CHAPTER 276: CHAPTER 209: WHO IS LIU XIZHI?

In the small yard of the county town, Zhou Xiaozheng had no idea what he was about to face.

After dinner, everyone moved to the living room to drink tea and chatted casually.

Zhao Dashan noticed that Zhou Xiaozheng and his mother seemed distracted, and he knew that Mrs. Zhou’s sudden arrival in the county town today must mean something was up with the Zhou Family again. He looked at Zhou Xiaozheng worriedly, but then remembered that Zhang Guoqing was there too, which made him feel relieved.

The Zhou Family had suffered enough, yet they still wanted to trouble Zhang Guoqing and his wife. They thought that since Zhou Xiaozheng was the son, the brother, they could calculate against him. Didn’t they consider that even if Brother Zheng couldn’t take action, he had the little fox Zhou Jiao behind him? Didn’t they realize the situation and see that the seemingly innocent Zhou Jiao was actually a little fox? And there was also a tiger watching closely, a death wish indeed!

Zhao Dashan glanced at the new clock’s hands, which pointed to five-thirty. His wife and Lin Lishan had already cleaned up the kitchen. It was inconvenient to handle family matters with their presence.

He quickly finished his tea, stood up, and said, "Brother Zheng, we are full and satisfied; we’ll head back first. I’ll wait for Zhao Chuan Guang to come tomorrow morning to find you. You should also go back early and get some rest. Madam, we’ll head back now. Come visit us when you have time; we’re not far from here, just ahead."

Zhou Xiaozheng saw that he was determined to leave and did not insist, stood up and said, "Mother, please sit for a bit, I’ll walk them out." He then headed toward the door.

"Brother Zheng, you don’t need to go out. It’s not our first visit; are you worried we won’t find our way?"

"It’s fine, just a few steps." Zhou Xiaozheng saw his son-in-law coming out of the warehouse with a bamboo basket and couldn’t help but smile. This son-in-law really had good sense; the moment Zhao Dashan bade farewell, he was ready to move.

Zhang Guoqing handed two bamboo baskets to Zhao Hongbing, and seeing him hesitantly looking at his father, he smiled and said, "Stop looking at your dad, just take them, they’re not heavy. Once you’ve finished, come back for more."

Zhao Dashan looked at his son’s bewildered expression, smiled, nodded, and said to him, "Take them. No need to be polite; take as much as your Uncle Zhou has. Just treat your Uncle Zhou with the same respect you’d treat me."

Cheng Hongli laughed heartily, "You’re so straightforward, be careful that next time Brother Zheng might chase you away with a broom for being so presumptive."

Zhou Xiaozheng joked with her, "No worries, if I go to your house and see something, I’ll take it too; don’t feel distressed."

"Haha, sure, if you see anything you like, you won’t even need to lift a finger, I’ll move it all over for you."

At the gate, they watched the Zhao family walk into the distance, after which Lin Lishan asked Zhang Guoqing, "Did you put the rice that Aunt Cheng brought in the bamboo basket?"

Zhang Guoqing chuckled, "Luckily, they brought food with them. Mom, did you see the Zhao siblings’ appetite? One meal for them could last Jiao Jiao a month. Haha, just kidding. I didn’t have the heart to return it as it was, so I prepared over 10 pounds of flour and some cured meat at the bottom of the basket, and hid it with some fish jerky on top, just in case Aunt Cheng saw and refused it. They seem to like mantis shrimp, so I added mantis shrimp and sea snails to the other basket, just to make it presentable."

Zhou Xiaozheng, taking the two of them back inside, listened and nodded approvingly, looking at him with admiration, "You handled it well. Don’t worry, your son-in-law will handle this little thing properly for you."

"I’m not worried. It’s just that inviting them over, and they bring rice, makes me feel embarrassed. Jiao Jiao said that in the city rice is limited. Cheng Hongli, saving every penny, probably kept it for a long time. I’d feel guilty if we took theirs and left them eating coarse grains."

