Chapter 1001: Chapter 874: Transferring Schools?
After deliberately heavy footsteps, the familiar voice of Aunt Chen followed by knocking could be heard. It was Old Mrs. Cheng and her husband.
Zhou Jiao, interrupted, responded while glancing around at the study’s setup.
In the blink of an eye, Little Ping’an was already by Zhou Xiaozheng’s ear, softly reminding him, "There are many people, including the great aunt and others."
Zhou Xiaozheng smiled, touched his head. So, Cheng Ruzhu and the others are here!
He coughed twice, cleared his throat, stood up, and led the family out of the room.
In the courtyard of the two-story building, stone tables and some stone stools were similarly set up. At this moment, besides Old Mrs. Cheng’s family, Aunt Chen was also bringing out stools.
Seeing this, Zhou Xiaozheng abandoned the idea of inviting them into the living room, instructing Aunt Chen to fetch the good tea from the top of the living room cabinet. Apart from tribute tea, Shifeng Longjing was also top-tier.
In the dim streetlight, the buds couldn’t be seen standing, and the soup color was pale but the fragrance was overflowing. It attracted Mr. Cheng and Wen Congwen, both staring intently at the tea canister.
Beside them, before sitting down, Cheng Ruzhu grasped Zhou Jiao’s hand, "Was everything smooth over there? Today when Xiao Wu came, I wasn’t home, didn’t get a chance to ask him."
After greeting everyone, Zhou Jiao smiled and said, "Auntie, have a seat first. Everything’s good! I even brought back a lot of crayfish. They’re cheap but troublesome to clean. There’s some spicy crayfish cooked at home; would you like to try?"
Before she could respond, Mr. Cheng laughed and said, "Those old guys drank it all with wine as soon as you brought it over tonight. How much is left, bring over half."
Old Mrs. Cheng gently hit him, chuckling silently. Thinking of how her usually refined husband turned into an old mischief, she lightly shook her head.
"Food shouldn’t be too refined or finely minced. We’re old and should care for our health. Spicy food should only be tasted lightly."
To avoid awkwardness for Mr. Cheng, Zhou Jiao quickly chimed in, "Uncle, didn’t I bring three-flavor wontons tonight, how about giving them a shot?"
There was no displeasure with Mr. Cheng; he was even more gratified by the child’s thoughtfulness, nodding with a smile, "Remember to let me try if you create any new dishes in the future."
This amused everyone, causing them to chuckle.
Seeing Aunt Chen busy, Zhou Jiao went to the kitchen to help. The table had wonton wrappers about halfway done by Aunt Chen, originally planned for the family and Aunt Chen and Xiao Wang’s midnight snack.
Now, with five more guests, she took some stuffing meant for tomorrow morning’s buns.
Zhou Jiao first brought a plate of spicy crayfish, crispy small fish, along with homemade fruit wine to the courtyard, then returned to the kitchen, Aunt Chen was even faster.
Ever since switching to liquefied petroleum gas, Aunt Chen only reluctantly gave up the traditional stove when necessary. For her, such an upscale item was meant for decoration, much like some young people in the city found partners by adding chips.
But to actually use it daily for cooking, she was indeed unwilling. One tank per month supplied by coupon and ticket number was no match for firewood’s cost efficiency.
Especially with centralized heating in winter, no longer needing to burn stoves indoors. Gas, compared to a traditional hearth, lacked the benefit of providing continuous hot water and heating.
Seeing Zhou Jiao with a tray, Old Mrs. Cheng in the courtyard smelled the aroma and quickly stood up, "Careful. What a delightful sesame oil scent."
Watching his cheerful wife, Mr. Cheng smiled and shook his head, "This girl is always either on business trips or at work if she has a bit of time, she’s busy making delicious foods, she’s quite occupied."
"Being busy is good, especially since every time Jiao Jiao comes back, she brings a lot of souvenirs." Wen Congwen said humorously, glancing sideways at his youngest son who was itching to move.
Good! He knows to wait for the elders first, good to maintain manners.
"Mom, let me. I was just about to ask Jiao Jiao why has Xiao Wu brought so much stuff again? Can you believe it, me as an elder, feeling okay feasting on the youngster’s gifts every day?"
In response, Mr. Cheng only laughed silently. It’s about sincerity moving hearts, that girl doesn’t tolerate grittiness in her eyes, average people can’t make their way into her heart.
As the adults ate wontons, drank and conversed, Yu and the Ping An Brothers gathered, sitting by the living room coffee table, munching and whispering.
Yu took a bite of wonton, closing his eyes in satisfaction. This must be his sister’s handiwork! So delicious, so yummy, pity the small bowl is too little.
"I’ve got good news. From now on, every weekend, I’ll stay here with my grandparents, wouldn’t you three brothers be happy?"
Upon hearing this, Liu Yi and Wu Yi promptly looked to their older brother. Seeing him smiling and nodding, they exchanged glances and quickly followed suit, nodding eagerly.
Yu smirked triumphantly, "I will help take care of those two from now on. Remember, as good buddies we must share blessings and face troubles together."
Before he finished, Liu Yi already rolled his eyes to the ceiling, muttering his catchphrase: Fool!
Wu Yi snorted disdainfully, glancing towards Zhou Jiao in the courtyard. Considering whether to tattle that someone was eyeing their stash of snacks?
Little Ping’an put down the spoon, playfully pinching the little hands of his brothers on both sides, looking at Yu, he asked, "Transferring schools?"
"What a smart kid! Grandpa agreed tonight that I’ll have your back in school in the future. If anyone bullies you, tell me."
Ping’an: "..."
"Moved, right?"
Can he say they’re a different generation? Little Ping’an gave him a sideways glance, not wanting to circle around, "Tomorrow morning, crab roe buns and seafood porridge."
Yu couldn’t help gulping, eyes sparkling, "Is it my sister’s cooking or Aunt Chen’s?"
This is crucial.
His brother-in-law’s crabs were boiled and steamed at home, truly a waste. Crab roe buns, crab meat three-flavor wontons, steamed sticky rice with crab, spicy crabs...
——So many varieties, yet they don’t get it!
The three brothers exchanged similar expressions, giving him a disdainful side-eye, in unison exclaiming: "Glutton!"
Yu didn’t mind, reaching out to try pinching their little cheeks, only to see them dodge deftly. Why not touch Ping’an?
He couldn’t say the little one gets hard to handle when provoked, could he? (But aren’t you worried the twins might come for payback in the future?)
After eating, Ping’an scooted over to Zhang Guoqing, "Dad, we’d like to go upstairs."
Listening intently to Mr. Cheng and the others whilst keeping an ear on the children’s movements, Zhang Guoqing estimated the time, standing up worriedly.
"Brother-in-law, I’m old enough to take them upstairs," said Yu.
It’s precisely because of you, this rambunctious one, darting around that Zhang Guoqing couldn’t rest easy. Although the twins usually navigate the stairs by themselves, what if they got startled by surprise?
Especially since his sons typically don’t allow outsiders upstairs, potential conflicts unknown. Zhang Guoqing knew the Ping An Brothers were particular about not letting outsiders intrude on their territory.
Even if he agreed to take Yu upstairs now, he’d probably just play inside their multifunctional activity room.
