CHAPTER 278: CHAPTER 211: THE CHENG FAMILY ARRIVES

Zhang Guoqing quietly tugged at his mother-in-law’s sleeve, and the two of them quietly retreated outside. Once they reached the kitchen, they sat opposite each other in silence. At this moment, neither of them knew what to say, so they just sat there quietly. The situation came so suddenly, without any buffer, confronting them head-on.

Zhang Guoqing had imagined many scenarios, but he hadn’t expected such a heartbreaking one. He now understood why Old Sir Zhou treated them father and daughter this way. First, he wasn’t their biological father, and second, although they were said to be cousins, having lived in the shadow of such an outstanding cousin, his personality would definitely make him both envious and jealous. He might even blame the downfall of the Zhou Family on Zhou Jinyu. Probably, Gu Mingzhu left a lot behind back then, and seeing that his more talented cousin had passed away, he decided to return to his hometown and live a steady life.

Thinking of his father-in-law, Zhang Guoqing sighed deeply. Recognizing his biological father was a sure thing. Fortunately, Zhou Xiaocun was spared; they raised his father-in-law for a period, so any debts were long cleared. Old Mrs. Zhou might genuinely be reluctant to part with this adopted son, but to say Old Man Zhou couldn’t bear it was just nonsense.

Lin Lishan sighed along with him, saying in a low voice, "Your grandmother is from the Jiangnan Gu Family. I knew Gu Mingzhu when they mentioned her just now, but I never expected my mother-in-law to be Gu Mingzhu."

Zhang Guoqing looked at her curiously, "Mom, then you and my dad aren’t first cousins? After many twists and turns, it turns out you’re one family. It’s really destiny."

"Ah, a distant cousin. I wonder how your dad is doing? Should we go and see him?"

"In a while, you can go in and console him. I’ll stay outside and think it over. This matter is really a headache. My dad will certainly need to acknowledge his ancestry again. Grandpa’s legacy can’t be left empty, and we should let people know there is still bloodline remaining from the Zhou Family’s main room. Let’s see what Dad says in a few days."

"Xiao Wu, are you inside? Xiao Wu, it’s your second brother calling, come out quickly...." A shout came from outside the door.

Zhou Guoqing hurriedly stood up and headed outside, "Mom, my second brother is outside calling. Could it be that something happened to Jiao Jiao?" With that, he ran out quickly.

Hearing that something might have happened to Zhou Jiao, Lin Lishan was so frightened that she couldn’t think of anything else, and hastily followed him outside.

Zhang Guoqing had no time to reply, and when he reached the courtyard and opened the door, he was stunned. "What’s going on? Grandfather, where did you come from? Also... everyone, please come in."

Outside the courtyard, under the illumination of the lights, stood a dense crowd of elderly, middle-aged, and young people in military uniforms, appearing especially conspicuous. He saw an elderly couple at the front leaning on each other, their eyes filled with tears, expectantly and excitedly staring into the courtyard.

In a flash of recognition, Zhang Guoqing blurted out, "Liu Xizhi?"

Mr. Cheng stopped immediately upon hearing this and sized him up, "You must be Zhou Xiaozheng’s son-in-law. Not bad, you have a good eye. Take us to see your father; is he inside?"

Seeing his mother-in-law stumbling over, Zhang Guoqing hurriedly shouted, "Mom, it’s not something wrong with Jiao Jiao. Slow down, be careful not to fall."

After saying that, he turned to Mr. Cheng and the others who were walking inside and said, "My dad just found out about his background. Please take it slowly and let him compose himself; he’s with Mrs. Zhou in the living room right now."

Seeing them nod, he felt relieved inside and discreetly observed them, especially the elderly lady among them, who should be Liu Xizhi, likely around the same age as Gu Mingzhu. The couple looked quite like professors, and their simple attire didn’t reveal their military rank, but seeing Mr. Lin step back a half-step in front of him indicated their status. Especially as they entered, the guards around them remained on high alert. What was their purpose for coming here? With night already fallen, it didn’t seem like they had arrived by train, especially with the military doctors among them. Noticing that Xiao Zhou didn’t display any strange expression towards him gave him a bit of reassurance.

Zhou Xiaozheng was in the living room when he heard someone calling outside. The voice sounded like Second Zhang. As he was about to get up, he saw his son-in-law quickly running to open the door. He listened carefully to the commotion outside—there were quite a few people who had come, and they were soldiers.

