Chapter 1047: Chapter 920: Do You Need My Cooperation?
The Zhou Family Courtyard, unlike usual, this time the whole family, even the drowsy Liu Yi and May 1st, were quietly waiting for their father to return home.
Seeing this, Zhou Jiao didn’t remind them to go upstairs. Some things, when they come, she doesn’t intend to shield the children from them. The more a person experiences, the more they understand.
Even the smartest child is like an unpolished jade, only through repeated refining can it shine. Otherwise, there wouldn’t be the story of the neglected prodigy.
Her family seems smooth sailing, but who knows when an unexpected event may occur. She must let her children know that the current life has not been easily achieved, and it cannot be obtained solely by luck or intelligence.
Moreover, power is a double-edged sword. It provides a foothold for the Zhou family and also brings risks. These are realities the children must face in the future.
She worried that children might become eager for quick success in the future, using any means to pursue power. With their intelligence, they could become a threat, and many things must be prevented.
This time, she planned to let the children see what it means when evil cannot triumph over good, and make them understand the reality behind many praises given by their grandfathers and uncles.
She doesn’t deny the existence of true goodness and beauty in human nature, but extreme malice that even abandons family is not unheard of. How could Zhou Jiao let go of such a rare learning opportunity for the children?
Zhang Guoqing, reeking of alcohol, stepped into the house, waved at them in the living room, and went to take a shower first; even he couldn’t stand the smell.
Gathering again after fifteen minutes in the study, Zhang Guoqing took the sobering soup offered by his wife and gulped it down hard.
Putting down the bowl, he noticed the two little ones sitting on small stools beside the sofa, staring at him with big eyes, making him chuckle.
"Not sleepy?"
Liu Yi and May 1st shook their heads.
As it was getting late, Zhang Guoqing decided not to say much and patted his sons’ small heads, looked at Da Ping An, and shook his head.
"Dad, have you figured it out?"
Zhou Xiaozheng impatiently glanced at his son-in-law; this brat had learned to play tricks.
Zhang Guoqing nodded and smiled at his eldest son, then looked at his father-in-law, "Dad, the matter has been almost fully investigated. The note was handed to Jiao Jiao by a familiar person in the chaos. What he said is true; someone indeed wanted to set a trap to kidnap Ping’an and then use the pretext of being a lifesaver to get close to you, trying to pull our family onto their boat."
Miao Lishan, anxious, stood up, "Who is bold enough to touch our child?"
Zhang Guoqing smiled reassuringly, "Mom, don’t worry." This is why he’s currently hiding Lin Dinghui’s involvement. If his mother-in-law knew, she’d probably run to the Lin Family to find Lin Dinghui, her nephew, by morning.
To be honest, regardless of the other party’s motives, he doesn’t want to get too involved with the Lin Family. Especially with his mother-in-law being too straightforward, and the Lin Family having all sorts of characters.
"They’re still thinking of finding a scapegoat, but our family hasn’t been idly staying in Beijing these past few years. Just pretend you don’t know about this. This time, we won’t need Dad to step in. I won’t let those people off easily; they really think our family is easy to bully."
Throughout the afternoon, Zhou Xiaozheng also analyzed repeatedly and came to some conclusions. He glanced at his son-in-law silently and picked up his tea cup.
Next to them, Ping’an frowned, "Do you need my cooperation?"
"No need. These petty moves, you three brothers are still young, just watch quietly. This time, Dad will show those who want to mess with our family what it means to be tough-minded."
Seeing his son-in-law have no intention of revealing names in front of the children, Zhou Xiaozheng looked at the time and instructed, "Jiao Jiao, you and your mom take the kids for a bath and sleep. We’ll talk tomorrow."
Zhou Jiao understandingly stood up and led them out.
As soon as May 1st saw the study door lock, he pouted, "We are also men."
Holding his hand, Miao Lishan laughed, "Rest assured, after our big men finish talking, you’ll hear the results tomorrow, little men."
"Really?"
Miao Lishan nodded repeatedly, "Absolutely, haven’t you noticed it’s very late? Without enough sleep, you won’t grow tall and become big men."
May 1st blinked at the eldest, "Brother, I really want to grow up quickly."
Ping’an nodded absentmindedly.
Liu Yi saw and tugged at his brother, shaking his head.
The small actions and expressions of the three brothers didn’t escape Zhou Jiao’s notice. She smiled and patted the twins’ little heads, especially pinching Liu Yi’s nose.
These little ones thought she didn’t know what tricks they wanted to play. She gently reminded, "Sleep early, no sneaking out to chat in the middle of the night."
Liu Yi looked at her wistfully.
Not to mention the interesting happenings outside, in the study, Zhang Guoqing recounted the visits he made tonight to several people one by one to his father-in-law, finally mentioning Lin Dinghui.
Sharing the same thoughts, Zhou Xiaozheng also disliked his wife having too much contact with the Lin Family, suggesting keeping this unverifiable matter from Miao Lishan for now.
Favor, he would naturally return, but there’s no need for unnecessary involvement. Regardless of the other party’s stance, whether it’s his father-in-law’s family, Mr. Lin, or Lin Aiguo, it has become irrelevant.
In such a situation, the only thing he must maintain is neutrality. His position at this stage no longer requires further advancement; otherwise, it would be more a curse than a blessing.
This is also why some are trying to pull him onto their boat; they are worried he might be favored by the old leader as a successor.
Hearing the two names his son-in-law mentioned, Zhou Xiaozheng sneered sarcastically. They truly overestimate him; do they think such minor figures can sway him?
It’s hard to say whether those people are foolish or naive.
"Dad, this time let me handle it!"
Zhou Xiaozheng nodded without hesitation. The young man needs to take action; holding him back too long would strip him of his masculinity.
"Would you need Dad’s assistance?"
Zhang Guoqing immediately whispered, "Yes, I plan to take action personally this time. You need to cover for me so that those people have an idea but no evidence."
"No problem, the sooner the better, I’ll take you out these two days."
Zhou Xiaozheng had no objections. He could find a time to take his son-in-law out, thinking about whether to move back to the courtyard house from the Big Courtyard.
Otherwise, even a little action becomes inconvenient, especially with Jiao Jiao’s lengthy commutes, leaving her quite exhausted, such as having to eat lunch at the workplace.
Zhang Guoqing bitterly shook his head, "Dad, you know her stubbornness. Besides worrying about our commute, she’s also concerned about the kids’ school safety."
Zhou Xiaozheng proudly raised his chin, "My Jiao Jiao considers things more thoroughly than ordinary people. See how clever she was today..."
Anyway, Zhang Guoqing knew his father-in-law was being proud again, so he decided to listen with respect!
