Chapter 69 - 58: The Reason Behind the Engagement

The bedroom in the side room was full of warmth. Lin Lishan smiled as she embraced her daughter, having just told Zhang Guoqing’s words to Jiao Jiao, describing his expression. Lin Lishan gently stroked her daughter’s head. Even now, with her daughter in her arms, she lamented missing the time to accompany her as she grew up. In the blink of an eye, she had become someone else’s wife. "Jiao Jiao, mom is saying this to let him know how lucky he is to have married you. My daughter is talented and beautiful, with her own savings. She’s not an orphan with no one to rely on. If not for a twist of fate, you should now be sitting in a bright classroom. You deserve his cherishment and love. Mom knows you’re smarter than I am, but intelligence is useless for a woman. It’s the man behind her that’s most important. Before your dad had his accident, everyone envied me, flattering me both in front of and behind my back. When your dad had the accident, those people showed their true colors; some were even gloating. This is the difference between having a good man to support you or not. How a man treats his woman determines how much respect a woman gets. They talk about gender equality, but societal perceptions remain unchanged. Everything seems so familiar, yet they’ve all changed. I avoided everything, chose to leave the familiar place, and went everywhere looking for your dad. I didn’t believe your dad could be in trouble. He was the most formidable Soldier King, a man who carved his own path without any background, a man of high intelligence, different from those brutes, both courageous and wise. How could he have fallen? Who could have been his opponent? I was worried that he and your uncle might have been intentionally framed by others, waiting for me to seek them out. Many people said I was crazy, but I was deep in thought every day. I realized that I was the one who killed your dad. I felt it was a conspiracy targeting the Lin Family. If it weren’t for me, such a shrewd person wouldn’t have gotten involved. Before that mission, he even said that if something happened, I should wait for him to return. He was happy talking with me about you, saying he would prepare a dowry ten miles long for you. When you grew up, he wanted you to master all arts, and would save US dollars full of zeros for you to do as you please in the future, with him protecting you. His daughter was a cherished princess. When it came time to find you a suitor, he’d teach the other party a lesson first, so they wouldn’t dare to harm a hair on your head. He had so many hopes for you. How could he bear to leave you? How could he not have arranged everything for you before something happened? I was frantically searching for answers, ignoring my military identity. Later, your grandfather reminded me that many people were secretly watching me. I could only apply to go on external missions with the Art Troupe, using this as an opportunity to search around. The Northeast was your dad’s old territory; nothing would happen to him there. I took on every mission except those in the north, afraid that if I were late, I’d never find your dad or your uncle again. I searched for your dad’s familiar comrades and places. The more I understood, the more confused I became. I had to bury it in my heart, not daring to tell even your grandfather, fearing my reckless actions might bring threats to your dad. There were many times I was tested. Some were your dad’s friends, and there were many from all walks of life. Fortunately, your dad is coming back. It’s really heaven’s justice." Zhou Jiao leaned against her mother’s embrace, knowing that there must have been many hardships through these experiences. However, she didn’t mention it as her mother didn’t bring it up, feeling that there was no need to reminisce about the pain once it was past, silently shedding tears in memory. "Mom, everything is over now. Once dad returns, our family will reunite. There’s no need to dwell on the past. You too will be a talented and beautiful woman with a good man by your side, hehe." Lin Lishan gently patted her back, recalling an issue with anger and asked, "Did you rush to marry Xiao Wu because of something that happened at the Zhou Family?" Zhou Jiao didn’t know what she thought back then. Her feelings for Zhang Guoqing were really good at the time. They grew up together as childhood sweethearts without any hidden issues, and at that time, Zhang Guoqing was her only choice. Many things came together, and they became husband and wife. Unlike the time-travel novels she had read, they both felt that they were naturally supposed to be them. She often wondered whether her past life was merely a dream, one from which she had awoken. Coming back to her senses, Zhou Jiao recalled the anger and worry she felt upon first discovering the conspiracy. Back then, she racked her brains for self-protection, and later on, the days she spent after marrying. She smiled and said, "What can I say, many things coincided at once, and in a moment, I made a decision. One day, Huang Zhaodi and her daughter Zhou Xue were sneakily planning in a room, how to marry me off to her nephew without causing trouble and guarding against Xiao Wu’s revenge, and I overheard them. They devised many plans, each fatal. At that time, there was no one in the Zhou Family I felt attached to other than a weak grandmother, and later, even she didn’t treat me as well. Though I wasn’t clear on the amount in your remittances, relying on Uncle Zhou Xiaocun alone with his meager six points a day, the family lived very well, even better than city people. I had an idea that the support funds you sent sustained their entire family. Shortly afterward, my grandmother grew weak and severely ill. Seeing her health deteriorate, I worried they would hastily plot to marry me into the Huang Family before my grandmother passed. I took care of my grandmother while looking for a solution. Just as Zhang Guoqing received a recruitment quota from Zhao Dashan, he came over when I was physically exhausted and told me he had refused it and had already told his family he wouldn’t join the army. I was angry and asked him why. He had a good chance to leave and could later attend military school. Was he foolish? Preparing for university in high school was hard enough. He looked at me for a long time and then replied, ’If I leave, who will be with you? If I end up like your dad, who will truly care for you and be with you forever?’ Immediately, I decided to marry him; it was the best path. He grew up with me, protected me, and always thought of me in everything he did. That’s what childhood sweethearts should be. When it was time to build a family, I would’ve chosen him anyway. I knew him as well as I knew myself; it was simply a matter of timing. It allowed me to leave the Old Zhou Family’s rotten ground sooner. Moreover, his family was harmonious, his parents kind, and they treated me well since I was young. More importantly, we could live on our own a year after marriage. I asked Xiao Wu to return and seek his parents’ consent, and if they agreed, to formally have a matchmaker come to propose. The next day Xiao Wu found me, saying the matchmaker would come within two days. After returning to the Zhou Family, I thought it over, then approached my grandmother and told her I wanted to marry Zhang Guoqing. Otherwise, I was planning to find Grandpa myself. Conveniently, my residency registration was in Beijing, and so was my grain ration; I had no intention of returning. My grandmother, as I expected, told my grandfather, who reluctantly agreed, and I married Xiao Wu."