Chapter 92 - 81: Departure

Mr. Lin looked at the young couple with satisfaction. At such a young age, they’ve already seen what’s before them clearly, arranged their future—it’s quite impressive. "I’ll be waiting for you to come to Beijing. I’ll also talk to your dad about his job and see what he decides. He’s seen a lot over the years, gained experience, and coupled with his always-strong skills, there’s no need to worry about him; you’ll see that later." Zhou Jiao looked at the two of them and said with a smile, "Brother, you still have time to accompany Grandpa a bit more, so you can chat privately then. Let Mom come in now." Lin Lishan came in with a smile, "I’ve been outside all this time. I see it’s getting late. When should we leave? Dad, can you check your watch?" Zhang Guoqing quickly said, "Before Grandpa came in, my mother already mentioned it. Let’s eat before leaving. Everything’s ready, let’s go out to eat something before driving off." He turned his head to Zhou Jiao, "Jiao Jiao, do you have anything else to say to Grandpa?" With tears in her eyes, Zhou Jiao looked at the old man, "Grandpa, take good care of yourself and give my regards to Grandma. And confirm with my dad that there should be no plans for new siblings." Mr. Lin was touched but was amused by the last sentence. Lin Lishan rolled her eyes at her, "Don’t worry, your dad is in the military, and your mom’s there too. Dad, we’re on a schedule, let’s eat first. If she has anything else she wants to say, she can tell me once I’m back in Beijing." The three of them chuckled as they walked out to the main house, where everyone was waiting for them. Mr. Zhang quickly invited the old man to the main seat, and the Zhang sisters accompanied Lin Lishan to sit down as well. Zhang Guoqing opened the bottle caps and poured drinks for everyone. The old man was already chatting with Mr. Zhang, so he sat down to chat with the guys too, listening to them joke around, while in his mind wondering if he had missed doing anything. Halfway through the meal, he excused himself to check on Jiao Jiao in the west wing, as he was a bit worried about her. Zhou Jiao looked at him happily, "Brother, I was just thinking about organizing the things you need to bring. Get them together quickly. I can’t get out of bed. Change clothes to wash for Mom, and take two more sets for changing. There are new sweaters inside, take what Second Sister-in-law made for you in the cabinet. Bring some money and the military passes valid nationwide." Zhang Guoqing didn’t respond, just moved forward to hug her. Once she finished her instructions, he said, "Are you uneasy? I’ll be back in a few days. Make sure Ping’an is alright at night, and be cautious with the lamps. I asked Mom to sleep on the cot outside, all explained. You must not accidentally evoke things in your sleep. Take care of the child and yourself. I’ll go check the provincial city and tell you about it when I’m back." "If gold suddenly appeared, do you think Mom would really consider me a golden baby? Haha, that’s too funny." Zhang Guoqing placed her on the kang for support, stood up, "Jiao Jiao, check if there are any bags. You can’t just carry a shabby cloth bag." Zhou Jiao laughed heartily, "A shabby bag is good, suits your frugal image. Brother, take a good look in the mirror, you’re scruffy. Get a short haircut this time, like you had when you used to be similar to those soldiers, but shorter. Those fancy bags, no, only this black bag has Dad’s clothes; I don’t know how they got in. I keep the clothes for memory, and the bag for memory too, don’t lose it, bring it back for me. After my confinement, we will go and secretly burn some paper money." After saying that, she felt upset, not knowing if anyone would help burn the paper after they left. Luckily, there were grandpa and grandparents’ photos. Wondering if they could visit XL to find them in the future. Zhang Guoqing stroked her hair, "Are you thinking of your parents?" Zhou Jiao shook her head sadly, "I’m not thinking about them, just Grandpa. In the future, who will pay respects to them during festivities? When can we go and find them, and are there such people in the world? Grandpa looks so much like Elder Lin; don’t know if they are related?" Zhang Guoqing shook his head with regret, "It’s unrelated. I’ve tried probing, but they’re different places, one in the north, one in the south, natives. Let’s not dwell on this, when there’s a chance later, we can check. XL is small, just looking would be enough. But how do we explain our age if we find them? Haha." Zhou Jiao thought about it, would probably be sent to a mental hospital if I claimed to be your grandchild, she chuckled. "Decided, let’s keep it in memory, find a chance to pay respects secretly. Fate will bring us together. You get your stuff ready." Zhang Guoqing was truly at a loss; wasn’t moodiness supposed to come with pregnancy? Apparently not keeping her busy leaves her bored. Considering this, he fetched two medical books and an ancient text from the outer room, thinking these might make her sleepy quickly, and thus preserving her eyesight during confinement would not be a worry. "Found these yesterday, you can read them when free, be mindful of your eyes." He handed them to her and went off to pack, pressed for time. Zhou Jiao flipped through the books, appreciated the medical ones and decided to look for more another time, suspecting they came from a small alley bookstand in town. Guessed the little guy provided three sleep-inducing books fearing her eyes wouldn’t rest. "Young man, you’ll lose friends like this, secretly hoarding books. Does your wife know about this? Does your son know?" "Haha, you tell that girl, I’m no longer tempted by her; to avoid errors, I strictly resist beauties. Ask the girl, too, what’s she doing with that wandering eye, her man knows? Her son knows?" "Haha, that girl said you passed, you may go out for a walk. Always remember the three obediences and four virtues, and the eight honors and eight disgraces." "Keep the mother-in-law at ease, the wife happy. Always remember the wife is right, the wife is right, indeed, the wife is right." "Court is dismissed, Your Excellency, you may rise." "Yes, Your Highness." Lin Lishan and Zhang Meili sisters came in laughing heartily. Zhang Meili joked, "You two will lose friends like this, amusing yourselves as a couple. Do your son know?" Lin Lishan laughed to the point of bending over, "Xiao Wu, the wife is right, the wife is right, the wife indeed is right. An apt summary, well done, you hen-pecked husband. Does your mother know? Your dad knows? Oh dear, I can’t handle you two!" Zhou Jiao waved at them and said, "My esteemed ministers, report your affairs or leave the court." Zhang Guoqing saw everyone outside carrying items waiting for them, knew it was time to go, and quickly chimed in. "Reporting to Your Highness, this humble servant takes the Emperor back to the palace, remember to rest, and mind the fires. I’ll return swiftly to report good news." Zhou Jiao waved her handkerchief, "Go, go, it’s always hard to bid farewell even when sending off a thousand miles, General. Take care of the Emperor, and I’ll reward you upon return." Zhang Guoqing blinked playfully at her, and with the laughing Lin Lishan and Zhang Meili, they headed out, smiling as they stepped outside. Zhang Guoqing saw the cloth bag next to Mother Zhang, picked it up and walked straight out, needing to leave first before the others broke into full laughter. Mr. Zhang took the family to send off Mr. Lin and the others to the gate. While standing by the vehicle, repeatedly inviting them to come and visit when free. Others were still so amused they could only nod. Xiao Zhou opened the car door, Xi Zi got in first. Zhang Guoqing saw this and said nothing, finding it convenient to have him return with the mother-in-law.