Zhou Yuanyuan always has the habit of bringing gifts for her family whenever she goes out, if for no other reason than to see the joyful smiles on everyone's faces when they receive the gifts.
"This gift is great. It touches the heart of an old man like me." Sure enough, when General Zhou saw Zhou Yuanyuan's gift, his eyes narrowed with smile.
In recent years, as Xiaoyu's innate spiritual energy gradually dissipated within General Zhou's body, his health deteriorated significantly, and he often felt tired. When General Zhou felt tired, he would drink a few sips of spiritual herb tea to refresh his mind and replenish his energy.
Zhou Yuanyuan knew the effect of the magical herb tea on General Zhou, so she asked Hu Sanniang to stir-fry a bag of it from time to time. This bag of magical herb tea was stir-fried by Zhou Yuanyuan herself in Hu Sanniang's absence.
Strangely enough, even if it was stored in a jade box, the spiritual energy in this herbal tea could only be preserved for about a month. After a month, the spiritual energy in the herbal tea would disappear completely, and the herbal tea would become just ordinary tea, losing its function of regulating the body.
"Grandpa Zeng, have you been well-behaved at home these days? Have you been keeping to a regular schedule?" Zhou Yuanyuan couldn't help but frown when she saw that General Zhou looked a little tired.
General Zhou's health had been gradually declining in recent years. When Zhou Yuanyuan was at home, she would strictly control General Zhou's sleep and rest schedule, trying not to tire him out. Before Zhou Yuanyuan left Kyoto, she had instructed Zhou Xi to strictly control General Zhou's sleep and rest schedule, and both Zhou Xi and General Zhou had agreed to this.
"Miss, the master hasn't slept well these two nights. The Zhu family..." Before General Zhou could speak, Zhou Xi, who had just walked into the living room, heard Zhou Yuanyuan's words and started to complain.
"Axi!" General Zhou's stern voice made Zhou Xi stop talking before he could finish his words.
"Master, can't you tell the young lady?" Zhou Xi was a little frightened.
"Zhixin's wife said that Yuanyuan's task in the next few years is to study." General Zhou said lightly.
Zhou Xi's words rolled around on his tongue for a few times but he still didn't say them out loud. Zhou Xi would not disobey General Zhou in the slightest.
"Grandpa Zeng, what happened?" Zhou Yuanyuan looked at General Zhou who looked tired, then looked at Zhou Xi who looked helpless, and asked.
"Miss, it's nothing. I'm going to prune the branches." Zhou Xi glanced at General Zhou's stern eyes, smiled bitterly, and walked out the door.
There were two flower beds in the Zhou family's small courtyard, and the flowers and plants on them were all tended by General Zhou and Zhou Xi. General Zhou hadn't been in the mood to take care of them these past few days, so Zhou Xi had taken over everything.
"Grandpa! Come on, tell me!" Zhou Yuanyuan hugged General Zhou's arm and acted like a spoiled child. Seeing Zhou Xi like this, General Zhou must have been troubled by something recently, otherwise, General Zhou wouldn't have been unable to sleep.
"Hey, little darling! Eat noodles, eat noodles. Noodles don't taste good if they clump together." When General Zhou saw Aunt Wang bring the prepared noodles, he hurriedly smiled and changed the subject.
It wasn't that General Zhou didn't want to talk about it, but he just didn't know how to say it. A lot of things had happened recently, one after another, and General Zhou himself felt a little overwhelmed.
"Grandpa Zeng, I don't want to bother with you anymore." Zhou Yuanyuan wanted to turn her face away and run away, but looking at the fragrant noodles, she couldn't resist the greed in her heart, so she had to bury her head and eat it in big mouthfuls.
Wang Ma made her signature dish, shredded pork and vegetable noodles, topped with two golden fried eggs. Her cooking was perfectly suited to Zhou Yuanyuan's taste: the vegetables were juicy green, the shredded pork melted in her mouth, and the fried eggs oozed golden liquid when she bit into them. She really loved it.
Seeing Zhou Yuanyuan eating so sweetly, Wang Ma smiled until her eyes narrowed into slits. Wang Ma had been working in the Zhou family for more than ten years, watching Zhou Yuanyuan and her brother grow up, and she could be considered half a family member.
After finishing her noodles, Zhou Yuanyuan remembered that she had forgotten to bring a gift for Wang Ma. She quickly found a white jade peace locket from among the jade talismans Xiaoyu had made and gave it to Wang Ma. Wang Ma's grandson had just been born, and Zhou Yuanyuan was sure that Wang Ma would like her gift.
Just as Zhou Yuanyuan expected, Wang Ma's face was full of smiles. It was not because of the value of the gift, but because she felt respected.
After finishing her noodles, Zhou Yuanyuan continued to chat with General Zhou. Zhou Yuanyuan was not one to give up easily, and she didn't believe that General Zhou would not let something slip while talking.
"Xiaoguai! Have you ever thought about what you want to do in the future? Or...what plans do you have for your life?" General Zhou looked at the lively Zhou Yuanyuan and asked tentatively.
Zhou Yuanyuan’s college entrance examination results are out, and she is definitely admitted to Kyoto University.
General Zhou knew that the most capable descendant of his family wasn't the high-ranking Zhou Zhixin, but rather this little girl. The transformations of Zhou Zhixin and Zhao Yunxiang were all facilitated by the little girl.
Over the years, General Zhou never asked Zhou Yuanyuan what she wanted to do in the future. General Zhou was not a controlling parent, but he knew that his time was running out. Three years was the maximum his body could last. After three years, what would become of their Zhou family?
The closer he got to the end of his life, the more unwilling General Zhou felt. The Zhou family seemed to be very promising, but this success was based on his survival. If anything happened to him, would someone treat Zhixin and his children like they had treated the Zhu family? The mere thought of this possibility filled General Zhou with a wave of discomfort.
In life, if you don't fight or compete, you will only live a mediocre life. But because of General Zhou, Zhou Zhixin's family can no longer be mediocre. Even if Zhou Zhixin doesn't want to fight or compete, his existence has blocked the path for many people who want to take further steps.
On the surface, the Zhou family seems to be one of the top families in Kyoto City. In fact, General Zhou knows that if Zhou Yuanyuan is unwilling to take over, the Zhou family will be left without successors.
Zhou Jiasheng immersed himself in scientific research, completely unaware of the struggle for power and profit. Zhou Zhixin returned to the Zhou family too late, missing out on the best period for character development. Zhou Zhixin's character is more tolerant than ruthless. For years, he relied on General Zhou's presence to keep those demons at bay. If General Zhou were to pass away, Zhou Zhixin didn't know if he would be devoured alive.
The same was true of Zhao Yunxiang's business. Zhao Yunxiang's Yunyun was no less than a golden hen laying golden eggs. As long as General Zhou was alive, no one in the entire Chinese nation would dare to take advantage of Yunyun. After he died, he didn't know whether Yunyun would be targeted by some evil wolf.
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