Chapter 106: Zhou Jiao’s Decisiveness

Old Zhang thought for a moment and shook his head. “As for the household registration (hukou), even I can’t make that decision. Wait until your father-in-law says something. For now, discuss it with Jiaojiao and see what she thinks. Don’t register Ping’an’s hukou in the village yet—if his registration is in the city, he’ll get monthly rations and tickets. I don’t know if there are any real benefits to having Ping’an’s hukou in Beijing. If you’re worried, go ask your mother-in-law about the difference between having it in Beijing versus the county. Alright, that’s all. Go find your wife.”

In Zhang Guoqing’s mind, it didn’t really matter where the hukou was registered. Once he got into university, he could move it anyway. He nodded, told his mother, and left.

When he entered the west wing, the smell of chicken soup filled the air. The mother and daughter were still chatting away. Zhang Guoqing greeted them and sat down, pretending to listen, but his mind was already spinning rapidly.

On Zhou Jiao’s side, she was responding to her mother, but she noticed Zhang Guoqing deep in thought, sometimes even looking confused. She was curious—what could possibly trouble him like this? Since she’d known him, she’d never seen him like this. She gave her mother a look, and the two of them stopped talking. Zhang Guoqing didn’t even notice—he was really preoccupied this time.

Lin Lishan asked worriedly, “Xiao Wu, is something bothering you? Tell your mom and Jiaojiao. Don’t be afraid—if there’s a problem, I’ll help you solve it.”

Seeing both mother and daughter looking at him with concern, Zhang Guoqing couldn’t help but laugh. “It’s nothing, just some things I haven’t figured out yet. Nothing serious. Mom, when you work in Beijing, do you live on base, or can you go home? Do you usually get any days off each week?”

Lin Lishan saw he wasn’t saying much, so she didn’t press. “Let me tell you first—where do we live in Beijing? It’s just west of Chang’an Avenue. That area is full of military compounds for all different branches.

I joined the children’s corps at eight, joined the Party early, and this was the earliest **Ministry’s art troupe. After Liberation, we were assigned two rooms on the third floor as regiment-level cadres. Our family is with the Army, in the same compound as your grandpa. He’s a general, so he got a small siheyuan (courtyard house) in the back, pretty far from us. When your dad and I got married, we set up our place just like it was back then.

So I usually stay in the barracks. If I want to go home, there’s housing in the compound, so I can go back every day. Now that I’ve been promoted to regiment commander and have a deputy, I get one day off a week.

Don’t worry about not having enough space. When your dad comes back, the housing will probably be reassigned.”

Zhang Guoqing nodded, glanced at Zhou Jiao, and stayed quiet.

“Mom, where did you and Dad live when you first got married? What’s the story with these two siheyuan houses? Tell me in detail—I’m a bit confused,” Zhou Jiao asked, remembering she was born in 1940 and didn’t know much about those days.

“Back then, your dad was stationed outside Beijing. When we got married, we lived in a single room on base. The wedding was simple—just a few tables in the canteen. Your grandparents sent us a letter when they heard we were getting married, with the deed to the house inside. They said it was too far to give a dowry, so they gave us the house instead.

Later, your dad went out in disguise for several days to handle things, and even took me out once. After it was all settled, he didn’t tell anyone. After Liberation, your dad was gone, so I had someone help me fix the deed. You were born in the meantime, and your dad was over the moon. He secretly changed the property certificate. I never interfered with his affairs—he was smarter than me. Don’t worry, I’m just explaining it to you.”

Zhou Jiao looked at her mother, exasperated—what a silly mom.

Zhang Guoqing covered his mouth and tried not to laugh. He understood what Zhou Jiao meant—these two just didn’t have good chemistry. He was also curious—back then, the Japanese hadn’t even been driven out yet. How did his resourceful father-in-law manage all this? And what kind of mission could have kept him away from 1940 until now, seventeen years?

