CHAPTER 283: CHAPTER 215

Along the way, Old Mrs. Cheng tightly held Zhou Xiaozheng’s hand. The two of them stared blankly at the box in his arms, and everyone was silent, not knowing what words to use to comfort them.

When they reached the small courtyard in the county town, the car had just stopped, and they saw Zhao Dashan and Second Zhang, Zhang Guoqiang, waiting at the door. The courtyard was brightly lit.

Zhao Dashan had heard from a neighbor that four military vehicles came looking for Zhang Guoqing, stretching from the small courtyard to the main street. When he came to check, he found that everyone had rushed out. It was not until he heard a few words from Zhang Guoqiang that he realized something had happened, and he was considering whether to go to Zhou Family Village.

Seeing Zhou Xiaozheng get out of the car, he carefully examined Zhou Xiaozheng’s expression and noticed no abnormalities. He quickly looked at Zhang Guoqing, and only felt at ease when he saw him subtly shake his head.

"Brother Zheng, quickly go inside. The house is ready with food. Let the old folks eat first to warm up."

Zhou Xiaozheng helped Old Mrs. Cheng, "This is my aunt, uncle, and cousin. We’ll talk more after we go in."

Mr. Lin saw Zhao Dashan and said to Mr. Cheng: "He’s a retired soldier from our old unit, currently at the militia department. It’s always been him and the youngest son of the Zuo Family taking care of Xiao Wu and Jiao Jiao. I only realized it was an old acquaintance when I heard about Xiaozheng’s return this time."

Mr. Cheng smiled and nodded at Zhao Dashan, "Let’s all go inside and talk."

Everyone entered the living room. Zhang Guoqing saw a large round table already set up. His eldest sister, Zhang Meili, was urgently signaling with glances and said with a smile, "Sis, start serving the dishes." She beckoned everyone to the table.

Returning to the kitchen, he saw that Xiao Zhou and the others were already eating, "Why aren’t you coming over? There are seats reserved in the living room."

Xiao Zhou and the others quickly replied, "We’re already eating, so we weren’t planning to go over. You accompany the elders. We have your second brother here. You go ahead and do your thing."

Zhang Guoqing, seeing this, didn’t insist further, "Alright then, Second Brother, you take care of things. The wine is in the warehouse nearby. If there’s not enough food, ask Big Sister. I’ll go see if there’s anything else that needs help on the other side."

The dishes started coming onto the table in the living room one after another. By the time Zhang Guoqing came in holding two jars of wine, everyone was seated and waiting for him.

Mr. Cheng smiled and said, "Today, our little grand-son-in-law has been very busy. Come over and get to know everyone. I am your grandaunt’s husband, this is your grandaunt, and beside your dad is my eldest son, Cheng Sijin. You should call him Big Cousin. We also have Second Cousin Cheng Siyu and Little Aunt Cheng Ruzhu."

Zhang Guoqing was gratified upon hearing the names, respecting the couple. After greeting them, he brought a wine jar to Mr. Cheng, smiling as he said, "Grandaunt’s husband, let me pour you a drink. This is to show my respect; you must enjoy it well. For Grandaunt, I have fruit wine; fortunately, my mom can accompany Grandaunt. Tonight’s reunion of Grandaunt and my dad is a joyous event, so let’s all be happy."

Mr. Cheng chuckled cheerfully, "Good, well said. Let’s all be happy from now on."

Zhang Guoqing poured everyone their drinks and sat quietly, listening to their chit-chat, occasionally standing up to refill their drinks.

Old Mrs. Cheng was enchanted as she listened to Lin Lishan talking in detail about Zhou Jiao. Zhou Xiaozheng ladled soup into a small bowl for her, "Aunt, eat a bit more. You can see Jiao Jiao tomorrow morning."

"Can’t we just leave after eating? Is it inconvenient for her there?"

