Chapter 235 - 235 181 Finding Out

Words : 2052 Updated : Sep 27th, 2025

235: Chapter 181: Finding Out 235: Chapter 181: Finding Out By the first watch of the night, recently the weather was hot, and a particularly large number of people suffered from gastroenteritis, dear folks please be careful, even Nuan’s family got it, I took care of them all day today, sigh. ————————————————– Old Master Zhao’s level of approval for Zhou Mikang completely exceeded Zhao Yushan’s expectations, his mouth moved but no sound came out—he truly didn’t know what attitude to take towards Zhou Mikang anymore. Awkward~ The Old Master, with evident disdain, pushed him away: “Get lost!” Caught off guard, Zhao Yushan stumbled back two steps before stabilizing himself. Li Aiyuan, who came in carrying the thermos, was so frightened that she quickly stepped outside, and when she came back in she couldn’t help but tease: “Dad, seeing your grandson-in-law gives you such energy all of a sudden.” “Back when you went to Dalin Village, he couldn’t even get off the kang, and now, I bet he could even go hunting tigers up the mountain if I asked,” Old Lady Zhao also jokingly followed her daughter-in-law’s tone in teasing Old Master Zhao. “Hehe...” Old Master Zhao laughed proudly, “My grandson-in-law is here, so I’m happy!” Old Lady Zhao then gave him a sidelong glance: “Your grandson-in-law isn’t my grandson-in-law too?” “Our grandson-in-law is here, so we’re happy!” “That’s more like it!” Seeing the Old Master and Old Lady much happier than if they had found a gold ingot, Li Aiyuan couldn’t resist saying: “Xiao Zhou, you should come more often. If you only come a few times a year, Old Master and Old Lady are sure to live for a hundred years!” “As long as Granny and Grandpa don’t find me annoying, I’ll come often.” Old Master Zhao said in all seriousness: “Regimental Commander Xiao Zhou, those are your own words. You must keep your word, and if you don’t visit, I’ll take the train to find you and settle the account.” Zhou Mikang looked very serious at Old Master Zhao: “Grandpa, then I really will have to break my word, because that would mean letting you and Granny take the train to come find me.” “Hahaha...” Old Master Zhao laughed heartily, poking Old Lady Zhao, “My dear, once Xiao Zhou and Chuxia are married, why don’t we just move in with them and never leave?” Old Lady Zhao nodded vigorously: “I’ll listen to you!” “How can my grandpa and grandma be like this?” Zhao Qihui, who was chopping filling in the outer room, furrowed her brows and complained to Zhao Yulan, “They’re so eager, how can they take Chuxia seriously?” “Regimental Commander Xiao Zhou didn’t enlist you not because you aren’t qualified. Stop being so ambiguous towards him. In the future, he’ll be your brother-in-law. Acting like this puts Chuxia in a difficult position, doesn’t it?” Li Aiyuan chastised her daughter in a lowered voice. Zhao Qihui muttered discontentedly: “I just can’t stand how my grandpa and grandma fawn over him so eagerly, as if by him marrying Chuxia, our family is getting this big advantage. They don’t think about how much older he is than Chuxia. It’s clearly him who has the upper hand!” Seeing Zhao Yulan, who was making dough, with a clearly unnatural expression, Li Aiyuan angrily pinched her daughter: “You’re so grown-up yet you still act so immature. If you continue spouting nonsense, get out.” “I’ll get out! I couldn’t be happier!” Zhao Qihui was not ambiguous at all, putting down the knife and heading for the door. Zhao Yulan promptly grabbed her: “Huihui, your aunt knows you’re saying this because you care about Chuxia and you’re upset with Xiao Zhou. But Xiao Zhou is actually a really nice person. He treats Chuxia well and respects your aunt and your uncle-in-law too. Later your aunt will explain it to you in detail. For today, just do it for your aunt – put on a fake smile if you have to, okay?” “Aunt...” Zhao Qihui, somewhat agitatedly tugged at her braid, “I’m going out to get some air first. I promise, I’ll come back with a smile on my face.” She knew her hostility towards Zhou Mikang was excessive, but she just couldn’t control herself at the moment. Just seeing him made her think of Zhao Yuanbao. The man she had loved with all her heart had done such a thing! To make matters worse, the true story of the whole affair was best known by this future brother-in-law, which made the hatred in her heart surge forth instantly whenever she faced him... After standing outside for a long time and finally calming down, Zhao Qihui returned to the main room, where Zhao Yulan and Li Aiyuan had already started making dumplings. She conscientiously washed her hands and took the rolling pin from Li Aiyuan to roll out the dough. Feeling the stealthy glances of her mother and aunt, she forced a smile: “Don’t worry, I keep my word.” After a moment’s thought, she added, “Aunt, Chuxia marrying Commander Zhou is the best choice, I know that. It’s not that I’m targeting him, it’s just that I...” “Alright, alright, your aunt knows everything.” Knowing about Zhao Yuanbao’s situation, Zhao Yulan didn’t let Zhao Qihui continue and quickly changed the subject: “There aren’t many months left until the exams, how’s your revision going?” “The questions I couldn’t solve, I went to ask Jiang Wenyuan. With my brother’s instructions, he dares not refuse to teach me...” Speaking of the university entrance exams, Zhao Qihui’s mood finally brightened, “I’m not sure if I can get in, but Jiang Wenyuan will definitely have no problems.” Li Aiyuan blurted out: “You shouldn’t speak so carelessly, what if he falls ill on the day of the exam?” Zhao Qihui looked at her mother with a speechless expression: “Mom, are you intentionally jinxing him?” Li Aiyuan also realized she had gone too far, so she spat