Chapter 1218: 1091: Anything Else?

The weather is gradually warming, and the snow on the shaded walls of the courtyard is slowly melting, with crystal-clear "eaves drips" hanging from the eaves and water dripping down one by one. Zhang Guoqing found Zhou Jiao when she was in the backyard taking photos with a camera.

"Wife, come over and give me a hug."

Zhou Jiao turned her head, raised her eyebrows, and smiled gently. Through the camera hanging around her neck, she reached out and patted his back. "Did something good happen?"

"You could say that."

Zhou Jiao giggled.

She didn’t bother to ask what the matter was. What could trouble him would only be the matters of Old Zhang’s family, and the worries about Old Zhang’s family would only be about Eldest Zhang.

It’s also because work is too smooth. If you encounter setbacks every day, and many people find you unpleasant to look at, you’d see if you won’t get bored.

"Spring is getting closer and closer every day."

Zhou Jiao waited for a while and blinked, "What else?"

Zhang Guoqing chuckled, "Also, it’s time to raise a flock of pigeons, keep a pool of goldfish, plant some lotus, and plant a few trees."

"That sounds good. Plant a few persimmon trees, and the dog must be tied to the persimmon tree, which means ’having power (dog) and influence (persimmon)’."

"That’s not grand enough, it’s better to have a pair of stone lions at the gate for pride." Zhang Guoqing said, getting a pair of eye rolls, laughing happily, what a funny guy!

Speaking of dogs, his son didn’t bring the dog over.

"Dad, Mom, take a photo for the three of us."

Zhang Guoqing took the camera and aimed the lens at—dog...

"All done?"

"Mm."

May 1st’s bright eyes flashed with doubt, his dad was smiling mischievously.

"Dad, we need to talk to you about something."

Zhang Guoqing glanced at the garden, "Want to go to the study room?"

Ping’an shook his head, "It’s not a big deal. Today, Liu Yi and I took Grandpa and Second Uncle to see the houses, but they weren’t satisfied with either place. One was because the owner’s son, who went to the countryside, got sick and returned to the city; the other one Second Sister said was gloomy inside, and I refunded the money."

Liu Yi explained: "Second Uncle wants to directly buy a small courtyard. This morning we went to the local neighborhood committee, but they said housing is very tight now. I plan to take it slow, first let them stay at home or in that courtyard house, but they all said it’s too far, prefer to stay at school first."

"That’s reasonable. Back then, your mom and I also lived at school. New students need to first integrate with classmates; not only is the learning atmosphere good at school, but more interactions there help with relationships."

Zhang Guoqing then looked at May 1st, "You too. Try to stay at school as much as possible after it starts, interact more with people. Since you’ve decided on a path, you must plan for the future."

May 1st was startled to hear that, and seriously nodded, "Dad, I understand."

Understand?

Zhang Guoqing smiled meaningfully, hoping the child would think deeply.

After leaving, May 1st looked back at his father, then resumed his smile and hugged his brothers’ necks. Happiness should be enjoyed when it comes; future troubles belong to the future.

"Ah, I forgot to tell Mom and Dad, we have a gathering tonight."

"I’ll tell them later, it’s not a big deal."

May 1st furrowed his brows, "Is it necessary for Brother Shitou to meet those people?"

Ping’an raised the corner of his mouth, "Just in case."

Liu Yi nodded in agreement, "Let everybody see, to prevent anyone from bullying them, that would be a slap to our family."

"Alright, let’s give a heads-up. If someone really messes with them later, we’ll fight back."

Liu Yi shook his head with a laugh.

"Little bro, what’s up?"

"Consider Dad’s words just now."

"I know what’s important."

"Mm. While Big Bro and I are not home, think twice before you act. If someone really messes with you, save it for when we come back to settle it."

May 1st laughed out loud, "Little bro, you say this once a day."

Liu Yi rolled his eyes at him. The three brothers had never been separated; he was just worried about his younger brother being bullied, otherwise, he wouldn’t bother.

Ping’an noticed Liu Yi’s blushing ears, smiled, and changed the topic, "I wonder if Uncle is crying his eyes out? He should be writing soon, right."

The three brothers looked up at the sky, then exchanged smiles.

Lei Tianming, no, he’s now Mr. Miao Tianming.

Recently, he wrote saying as soon as he got off the plane abroad, he saw mainly blond hair, blue eyes, and short skirts, almost scared enough to turn back to China.

Being able to joke means he’s doing great over there.

That’s good.

Wonder if he’s joined a foreign university now? If he were in the country now, he’d join us as the new batch of college students.

Standing in the middle of the tiny courtyard, May 1st hands behind his back, gazing up as pigeons circle, flying east, looking east, flying south, looking south...

It’s said that no spring wind no flowers bloom. Mr. Zhang woke up early and went to the backyard garden to grasp a handful of soil from the small vegetable patch, sniffing its scent.

Passing by May 1st’s courtyard, he saw his grandson looking up at the sky and followed suit, looking up too, surrounded by pigeons kept by nearby households.

It’s quite curious.

He’s been here many days, and every early morning these pigeons fly around above the courtyard, sometimes joined by unknown birds.

These little creatures are intelligent, they seem to know where the good feng shui is.

Mr. Zhang approached and patted the mesmerized May 1st, "What’s on your mind?"

"Grandpa, you’re here." May 1st smiled, rubbing his aching neck, "I haven’t figured out some things. Grandpa, come inside, I’ll chat with you."

Mr. Zhang laughed considering this child’s tongue, "Spare your Grandpa, I’m afraid I’ll laugh until my intestines knot. Have you figured it out yet?"

"Not thinking about it anymore, just let nature take its course."

"Come with Grandpa to the front courtyard." Mr. Zhang walked, comforting him, "Good grandson, that’s the way to think. You must eat the meal bite by bite, solve one thing at a time, can’t rush.

Like growing vegetables, you have to plant the seeds first, then wait for them to grow, even if you hurry, it’s useless. At most, you can pull more weeds, add some fertilizer, catch some bugs."

May 1st walked beside him, smiling as he went, "Makes sense. Grandpa, were there many elders practicing tai chi in the park today, anyone you click with? Let’s invite them for tea."

Mr. Zhang’s eyes were smiling, "Quite a lot, but tea is a hassle."

"What’s the hassle? I’ll take care of everything. Making some friends, visiting, strolling around, later on, I’ll get you a Mynah bird, we’ll raise birds, making those old grandpas envious."

"Hahaha, no, I still prefer my home."

"No one’s stopping you from going back home, when I have time I’ll accompany you there. See how you get along with Grandma and my maternal grandparents, having the whole family together is nice."

Mr. Zhang smiled without speaking. Beijing is still too far from home; if it were in the provincial city, he wouldn’t worry about not being able to pay respects during festivals.