He steadied his emotions, tidied his clothes, and said to the anxious Mrs. Zhou, "Mom, don’t think too much. No matter what, you are my mother. You raised me. Let’s leave unnecessary words for later; we have guests now, and we’ll talk about these matters later."

Seeing that Mrs. Zhou seemed okay, Zhou Xiaozheng walked outside. As soon as he stepped out, he spotted Mr. Cheng and Old Mrs. Cheng approaching. He raised an eyebrow, and a thought flashed through his mind instantly—Old Mrs. Cheng was likely Liu Xizhi, who later changed her name to Liu Qinglian. No wonder he could never find her. Given her identity and the field she worked in earlier years, he really couldn’t track her down.

Old Mrs. Cheng, upon seeing Zhou Xiaozheng, couldn’t stop her tears. She pushed away her husband’s supporting hand and rushed forward to embrace him tightly, sobbing desperately. Her whole body trembled, and her fingers clutched Zhou Xiaozheng’s arm tightly.

Zhou Xiaozheng dared not move, extending his hand to gently pat her, "It’s okay, we’re all fine. Let’s sit down inside and talk slowly." Seeing she had loosened her grip a bit, he hurriedly supported her to a chair to sit down.

Seeing he wasn’t needed here, Zhang Guoqing noticed that everyone hadn’t eaten yet, making it inconvenient to talk at a restaurant. He pulled his second brother aside to help him get Big Sister Zhang Meili to come and cook.

Watching his second brother leave, he took Xiao Zhou and the others to the kitchen, "Brother Zhou, this place isn’t very big, so I can only bring you here to the kitchen. You have to help me take care of a few elders. Brothers, you’ve got a treat today. We’ve just got some fresh seafood, and I bet you haven’t eaten yet. Let’s handle it ourselves; whoever wants a drink can pour themselves."

With a smile, Xiao Zhou sat at the table, pulling Xiao Chen beside him to sit down and beckoned his colleagues, "Come on, sit down. There’s no need to stand on ceremony with Xiao Wu. Soon enough you’ll know his character. He doesn’t put on airs. Just treat him like a younger brother. Xiao Wu, what are you busy with? Just give us anything to eat, don’t fuss."

Zhang Guoqing placed two bamboo baskets by the table, pointing at the sea snails and other seafood, "They’re all fresh, still live. The small room up front is the storeroom; if it’s not enough, help yourselves. I’ll start the fire. Anyone know how to prepare these? If I’m doing it, I’ll just boil them; who here’s got cooking skills?"

A soldier stood up, glanced at the bamboo baskets, and said with a laugh, "Seems like it’s up to me. Xiao Wu, right? You go entertain the elders; we’ll handle things here ourselves. Just don’t worry about us eating you out of house and home."

Zhang Guoqing laughed heartily, "Brother, don’t underestimate my stock. Eat as much as you like today; you can’t finish it all. Let’s make some appetizers first, and when my sister comes, we’ll cook some proper meals."

After saying this, he went to the storage and brought out two jars of wine into the kitchen. Seeing them all working on their own, he left and headed toward the living room, standing not far outside to notice nothing unexpected happened inside. He exited the courtyard, got into the car, and drove quickly towards Master Fatty’s place.

At the East Suburb, Zhang Guoqing got out of the car and headed straight to the courtyard kitchen. Fortunately, there weren’t many guests tonight, so he could prepare a few more dishes.

"Master Fatty, well, here I am again. This time it’s an emergency, can you prepare a banquet for me to take away? I have no choice; with important guests arriving, I had to seek you out."

Master Fatty laughed heartily upon seeing Zhang Guoqing, "I’m happier when you come around. What business wouldn’t I want to do? Can you take it all?"

"I can take it all. I drove here, so it’s quick. But I’ll need to use the bowls and chopsticks first; if you need them urgently, I’ll return them tonight."

"What kind of food do you need? You should let me know first."

"Three elderly folks, five or six soldiers, mostly it needs to be quick, as they probably haven’t eaten coming over in such a rush. How long do you think it’ll take?"

Master Fatty glanced at the ingredients, pondered a bit, "Got it. You take the wine and cold dishes over first; by the time you return, I’ll have everything mostly ready. With three stoves going, it’ll be quick."

"Thanks, Master Fatty. I’ll leave it to you. I trust the expert here."