Chapter 71: Suspicions

Watching her mother leave, Zhou Jiao took the opportunity to take out the small wooden box she had hidden in the cabinet—she needed to show this to her mom.

Lin Lishan was holding a cloth bag, and from it she also took out a box about the size of a shoebox and handed it to Zhou Jiao.

Zhou Jiao noticed that everyone seemed to like putting things in boxes—she herself had quite a few. “Mom, hold on, don’t rush. Take a look at what Dad gave me first.”

“There’s quite a lot, but what’s the use? Can these things make up for the hardships you’ve suffered? Our family doesn’t lack these things. When you go to Beijing, I’ve already prepared plenty of dowry for you, all stored at your grandma’s place.”

“Oh, come on. Can’t you at least pretend to be happy for me? This is Dad’s love for me. By the way, do you know if that house in Shanghai is still there? It’s been years since anyone’s been there. Next time, ask him about it. It’s a pity I’m in confinement now and can’t go see it myself. I wonder what it’s like—maybe there are gifts or clothes for me in there. Mom, are you jealous that Dad’s thinking about me and not you? Haha. Oh, right, Mom, Dad hasn’t been seeing any other women these past few years, has he? Otherwise, I won’t acknowledge him. I’ll give all his things back. When you go back, take these things and ask him—are there any women, any illegitimate children? If there are, take it all back.”

“Haha, I’ll pass on your message. As for the stuff, just keep it. Even if there’s some messy business, once it’s given to you, it’s yours. Besides, your uncle is with your dad—they get along well, so nothing like that would happen. I haven’t found anyone else; how could he do that to me?” Lin Lishan replied confidently.

Zhou Jiao touched her head, speechless. “Oh, Mom, you really have to be clear about these things. Who knows if someone will show up in the future? I’m his daughter, after all. People always value sons over daughters—can you really trust what men say? Even Dad, you can’t trust him completely. Sigh, when Dad comes back, you should hurry up and have a son, just in case something happens.”

Lin Lishan brushed away her silly daughter’s hand. “Alright, stop overthinking. Don’t you realize, if you got gifts, how could I not? I wasn’t sure before, but now I can confirm they’re from him. When I go back, I’ll open the boxes just like you guys.”

Zhou Jiao stuck out her tongue in embarrassment—wasn’t she just worried? Seventeen years is a long time; who can keep a promise that long? They’d only been married a little over two years. She didn’t have much confidence in her dad’s self-control. Luckily, her uncle was there as a safeguard.

Lin Lishan could tell from her daughter’s expression that she was embarrassed, but daughters really were the best—only daughters would worry about her like this. She’d definitely have to talk to her husband about it later.

“Open the box and take a look—there’s a lot inside. This is the marriage certificate your aunt helped arrange. You need to have this—without a marriage certificate, there’s no guarantee, that’s just playing around.”

Zhou Jiao burst out laughing when she saw it—the marriage certificate looked more like an award: at the top were five stars and the national flag, below was a big red double “happiness” character, surrounded by beautiful patterns of peonies, pomegranates, white doves, and rice stalks, symbolizing good luck and happiness. In the center were Zhou Jiao’s and Zhang Guoqing’s names, genders, and ages, along with a statement that they were marrying voluntarily and had passed the examination according to the Marriage Law of the People’s Republic of China. There was a watermark with the words “Unity and Friendship,” but no photos or anything.

“This property deed should be for your grandmother’s family’s old house. Back then, your grandmother gave your dad an old deed—no idea if it can still be reclaimed. She said to give it to your dad and for us as a couple to try our luck. If we get it, it’s ours, and whatever is left in the Zhou family will go to the eldest branch.

“It’s a small two-courtyard siheyuan. When you were born and registered, your dad changed the ownership to your name. Your grandfather and the others all know about this, but I made a receipt to prove how much was paid for the house at the time, so it counts as being bought again—just to avoid any disputes in the future.

“We’re always being transferred, so your dad just moved your household registration here. The location is good. Starting from 1950, we rented it out to the Women’s Federation—your aunt works there. She saw the courtyard was empty and found someone to look after it, so we rented it out for 50 yuan a month. Both courtyards are rented to the Women’s Federation. The agreement is that you’ll take it back when you turn eighteen—it’s all in the contract. Whether to renew the lease or take it back is up to you.”

“When I turn eighteen, I’ll talk to Aunt and see what she thinks. If it’s difficult for her, we’ll figure it out then.” Zhou Jiao didn’t care much, as long as the house was safe and hers. If it were privately occupied, who knows if it would have been confiscated during the campaigns against the “Four Olds.”

“Alright, it’s up to you. This five-courtyard siheyuan was exchanged by your dad and me for the old Zhou family house. The original house became a ruin—the deed was confiscated and a new courtyard was built. We found someone to prove it was Zhou family property and exchanged it for a five-courtyard siheyuan of the same size, right at the foot of the Imperial City. This one is under my name, so no one can trace it. It’s not safe to put everything under your name. But you keep the deed. Right now, except for the last courtyard where your dowry is stored, the rest is empty. I have your grandma looking after it. Your dad handled the paperwork to put it under my name. Tell me, didn’t I get the upper hand with all those things you mailed?” Lin Lishan shot her a proud look.

Zhou Jiao looked at the deed with concern. “Mom, isn’t a five-courtyard siheyuan a bit too conspicuous? Does Grandpa know? What did he say? With just the two of us, mother and daughter, each having a house, won’t people call us landlords or capitalists?”

“Your grandpa knows. As long as it’s not illegal, he won’t be upset. That old house didn’t even belong to your grandfather—it was the main family’s, and they’re all gone now. Otherwise, do you think your grandma could have handed over the deed? Would your grandpa have let it go? As for your worries, you can relax. You don’t know that people like us all have aliases for our children—totally usable. Just look at the names. Right now, ‘Lin Lishan’ is my public identity, so officially, I have nothing under my name.”

“You can do that? You high-ranking officials are really something. Do the big shots all know about this?” Zhou Jiao exclaimed in surprise.

Lin Lishan tapped her on the head. “What do you mean, ‘you high-ranking officials’? Aren’t you the child of a high-ranking official too? Don’t worry. Even if someone reports us in the future, it won’t come back to us. Too much time has passed, and everyone involved is long gone. Your dad knows about this house—he’s the one who handled it. He’s even smarter than you kids. He told me to find someone to take care of it.”

“Then I’m relieved. Since Grandpa and Dad both know, it’s safe.” Zhou Jiao put the deed away.

“Mm, don’t worry. Your mom has everything covered. Your grandma and that lady are good friends—she knows a lot about these things.”

Zhou Jiao saw her mom point at the ceiling and was stunned. Did she see that right? Did she understand correctly?

“Surprised? Don’t forget, your grandpa started out as an orderly—nothing to be shocked about. This time, your dad’s assignment came directly from him. Otherwise, do you think your grandpa wouldn’t know after seventeen years? Your dad sees him often. Your grandma is amazing—go visit her, let her take you around and meet everyone. Families like ours have seen it all.” Lin Lishan gave her a disdainful look—so inexperienced."