Chapter 76: The Visitors’ Friendship

Zhang Guoqing stepped out of the main room and hurried toward the courtyard gate. He opened the door and saw five guests standing outside. “Uncle Li, why didn’t you just come in? You’re all rare visitors! Please, come in. It’s truly an honor to have you distinguished leaders visit my humble home today.”

The man in the lead was a middle-aged man with a square face and a calm, steady demeanor—clearly the leader of the group. He was Li Aiguo, a high-ranking official from L County.

Behind him were Zhao Dashan from the county armed forces, Zuo Lin from the county public security bureau, Zhang Zhifeng the township secretary, and Li Dawei from the township police station. When they saw Zhang Guoqing come out, they all smiled and nodded in greeting.

Li Aiguo pointed at him and said, “Rare visitors, huh? We’re only here because of your business! You sure know how to stir things up, don’t you? Aren’t you going to invite us in? Is the old gentleman from the Lin family here?”

“He’s just started drinking—he’s inside. Uncles, it’s a rare treat to have you here today, you must at least have a drink with me. Come on, let’s go inside. Uncle Li, do you have anyone else in your car? Invite them in for a drink too!” Zhang Guoqing greeted the others with a smile and led them in.

Li Aiguo glanced around as he walked toward the main room. “No one else, just the five of us. We came right at mealtime just to have a drink at your place. Usually, you’re sneaking sips from our private stashes!”

Zhao Dashan laughed, “First time visiting Xiao Wu’s house, we’ve got to make him bleed a little.”

“Of course! We’ve been so busy helping this young couple that we haven’t even had a sip of water yet,” Zhang Zhifeng joked, nodding.

Zuo Lin put on a stern face and glared at Zhang Guoqing. “How come you never mentioned the Zhou family’s trouble before? Are you stupid? Letting people make a scene at your door. Luckily nothing happened today, or what would you have done? Good thing your wife held things down, or it could’ve been a real mess. What’s the use of that head on your shoulders? If something happens, just tell us! Why keep it from us?”

Zhao Dashan nodded in agreement. “Xiao Wu, I see Jiao Jiao all the time, and she never mentioned anything. She’s a martyr’s orphan—if I’d known, I would’ve acted right away. Next time, speak up if something’s wrong. Don’t let things get out of hand. See, all of us came—that’s how serious it was.”

Zhang Guoqing said helplessly, “Don’t you all know me by now? Who would’ve thought they’d be so bold as to make a scene at our door? Jiao Jiao isn’t the type to complain, even if she’s wronged. This time, she was really pushed to the limit—otherwise, she’d probably still keep it to herself.”

As they approached the main house, Li Aiguo said, “Alright, let’s talk about this after we greet General Lin. How long is he staying?”

“Not sure, I heard he still has to go to the provincial capital for meetings.”

Once inside, they saw several soldiers at the table, with the famous General Lin Xinsheng sitting at the head. Li Aiguo quickly stepped forward, saluted, and said excitedly, “General, I’m Li Aiguo from the county. These are leaders from the county and township. It’s an honor to finally meet you! Why didn’t you let us know you were coming? We were so excited when we heard. The guesthouse is ready for you. Please stay a while this time.”

The others also introduced themselves enthusiastically. The young men at the table—Xiao Zhou, Xiao Fei, and the Zhang brothers—put down their chopsticks and stood up.

General Lin looked at everyone standing and pulled at Old Zhang, who was about to get up. “Old Zhang, let me take the lead here. You young men, take your bowls and chopsticks to the other table. And you all, since you’re here, sit down and have a drink with me and Old Zhang. If you don’t sit, they’ll feel awkward drinking.”

Mother Zhang told Huang Cuilan and the others to quickly tidy up and add more bowls and chopsticks, and to prepare a few more dishes. The young men moved to the side table.

Li Aiguo saw the table was quickly set and sat down with the others without standing on ceremony. “General, we’re in for a treat today. It’s a dream come true to drink with you.”

Zhao Dashan from the armed forces beamed. “Old Commander, I’m Zhao Dashan from the 19th Division, XX Regiment—your old subordinate. I’ve heard of your reputation for years, and now I finally get to meet you. My old comrades will be so jealous when I tell them!”

“Good, good, let’s drink first. Xiao Wu, you don’t need to go to the other table—help your grandpa pour drinks for our guests. Come, sit by me. Zhao Dashan, have all you veterans been taken care of by the organization? If any of the retired soldiers have difficulties, make sure to report it up the chain,” General Lin said, waving them over, clearly pleased to see his old soldiers.

Zhang Guoqing got up, poured drinks for the guests, and sat next to the old general, taking the bowl and chopsticks Xiao Fei handed him.

Zhao Dashan stood up and saluted. “Thank you, Commander, for always remembering us veterans. We’re all doing fine—those of us who made it help each other, and the organization supports us.”

“Good, as long as you’re not suffering. I’m on assignment and have to leave tomorrow, or I’d love to get together with you all. Give my regards to the comrades—tell them we haven’t forgotten. Every holiday, us old fellows get together and reminisce. Xiao Wu, introduce everyone for me, besides Li Aiguo and Zhao Dashan—I see you know them all.”

Zhang Guoqing smiled. “Grandpa, let me introduce you. Besides Uncle Li, Uncle Zhao is from the county armed forces. His eldest daughter, Zhao Yuanyuan, is Jiao Jiao’s close friend—she was even our bridesmaid, you’ll see her tomorrow. This is our township chief, Zhang Zhifeng—his second son, Zhang Yuntao, is my best buddy. This is Uncle Li Dawei from the township police station—his kids are still young, or we’d be classmates.”

He chuckled. “And Uncle Li Aiguo’s youngest, Li Qinglin, is also a friend of mine and Zhang Yuntao’s. The county’s not that big; everyone knows each other. As for Uncle Zuo Lin from the public security bureau, I’ve had drinks with him several times—he can really hold his liquor. If you want to drink, he’s your man. He’s got good wine at home, but he’s stingy—lets you drink but won’t let you take any home. He and my second brother-in-law’s dad are close friends—they love to go fishing together, which is really just an excuse to drink. One time, they got so drunk they left their fishing rods behind and didn’t even notice.” As he spoke, Zhang Guoqing gave Zuo Lin a thumbs-up.

Everyone burst out laughing. Soon, the Zhang family’s daughters-in-law brought out several hot dishes for both tables.

Li Aiguo and the others saw so many dishes coming and quickly stopped them. “No more, the table’s already full. These dishes taste as good as any restaurant chef’s.”

Everyone agreed—the cooking was excellent. Even though the meal was put together in a hurry, it was just as good as any banquet.

Zhang Guoqing stood up to refill drinks, telling everyone not to put down their chopsticks, to keep eating and drinking. Both tables were well taken care of, with no one left out.

Old General Lin nodded in approval. This kid could handle things even without his help—look at the network he’s built already. No wonder everyone in the county praises him.

The meal was full of laughter and banter, lasting more than two hours."