It is already the end of autumn.
Zhou Xiaozheng, who was busy, asked Zhou Jiao and her husband to take the child back to Beijing.
Zhou Jiao thought about it again and again, but finally refused. It wasn't that she didn't miss her father, but it was too much trouble.
The debt of favor is the hardest to repay, and she was unwilling to let Zhao Chuangguang take a risk on the edge of a knife. There were too few people who truly cared about her, and she couldn't bear to lose even one.
Most importantly, perhaps... perhaps... the Northeast was getting further and further away from her and her husband. She wanted to preserve some memories so she could recall her days there in the future.
October 12th, a peaceful birthday.
But it is also the birthday of their family of three.
The past life is like smoke, so we must cherish this life.
She wanted to mark this one-year anniversary, to leave a complete memory on this day in the Northeast.
"Jiaojiao, the food in our unit has also deteriorated."
"As long as they have enough to eat, that's all. My parents and I don't have much food these days, and I'm really worried they won't have enough to eat. If I had known, I wouldn't have moved their household registration."
Zhang Guoqing smiled and patted her head. "That's not easy. It's more convenient to move your household registration back. Now that the busy farming season is over in the village, the old team leader has also reduced everyone's food intake."
Zhou Jiao smiled. She knew, of course, that a city hukou was better than a rural one; at least it provided basic security. Ironmaking had ceased, and she'd be foolish to move her in-laws' hukou back home.
Seeing Ping An quietly playing with his building blocks, Zhang Guoqing asked curiously, "Son, why aren't you making a fuss and leaving? Why aren't you looking for the little brothers anymore?"
Ping An looked up and said, "I want candy, not to play." After saying that, he immediately lowered his head and continued to stack the building blocks.
Zhang Guoqing thought about it for a while, "Your brother Shitou and the others asked you for candy, you don't like playing with them, right?"
"They don't have candy, so I won't play."
Zhou Jiao smiled softly after hearing this.
"Son, you're amazing! You even know how to trade at equal value. What gift do you want, son?"
Zhou Jiao looked at the child blinking his big eyes and frowning.
She smiled and explained, "Brother, he doesn't understand what you mean by equivalent transaction. Ping An, you won't understand what Dad meant by equivalent transaction until you grow up."
"Well, son, what gift do you want?"
Ping'an showed his baby teeth and smiled, pointing at the toys on the kang.
"Okay, Daddy will take you on a car ride to buy toys."
"Thank you, Dad."
Zhang Guoqing patted his little boy's head. He was thinking about taking his mother and daughter to the provincial capital in advance, preferably staying overnight, getting a birthday cake, and making the child happy.
At this moment, Zhou Xiaozheng was also discussing the child's first birthday with Lin Lishan.
"Jiaojiao is afraid of trouble. If you bring a bunch of people with you, will she be able to entertain them? Think about the Cheng family, the Lin family, Zhao Chuangguang and the others. If so many people go, Xiaowu's relatives will definitely go too. That will tire our Jiaojiao to death."
Lin Lishan looked at him with a sad face, hoping he could give her some advice.
Her father had long ago told her to remember to inform everyone to leave together. Even her eldest sister-in-law had mentioned it to her personally. Not to mention her younger sister. If she hadn't held on tightly, the old man would have passed away again this time.
Zhou Xiaozheng had always known that his grandson Ping'an was precocious and possessed extraordinary strength. Now, from Jiaojiao's letter, he discovered that the child was no longer precocious, and he didn't want to show him to others.
He and his daughter had the same idea—to keep his child's strength as a trump card. As long as Ping An grew up well, he didn't want him to attract attention.
Zhou Xiaozheng thought for a moment and said, "Why don't you just not go this time? Find an excuse and tell everyone you can't go. I've already made an appointment with Auntie and Ruzhu to wait until the child returns to Beijing."
Lin Lishan looked regretful and nodded hesitantly.