Zhang Guoqing cleared his throat. “So Mom, after we move to Beijing, can we see you often? Now that you’ve been promoted, do you have more free time?”

“If you live in the compound, we’ll all be together. Everything you need is there—you don’t even have to go out. I can go out, but I can’t see you every day.

Xiao Wu, are you asking if I can live with you outside? According to the rules, active-duty soldiers can’t just leave the base. Besides the family housing and barracks, you need approval to go out.

Have you seen Xiao Fei’s aunt? She’s a deputy in the Northern Military Region’s art troupe. Even she can’t go to Beijing without permission. That day she went out with me, she had to report to the regiment commander and get approval.

Soldiers just don’t have much freedom. But if you want to move out, you could probably apply. If it’s approved, you can live outside. I’ve never seen anyone move out of the compound, though—why would anyone do that? Unless something big happened and they were punished.

You can’t even get in without a pass. The conditions are so good—if you move out, people will laugh at you. Your aunt would love to live in the compound, but she and your uncle can only stay in the suburban family housing, so they had to buy a small house.”

Zhang Guoqing nodded as he listened. He generally understood, but not in such detail—he worried the times might have changed and the rules might be different.

“So, are relationships inside the compound not that great? If all the high-ranking people live together, wouldn’t there be a lot of guessing and suspicion? Cliques? Backdoor dealings? I bet everyone just keeps things to themselves and the atmosphere is tense.”

Lin Lishan thought for a moment. “I never really noticed. Over the years, I haven’t spent much time in the compound. But you might be right. Except for the men, the women are just acquaintances. Look at me and Fang Jianmei—we’re both in the compound and the same unit, but she’s only polite to me. But Xiao Fei and Shengli are best friends. Your aunt has spent the most time in the compound, but I’ve never seen her get close to anyone. Just mind your own business and live your own life.”

Zhang Guoqing nodded. That was something he didn’t need to worry about yet—he was just making conversation. “Mom, now that we have our marriage certificate, where should we register Ping’an’s hukou? Jiaojiao’s hukou is in Beijing, but we don’t plan to go back for two years. Should we move the registration or not?”

Lin Lishan rubbed her head, troubled. “Your eldest aunt said when you got your marriage certificate, maybe you should move your hukou to Beijing with Jiaojiao and the child. The house contract expires when Jiaojiao turns 18. If you move out, the house will be empty, and there won’t be any hukou registered there. Who knows what the policy will be in the future?

Or you could move Jiaojiao’s hukou to the Northeast with you, along with Ping’an’s. But what if you can’t move your hukou to the capital in the future? I didn’t think too much about it at the time—just focused on getting the marriage certificate.

Now that Ping’an is born, we need to register him. If you want to register him in Beijing, you need to handle it soon. You two need to discuss whether you want to rent out the house next year. If not, that’s fine. If you do, how long do you plan to rent it out? Tell me while your eldest aunt still has some authority. If your uncle gets transferred, she’ll go too, and it’s not as easy to ask for help.

Or, just don’t rent it out next year—leave it empty. The rent is so low anyway, and you can always visit Beijing. Or keep renting it to the Women’s Federation, and don’t live there anymore. On holidays, we’ll stay in the big house in the compound. If it’s too conspicuous, I’ll buy a smaller courtyard for you and put it in Xiao Wu’s name so no one will know. How about that?”

Zhang Guoqing and Zhou Jiao both burst out laughing. Zhou Jiao quickly comforted her, “Mom, don’t worry. The house isn’t important—just relax. I’ll definitely go back to Beijing before June next year, and we’ll discuss the rental issue then. Right now, the question is whether I should move my hukou. For example: First, if both Ping’an and I have our hukou in Beijing, all our rations and supplies are there, and Xiao Wu gets his rations here at work. Second, if Xiao Wu and Ping’an both move their hukou to Beijing, then all our rations are there, and Xiao Wu can’t get rations at work here. So it affects his job. Brother, what do you think?”

