Chapter 169: Chapter 127: Tough Guy, Tender Heart
Zhang Guoqing rushed in front of Zhou Xiaozheng, not even catching his breath, and happily exclaimed, "Dad, I’m Zhang Guoqing, your son-in-law. It’s so great to see you’re back, come on inside."
Zhang Guoqing reached out to take the package from Lin Lishan’s hands, then suddenly felt uneasy. His face turned pale instantly, and he looked at Zhou Jiao, then at Zhou Xiaozheng and Lin Lishan, neither of them had the package. "Jiao Jiao, where’s our son?"
Seeing Zhou Jiao tightly clutching her parents’ hands, she signaled with her eyes to him that their son was inside the house. Zhang Guoqing breathed a huge sigh of relief, realizing they had forgotten their son, fearing she might’ve thrown him aside in a hurry like an accidental package.
"Mom and Dad, you go ahead inside. Jiao Jiao, take your time, accompany them in, I’ll go check on our son first." With that, Zhang Guoqing turned and rushed inside.
He secretly muttered, Jiao Jiao is really careless, leaving their son alone here. No one’s home today, with the new house bustling with people coming and going. If someone with ill intentions took their son, it’d be too late to cry.
From now on, he must remind her three times a day, every day, never to let their son out of their sight. It seems he needs to consider how to ensure their son’s safety.
Zhou Jiao hurriedly dragged her parents inside, she had actually forgotten about their son, "Dad, my heart was pounding earlier, as if something was calling me out, and as soon as I stepped out, I saw you. Hehe, Dad, I didn’t expect you to come back."
Zhou Zhengxiao talked with familiar faces, gently patting Zhou Jiao and nodding, "Brother Gouzi, we’ll gather for a drink sometime later. Let me speak with my in-laws and check on the child first."
There were a few people gathered at Zhang Guoqing’s front door, exchanging some pleasantries with Zhou Xiaozheng but not disturbing their family reunion. As they saw them going inside, everyone dispersed to continue their work, laughing and feeling joyous that Zhou Xiaozheng was alive.
Zhang Guoqing ran to the room quickly, and saw his son lying there quietly, eyes wide open, curiously looking around, playing by himself without crying or fussing. These days, his son obviously reacts to sounds, and he believed his son could definitely hear them. Compared to other kids, his son was absolutely a genius, highly intelligent.
After seeing his son, he felt at ease, quickly tidying up the small living room kang, leaving the door wide open, waiting to welcome his father-in-law and mother-in-law. Watching Zhou Xiaozheng enter, he carefully looked at him again, rubbed his head, feeling an inexplicable familiarity.
Zhou Xiaozheng, over 1.8 meters tall, appeared sturdy and imposing. Wearing a military coat, standing there made others feel pressured for no reason. Over forty years old, but he looked like he was in his thirties. His eyes were red, with a stern face, and when he stared at him, his gaze was deep as if seeing through the other person.
Observing his solemn and stern expression, his composed and reserved demeanor, every move was graceful and natural; he was truly a scholarly general. Such a person couldn’t be forgotten easily. Why did he seem familiar? His father-in-law didn’t resemble the Zhou family’s grandfather and grandmother at all. He looked at Jiao Jiao again, their facial features were similar, especially their eyes and eyebrows. The father and daughter’s smiles, especially in their demeanor, were very alike. Yet, that feeling of strange, past encounter couldn’t be ignored.
When Zhou Xiaozheng entered the inner room and saw his little grandson on the kang, his expression immediately softened, cheerfully patting his head and surveying the surroundings, nodding slightly.
He turned and saw Zhang Guoqing’s puzzled look. Watching as he glanced at himself, then at Zhou Jiao, still confused. What wasn’t clear to him? He secretly chuckled, this kid has quite a good memory. Even after his quick disguised look all those years ago, it registered with him. So many years passed, he remembered this kid’s alertness back then.
Zhou Xiaozheng slightly curled his lips and said, "Stop pondering. Does it feel familiar?"
Upon hearing, Zhang Guoqing smiled and said, "Dad, yes, it feels familiar, I definitely have seen you before. But I can’t seem to remember where?"
Zhou Jiao and Lin Lishan were very curious. It should be known that Zhou Xiaozheng was declared a martyr before Zhou Jiao was even a month old.
A sudden flash of insight struck Zhou Jiao’s mind, and she blurted out, "Dad, you came to see me here, right?" She stared at her dad’s expression, watching a smile of approval flash across his face.
Zhou Xiaozheng said to her, "You’ve seen me when you were five. I was disguised as a beggar. This kid didn’t even wait for me to get close and dragged you away, glancing back at me with a watchful eye."