It was the coldest time of the year and the capital had been covered in heavy snow for a whole week. When Zhou Jiao stepped on the snow, it reached her ankles and she had to struggle to pull it out every time.
After meeting Zhang Guoqing, she began to miss her father and son desperately. But the next day, in addition to the snow and rain, the final exams were also about to begin.
In desperation, Zhou Jiao could only call home. When she heard her son obediently asking her to finish the exam before going home, she couldn't help but shed tears for a moment.
A week later, after the final exams, the semester was over. Zhou Jiao no longer cared about the experimental project the professor had mentioned. She let him do whatever he wanted; she had to spend time with her son first.
After being escorted to the train by Zhang Guoqing, she returned home two months later. It was autumn when she left, and it was already winter when she returned.
A small person at the gate of the compound rushed forward excitedly when he saw Zhou Jiao, "Mom, why did you take so long?"
Zhou Jiaozheng squatted down and kissed him twice fiercely: "I miss you so much. Every day when I can't sleep, I read your letter. Why did you come here alone?"
"Grandma Chen is working at the service center. I'm with the uncle at the door, so I'm not worried about any bad guys."
Zhou Jiao understood her son's subtle thoughts and touched his face, which was cold. She showed his ID to the guard, thanked him, and ran home with the child in her arms.
"Mom, is my dad being kept in school because he didn't study well?"
Zhou Jiao laughed happily: "Yes! Ask him when he comes back."
"Mom, I'm going to tell you a secret. My dad is still coming home from his internship. I asked him to read a book, but he said he'd already read it."
"Oh, really?"
"Yes. I received many letters from my grandfather, and my uncle and his family also wrote to me. When you were not at home, my father took me to mail packages to my grandparents twice."
"oh."
"My grandma prepared all the things. My dad said he had already made arrangements for my grandparents before coming, but grandma said it was a token of her love. They are two different things."
Zhou Jiao smiled and patted him. "Just watch and don't worry about what the adults arrange. How is your grandfather doing recently? Does he have a cold?"
"No. I ask Grandma Chen to cook something for my grandpa and his family every night as a midnight snack. But my grandpa is always disobedient and stays up late. I tell him not to listen."
"By the way, Mom, grandma took me to see that great-grandfather." Ping'an said and blinked at her.
Zhou Jiao understood: "Grandpa Lin?"
"Mom is so smart. My grandfather approved it and asked my grandmother to take me there. He also prepared two cans of meat, two cans of fruit, two bottles of white wine and a large box of ox tongues. The great-grandfather saw my grandmother crying so sadly that she started crying too."
"What did Grandpa say?"
Ping An frowned in confusion. "When I got back, I told my grandpa about it. He didn't say anything, just sighed. After that, my grandma never went to see that great-grandfather again. I didn't understand what he meant."
Zhou Jiao nodded in agreement: "Yeah, it's too complicated. I don't understand it either."
Ping'an hugged her mother's neck tightly, buried her head in her arms, and giggled.
As they hurried to the doorstep, Ping An whispered in her ear: "That great grandfather mentioned you and asked me what you were busy with. He asked me to come over and sit with you when I have time."
Zhou Jiao patted his butt: "Mom knows, let's talk about it when we have time. Now all the time belongs to our baby. I heard from your dad that you still have a lot of snacks left, why don't you eat them? Don't you like them?"
"No, save it for later."
As the mother and son chatted back home, they suddenly realized that Aunt Chen had been left at the service center. Now that she was back, Zhou Jiao didn't plan to go out looking for her. She quickly asked Ping'an to help her watch the door, and she quickly went to the kitchen to buy some supplies, then returned to her study to put a bag.
Seeing it was still early, Zhou Jiao packed some fruit for the Cheng family and asked Aunt Chen to deliver it. Normally, she could carry it herself, but now she was worried about her health. She would have to wait until Zhang Guoqing returned tomorrow to give the rest to the old men and uncles.
In fact, Zhang Guoqing couldn't wait to come back tomorrow. As soon as the school affairs were dealt with, he and Yi Jiefang, who was anxious to go home, hurried back with bags.