"That's fine, I'll go find my aunt first. Zhao Chuanyao is going back to Northeast China in a couple of days, and I'll just bring him the baby's first birthday gift. You can also take a look around to see if there's anything you've left behind."
Lin Lishan looked at her husband's back as he left, and the pair of expectant eyes of Mr. Lin appeared in her mind.
At this moment, my sister's advice rang in my ears: "Sister, this is an opportunity. Since my sister-in-law is going to visit her on her first birthday, we can slowly resume our relationship. Otherwise, it will become increasingly distant. But you still have to see what my brother-in-law thinks. If he doesn't agree, forget it."
She scratched her hair in distress.
Why is this so complicated? I can't even travel.
Alas... It's a pity that I can no longer discuss things with the old lady, otherwise I wouldn't have to worry about it.
When Aunt Chen came out, she saw Lin Lishan with a frown on her face, her hair in a mess, and kicking the ground with her right foot. She couldn't help laughing.
Lin Lishan woke up, smoothed her hair awkwardly, and said with a smile: "I can't go to the Northeast again."
She couldn't say that she had no one to discuss things with, and no one to help her arrange things. She wasn't stupid! If she told others, she would be laughed at. But she was really used to going to the old lady when she had something to do.
Sigh... When will her Jiaojiao be able to come home? As long as the child comes back, I won't have to worry about the future.
Zhou Jiao didn’t know what her mother was thinking at the moment, otherwise she would be speechless - who is the mother after all?
Aunt Chen consoled her, "If you can't go, then you can't go. Just write more letters to Jiaojiao. That'll save up enough time for your vacation so you can spend more time with the children later."
No matter how many calculations, helplessness, and sincerity each family has.
As the days go by, we usher in a peaceful year.
"Grandma's shoes, grandma's socks, and my aunt's yellow jacket."
The completely different customs between the south and the north have not affected everyone's love for children.
Since yesterday, people have been coming to our house one after another.
Although Zhang Guoqing and Zhou Jiao repeatedly stated that they had no plans to hold a first birthday party.
But everyone who should have come, still came...
At this moment, the living room was crowded with people. Sitting around on the kang were Old Man Lin, Father Zhang, the head of the Zhang family, the old team leader, two clan elders, Uncle Zhang, Uncle Zhang, and several of the Zhang family's elders.
Zhang Guoqing was sitting in front of the kang, with a group of relatives and friends surrounding him.
Everyone was waiting for the Ping An Grab the One-Year-Old Ceremony in the middle of the kang.
A book, a brush, a seal, an abacus, a wooden warehouse, a piece of money...
"Son, start..."
Following Zhang Guoqing's order, Ping An, dressed in red, looked up at Zhou Jiao in the crowd. Seeing her nodding with a smile, he quickly grabbed a piece of money, a seal, and a wooden box and put them in his arms.
This caused everyone at the scene to burst into laughter, and they blurted out all kinds of auspicious words and blessings.
Zhang Guoqing saw that his son's eyes were fixed on the book in the old patriarch's hand and several novel objects in the hands of the old captain and others.
Ouch...his son's stingy temper flared up.
Zhang Guoqing quickly picked up his son and patted him - "Don't shout now, these are all mine." That would really be a rip-off!
Zhou Jiao smiled as she heard everyone's speculations and blessings. Seeing that everything was over, she didn't bother to say a few more words to her mother and the other women in the family. She quickly followed her two older sisters-in-law to the kitchen to serve noodles.
In the kitchen, the oldest grandmother in Zhangjia Village sat at the table, smiling at the busy crowd and listening to everyone talking about the recent one-year-old ceremony.
The one-year-old birthday celebration... She couldn't remember how many bowls of longevity noodles she had cooked, but the longevity noodles made by Zhang Xiaowu and his son were really unique.
A harmonious family will surely lead to a long life. Just like her, at her age, she can still enjoy her old age and everything goes smoothly.
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