Chapter 32: Ni Duan Dispels Doubts (Part 4)

After saying all this, Granny Zhou’s mouth fell wide open—her face was full of shock, anger, and embarrassment. Especially when I mentioned the 28 packages, she was truly clueless; she was stunned on the spot. On the other hand, Old Master Zhou was quite interesting—he remained calm and completely unfazed by what I said. It was obvious he already knew; I kept a close eye on his expression.

That shrew collapsed to the ground like a dead dog after my words. Outside, none of her daughters-in-law or sons dared make a sound—they all kept their distance. Even Old Master Zhou ignored her this time, sitting there quietly without saying a word, not even glancing at Granny Zhou. After I finished, I thought for a moment—Old Master Zhou was acting a bit odd. Why were those letters completely empty, not a single sheet of paper inside, no content at all? What was being hidden in those letters? Every letter I received was blank, even the ones from her aunt.

If only the letter from her grandfather was empty but the others had content, I wouldn’t have suspected anything—maybe it was just a secret between the two elders. But even the letters from her aunt, second uncle, and eldest aunt were all empty. Now that’s interesting. Normally, when people send letters, they write a few words of concern, ask how things are, say they miss you, and mention what they’re sending this time. Looking at the envelopes now, it’s not hard to guess that after Old Master Zhou read the letters, he destroyed their contents to keep it from Jiao Jiao. He didn’t want her to see what her grandfather, aunt, second uncle, or eldest aunt wrote. By leaving nothing behind, he was trying to influence how Jiao Jiao viewed her mother’s family, the Lin family. As for why he kept the envelopes with the addresses, that was just in case he needed to contact them in the future.

Why did Old Master Zhou want to keep this from Jiao Jiao? Thinking back to that farce just now, I guessed he wasn’t willing to give up on Jiao Jiao as a pawn. If Jiao Jiao went back to the Lin family, who would send money and packages to the Zhou family? Five families sending several packages a year, plus my mother-in-law’s regular monthly remittance, was enough to support the entire Zhou household. In their family, only her eldest uncle worked the fields, and her two older cousins each had several children of their own. How could they bear to let go of such a cash cow? So what to do? Even a fool knows that as long as Jiao Jiao doesn’t like her mother’s family and doesn’t return to Beijing, she’ll have to stay with the Zhou family unless she gets married. So they made her believe her mother and the Lin family didn’t love or want her, so she wouldn’t ask to go back to Beijing.

All these years, Jiao Jiao always thought the Lin family didn’t want her. Who told her that? The Zhou family. Seventeen years of being unwanted, yet her household registration was still in Beijing, and they even bought a large courtyard house in her name. Look at all the expensive things they sent. The Lin family are all smart people—would they really be so foolish as to lavish money on someone they didn’t want?

I thought about it and decided to prod him a bit more. I wanted to see if there was some agreement between Old Master Zhou and her grandfather—maybe they’d made arrangements for Jiao Jiao’s future. So I said to Old Master Zhou, “I hadn’t planned to reveal all this today. I just wanted to get the addresses of Jiao Jiao’s grandfather, uncles, and aunt, so I could send them some local specialties to share our good news, and also let them know not to send any more things. Times are tough for everyone. No matter how high their positions, it’s just a fixed salary, and every family has children to support. The aunts-in-law might not be as understanding as the uncles. Seventeen years of sending things—don’t they mind? Besides, Jiao Jiao is first a Zhou, then a Zhang. The Lin family has no obligation to keep supporting her. Even if they stopped sending things, no one would blame them. My mother-in-law raised her to adulthood, and the Lin family has already given enough. Now that Jiao Jiao is married with a child, if she still relied on the Lin family and my mother-in-law, I’d be ashamed to face them. After all this, Old Master Zhou still didn’t react, as if he hadn’t heard a thing.”

