Chapter 1253 - 1126: Three Sons and Five Grandchildren

Chapter 1253: Chapter 1126: Three Sons and Five Grandchildren

Zhang Guoqing stepped out of the study, closed the door behind him, and resumed his cheerful expression. He glanced around and wandered near the kitchen, peeking inside with disappointment, shaking his head.

Inside, only his mother-in-law and Aunt Chen were chatting and laughing while preparing a midnight snack.

Standing in the courtyard, he looked up at the lights upstairs, stood there for a moment in a daze, then quietly headed upstairs into the living room.

In the second-floor lounge, behind the large table, Zhou Jiao was fully immersed in her calligraphy, unaffected by the sound of the door opening or the silhouette appearing under the light.

Zhang Guoqing knew she was focused again.

He glanced at the discarded newspaper on the floor, the rice paper near his feet, held his breath, and crouched down, stacking the fallen sheets of rice paper together.

Gradually, Zhang Guoqing exhaled as he saw the varying calligraphy of "three sons and five grandsons" on the paper, and looked up at Zhou Jiao’s tightly pressed lips, unintentionally smiling.

Once organized, he set them aside, took a sheet, and carefully left the room, closing the door gently, leaving a gap.

A sliver of light illuminated the corridor as Zhang Guoqing rubbed the paper, turned around, and went downstairs.

In the study, Zhou Xiaozheng was pleased to see his son-in-law return.

Zhang Guoqing spread out the rice paper on the table, smiling, "Dad, this time Jiao Jiao didn’t lock the door and is still writing calligraphy, look."

Zhou Xiaozheng caught the implication: Jiao Jiao hadn’t retreated into her corner to heal alone. He felt helpless with his precious daughter’s habit, preferring her to express her emotions openly rather than quietly adjusting.

Whose child doesn’t cry or make a fuss when unhappy?

This behavior only indicates that childhood wounds have deeply scarred, with the years without parental love allowing no self-indulgence.

Zhang Guoqing saw his guilt and knew he was overthinking, quickly saying with a smile, "Dad, do you know why she’s been writing those four characters continuously?

Earlier she accompanied the old lady to visit a witch, who was incredibly skilled in fortune-telling. Though I didn’t go, she predicted my life events with birth data."

Zhou Xiaozheng gazed at him with amused eyes.

"The witch is surnamed Liu, said to have charged a fortune for each divination before hiding her name. This time, as a favor, she foretold that Jiao Jiao would have three sons and five grandsons.

Think about it, with family planning now, how can three sons produce five grandsons? So it might mean twins again?"

Zhou Xiaozheng sneered, glancing at his son-in-law, "You claim your second brother prefers sons over daughters, but you’re no different. A granddaughter is a grandchild too."

"Right, a granddaughter is a grandchild. But, dad, the topic has deviated." Zhang Guoqing shook his head with a smile, "Whether grandson or granddaughter, since there’ll be five grandsons, Ping’an hasn’t married yet, so they’ll be safe, right?"

Zhou Xiaozheng tapped the table with his fingers, "Do you think I’m insane? Would I let my grandson go to the front lines without preparation or assurance?"

He gestured toward Zhang Guoqing, "Sit quietly and wait for Jiao Jiao to come down. When your mom calls for a midnight snack, she’ll come down. Rest assured, with your dad around, the sky won’t fall."

"Then, Dad, you have to hold on."

Zhou Xiaozheng arrogantly glanced at him, "Don’t lose focus at work. Our troops will eliminate those monkeys once they arrive; no need to worry."

Zhang Guoqing saw his good mood, sidled up to him, began massaging his shoulders, and quietly asked, "Dad, are the kids acting with the main force or a small squad this time?"

Zhou Xiaozheng closed his eyes, pretending to sleep, uttering two words, "Confidential."

"If I guess, will you nod if I’m right? That won’t count as leaking."

"Nonsense."

Zhang Guoqing laughed nonchalantly, "The kids entered foreign territory last time, but with the main force assembled this time, they’ll send scouts first, right?"

Zhou Xiaozheng opened his eyes to glance at him, then closed them again.

Zhang Guoqing felt confident, realizing he was right! After a moment of silence, he changed the subject, discussing other matters.

What he revealed was already personal bias, just like their private talk about Zhou Jiao, which, according to confidentiality principles, shouldn’t be mentioned.

The military order had already implemented first-degree war readiness, which explained his father-in-law’s exclusion of his mother-in-law from the conversation.

Moreover, Zhou Xiaozheng’s claim that Zhou Jiao couldn’t be kept ignorant had some truth: she could ascertain general frontline status from her connections, but delving deeper was out of reach, even with Zhang Guoqing’s position and ties.

Fortunately, he had a high-ranking father-in-law who could piece together some confidential information to comfort his simple-minded wife.

Miao Lishan, accompanied by Aunt Chen, brought out the stewed night snack, calling everyone to the living room.

Sure enough, as Zhou Xiaozheng predicted.

Zhang Guoqing, accompanying his father-in-law out of the study, saw his wife coming downstairs.

"Dad, no changes." Zhou Jiao announced the decision, looking solemn.

Zhou Xiaozheng nodded earnestly, "With me here, no worries."

Miao Lishan glanced at them, then signaled to her son-in-law: What’s going on?

Zhang Guoqing shook his head in confusion: Your husband and daughter are exchanging codes!

He wasn’t sure if his mother-in-law had already caught wind of things or how she’d react if she found out the kids were deployed with sudden changes.

He entrusted his omnipotent father-in-law with it, feeling utterly exhausted.

That night, Zhou Jiao nestled in Zhang Guoqing’s arms, listening to updates, details about the kids’ protective personnel, and more.

Her heart relaxed a bit, understanding that she couldn’t reveal her feelings anymore. This foolish man, besides heavy work, bore no less stress than she did.

She could only wear a playful smile, "Luckily I have you and Dad, I feel much more at ease."

"Yes, we await the arrival of five grandsons."

Zhou Jiao tightly held his hand, smiling brightly, then closed her eyes.

In the darkness, she dared not open them until she heard the steady breathing beside her, his arm loosening around her, before she sighed softly.

In that moment, she truly wished to break the kids’ wings.

Money?

For now, they had enough to squander.

Power?

With their family background, another path could lead to significant achievements.

Yet she thought of those sons’ bright eyes when discussing ambitions, recalling their pride about being soldiers during the summer vacation...

Growing up in the Big Courtyard, influenced by such surroundings, they naturally absorbed things. She overlooked one aspect: their generation’s immense love for their country.

For them, the territory their ancestors secured needed to be defended by them. Rather than cowardly staying behind, they preferred personally guarding this land.

Since she couldn’t stop them, she would support them!