"Take your time, there's no rush. Our Ping An is still young."
Old Madam Cheng said with emotion, "It's the wild boys in our family who are now old enough to start a family and build a career, but for some reason they don't want to get married."
Old Cheng smiled and shook his head. "You said it's up to the child, but you can't let go. When fate comes, they won't agree unless you let them file a marriage registration."
The old lady laughed at herself and said, "I'm old now, and I want to get involved in everything."
Mr. Cheng jokingly said, "Otherwise, why would you say he's old and confused?"
"Isn't it true that you become confused when you get old?" The old lady smiled disapprovingly, then sighed sadly, "It's a pity that many of our old comrades can't be confused even if they want to."
Seeing this, Mr. Cheng comforted him, "How about I accompany you to the second brother's house for a while and visit your old friend?"
The old lady shook her head. "No, why would I bother the children? They're all busy at work, so I won't cause them any trouble."
"Then I'll go hiking with you."
"Old arms and legs, that's all."
Zhou Jiao smiled. Married couples grow old together, never tired of holding hands and looking at each other. She envied the old couple's love.
"We will accompany you two elders up the mountain."
The old lady patted her hands with satisfaction. "You're still young, unlike the rest of us. How come there's been a rumor these days that you've been nominated for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs?"
"Maybe someone saw the minister over there looking for me and misunderstood."
"So someone doesn't want you to go over there." Old Cheng tapped the armrest thoughtfully. "That's not surprising. Someone is worried that you might be a threat to them, but that's a good thing."
Zhou Jiao understood his meaning perfectly. No matter how encrypted her files were, there were always some clues that revealed how many languages she was fluent in. Also, although her administrative rank was known only to her and a few insiders, her monthly salary would always be leaked.
Whether it was an intentional attempt to stop them or a test at this critical juncture, she had no intention of moving. The waters there were too deep, with too many masters and young ladies, and she wished she could get away from them.
"Jealousy is the nature of mean people." The old lady sighed, "Finally, this day has come. Jiaojiao, listen to me, true gold will always shine. First, conserve your energy and wait for the opportunity."
Zhou Jiao laughed when she heard this, "Aunt, I'm not that outstanding. Don't worry, I'm already very satisfied with my current life."
This was her true feelings. It had been more than seven years since she graduated from university. Although she was now only a small section chief in the General Office, her administrative rank had actually risen from the initial level 23 to level 17 due to several meritorious services. It was not comparable to Zhang Guoqing's level 15, but it was not bad either.
If she is transferred to another unit, even if she is promoted exceptionally, it will only be one level at most. Anyway, it is still far from the treatment of a level 13 senior cadre, not to mention the chaos there. Why should she give up the stable working environment that she has worked so hard to build?
Old Cheng looked at her and said meaningfully, "As long as your father is Zhou Xiaozheng, you still can't be careless."
Zhou Jiao was not ungrateful and smiled at him gratefully. She felt a little regretful in her heart that she could not say anything. Some chess pieces had already been placed. She was not good at attacking, but she had no problem defending the rear.
"How is your relationship with your eldest cousin's niece now?"
Who was the old lady referring to? Jin Lijuan.
The reason why she asked this was probably because the State Planning Commission also had a nominal position of deputy director during this period, and the old lady was worried that Zhou Jiao would be dragged into the situation without any help.
Zhou Jiao smiled and said, "She has been on business trips frequently this year, so we haven't met much." There was one thing she didn't say explicitly: ever since the other party's daughter went to the countryside, she had been deliberately distancing herself from him because of his series of actions.
——After all, he is my cousin’s wife’s relative, so it’s okay to be nice to him.
"Then be careful."
Zhou Jiao smiled and nodded.
Seeing that their topic had come to an end, Old Cheng opened his mouth and said, "The girl from the Lin family may come to visit your mother soon. You should pay attention when you have time."
Zhou Jiao was startled when she heard this, then nodded. She didn't ask how the old man knew about this, but she guessed that Lin Liying came to him simply to seek help.
The three Ping'an brothers on the side glanced at the old man knowingly. Compared to Zhou Jiao, who usually went to work and rarely paid attention to gossip, they thought of some recent rumors.
After sitting for a while, Zhou Jiao saw that it was the old man's usual rest time, so she took the children and said goodbye.
The Zhou family yard has returned to peace. Even the stone table has been cleaned, and even the few stools that were added later have disappeared. If I hadn't seen it before leaving, I would have thought it was a dream.
Aunt Chen, who was preparing supper in the kitchen, heard the noise, walked out and pointed inside.
Zhou Jiao nodded in understanding, stopped her from coming out to greet them, and went into the living room with the children.
"Dad, you haven't rested yet? What are you talking about with my brother?"
Zhou Xiaozheng, who was chatting with his son-in-law in the study, brightened up when he saw his daughter come in. "Everyone is waiting for you and the child. Why don't you let Aunt Chen send them back?"
Zhang Guoqing followed closely behind and complained, "How can you hold such a big child with your tiny arms and legs? Dad, she's become so spoiled by you that she's increasingly disobeying me."
Zhou Jiao burst out laughing. Is that really the case?
Zhou Xiaozheng looked at his smiling daughter and glanced at him unhappily. It's because you, as a husband, are unreliable. You only have a bunch of bad friends.
Zhou Jiao had something important to talk about, so she didn't waste any words and said with a smile, "I just took the children to sit with my aunt for a while. Where's my mother?"
Miao Lishan followed in and said, "I'm here."
"Mom, have you seen Lin Liying these days?"
Miao Lishan looked confused, then she immediately realized that her daughter would not mention the other person for no reason, and her face changed, "She is looking for you?"
Zhou Jiao asked curiously, "What's wrong?"
As soon as these words were spoken, the whole family looked at each other and suddenly became quiet.
Zhou Jiao took in their expressions, then narrowed her eyes at her two youngest sons, only to find they immediately lowered their heads. Instantly, she blurted out, "Is it a problem with your work style?"
Otherwise, why would her chatterbox Wuyi be so shy and blushing? If the two little brothers did something bad, she would just open her mouth and shift the blame.
Zhang Guoqing chuckled softly, "How did you think of this question?"
Zhou Xiaozheng, who was sitting behind the desk in front, pointed at the twins and said, "It seems you're quite capable. What news have you heard? Tell us."
Zhou Jiao looked at them curiously and winked at Zhang Guoqing.
Zhang Guoqing shook his head quickly and then nodded.
What does this mean? Zhou Jiao, who is always good at observing people's expressions, is becoming more and more confused. Fortunately, the child has spoken.
Liuyi scratched his head and said, "My buddy said she was being rude to gay men." Once she started, the conversation flowed smoothly. "As a doctor, it's inevitable for her to come into contact with male patients. But it was said that there were no outsiders in the ward at the time, and the gay man still got hurt in an inconvenient place."
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