Chapter 67: Telling the Truth

Zhang Guoqing was at a loss for words. His mother-in-law was really something else. She claimed she wouldn’t tell anyone, but then she turned around and told her son-in-law the first time they met. What kind of logic was that? She wouldn’t tell her own husband, but she’d confide in a son-in-law she’d just met—wasn’t she worried about trusting the wrong person? No wonder his father-in-law must have had headaches back in the day.

“Here we go again. You’re being careless. These things should be kept hidden in your heart. Next time, don’t say them out loud. I’m your son-in-law and this is the first time we’ve met—you’re really too trusting. What if you ran into someone with bad intentions?”

“Silly child, I trust my daughter’s judgment. Even your grandpa praised you! I’m good at reading people—one look and I can tell if someone’s good or bad. That old man from the Zhou family, you can tell right away he’s no good, but your grandpa didn’t believe me. Well, now he knows,” Lin Lishan said proudly.

Zhang Guoqing was even more speechless. If you knew Old Zhou wasn’t a good person, how could you be at ease letting your daughter grow up in his house? Is this love or hate for your daughter? Even if you wanted to say something, you shouldn’t say it to me or Zhou Jiao, right? If you ran into someone petty, they’d hate you for life! You’re just lucky Zhou Jiao is so easygoing.

“Yes, yes, Mom, you’re just as sharp as Jiao Jiao. You can tell good from bad at a glance. Oh my, Mom, why did you bring all that rice and flour? That stuff is heavy!”

Zhang Guoqing didn’t even know what to say anymore. He finally understood what Fang Fei meant when he said a mother-in-law always has a young girl’s heart. She really was like a big kid who never grew up. Thinking about his previous mother-in-law, the difference was like night and day—one was always pinching pennies from him, the other was always giving. It made him want to laugh and cry at the same time.

“Your grandpa said everything else is easy to get in the countryside, but rice and flour are scarce. Besides, if people ask about all the stuff, just say it’s clothes and bedding. You’re strong, so you can carry the food to your mother. The rest, let Jiao Jiao handle.”

Even with his own strength, he had to make three trips, okay?

But at least the small living room was less crowded now. Looking at the remaining parcels, Zhang Guoqing continued moving the boxes into the inner room for the mother and daughter to sort through.

Seeing the mother and daughter laughing and hugging, he felt genuinely happy. Putting aside the Lin family, Zhou Jiao could finally get along with her mother and fall into her embrace. His Jiao Jiao was kind and gentle, never one to hold grudges, always able to see things from others’ perspectives. She should have been a beloved princess, cherished by her parents, but in both her lives she had suffered so much at a young age.

In her past life, Zhou Jiao never said anything, but the lack of parental love was always her deepest regret. It was like how he felt now, having his parents—he felt grounded. No matter where he went, he would unconsciously think of his parents, his wife, and his child.

Parental love is different from the love between husband and wife. It’s selfless, so selfless that it made him realize that in his past life, what he wanted and longed for most was family affection. When his grandfather passed away after their brief time together, the pain of that bond made him want to lose himself in grief. It was only the arrival of new life that snapped him out of it.

A spouse and children make a family, but only with parents is it truly complete. That’s the home he cherished, the one that motivated him to work hard. He wanted to make his father happy and free of regrets, and his mother proud and never sad. He was like a little kid in kindergarten, eager to show off a red flower to his parents—childish, but deeply moved in his heart, grateful to heaven for giving him the best parents in the world.

In the kitchen, looking at the cellar full of rice, flour, oil, cured meat, and dried fish, the women of the family looked at each other in astonishment. What was going on? They’d never seen a guest bring so much stuff. Instead of feeling pleased, they felt a bit embarrassed, as if they’d failed as hosts. It wasn’t until Zhang Guoqing, missing his mother, went to the kitchen to check on her that Mrs. Zhang snapped out of it.

Mrs. Zhang looked around to make sure no one else was there before saying, “Xiao Wu, why did your mother-in-law bring so much stuff? Isn’t your grandpa only staying a few days and leaving tomorrow? She can’t possibly eat that much herself. How can we accept this? Did you try to refuse? Why did you carry it all to the cellar yourself? What will people think?”

Zhang Guoqing looked at his mother, feeling a pang of tenderness. That was his mother—no surprise, no greed, only worried that he might be looked down on in the future. Seeing how lost his mother and sister-in-law looked, he quickly reassured them, “Mom, sister-in-law, don’t worry. I know what I’m doing. I’ll be filial to her in the future. Besides, you didn’t see—the outer room of the west wing was piled high with stuff. With so many people coming and going, it didn’t look good. My mother-in-law asked me to bring the food to the kitchen for you. I guess she doesn’t really know how to cook. I moved the rest of the boxes into the inner room for them to look through.”

