Chapter 66 - 55: Each with Their Own Thoughts

Lin Xinsheng didn’t mind and continued, "Your dad is back, and your family is reunited. I haven’t seen him and your eldest uncle yet, but I heard the chief arranged for them to be in Beijing. I don’t know what he’s planning. When are you going to Beijing, National Day? Tell your grandpa your thoughts. Don’t hide and pretend to be dumb. Speak up, young man." Zhang Guoqing thought for a moment before speaking, "Grandpa, I don’t want to go to Beijing right now. Since my mother-in-law is here, I’ll share my thoughts. I’m still young and want to settle down, spend a few years in the Northeast, working and studying. I’ll accumulate experience, and when our child is older, Jiao Jiao and I can take the college entrance exam together. By then, it’ll still be early enough to go to Beijing." "Good, good, good, ambitious and with a backbone, and you set a goal early. You’re only 18 this year, right? Very good. Our Jiao Jiao has great taste in finding a good match and marrying into a good family. Old Zhang, you and your wife are excellent at raising children. Your son is outstanding." Mr. Lin handed the child to Zhang Guoqing, patting him repeatedly and expressing his excitement with three consecutive "goods." Mr. Zhang quickly waved his hand, grinning from ear to ear at Zhang Guoqing. Nothing in the world is more delightful than hearing others praise your own son. Mr. Lin glanced at his daughter and said, "Daughter, now that both your daughter and son-in-law are here, let me, as the father, say a few words. Listen to my opinions. Regarding Zhou Xiaozheng’s future position, I don’t support him staying in Beijing or with his original unit. I came to the Northern Military Region not only for a meeting but to see the situation here. I also didn’t allow your older brother to stay in Beijing; I arranged for them to be in other military regions. I don’t know what the higher-ups think." After speaking, Mr. Zhang was the only one in the Zhang Family deep in thought; the other two brothers didn’t understand the implications, just like his daughter, nodding in agreement. Seeing Zhou Jiao calm, tapping her fingers on the kang, it showed she had her thoughts. "Jiao Jiao, tell grandpa what you think. If your dad stays in Beijing, whether you live in the Big Courtyard or your siheyuan, you’ll be very impressive when you go out. You have a grand house in Beijing, and your mom has put a lot of effort into decorating it; it’s very beautiful. There are so many beautiful clothes in Beijing, and you can watch movies in the Big Courtyard. You can work at your mom’s Art Troupe anytime if you want. Are you interested in going?" Lin Xinsheng teased his granddaughter. Zhou Jiao smiled, watching her grandpa playing tricks, teasing her, "Grandpa, don’t tease me; I won’t fall for it. We listen to you; you’re the evergreen tree of our family. Why would I need to be so impressive? I don’t bully others, and others can’t cross my bottom line either. We’ll live well anywhere, and in two or three years, I, your granddaughter, will officially attend Beijing University and make you proud." "You little fox, aren’t you curious if your dad will agree?" "Isn’t my mom there? She can cry to him if needed?" Lin Lishan was both embarrassed and angry, shouting at the two, "You wretched child, what’s with having your mom cry to him? If he doesn’t listen to me, I’ll smack him. You really are a hard child to like. I better go see my good baby." The room erupted in laughter, and with this banter between the grandparent and grandchild, and the mother and daughter, everyone felt less distant and didn’t see these people as high and aloof. They seemed just like an ordinary family. Mr. Lin looked at Zhang Guoqing, smiling beside him, then at Zhou Jiao, recalling his wife’s advice. "Besides studying, what else do you plan as a couple? You don’t really want to stay in the village, working day in and day out for work points, do you? Since you plan to work and study, you must have a suitable department in mind. Your studies aren’t just about book knowledge but also interpersonal relationships at work, right?" Zhang Guoqing nodded, "That’s true, I have a lot to learn. Fortunately, our child is still young, and we have two or three years to spare, so we should seize the time to study and improve ourselves." "I still hope you can join the military. Our family follows this path, and we know many people in it. Your grandma doesn’t agree with you joining the service, and before I left, she instructed not to force you into the army, saying Jiao Jiao has already suffered for so many years, and you should do whatever you want in the future. I agreed, but it’s a pity; you’re fit for military service. Have you thought about which unit you want to join?" Zhang Guoqing looked at everyone and said, "The county armed forces department, there’s some progress, but nothing definite yet." Lin Xinsheng nodded approvingly at him, "Finally, you’ve got a connection with the military. This department is good; you can understand how the government and the military coordinate, how departments are managed. It’s like cross-disciplinary learning, familiarizing yourself with two systems. Don’t rush to find people to do things. Bring a change of clothes tomorrow and accompany me to the Northern Military Region to meet my old subordinates there. Let your mom take care of Jiao Jiao for these few days." Zhang Guoqing knew this meant getting introduced to connections. Although he hesitated, he didn’t refuse. He didn’t care about the networks in the provincial city because he didn’t need them. When he did, he’d have to repay them equally. It was more about seeing Mr. Lin’s face, not wanting to get involved when people needed Mr. Lin’s help. He would have his networks in the future, those who would look up to him, Zhang Guoqing. However, by following Mr. Lin, he could closely observe the situation there, providing some information when his father-in-law returned. "Will this affect you, grandpa?" "Affect, my butt! An old man taking his grandson-in-law to visit old friends has no impact at all. Don’t worry at all! No one dares to touch you when grandpa’s around." "Alright, then I’ll go with grandpa to see the world. Let me know if you have any tips for me at the time." Zhang Guoqing nodded. The old man’s military temperament was straightforward and impatient, so it was better for him to obediently listen. Mr. Lin nodded. He also wanted to take him out to see people more, broaden his horizons, so he wouldn’t be limited to small places. This young man had a good mind, strategic, capable, young yet composed, not showing emotions easily. Most importantly, he and Jiao Jiao were in good relations, and Jiao Jiao could keep him in check. "Daughter, accompany Jiao Jiao back to the room to rest and sort things out. I’ll chat with Old Zhang here for a while." Mr. Lin saw Zhou Jiao was getting sleepy and thought about her hectic afternoon. It made him smile again. If it were anyone else, they would be thrilled to join Zhang Guoqing for socializing, but she really didn’t mind. She was so bored that she was dozing off.