Chapter 465: Chapter 353: Memorial Rites

“Chief, you’re finally back. You lied to me again!”

Zhou Jiao hadn’t even entered the guesthouse when she saw her dad’s bodyguard, secretary, and driver rush out from the main entrance. Seeing the aggrieved look on the bodyguard Xiao Wang’s face, she barely held back her laughter.

Being her dad’s bodyguard is truly a tough task. Who asked him to have a dad who loves freedom and dislikes being followed by a small tail?

“Stand at attention! Who lied to you? This afternoon, you all are coming with me to handle some affairs,” Zhou Xiaozheng said with a smile in his eyes but a stern face.

Watching Zhou Xiaozheng’s departing figure, the bodyguard smiled at everyone and secretly pulled a face — thinking that a stern face would scare him. He had long known the chief was cold outside but warm inside.

Zhang Guoqing stepped forward, patted his shoulder, and whispered, “Brother Wang, you’re done for. Look at the glass in front!” Seeing the other’s immediate distressed face, he laughed heartily and pulled Zhou Jiao inside.

“Why are you teasing him? Anyone with Dad faces enough trouble. Behaviors like Old Zhou’s are out of line. Orders from superiors must be obeyed; he shouldn’t go out alone.”

Zhou Xiaozheng immediately turned around and tapped Zhou Jiao on the head, “Stop adding fuel to the fire! Go see Ping’an quickly. This afternoon, be safe when you go out shopping with your great-aunt and them.”

“Yes, Chief!”

“Haha… little rascal!”

In the hall, Old Mrs. Cheng sat alone on a chair, watching them playfully with a smile.

This time she stood up and said with a smile, “You’re back. I was waiting for you to come back for a meal.”

“Why are you alone?” Zhou Xiaozheng surveyed around and found there was no one but the staff.

“Our Ping’an was making a fuss to leave, wanting to go out and play. They took him to the restaurant first, they just got there a little while ago. I stayed behind to wait for you.”

The group followed the old lady to the restaurant.

The distance between the restaurant and the guesthouse wasn’t far. They hadn’t walked long before they saw Cheng Ruzhu holding Ping’an, and both standing at the restaurant door.

Old Mrs. Cheng hadn’t finished discussing the worship arrangements for tomorrow with Zhou Xiaozheng, when she heard Cheng Ruzhu’s shouting and Ping’an’s wailing. Being interrupted midway, she rushed forward, unable to continue the conversation.

As soon as Zhou Jiao heard her son’s cries, she knew the child was genuinely anxious. She quickly walked forward and took the struggling child into her arms, smiling, “Little aunt, is the child causing trouble?”

“No. Our Ping’an is very well-behaved, isn’t he? Look, he’s smiling now. This little guy has drunk two full bottles of milk powder since he got back. I saw he wanted an apple, so I specially soaked it in hot water and scraped two spoons to feed him. Later, I didn’t dare give him more. You should feed him some egg custard later.”

Zhou Jiao nodded with a smile. Before leaving this morning, she had already fed him baby food and milk powder. Otherwise, he wouldn’t be this calm, just having two bites, and would insist on grabbing the spoon.

After lunch, the group returned to the guesthouse. Before they reached the room, Ping’an was already sound asleep in Zhang Guoqing’s arms.

Seeing this, Cheng Ruzhu hurriedly pulled Zhou Jiao to go shopping. Napping can happen anytime; it’s rare to come here, and she was eager to stroll around.

Old Mrs. Cheng, not at ease, left Zhang Guoqing with the child, bringing along the bodyguard to accompany them. Besides being worried about anything else, she found Zhou Jiao’s resemblance too striking. If they encountered an old acquaintance, it might scare the elderly.

Following the locals, the old lady took them shopping without having to ask others for directions, letting Cheng Ruzhu and Zhou Jiao endure pleasurable hardships.

The aroma of the well-known cured meats and Doufugan wafted over, looking even more delicious, though unfortunately, their stomachs couldn’t accommodate more.

The diverse sugared fruit varieties were sweet and sour, refreshing, and appetizing, though regrettably, they couldn’t try them all.