Seeing his mother still frowning, he smiled and pulled her aside. “Mom, don’t worry. When they go back, I’ll prepare some local specialties for her to take home. You know your son—I won’t take advantage of others, and I won’t let anyone take advantage of me.”

Lin Juhua, who had seen a bit of the world, was still surprised at how much stuff had been brought over. She thought it was all for Jiao Jiao, but didn’t expect her to hand it all over to her mother-in-law so generously.

Lin Juhua sighed, “Now I understand why people call her the ‘golden doll.’ She really is. I saw them moving things earlier—four soldiers plus the two men in the family, six people in total, and two cars to bring it all.”

Huang Cuilan glanced at her mother-in-law, then at her sisters-in-law, and finally at Xiao Wu, and added, “We really owe them a big favor this time. Xiao Wu, see what local specialties we have, pack up as much as you can, and ask around to see who else has some. Send it all back with her grandpa to Beijing. I have money on hand, and if it’s not enough, we’ll chip in.”

Lin Juhua nodded, “I don’t have much money, but if you need help, just let me know. I’ll have my husband prepare some things too. Mom, however much you prepare, I won’t be jealous. Now I see that our little sister-in-law’s personality really takes after her mother.”

Mrs. Zhang and the others all laughed. This was the first time the second daughter-in-law wasn’t calculating and was willing to be generous. She was usually so careful, always afraid of being taken advantage of.

Zhang Guoqing smiled and nodded. “Alright, I’ll listen to you two. No need to send things to the elders directly, just mail parcels to them. Several families can send some. That’ll settle old debts. I have money for now, and if it’s not enough, I’ll ask you later.” Of course, he wouldn’t really let his brothers pay, but their good intentions were enough.

“Mom, let’s have a good meal tonight. Life will only get better from here. Grandpa wants me to go with him to the military district tomorrow to meet his old friends. See, they’re helping me make connections—they don’t treat us like outsiders. You should treat them like family too, no need to be nervous.”

“Alright, then go and make a good impression, see a bit of the world. Okay, don’t hang around the kitchen, go chat with them. We’ll take care of things here. Later, I’ll properly thank our in-laws,” Mrs. Zhang said, straightening his collar and smoothing out the wrinkles before pushing him out.

Watching him walk into the main room, she turned around and cheerfully instructed, “Juhua, you’re on cooking duty. Cuilan, help out. Tonight, we’ll use the dishes we already have at home, but make extra rice. There are a few soldiers here, and they eat a lot—we can’t let our guests go hungry. Make two pots of rice. I’ll make more steamed buns, and if there are leftovers, we’ll eat them for breakfast. We have pork, so I’ll make sauerkraut buns. I’ll have Xizi call your aunt and younger aunt over to help. Luckily, we have a big pot and a big kitchen, otherwise we’d be overwhelmed.”"

"**Chapter 68: The Courtyard House**

In the bedroom of the side wing, the atmosphere was warm and cozy. Lin Lishan was smiling as she hugged her daughter. She had just finished telling Jiaojiao what Zhang Guoqing had said, describing his expressions as she spoke.

Lin Lishan gently stroked her daughter’s head. Now that her daughter was in her arms, she couldn’t help but feel regret for missing out on so much of her growing up. In the blink of an eye, her little girl had become someone else’s wife.

“Jiaojiao, the reason I’m telling you all this is so you know how lucky he is to have married you. My daughter is talented and beautiful, and you even have your own savings. You’re not some helpless orphan. If it weren’t for fate’s twists and turns, you should be sitting in a bright classroom right now. You deserve to be cherished and loved by him. I know you’re smarter than me, but being smart doesn’t matter for a woman—what matters most is the man behind her.

Before anything happened to your father, everyone envied me. They praised me to my face and behind my back. But after your father’s accident, their true colors showed—some even took pleasure in our misfortune. That’s the difference a good man makes in your life.

The way a man treats his woman determines how much respect she gets. People talk about gender equality, but society’s views haven’t really changed. Everything looks familiar on the surface, but deep down, everything is different.

I ran away from it all, left the place I knew, and went everywhere searching for your father. I didn’t believe anything could have happened to him. He was the strongest soldier, a man who made it on his own without any background or connections. He was smart, not just brave, and different from those hotheaded types. How could someone like him just die in action? Who could possibly be his match? I was always worried that he and your uncle had been framed, that they were waiting for me to find them.

A lot of people said I was crazy, but I thought about it every day. In the end, I realized I was the one who got your father killed. I felt it was all a conspiracy against the Lin family. If it weren’t for me, someone as shrewd as him would never have gotten involved.

