Chapter 909: Chapter 782: What’s the Deeper Meaning?

"Oh, is there a deeper meaning?"

In the bedroom, Zhang Guoqing restrained his smile. He used to think things were too simple, but now with the birth of the twins and looking at his eldest son, he’s truly felt a father’s heart.

— Even if he plays favorites, all his sons are his own.

Truly, it’s like both sides of his hand are flesh, and he wouldn’t want to wrong either side. He feels this way himself, so how can he not understand the position of his two elder brothers in his father’s heart?

"Deeper meaning? Not quite. It’s just I’ve been thinking about many things lately. If you don’t plan for the future, you’ll worry about the present. For the sake of the three children, there are some things I can’t afford to be careless about."

As Zhang Guoqing spoke, he glanced at the twins in the cradle again.

"A thousand yuan seems like a lot, but I have to accept it. I didn’t understand before, being filial meant giving as much money and resources as possible to make sure the elders live comfortably. But I forgot about the principle of overflow."

Zhou Jiao pursed her lips, "Are you worried about Dad?"

"Yes. I did some calculations. Without even considering how much the two elder brothers contribute each month, just from the separation onward, we’ve given them over a thousand yuan. Just from our filial contributions, they have at least a thousand yuan, excluding any other amounts."

Zhou Jiao looked at him pensively. She knew all this because she handled it. But the moment she gave it, she never considered the money as her own.

"Don’t forget, before we came to the capital in ’59 to study, we filled the entire basement with supplies. How many trips to the Black Market did we make? In those later years, food was so precious and prices were sky-high.

How many kilograms of rice and white flour could those pieces of jewelry fetch? I felt too embarrassed to ask my godfather how much profit Dad made. But roughly estimating, excluding the grain tickets and other vouchers, they wouldn’t be short on cash. Besides supporting relatives and friends with some coarse grains, just our filial contributions mean they have at least two thousand yuan on hand."

Zhou Jiao knowingly nodded. This is still an underestimate. Given her in-laws’ personalities, those fabrics and red sugar would also be sold through other channels; she was very clear about these things. "So this time when Dad gave the money, you accepted it. You’re worried he’ll use the money to support the two elder brothers?"

Zhang Guoqing shook his head: "With Mom around, using our money to support the two sons is almost impossible, but supporting the grandchildren is very likely. Otherwise, why else would they keep such a large sum of money?

In the end, nephews are just nephews; I have three sons to raise, and after the old ones, I still need to raise the young ones. The squeaky wheel gets the grease, right?"

No wonder Mr. Zhang came over and this man started becoming meticulous. It’s showing a posture! Zhou Jiao was secretly relieved that she had the sense to let him take full charge.

"The main point that makes me cautious is having a pair of sons, even if I’m still partial to Ping’an, I still want to be fair. From a different perspective, could it be that Dad also has the same thought?

Lately, I’ve increasingly felt we can’t let Dad and Mom live long-term in Beijing. People’s hearts are hard to manage, and desires are insatiable. As long as the two of them are in Beijing, never mind the two sisters-in-law, even the younger generation will have ideas.

Why did the Zhou family’s ancestral teachings require all descendants other than the main branch to return to the ancestral land? It must have been due to such concerns."

Indeed, from the moment Zhang Guoqing’s father suggested sending the two sisters-in-law to Beijing, he began introspecting. In past years, he easily gave too much, unknowingly suggesting things to his father, perhaps.

With the birth of the twins, having more sons, it’s time to state his stance clearly — he can’t support the Old Zhang family. Otherwise, his Ping’an will face endless troubles in the future.

After hearing this, Zhou Jiao saw her father’s shadow in Zhang Guoqing. Years of careful teachings paid off in the end.

Zhang Guoqing looked at her smiling eyes and softly asked, "Wife, am I being a bit cold?"

"No! You’re doing a great job. It’s enough to ensure the old couple is free from worry about food and clothing; you can’t blindly go along with them. Foolish filial piety is inadvisable."

Hearing his wife’s praise, Zhang Guoqing was almost wagging his tail like a happy little dog, and he laughed: "Yes, my biggest worry is in a few years when those kids grow up, Dad will try pulling me into things for the sake of his grandchildren’s future."

"My husband is clever! That’s very likely, so we better silently live our little life. When Ping’an grows up, he’ll represent the Zhang family in Beijing."

"Mrs. Zhang? The first matriarch of the Zhang family in Beijing?"

"It’s possible! Didn’t Grandpa already say I’m the matriarch of the Zhang family, and that necklace is proof."

Laughingly sprawled on the kang bed, Zhang Guoqing sighed at her words: "I wonder how things are in Hong Kong. Is the Zhang family still there? My Grandpa..."

"Hahaha... Oh, you’re killing me with laughter. How old is the old man now?"

"It’s a pity there’s no chance, otherwise I would really want to go over there and have a look." Zhang Guoqing rubbed her head, paused for a while, then asked, "Jiao Jiao, haven’t you thought about going to Tao County?"

Zhou Jiao wiped the laughter-induced tears from her eyes, casually replied, "I’m not like you! Never mind that couple not yet born, that place has no good people."

Zhang Guoqing felt instantly foolish. Just like his father-in-law loathed going to Zhou Family Village, how could his wife not detest facing all the things from the past?

After all, she’d been hurt and left with shadows in her heart, unlike himself, who always wanted to see his old home and visit his grandfather in his youth.

The next day, it was another scorching sunny day. In such a stifling season, Wan Dayong and the others had long followed the elders to the seaside.

Not until evening, with nothing to do Zhang Guoqing took his eldest son out of the Big Courtyard. Hand-in-hand, father and son strolled toward Houhai.

Just as they reached the first intersection, a boy about eleven or twelve rushed toward them, prompting Zhang Guoqing to immediately pick up his son.

"Uncle, an old man just now asked me to give something to you."

Zhang Guoqing glanced down and saw the boy holding a small A4-sized paper box.

"Could you be mistaken?"

The boy hastily shook his head: "No, he pointed at you two just now. I wouldn’t mistake it, look..." He turned to look back, "Eh, where did he go?"

Zhang Guoqing frowned; it was clear he and his son were being watched as soon as they left. He took the box, tested its weight, and shook it. It didn’t seem like anything dangerous.

"Uncle, it really is for you. Among the people on the street, only you and this brother are in white shirts and green pants. The old man said if I handed it to you, you’d buy me a soda." Saying this, the boy licked his dry lips.

"Alright, but first, tell me, how old was the old man? Did he have any distinguishing features?"

The boy shook his head blankly: "I forgot."

Zhang Guoqing didn’t make things difficult for him, took fifty cents from his pocket, and handed it over. Since the man avoided him deliberately, he wouldn’t be noticed.

"Could it be a bomb, like Mommy said?"

"Unlikely." Zhang Guoqing smiled reassuringly; the child had strong defensive awareness.

"Is it a trap? Should we throw it away?"

Zhang Guoqing quickly carried him across the intersection, found a spot, and said: "Don’t worry, let’s open it first and see if there are any clues to find?"