Zhou Xiaozheng, as a husband, was well aware of his wife's low IQ. He sighed, thinking that there were some things he couldn't hide from her anymore.
Lin Lishan heard his sigh and her face turned pale: "Brother Zheng?"
"Mom, don't be nervous, take a deep breath..." Zhang Guoqing hurriedly advised, "Even if the problem is huge, you still have us. It's okay..."
Lin Lishan took the cup handed to her by her son-in-law, drank a sip of water, and let out a long breath: "Is it the real Miao family who came to visit?"
Zhang Guoqing glanced at her in surprise. He hadn't expected her to connect the dots. He remained silent and followed his mother-in-law's gaze towards Zhou Xiaozheng.
"I knew this day would come sooner or later, but I didn't expect it to be so soon. These people are not on the same side as us. Did they suddenly show up to involve you?"
Zhou Xiaozheng asked with great interest, "So what do you say?"
"Hand this box over to the higher-ups tomorrow... No, that would give them an excuse." Lin Lishan frowned deeply. "I'm so pissed off. I have nothing to do with them at all, why are they dragging me into this? Isn't it unfair for me... I'm even worse off than the Miao family..."
Zhou Xiaozheng waved his hand to interrupt her rambling. If she continued, the sky would fall. He had made such a fuss in the first place just to prove his wife's past!
"Brother Zheng?"
"Relax, it's okay." Zhou Xiaozheng looked at his flustered wife, waited for her to calm down, and then said, "Before that, let me tell you something."
"Well, go ahead."
Zhou Xiaozheng smiled and shook his head: "I mentioned this matter to Xiaowu before, but I didn't even tell Jiaojiao because I was afraid you would worry."
"Brother Zheng, I'm embarrassing you."
Zhang Guoqing glanced at his mother-in-law, whose eyes were filled with tears of emotion, and wondered if he should leave. They were both men, so how could he not hear that his father-in-law was taking credit for his achievements?
He stood up and motioned to his father-in-law to go see if there was anyone outside. He walked out of the room and listened carefully. He could hear the voices of Aunt Sun and others in the lighted east wing, and he realized that his wife was leading him.
Zhang Guoqing smiled, came back, closed the door and nodded.
Zhou Xiaozheng pointed across and motioned for him to take a seat. He then emptied the contents of the envelope and placed them on the coffee table. "These two coins and the key should represent the countries the three people are currently in. Speaking of these three, I have to first talk about your mother."
Lin Lishan had never heard of her biological mother. As time passed, the only thing left in her memory of that aunt was her always calling herself a silly girl.
"One thing is undeniable, your mother is very outstanding. I have investigated why Admiral Miao has been pursuing her so closely. Besides the rumors that she is not allowed to take concubines, the main reason is that she is good at scheming."
Zhou Xiaozheng said this, looking at his wife's skeptical eyes and smiling. "I didn't believe the report when I saw it then?" He could only say his wife hadn't inherited that gene.
Zhang Guoqing wouldn't be surprised. To leave behind such a large legacy in those days, surely he couldn't be very capable?
"It's said that within a year of her marriage into the Miao family, the two sons left by the original wife became very close to her. The three or four concubines in the family were all driven away, and the illegitimate son of General Miao was taken back."
Zhou Xiaozheng laughed when he thought about it: "The most interesting thing is that there were more than just three children at that time. The concubines had five or six. But she only raised these three. No matter how favored the others were at home, she sent them all to the ancestral home."
"With the help of these three step-sons, she basically had the final say in the Miao family, except for her husband. Within a few years, she sent these three brothers to study abroad.
"When life was going smoothly, something unexpected happened. Your father fell in love with an actress, but he didn't dare take her home, so he kept her hidden. But your mother was no pushover, and she quickly found out. No one knew what happened next, but we only know that she ran away pregnant not long after."
Lin Lishan was not interested in listening to that. She was concerned about the three people he had just mentioned. "So what do you mean..."
"Don't interrupt, let me finish first." Zhou Xiaozheng waved his hand to stop him. "It is said that your father regretted his decision at the time and executed the actor, but no matter how hard he searched, he could not find your mother. Before he died of serious injuries, he left a will, asking his eldest son and his three brothers not to forget their kindness and to find you."
Zhang Guoqing poured him a glass of water and handed it to him: "Dad, weren't they still on the other side of the strait before? Did they emigrate? Does that mean that the Miao family's power was not accepted by them back then?"
"There's a key point here. For some unknown reason, your mother's mother decided that these three didn't inherit their father's business and remained overseas. Instead, the children from the ancestral home later followed their father into the army. When the old man passed away, those children, both men and women, died long before him. This, by some strange coincidence, left a bloodline for the Miao family."
Seeing him stop talking and drink water, Lin Lishan pushed the cardboard box and asked, "What about this?"
Zhou Xiaozheng pointed at his son-in-law.
Zhang Guoqing shook his head helplessly and smiled: "Mom, this matter is for us to know among ourselves. Dad has already prepared your life story. You are an orphan from the Miao family in Shaanxi Province.
If the three uncles truly loved you, they wouldn't reveal your identity. As for worrying about implicating my father, that's out of the question. Not to mention that they've emigrated, even if they were on the other side, they wouldn't dare to say it. Where's the evidence? And the situation with the authorities there isn't any more dire than ours."
"Why do I always feel so awkward?" Lin Lishan bit her lip. "They gave me the key to the safe this time. What do you mean by this?"
"Do they look like they're worried you might recognize the wrong ancestor? Besides, they didn't mention anything else except these four words, and they seem to be aware of exposing your identity."
Lin Lishan heaved a sigh of relief. It really was like that! If I wrote about my life in detail, what if there were any mistakes? Wouldn't I be unable to defend myself?
Zhang Guoqing glanced at his father-in-law and saw him looking at the small key with a sarcastic smile on his face. He thought that both father and daughter had guessed each other's intentions.
But there is no need to mention these to my mother-in-law.
"Since the box wasn't given to me, I should just pretend I didn't know anything about it?"
"Okay, let's just consider it as some kind of comfort money." Zhang Guoqing couldn't help but chuckle when he heard that. "As long as you don't reply to their letter or provide any evidence, it won't be a big deal!"
Lin Lishan felt relieved and turned to look at her husband: "Brother Zheng, did you hear what Xiaowu said?"
"It's fine. Just like he said, it's not a big deal. Jiaojiao will be out of confinement in a couple of days. Take this box of money with you and go out for some fresh air."
If her son-in-law's words reassured her, Zhou Xiaozheng's words were undoubtedly a reassurance. Lin Lishan lit a match to burn the letter and took a file bag to put the cash and receipts in.
"I'm going to find Jiaojiao. You guys can chat for a while and remember to take a break."
Seeing that she was in a hurry to leave, Zhang Guoqing didn't remind Aunt Sun and the others that they were in the east wing. When it came to these issues, a mother-in-law who could stand at the head of the group was no fool, especially since her husband was there.
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