ebookslot Chapter 1066 - 939: I Was Wondering Why You Were in Such a Hurry to Leave
Chapter 1066 - 939: I Was Wondering Why You Were in Such a Hurry to Leave
Outside, the clear bright moonlight cast the shadow of the clothes-drying pole onto the window, swaying back and forth. The night was growing deeper; though summer had already arrived, the night air was still laced with a chill.Most people could fall asleep peacefully in such an environment, yet on the big kang bed in the west room, aside from the three little ones sleeping soundly, the couple were both still awake.
"Tell me, why were you in such a hurry to leave? By right, after dinner tonight we ought to wander around and look at the lotus again, or at least take the kids around the area for a walk to help digest."
"Baby, you really do know me best."
"So how are you going to explain to Godfather that we’re going over on the weekend? I’m guessing their young master is still hoping to ’run into’ us. Now that we’ve come back to our hometown, it’s not like they won’t get wind of it."
Holding his wife’s slender jade-like hand in his arms, Zhang Guoqing said as he rubbed it, "I’m worried that if we don’t go to the provincial city, those people might use the chance to come knocking at our door. What would we do then? It wouldn’t be right not to receive them, so better lay an ambush in advance."
"In a couple of days I’ll give Godfather a call and see what he says. They’re not coming here for a holiday like we are. If they’ve got official business that forces them to leave, then we’ll stagger the timing. Anyway, keeping the relationship lukewarm suits us just fine. If we run into each other in Beijing it’ll be the same as ever, but here I don’t want them borrowing Dad’s influence."
Zhou Jiao nodded slightly, looking at him with a hint of admiration in her eyes. "You’re still the clever one. To react so fast in such a short time—if it were me, I’d definitely be all muddled. As for Godmother’s maiden family, we’d better be on guard."
Zhang Guoqing chuckled and patted her. "You could even hear that much from my tone, and then you turn around and praise me in disguise. Could you be any faker? Tell me, how should I punish you?"
"Didn’t I just draw that conclusion from how you were talking." Zhou Jiao hurriedly moved the finger that had been tracing circles on Zhang Guoqing’s chest away. "Are you really not going to bother with that whole mess back home anymore?"
Zhang Guoqing let out a sigh. "I’ve done everything that needed doing. How the next generation turns out, that’s between my sons and them. I don’t want to interfere, and I can’t either. I won’t let outsiders take advantage and wrong my boys."
"Ping’an and the others aren’t thinking things through that complicated."
Zhang Guoqing glanced at the children and pulled their sheets up snug over their bellies. "Our kids were all personally trained by Dad; their wits are not much worse than most adults’."
As he spoke, he smiled meaningfully. "Especially those two little ones—so young, just a few days of getting along, and in that short time they’ve already figured out everyone in the family from top to bottom, yet they still put on that blank, innocent act."
That was true as well. Zhou Jiao shook her head with a smile, took a cup of water, and handed it to him. "Being a parent is really tough. You want them to be shrewd so they won’t suffer later, but you worry they’ll become too selfish; you want them to be broad-minded and generous, but then you’re afraid they’ll grow up heedless and careless."
"Anyway, being shrewd is better than being heartless." Zhang Guoqing passed the cup back to her, and as it disappeared in an instant, he suddenly remembered how before they left home she’d been so enthusiastic, saying she wanted to go all the way north visiting scrap stations along the road.
As for money, his wife had always been indifferent. She used to be quite interested in hoarding supplies like a hamster, but after Life settled down, that didn’t hold her much interest anymore either.
This trip out hadn’t really cheered her up; instead, there had been all sorts of trivial annoyances. It seemed he couldn’t just focus on training the sons and forget about her.
The wish to go north all the way visiting scrap stations couldn’t be realized, but visiting scrap stations around this ancient capital of a provincial city was still doable. How about going to the Black Market to trade for some of the calligraphy and paintings she loved?
Just like them, in the old house the old couple, Mr. Zhang and his wife, had seen off the old buddies and old sisters-in-law they’d been chatting with. After returning to their room, they too had no trace of sleepiness. The older one gets, the less one sleeps.
