Chapter 515: Chapter 399: Aftermath

After Zhou Jiao firmly made Zhang Guoqing finish eating, she immediately told him to sleep and rest, then she went out holding the child. Standing at the gate and looking at the old house not far away, she felt a bit embarrassed to go there—what a shame just now.

After waiting for a moment, sure enough, Mother Zhang came over, and she waved excitedly.

Facing Mother Zhang’s teasing gaze, Zhou Jiao quickly pulled her into the kitchen.

In the kitchen, Zhou Jiao, with wide-open eyes, held Ping’an in her arms. The mother and son were both staring at Mother Zhang, waiting for her to speak.

Mother Zhang patted her grandson’s head; the expressions of this mother and son were really similar. She laughed, “Didn’t you ask Xiao Wu? Do you think he’d dare tell you the truth now?”

“I saw he was too tired, so I let him sleep first. Mom, he didn’t put himself in danger to save someone, did he? Is he internally injured?”

Mother Zhang quickly took her hand, “Don’t worry. He’s fine! Your father said that it wasn’t supposed to be Xiao Wu’s problem, but he just had to join Mr. Wang’s team out of bravado. Did you see his clothes? All clawed by wolves. Luckily, he wasn’t hurt, or I’d have handled him myself.”

Hearing this, Zhou Jiao sighed in relief.

“Such a good set of clothes just ruined by him. What a pity!”

Zhou Jiao stifled a laugh. Then she frowned, thinking that although clothes were a small matter, what if he got injured? She would wait for him to rest well before punishing him.

“Do you know how many wolves they exterminated this time? Your father said there were more than two hundred. Xiao Wu alone got at least twenty. By the way, the things allocated to Xiao Wu, your father let Uncle Dashan take back to the county town. As soon as Xiao Wu came down the mountain, he ran home without saying a word. Your father was so scared, he chased after him all the way back and now can’t even get up from the kang.”

“Is Dad okay?”

“He’s fine, just tired. After they both sleep for a while, they’ll be more energetic than us. Your father said the village would certainly organize another trip up the mountain in the next two days. So don’t be in a rush to return to the county town. Take this opportunity to stock up on some things.”

Zhou Jiao nodded helplessly. The family doesn’t lack food, and she didn’t want Zhang Guoqing to go up the mountain again. Who knows if there are still wolf packs in such a vast Daqing Mountain?

Then Mother Zhang talked about the number of injuries this time and the things collected.

Zhou Jiao listened absent-mindedly. Others getting injured had nothing to do with her; she didn’t know anyone, and she didn’t care. Her mind was on the village’s slaughtered pig dish, a taste she couldn’t replicate.

At mealtime, Zhou Jiao didn’t want to go to the cafeteria. After sending Mother Zhang away, she and the child finished dinner, bolted the door, and quietly returned to the living room.

When Zhang Guoqing woke up again, he lay on the kang, listening to Zhou Jiao’s gentle narration of fables outside and his son’s low laughter. Looking at the time, he realized it was already late at night.

He lay for a while, then got off the kang and went to the living room, “That nap was really comfortable. Have you eaten? Son, you should go to sleep. Get up early tomorrow, and I’ll play with you.”

“Dad, you sleep with me.”

Zhang Guoqing reached out for the child, cradling him in his arms and gently patting him. It seemed it wasn’t just his wife who was scared; the child also lacked a sense of security.

The couple dared not speak, fearing that the child couldn’t fall asleep. They exchanged a glance and smiled at each other. Zhou Jiao got up, washed her hands, and began wrapping bean buns on the kang.

She wasn’t in the mood a few days ago, plus with Mother Zhang around, it was hard for her to act. Now that everyone was back, it was time to comfortably prepare more steamed buns and bean buns.

Zhang Guoqing saw the child was asleep, gently placed him at the head of the kang, and covered him with a quilt. He stood by the kang for a while, seeing the child sleeping soundly like a log, he chuckled softly, “What good sleep skills.”

