Chapter 128: The Schemed Dowry

“Grandpa, just tell us already, everyone’s waiting. You still haven’t said what’s so great about that Zhou Jiao. You keep saying she’s outstanding, but how exactly is she outstanding? She’s just a 17-year-old country girl who’s never even seen a big city—how good could she possibly be? Heh, Grandpa, are you just messing with us?” Lin Xuelin, the eldest granddaughter of the Lin family, sneered dismissively.

Off to the side, Li Jianjun rolled his eyes dramatically at her words. He hated hearing people talk about “rural” and “urban” as if city folk were somehow superior. Who could claim their ancestors didn’t come from the countryside? He himself was from a rural background—was he any worse than city people? Did they really think coming from the countryside made someone inferior? Even his eldest brother-in-law, Zhou Xiaozheng, was from the countryside, but who would dare claim to be better than him? The Lin family only had their status because of the old man, and as for that little girl, she acted all high and mighty, but she couldn’t even get into high school and only got her job through connections.

Old Master Lin glanced at his eldest granddaughter’s unconvinced expression, then at his eldest daughter-in-law, who looked the same. His youngest daughter seemed to be deep in thought, and as for his youngest son-in-law, there was no need to look—he clearly didn’t like what the eldest granddaughter had said either.

Old Master Lin exchanged a look with his wife and shook his head in disappointment. The Lin family was truly declining with each generation. His eldest granddaughter had grown up by her grandmother’s side—how had she failed to learn even a little bit from her?

Madam Lin shot him a glare, as if to say she knew exactly what he was thinking. Wasn’t he just blaming her for not raising their granddaughter well? The girl had a mother—why should she interfere? Besides, some things came down to genetics and perception. With the kind of family her daughter-in-law came from, how could the child turn out exceptional?

“You old man, just hurry up and tell us! We want to hear about that girl too. We’ve never even met her, and you can’t tell much from a photo. Shanshan only has this one daughter, and who knows what she’s thinking? Seventeen years and they’ve never even met once. What if the girl gets upset and comes back here crying?”

If Lin Lishan were here, she’d definitely be looking at Madam Lin with a face full of questions and grievance.

Old Master Lin let out a cold chuckle. “Make Shanshan angry? That girl is fiercely protective. When Shanshan met her, the first thing she asked was whether her father had any other children out there. If he did, she said there was no need for Shanshan to come see her in the northeast. Jiao Jiao said she could accept her parents not being around, but she would never accept betrayal. Just listen to that—those are the words of a 17-year-old girl. Would she make Shanshan cry?”

Madam Lin pondered this for a moment, then asked, “She sounds pretty tough. Is she hot-tempered? What’s her personality like? Is she proud and aloof like Zhou Xiaozheng?”

“She takes after Zhou Xiaozheng. She’s smart, strategic, shrewd, and capable—proud and reserved to the core, just like him. Outwardly, both father and daughter are different: he always has a cold face, while she always smiles at people, but in how they deal with others, they’re very much alike. His child is truly his child.

“She gives off a scholarly air—delicate, petite, seemingly weak and quiet. But she’s not impatient or irritable; she’s steady and composed.

“She’s also extremely talented. Her only hobby is reading—she has no close friends or sisters, just loves books. Besides reading, she’s skilled at embroidery and has mastered her grandmother’s family medical techniques. I heard she could recite the Three Character Classic and Thousand Character Classic by age three. What’s even more remarkable is that, aside from her grandmother and Zhang Guoqing, who grew up with her, no one knows her true abilities. All people know is that Zhou Jiao loves to read.

“She’s very low-key and knows how to keep a low profile. She hates trouble and avoids it whenever she can. Her temperament is gentle, and as long as you don’t cross her bottom line, she’s easy to get along with. But if you do, she’ll strike without hesitation.” Old Master Lin sighed, feeling regret that such an outstanding child was content to live a simple life.

Madam Lin looked at him in confusion. “With such a good child, what are you sighing for? Did something happen?”

Old Master Lin sighed again. “Before we even arrived, that young couple had already guessed we’d be visiting them around that time, and even predicted Zhou Xiaozheng would return before the end of the year. Do you know how they figured it out? Just because we sent a few extra packages this year. They picked up on the tiniest clues.

“And there’s something else. The day we arrived, something happened that caused a sensation throughout the county. As for what exactly, I’ll tell you about it later.

“It’s not just Jiao Jiao—her husband Zhang Guoqing is only 18, yet he’s courteous and composed, no less than the sons of prestigious families. I took him to a meeting, and all the old guys there couldn’t stop praising him. What’s even more impressive is that he has extraordinary strength—he can easily lift over 500 jin (about 250 kg) with one hand—and he’s smart, too. He watched Xiao Zhou drive for half an hour, then got behind the wheel and drove himself. Yet, despite all this, he refuses to join the army and insists on making his own way. He’s an outstanding young man. What a pity.”

Everyone in the living room had different reactions after hearing this. Old Master Lin glanced at his eldest granddaughter’s disdainful face and sighed inwardly. Luckily, she was a girl—at least he still had grandsons, so there was hope for the Lin family yet. Genetics really did matter. He’d have to discuss the choice of a granddaughter-in-law with his wife—after all, a good woman could bless three generations.

Lin Liying was completely absorbed and hurriedly asked, “Dad, what exactly happened? What could possibly cause such a stir in the whole county?”

Thinking of Zhou Jiao, Old Master Lin burst out laughing. “Jiao Jiao is famous in the county. You might not know her as Zhou Jiao, but if you ask anyone about ‘Golden Baby,’ they’ll know who she is. That’s the nickname people gave her.

“And what does ‘Golden Baby’ mean? It’s because she single-handedly supports five branches of the Zhou family. Wait, I’ll have Xiao Zhou come and tell you about it—you all could learn a thing or two. After you hear it, I want to hear your thoughts. Xiao Zhou, come to the living room.”

Xiao Zhou was tidying up in the study. When he heard the call, he hurried out. “Sir, is there something you need? The study is all cleaned up.”

“It’s nothing. I just want you to tell everyone about Jiao Jiao and Xiao Wu. Tell them what Jiao Jiao said that day. Let them reflect on it.”

Xiao Zhou looked a bit embarrassed. “I can’t really capture Zhou Jiao’s presence. Xiao Fei wrote down her speech—how about you read it yourselves?”

Madam Lin nodded. “Go ahead, bring it over and we’ll read it ourselves. Later, tell us what happened that day.”

Old Master Lin shook his head. “No, tell it first, then we’ll read. Start from the day we went to the county and visited her home. Be detailed.”

Xiao Zhou chuckled to himself. The old man had been waiting for this day and had even told him earlier to remember to write to the Northwest. Seeing everyone waiting, he cleared his throat, sat down, and began recounting everything from their arrival in the county to their visit to Zhangjia Village. He spoke for over an hour, and when he finished, the living room was silent.

Xiao Zhou quietly got up, went back to the study, and brought out the letter, handing it to Old Master Lin. Old Master Lin passed it to his wife, signaling her to read it aloud.

He wanted to hear it again, to relive how remarkable that child was. Watching them all so cheerful these days, he’d almost forgotten that she’d grown up in such an environment and yet turned out so open-hearted.

As he listened to his wife’s voice, Old Master Lin couldn’t help but recall the small, proud figure of Zhou Jiao standing tall among the crowd, and he let out a sigh."