enjoyebooks Chapter 1225 - 1098: The Night Before Leaving
Chapter 1225 - 1098: The Night Before Leaving
Since it was decided to leave, the next day Zhou Jiao went along with one mother-in-law and one mom — the two of them to the market.Since the in-laws went back, they had to bring some local specialties for them as gifts. In Beijing, there’s not much in the way of local specialties, but the candied fruits and pastries are quite good.
And Zhang the Second came over this time. It seemed he brought over even all the supplies from his home, more than enough. This kind of sentiment can’t be reciprocated with just some small trinkets.
Nowadays, though this ancient city is changing daily, there are visible changes every other period on the streets; however, resources are still lacking, and tickets still hold sway.
Luckily, four people in her family work, and she is too lazy to queue, so she exchanged expiring tickets with friends and family, accumulating quite a few now.
If you want to reciprocate, it’s best to focus on the family’s urgent needs, which are nothing more than "clothing, food, shelter, and transportation."
Food? With springtime here and Lin Juhua’s skillful hands, she’s not worried.
Shelter and transportation aren’t things to care about right now.
The only option left is with "clothing." Seeing this time Shi Tou and Mai Sui carrying three thick quilts and mattresses along with new clothes, it’s estimated there isn’t a single cloth ticket left at home.
Zhou Jiao considers herself a common person, so she spent all her cloth tickets — giving them back to Zhang the Second. It’s up to him to swap it for something else.
If cloth tickets didn’t have geographical restrictions, she’d have just given him the tickets.
As for the most fashionable Dacron fabric, it’s not a controlled item, but the price is somewhat expensive, and besides being unwilling to spend, it was all snatched up by a group of young women.
Rarely did she go shopping. By the time she went back, with her mom’s all-encompassing approach, it was dusk as they returned, with the whole family anxiously waiting with anticipation.
"Actually, fabrics and such are minor matters. Second Brother has a uniform, and there are homespun and high-end fabrics available in the market that don’t require tickets; the most needed is cooking oil. It doesn’t have to be excellent, even cottonseed oil is popular."
Zhou Jiao blinked, "The worst I have here is soybean oil."
Zhang Guoqing chuckled, "I didn’t ask you to give him oil. The ten pounds from Dad and Mom are already the limit; bringing more on the train isn’t safe."
Not safe? Is it the check, or is it for fire prevention?
Zhou Jiao didn’t ask. If it got out that they had so much oil at home, the first suspect would be Zhang Guoqing, given where he works in logistics.
Zhou Jiao rolled her eyes at him, wasn’t that obvious?
"I borrowed some military coupons from a comrade, so you add a bit less. Second Brother is picky; if I give more, he’ll just accuse me of not knowing how to live frugally."
Zhou Jiao immediately teased, "Isn’t that calling you dumb?"
She had overheard Zhang the Second twice regretting him not living up to expectations...
The first time Zhang Guoqing bought roast duck home — How could you be so silly? Buying three ducks at once! How can you not think about how many people starved during the disasters some years back?
The second time should have been when the brothers discussed the parents’ support fees — How could you be so silly? Dad and Mom are taken care of, and yet you aren’t supporting your father-in-law? Uncle Zhou doesn’t take money but has received your sentiment!
All kinds of disdain and contempt, for sure.
Hahaha... It was too funny.
Zhang Guoqing patted the laughing and weak wife in his arms, shaking his head speechlessly. He knew his second brother meant well, just worrying his brother-in-law might be looked down on by his own father-in-law.
But his family was really different from others.
He couldn’t say it; all the family’s money was handled by his wife. Whether they give filial money to the father-in-law or not, it’s the same. It’s even more embarrassing to mention that the father-in-law hoped he’d change his last name to Zhou.
And it’s not that he was bragging about his in-laws being great.
His parents loved him more, but they cared about the three sons, whereas his in-laws treated him like their own son, giving love one hundred percent.
Who didn’t say from outside that his father-in-law cherished his daughter most and trusted him most?
"I took them to the school after work today."
"Oh, are the kids doing well?"
Zhang Guoqing didn’t care, "How could they not be? They’re different; they not only have national subsidies but are also well-off."
"And the roommates?"
"I couldn’t go into the girls’ dormitory, but I heard it’s good. Over at Shi Tou’s, the Yuan and Shi family juniors share a dorm, so no need to worry. Our May 1st, he has the flair of his father back in the day."
Mentioning his son, Zhang Guoqing was overjoyed, whispering in her ear, "This boy is cunning. Within two days, he became the deputy class president. At the opening ceremony, he represented the freshmen to speak on stage, and the applause reportedly lasted for five minutes in the auditorium."
Zhou Jiao never really worried about her three sons’ capabilities, especially May 1st, who had a knack for cunning. But about Ping’an and Liu Yi, she wondered how they were doing at school these past couple of days?
How could Zhang Guoqing not know his wife’s concerns?
He chuckled, "Unfortunately, we can’t see Ping’an and Liu Yi for a while, but I’ve called the old instructor. Somehow, he’ll check in on him often, won’t he?"
Zhou Jiao was overjoyed upon hearing this, looking at him with bright eyes.
Zhang Guoqing immediately laughed, "Silly wife! Did you forget your husband took first place in everything back then? Dad might not be the one to appear, but that doesn’t mean I can’t visit the instructors."
"Before our dorm’s reunion last time, I went to school once. Did you think your man was really just full and bored to go reminisce about military life?"
Zhang Guoqing bragged proudly with a gesture, "With shooting, I am still first. In skill, I can still take down the old instructor in ten moves; even though I’m a bureaucrat, I’m still top-notch."
"And Liu Yi is already able to match me in routine bouts, not to mention that Ping’an is several years older. If compared, the three brothers just lack experience."
"However, they have one thing better than me. They received a different education from a young age. At five, I was racking my brains in the orphanage thinking of ways to please the adults, while they were already adept at dealing with people.
At ten, my world was all about learning, and for the kids, studying is simple, and school breaks meant they went to military camps for exercise.
At fifteen, I was proudly dealing with everyone with a false face, while Ping’an at seven could point out each family’s weak points. Liu Yi as well, and our May 1st was even more remarkable, offering lots of advice."
Zhang Guoqing finished, smiling contentedly, "So don’t worry about the kids. If they encounter setbacks under our watch, it’s actually a good thing; I just hope they don’t get arrogant."
Zhou Jiao laughed lightly, "I’m fine, no need to be so attentive in comforting me. How about I accompany you to visit Dad and Mom?"
"An honor." Zhang Guoqing pulled her up, holding her as they walked out, whispering with a light laugh, "I asked Dad if he needed to bring some seeds back. Guess what he said?"
"I don’t know."
Zhang Guoqing pinched her nose, "You’ll never guess. Last year, our village courtyard was already planted with fruit trees by Dad, even the county town yard has two jujube trees."
Zhou Jiao offered him a warm smile.
Since he was happy to show off, she’d let herself believe that her mother-in-law hadn’t said anything.
Actually, it’s not just their home that’s planted with fruit trees; she knew the backyards of three families were full. It’s said the fruits were more lucrative than coarse grains and required less effort.