Chapter 163: Chapter 124: Mr. Cheng Grows Suspicious (Part 2)
"Hehe, I knew it was something rare, otherwise Xiao Wu wouldn’t have brought even a small amount for her mom to bring to me. That Wolf King’s fur you just saw was something he found for me. This kid is thoughtful, seeing that I often touch my knees, he knew I have rheumatism. He brazens his way into taking it from an old hunter."
Elder Jiang looked envious, "You’re already enjoying the blessings of grandchildren in advance. We don’t know who Xue Li’s two sisters will end up with. Old Lin, since we’re in-laws, I’ll be straightforward. When do you plan to bring my granddaughter back? Her younger sister has even had a child, isn’t it time for them to find someone too? You must keep an eye on them, don’t let them marry too far."
"This is something the second couple has to think about, we’re all old, and really can’t make the decision. How about I have the sisters come back, and you find someone for them to meet? See, I knew you’d shake your head; you know these kids don’t listen to us elders anymore.
That’s why I say our Jiao Jiao is truly remarkable, standing there, she’s full of scholarly aura, gentle and calm, yet grand, smart like her father, low-key in everything, likes to keep things hidden from others. At three, she could recite ’Three Character Classic’ and ’Thousand Character Classic’, knows embroidery, knows medicine. She talks to me with great respect, and is always polite to elders. Everyone says she’s the epitome of a well-bred young lady.
No one taught her, yet she learned on her own, speaks softly to her mother, is very magnanimous. Elder Jiang, I’m not belittling my own granddaughter, but there’s really no comparison. I’m thinking of bringing the kids back to spend more time with Jiao Jiao, even learning a bit of her skills would benefit them for life. But Jiao Jiao and her husband won’t come back, they say the path they walk is more stable if they rely on themselves. Just like Zhou Xiaozheng, brimming with pride to the core." After speaking, Mr. Lin shook his head.
Mr. Fang sneered and pointed at him, "You’re never satisfied; having an excellent granddaughter should be enough. Do you expect all granddaughters to be like her? Impossible! I’m not trying to sound harsh, but it’s all in the roots. Isn’t Zhou Xiaozheng low-key? Isn’t Zhou Xiaozheng smart? When he steps out, who doesn’t see him as the perfect mold of a rich family’s young master rather than a farmer’s kid. His genes, his daughter being exceptional is nothing strange. Isn’t it said dragons give birth to dragons, phoenixes to phoenixes, and a rat’s son knows how to dig holes? Look at your granddaughter, look at Old Jiang’s daughter, your daughter-in-law, could she be low-key? Since young, she was rowdy, running around the whole Big Courtyard like a tomboy, and you expect her daughter to be gentle and quiet?"
After he finished, both Elder Jiang and Mr. Lin burst out laughing, indeed, it’s unlikely.
Mr. Lin said defiantly, "Who told you Zhou Xiaozheng was a farmer’s son by birth? He’s a proper Beijing local from the Beijing Zhou Family."
"Oh my, now you’re just arguing with me. It’s just a metaphor, understand? You say Zhou Xiaozheng is from the Zhou Family, but I doubt he’s even their biological son. I heard from Xiao Fei that the Zhou family mistreats Zhou Xiaozheng’s daughter. If she were their own, how could the second house bear to mistreat the only shoot they’ve got?"
Mr. Lin laughed heartily, "And you say I’m arguing? Aren’t you too? Don’t even mention it, he might really not be their biological child, Zhou Xiaozheng looks nothing like that old couple. Some even say he looks like he was born by my spouse, and upon closer inspection, he really does look like her. Haha, our Jiao Jiao seems to resemble her maternal grandmother, but on closer look, she really looks like her father. Isn’t it possible her dad also resembles her maternal grandmother?"
He spoke without intent, but the listener took notice. Mr. Cheng’s eyebrow twitched upon hearing, and he casually asked, "Wasn’t the entire Beijing Zhou Family wiped out by those Eight-Nation Alliance foreign devils? There are still people?"
Mr. Lin said offhandedly, "At that time, Zhou Xiaozheng’s father was rescued by the Yihe Tuan, then joined the military, and after several turns of events, joined our ranks, later retired, and returned to his ancestral home in the Northeast with two sons, a daughter, and his spouse."
"No wonder Zhou Xiaozheng later joined the army, it’s carrying on the family tradition. The father and son relationship should be quite good, right? Was the old man biased towards the eldest, or what? There must be some explanation." Mr. Cheng said absentmindedly, tightly gripping his wine glass, glancing at Mr. Lin for fear of missing a word.
"That muddle-headed one was a fool, didn’t love his youngest son, mistreated his granddaughter, probably regret it to death now. His eldest son can’t even compare to Zhou Xiaozheng in a single hair. Isn’t that old man silly? After so many hardships, he finally had another son after fifteen years; he should be overjoyed, right? And this youngest son grows up well, smart, yet he coerced Zhou Xiaozheng into escaping to join the army.