twice, “Ignore what I just said, I wish my daughter and Jiang Wenyuan both get into university!” Zhao Qihui then nodded in satisfaction: “That’s more like it!” An hour later, the steaming dumplings were served. It was too late, and there was nowhere to buy meat, so the dumplings were stuffed with radish, tofu, and vermicelli. Li Aiyuan smiled apologetically as she presented the dumplings: “Xiao Zhou, sorry for the humble meal, but this is all we have.” “Eldest maternal aunt still treats me as a stranger.” Zhou Mikang said as he picked up a dumpling to taste, nodding, “Delicious, I don’t usually get to eat such tasty vegetarian dumplings!” Zhao Qihui then said, “I was the one who chopped the filling.” Knowing she was indirectly expressing her goodwill toward him, Zhou Mikang smiled at her, not often displaying such warmth, “No wonder it’s so delicious.” “Hahaha...” Old Master Zhao laughed heartily, “Regimental Commander, when I was young, I could eat three bowls of dumplings in one sitting. If you really think our family’s dumplings are tasty, you must eat at least four bowls.” “Deal!” Zhou Mikang agreed heartily, eating away with big bites, delighting both Old Master Zhao and Old Lady Zhao who found their appetites greatly increased, eating nearly half a bowl more dumplings than usual. After the meal, they cleared the table and Zhao Qihui brought up some tea. The whole family sat on the heated brick bed chatting idly. After they learned that Lin Baohe’s illness had fully recovered and there was nothing to worry about, everyone finally felt relieved. Li Aiyuan suddenly looked at Zhao Yulan and Lin Baohe with a mysterious air, “Oh, guess what unusual thing your big brother and I encountered in your village?” “You’re not giving us any hint, how are we supposed to guess?” said Zhao Yulan. “Alright, I won’t keep you guessing...” Li Aiyuan clicked her tongue twice before continuing, “The first red-brick and big-tile house of our commune, it’s being built in your village. It’s incredible, that house, once it’s built, will be absolutely spacious and grand...” “Whose house?” Zhao Yulan asked puzzledly, “We hadn’t heard about it when we left. Who has such capabilities?” “Don’t know, the people from your village were all there to watch the excitement, but no one knows who’s building that house.” Lin Baohe furrowed his brows in confusion, “Gangshun doesn’t know either?” Zhao Yushan shook his head, “No clue.” “But one needs Gangshun’s approval for the homestead before building a house, how could he not know?” Li Aiyuan unconsciously lowered her voice, “They say it was approved directly by the higher-ups, and even Gangshun couldn’t find out who the owner is.” Zhao Yulan drew a sharp breath, “That’s quite a big deal.” Old Master Zhao spoke calmly, “Big deal or not, it’s always good to have someone settle in your village. If they didn’t think well of your village, why would they choose to move in?” “Right, that makes sense.” “...” Zhou Mikang felt a headache coming on as he listened to the lively discussion. He had planned to take Lin Baohe and Zhao Yulan directly to the site once they arrived in Dalin Village and surprise them, but now, not saying anything... seemed a bit inappropriate. If nobody mentioned it, he could have let it slide, but with everyone talking so spiritedly, if he kept silent... it seemed a bit disrespectful to Old Master Zhao and Old Lady Zhao. As he hesitated about how to speak up, sensing that Zhou Mikang felt left out, Old Master Zhao suddenly looked at him, “Regimental Commander, being from the city, you might not care much for this red-brick, big-tile house, but us rural folks, we really do admire them...” “Well, that house...” Zhou Mikang scratched his head and cleared his throat, looking at Zhao Yulan and Lin Baohe, “Dad, Mom, originally, I wanted to take you straight there when we arrived in Dalin Village. Since your eldest brother and sister-in-law have already seen it, there’s no point in hiding it. That house, we’re building it for you.” “...” Only when standing in front of the half-built big-tile house did Zhao Yulan and Lin Baohe fully comprehend, the house was theirs! And both Old Master Zhao and Old Lady Zhao were equally thrilled! To lay down roots somewhere, the most essential requirement is a house, and in the countryside, no matter which family, if they have some savings, the first thing they do is to renovate or build a house! Zhao Yulan and Lin Baohe’s legs trembled with excitement, they could have never expected that the true reason behind the change in the betrothal gifts... it was this! Their worries had been so laughable! Thinking back to their questioning of Zhou Mikang when they reached the town, Zhao Yulan wished she could dig a hole and bury herself in it. He had truly treated them as parents, but had they really thought of him as their son? “Xiao Zhou...” Sitting back in their simple black room at home, Lin Baohe looked apologetically at Zhou Mikang, stammeringly unsure of what to say. He was a man of few words but not without thoughts. Why hadn’t the Zhou family mentioned this before? If they had, would they have had the nerve to accept it? Lin Baohe had no sons, and while many in the village didn’t say it to his face, they looked down on him behind his back. Now, who would dare to look down on him? Who would have the audacity? What about those with sons? Had their sons built them a large-tiled house? It wasn’t the rooms of the house he coveted that excited him so, it was the feeling of being respected! (To be continued. If you like this work, welcome to Qidian (qidian.com) to cast your recommendation votes and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users please visit m.qidian.com to read.)

Chapter 235 - 235 181 Finding Out

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