Chapter 1216: 1089: Reminiscing the Past

"Do you remember the year when our elder brother was in the provincial city for training?"Zhang the Second gave him a contemptuous look, "Can I forget about our elder brother’s matters?"

"Don’t rush, this is complicated. Calm down first."

Zhang the Second clenched his fist. He had a feeling that once his younger brother finished speaking, many things would make sense.

"That year, I happened to go home. Liu Yi and May 1st had not been born yet. Jiao Jiao and I took Ping’an to our elder brother’s school. I saw that all the female classmates around him were competing and jealous.

I took the chance to probe our elder brother when no one was around. He said there was a young girl who was sticking to him but he wasn’t interested. He said, even if his wife wasn’t great, he still had four kids.

When we were sending him back to school, it was still class time. There was a girl standing at the gate looking at us. Later I found out she was the one.

That year, our mother might have sensed that elder brother didn’t really want to continue, or something else. She often went to the school with our father, bringing Xi Zi and his siblings to visit elder brother.

Maybe elder brother couldn’t hide something from our father, who found out and had a talk with him. I don’t know the details. It was just that the couple who normally didn’t speak suddenly went to the provincial city with elder brother and his wife for two days the next day."

Zhang the Second frowned thoughtfully. That year, his parents were acting like crazy, running to the provincial city every week, sometimes urging him.

That explains it!

"Later, I realized that our elder brother really fell for that girl. Otherwise, with how tight-lipped he was, unless I said I would investigate, he wouldn’t have revealed anything for fear of exposing the girl."

Zhang the Second nodded repeatedly in agreement, "Exactly! If he doesn’t want to talk, no amount of prying would work. I used all my interrogation methods, and he just asked if we were really brothers, or he’d say, ’Second brother, let me be quiet.’"

Zhang Guoqing was quite speechless about his elder brother, "But I didn’t listen to him. A girl inexplicably sticking to elder brother, who knows what her intentions are?"

Zhang the Second wasn’t surprised, "What was the investigation result?"

"Young and beautiful, an eighteen-year-old university student, and her father was a cadre. Our elder brother, although good-looking, had a wife and four kids. If you were me then, what would you think?"

Zhang the Second’s eyes almost popped out in shock. His elder brother was something, no wonder he didn’t fancy even little widows; he had already experienced better.

"At that time, I thought the girl was too scheming. Knowing elder brother had a wife and kids, if he divorced to marry her, what was she after? I even suspected it was a setup by her father for profit. Even if her father was good, without such intentions, how could he allow his daughter to marry someone like elder brother."

"Before I finished investigating, our father somehow persuaded elder brother, and elder brother took his wife to show off at school for two days, so I didn’t care much afterwards and went back after playing for a few days at home."

As Zhang Guoqing spoke, he hesitated, wondering if he should mention the next part. If Zhang the Second got pushed, anything could happen for his brother’s sake.

Zhang the Second stared at him, "Go on, it can’t be just this. You told me not to tell anyone, not even elder brother."

Zhang Guoqing rolled his eyes at him. Insightful now? Who was it that was rambling incessantly just now?

"By the winter of ’69, that girl still hadn’t married, and her family was encountering some trouble. By coincidence, Jiao Jiao caught wind of it and helped to transfer her entire family to the South."

Zhang the Second froze upon hearing this, then quickly counted on his fingers, "1969, now it’s 1978, 19 years. Adding the initial 18 years, does this mean she’s 37 now?"

Zhang Guoqing patted his forehead, "Bro, you miscalculated."

"Huh?" Zhang the Second suddenly realized it wasn’t an age issue, "Xiao Wu, has she since gotten married or not?"

Zhang Guoqing rolled his eyes, "What do you think?"

Zhang the Second relaxed at once, slumped, and sighed repeatedly, "Why didn’t you tell me then, even mention it slightly, elder brother wouldn’t have suffered for so many years."

"You don’t know how much I dislike Huang Cuilan, that woman. I even thought, if elder brother liked anyone, even if he married someone worthless, I’d be happy."

"Now I understand why he always rejected transfers to the provincial city. It’s a great opportunity for others, but for him, it’s either keeping secret or saying he can’t leave our parents."

"No wonder he keeps saying there’s no difference whether he divorces. He can’t remarry anyway, he just wants some peace, saying he’s not a good person either."

Suddenly, Zhang the Second slapped his thigh and stared at Zhang Guoqing, "Xiao Wu, I want to do something conscienceless."

Zhang Guoqing looked at him, "What if she’s living well with kids and grandchildren now, and has forgotten about elder brother over the years?"

"Ah... This is really something. Xiao Wu, we’re almost fifty, is elder brother supposed to live like this? I feel bad."

Hearing this, Zhang Guoqing’s eyes flickered, "Second brother, if elder brother is still a man, he’ll strive for what he wants himself. About that woman, elder brother, if he really wanted to find someone, wouldn’t he be able to? He’s afraid to. He’d rather stay in the county than move to the provincial city. He’s scared."

"He’s overthinking. Elder brother considers everything because he’s the eldest. Now he should be considering being a grandfather too, maybe even how many years he’ll live."

"He’s been wavering through life, this time finally taking a step forward, leaving our parents and kids, choosing to work alone in the provincial city, that’s progress."

"We, as his younger brothers, should just watch. Without parents, Huang Cuilan, or kids entangling him, let’s see if he can really let go."

"As you said, the Huang Family won’t easily give up. That’s ideal, don’t bother warning them, let them cause trouble. Ideally, let them drive elder brother to the breaking point."

"Since elder brother doesn’t care about promotions or wealth, a divorce wouldn’t affect his current position too much. Wait for the right moment to separate them; Xi Zi and the others won’t resent elder brother. That’s the best solution."

Zhang the Second listened while stupidly smiling, finally giving a thumbs-up.

This left Zhang Guoqing feeling gloomy. He really didn’t have bad intentions; fate is determined by the heavens, who knows if some people are meant to be together without being able to be?

"Second brother, Zuo Lin is soon getting relocated back, what are your plans?"

Zhang the Second waved him off, "I know my capabilities. I don’t want to be used as a scapegoat by Old Zuo Family. Wait until the day your second brother sits in Uncle Zuo’s position."

"Not going to the provincial city? I was planning for you to train there for a while."

"Ow, spare me, no way! I have to watch over our family plot, what would I do in the provincial city?"

Zhang Guoqing smiled noncommittally.

They had talked enough for tonight, it’s better to wait for his second brother to wander around Beijing first—not just anyone dares to use his second brother as a scapegoat.