The specialty shredded meat was also an excellent condiment for baby food. All these delicacies made Zhou Jiao loathe the rats eyeing her home’s stocks, secretly cursing them to eternally suffer hunger.

After sampling delicious food, across shop after shop, Zhou Jiao couldn’t help but look back frequently, facing the teasing glances of Old Mrs. Cheng and her daughter, listening to their jokes. She truly felt devoid of hope.

Zhou Jiao listlessly followed them, wandering through the mall; seeing them choose fabric, she couldn’t bear to watch and stealthily slipped aside, angrily selecting yarn.

Before returning, the old lady took them to buy fruit, finally lightening her mood a bit.

The next morning, two cars took them to the base of a small hill slope.

Looking out afar, the entire hillside was scattered with countless tombs of various sizes, the ancestral graves of the Gu Family.

Despite being a so-called fengshui treasure land with mountains and water, it couldn’t prevent the decline of the Gu Family.

Old Mrs. Cheng left Cheng Ruzhu in the car to care for the baby. Having lived this long, she firmly believed that young children possess spiritual sensitivity and shouldn’t be taken to such places.

Following the stone path upwards, they reached the center – the tomb of Gu Family’s great-grandfather and great-grandmother.

Old Mrs. Cheng refused everyone’s help, with tears in her eyes, leading Zhou Xiaozheng and Zhou Jiao, bit by bit setting out incense, paper money, fruits, snacks, and wine.

After kowtowing on her knees, she began murmuring softly: the children have returned…

Kneeling on the ground, Zhou Jiao was somewhat in a daze. She deeply understood the old lady’s feelings. The two buried underground were the adoptive parents who raised her, with immense grace like a mountain.

But she herself indeed felt a bit cold-hearted, beyond sadness and distress. She found herself considering how to persuade the old lady to agree to relocate the grave.

Burning paper money and weeding, Old Mrs. Cheng, along with Zhou Xiaozheng and his daughter, personally tended to every detail, seemingly only by doing so could they bring peace to the two underground.

Rising to her feet, Zhou Jiao looked at the surrounding graves, large and small. Some seemed unvisited even during Qingming Festival, weeds covering the fronts.

She moved to the forefront graves of Gu Family’s ancestral generations, kowtowing one by one. For the Gu Family blood in her veins and the Gu Family’s wealth, she also needed to thank the legitimate forefathers of each generation.

Mr. Cheng looked on contentedly at Zhou Jiao, halting Zhou Xiaozheng’s forward motion, handing him paper money to burn for the Gu family ancestors. Unlike his wife, who only prayed for her father-in-law and mother-in-law, he was the head of the Cheng Family and personally worshipped the Gu Family ancestors every year. Now finally, with the Gu family’s lineage restored, he could face the three-line ancestors and his father underground.

After the rituals, Old Mrs. Cheng’s swollen eyes reflected a smile, the burden seemingly lifted from her shoulders. At this moment, she happily had Zhou Xiaozheng ignite a long string of firecrackers.

The ’crackle and pop’ of the firecrackers filled the air, her face appearing especially jubilant amidst the smoke. Perhaps the old lady felt this was a grand joy.

Following the path down the low hill, the spectacular grave cluster, the lush century-old trees, the lake below—all these solemn, stately sights—left Zhou Jiao feeling exceedingly complex. – Sometimes, foreknowledge is truly not a blessing.

The Gu Family matters seemed settled: secret chambers, old houses, rituals, all completed. Yet Zhou Jiao knew hidden beneath the tranquility, several pairs of eyes still watched the Gu Family’s old house. The grandmother’s deeds of donation concealed from the world couldn’t hide from those familiar with the Gu Family’s secrets.

Before getting in the car, she gazed deeply at the distant tombs.

“Stop looking, let’s go back,” Zhang Guoqing worriedly squeezed her palm, saying. He sighed softly, seemingly everything had deviated from the track and exceeded his expectations.

Zhou Jiao beamed brightly at him. With him by her side, she thought she was not afraid; the future could be dealt with in the future.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep