Chapter 56: Visitors from the Lin Family (Part 5)

Lin Lishan and Xiao Zhou both took a deep breath—these kids are really smart, and only seventeen! “Dad, aren’t you overthinking it? She’s still just a child, only seventeen. How could she possibly scheme like that? And the Zhang family behind her seems honest and simple too.”

“Don’t jump to conclusions. Think about your husband, Zhou Xiaocun, and remember that she’s Zhou Xiaozheng’s daughter. Some people are just born exceptional. Zhou Xiaocun was just a farm boy, left home at sixteen, all alone, and yet he managed to rise from the Northeast all the way to Beijing on his own merits, earning countless achievements along the way. By eighteen, everyone called him the ‘Northeast Tiger’—he became the pride of the Northern Military District. Even now, people still remember him, and everyone, young or old, respectfully calls him ‘Brother Zheng.’ Was he specially groomed by anyone? Do you really think Old Zhou, that muddle-headed man, could have raised someone like Zhou Xiaozheng? Zhou Xiaozheng is a deep one—always with a cold face, never letting anyone know what he’s thinking, always keeping things to himself. He became a king among soldiers, not just because of his skills, but also because of his mind and his methods. He never relied on our Lin family to get ahead.

As for Zhou Jiao, being as outstanding as her father at seventeen isn’t surprising at all. Besides being clever and shrewd from a young age, she’s resourceful and has mastered embroidery and all her grandmother’s medical skills, even in the tough environment of the Zhou family. Who would have thought? She’s very low-key, good at hiding her strengths. Look at the man she chose, Zhao Guoqing, and look at her in-laws—you can tell she really knows how to handle people and situations. This child is sharp and perceptive, able to read people well.

It’s no wonder she’s grown up so capable in that kind of environment. She had no one to rely on—if she didn’t use her brains and her wits, there’d be nothing left of her, not even bones. Do you really think Zhang Guoqing alone could have protected her so well? Didn’t you notice that today, Zhang Guoqing barely said a word the whole time? He was entirely focused on Jiaojiao’s safety.”

Lin Lishan was silent for a long time after hearing this, lost in thought. After a while, her eyes filled with tears as she looked at him, her mouth opening and closing, not knowing what to say. She let out a deep sigh and finally said in a low voice, “Dad, do you think she’ll resent me for not visiting her for seventeen years? Now that I know her father is alive, I rushed over here—will she think I’m just using her? From what you’re saying, she’s so smart, how could she not see through it? If Zheng-ge comes back and finds out I never went to see her, will father and daughter both hate me?”

Looking at the pain in his daughter’s eyes, Lin Xinsheng sighed inwardly. He thought to himself that he never should have sent the child back to her grandparents in the countryside, and later, he shouldn’t have stayed away and never even met her. Too much time has passed; how could there be any real bond? He didn’t know what would happen. Whether smart or simple, everyone remembers their parents. As for how they’ll get along, that’s up to fate. If Jiaojiao is the type to hold grudges, then things will just be lukewarm—she won’t let you in, and she’ll adjust her attitude according to her father’s feelings. But if she’s broad-minded, she’ll try to understand her mother’s situation and support her. Judging by how protective she is, we’ll have to see whether she really cares about Shanshan or not. That’s also why he insisted on coming along—his own daughter was too naive, thinking everything could be solved with money or a few letters. But some things aren’t that simple. Mother and daughter are connected by nature—let’s just hope everything works out.

Lin Xinsheng couldn’t bear to see his daughter so worried, so he comforted her, “I can’t vouch for other kids, but Jiaojiao isn’t like that. If she hadn’t known her father was alive and coming back, she wouldn’t have cut ties with the Zhou family’s main branch. She cares about a father she’s never even met—she’ll care about you too. There’s a saying: ‘There are no bad parents under heaven.’ You’re her mother, and she’s someone who fiercely protects her own. People like that value relationships. Don’t worry.”

Seeing Lin Lishan’s eyes light up at his words, Lin Xinsheng chuckled and turned to Xiao Zhou, who was driving. “Xiao Zhou, you used to be a scout. Why don’t you analyze what happened today for your big sister, so she can better understand her daughter and son-in-law?”

Xiao Zhou thought for a moment as he drove, then smiled and said, “Sir, I’m not that educated, but I can tell Zhou Jiao is really outstanding. The way she talks, her expressions, her tone, her bearing—they’re all just like Zheng-ge. She has the presence of a real leader.

Why do I say that? I watched the whole thing, and from start to finish, she never showed any fear—she held the whole scene together. Her speech was crisp and decisive, and she handled everything with a plan. There were some small gestures you might not have noticed, but as a scout, I pay close attention to details. She kept using a mocking look to throw her opponents off balance, then step by step steered the conversation to the key issues. At the start, she mentioned how the Huang family used to be so poor that the whole family shared a single pair of pants, but now they’re well-off. As soon as she said that, the people around started gossiping, and someone who knew the inside story revealed more about the Huang family. Then she said the other woman got into the Zhou family just because she was pregnant—that was a killer line, and it drew everyone’s attention. When she said those two sentences, she took control of the whole scene. After that, she started talking about all the hardships she’d suffered over the years. The questions she asked later were especially sharp—no one dared answer, and even the elders and village officials who wanted to mediate were stopped in their tracks.

Everything was calculated, step by step. From getting everyone’s attention at the start to the end, from light to heavy. If she’d started off talking about her hardships, the crowd would have been too noisy to listen. If she’d waited until later, there would have been too much gossip and some village officials might have intervened to keep things from getting out of hand, and the effect would have been different. When she spoke, it looked like she was addressing Zhou Xue, but actually, she was watching the whole crowd. At the end, she squeezed her husband’s hand twice—especially the last time, really hard. Even her husband was stunned, and only after the second squeeze did he react and support her.

In that huge crowd, she was able to spot Old Zhou right away and walked over quickly, showing she didn’t need her husband’s support at all. Then she knelt down and started her speech—so fast that the old man didn’t even have time to faint, he was already cornered. She squeezed her husband’s hand again, and he immediately picked her up. Then she made another gesture, and he hurried to carry her away. The two of them worked together perfectly and got out of there in no time.

At first, when she squeezed her husband’s hand to get him to support her, I wondered why—she could have walked away by herself, no need for help. But then I realized it was all to cover their escape. They’re quite the interesting couple. If you weren’t paying attention, you’d just think the wife was weak after childbirth and the husband was anxious when he saw her collapse, pale-faced, into his arms. The Zhang family didn’t notice a thing—their concern was genuine, and they all rushed into the house after her. It was hilarious, haha… When Xiao Fei comes back, let’s ask him if the whole family followed them out and kept a tight watch on the door.” With that, Xiao Zhou burst out laughing."