Chapter 242: Chapter 176: The Plan

Zhang Guoqing came in and saw Zhou Jiao gesturing towards her father without making a sound, then approached the kang to check on his son. Little Ping’an seemed to be full, playing by himself. When Zhang Guoqing came over, his attention shifted to him. Zhang Guoqing picked up his son, looking at the tiny, soft little being, teasing him happily while listening to Zhou Jiao speak.

“Dad, you really can’t go deep into the mountains, otherwise, I’ll go up the mountain with you. It’s so cold, even if you spend only a few nights there, how could your body handle it? Absolutely not more than one night, and as for that tiger skin, I’m not interested at all. Those Northeast Tigers are over two meters long, very dangerous. Have you forgotten that a gentleman does not stand under a dangerous wall?”

“Alright, alright, Dad listens to you and won’t go deep into the mountains. The day after tomorrow, Uncle Guang and the others will bring their things over; we’ll just look around the perimeter, okay? Oh, my little housekeeper.” Zhou Xiaozheng saw his daughter’s tearful eyes and immediately surrendered.

Zhang Guoqing smiled and comforted her, “Don’t worry, I’ll follow Dad, and we won’t go into the mountains.”

Zhou Xiaozheng asked him, “Xiao Wu, is your dad in the main room? I have something to discuss with him.” He wanted to talk to Brother Zhang about taking his daughter and her family to the county, just while everyone was here.

Zhang Guoqing heard this, put down his son, and walked over to him, “Dad, I’ll take you there, I just saw him smoking a pipe in the main room.”

Zhou Xiaozheng shook his hand and walked out, “No need, you stay with Jiao Jiao.”

Zhang Guoqing sat next to her, speaking softly about today’s events and the people he encountered. After finishing, he summarized, “Jiao Jiao, I think we can forget about Old Liu, just visit him when you have time. Zuo Lin might also be returning in a few years, so he probably wants to establish good relations with us in advance. The rest of them treat Dad with great respect, with Dad as their leader, so it’s not a big problem. We’ll deal with Brother Zhang’s matter tomorrow. Is there anything you can think of that I missed?”

Zhou Jiao shook her head, looked outside, and whispered to him: “Some of the Lin family are really something else, it’s fortunate Dad doesn’t have to rely on them. I guess Grandma is out of money, all supporting her youngest son and daughter. My mom still naively thinks my grandma forgot about me. Do you think Grandma is holding on to Uncle’s salary to repay Dad? At least Mom kept our rent money for herself.”

“Zuo Lin’s view of Grandma is somewhat inappropriate, it seems there are a few more like her at home. We can trust Grandpa and Uncle, but we need to observe the others more.”

Leaning against him, Zhou Jiao whispered, “Grandma still wants to transfer Big Cousin to Beijing, what do you think she’s thinking?”

Zhang Guoqing hugged her gently and whispered, “It doesn’t concern us or Dad much, don’t worry about it. The money won’t disappear and will be returned to Dad, but getting all of it back is impossible. Over the years, much must have been used, they’ll probably repay at most seventy percent. It doesn’t matter if the dowry is less, we aren’t short. We won’t fuss over these things as long as Grandpa is around, things won’t get out of hand. For those with good character, interact more with them. Avoid those who aren’t. Let’s first handle the matters before the New Year, taking care of our own affairs. The primary focus is to check if there are any loose ends with Dad’s situation, and for this trip to SH, we must go this time. See if there’s any way to take our son with us.”

Zhou Jiao thought for a moment, “How about we return a bit later, from SH to Northeast directly at the end of the first lunar month, right before you return to work? By then, the weather should be warmer.”

“We’ll see when the time comes. In the next couple of days, the market will open. You start making a list and prepare. Once Dad and Mom leave, we’ll need to hurry. Judging by their attitude, they’re planning for us to stay in the county in the next few days.” Zhang Guoqing paused for a moment and said.

Zhou Jiao, her eyes sparkling with happiness, beamed, “Yes, Dad already said he’d take care of it, and once it’s all sorted out in a few days, he’ll take us there, even borrowed a car to pick me up. How about we have Little Ping’an’s full-month celebration in the county and combine it with a housewarming?”

“It’s fine if we wait until the full month to head over. We don’t need to move things since it’s not far, just return two or three days in advance. Having a big celebration for the full month in the county would be too chaotic; let’s keep it low-key. You haven’t seen that courtyard, it’s all underfloor heating with hot walls; even if Professor Liu tries to hide it, once you stay inside for a while, it’s evident that the annual cost of heating the walls isn’t cheap. Plus, the study and bedroom furniture haven’t been replaced yet, and with the effort and money our parents have spent tidying up, no one aside from close family should be in the county. Some furniture also needs changing, and some areas still need tidying. When Brother Zhang went in the other night, his mouth couldn’t close in awe, said he’d never seen parents spoil a daughter like this. The house setup and purchasing the courtyard cost our parents almost as much. Don’t they keep all the money with Grandma? Even with a high salary, they can’t spend like this, so keep an eye on them and try not to let them spend anymore.” Zhang Guoqing remembered Brother Zhang’s expression and wanted to laugh. He’s lived in many good houses and doesn’t feel anything extraordinary, but he’s aware of the surroundings.

Zhou Jiao nodded, “Got it, I’ll listen to you. You better urge the carpenter to hurry. Let’s go outside, rather than stay inside. Little Ping’an has eaten enough and will be asleep soon.” After he nodded, she picked up their son to feed, changed his diaper, watched him fall asleep, and both quietly exited the room.

Mother Zhang, seeing them come out, asked, “Is Ping’an asleep? Things are wrapping up here soon, it won’t take much longer.”

Zhang Guoqing looked around and saw nothing but women, “Mom, I’ll go outside and join Dad and the others.” After nodding to everyone, he turned and left.

Zhou Jiao saw everyone busy, realizing they were nearly done, waiting only for the finishing stitches. Looking at the varying leftover fabric pieces, there wasn’t enough for adult clothes, but she pieced together two sets for Mai Miao and Mai Sui.

She found a spot to sit, picked up the fabric scraps, and snipped a few pieces. Before long, she had a combination of thin and thick materials into summer shorts and a T-shirt for young girls, intentionally made a bit larger, for next year’s wear. She also took the leftover strips and made them into bows, sewing them onto rubber bands with a needle.

Lin Lishan and the others watched as Zhou Jiao, holding scissors, snipped a few times quickly, then expertly threaded the needle, swiftly completing a set of small clothes, then another. They were secretly amazed, having heard about Zhou Jiao’s embroidery skills, but hadn’t seen her sew clothes since she married in. The bows she sewed with rubber bands were prettier than the hair accessories in the supply store, and no one expected them to be made from fabric strips.

After completing the outfit, she picked up the clothes and hair accessories and called out to Mai Miao, who had been quiet all night, “Why so quiet today? Do you like these? They’re for you and Mai Sui. Each of you gets a set to wear next summer. You can divide the hair accessories among yourselves, tomorrow you can start decorating your hair.”

Excitedly touching the clothes and then her hair, Mai Miao beamed at her, “Auntie, are these really for us? I’ll take the hair accessory, but you can save the clothes for Ping’an.”

Mai Sui glanced longingly at the clothes, but ultimately pushed them toward Zhou Jiao, “Auntie, these should be for my little brother, I won’t compete with him.”

“You’re both such good kids; look, these are meant for you, dear girls,” Zhou Jiao said gently, caressing their heads with pride.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep