"Hongmei, no matter the reason, the Zhou family is not a good place to go. This is my fault; I shouldn't have let you go to the capital," the old lady said in a calm tone.
"Hehe, Grandma, you're overthinking it. This is my own decision. And also, if I don't go, the trouble won't come looking for me."
Grandma, I believe in the saying, "What's meant to happen will happen."
The old lady nodded, "Yes, what's meant to happen will happen, and I haven't figured it out as well as you have. Oh well, it's good enough that we can avoid the Zhou family."
The old lady kept talking to Zhang Hongmei and completely ignored Zhang Shouyi.
Zhang Shouyi was a little uneasy, but he didn't show it. Everyone in the room was hostile towards him. It was only because he had good self-control that he could stay there; otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to stay.
Zhang Shouyi was feeling uneasy, not because he was afraid of anything else, but mainly because he respected the old lady. She was a founding father of the nation, and he truly admired her from the bottom of his heart.
"Grandma, it's alright. Even if there were no other way, I wouldn't have agreed. I'm not someone to be trifled with. It's just that if things were done my way, it would be the most disadvantageous thing for me. So, I agreed to this marriage. Although it's a pragmatic solution, Zhang Shouyi and I are acquaintances and know each other well, so it's not bad."
"Girl, do you really think so? Can you really accept this?" The old lady stared intently at Zhang Hongmei, trying to see her expression clearly.
Zhang Hongmei chuckled, "Grandma, I wouldn't believe myself if I said I had no feelings at all. But after weighing the pros and cons, I still agreed."
"Hongmei, I can protect you, why didn't you come to me?" The old lady was puzzled.
"Hehe, Grandma, there are a few reasons for this. First, it's too far away, and I don't have time to come back for help. Second, you've already distanced yourself from trouble, and I don't want to drag you into this again. Third, I've thought it through, and this marriage is still beneficial to me. So, after weighing the pros and cons, I've decided to agree to Zhang Shouyi's proposal."
"Grandma, don't worry, I'm leaving the country on the 8th. I'll be back in three years at the earliest. Those three years will be over a thousand days, and who knows what might happen."
"Your idea is quite good, but this is a woman's lifelong decision, and you're being too hasty."
"Hehe, Grandma, no way. I've known Zhang Shouyi for quite some time now, and we know each other fairly well. I know how he treats me. Since I have to choose, it's him. Besides, I'm still young, and it's not certain how this marriage will turn out."
"You're really thick-skinned." Actually, if the old lady hadn't been suppressing her anger, she would have already punched Zhang Shouyi, that cunning boy.
“Hongmei, actually, I wanted you to be part of my Liu family from the beginning, and to be with Jingze. But I also knew that this wasn’t something I could just do as I pleased, so I didn’t show it and let you two get along on your own. But I think I was wrong. I should have told you sooner, so you would have had more options.”
Zhang Hongmei was quite surprised, but after thinking about it, she realized it was normal. She smiled and said, "Grandma, I have no other feelings for Brother Jingze. Even if you had explained it to me earlier, I would not have chosen him as my shield. I only regard him as my brother, my own brother."
"Sigh, you two aren't meant to be. Being siblings is fine too." What could he say? He knew his great-grandson well, but even he might not know this news yet. And even if he did, there was nothing he could do. It wasn't because they were married, but because this girl didn't have him in her heart. That was the reason for his failure.
At this moment, Hu Aifen finished making the cold noodles. "Hongmei, come and eat." She did not greet Zhang Shouyi.
But who is Zhang Shouyi? He doesn't care about this situation at all. If he's not invited to eat, he'll just go by himself.
Seeing his boss rudely go to dinner with others, Xiao Li felt that as a qualified driver, he should follow his boss's lead and go to dinner as well.
Zhang Hongmei suppressed a laugh as she watched Zhang Shouyi sitting to one side with a bowl in his hand, and Xiao Li also had a bowl in front of him, which Xiao Li had shamelessly asked Hu Aifen for.
Hu Aifen rolled her eyes at Zhang Shouyi, but still served him a bowl, and of course, Xiao Li also got a share.
After finishing her meal, Zhang Hongmei returned to the old lady's room and got back on the kang (a heated brick bed). No one knows what the family was talking about earlier, but the old lady didn't show it. However, Liu Changhe was definitely furious.
"Girl, are you really going abroad? It's so far, and there's nothing good about foreigners. What are you going to do there?"
"Grandpa, you're exaggerating. There are good and bad people everywhere. Besides, I'm going there to learn, not to do diplomacy or build relationships. I really don't care whether they're good or bad."
"Nonsense, how can I not care? It's so dangerous for you to live in an environment full of malice."
"Grandpa, no matter where you are, there are still more good people than bad. The school environment is actually the purest."
"Oh, I don't understand what you mean? Your uncle will go to the township to call Jingze in a bit and ask him to go with you."
"Grandpa, my brother Jingze can't make it. Even if he wanted to go, he'd have to be accepted by them, and they'd definitely investigate thoroughly before accepting him." This old man is really something; it's not like you can just go whenever you want.
"Besides, don't hold my brother Jingze back. He has his ideals. If he goes into politics, he really can't go abroad."
"Why bother with politics? He's even lost his wife. Just let him go home and farm. My most precious red plum blossoms belong to someone else."
"Grandpa, I'm your granddaughter, we're still family." Zhang Hongmei was truly helpless; was this old man about to throw a tantrum?
Liu Changhe fell silent, sitting there fuming. His real anger had been extinguished by Zhang Hongmei's comment about her granddaughter. But he was definitely still unhappy.
"Grandpa, don't be angry. I'll take you to the capital when I get back. If there are still any taboos then, I'll come back and stay with you for a few months. Okay, don't be angry anymore."
“Who would want to go to that place? It’s not as comfortable as home. I’m not going.”
"Okay, okay, if you don't go, I'll stay here with you. I love our family too."
"You said it? Don't forget."
"Hehe, don't worry, sir, I definitely won't forget it."
Just then, Zhang Shouyi came in. Zhang Hongmei only needed one bowl of cold noodles, but he ate three, and even tried to make small talk with Hu Aifen. Hu Aifen was furious, but she couldn't vent her anger; she was truly frustrated. "How could Jingze be so spineless? Such a good girl has become someone else's! No way, I'll have my dad call him later."
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