Chapter 90 - 79: Childhood Memories

Zhou Jiao thought for a moment and shook her head, "No, I’ve never heard him mention it, but when we were young, he often brought eggs and chicken legs for me to eat. He wouldn’t let me tell anyone; he’d secretly pull me to the middle of the bridge, stand there watching for anyone approaching from either side, and if someone was coming, he’d hide it under his clothes, telling me to wipe my mouth clean and drink some water so no one would notice. I was probably only 5 then, but I remember it clearly. The first time he gave it to me, he was tempted himself and kept asking if it was tasty. Later, we ended up eating the chicken leg together. It seemed undercooked, all burnt and black from roasting." Lin Lishan laughed heartily, "So little yet knew to stand in the middle of the bridge, aware of people from both ends, truly clever." Zhang Meihao laughed as she said to Lin Lishan, "That’s not even the funniest part. He was really well-behaved from a young age in front of elders, but quite bossy among children. At only 4, when we all played house and pretended weddings, he wouldn’t let Jiao Jiao be anyone else’s bride. When kids in Zhou Family Village tried to snatch her from him, he fought them off, and I, being 4 years older, couldn’t pull him away. He was strong, punching the other kids to the ground and kicking, asking if they still wanted to snatch Jiao Jiao, saying she’s his. Later, my mom scolded him, and he said it was fine for the other girls in the village, but not Jiao Jiao, who was his. Our whole family was amused." Zhou Jiao chuckled, "I remember that. Later, he also told me that kid was still wetting the bed at 6, warning me not to play with him or I’d smell of urine. I believed him back then and genuinely thought that kid reeked." Lin Lishan found it amusing, such cleverness at a young age, "That’s why Xiao Wu has been smart from such a young age, having a sense of territory at only 4. He knew he had to keep you from mingling with others. Our Ping’an will surely be as clever as his dad in the future." Zhang Meihao nodded repeatedly, "Of course, if his son isn’t smart when taught by him. Look at Xi Zi, following him since he was little and is smarter than other kids. Xiao Wu was always smart. Out of my grandpa’s many grandchildren, he doted on Xiao Wu the most besides my eldest cousin. My grandpa always said if the world weren’t chaotic, Xiao Wu would have become the top scorer in the imperial exam, excelling in both literature and martial arts. At 4, he saw my grandpa setting traps, and later dragged big brother to the foot of the mountain to dig pits. My grandpa was so delighted with Xiao Wu’s directing of traps that he got drunk at our house." Zhou Jiao smiled at this. In both her lives, Zhang Guoqing was an early-bloomer, with an inherent knack for using his brains. Zhang Guoqing came in carrying two plates of noodles, "What are you all chatting about that’s making you so happy? These two bowls are for Mom and Jiao Jiao. Eat them while they’re hot. Second sister, yours is coming right up." Lin Lishan stood up and accepted a bowl, "We were talking about your childhood. Wondering if our Ping’an will be just like you." Zhang Guoqing handed a bowl to Jiao Jiao and pulled out a small folding table, placing it on the kang bed, "Mom, my son will definitely be smarter than me, you can rest assured about that. Look at how smart Jiao Jiao is, with both IQs combined, it’s high regardless of how you average it." "Haha, you can calculate it like that too, sure, if you say so." "Grandpa asked earlier if you’d be leaving with us or sometime later? I suggest staying over there for a night, rest and we’ll leave after dinner, even if it’s late, since we’re driving, there’s no rush. If we head over now and wait for your return, it’ll be too late, and we wouldn’t feel comfortable with you driving alone." Lin Lishan glanced at her watch, "It’s already past two, and it’ll get dark by five, we should just rest a bit and head off, get to the guesthouse early so old Mr. Lin can rest, he’ll be busy with serious matters tomorrow, too busy to get any rest." "Alright, I’ll go and check with Grandpa about his thoughts. You stay here with Jiao Jiao, and if you need anything, I’m here. Second sister, I’ll go urge big sister, if you make a start, she’ll be here soon." Zhang Guoqing said to his second sister. Zhang Meihao stood up and walked out with Zhang Guoqing, "No need, I’ll eat outside, Auntie, I’m heading out first, take your time eating." The two of them headed towards the kitchen and saw his mother, Zhang Guoqing asked her, "Mom, do we have any buns left? If we’re leaving soon, we can have them on the road." Mother Zhang walked to the stove to take a look, "There aren’t many left, only about twenty, not enough. Why don’t we bake some pancakes instead? Eat and then leave, it won’t take long. I’ll prepare dinner now, we can leave right after eating. All the guests and relatives have left, it’s just your big sister’s and second sister’s families now. It’s after two now, I’ll get some hot dishes ready and let them drink some wine first. I’ll make scallion pancakes as the main dish, how about that? We can’t let the guests leave on an empty stomach, can we?" "Alright, we’ll do as you say. Let’s prepare while serving the hot dishes and drinks first, I’ll go inform the old man. He asked earlier if we should go early or late, now I’ll just tell him we leave after eating. Haha, Mom, prepare a little less, everyone just had noodles." "Okay, go ahead, we’ll get ready here." Zhang Guoqing left the kitchen just in time to see the old man walking towards their west wing, so he hurriedly went over too. As they entered the outer room of the west wing, Zhang Guoqing called out, "Mom, Jiao Jiao, Grandpa is here." Mr. Lin glanced around the outer room’s setup and proceeded inside, "Jiao Jiao, don’t get up just stay on the kang bed, Grandpa is leaving soon. Let Xiao Wu come back himself later, I’ll head back to Beijing directly from the provincial city. After the baby’s full month, see if you can take the train to Beijing for a while to accompany your Grandma, though I doubt it, the baby is too small. Maybe after a hundred days." Zhou Jiao looked at the old man, feeling reluctant, with fond memories of Grandpa Zhang and Grandpa Lin’s kindness softening her heart, "Grandpa, you came and we didn’t even have a proper chat, and now you’re leaving. I’ll ask my mom to check with the hospital in Beijing about what age we can take the baby out, and when I get back to Beijing, I’ll personally cook for you." Mr. Lin smiled gently at her, "I wasn’t at ease before I came, and I’m not at ease now that I’m leaving. If there’s nothing urgent, it’s best to return to Beijing. Even if you don’t live there permanently, come by often to visit. Our family isn’t short on money, Grandpa will reimburse you." "I’ll come to see you, Grandpa. I have money on hand. You must take good care of yourself. Please send my regards to Grandma and take care of her health. Also, I wrote a few herbal prescriptions, could you ask her healthcare doctor to see if they would benefit Grandma? My grandmother taught me, but I haven’t had the chance to try them out. From what I heard of Grandma’s condition, it seems she didn’t recover well before." Zhou Jiao took out two prescriptions she’d written during the day and handed them over. "I’m not sure about these prescriptions, but your handwriting is beautiful. I’ll show them to your Grandma to make her happy. If there’s anything you need at home, write to us and we’ll send it over." Zhou Jiao quickly shook her head, "No need, I have everything. Sending stuff is troublesome. You and Grandma take good care of yourselves, and when my uncle returns, gradually step back from responsibilities so you don’t have to be too busy to spend time with Grandma." Mr. Lin laughed, "Alright, anything you say." "Grandpa, when people talk business, we must be serious." Suppressing a laugh, Mr. Lin said, "Alright, Grandpa knows. When your uncle returns, Grandpa will step back and enjoy retirement at home, to spend time with your Grandma and enjoy life." Zhou Jiao pouted and said to Zhang Guoqing, "Brother, go see if anyone’s nearby, I want to have a word with Grandpa." Zhang Guoqing nodded and stepped out.