Then I said, “Today I just came to share good news, not to stir up trouble. I’m just upset that my eldest aunt-in-law still doesn’t realize her mistakes. They never used to send things so frequently, but this year it’s been non-stop. Their attitude toward Jiao Jiao and the baby is very different—look at all the valuable gifts. I don’t know what the Lin family is thinking, but you’ve interacted with them and should know their character. Why did the packages suddenly increase so much? We should think carefully about this, not wait until trouble comes to find a solution. I figure the Lin family will definitely come visit Jiao Jiao and our son after the New Year, so I wanted to write and see what they think.”

As soon as I finished, Old Master Zhou couldn’t keep his composure anymore—his face changed, and his expression was like he was acting. He glanced at Granny Zhou, probably wanting to hear her thoughts. But Granny Zhou just looked confused, racking her brains but coming up with nothing. Seeing this, Old Master Zhou just sat there in silence, his face very serious, ignoring everyone. At this point, Zhang Guoqing paused for a sip of water, giving them time to think.

Father Zhang looked at him with a complicated expression. He always knew his son was clever and good at handling people, but he didn’t expect him to be so good at scaring others—provoking them with words while secretly observing and controlling the situation, staying calm even after suspecting something was wrong, and only revealing things after everyone else had left for work. If he hadn’t spoken up, no one would have known. The poor Zhou family was probably in for a rough time, on edge and anxious. Meanwhile, he just said his piece and left, leaving a mess behind. Now Old Master Zhou couldn’t bear to return the gifts to Jiao Jiao, but if he didn’t, he’d lose face when the Lin family came. No wonder the old man was so troubled.

“Good lad, after your scare, those who received gifts won’t be able to sleep for days. They can’t bear to give them back to Jiao Jiao, but if they don’t, they’re afraid you’ll write and report them. I bet someone will come tonight to plead with you. No wonder you wanted to discuss it with your mother and me. Old Master Zhou is in too deep to get out now. Once he realizes, he’ll know that as long as he admits to favoring his eldest son, the Lin family won’t send him to jail—he’s Jiao Jiao’s real grandfather, after all. When the Lin family comes, he can just apologize, lose some face, and return a few things as a gesture. The Lin family will then judge by Jiao Jiao’s attitude. Besides, we don’t even know what the Lin family is really like yet—we’ll only know when we meet them.

Jiao Jiao, it’s up to you now. If you accept the gifts from your grandfather’s side, it shows you don’t care about these things—family is still family. But if you refuse, it means you’re using these gifts to repay the Zhou family for raising you and for your uncle and aunt’s care, basically cutting ties. No one will say the Lin family raised you—they’ll just see that after your birth, your grandparents brought you back to the Zhou family, and it was your grandmother and aunt who raised you to adulthood.

In this world, you have to compromise. If you want to cut ties, don’t care about material things, and you’ll avoid future entanglements. If they ever ask for your help, will you help? If you’ve cut ties, you won’t have to worry about it. Even if they try to cling to you, it’ll be up to you whether you want to deal with them.”

Zhou Jiao nodded, understanding what Father Zhang meant—use money to buy peace and avoid future trouble. She and her husband were still young, and who knew what the future held? She couldn’t let herself become the subject of gossip.

“Dad, Mom, I understand. If anyone comes to plead, just say I’m in confinement and the family doesn’t want me to worry about these things—we’ll talk about it later. Xiao Wu told me my father is still alive, and the Lin family will be coming in the next few days. When they arrive, let my mother handle it herself. You just deflect—no need to offend anyone. We’re still living here, and if people come to make peace, it’s out of goodwill. We should give them some face, right? Who doesn’t want to be the good guy?”

Father and Mother Zhang turned to Zhang Guoqing. “Xiao Wu, is your father-in-law really still alive? How do you know? Don’t make things up. And how do you know the Lin family is coming?”"

"**Chapter 33: Discussing the Future**

Zhang Guoqing looked at his parents with amusement. If he wasn’t sure, he wouldn’t say it out loud. “What I’m about to say next is the key point. All that stuff about whether the Zhou family gives things back or not, it’s just material possessions—I don’t care about it at all. Right now, my wife and I are of one mind: we absolutely won’t accept any of those things, no matter what anyone says.

