Chapter 178: Chapter 131: Interrogation (Part 2)
Zhang Guoqing looked at Old Man Zhou, feeling sad for him. The old man is confused and hasn’t seen the reality clearly. Does he think that being the first to complain will obscure the facts? He felt even more pity for his father-in-law; this is a dead knot. If a son isn’t liked, how can he have compassion for the orphaned?
In the end, the Zhou Family relies on Zhou Xiaozheng and the backing from the Yue Family and Lin Family to have any confidence.
For them, the father and daughter are mere tools to make profits and boast. He’s seen through the favoritism of his mother-in-law and father-in-law in his previous life, and understands that parents are not equally fond of all their children, let alone not noticing Old Sir Zhou’s abnormality. The Zhou Family’s affairs are indeed deep.
"Do you think I’ve come back to settle scores? Not to share good news with you? Not to let you know I’m still doing well? Settle scores, settle what accounts? People are already inside, what accounts am I settling with you? You say you’re my father, but do I dare?" Zhou Xiaozheng sneered and glanced at him sideways.
Old Sir Zhou was so angry that he slammed the table, shouting, "You’re an unfilial son, giving your father attitude over some little girl. Look at yourself. That’s your brother, your own elder brother, your own niece."
Zhou Xiaozheng returned to his mother, patting Mrs. Zhou’s hand, speaking lazily, "That little girl is my own daughter."
"Then how can you help me bring back your elder brother?"
"I don’t know, it’s not up to me. I heard the charges are serious. Who knows what the other side will say when I go there; I’m just a soldier, I can’t interfere with political decisions." Zhou Xiaozheng spoke slowly.
"But you also need to go take a look. Bring your wife to the village. See what they say; in any case, your elder brother and his family should come home for New Year, otherwise the home won’t feel like home." Old Sir Zhou looked at him with anticipation.
Zhou Xiaozheng was so angry he almost laughed. They wanted his wife to go to the village, but didn’t dare to go to Zhang Family to find his father-in-law before? It was picking the softest fruit to squeeze.
"My wife definitely won’t go; I have to wait until Jiao Jiao doesn’t feel wronged. The child won’t say it out loud, but we as a couple feel the pain. Let’s wait until Jiao Jiao voluntarily says she doesn’t blame them. Then I’ll go see what the village says. Actually, Sir, even if I go, it won’t help; I don’t believe you haven’t already asked."
Old Sir Zhou looked at him and then at Zhang Guoqing, now not daring to mention Jiao Jiao anymore. He realized that his son is neither soft nor hard to deal with; he wants him to give an attitude on his own. As if going there wouldn’t help. The case isn’t closed yet; waiting on a word from that girl Jiao Jiao could change everything.
"What conditions do you want for letting them out, just tell me." Old Sir Zhou said frostily.
Upon hearing this, Zhou Xiaozheng smiled and spoke to the silent Mrs. Zhou, "Mother, don’t blame me for being unkind, but things are out of control. I’ve learned a lot about the whole situation since I returned, and heard many things in the county.
If I went, it really wouldn’t help. If it’s just about those packages being occupied, as long as Jiao Jiao doesn’t pursue it—and she certainly won’t pursue it—the case has little relevance and it’d be fine. Xiao Wu and I could go say something to the village. But now, the elder family’s girl has caused major trouble. The things she said have spread throughout the county and even reached Jiao Jiao’s ears, who hasn’t even left her house. Imagine the impact.
Who dares say they can shake Beijing with a stomp of their foot in Beijing? Saying she’s not lacking for money or tickets is too arrogant. Many people reported her, they all pinned her down. Not to mention leading a gathering of over a thousand people to cause trouble, that’s not just a typical family scandal; this is a significant issue of nature. If it were in Beijing, not just in the countryside, it would have already been dealt with harshly. Who dares to release her now? Whose responsibility can the village or county bear?
So it’s not as simple as saying a few words to let people out. This involves village-level personnel being imprisoned for corruption and bribery; they have been directly detained, and there’s both evidence and testimony. How can this situation be casually resolved with just a few words? Who would respect national laws and regulations in the future then?"
Mrs. Zhou nodded in agreement, waiting to see what Old Sir Zhou would say.
Old Sir Zhou looked at his youngest son in disbelief; he thought it was just a matter of a word from Jiao Jiao, realizing now how serious it is, and understanding the implication behind his youngest son’s words. This matter must be handled by Zhou Xiaozheng, otherwise, no one at the top would dare to show leniency.
"That impudent girl is talking nonsense. But it doesn’t concern your elder brother and sister-in-law. First, get them out, then figure out what to do."
"How to get them out? If the elder brother is released, then does that mean the previous village leader should also be released? And as for the words spoken by the elder family’s girl, who hinted or who told her those? Where does her grandfather in Beijing come from, with no shortage of money or tickets?
And inside, did she unintentionally implicate anyone while giving her statement, who knows? If the elder brother isn’t involved, I could only try to have him transferred to the farm for reform; but for those others, there’s no way to maneuver."
Old Sir Zhou paused in silence before pleading with him, "Isn’t there really a way? Can’t you ask your father-in-law if he can do something?"
Zhou Xiaozheng widened his eyes, with an expression of disbelief, speaking to him in shock, "You, do you think I have the face to beg my father-in-law? Believe it or not, he’d definitely confront me. He’s been waiting for you at Zhang’s, hoping you’d offer an explanation; he’s furious seeing you not appear. He’s angrily shouting about taking drastic measures against the Huang Family, questioning who dared to scheme against his granddaughter; it’s not because he doesn’t care about Jiao Jiao, it’s because you won’t let go.
A while ago at Zhang Family, he demanded you to give an explanation, even threatening to expose the letter he received from you publicly. It stopped only because Jiao Jiao and Xiao Wu persuaded him. Did you ever consider that he would take action on this matter? They oppressed his own granddaughter, tarnishing his reputation. Do you think going to him would have him spare me, not exacerbate the problem?"
Old Sir Zhou’s face turned from steel-grey to pale white, entwined with complexity. Fortunately, his health is good, otherwise, Zhang Guoqing feared he might have a stroke.
He had been worried, fearing his father-in-law might act rashly and verbally attack them. If the old man suddenly had a stroke, that would be a mess. However, he was curious why the old man didn’t faint, wondering if he had pretended to faint before with no success and didn’t try again.
Zhou Xiaozheng glanced at him and said nothing more. He chatted briefly with Mrs. Zhou, then took Zhang Guoqing to leave. He still had a lot to handle in the afternoon, no time to dawdle. Moreover, he hadn’t had a proper talk with his Jiao Jiao at home yet.