Chapter 969: Chapter 842: Gathering in the Northeast 2

The son of the commune secretary and the daughter of the county military department head were getting married. Even though the preparations were simple, there were still plenty of guests coming and going, and the atmosphere was very lively.

As soon as the vehicle stopped, Zhang Yuntao’s parents immediately came forward. This kind of reception from the elders made Zhang Guoqing feel a bit embarrassed himself.

After congratulating Zhang Zhifeng and the others, he paid special attention and found that the guests, apart from some small gifts in their hands, did not give cash gifts, which gave him a general idea.

"Where’s your wife and kids? Is Xiao Tao still in the county? Come in and sit for a while."

Zhang Guoqing nodded and greeted everyone, and put down the gift, "Uncle, they are all with the bride. I still need to go to the county to find Xiao Tao, so I’ll take my leave first."

"Not going to sit for a while? Do you know where he is?"

Zhang Guoqing smiled, "I’m staying at the bride’s house, I’ll meet him there sooner or later."

"True, they are hosting guests over there tonight, Xiao Tao will be there."

"Go ahead and get busy."

As Zhang Guoqing left, Zhang Zhifeng went inside and saw the women in his family already unwrapping a gift brought by someone—a set of red bed sheets, covers, and pillowcases.

"Is this Zhang Guoqing from Zhang Family Village?"

Zhang Zhifeng nodded with a smile.

"The friendship from growing up together really is something, look at how lovely these covers are."

"I heard they all grew up together, this time Zhang Guoqing and his wife both came over, imagine how expensive the fare was."

Faced with the chatter from everyone, Zhang Zhifeng just smiled without saying anything.

Meanwhile, when Zhang Guoqing and Xiao Wang returned, Zhao Chuan Guang and several others were already in the courtyard, gathered together chatting, drinking, and teasing the children.

"Look who’s back, our young son-in-law."

"Hello, Uncles."

"Smart one! I thought you’d salute as soon as you arrived." Uncle Madman gave a thumbs up.

"That’s for outsiders, we are all family." Zhang Guoqing pretended to be mysterious and lowered his voice, "Let me tell you a secret."

Seeing this, everyone quieted down to listen.

"At home, I never salute my dad. Hahaha..."

"This rascal, I thought it was something important."

"This is still our young son-in-law."

Zhang Guoqing picked up the wine jar, "Let me pour you some wine. Uncles, aren’t you happy to gather today? My Uncle Wang is thinking of you, he asked you to visit Beijing when you get the chance."

Zhao Chuan Guang moved over and pulled him down to sit, "Your Uncle Wang wrote bragging about how close-knit you two are, praising you for standing out among others. Come on, tell us, what’s going on?"

Zhang Guoqing laughed, "Close-knit, huh. You should ask your little sweet ones."

Everyone burst into laughter upon hearing this. Indeed, though far in the North, Zhou Jiao never lacked in showing them filial piety. This kid knows all the etiquette.

"I heard you caused quite a stir at the military school recently, not going to brag a bit?"

Zhang Guoqing humbly shook his hand, "Us recruits wouldn’t dare brag in front of veterans like you."

"You rascal." Zhao Chuan Guang patted his shoulder, "You didn’t embarrass us."

"Still a long way to go."

After being apart for a while, it was inevitable for them to drink and chat heartily again. In the end, the mischievous Zhao Chuan Guang almost drank his new soon-to-be father-in-law, Zhao Dashan, under the table before everyone dispersed.

Before returning to the guesthouse, Zhang Guoqing pulled along his two brothers to go back; he intended for them to interact more with this group of elders. As he would have fewer opportunities to return in the future, the family would rely on them for support.

In the courtyard, Huang Cuilan and Lin Juhua, the sister-in-laws, cleaned up the aftermath.

After a while, Huang Cuilan sighed, "Never thought of it before, but it truly is different."

Lin Juhua shot her a glance, then lowered her head to fold the bowls.

"Should we visit Jiao Jiao tonight?"

Lin Juhua frowned, then relaxed and smiled, "Let her chat with Mom properly. Once we’re done, let’s go help Aunt Cheng."

Huang Cuilan hesitated for a moment, "Alright. Isn’t Jiao Jiao going to accompany Yuanyuan?"

"With so many people coming and going at the Zhou Family, she doesn’t like the bustle, especially with a child. She’ll probably go tomorrow." Lin Juhua said, picking up the dishes and walked out.

Huang Cuilan followed closely behind, "You came in later, you don’t know how Jiao Jiao used to live. Truly unexpected, people’s fate is indeed unpredictable."

When it comes to gossip, Lin Juhua liked it the most, but when it comes to Zhang Guoqing and his wife, she subconsciously pursed her lips. The Zhang Family’s achievements were all due to marrying Zhou Jiao, she hoped for their prosperity, so why stir things up?

"What does Jiao Jiao lack in this life? For a woman to get to this point... tsk tsk..."

Lin Juhua softly said, "Isn’t it said that sweetness follows bitterness? Look at all the hardships I suffered in childhood, now life is getting better."

"We are not in Beijing, only seeing that Jiao Jiao is doing well. But think about how tiring it was for Xi Zi to go to college; she persevered for five years to finally get a decent job."

Huang Cuilan nodded, "True. But Xiao Wu is good to her, all three sons are smart, I’d say those twins match Ping’an. She’s good at raising kids."

If it weren’t for knowing her tendency to speak indiscriminately, Lin Juhua might have exploded with profanity. If you hadn’t messed up, would your husband be distant? Her own husband was different, and she believed her own children were smart too.

"Parents really are generous, such good grandsons given to the Zhou Family."

"What do you mean given? Aren’t they still children of our Old Zhang Family?" Lin Juhua retorted, "Earlier when they called Xi Zi their big brother, I saw you couldn’t stop smiling."

Huang Cuilan chuckled a few times, then suddenly asked, "Did you notice, Ping’an always calls his brother and Sister Xi Zi and Brother Shi Tou, how come he doesn’t follow the order taught by his grandparents?"

How could she not notice? Lin Juhua fully understood that even close cousins wouldn’t be treated as real siblings. Now with Xiao Wu around, the family was always there to help, but in the future, when Ping’an and the brothers marry and have children, the distance grows.

Looking at her husband and his three brothers with Qing Shan, it was clear. Otherwise, why did Xiao Wu support his two real brothers without affecting the cousins?

She didn’t plan to explain all this to her sister-in-law. No matter how close the relationship, if you don’t contribute more, who would foolishly help you repeatedly?

Thinking about this, Lin Juhua decided not to talk more with her, planning to quickly finish tidying up and go see if there was anything needing help at Zhao Dashan’s house, then rush a bit more work for the Ping’an brothers over the next couple of nights.

She noticed earlier, these three children loved to be active; making them handmade cotton shoes in the cold winter, along with a few pairs of gloves, would be better than anything else.

She kindly reminded, "Sister-in-law, Jiao Jiao gave lots of things this time, you should take some time to make something for her three kids."

Huang Cuilan nodded hurriedly upon hearing this, "Perfect timing for sending New Year gifts, I will find you later."

Lin Juhua smiled satisfactorily. That’s the way! She hoped their relationship as sister-in-laws wouldn’t become strained. Since her husband and his brothers were so united, they shouldn’t be held back by them.