Zhang Guoqing scratched his head. “You asked what I was thinking about—I was just pondering this. Is it really necessary to stay here for two years? It affects a lot of things. I need to think it over. We’ll wait until Dad comes back to register Ping’an’s hukou.”

Zhou Jiao asked curiously, “Then tell me what you’ve been thinking—I’ll help you figure it out.”

Zhang Guoqing nodded. “My plan was for us to get into university within three years—no backup plan, just go all out. But after going to the provincial capital, I feel unsettled—impatient, especially seeing how well you and Mom get along. I want to speed things up.

I thought about quitting work and both of us studying hard for a year, then taking the exam next year. If all goes well, we’ll move to Beijing in the second half of next year, get into university early, and you can reunite with Mom sooner.

Originally, I thought it didn’t matter if Mom and Dad went back to the Northern Military Region—we could stay for three years. But after seeing the Northern Military Region, I doubt Dad will come back. Plus, with your grandpa there, coming back might not be a good idea. There’s nothing holding us here except my parents.

I keep going back and forth—leave early or late. Rationally, the child is still young. We’re only 18. In two years, we’ll be 20 and Ping’an will be two. We can go to university with peace of mind, so there’s no rush. That’s what I’ve been thinking these days. Jiaojiao, maybe I’m being too impatient. I feel a bit lost and unsettled—I need your advice.”

Lin Lishan smiled at the couple—they really were a good match, always encouraging and supporting each other.

Zhou Jiao thought for a moment, then said seriously, “First, you need to be clear about your own role. Grandpa introduced you to all those high-ranking people these days—what’s the rush? If you’re feeling unsettled, it means you’re wavering from your original plan. Think rationally: if we leave Grandpa and our parents, what should we do? Take away all those external factors—what’s best for us right now? How can you make yourself better, so you can stand on your own two feet, even without anyone supporting you? That’s your real confidence.

As for the hukou, what’s there to think about? Move everything to the village or the county. Only by moving it here will you have the motivation to work hard and get into university. Then our whole family can move to Beijing together—don’t leave any back doors open by keeping the hukou in Beijing. Cut off all escape routes. For Ping’an’s sake, give it your all. I’m definitely going to get in.”

Zhang Guoqing laughed. “Jiaojiao, I knew I should talk to you. I feel much more settled now. Mom, give us two years. I promise I’ll bring Jiaojiao and Ping’an to Beijing to see you, so you two can be together every day and go shopping whenever you want.”

Lin Lishan nodded, touched. She realized that when Xiao Wu came in and saw them chatting, he was deep in thought because he didn’t want Jiaojiao to be wronged and wanted the family to be together in Beijing as soon as possible. He was really thoughtful.

Looking at her daughter, she felt proud—her daughter was decisive, just like her father, with a determination to burn her bridges. She believed they’d be reunited in two years. As for the hukou, she’d discuss it with her sister-in-law, and if that didn’t work, with the children’s father. If she couldn’t handle this, what was the point?

Zhang Guoqing said seriously to Zhou Jiao, “Tomorrow I’ll go to the provincial capital and talk to the principal about our college entrance exams—see if we can just take the exams at the end of each term without attending classes. Then we’ll focus on studying. Once the house is built and we move in next spring, I’ll sort out my job. Before the New Year, I’ll talk to Zhao Dashan about joining the armed forces department. Once that’s settled, we’ll move to the county.”

Zhou Jiao glanced at him with a smile. “Alright, I’ll listen to you. Take your time—joining the armed forces department is just for the connections and management experience.”

Zhang Guoqing saw it was only a little after four and figured there was nothing else to do. Since Jiaojiao didn’t plan to go to Beijing early, they’d stick to the original plan. His mother-in-law was leaving in the morning, so he decided to go up the mountain and see if he could hunt a wild boar.

“You chat with Mom. I’m heading out for a bit. If Mom asks, tell her not to wait for me for dinner.” With that, Zhang Guoqing left."