Chapter 187: Chapter 138: Unexpected Encounter 2
Entering the living room, Zhou Xiaozheng glanced around and noticed that it had all the necessary furniture and appliances like a sofa and a radio. He nodded slightly and said, "Dashan, you’re living quite well."
"What’s well? Just getting by, that’s all. Brother Zheng, you wouldn’t know, but the armed department is like a matchmaking agency. Arguing all day long. Haha, Brother Zheng, do you remember Yizhihua?" Zhao Dashan pulled him to sit down and said.
Zhou Xiaozheng kept a straight face, "What nonsense are you talking about in front of the kids?"
Zhao Dashan grinned mischievously, "Oh, I didn’t expect Brother Zheng to become a father-in-law so vibrantly. Yizhihua only settled down after you were transferred and got married. She cried and told us when you left. Look at you, how heartless you were back then, ignoring her, yet she still misses you. Now she’s in the provincial city, should we all meet up? I’ve met your wife, you haven’t gone soft have you?"
Zhou Xiaozheng kicked him lightly and laughed, "You rascal, how did you sneak into the people’s ranks? Still talking about Yizhihua—she’s already a faded flower."
Zhao Dashan laughed heartily, "Drink some water, Brother Zheng, now that you’re back, are you not going to hide your identity anymore? Is your original unit still around or have you been reassigned?"
Zhou Xiaozheng straightened up and got serious, remembering he had unresolved matters concerning his son-in-law. "I haven’t applied for a transfer; I’m still in the same place. Jiao Jiao’s mom is in Beijing; I won’t make any fuss. In a couple of years, they’ll move back to Beijing, and we’ll have a family reunion. Keep in mind what the old man discussed with you before. I’ll leave Xiao Wu in your hands! Don’t worry about other things, just let him learn how to deal with interpersonal relationships by your side. Is there any trouble around here? Speak up, so we can resolve it rather than having people gossip."
Zhao Dashan shook his head with a relaxed expression, "No problem. It’s just this tiny place, I can handle it. As the old man mentioned before, I’ve arranged everything. Just waiting for this kid to come, but he’s taking his sweet time. Xiao Wu, tell me, when do you plan to start working? Are you waiting until Jiao Jiao’s confinement month is over?"
Zhang Guoqing chuckled, "Uncle, you’ve misunderstood me. I didn’t know you were so efficient. I thought I’d have to wait until spring, planning to find you before the New Year. We can start whenever you’re ready. After the New Year is fine, too; I just don’t want to cause any overt trouble for you."
"There won’t be any problem. Your position has been approved by the province, and someone there gave a heads-up. Make sure you thank them later. Brother Zheng, the old man took him to the provincial military district for a meeting, and it’s said that the word is out. Do you think it’s a good opportunity to secure Jiao Jiao’s job as well?"
Hearing this, Zhou Xiaozheng looked at Zhang Guoqing and gave him a knowing glance. Zhang Guoqing understood and nodded slightly.
"Uncle, we’re all family here. I’ll be honest, we didn’t plan for Jiao Jiao’s job yet; she should focus on recovering her health first. Ping’an is still too young, and handling a job while taking care of a child is exhausting. Besides, adding Jiao Jiao’s job now wouldn’t look right. Let’s wait for this storm to pass and then discuss it."
Zhao Dashan nodded, "Alright, you handle things reliably and thoroughly. That’s good."
Zhou Xiaozheng nodded in agreement and said to Zhao Dashan, "Dashan, I’ve seen my Jiao Jiao. She’s looking pale and thin, malnourished, and she’s taking care of a child. In a few days, I’ll return to Beijing for my position and won’t have time to care for Jiao Jiao. I have another idea; I’m planning for Xiao Wu to take Jiao Jiao and the child to Beijing for a while after the baby turns two months old. There are some matters in Beijing that require the couple to be present. Do you think it’s okay to start work after the Chinese New Year? If there are any issues, please don’t hide them. We’ll find a solution together."
Zhao Dashan thought for a moment, then shook his head, "No issue. Keep the documents on hold and start after the spring recruitment before the New Year. It’s best to transfer the household registration to the county. Didn’t you just buy a house? Once the registration is done, you can start right away."
Then he thought a bit more and said to Zhang Guoqing, "If shifting the household registration is troublesome, just ask Zuo Lin. He mentioned there was a temporary worker position he wanted to give to you. Now that you don’t need it, make sure to thank him. This temporary job was actually arranged by your second sister-in-law’s father, Old Chen. If you think it’s suitable, let Old Chen and Zuo Lin know, and give it to your elder brother or second brother. The job needs to start before the New Year, so it’s urgent. You need to seize the opportunity, as many are eyeing this temporary job."
After speaking, he explained to Zhou Xiaozheng, "Brother Zheng, that Old Chen is a close friend of Zuo Lin. Previously, he didn’t know about the old man coming and kept saying that it would be a waste if Xiao Wu stayed in the countryside and opted not to be a soldier. So he pushed Zuo Lin to find a way to get Xiao Wu a temporary job, which he pursued for over half a year before Zuo Lin got it done. Now that the old man has come, the position is open thanks to Old Chen’s intervention, and it’s up to him if he wants to give it to someone else because his family has a lot of relatives interested. He genuinely likes Xiao Wu and went to great lengths to have Zuo Lin make arrangements.
Old Chen probably appreciates Xiao Wu for always taking care of their family. They have only one son, who married Xiao Wu’s second sister, and basically, anytime something happened at home, Xiao Wu helped out. The old man just took care of him a bit more because of this.
Xiao Wu makes a great son-in-law; you’ve got a gem in him. Even Zuo Lin said that if Old Chen decided to pass it to someone else, he wouldn’t be pleased, but for Xiao Wu, he was willing. This kid got along well with the county party secretary’s youngest son, the town secretary’s son, my daughter, and Jiao Jiao. The five of them formed a close-knit group, earning the nickname ’Tripod’ during their schooling in the county. So this kid is quite shrewd."
Zhou Xiaozheng looked at Zhao Dashan with disdain and replied defiantly, "What gem? My Jiao Jiao is the real treasure. If I hadn’t been delayed for a year or two, my Jiao Jiao wouldn’t have married. I would’ve pampered and indulged her every day to keep her happy."
Zhao Dashan laughed heartily, shouting, "Exactly, exactly, that kid landed a treasure, a real golden baby. Many in the county seethe with jealousy, wishing they could catch him and rough him up."
Zhou Xiaozheng nodded proudly, "That’s right, my Jiao Jiao is wonderful—both beautiful and smart. Marrying her is his fortune. Just for him, she refused to go to Beijing with me. If it weren’t for not wanting to make Jiao Jiao feel hard-pressed or upset, I would have already taken her away."
Zhang Guoqing just nodded. There’s no way around it. As soon as his father-in-law speaks of his daughter, she is always right, forever right. There’s no cure for a daughter-obsessed father.
Zhao Dashan felt a chill seeing the Cold-faced King’s infatuation when talking about his daughter, wanting to show it to those obsessive idol-chasing women—this is Soldier King Zhou Xiaozheng, a total fangirl fanatic.