“Are you hungry? Want something to eat?”

“Not yet. While no one is around, I’ll go to the kitchen to steam buns. You stay with the child.”

Zhou Jiao cheerfully swept her hand, “I can’t sleep either. Let’s go together. I’ve found that nothing is as handy as steamed buns for eating anytime, anywhere.”

Zhang Guoqing picked up a coat, draped it over her, and carried her back to the kitchen.

The couple sneaked a peek outside at the heavy snow and strong winds and secretly laughed with joy.

Zhang Guoqing didn’t intend to come back today, but Mr. Wang thought the weather looked wrong and that it was unsafe in the mountains. He was now working hard to make Zhou Jiao forget, to avoid being held accountable later.

In the morning, Zhang Guoqing woke up and quietly left the room. After washing up, he wrote a note and left it in the living room, then rode his bicycle through the heavy snow to work.

Yesterday, he rushed back home and didn’t have time to talk in detail with Zhao Dashan. Next, his vacation was due, and he planned to take it.

At the unit, the atmosphere was joyful and festive, with everyone discussing hunting stories.

Zhang Guoqing finished his tasks and received his welfare benefits. No one in his family was interested in wolf meat, so he contributed half to the cafeteria, and stored the remaining wolf meat and other wild goods in the courtyard’s warehouse.

Back in the village’s courtyard, it was almost noon, and before he and his wife could chat for long, many people came one after another, inviting him to go up the mountain, which Zhang Guoqing declined with a smile.

After the people dispersed, Zhou Jiao looked at him curiously.

“It’s too cold, easy to stir up a white wind, and with just having hunted wolves, those things hold grudges. It’s not safe to go up the mountain now. We don’t lack food or clothing; there’s no need to risk it.”

After saying that, he indeed saw Zhou Jiao smiling happily with her eyes curved. This made him decide even more that he won’t go up the mountain again anytime soon to let his wife worry.

“I have a vacation coming up, so I can stay home with you and our son. Tell me, what do you need me to do? Is there anything else to prepare before the New Year?”

Zhou Jiao rolled her eyes and smiled, “On the 25th, make tofu, on the 26th, cook meat. Just these two things will require your brain and brawn. Those two pigs need to be dealt with.”

Zhang Guoqing nodded in agreement. If not dealt with now, there would be no place for them later. He looked around and thought it was feasible. During the quiet of the night, he could handle it discreetly.

As the New Year approached, the couple started preparing New Year pictures, firecrackers, couplets, and other New Year goods during the day, learning to make tofu, and at night they slaughtered pigs and made blood sausages.

After Zhang Guoqing’s five-day vacation ended, they finally got everything ready and the family of three packed up to return to the county town. The only thing Zhou Jiao regretted was that she couldn’t eat the slaughtered pig dish. The family worried about the smell wafting too far, and the village set hog slaughtering on the 26th of the twelfth lunar month.

Fortunately, in the county town, the family had a legitimate supply of wild goods, adding to the New Year’s supply. At night, she could seize the opportunity to stew some meat and blood sausage, which she had long missed all year.

On New Year’s Eve, the family of three sat by red candles and made wishes.

For the sake of safety and auspiciousness, the couple worked together to make red lanterns with light bulbs inside.

On the morning of New Year’s Eve, the family got up early, posting door couplets, peach wood charms, and spring strips on the gate, storeroom, and kitchen, putting window decorations on each window, and hanging New Year prints and reunion knots in the living room.

Next, they raised a longevity lantern high on a wooden frame and connected the power. Looking at the red lanterns, the couple laughed heartily—they wouldn’t have to worry about it going out before the fifteenth of the first lunar month.

After a flurry of busyness, Zhang Guoqing went to the post office to send a telegram to Beijing to wish his father-in-law a New Year in advance, and finally, carrying large packages, accompanied by his wife and son, returned to his childhood home to have a reunion dinner with his parents.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep