Chapter 182: Chapter 133: Heart-to-Heart Between Father-in-Law and Son-in-Law (Part 3)
"Hmm, from the moment she was born, I knew my daughter was incomparable. You don’t know, when her mother gave birth to her, the doctors praised her intelligence, saying she knew to wait for me to come back before coming out. Other babies look like red monkeys when they are born; she was especially beautiful, seemingly fragile and delicate, like she would break if touched. She never cried. There were always kids crying in the family compound, but she never cried. When she was almost a month old, she knew her diaper was wet and would hum; when hungry, she would smack her lips. She’s especially smart." Silly dad mode activated, Zhou Xiaozheng completely forgot he just looked down on his son-in-law.
Zhou Xiaozheng looked off into the distance, thought for a moment, and asked him, "Do you still want to join the army now? You must know, you have an advantage over others if you enlist; your rise won’t encounter obstacles. The path will be much smoother, and opportunities more plentiful. Doing other things requires personal effort."
Zhang Guoqing shook his head, "I’ve considered all this, but having Jiao Jiao and a son, I haven’t planned on joining the military. I can’t bear to let them leave my side; sometimes Jiao Jiao is too soft-hearted. If I’m not watching over them, I can’t be at ease. Besides, if it means leaving them for the sake of my career, I’m unwilling. As a soldier, there would be no freedom. I work hard for them, not expecting much for the future, just hoping to protect them myself."
Zhou Xiaozheng nodded approvingly, "Then tell me, why must you stay here for two years instead of going to Beijing with us earlier?"
"Several factors prevent me from moving now. The main reason is I never counted on the Lin Family to help me get to Beijing. I am your son-in-law, but there is still a layer separating me from the Lin Family. I want to get into university on my own; a high degree will give me confidence. The Lin Family can leverage influence, but I haven’t wanted to rely on them.
There are many things, and since you are my father-in-law, I can speak directly to you. Jiao Jiao is happy now, so I don’t want to dampen her spirits. If the Lin Family really sacrifices something, will they appear before Jiao Jiao? I’ve speculated a lot, and after investigating this year’s 28 packages, I understood you must have achieved great merit.
I have to consider things from a worst-case scenario; if the mountain you rely on collapses, what am I? Being someone else’s son-in-law, all are schemers. Right now, even if I go to Beijing with you, I’d still be relying on the Lin Family a lot. Dad, even with you in Beijing, I’m not at ease. The waters are too murky, not good for swimming.
In these two years, I plan to learn how departments manage personnel, how they view and handle policies. Once I have grassroots work experience, I’ll get into university, make some friends, and that will be my network.
Moreover, these two years in this county town, I also want to stabilize my rear; I chose the armed forces unit instead of the Public Security Bureau to see the connections between government and military. I hope I can protect my wife and son without having to look at others’ faces, living the life I want."
Zhou Xiaozheng heard this and patted him on the shoulder, "Good, thinking like this shows you’ve seen through many things. The Lin Family is not a big clan in Beijing but has always integrated into it, having some influence. Mr. Lin is nice, straight-talking as a military man. But he has a shrewd old lady in charge from a prominent family. The Lin Family is basically under her control.
As for your dad, I haven’t reached the point of being bullied. Rest assured, your grandpa discussed your thoughts. I understand your intentions. But relax, your dad isn’t foolish! Nor is he someone who can be easily manipulated! I’ve even gotten the Imperial Sword Jiao Jiao wanted. I’ll give it to her later so she can be at ease. When we return to Beijing, you’ll see that I can protect you all, and you can pursue whatever you wish; dad has quite a few friends transitioning to administration."
"Hmm, Jiao Jiao is very cautious with future steps, always planning ahead. She excels at strategy. If she asks for something, it’ll be useful, and good to keep as a family heirloom."
"Haha, no doubt she’s my daughter. How’s that, you’ve found a treasure, haven’t you? Lucky you, kid." Zhou Xiaozheng said proudly, glaring at him with mock anger.
Zhang Guoqing felt the old man was satisfied, "Dad, they say a son-in-law is half a son, aren’t you getting a bargain too? Look, you’ve got a daughter and now a good son like me. Plus your grandson, don’t get lucky and pretend to be humble."
Zhou Xiaozheng felt helpless, this kid has thick skin, always climbing higher.
"Dad, we’re there, who to see first? Last time, there was County Mayor Li Aiguo, Commune Secretary Zhang Zhifeng, County Public Security Bureau’s Zuo Lin, township police station’s Li Dawei, and the Armed Forces unit’s Zhao Dashan, who’s retired from Grandpa’s regiment."
"Go straight to Commune Secretary Zhang Zhifeng, we won’t go to the police station. It’s good here; we’ll continue to the county town to see the county committee secretary, and mention this in passing as a courtesy."
"Alright, whatever you say."