Free Web NovelChapter 1090: Chapter 963: Testing the Waters?
Recently, whenever someone asks about Zhou Xiaozheng, Zhou Jiao always feels a bit tense.
——A test?
She glanced at the other’s expression, shook her head with a smile, "Soldiers regard obeying orders as their duty. Who knows? Why are you coming to the city today?"
"My mom asked me to go back for a while because my dad hasn’t called for a long time since he left."
Upon hearing this, Ping’an thought to himself: Really clueless, mentioning such topics in public. He immediately pointed out the window, "Mom, look, is that Grandma Chen?"
Zhou Jiao quickly turned around, looked outside with a smile, and asked in surprise, "Where? It might really be your Grandma Chen; she can’t bear to take a bus."
Yi Shumin curiously stretched her neck and looked outside, "Which Grandma Chen are you talking about?"
Ping’an turned his head to glance at her and lowered his eyelids, "My family’s Grandma Chen."
"Oh, it’s your family’s aunt. I thought it was someone else."
Upon hearing this, Ping’an pursed his lips and tugged Zhou Jiao, "Mom, come a little closer; maybe I was seeing things a moment ago."
"It’s fine; I’ll stay here."
"Ping’an is really filial." Yi Shumin looked at Ping’an’s height and said with a smile, "Ping’an, how come you grew up and didn’t play with our Yueya’er anymore?"
Ping’an squinted uncomfortably. Look at that; this sounds as if he had a close friendship with her daughter since childhood.
Zhou Jiao glanced at the female comrades around her and joked, "With what you said, the child won’t know how to respond. My Ping’an never had the patience to play with girls from childhood. Other families’ kids ask for a sister, yet he never said a word. Did your Yueya’er not come with you today?"
"She’s home taking care of her younger brother."
"Oh, I haven’t seen this child for a while."
Ping’an glanced amusedly at his mom. You’re so subtle; are you sure they understand? Can you ensure your elder son’s reputation? Uncle Fang is determined to become his son-in-law.
"That’s easy! I’ll let the kid visit your house when I go back; she said she hasn’t seen you in a long time."
Zhou Jiao involuntarily twitched her lips. Is this like playing a lute to a cow? Nowadays, she’s most afraid of anyone pushing young girls to visit her home; she really hasn’t thought about becoming a mother-in-law so early—Ping’an is still young.
Beside her, Zhang Guoqing picked up the conversation with a smile, "Let’s talk about it later; my wife’s health isn’t good right now. Brother Xiao Fei hasn’t been seen for a long time, is he busy lately?"
"It’s not him being busy; it’s you, the busy person, who’s scarcely available. We went to your house last week, and you happened to be working overtime. He said it’s been ages since you brothers last gathered."
Zhang Guoqing couldn’t help but wish he could hit himself. You can’t save the situation well; why all the nonsense? He could only smile, "Everyone’s been quite busy lately; I’ll get in touch with Brother Xiao Fei soon."
After saying this, he immediately turned around, acting as if he were protecting his two young sons, making it seem as if his son, who had been in the horse stance all along, might fall over when the brake was applied.
Hearing the chatter with his wife starting again, Zhang Guoqing vowed silently: if Ping’an ended up with such a mother-in-law, no matter how good Fang Fei was as a buddy, he’d rather have his son remain single forever.
He knew women like his wife were rare, but at the very least, they should be as pure and harmless as his mother-in-law or as straightforward and sensible as his mother.
Self-righteous, overly pushy people are really annoying.
Beside her, Zhou Jiao almost burst into laughter; it’s rare to see such an awkward scene, yet the eloquent Zhang Guoqing chose to retreat.
She was half-heartedly nodding in response while pondering that the character of her son’s future mother-in-law is indeed pivotal in the selection of a spouse; she must remind her children about this.
At this moment, the couple once again had a strange mutual thought.
Hurriedly reaching the Zhou Family Courtyard, as she parted ways with Yi Shumin, Zhou Jiao couldn’t help but pat Ping’an’s shoulder, "Son, in the future, if you are looking for a partner, first verify the character of the woman’s mother. I’m not demanding the woman’s family background, but as the mother-in-law, I’ll have to interact with her, right?"
Instantly, Zhang Guoqing laughed heartily.
Zhou Jiao saw the blush on her son’s face and patted her forehead, "I’m really muddled; how old are you guys?" And she cast a blaming look at Zhang Guoqing, "It’s all your fault, always mentioning people wanting to be your in-laws."
"Yes, yes, it’s all my fault. Kids, though it’s too early to say, remember this one point: mother-in-laws are crucial."
Zhang Guoqing sighed inwardly as he spoke. Thinking back to that mother-in-law, he had put in so much effort, yet she turned out to be an ungrateful wretch.
If not for Zhou Jiao, he would have been indifferent long ago. This experience left a deep impression. Hence, he genuinely treats Miao Lishan as his own mother.
Indeed, without comparison, there’s no harm.
Liu Yi pinched his hand, "Dad, I’ll find a wife from the Welfare Institute in the future."
"Uh?" Zhang Guoqing was taken aback, glanced at his little son beside him, and found an equally agreeing expression. What’s this? Are they creating psychological shadows for the children?
That wouldn’t do!
Zhang Guoqing hastily served a dose of soul-reviving chicken soup.
No one understands better than him; those kids in the Welfare Institute, competing in various ways for survival since young, may be excellent, but who knows whether a rotten apple might appear?
Before children, the eagerness for life’s arrival; once a child arrives and painstakingly grows up, if a good cabbage gets destroyed by pigs, how upsetting.
Zhou Jiao looked at him amusedly; the delightful troubles have finally arrived...
After settling the kids at home, she pulled Zhang Guoqing into the bedroom, "Do you think Yi Shumin mentioning my dad today was unintentional, or was it because someone said something?"
Zhang Guoqing lifted her a bit and joked about it, seeing that suspicion running deep; no wonder she couldn’t gain weight.
Zhou Jiao patted his shoulder, "Talking seriously."
"What is she? Why bother with her." Zhang Guoqing hugged her, patting her comfortingly, "Don’t overthink it; soon, your dad will return. The time is about right."
Zhou Jiao knew this in her heart, so she could wait quietly for her father’s return; otherwise, she would have already rallied people to search for her dad.
Counting the days, she sighed in relief. It really is soon! But then she thought about Yi Ming leaving as well, which furrowed her brows—appears the smiling fox sensed it too.
"Do you remember the specific date of the airplane incident?" Zhou Jiao knew he focused on major events differently than she did—men do emphasize key issues.
"Roughly." Such a famous incident couldn’t be forgotten, but Zhang Guoqing didn’t want her to worry as he was unwilling to discuss it excessively.
Unable to alter history, staying away from dangerous figures is the key. They’re just common people, and can only be common people—even her father-in-law felt powerless, and they could just drift along.
"Wife, should we go collect some fruits this year? Recently, I asked Da Zhi to bring back some fruits from the South, and I’m unsure how this guy handled it."
