During lunch break, Zhou Jiao deliberately went home again. Although the children were going to school on their own, she still planned to take one more look at the luggage and items they should bring."Is Jiao Jiao back?"
"It should be. She mentioned before going out this morning that she’d be back earlier at noon."
Zhou Jiao parked her bicycle and heard Aunt Chen’s voice as she crossed the decorative archway. Then she saw her mother, Miao Lishan, eagerly heading outside.
She chuckled and called out, "Mom, where are you going?"
Hearing that, Miao Lishan stopped in her tracks and complained, "It’s already noon, and they haven’t returned yet. Can our Ping’an and the others make it in time for registration?"
Zhou Jiao came to her side, took her by the arm, and comforted her, "The kids are sensible; they’ll arrange everything properly. Mom, are you planning to accompany them to school?"
"Yes, I just can’t feel at ease no matter what I think. I’ve already called Xiao Wu, and he said Xiao Zhu will drive me there at 2 p.m."
Upon hearing this, Zhou Jiao hesitated for a moment but eventually nodded, "You must keep it confidential. When dropping Ping’an and Liu Yi off, remember to stop far from the military school; don’t go in, as it could have a negative impact. As for May 1st, it’s fine to let him go in, but definitely don’t drive into the school."
Miao Lishan rolled her eyes at her, "Alright, I didn’t even let Secretary Chen accompany me so that no one would know I’m going. It’s getting more and more restrictive. Might as well suggest your dad quit."
Zhou Jiao was rendered speechless but then laughed, "Sure, go have a word with Dad."
"Do you think your dad wants to keep working? He envied your father-in-law this morning." Once seated, Miao Lishan glanced around at the decor, "Jiao Jiao, this place is nice, but not convenient."
Zhou Jiao understood and nodded. Staying here for a night or two was fine, but there wasn’t even a phone. Not just her dad, even Zhang Guoqing wasn’t used to it.
After work, it’s not like there’s absolutely nothing to do, especially when there are occasional meetings and such. Thankfully, now that the kids are going to school, there’s no worry about not having enough rooms when they go back.
Over the past few days, whenever she had some free time, she mentioned to her mother-in-law about living long-term with her, but seeing that her mother-in-law wasn’t too keen and still missed the hometown, it seemed they couldn’t stay longer.
"Is your mother-in-law really going back? How about letting them stay a bit longer with you, and I’ll go back with your dad first, leaving Aunt Chen here with you?"
Aunt Chen glanced at Zhou Jiao with difficulty. It’s not that she didn’t want to stay, but she couldn’t say she didn’t trust Miao Lishan’s cooking skills. If the chief ate at the canteen, it would be better. What if they ended up eating her half-cooked food?
Zhou Jiao chuckled and winked at her, signaling her to relax.
Aunt Chen immediately heaved a sigh of relief, "I’ll head to the kitchen then."
As soon as she finished speaking, she walked away briskly.
Miao Lishan looked at Zhou Jiao with bewilderment, "Isn’t she willing?"
"Mom, her primary duty is to handle the daily meals for Dad and you. It wouldn’t be right to let her serve my in-laws three meals a day."
Miao Lishan weakly nodded, "How about having Xiao Wu arrange for a nanny? The old lady privately asked me to keep your in-laws staying in Beijing."
Zhou Jiao handed her a glass of water, "I’ve tried to keep them, but they’re worried about being uncomfortable here, so I specially took them to the second courtyard, but they said they can’t let go of the hometown."
"Sigh... Luckily, they have three sons."
This statement had multiple meanings, depending on how you think about it.
Zhou Jiao smiled silently and changed the topic, "Mom, come with me to check the kids’ luggage and see if there’s anything missing."
Miao Lishan perked up hearing that and immediately stood up, "Oh right, I bought some things too. I was too embarrassed to take them out when everyone was around earlier."
Zhou Jiao followed behind her, curiously asking, "What is it?"
"Underwear, socks. Even though Ping’an and Liu Yi will have military supplies issued, it’s not enough with daily training, especially our kids—they won’t wear socks with holes no matter what.
And can they drink milk every day at school? If you bring them malted milk powder, they’ll surely complain. So I bought a lot of milk candies; they can dissolve them in water and drink.
Military school has too many rules, so we just have to make do. As for May 1st in a local university, there aren’t as many strict rules, so I bought some canned foods. I remember we still have a few jars of meat paste at home, right? Let him take them all with him."
A little?
Zhou Jiao was speechless, looking at the opened bag. Is this really just a little? Are the kids going on a vacation or going to school? She didn’t remember her mother being so attentive when she went to college.
Just thinking about it made her feel a bit bitter!
"Mom, you’re going to spoil them."
Miao Lishan dismissively waved her hand, "This small amount will spoil them? You’re underestimating our kids. Think again if anything’s missing."
Zhou Jiao smiled slightly, "It’s not missing anything; there’s too much instead. Let’s organize it because they won’t take extra stuff."
"You’ve all been teaching them wrong."
"No fruit cans, I’ve already packed meat cans."
"That tiny amount?"
"Are you complaining?"
"Haha, you caught that? Don’t take out the jerky; it was hard to get your little aunt to buy it..."
Ping An Brothers led Mr. and Mother Zhang, along with Zhang the Second, into the house. May 1st immediately spotted his mom’s bicycle, excited, he rushed inside without saying much.
Following the familiar sounds, he enthusiastically ran into the main room, only to find his grandma and mom, the mother-daughter pair, picking and placing items, occasionally joking with each other.
"Grandma, Mom, what are you doing?"
Miao Lishan’s eyes lit up upon hearing, "You’re back?"
"Yeah, just waiting for you guys to come and eat. Grandma, you wouldn’t believe how thrifty Grandma Zhang is. I suggested eating out, but she kept holding me back, not letting me go."
Miao Lishan felt distressed and didn’t bother arguing with her daughter. She took one hand to pull her and the other to pull May 1st, "Come on, come on, let’s eat first. Are you starving?"
"Not really, just thirsty. I forgot to take water when I went out this morning."
"Silly child! Couldn’t you have bought a soda somewhere? Did you forget your money? When you’re alone at school, make sure every pocket in your clothes has some change, and if you lose it, you lose it."
"Okay, I’ll listen to Grandma. You don’t know how much your grandson suffered today. The bus was overcrowded, and the place was remote."
"I told you not to go. You’re all still kids; you’re still students yourself. Eat well, rest a bit, and wait for Xiao Zhu to drive you over at 2 p.m."
"Isn’t that inappropriate? Dad said he and Mom managed to handle it all when they were young, so we should too."
"Your dad was 21 back then; how old are you guys now? Don’t listen to your dad. He listens to me. I called this morning threatening him that if he didn’t let Xiao Zhu accompany me, I would call Secretary Chen from Grandpa’s side to come instead."
May 1st laughed heartily, "Grandma, you’re the best!"
Miao Lishan proudly tilted her chin, saying modestly, "It’s just so-so. I know your dad pretends to be tough, but he’s actually unwilling to let you three suffer."
Hearing this, Zhou Jiao helplessly shook her head. Indulge them, just indulge them...
Chapter 1222: 1095: Might as Well Have Your Dad Quit
7 min read