Zhou Xiaozheng secretly found it amusing, believing that in his wife’s eyes, everyone was thrifty. Perhaps she was influenced by being around Cheng Hongli recently. She didn’t realize that she lived and ate in the army, occasionally returning home to indulge, never having to worry about food supplies. Fortunately, she married him, and soon they wouldn’t need to cook themselves when they returned to Beijing, as his promotion came with housekeeping staff.

"Don’t worry, Zhao Dashan goes to the black market for food. We’ve already agreed that we’ll go to Province K in a few days; they don’t lack grain there. We won’t buy coarse grains, leave those for others, just some fine grains."

Zhang Guoqing, considering next year’s and the forthcoming situation, nodded in agreement, "Dad makes sense; we won’t buy coarse grains. With the county residence registration, Jiao Jiao and I have food provisions, plus the fine grains we have at home, it’s enough. By next spring, when the yard in the village is planted with sweet potatoes and corn, we might not finish eating."

As they neared the main living room, Zhang Guoqing stopped the conversation. He glanced at his father-in-law, contemplating whether he should make himself scarce tonight. When it came to the Zhou Family’s privacy, he felt he couldn’t act casually without his father-in-law’s consent.

Zhou Xiaozheng, sensing his son-in-law’s glance, knew very well that tonight was a good opportunity. After tonight, it would be hard to get anything out of Mrs. Zhou.

As for leaving, there wasn’t a need. If his background truly posed an issue, it would only benefit the old man; otherwise, with his personality, instead of threatening him, he would drive him away.

"Shanshan, later check if there are any coats or quilts to send back with the old lady, gather some up, not too much, and leave them in the room for me to check. I’ll chat with Xiao Wu and the old lady, we’ll return later, it’s quieter here." Zhou Xiaozheng finished and walked towards the living room.

Mrs. Zhou sat in the living room, carefully observing the furnishings. She hadn’t had the chance to take a look after entering and resting in the room. Now she could see the original owner still had a solid foundation, no wonder they installed a fire wall. She wondered if something happened, would they give it up, which reminded her of her family and the Zhou Family, making her feel down.

After a moment, when she saw them come in, the old lady squinted her eyes slightly and smiled, "They’ve all left? This is my first time seeing Xiao Zheng’s comrades in the county; they seem like a nice family, so if they often look after Jiao Jiao, you two have nothing to worry about. You should return to Beijing early for peace of mind."

Zhou Xiaozheng nodded, "Zhao Dashan is genuine; although we haven’t met in years, his temperament hasn’t changed. Just for them often looking after our Jiao Jiao, we should remember their kindness."

"Indeed, remember their kindness. There are still many good people in these times. When are you going back to Beijing? If there’s nothing, go back early. Seeing you well relieves me. Don’t send money often; we have our salaries, and if nothing else, reach out to Jiao Jiao. You’ve been away for more than a decade, return early to maintain connections. Here, Jiao Jiao is married and has kids, you’ve seen Xiao Wu too, they’re all good children, nothing to worry about. Go back early, and unless necessary, don’t return. If you miss the kids, let Xiao Wu bring Jiao Jiao to visit you."

Zhou Xiaozheng’s eyes dimmed for a moment, playfully complaining to her, "Mother, why are you always wanting me to go back early? Don’t you miss your youngest son? I still want to stay and spend more time with you. When I’m outside, I always think of you, worried about you. It took so long to see you, but you still ask me to leave. Someone might think you’re trying to get rid of me."

Mrs. Zhou looked at him with sadness, "How could a mother not miss you? Seeing Jiao Jiao reminds me of you as a child. You’ve done too much for our family; we can’t burden you anymore. Even if your father has a lot to think about, it’s in vain. Children have their blessings, something he never understands."

Hearing this, Zhou Xiaozheng felt despondent. Despite his hesitance, he took a deep breath and asked, "Mother, you know how I’ve lived in the Zhou Family. Apart from you, no one treats me as family. I believe I’ve never wronged Father, but he involved Jiao Jiao. We, as father and daughter, are outsiders in the Zhou Family. I want to ask, who is Liu Xizhi? Who gave me the amulet I wore since I was young?"