clothes were torn by branches. She felt relieved.
Ping An was very good at reading people's expressions. Seeing that her face had calmed down, he rushed to her before she lost her temper, hugged her legs, and complained, "Mom, I'm starving and thirsty. For the past two days, I've been eating either dry food or meat. The meat has a bad smell. I almost vomited."
Since she found out that the father and son were fine and not injured, Zhou Jiao still didn't know what this little brat was up to.
It was nothing more than seeking comfort. Picking up the child, she glanced at Zhang Guoqing with amusement: "There's water drying in the yard, go wash it quickly, it stinks!"
Zhang Guoqing rubbed against her with a playful smile, "This is manly! Did you miss me?"
Ping'an rolled his eyes and laughed happily across the two of them.
Zhou Jiao glanced at him, picked up the child and went out first. After he poured the water, she handed her son to him and asked them to wash first. She ran into the west room and packed the father and son's clothes, and set out food and juice.
After finishing his meal and drinking his glass of juice, Zhang Guoqing patted his stomach and sighed, "I'm finally back to the world!"
Zhou Jiao picked up some food and fed the child. She looked up at him and said, "This time it's very dangerous!"
"With Mr. Wang and the others here, there's no danger, but it's a bit stressful to be with the kids."
Ping An swallowed his meal and retorted, "Dad, I'm not a burden. I've reminded you several times. If it weren't for that idiot, I could have brought back the sable!"
"Let's talk after we finish eating." Zhou Jiao looked at Zhang Guoqing questioningly, "What's going on? Is it that grandson of the Wang family again?"
Zhang Guoqing shook his head. "He meant well, but he missed the target! Son, take a break after eating and get some rest."
"Okay, I'll eat less and get some sleep. Dad, don't forget that there are still things to clean up in the backyard."
Zhou Jiao frowned, "Have you killed a lot again? I killed pheasants and rabbits all night last night. I almost vomited and didn't process much."
Zhang Guoqing looked at his wife's worried frown and laughed happily, "We didn't hunt much game this time, and it's not safe to carry blood with us. The Wang family can't be short of meat, so we went there for the good stuff!"
Zhou Jiao nodded in understanding. The Wang family had already collected ginseng and deer antlers, and the remaining item was probably the goat blood they had been obsessed with.
Zhang Guoqing briefly recounted his experiences over the past three days and two nights, mentioning some of the wild animals he encountered. He omitted any mention of tigers and leopards that could be avoided.
It took more than an hour for him to finish speaking, during which time he drank three large bowls of tea.
Zhou Jiao said with a half-smile, "It seems that the deep mountains are not that scary. I'll go there and take a look when I have time."
Zhang Guoqing, brimming with pride, was so shocked by these words that he choked on his own saliva. Could this silly girl really have sneaked into the mountains? She'd never be able to get out.
Humph, I told you to avoid the important issue...you little brat!
Zhang Guoqing felt his scalp tingling when he saw her expression. He caught a glimpse of the clothes shoved together on the kang and immediately decided to change the subject. He would talk about it after tonight and get the things tomorrow.
"Is this a gift for someone?"
Zhou Jiao nodded and told him about Aunt Tiezhu's family giving him a pound of pork belly as a gift today.
Zhang Guoqing raised his eyebrows: "A valuable gift?"
How could Zhou Jiao be so ignorant that she doesn't even understand the most basic social interactions?
She shook her head. "No. I just happened to be free. I was planning to prepare a first birthday gift for my second sister's second son, so I don't have to send it back anymore."
Zhang Guoqing rummaged through his things nonchalantly. "Second sister, return the favor by giving Ping An the gift for his first birthday. Find a pillowcase for the third brother as a wedding favor. I'll send it over after dark. His family and Huizi are cousins, so just don't give more than the gift you gave Huizi on his wedding day."
Ping An listened to the whole thing and felt increasingly sleepy. He yawned and said, "Dad, don't send anything. Go to the river and catch a net of fish tomorrow morning and send it over."
Zhang Guoqing's eyes lit up, and he and Zhou Jiao smiled at each other. This is really a good idea!
If this one is given, those married couples in the village who don’t receive any gifts in the future will inevitably feel uncomfortable - they are all members of the Zhang family, so why are they so picky about whom they treat?
This fish is good. It is the team's resource. He is not selling it. He is giving it to the villagers for a wedding so that everyone can have a taste. Who wouldn't be happy?
Zhang Guoqing picked up the child and patted him gently, "Okay. I'll listen to you. It's safe at home. Close your eyes and rest. We'll go together later."
Listening to the lullaby hummed by Zhang Guoqing, Zhou Jiao, who had not had a good rest in the past two days, also felt a little sleepy. She reached out to put the things into the space and fell asleep.
Zhang Guoqing looked at the dolls of all sizes on the kang and couldn't help laughing.
Early the next morning, Zhang Guoqing took his fishing net and went upstream along the river. Finally, he caught a net of river fish of various sizes in a pond on a grassy beach.
He saved the smaller fish, coated them in flour, and fried them. He then sent the remaining twenty or so palm-sized fish to Zhang Tiezhu's house. It wasn't that he was bothered, but there were no big fish around here. During the worst of the drought a few years ago, you could see the river bottom. And how long had it been since then? Where were the big fish?
It was almost noon when Zhang's father and mother returned to the village to attend the wedding banquet. Knowing that their eldest son and his family would be back at school in the next two days, they became busy again.
After spending a day with my parents in the county town, preparing their food and supplies, it was time to leave. Facing another separation, the Zhangs were reluctant to leave, but at least they didn't burst into tears.
Just as Zhang's mother said, if they wanted their sons and grandsons, they could go to the capital. Besides using these words to comfort themselves, what else could they do?
The county cannot hold him in custody, so as parents, they can only hope that their child is safe and happy outside.
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