If the Lin family shows up, then things get complicated. Let me share my thoughts. When I was at the Zhou family’s place, I kept an eye on the two elders, but my mind was on the Lin family. I’ve never met them, but judging from my mother-in-law’s behavior over the years, she’s the typical spoiled child of a high-ranking official—self-indulgent, only caring about her own happiness, never really considering others. She has status, she has connections, and she does whatever she wants. If she doesn’t want to come see her daughter, she doesn’t. She just keeps sending money and doesn’t care otherwise. I bet her whole family is like that—willful and carefree. But no matter how unreliable they seem, they’ve supported Jiaojiao for seventeen years, and that courtyard house in Beijing is registered directly under Jiaojiao’s name.

That shows they’re not short on money, or at least they don’t care about it. And they’re willing to accept a farm boy like me as a son-in-law, so they clearly never intended to use Jiaojiao for some political marriage to gain benefits. My father-in-law was also a poor farm boy, so I’m sure that even though the Lin family is willful and carefree, they have their own way of handling things and a bottom line. People like that don’t lack money or status, and they don’t need to use their children for political alliances. So why would they let Jiaojiao stay alone in the countryside? Even if their family is busy, they have orderlies and staff. If the child’s mother isn’t around, not bringing her back to Beijing doesn’t make sense. If they really just wanted to raise her with money, and my mother-in-law remarried and didn’t care about Jiaojiao anymore, then how would they explain keeping the Beijing household registration and the courtyard house? Jiaojiao’s surname is Zhou; she’s a Zhou by blood. If they really wanted to cut ties, giving her a house would make sense, but why keep her registered in Beijing? And the Lin family doesn’t seem to care about money at all—they’re always sending things, and the only thing they seem to want is for Jiaojiao to live however she likes, without worrying about money or material things.

But why haven’t they seen Jiaojiao for so many years? My mother-in-law has never even been to the Northeast. She’s traveled all over the country but never visited her own daughter. If they wanted to see Jiaojiao, not even Old Master Zhou could stop them. So why did the Lin family just go along with it? There’s only one explanation: Jiaojiao can’t go to Beijing, and they can’t bring her back to the capital. But they’ve left a big house there for her, and her household registration is still in Beijing. That means Jiaojiao can’t show up in the capital. Why? Is it because it would be dangerous or threatening for her? Her father is a soldier in Beijing, with lots of connections, and he died on a mission with no body recovered.

So does that mean it’s not safe for Jiaojiao to go to Beijing right now? They have to wait until it’s safe, which is why they never transferred her household registration. That also explains the house and registration.

And this year, they’re not afraid of people knowing—they’re openly sending expensive packages. That means Jiaojiao is safe now. The Lin family isn’t worried about people noticing all these parcels, and it’s fine for her to go back to Beijing anytime. What does that mean? The only people connected to Jiaojiao are her mother and father—her father, a soldier whose body was never found, and her mother, who has never returned to the Northeast, not even once to see Jiaojiao.

So the key is her father, whose body was never found? A soldier on secret missions. If my guess is right, then her father is alive and about to come back. That means Jiaojiao is safe, and the Lin family isn’t worried about drawing attention by sending things. Before this year, the packages they sent came from all over, from different military regions. This year, most are from Beijing. You can check the addresses at the post office.

Let’s look at it another way: if I had a daughter, and my wife was too carefree to guarantee the child’s safety, and I was worried my own situation might implicate my daughter, then sending her to the countryside would actually be the safest option. In the village, any stranger stands out. The environment is tough, so I’d send as much money as I could. If I was worried about military connections, I’d cut them off, which is why the Lin family didn’t bring her back to Beijing.

Now, the Lin grandfather probably knows his son-in-law is coming back. So what does he do? His daughter, as a mother, hasn’t fulfilled her responsibilities—seventeen years without seeing her husband. Would that affect their relationship? Would the son-in-law resent her? The grandfather probably knows roughly how Jiaojiao is doing here. So he sends lots of packages—first, to show he’s always cared about his granddaughter and never abandoned her, and that they’re worried about her being pregnant. Second, when the father comes back and sees his own family, it’s a chance to gauge how greedy the Zhou family is.

