Chapter 45: Heart-to-Heart Between Husband and Wife (Part 2)

Zhou Jiao suddenly remembered she hadn’t told him yet—she’d already read her mother’s letter.

“There’s something I should fill you in on. My mom actually seems to care about me a lot. She said that any problem that can be solved with money isn’t really a problem—her thinking is practically as modern as people in the 21st century. And every letter is filled with memories of my dad. She keeps talking about following in his footsteps, hinting pretty clearly that she doesn’t really believe he’s gone, or at least can’t face reality. She keeps telling me to learn to wait, that she’s waiting too. She said Dad used to say, ‘If a man can’t protect the land under his feet and the woman in his arms, he’s not a real man.’ She also said Dad broke his promise, and when she saw my photo, she was furious with him. She said Dad always talked about preparing a dowry for me from a young age, so I could do as I pleased when I grew up.

She’s following in Dad’s footsteps, fulfilling his wishes. Oh, and she said everything’s with my grandma. She never believed Dad was really gone—maybe she’s waiting for some slip-up. But she never gets hysterical, she’s very sentimental, a bit of an artistic soul, with her own personality. Every letter starts with money, and when she could send ration coupons, she did—always new bills, new coupons, new stationery, just like me with my little quirks. The coupons are all military supply ones, so they won’t expire.

The last year, she sent three 200-yuan foreign exchange certificates—that’s 600 yuan, which is really rare. They’re from our provincial capital, too. She explained why she couldn’t bring me to live with her. Every letter came from a different address. She said Grandpa always sent her half-body photos, never full ones, so she didn’t know my size and had to guess based on my cousin Xue Zhen, who’s the same age. Grandpa never mentioned when he sent the photos. I figure besides all this, he probably asked her for money directly too.” Zhou Jiao looked at him expectantly, hoping she hadn’t misunderstood.

Just as she hoped, Zhang Guoqing gently stroked her back and nodded approvingly. “First of all, it’s clear your mom really loves you—otherwise she wouldn’t have supported you for 17 years. She knows to include coupons in the letters, which means she understands your situation. She sends one openly and another secretly, and always lists what she sent in the letter, so you’ll know if Grandpa’s being dishonest. She’s a smart woman.”

“So, we’ll wait until your mom arrives and talk then. For now, we stick to one principle: you can’t go to Beijing yet. Your dad needs to stay safe for the next ten years, and the Northeast is the safest place for now. We’ll see what your parents decide. Once your dad’s settled, you can go to university in Beijing or wherever you want. Ideally, Beijing is best for resources, connections, and a political career.” Zhang Guoqing analyzed carefully.

After a pause, Zhang Guoqing frowned slightly. “Now, about your oddball cousin. Outside, she’s been saying, ‘Our family lacks everything except money and coupons. My aunt treats me better than her own daughter. If we hadn’t stayed in the Northeast, the whole family would’ve gone to Beijing. Who’d want to stay in this backwater? My grandpa just has to stamp his foot in Beijing and the whole city shakes.’

If someone with an agenda twists this, things could get complicated. The main thing is, she mentioned my grandpa. If this keeps up, people might think you said it. This is like stirring up talk of restoring the monarchy, or one of those ‘Three-Anti’ campaigns—down with imperialism, feudalism, and bureaucratic capitalism. Who dares claim to have that much power in Beijing? I heard from my second brother that her mom was so mad she wanted to kill her.

This is an opportunity. I want to cut ties and shut this down for good, before your parents get back—make it clear in front of everyone. I’ve set a trap to see if she’ll fall for it tomorrow. If she comes swaggering over, I’ll nail her right then. I’ll have my second sister-in-law spread the word about all the packages and who got what. If she comes to make a scene, I’ll ask her straight out if her grandpa Huang Damao is trying to restore the monarchy. I’ll drag her, the eldest branch, her husband’s Wang family, and Huang Zhaodi’s Huang family down together—save your dad the trouble. This scholarly family’s already got enough troublemakers, I’m worried sick.

If things keep going like this, who’ll believe the Zhou family has a future? Tomorrow, I’ll use the chance to bring up how your great-grandpa was killed along with over a hundred people for hiding revolutionaries, forcing your grandpa, the old revolutionary, to keep moving forward.

I just worry the old man might faint. Mainly, since you’re still in confinement, if you speak up, it’ll have even more impact. Your university speeches were legendary—if you speak, it’s like nailing it down for good. We have to play the bad guys here. We’ve been covering for them, and now they want to cause trouble? Public opinion will be on our side. I’m sure she’ll take the bait. You just stay home and rest, I’ll handle this.”

Zhou Jiao flatly refused, shaking her head.

“No, if you set the trap and then I show up, anyone with half a brain will think I’m being underhanded, trying to cut ties between you and the Zhou family. The rumor mill will get ugly, and it’ll turn into a fight over who gets to keep Jinwa. That’s not good for your future in politics.

Really, I know how these things go—university offices see this drama every day. But if I step in, it’s different. I just had a baby three days ago, I’m the vulnerable one. And who knows better than me how to stir things up? With her dim-witted brain, she’ll lose control, and if Grandpa Zhou shows up, it’ll be too late. We have to end this before he arrives—nail it down for good.

The main thing is, you have to cooperate with me. If Grandpa Zhou faints, and I, just postpartum, faint too, you have to carry me home right away, or it’ll be hard to wrap things up. If he doesn’t faint, I’ll still act overwhelmed—face pale from the shock—and you ignore him and carry me home. That way, everyone sympathizes with us.

Tonight, get all the warm clothes ready—thermal underwear, down vest, thick scarf, warm hat—wrap me up so only my little face shows, and dust me with some powder. For the sake of our child and our family, we can’t back down.

Don’t worry, I know her well—she’ll show up around lunchtime, when everyone’s coming off shift and it’s not too cold. I’ll take care of myself and won’t be outside for more than half an hour. She’s a real oddball, a fool. Trust me. Just make sure you control the scene tomorrow—keep the family calm, tell the truth to the neighbors, but absolutely no swearing. That’s beneath us.”

Zhang Guoqing watched her get more and more excited, knowing full well that with her temperament, she’d insist on being there. She must be bored from her confinement and itching to get out—he’d have to keep a close eye on her tomorrow.

“Alright, then. Tomorrow’s going to be a showstopper. I still remember that debate at university—the other girl ran out crying, and you just called after her, ‘Hey, where are you going? You haven’t finished arguing yet!’ The whole place burst out laughing. Later, you grabbed my hand so tight trying not to laugh, you left bruises. That’s when I realized I liked this little fox. Tomorrow, let the whole village see if my wife is really a pushover.”

“You still remember that? I thought you were such a good senior back then, always helping me out, even pulling me out of the hall.”

“I remember everything. Like our first kiss—you bit my lip and blamed me for sticking my tongue in. And our wedding night, after finally getting the girl, you said you were hungry and we went out to eat…”

“Our son’s here! Go to sleep, stop talking. We’ve got a battle tomorrow.”

Zhang Guoqing stifled a laugh. Teasing her always made her bristle, like a Persian cat with fluffed-up fur and big round eyes—shy but trying to hide it. So cute."