Chapter 71 - 60: Revealing the Truth

Zhou Jiao held her mother’s hand and reminisced about the past days, "Dad is gone, and I’m married. I didn’t intend to do anything to him. I just wanted to tell you that I got married, so there’s no need to send money or send things anymore. Breaking these ties also helps to understand their family’s predicament. Marrying into this family, I’m a wife now, no longer the little girl who frequently visited them. I didn’t dare write to you all immediately; I wanted to test the nature of this family. Xiao Wu I trust, but not his family. Some things can’t be rushed, I kept telling myself. The outcome was good. My in-laws aren’t greedy and genuinely treat me well. After giving birth to this child, I decided to take action, but your address changes all the time. I didn’t have the addresses of Grandpa and Uncle. I explained the past experiences in detail to Zhang Guoqing, and he was puzzled, analyzing them for me. The next day, according to the plan, he went to the Zhou Family to announce the good news and to request the address. You should know Grandpa never gave me those addresses, fearing that I would return to Beijing if I had them. It’s really laughable, one can’t find someone even in such a large military district. Xiao Wu happened to find an excuse, saying he wanted to send things to Grandpa, Uncle, and Aunt to share the good news, and also to inquire about how to obtain the marriage certificate. When Xiao Wu returned, he found it was exactly as we expected — the envelope was stuffed into his pocket by Grandma, Grandpa repeatedly delayed, and he advised Xiao Wu that there were people in the postal office who knew Uncle, so things would be mailed together. Holding those five empty envelopes without letters, under the temptation of his words, Huang Zhaodi and Grandpa foolishly exposed themselves. He analyzed many issues by himself, explaining them one by one, including how he talked to them at that time, how he intentionally provoked with words. Later, we began to realize that Grandpa had been weaving a story for me, with the entire Zhou Family collaborating, portraying me as abandoned by my own mother, unwelcome by Grandpa’s family, having to live and die in that household. Meanwhile, Zhang Guoqing also figured out why Grandpa and you didn’t come to pick me up, or at least go along with the situation. It’s because I couldn’t appear in Beijing; only living in rural areas provided safety, so you desperately sent things over. If I am indeed in danger, you never come to the Northeast, so that means it’s my father, then shouldn’t he have something, not sacrificed? Looking at the 28 packages this year, we understood that sending them so brazenly must mean they are not afraid of others knowing, or perhaps something surprising has happened, which would mean my dad has appeared. Later, thinking about Grandma instructing not to tell anyone about that wooden box, we were stunned when we opened it. It wasn’t Grandma’s items; we later saw that a land deed from 1952 in Shanghai, still in my name. In 1952, I was eleven years old, just approaching ten, the birthday present. In 1952, none of us went to Shanghai, so who handled it? The answer quickly came out that it was Dad. Finally, Zhang Guoqing took all the things out, and tore the paper glued to the bottom of the box, revealing two knife marks, equaling an equal sign, telling me to wait for him. He was still alive, and I immediately wanted to go to that house to find clues, to see if someone had framed him with a mission. Yet, Zhang Guoqing stopped me, saying it was definitely a mission, perhaps Grandpa and Mom already knew, but follow-up procedures hadn’t been dealt with, couldn’t be spoken clearly. So after eight months of hard work consolidating things, from this one can tell you all planned to come before the child was born. I was a few days premature, so you would definitely arrive before I gave birth to accompany me. Calculating the due date, he suggested that it might happen during the three-day ceremony. Then we wondered if you appeared, then my dad returned, still connected to them? Dragging my dad’s progress? No, I would never let that happen. If they truly treated my dad as family, brothers, would they treat his only surviving child like this? Even without using a single blade of grass from them, supporting them so, and still like this. Why should my dad bear the Zhou Family’s packages? I set a trap for Zhou Xue. I know her too well — arrogant and overbearing, how could she not come to pick a fight? Tomorrow is the three-day ceremony, I won’t let them ruin my son’s celebration. Furthermore, if during the three-day ceremony you arrive, and this incident comes to light, how can we make people feel I can endure no more? Only when you haven’t arrived, and my dad hasn’t rerurned, can I leverage the golden baby name, put everything out in the open under everyone’s eyes, distancing from my dad, without affecting him. The subsequent matters, I will handle them as I wish. If you haven’t arrived, it doesn’t matter; I will leverage the situation. I just didn’t anticipate you coming so quickly, but fortunately, you haven’t appeared. I will publicly kneel to Grandpa, to elevate him, to see what he says. Isn’t he the one who loves the eldest son the most? Sure, I will ruin it. Elevating him might also benefit my dad, regarding future matters of the Zhou Family, people will only think of the child born to old revolutionaries, not those chaotic scholarly family backgrounds. Now it’s crucial to clarify my dad’s political status, to avoid giving others leverage, eliminating those fools. You weren’t aware that so many people came one after another, yet no one informed the Zhou Family in advance. They are too arrogant, often acting and speaking in Grandpa’s name, exuding a vibe as if my Grandpa is the big boss, afraid of no one, that vulgarity. I dare not say such words myself, not to mention those from the county township, they are unaware of the difference between Zhou Jiao and Zhou Xue. Would I give her the chance to wear a hat like that? It would destroy her. Grandpa favored Uncle, Aunt, and Zhou Xue the most, right? Then I will ruin their reputation, ruin their future. Mom, don’t be upset. I intend to preserve the eldest from the elder branch’s job; that person is selfish. Both husband and wife are. Couldn’t possibly beat them to death; let’s see how they’ll fare in the future. If everything collapses, and our family is well-off, people will begin sympathizing with them. We can only let the eldest from their family keep their job, supporting them along with Grandpa and Grandma’s salary, no one will dare say anything about our family. When Grandpa and Grandma have passed away in a few years, our relations will become more distant. Preserving the elder branch’s eldest, others may find our family benevolent. If my dad remains entangled with Grandpa and them messily, then we’ll think of a way. In any case, I won’t give them a chance to stick around." "Alright, I understand, if your dad knew how they treated you, he would surely feel heartbroken. That family, apart from Grandma, has nothing good, deserving to suffer. Shallow-minded beings. But Jiao Jiao, keep in mind, some words shouldn’t be spoken in front of your dad, understand? This is the Old Zhou Family, enduring from outside for so many years, regarding his parents, he can tolerate better. Don’t reveal those traps. When I go pick up your dad, I will speak. Think it’s easy to take advantage? Mommy has long prepared for you, wait a moment while I go fetch things for you." Lin Lishan said with a smug smile, running to open her travel bag.