In the early morning, a ray of sunlight streamed in through the window, and the faint chirping of pigeons and unknown birds suddenly woke Zhou Jiao, who was staring blankly.
She checked the time on her bedside watch and jumped up in shock. As she got off the kang, her legs gave way and she nearly fell to the ground. Muttering a few words about a pervert and a sex maniac, she hurriedly changed her clothes.
In the yard, Zhang Guoqing looked up with a strange look at the pigeons, magpies, thrushes and one or two unknown birds on the wall and roof.
If he remembered correctly, he had seen these birds frequently during this period, and they often stopped by his house. But how could anyone still keep these little creatures?
Seeing Zhou Jiao coming out, he waved mysteriously.
"I'm going to see my son first."
"They just fell asleep. Don't worry, I went to check on them last night and in the early morning. I didn't wake you up because they were adapting well."
As he spoke, Zhang Guoqing pulled her to the eaves and gestured for her to look at the pigeons and birds.
Zhou Jiao looked at it in confusion, then looked at her man's face. Doesn't it look like he used some unorthodox methods to lure her in?
Zhang Guoqing looked around and saw no one around. He said softly, "They come here on their own. They fly here every morning these days and run away as soon as the sun gets hot."
Hearing this, Zhou Jiao looked at him and her eyes widened.
"Doesn't it look like a hundred birds paying homage to the phoenix?" Zhang Guoqing narrowed his eyes and smiled. "It's a pity that we're not allowed to keep small toys now, otherwise we could have raised a few more to cover up the problem."
Zhou Jiao leaned forward, glanced around, and asked in a low voice: "Is it really that mysterious? Could there be fruit or something on the roof? How about climbing up and taking a look?"
Zhang Guoqing shook his head. "Most birds are dying now, so just ignore them. I just want to tell Ping An not to kill the birds that are perched on our roof and eat them."
"We're not home often, and we have to mention it to Dad in case something unusual happens."
"It's okay, it'll be fine once it's cold."
The couple were chatting when they saw Aunt Chen come out of the kitchen, and they tacitly stopped talking. Even if they exaggerated the facts with the story of a hundred birds paying homage to the phoenix, this strange thing was still worth being on guard against.
As it was approaching noon and time to get off work, Zhou Jiao deliberately wandered around the path outside the door, looking towards the intersection, eagerly hoping to see her father appear.
So when Zhou Xiaozheng returned home, he saw his daughter running towards him with a smile on her face, waving from afar. This made him feel even more proud and happy.
He quickly stepped forward, extending his arms to catch his running daughter. "Got it?"
"So Dad, you know this too?"
"Of course. I picked it up for you this morning."
Zhou Jiao was so confused when she heard that, she was so cute that her father pinched her cheek before she woke up. "Dad, you are wrong. We are not talking about the same thing."
"That's even better, double the joy."
As soon as he entered the yard, Zhou Xiaozheng immediately called his wife and Zhang Guoqing by their nicknames, and as soon as they showed their faces, he burst into cheerful laughter.
Zhang Guoqing saw his father-in-law's heartfelt smile and his dazzling dimples, and glanced at his daughter-in-law.
Lin Lishan: "Brother Zheng, did you get a raise?"
"Xiao Chen, tell them." Zhou Xiaozheng glanced at his wife with disdain. "What's the salary?" I'll show you later.
Secretary Chen, who was smiling behind him, moved a few steps to the right, looked at Zhou Jiao, and saluted.
Seeing this, Zhou Jiao quickly returned the favor. An idea flashed through her mind. She glanced at her father's smile and a bright smile spread across her face. It worked! All her hard work was worth it.
"Comrade Zhou Jiao, first of all, congratulations." Secretary Chen pulled a file envelope from his briefcase and handed it to her. "Inside is the individual First Class Merit Certificate and medal that the leader received on his behalf this morning."
Zhou Jiao looked at her father in surprise.
Zhou Xiaozheng nodded proudly.
"In addition to this honor, there's also a notice. A commendation and award ceremony will be held in the conference room on the third floor of the Municipal Bureau at 8:00 tomorrow morning."
"Thank you, Secretary Chen."
Zhang Guoqing saw Xiao Chen finished speaking, stepped forward and put his arm around his shoulders as they walked towards the west wing. "Brother Chen, tell me in detail what happened?"
"Xiaowu, Jiaojiao has finally made a name for herself this time. Everyone in the conference room praised her for being a good son. The commander's eyes were red when he received the certificate. Many people congratulated him, and he said that they, father and daughter, have finally lived up to the name 'country' bestowed by the Chairman."
"The chief is devoted to the country. If those bastards still frame him, it would be unforgivable. Before the meeting, some people were still speaking well of the Liang family in front of the chief, but once the meeting was over, they all stopped talking. Sigh..."
Zhang Guoqing patted him on the shoulder, and they looked at each other and smiled bitterly.
Last night, Zhou Xiaozheng attended the party, and Xiao Chen, his secretary, must have followed closely behind him. Didn't some people bring in Mr. Liang just to watch the fun?
Secretary Chen felt even more indignant when he thought about how even Old Man Liang, a man without any official title, could attend such a gathering. However, when he recalled some of the content of the recent meeting, the corners of his mouth curled up.
This society needs to be rectified! Otherwise, it's all about nepotism, which is rotten to the core. Why are these soldiers sacrificing their lives and blood?
Zhang Guoqing had no idea what the passionate man was thinking. He carefully questioned several key figures about their attitudes and inquired about some details of tomorrow's commendation meeting.
Compared to the Outstanding Youth and Outstanding Cadre awards he received, their value was about the same, but the First Class Merit Certificate and Medal issued by the General Political Department were truly impressive.
In the living room, apart from Lin Lishan who was smiling and talking non-stop with Aunt Chen and Aunt Sun, Zhou Xiaozheng and his daughter Zhou Jiao in the study had returned to normal.
Zhou Jiao, always cautious, stared at the opened document bag on the coffee table and looked at her father: "Isn't a first-class merit a bit exaggerated? I expected a second-class merit."
Zhou Xiaozheng smiled knowingly and said, "Didn't you raise the stakes? Some of the information and documents provided by Zhengyue have already played a very important role."
Zhou Jiao smiled embarrassedly.
"Silly girl! Dad thinks this first-class merit is too little. You received a commendation the last time you went abroad, and you captured enemy spies last year. Even if they want to suppress you, they won't dare to give you a first-class merit."
Zhou Jiao rubbed her head against his arm and said, "Dad, I'm very happy."
"Yeah, Dad's very happy and proud too." Zhou Xiaozheng stroked his daughter's head. "Now you can relax, right? All the firepower is focused on you, and Xiaowu won't be noticeable anymore."
Zhou Jiao happily hugged his arm and swung it back and forth, "Dad, why are you so smart? But it's okay, I inherited your high IQ."
"Girls are extroverts. The ancients were right." Zhou Xiaozheng patted her head. "Silly girl, does he know about your painstaking efforts?"
"Dad will teach you a lesson. No matter how good a couple is, if you're giving, you have to let your partner know. Be subtle and let him know so he can remain loyal to you."
Zhou Jiao nodded with a smile.
"The Yi family kid is taking advantage of this. You two will be awarded second-class merit at tomorrow's commendation meeting."
"Dad, there are five more people?"
"Third-class merit."
While Zhou Jiao was happy for them, she also felt a bit worried. If nothing unexpected happened, they would definitely be made into a role model by the school in the new semester. But she didn't want to show it to others.
"Let's eat first. We can talk later if there's anything else." Zhou Xiaozheng stood up and pulled her out of the study. "Everything is ready now. It's time to slow down."
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