"Jiaojiao, I miss you so much. Are you home? I'm coming."
"Run slower, be careful not to fall." Zhang Yuntao followed Zhao Yuanyuan nervously, holding his son.
Zhang Guoqing felt an inexplicable urge to laugh when he heard that voice. It had been years since he'd heard the voice of his "rival in love," and he truly missed it.
Zhao Yuanyuan spotted him first and rolled her eyes in disdain. "Are you the one who's preventing Jiaojiao from going to the provincial capital? I heard you're not even letting her go to the county town?"
"Taozi, your wife wronged me so badly, and you didn't even give her a beating? You're not a strong husband. Tell me, what are you, a grown man, so foolishly laughing about?"
"I learned this from you." Zhang Yuntao lifted his son up and gestured towards him, "Call me uncle now. Where's the gift?"
Zhang Guoqing took the child in his arms and scolded him with a smile, "You're just an idiot. This is our little wonton, right? Come, call uncle and I'll buy you some candy."
"It's already a big deal for me to let you rank second. I'm still ranked third among the Linzi guys." Zhang Yuntao shook his arms, exhausted. "Why didn't you call me before you passed by the provincial capital?"
Zhang Guoqing raised his chin towards Zhao Yuanyuan, who was currently hugging Zhou Jiao and whispering to each other. "Did you see that? Your wife is like this. Do I dare to do that?"
Zhang Yuntao turned around and laughed happily, "That's enough. You even get jealous when a woman hugs your wife. Did you see Lin Zi before you went back? When will he come back?"
"I called his workplace and he said he was on a business trip."
"Jiaojiao, where are Ping'an and the others? You two are so cruel. You just gave birth to another child. Have you seen their little faces? If you don't come back in two days, I will drag them back."
After reminiscing about the past and missing each other for a while, Zhao Yuanyuan began to complain, "You have too many sons, and you are always tossing them around. I have to write to Aunt Shan and have a good talk about this. The child can't be left in Xiaowu's hands. I knew that this guy had bad intentions and always wanted to monopolize you..."
Zhang Guoqing rolled his eyes. He knew that this little girl, who had no affinity with him, liked to put all the blame on him.
Zhang Yuntao patted his shoulder in amusement. "How long will you stay this time? Some of our old high school classmates want to get together. Are you interested?"
We haven't been in touch for years, so it's still worth seeing each other and chatting. That's how relationships develop, and who can say too many friends?
Zhang Guoqing pinched the little guy's face in his arms and thought for a moment, "I'm leaving next week. If you can make an appointment in the next few days, let me know."
"Everyone's at work, and if there is any, it's this weekend. Then I'll go back and inform a few of them. If they know you're coming back, no one will push it away."
Zhang Guoqing glanced at him and said with a smile, "Brother, a man should be treated with new eyes after three days of absence. He has made great progress."
"After all, I've been working at the company for a few years. Compared to my colleagues, no matter how scheming these old classmates are, they're still more reliable."
"Everything changes, and it never goes wrong to get to know more people. From what you say, are you unhappy at work?"
Zhang Yuntao caught up his son who was rushing towards him. "That's it. It's the same everywhere these days. I heard from Linzi that you're doing well. When will you get promoted?"
"Just getting through my military service." Zhang Guoqing wasn't interested in talking about work. "Ping An said you should come visit them every two days. Thank you for your hard work."
"He's my nephew, why is it so hard for you? When my son goes to the capital, you have to protect him for me. When I came, my father-in-law told you to get out of here quickly, hehe^"
That's not the case. Zhang Guoqing knows how inconvenient it is to travel from the provincial capital to Zhangjia Village, and he still has to go to work every day. He knows very well how deep this friendship is, and he himself cannot do it.
But some things are better kept in mind. He smiled and nodded, "If you don't go now, Uncle Dashan will come to arrest you. We'll go together when you get back."
"Then let's go. Where are Ping An and the others? I hope they won't go to help again."
"Rest for a while." Zhang Guoqing winked at Zhou Jiao, telling them to eat and leave. "The kids should be back from playing outside."
Zhou Jiao pulled Zhao Yuanyuan towards the kitchen and asked, "How much do you have in a month? Why are you sending all the goodies here and ignoring the children at home?"
Zhao Yuanyuan shook her head and smiled nonchalantly, "Not much. You know Taozi's grandfather is in the provincial capital. Let me tell you, Xiao Liumei's husband is working at the Provincial Revolutionary Committee now."
"Oh." Zhou Jiao blinked and suddenly realized that this should be a female classmate from high school. She remembered that there was such a person on the university admission list.
"You don't remember her, do you? But if she hadn't said hello, I wouldn't have recognized her either. She works as a cashier in a department store."
As expected, college students of this era will have golden rice bowls as long as their family background is good.
Zhao Yuanyuan had obviously thought of this. She looked around and whispered, "Luckily, we were able to take the college entrance examination. My second brother is so grateful to Xiaowu right now."
"It's your second brother who worked hard on his own."
"You haven't met my second sister-in-law yet, have you? If he hadn't gone to college and was just hanging around like a scoundrel all day, how could he have married a beautiful woman?"
Zhou Jiao chuckled. Although she had never met him, she knew everything she needed to know about him. After all, Zhao Dashan and his wife were close friends with her parents, so even if they couldn't come to the wedding, they would ask her godfather to bring the gift.
"Before, when you asked me to go to college, I was hesitant. Now I finally understand what you meant. It's a pity that we can't take the college entrance examination now. What will we do when our children grow up?"
Zhou Jiao glanced at her sideways, thinking that she was worrying for no reason.
She seemed to remember that from next year to 1976, except for the year 1971 when there was no enrollment, the university gates opened again and a new batch of workers, peasants and soldiers were born.
Besides, how old are the next generation below them? When these children grow up, it will be the best time.
"Jiaojiao, analyze this for me. This..." Zhao Yuanyuan pointed to the sky. "Is it going to continue like this?"
Zhou Jiao rolled her eyes at her unhappily, "I'm a coward, don't talk to me about this topic. Just live your life peacefully, the sky won't fall."
"Hey, I'm just worried. I didn't dare mention this in the letter, but I finally got to see you, so I had to ask a few more questions."
"It's pointless to ask. Why bother with so much? We are just ordinary people and we just need to take care of our own families. Do you want rice or something else to eat tonight? It's up to you."
Even with the best of friends, Zhou Jiao had no intention of discussing the current situation. Often, a careless word could bring about a devastating disaster, and the irony was that the other person often casually mentioned it. Forget about the object of hatred; you didn't even have a place to complain.
Keeping to her original heart, sticking to her principles, being grateful to those who have helped her with kindness, and lending a helping hand when the time is right, this is enough to keep her busy.
"I brought noodles, that's easy. Jiaojiao, make me some mixed cold noodles. My mom and I can't make them taste that good."
"No problem, then you can learn more later."
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