Zhou Xiaozheng persuaded, "Let’s have a good rest tonight. Aren’t we going to the ancestral hall early tomorrow morning? I’ll bring Jiao Jiao into the ancestral hall. As for you, stay here for a night; I’m not going back tonight. I’ll listen to you talk about my parents when they were young."

Cheng Sijin quickly chimed in, "Right, Mom, I’ll sleep with Brother tonight; I have some things to tell him."

Mr. Cheng made a decision, "Alright, after eating here, we’ll all go to the guesthouse. Xiao Zheng and his wife will join you all there; chat as much as you like. Xiao Wu, once we leave, tidy up and go back to Jiao Jiao, and we’ll see you at the ancestral hall tomorrow morning. After everything, visit the Zhang Family and see the kids. Oh, and don’t bring the children to the ancestral hall tomorrow, it’s very gloomy there."

Zhou Xiaozheng agreed, "Alright, this place is too small. Xiao Wu, drive back and reassure Jiao Jiao that I’m fine. Also, we can’t go hunting, so let her father know. Dashan, Ah Guang is your responsibility."

"No worries, important matters take precedence, I’ll wait for Ah Guang in the county town."

Everyone saw that it was getting late and they had things to do in the morning, so they finished eating quickly and didn’t continue drinking.

Watching them all board the cars heading to the guesthouse, Zhang Guoqing and his two siblings finished tidying up in about an hour. After sorting and loading the washed dishes and utensils onto the car, Zhang Guoqing saw his second brother hurriedly run back to fetch his work uniform.

"Haha, I thought you already took it back this afternoon."

Zhang Guoqing locked up the main gate, confirmed that everything was settled, and the three of them got into the car, "I haven’t stopped all day today and completely forgot. I left the clothes in the inner room and didn’t see them, so I forgot. Big Sister, I’ll take you home first. Have you set a date for your housewarming? I forget to ask you every time I see you."

Zhang Meili laughed heartily, "You’ve been busy enough. Looks like your relatives keep popping up one after another. Speaking of the housewarming, it gives me a headache. Your brother-in-law’s siblings are all envious of us buying a house. My father-in-law set a date, but they’re either busy with this or that, and the old man insists on having all his sons present. Your brother-in-law got so mad, he said if they don’t want to come, then don’t, nobody needs them. This time, it’s set for next week."

Zhang Guoqing chuckled at her story, "Don’t mind them, they can come or not. Next week the three of us brothers will come, and that’s enough. With the three of us, you can hold your head high. We’ll make sure it’s lively for you."

"Don’t get upset with brother-in-law on that end, it’s not worth it. Your father-in-law wants his sons to be united, but that doesn’t mean you have to accept them living with you. If you’re thinking of letting the old couple move in, you can forget about it. If they really move in, it’ll be chaos. You’re better off visiting them in the village with gifts and money than having them live with you."

Zhang Guoqiang chimed in as well, "Exactly, if the old man insists on treating all his sons equally, it’s better to stay away. Piety isn’t just about being close by. Not everyone is like our mom and dad. If they really do move in, think it through; today one son wants your help, tomorrow another son has no grain and needs food, then what will you do?"

"Don’t compare with Second Sister’s family; they’re only children and the circumstances are different. I think you should wait and see, and only when the old folks see what their other sons are really like, disappointed and heartbroken, should you take them in. Remember that time your mother-in-law was in the hospital? Your father-in-law is still hopeful. Think it through."

"Big Sister, here we are at your place. We won’t go up. Oh, and don’t buy anything you need right now. Once things settle down for me, I’ll take you to the warehouse in my courtyard to see if there’s anything useful. Don’t be shy, it’s all good stuff from Professor Liu’s house."

Zhang Meili laughed as she got out of the car, "There’s still an empty courtyard in the village, and you don’t have much. Save up and don’t just waste it."

Watching her enter the tube building, Zhang Guoqing drove swiftly along, pondering if there was anything he hadn’t done yet.

Passing by Master Fatty’s place, Zhang Guoqing returned the dishes and thanked him several times, knowing in his heart that he hadn’t paid enough for tonight.