Under the street light, at the door of Zhou's house, Zhang Guoqing put one hand in his pocket, raised his wrist from time to time to check the time, and stretched his neck to look forward.
After kicking the snow nearby until it flew everywhere, he circled around the door several times and wandered for a long time before finally waiting for Zhou Jiao to come home late.
Even before they even got close, Zhang Guoqing could sense the joy emanating from his wife. Her steps were relaxed. Listen... she was even humming a little tune.
Zhou Jiao quickly stepped forward and took his arm. "Why don't you come out and wait for me again? It's so cold. Didn't Auntie say she had called home? Didn't Aunt Chen mention it to you?"
Zhang Guoqing squeezed her hand and put it in his pocket. "I told you, girl, did you find a treasure?"
"Hehe... I feel happy after hearing such good words."
"Oh, did the old lady take you to a gathering of old sisters?"
"No." Zhou Jiao looked around curiously and explained quietly, "The old lady took me to the fortune-teller's house who had just returned to Beijing that year."
Zhang Guoqing squeezed her hand with a smile, "What did I say to make you so happy?"
"Hehe, the secret cannot be revealed."
Zhang Guoqing smiled noncommittally, "Have you eaten yet?"
"Not yet. I was afraid you'd worry, so I hurried back after accompanying the old lady back. But I already had some cakes with her in the car. How about you?"
"I ate a little. I thought the old lady would take you to dinner." After hearing this, Zhang Guoqing hugged her tightly with heartache and quickened his pace to walk into the yard.
Zhou Jiao heard this and giggled a few more times.
Zhang Guoqing shook his head in amusement - it was a rare success, like a little mouse that had stolen oil. Judging from the situation, he guessed that he had calculated something good, so he fed him first and then took him to bed to interrogate him.
Zhou Jiao looked around the living room in confusion. Seeing that all the doors were closed, she asked in surprise, "Are you home alone tonight?"
"Yes, Dad came back, changed his clothes, picked up Mom, and then went out again. He said he had foreign guests that night and would stay home tonight. I saw that no one was home, so I canceled the party with Dayi and the others."
"Didn't you guys just have a drink together the night before last?"
Zhang Guoqing hung up her coat, waited for her to wash her hands, and then took her to the dining room. If they continued talking, the food Aunt Chen brought would be cold.
"So I postponed it. We would get together every now and then anyway." Zhang Guoqing cut to the chase. No other gathering was more important than his wife.
Besides, the nature of tonight's gathering is different from the previous ones.
The gathering two days ago was a reunion of the buddies who had gone to the countryside to work in the fields. They came back to the city to reunite and thank Yi Jiefang and himself for the kindness they had shown him in the past. They had to give him that honor.
If it weren't for some social engagements that he couldn't turn down, he wouldn't want to go out in such cold weather.
"Hu Xiaohui called me today and asked if you hadn't seen Lin Zi in a while. She also asked if we had forgotten that they were still in Beijing."
After listening to this, Zhang Guoqing took a spoon and scooped a small bowl of soup, placed it in front of her, and motioned her to take a sip first. He continued, "I haven't contacted Linzi for a while. I heard him say that he was going on a business trip again, and I didn't know when he would be back. I thought he hadn't come back yet.
I'll call Linzi tomorrow. I've been busy these past two days and can't get away. I've also made an appointment this weekend, so I'll have to wait and see what time it is next week."
Zhou Jiao took a sip of soup and pursed her lips. "I've already explained to Xiaohui that we can let them come over to play when they want. We don't necessarily have to go out, right?"
Zhang Guoqing knew why and shook his head with a smile, "Even if you invited them, they wouldn't come over unless they had something important to do. They're afraid our dad is at home."
Zhou Jiao paused with her chopsticks in hand, shook her head speechlessly, and continued to shovel her rice into her mouth. She couldn't understand why these people were afraid of her father, such a good man.
Moreover, when there are guests coming to the house, her parents take the opportunity to give everyone space. They either read in the study or rest in the bedroom. There is no need to worry about facing her father.
That's why she liked Dayi and his wife. Look how affectionately they called Uncle Zhou. It even made her parents laugh, and her parents didn't have to avoid her on purpose.
"Ding-ling-ling..." The phone rang rapidly. Zhang Guoqing stood up and walked over to it. He picked up the phone and heard Wan Dayong's voice, "Xiao Wu?"
"Where's Xiaowu's dad? Where are you calling from?" He had just finished speaking when a few familiar laughs came from the other end. Zhang Guoqing raised an eyebrow and asked, "Aren't you having a party outside tonight?"
"We're right here in Dayong. I heard your father-in-law isn't home tonight, right? Will going to your place disturb you and your wife?"
Zhang Guoqing laughed out loud and said, "Stop talking nonsense! Come quickly, I'll ask Aunt Chen to prepare two side dishes."
"Okay, we'll be there soon."
After hearing the other end hang up the phone, Zhang Guoqing shook his head with a smile, turned around and told Aunt Chen to cook some snacks, then walked towards Zhou Jiao, "Have you finished eating?"
"Well, who are they?"
"It's still those best friends. They are all at Dayong's house now."
"Are they all nearby?"
"It should be. It's cold now, and Dayong and his family aren't used to living outside. It's too troublesome to have to light the stove in the house allocated by the company."
Zhang Guoqing was talking nonchalantly when he suddenly remembered something, "Oh, by the way, it's best to go back to the old house for lunch starting tomorrow."
Zhou Jiao blinked and looked at him.
Zhang Guoqing laughed and ruffled her hair. "I heard from Dayong that the food in the cafeteria hasn't been very good recently. I really don't want to run back and forth and ask Aunt Lu and the others to bring you food."
The Aunt Lu and her companions that Zhang Guoqing mentioned were a couple in their fifties whom he hired from Uncle Zhou, an old comrade-in-arms of his father-in-law Zhou Xiaozheng, from that village.
With such a big yard, valuable furniture and ornaments, and several beloved dogs of their sons, it is impossible for the couple to just leave it alone.
The old couple were still in good health. The old lady had survived a difficult childbirth earlier in life, but she was unable to have children again. The old man was also very affectionate and would never agree to divorce his wife.
So.
Not only was he accused of being unfilial by his family, he was also cursed as a family without a family, and was thus ostracized in the village. He was usually taken care of by his team leader, Uncle Zhou, but he was also a man with a miserable life.
During the Qingming Festival this year, the family passed by Zhoujiazhuang after going up the mountain to worship, and stopped by to take a look at their own rural courtyard. As a result, Zhang Guoqing saw the elderly couple who had been taking care of the yard, and felt that they were the most suitable candidates, so he asked them to take care of the courtyard.
After all, this person's character has remained the same for decades and he is trustworthy.
Their daily work now is just cleaning and taking care of the dogs. Unlike before, this time they are officially hired.
According to the current nanny salary, it is basically 15 yuan per month, but it includes food and accommodation. The old couple can get 30 yuan a month, which is basically enough to save some money.
Now the old couple lives in the back house on the courtyard side of the old house. The workload of maintaining a five-courtyard courtyard is quite large.
Therefore, after considering it, Zhou Jiao refused, "I'd better go back and eat."
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