During the ten days or so of her business trip to Hai City, Zhou Jiao would try her best to rush back to the village to accompany Grandpa Jiang whenever she had enough time to rest, in addition to visiting the Gu family's ancestral tomb.
It has nothing to do with rewards or money, it’s all for the kindness and reluctance in the old man’s eyes, and his tireless teaching her how to behave in the world throughout his life.
This bond between her granddaughter and her grandmother brought her to tears as she left the village for the last time. Perhaps others could not understand why the old man, who was clearly reluctant to see his granddaughter leave, did not follow her to Beijing.
But Zhou Jiao understands...
Here is his beloved lifelong partner, his familiar hometown accent, and the wanderer's heart that has been wandering outside for most of his life. Now it is docked in a place where he feels at peace.
This is the power of roots!
Let her grandfather never leave his motherland, just as she never thought of immigrating overseas.
When she returned to Beijing again, it was already the end of August. The station was still bustling with people. After meeting up with Zhang Guoqing who came to pick her up at the station, the street scenes she saw in the car along the way made her eyes dim.
"Go home first or go to work first?"
Zhou Jiao glanced at the time on her watch. "I'd better go to work first. I need to take care of some official business and rest for the next two days. There's a lot of stuff this time, so you'll have to help out."
Zhang Guoqing shook his head in amusement. He knew his wife wouldn't steal anything back home, so he deliberately asked, "How much did you spend this time?"
Hearing this, Zhou Jiao blushed, "I was a bit of a spendthrift. Besides the few dozen dollars I spent publicly, I spent almost six hundred dollars privately. The things were really too cheap, and I wasted my money without realizing it."
"Hahaha..." A cheerful laugh came out of Zhang Guoqing's mouth. He liked such a wife so much that he wanted to take a few bites first. What should he do?
"elder brother?"
Zhang Guoqing forced himself to stop laughing and said with a smile, "It's fine. This isn't a waste of money; it's all necessities. My wife knows how to make a living."
"Just make it up."
Zhang Guoqing caught a glimpse of an elderly man with a yin-yang hairstyle in front of him. He quickly diverted her attention and said with a smile, "Our son is waiting for you to come back. You better hurry."
Speaking of children, Zhou Jiao perked up. "I bought a lot of cakes and snacks, enough for the three brothers to have a meal. Remember to remind me to take out the hairy crabs later, don't forget."
"Okay." Even without her prompting, Zhang Guoqing insisted on whether there were any loopholes that would lead to suspicion. "During the few days you were away, my son and I planted a lot of wild vegetables."
"Going to the countryside?"
"Yeah, we also went to the welfare home twice and planted a lot of wild vegetable seeds there while no one was paying attention. The four of us, my father and I, picked all the fruit from the trees in the three yards."
"Oh, I thought you would miss me, but it turns out your life is so wonderful."
Zhang Guoqing quickly touched her face and glanced at her with a smile, "Who said that? It's hard to sleep alone. My son said mom is not at home, and every day is so sad."
Zhou Jiao rolled her eyes at him and said, "Comrade, this is on the street."
So, it's okay if we're not on the streets? Zhang Guoqing, who had misinterpreted the meaning, nodded in understanding. Not bad! He didn't like taking risks either.
On the way from the street to the workplace not far away, Zhang Guoqing knew her temper and agreed to go to the next door workplace to chat with Wan Dayong first.
Watching her enter the office, Zhang Guoqing considered for a moment before deciding not to go in. Things had been turbulent lately, and if something really happened, it would be quite troublesome.
After waiting for almost an hour, she still didn't come out. Zhang Guoqing raised his eyebrows in surprise, opened the car door, and got out.
After Zhou Jiao entered, she submitted the documents according to the usual procedure, reported on the business trip, and then took the list to the finance office for reimbursement.
After finishing the work, he was about to leave when he saw Jin Lijuan walking towards him, winking at him.
Zhou Jiao's heart moved, and she quickly stepped forward and followed her. They went to the bathroom together. On the way, she heard her mumbling that she had a meeting later and must not leave.
With so many people watching, there must be something behind these words. Zhou Jiao nodded knowingly. Coming out of the bathroom, Tingxian said hello to her and left.
Her husband is still waiting for her to go back together. I wonder if she has returned from Wan Dayong?
As soon as she reached the gate, she saw Zhang Guoqing, dressed in a military uniform, walking towards her. Zhou Jiao couldn't help but smile. What a coincidence!
"Can't leave?"
Zhou Jiao nodded slightly and motioned for him to follow her.
The couple went to the car park. Zhou Jiao opened the door first, watched him enter, and said softly, "Sister Jin just reminded me that it's best to attend the meeting first. She didn't have time to explain the details. Although no one else asked me to attend, it seems like something must be going on."
Zhang Guoqing nodded.
"Then why don't you go back first? Take your stuff with you, and I'll take the bus myself later. Who knows what kind of meeting this is and when it's going to last? I can't let it delay your afternoon work."
Zhang Guoqing just looked hesitant.
Zhou Jiao quickly continued to persuade: "My family must be waiting for us to go back for dinner. Go back and tell them first so that they won't worry."
"Then you must go to the cafeteria first!"
Zhou Jiao smiled and nodded repeatedly. While looking out the window, she carefully began to put two small bamboo baskets of hairy crabs and half a bag of crayfish into the car...
After thinking for a while, she put another black cloth bag of steamed crabs in it.
"That's enough, not too much." Zhang Guoqing looked at the two bags on the back seat and quickly stopped her. He also asked her to leave him an empty large sack.
I've been on a business trip for so long, and I didn't pay attention to it for a while just now. It's not without benefit to keep it in the company now. Even if no one talks about it privately, some problems can still be seen.
It was supposed to be a meeting, but in reality, everyone was gathered in the cafeteria. Just after a few bites of lunch, I got the message: Don't leave yet. Yes, everyone, including the elderly man at the office entrance.
The conference, with its sensitive themes, was solemn and weighty. The normally bustling cafeteria, more than any of the conference rooms, felt like the main venue.
While Zhou Jiao was listening attentively, she noticed that several familiar faces were missing. She didn't ask if the absent people had asked for leave or if something happened.
Perhaps soon, some of you here will be absent one after another.
Sure enough, in the end, the issues concerning those people were finally resolved.
At the meeting, everyone was very emotional and shouted slogans against their old colleagues who were disrupting stability and were now new enemies, as if their own ancestral graves had been dug up.
Zhou Jiao had no intention of digging into the sincerity of the sentiment. When the waves came, whether it was a typhoon or a tsunami, playing it safe would gradually become the mainstream.
And human nature is once again challenged.
Isn't it the same for her? She laughs at the madness of the world and sticks to the bottom line of human conduct. This is the only requirement she has for herself.
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