In the past, the classmates were considered freshmen, and they, the class leaders, could still run around enthusiastically. Now, they are all seniors, and many of them can bring back their fellow countrymen and younger classmates.
As soon as he got home, Zhang Guoqing felt his wife's hands and found they were not frozen. "Let's go to the hospital tomorrow morning. We really can't delay."
"good."
The family had dinner early in the evening, and Lin Lishan and Zhang Guoqing went out to deliver fruits.
In the study, Zhou Jiao recounted her trip to the south in detail from beginning to end. As soon as the topic ended, the conversation between Zhang Guoqing and Ping An, father and son, was heard outside.
Zhou Xiaozheng wanted to say a few more words to his daughter, but he had to give up. Hearing the conversation between the father and son outside, it seemed that several elders had returned the greeting. He gestured to Zhou Jiao to go check on what was going on.
Zhou Jiao rolled her eyes. She hadn't told her husband about these things yet, so she really needed to go out and mention them first. Otherwise, he would be really angry.
Before leaving, she took out the wooden box that might contain the Zhou family's secrets, "Dad, this is the box. Take a look at what's inside."
Zhou Xiaozheng's expression was as calm as before, but his trembling hands couldn't open the box. He lowered his head and took a deep breath, suppressing his inner excitement. After calming down, he opened it carefully.
Just as Zhou Jiao expected, there were two letters and a family tree. The top one should be from the ancestor who built the secret room, and he explained in great detail where the wealth came from.
The Zhou family's ancestor, who rose to become the Governor-General of Guangdong and Guangxi, had a lifelong passion for collecting books and the Four Treasures of the Study. To fuel this passion, he invested all the dividends he received from the Gu family into it.
Eventually, he discovered that many of these books were banned, making them relatively unpopular in Jiangnan. However, with his term of office coming to an end, he had to return to Beijing. If his political enemies accidentally discovered them in the capital, he would undoubtedly face confiscation of property and extermination of his clan. After careful consideration, he sought help from a stranger—his good friend Daoyuan Zhenren.
With the other party's help, he sealed some banned books of the previous dynasty in a cave, and asked the other party to help take care of them before leaving office and returning to Beijing.
The situation was very delicate at the time, with many princes vying for the throne. When his thoughts were discovered by his friends, he unexpectedly received a fortune-teller's prediction from Taoist Master Daoyuan.
The letter did not specify what he had calculated at the time. The old man only said that he hesitated again and again. Even if he did not believe it, in order to prevent his family from falling into decline, he still kept all the income he had earned in two terms over five years in a secret room before returning to Beijing.
Here, he warned future generations who were lucky enough to open this secret room that once the situation was ready, these ancient books, calligraphy and paintings, and four treasures of the study would not be resold, except for the valuables.
Zhou Xiaozheng finished reading the classical Chinese text, carefully folded it, and took out another letter. "From my son, personally addressed to Zhou Jinyu, the first generation of the Zhou family's main branch," he said.
What else did Zhou Xiaozheng not understand? This was a handwritten letter from his father.
It's still full of ancient Chinese text.
Summary: Since the Zhou family suffered misfortune, he, as the sole legitimate descendant, has avenged their kin's annihilation. He brought his wife here to reattach the family tree. This was to prevent any unforeseen circumstances and also to ensure his future heirs would be familiar with the Zhou family's history.
The implication is that he wants to retire.
Zhou Xiaozheng gently put the letter down and wiped the tears from his face with both hands. Looking at the date on it, he could easily imagine that his father had grown tired of the life he had led and was considering taking his wife and moving abroad. Perhaps this was his last visit to see the family property and was planning to leave the country.
Later, something unexpected happened and he died, leaving behind his pregnant wife, who never entered the secret room again. Of course, he also couldn't leave the country.
After a long time, Zhou Xiaozheng wiped his hands with a handkerchief, picked up the family tree, and turned to the last page, on which his parents' names and characters appeared.
Even if the truth of that year is still not found, all this is enough for Zhou Xiaozheng!
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