"Hongming, you're here too?" Zhou Chunping finally felt relieved when he saw Zhou Zhigang. Time was running out, and today was a rare opportunity. Zhou Chunping simply couldn't wait any longer.
Seeing Zhou Hongming, Zhou Chunping suppressed his anxiety and greeted him. There was no other way, the village chief was also a cadre, and Zhou Chunping didn't want to offend Zhou Hongming.
"Uncle, I have something to do at home. You guys chat, you guys chat!" Zhou Hongming didn't hesitate to smile seeing that Zhou Chunping gave him face.
In Zhaojiagou, Zhao Qingshan was very unhappy. Wu Jinfeng's illness made his plan go awry.
Zhao Qingshan was a shrewd man. He took less than ten minutes to get the details of the conflict between Zhao Yunxiang and the Zhou family out of Zhou Jiasheng. Thinking of his daughter, whom he had cherished since childhood, being treated so harshly by Wu Jinfeng, Zhao Qingshan had the urge to attack Zhou Jiacun.
Zhou Yuanyuan was also very unhappy.
Zhou Zhixin returned to Zhoujia Village in the morning, and Zhou Yuanyuan had been frowning the whole time. Even when Zhou Jiasheng caught a sparrow to play with her, she didn't smile.
For some reason, Zhou Yuanyuan's heart was beating particularly fast today.
Zhou Zhixin left early in the morning, specifically saying he would be back tonight. Zhao Yunxiang had been treating him coldly these past few days, and Zhou Zhixin was nearly driven to death by anxiety.
The sky was full of colorful clouds, but there was no sign of Zhou Zhixin.
Zhou Yuanyuan walked back from the courtyard gate dejectedly for the Nth time, and Zhao Yunxiang felt a little distressed when she saw it.
"Yuanyuan, go play with your brother for a while. We'll have dinner soon. We can't wait any longer." Zhao Yunxiang was a little annoyed. She knew that Zhixin, such a shrewd person, would be at a loss if he ran into the Zhou family's ruthless gang. It seemed that Zhixin was being detained by the Zhou family today.
Zhixin was right. Why would he make a promise to a child that he couldn't keep? When he left this morning, he'd promised to be back that day. It was a shame the two kids were so happy. Zhao Yunxiang shook her head.
"Mom, I don't want to go play." Zhou Yuanyuan said as she ran out of the yard.
Zhao Yunxiang knew that Yuanyuan had gone to pick up Zhou Zhixin. Ever since she woke up from the drowning, Yuanyuan had been so well-behaved that Zhao Yunxiang felt distressed.
It’s all Zhou Zhixin’s fault! Zhao Yunxiang felt even angrier.
Over the past few days, Zhao Yunxiang has been pressing Zhou Zhixin to come up with a plan. Zhao Yunxiang knows Zhou Zhixin's character very well. In Zhou Zhixin's heart, the Zhou family is very important, otherwise he would not have taken her and her daughter to the army for so many years.
No! This time, I must leave the Zhou family, even if it means leaving Zhou Zhixin behind!
Zhao Yunxiang pursed her lips, a stern look flickering across her face. She was filled with an indescribable fear. The nightmare of that night had been lingering in her mind for days. She was terrified that everything in her dream would come true. Zhou Zhixin would... die, Jiasheng would nearly become a murderer, and what good would become of her beloved daughter, Zhou Yuanyuan?
Zhou Yuanyuan slowly walked to the village entrance. She knew that the chances of Zhou Zhixin showing up were slim, but she couldn't help herself.
After Zhou Zhixin left, Zhou Yuanyuan had been feeling anxious the entire day. She kept thinking something bad was going to happen. Zhao Qingshan's family was all present today. Besides Zhao Yunxiang and her daughter, Wen Ziqing, even Zhao Guohui and his wife had returned.
Judging from Zhao Qingshan's attitude, he was looking for Zhou Zhixin to resolve some issues today. Seeing his grandfather's concern for their family's affairs, Zhou Yuanyuan felt a flicker of joy in her heart. As long as Zhou Zhixin agreed, they could leave Zhoujia Village and their leech-like "relatives."
Zhou Yuanyuan was afraid of Zhoujia Village. In her previous life, Zhou Zhixin died in Zhoujia Village.
Died...in...Zhoujia Village?
When Zhou Yuanyuan thought of this, she had a flash of enlightenment in her heart, and her wildly beating heart gradually calmed down.
"Girl, what's wrong?" Wen Ziqing observed for a long time before coming over.
"Brother Ziqing, I need a favor!" Zhou Yuanyuan's eyes lit up when she saw Wen Ziqing. Their "precise collaboration" a few days ago had already made Zhou Yuanyuan consider Wen Ziqing reliable.
If she told her grandfather that she was worried about Zhou Zhixin and that her father would be harmed by the Zhou family, he would definitely not believe her "nonsense." Wen Ziqing was different. Zhou Yuanyuan found that Wen Ziqing would not ask why she asked, but would cooperate with her very well.
Wen Ziqing's face remained unchanged, but he was secretly grumbling. Whenever the little girl called him "Brother Ziqing" in a sweet voice, it was when she was plotting against him. Otherwise, she would usually call him "Ice Cube" or "Iceberg."
"Brother Ziqing, is that not possible?" Zhou Yuanyuan looked disappointed when she saw Wen Ziqing staring at her coldly without any reaction. She was still thinking about whether she could trick Wen Ziqing into going back to Zhoujia Village with her tonight. To be honest, she was feeling a little uneasy today, as if something was about to happen.
Gutiezhu's tree theft was discovered two years earlier. Could Zhou Zhixin's death have also happened two years earlier? Zhou Yuanyuan couldn't be sure. Tonight, no matter what, Zhou Yuanyuan had to see it for herself before she could rest assured.
"The old place?" Wen Ziqing asked. These days, Wen Ziqing and Zhou Yuanyuan had been using the phrase "the old place" to refer to Zhou Chunping's home in Zhoujia Village, to avoid the cunning Zhao Qingshan discovering their "good" deeds.
"Yeah, Brother Ziqing, you are so nice!" Zhou Yuanyuan smiled sweetly and said nice words to Wen Ziqing.
Wen Ziqing said nothing more and turned to make preparations. Wen Ziqing thought Zhou Yuanyuan was going to dress up as a ghost to scare Wu Jinfeng again, and didn't think about Zhou Zhixin at all.
It's no wonder. Zhou Zhixin is a grown man, and Wen Ziqing doesn't know that Zhou Chunping has murderous intentions towards Zhou Zhixin, so naturally he wouldn't think that "Zhou Zhixin is in danger if he stays alone in Zhoujia Village."
Zhou Zhixin felt very annoyed.
After not seeing each other for a year, Zhou Zhixin felt that the Zhou family members seemed much more unfamiliar.
In previous years, when Zhou Zhixin returned home to visit his family, everyone in the Zhou family would smile. Although most of those smiles were because of the gifts Zhou Zhixin brought home, such a scene also made Zhou Zhixin feel valued.
This year was different. Upon arriving home, he first ran into Wu Jinfeng, who had orchestrated a plot to have the police arrest Zhao Yunxiang, forcing her back to her parents' home. Then, Zhou Chunping was also a little puzzled. He knew Zhou Zhixin hadn't slept for over thirty hours, yet he still dragged him along, asking him about things in the army.
Zhou Zhixin was puzzled. Did he go home the wrong way this year, causing everyone in his family to look so different?
The most obvious change was in Zhou Chunping's attitude. In the past, although Zhou Chunping's treatment of Zhou Zhixin was not exactly warm and gentle, he would not easily offend Zhou Zhixin.
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