Chapter 1286 - 1158: Old Mischief

Chapter 1286: Chapter 1158: Old Mischief

Accompanying Doctor Hu back to the courtyard, no one hurried to leave. They stayed until the IV was finished and, after hearing him snoring, exchanged smiles.

The autumn night brought cooler temperatures, and the neighbors who usually lingered at the alleyway had long gone back to rest. Fearing to disturb the peaceful dreams of others, May 1st drove away from the other side.

After seeing off Zhu Ling and her seventh senior brother and his wife, the family of three—Zhang Guoqing, Zhou Jiao, and Little Treasure—entered their home only to find Zhou Xiaozheng and Miao Lishan still awake.

Zhou Jiao glanced at the clock again, confirming she hadn’t misread the time, and complained, "Dad, Mom, why haven’t you rested yet? Didn’t I already call to say everything’s fine?"

"Alright, alright, I’ll go to sleep," Miao Lishan said, stifling a yawn with her hand, "Is the old gentleman all right?"

Zhou Jiao didn’t know how to explain, so she shook her head, "Hard to say."

May 1st winked at his grandparents and slightly shook his head.

"It’s good that there’s no trouble," Zhou Xiaozheng stood up, "Have a late-night snack and rest early."

As soon as Zhou Xiaozheng finished speaking, Aunt Chen came in with a tray, so Zhang Guoqing and Zhou Jiao bid them goodnight.

Seeing Zhou Xiaozheng and the others enter the bedroom, May 1st hurried to follow, "Grandpa, I’ll get your pajamas."

Hearing that, Zhou Xiaozheng paused, turned to tap him on the forehead, and gave him an amused sideways glance: What kind of excuse is that?

Miao Lishan looked back and immediately pulled May 1st into the room, "Be gentle, be gentle, what if you knock him silly? Little Treasure, why are you standing there? Are you hungry?"

"I’m different from my mom and dad; I ate a bowl of noodles at the master’s house." May 1st chuckled a couple of times, "Grandma, do you want to know what happened?"

Miao Lishan’s eyes lit up, her sleepiness vanished as she looked at her little grandson’s smiling face, nodding enthusiastically. Oh dear, she thought she’d have to wait until tomorrow to find out.

May 1st reached out to pull his grandfather over, and the two of them sat on the bed. Glancing at the closed door, he lowered his voice.

"Grandpa, let me tell you, tonight was a huge mix-up. Your little grandson nearly died laughing. Oh my, my master is just too funny."

Zhou Xiaozheng gave him a sideways glance, "Get to the point."

"Sure." May 1st looked at the elders beside him, stood up, and pulled a chair closer so he could face them, "Grandpa, let me tell you, they thought they could hide it from me, but they underestimated who I am. But your little grandson didn’t expose them."

Zhou Xiaozheng smiled and nodded—without a hint of praise, this mischievous boy would start beating around the bush again. If delayed, he wouldn’t have to work tomorrow morning.

"When we got there, none of the people in the ward looked sad, except for my mom, who rushed to the bedside and almost cried. Can you guess what happened?"

Zhou Xiaozheng turned his gaze away speechlessly. Who did his little grandson take after? Why couldn’t he just get to the point!

"...I was quick-witted and stayed behind... when no one was watching, I tickled the old man’s foot. He pulled back fast... outside, they said the old man made a sedative, but it knocked himself out in the end... can you believe he’s lived to such an old age and still did something like that..."

Zhou Xiaozheng burst out laughing. Not only was the situation too amusing, but his little grandson was quite the storyteller, almost as good as a comedian.

What is rhythmical intonation? What is a sincere tone? This little one mixed them all together. No wonder he’s the family joy!

Early the next morning before work, Zhou Jiao detoured to check on her master and found the old man already out with Old Man Tan and the others, taking the birds for a walk.

She felt a lot more at ease, but still went into the pharmacy for a check.

During lunch break, Zhou Jiao, unable to visit the old house, made a detour to the little courtyard in the alley and was lucky to meet all her senior brothers and sisters-in-law currently in Beijing.

Even though the old man had repeatedly instructed not to tell those rascals about what happened last night, they couldn’t help but visit since the old man had fainted.

Seeing his disciple enter, Doctor Hu quickly signaled her for help: Get rid of these idle folks for your master; they’re chattering endlessly, so noisy and annoying~

Zhou Jiao pretended not to understand, blinked, and greeted everyone with a smile, handing the sliced pork belly and pig’s heart she brought to Aunt.

The seventh senior brother burst out laughing—was this to let the old man take it to heart?

The sisters-in-law brought over quite a few things, including ingredients and fruits. During the meal, a large table full of dishes surrounded by laughter and chatter made the little courtyard much more lively.

This was one of the reasons Zhou Jiao hadn’t brought up the invitation for the old man to move to the old house after he rejected it.

After living here for over ten years, not only were the neighbors familiar, but even the senior brothers were used to taking the shortcut through the alley. Although the old house wasn’t far from here, the neighborhood situation was quite different.

Surrounded by elite individuals, with strict private security; here, the original residents were all wealthy or high status, and those who were once exiled have returned after vindication, driving away idle people, making it an ideal place for retirement.

She thought her master likely preferred this place.

After the meal, everyone departed back to work, leaving Zhou Jiao behind to hear a piece of news from her master.

"Jiao Jiao, I’m going to raise pigeons with Old Man Tan and the others."

Zhou Jiao was taken aback, "Not raising mynas anymore? Is Tan planning to keep pigeons too? Didn’t he spend a lot of money on a pair of magpies?"

From her observation, the old man next door disdained pigeons, always saying they were common birds and raising chickens would be more worthwhile for their meat.

"Haha... of course." Mr. Hu lowered his voice, "He just loves to join the fray! This morning, several of us old guys said the environment here is good, and we should keep some pigeons and let them fly around. He changed his mind and said he wants to join in too. What do you think about me raising pigeons?"

"That’s great, as long as you like it. I’ll look for some pigeons for you later. Should we buy more? If they die, we won’t tell anyone."

Having company to spend time with in old age is good, preventing her master from gathering herbs up the mountains, this is a great idea!

"Hahaha... Don’t underestimate your master’s skills? Raising pigeons is nothing, very simple. The pigeons at the old house all know me."

Zhou Jiao nodded helplessly. You have to humor the old child!

"You don’t need to find anyone this time. Old Li has a way to get them, and we’ve all asked him to order a batch. Well, if the pigeons he gets aren’t familiar with us, I’ll come to you."

"Okay," Zhou Jiao replied resolutely, "As long as it makes you happy." "I’ll go and have a word with Mr. Li later, let’s get some more."

Doctor Hu knew that she intended to pay, so he quickly shook his head, "Today, everyone’s barely started; there’s no rush to approach him. We can talk in a few days; it’s not just for our family."

"Sure," Zhou Jiao agreed readily, planning in her mind to visit the people who repair courtyards after work, as raising pigeons always requires building structures.