"Tomorrow we’d better listen to Xiao Wu and sleep over at his place. With just the two of us living here, it doesn’t look good. What your elder brother said today, that’s what he meant."
When Mr. Zhang heard his wife say that, he couldn’t help but laugh out loud. "Nonsense! He’s just jealous, and besides, he’s trying to snoop around, find out what Xiao Wu’s whole family has been up to these last few days."
Mother Zhang clicked her tongue in surprise. What did her son have to do with their family’s business?!
"Right now Xiao Wu is planning to pass all his skills on to his three sons. He started running around this forest at five. Is there anyone who knows the place better than him?"
"Eldest Brother lives right next door. If he gets up early in the morning, he’s bound to notice something. If we live over there, it’s convenient for him to come looking for me. But if we don’t, would he really have the nerve to come knocking on his nephew’s door before dawn?"
As soon as Mother Zhang heard him out, she sat bolt upright, so angry she just wanted to charge over to the eldest’s house to ask what he meant by that, whether he wasn’t meddling too much.
Mr. Zhang soothed her with a pat and said with a smile, "Don’t get angry yet, listen to me. This is just my guess; maybe I’m thinking the worst of him."
"Then why don’t you think the worst of your younger brother instead?"
After a lifetime together, Mr. Zhang understood what his wife was getting at. But hadn’t his elder brother always fancied himself the eldest? He clearly regarded himself as the head of Old Zhang’s family. Add to that their eldest nephew becoming brigade leader, and once he stepped down he had nothing to do—of course he’d have those little schemes.
"That temper of yours... don’t rush, listen to me. Eldest Brother just wants to sniff around a bit; he’s not going to harm Xiao Wu, that much I can guarantee."
Don’t rush, listen to me—he’d said it twice now, so Mother Zhang really wanted to hear what else he had to say. No, tomorrow she had to remind her youngest son never to bring meat back again.
People’s hearts can be dark. These past years, it wasn’t like she hadn’t seen city folk even reporting on their own parents, let alone a nephew.
Mr. Zhang had no idea his wife’s thoughts had gone that far. Right then the old man patted her and laid out his idea. "I reckon Eldest Brother is guessing whether Xiao Wu is teaching the kids. He’s probably thinking his own grandsons can tag along and learn a bit of skill. But since we won’t acknowledge it, he can’t very well say it outright."
As he talked, Mr. Zhang sighed. "And another thing, he wants to draw closer to Xiao Wu."
Mother Zhang rolled her eyes. Another thing? More like a whole lot of things, alright?
"Didn’t Xiao Wu say himself that he’ll be coming back less and less, and wants us to go to Beijing with him. I can see that Eldest Brother understands this too. If he doesn’t get closer to Xiao Wu this time, once the distance widens, it’ll only get wider. He’s got so many grandsons growing up—surely he doesn’t want all the kids to end up working the fields?"
When Mother Zhang heard that, she hastily waved her hands. "Our Xiao Wu doesn’t have that kind of ability. Their father, you mustn’t promise anything on Xiao Wu’s behalf. You know how soft-hearted that child is—if you say the word, he’d rather give up his own job to help them.
These years aren’t like before. Who’d dare do that now? One radish, one pit—if you take someone else’s pit, wouldn’t they hate you to death? Wouldn’t they report you?
Once someone reports him, our Xiao Wu is done for. We mustn’t ruin the boy. Hasn’t he had it hard enough, helping his elder brother, not forgetting his elder sister—our family is where it is today only because he’s worked himself half to death pulling us up..."
Mr. Zhang had known as soon as he spoke that his wife would be frantic. He hurried to cut her off. "I’m his real father!"
Mother Zhang was taken aback. No one said you weren’t his real father.
Mr. Zhang glared at her in exasperation. "As his father, I may not be able to help much, but I won’t drag him down either. If I’d wanted to help them, would I have waited till now?"
Mother Zhang let out a few embarrassed chuckles. "That’s true."