Before his last mission, he told me that if anything happened, I should wait for him to come back. He was so happy talking about you, saying he wanted to prepare a grand dowry for you when you grew up, that he wanted you to be skilled in music, chess, calligraphy, and painting, and to have enough dollars saved up so you could do whatever you wanted. He would always be there to protect you, his precious princess. When it came time to find you a husband, he’d make sure to teach the guy a lesson first, so he wouldn’t dare hurt you. He had so many hopes for you. How could he bear to leave you? How could he not have made arrangements before something happened?

I went crazy searching for answers, ignoring my own identity as a soldier. Later, your grandfather reminded me that many people were watching me in secret. So I joined the performing troupe and used every chance to go on assignments, searching for your father along the way. The northeast was his old territory—he wouldn’t have had an accident there. I took every assignment except those up north, afraid that if I was too late, I’d never find your father or your uncle again.

I tracked down your father’s old comrades and familiar places. The more I learned, the more confused I became. I could only keep it all to myself—not even your grandfather knew, because I was afraid that if I acted rashly, it would put your father in danger. I could tell when people were testing me—some were your father’s friends, others from all sorts of backgrounds. Luckily, your father is coming back. Heaven really does have eyes.”

Zhou Jiao leaned against her mother, knowing there must have been many dangers and hardships in all this. But since her mother didn’t want to talk about them, she didn’t ask. The pain had passed; there was no need to dwell on it or cry over old memories.

“Mom, it’s all in the past. When Dad comes back, our family will be together again. There’s no need to think about what’s already happened. In the future, you’ll also be a talented, beautiful woman with a good man by your side, haha.”

Lin Lishan gently patted her back. Suddenly remembering something, she asked angrily, “Tell me, did something happen at the Zhou family that made you rush to marry Xiao Wu?”

Zhou Jiao wasn’t sure what she’d been thinking back then. At the time, she and Zhang Guoqing were very close—childhood sweethearts who grew up together. Back then, he was her only choice. A lot of things happened all at once, and that’s how they became husband and wife. Unlike the time-travel novels she’d read before, both of them felt that they were truly themselves, not someone else. Sometimes she wondered if her past life had just been a dream, and now she’d woken up.

Snapping back to the present, Zhou Jiao remembered the anger and worry she’d felt when she first discovered the plot against her. She’d racked her brains to protect herself, and after she got married, she thought back on those days and smiled, saying, “How should I put it? A lot of things just came together, and in a certain moment, I made my decision. One day, Huang Zhaodi and her daughter Zhou Xue were sneaking around, trying to avoid me. I overheard them in a room, plotting how to marry me off to her nephew without causing a big scene, and making sure to guard against Xiao Wu taking revenge. I overheard everything. They came up with all sorts of nasty tricks.

Other than my weak grandmother, there was no one in the Zhou family I was attached to. Even my grandmother changed for the worse later on. I wasn’t sure how much you were sending in your letters, but just with Uncle Zhou Xiaocun’s daily six-cent ration, the whole family was living better than city folks. Deep down, I knew it was your support money that was feeding them.

Then my grandmother’s health started failing, and I could see she was getting worse. I began to worry that they’d try to marry me off to the Huang family before she passed away. While taking care of her, I was also looking for a way out.

Just then, Zhang Guoqing got a spot to join the army, thanks to Zhao Dashan. When I was exhausted and desperate for a solution, he came to tell me he’d turned it down—he’d told his family he wasn’t going to enlist.

I was so angry. Why would he give up such a good chance to leave? He could have gone to military school later. It’s so hard to get into high school and college.

He looked at me for a long time and then said, ‘If I leave, who will be with you? If I leave and end up like your dad, who will truly care for you? Who will always be there for you?’

Right then, I decided to marry him. It was the best choice. We grew up together, he always protected me, and whatever he did, he always thought of me. That’s what childhood sweethearts are, right? If I ever got married, it would be to him. I know him as well as I know myself—this just happened a little earlier than I expected. And I could finally get away from the Zhou family. Plus, his family is harmonious, his parents are kind, and they’ve always treated me well. Most importantly, after a year of marriage, we could live on our own.

So I asked Xiao Wu to go home and talk to his parents. If they agreed, we’d have a matchmaker come and propose. The next day, Xiao Wu told me the matchmaker would be coming soon.

After I got back to the Zhou family, I thought it over and went to talk to Grandma. I told her I wanted to marry Zhang Guoqing; otherwise, I’d go find Grandpa myself. My household registration was in Beijing, my food rations too, and I didn’t plan to come back. As I expected, Grandma told Grandpa, and Grandpa, just as I thought, reluctantly agreed. And that’s how I married Xiao Wu.”"