If the father is angry that his wife didn’t keep Jiaojiao by her side, well, the Lin family has been supporting Jiaojiao with lots of money. They paid, Grandpa Zhou did the work, but the Zhou family didn’t do much and even mistreated Jiaojiao. Would the father really blame the Lin family? His wife never remarried after hearing he died, always believing he was alive, waiting for him, and spending lots of money to support their daughter. Even if he’s unhappy, he can’t blame the Lin family. The only scapegoat left is the Zhou family and Old Master Zhou’s favoritism, which just happens to drive a wedge between them and the Zhou family, avoiding future entanglements.

If my reasoning is correct, then Jiaojiao, your father is a big deal—big enough for your grandfather to scheme so much. The Lin family isn’t short on money or status, but to maintain their position, they need heirs. Your grandfather is probably about to retire, and it’s up to the third generation—your cousins—to carry on the Lin family name. Your father is the second generation in his eyes. Is your eldest uncle still alive? If both your uncle and your father are alive, the Lin family is set for the future. If your uncle is gone but your father is still around, your father can still lead the third generation. That’s why your grandfather is going to such lengths. Of course, this is just my thinking. We’ll see what happens when your mother shows up, how she treats you, how she treats our family, who from the Lin family comes, whether they keep your father’s return a secret, and if they tell you where your father will be working. All of this will show how much the Lin family really cares about you. Every detail has its own meaning, and we’ll see soon enough. If the Lin family shows up before the baby’s third-day celebration, then my guess that your father is alive is confirmed. If your grandfather comes to see you, then it’s even more certain—your father is not only alive, but doing well. Until you see your father, don’t trust anything lightly. Wait until he comes back and see what his work situation is.

Now, about your father’s job: if your grandfather wants to use you, he’ll force you to go back, so your father will stay in Beijing and support the Lin family. If he really cares about you, he’ll tell you directly that your father’s next assignment isn’t decided yet, but he’ll want to be with you, wherever you are.

As for the Zhou and Lin families, and your mother, just treat them with a normal heart. The way they treated you a year ago is how much you really mattered to them. Everything now is just for show. Only your father—you're his only daughter, and he’s in his forties—you’re the only one he truly cares about. If he’s really coming back, he’ll need to be recognized for his achievements and have his 17-year history investigated. That’ll take at least a year or two before he can leave the military. I’ve calculated—those unusual packages have been coming for about seven months, so if we count a year, he’ll be home before the New Year.

Grandpa Lin will definitely have your mother—my mother-in-law—come back first, to get your approval and wait with you for your father. So it’s simple: she’ll probably show up in the next few days. The due date is this week, so whether for appearances or for real, your mother Lin Lishan will be here any day now. And remember, they’re using you as a pawn—you should be aware of that. They’ve known the news for a year, and you haven’t been in danger, which means your mother is safe too. She said she couldn’t find you to send things when you got married, but how did she know you were pregnant and send things this year? Why didn’t she come see you before? Now she’s rushing over to scheme against you.

Dad, Mom, don’t doubt me—I can tell you for sure, on the third-day celebration, they’ll definitely show up. I just don’t know who from the Lin family will come. And since we haven’t taken a single thing from the Lin family, you don’t need to be overly enthusiastic—just treat them like any other relatives. I’m also planning to have Jiaojiao use her mother’s hand to cut off ties with her aunt from the Zhou family. That shameless woman really scared me today. I can’t have relatives like that.”

Mother Zhang saw her husband deep in thought. She didn’t understand all of it, but she felt her youngest son was always right. “Xiao Wu, I don’t really get it. But if you say Jiaojiao’s dad is alive, then he’s definitely alive. You’ve said so much, I get the gist. If someone comes asking tonight, I’ll know how to refuse. His dad, don’t you think our Xiao Wu is just so smart?”"