Rebirth in the 50s: The Couple with the Hidden Space-Chapter 675 - 549: Origins 2

Zhang Guoqing thought that since his father-in-law knew such details, it must have been a well-planned layout. He looked at him with great hope.

Zhou Xiaozheng looked at his son-in-law with satisfaction and pointed to the teacup on the table.

Zhang Guoqing instantly understood and eagerly added hot water, checked the temperature, and handed it to him, "Dad, please drink first and take your time explaining. We’re not in a hurry."

"Brat!"

No matter how smart Ping’an was, he didn’t understand the complex relationship here and happily watched his grandfather and father.

After Zhou Xiaozheng finished drinking, he continued, "Do you remember the first year you arrived in Beijing, when Jiao Jiao helped me send money to old comrades? Back then, she spread the net wide and sent money all over the place, from the north to the south."

Zhang Guoqing nodded with a smile, "She said it was, firstly, to accumulate virtue and thank the heavens on your behalf, and secondly, to spread the money around so that no one could use it against us."

Zhou Xiaozheng proudly praised, "My Jiao Jiao never leaves a handle for others. She handles everything thoroughly. It’s not me boasting about my daughter, but ordinary girls don’t have such great wisdom."

Zhang Guoqing suppressed his laughter and immediately nodded in agreement.

"Over the years, apart from the returned remittance slips, Jiao Jiao never stopped supporting those who accepted the money. The amount seemed small, but even a few yuan could be life-saving in rural areas.

In 1960, that is, the year before last, a man named He Dazhu wrote me a letter. At the time, I didn’t think much of it, as I often received letters of thanks for the money Jiao Jiao sent out.

But when I opened it, I was stunned. In the letter, He Dazhu thanked me for helping him and mentioned that he went to the military office to inquire about my situation and was glad to hear that I was doing well.

He mentioned me to his mother at home, and when she heard that I married Mr. Lin’s eldest daughter, she lost her composure. After much persuasion, she finally revealed the truth.

Your mother-in-law is not the biological child of Gu Ruyi but a girl adopted secretly by Mr. Lin from outside during the war. She said the baby was fat and healthy at the time, and she suspected Gu Ruyi stole her.

He Dazhu wrote in the letter that he thought for days before deciding to tell me. He was worried that if Mr. Lin found out that his daughter wasn’t biological, it would be bad for me."

Zhang Guoqing understood by this point, "Are you worried that mom’s background could be a threat held by Gu Ruyi?"

Zhou Xiaozheng nodded, "I highly doubt Gu Ruyi’s intentions. That old woman wouldn’t raise someone else’s child for no reason. Moreover, Lin Aiguo was already five years old back then. Even if Old Lin knew she gave birth to a stillborn, what difference would it make?

The only thing she would care about is money. A fat and healthy baby like that wouldn’t come without a transaction. Why would a wealthy family give away a child and pay for it? The issue is complicated.

Now with your mother-in-law linking our two families, she wouldn’t reveal the truth and break the connection. But what if, in the future, she decides to cling to me to the bitter end? Moreover, she’s had Lin Aiguo summon me several times; I suspect she wants to threaten me face-to-face with something.

After reading the letter, I sent someone to see Aunt He and started investigating Gu Ruyi. Others might not know her background, but our old lady knows everything. She even knows Gu Ruyi has a biological sister.

Following this clue, I discovered that Gu Ruyi’s sister once ran away pregnant, along with Jiao Jiao telling me about some inheritance from her mom’s elder aunts.

It’s all clear now. Gu Ruyi’s only leverage against me is your mom’s origin. But she underestimates me. Would I ever leave her any leverage?

Since she hid your mom’s real background, I’ll help her clean up the mess naturally, making your mom genuinely adopted.

Even if she claims your mom is her sister’s biological daughter, where’s the evidence? Everyone knows Gu Ruyi had no sister. If this issue needs to be exposed, it should be by me, under my control!"

Zhang Guoqing nodded repeatedly. Indeed, that was necessary. He was secretly relieved that his father-in-law had disrupted the plan in advance, or otherwise, their family might have ended up in dire straits.

By this point, it wasn’t hard to see that his father-in-law had been waiting for Mrs. Zhou to pass away, calculating to use the Old Zhou Family as a tool. With the flash of a knife, all the hidden truths were revealed.

Now it was a triple win.

The Old Zhou Family’s debts to their father and daughter were settled... all the grievances with the Lin Family were resolved with no further entanglements... and his mother-in-law’s origin had no more threats...

Thinking of this, Zhang Guoqing looked at his father-in-law with some sorrow, realizing he had so many hidden tricks. How could he ever compete? Wouldn’t his wife be reassigned by him again?

Zhou Xiaozheng glanced at him, "Put away that expression quickly, don’t let Ping’an learn the bad habits!"

Ping’an giggled.

Zhang Guoqing sighed, "Dad, when will I ever be able to compete with you? Give me a lesson quickly. Otherwise, where should I look for my wife when she runs away again?"

Zhou Xiaozheng laughed heartily, "No ambition! Do you study just to prevent your wife from running away? Don’t worry, this time when Jiao Jiao comes back, I also can’t bear to let her leave. Frankly, without Jiao Jiao at home, it doesn’t feel like home."

"Yes, yes, let’s have her come back. Didn’t you say it’d be two months? It’s almost time."

"I miss mom too." 𝙧𝙚𝙚𝔀𝒆𝓫𝓷𝙤𝓿𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝙤𝓶

Zhou Xiaozheng nodded, "Soon, it’s not that easy to go out. However, I heard she has performed exceptionally well. Shi Dashen praised her several times, but I ignored him. By the time we finish handling things here, she’ll be back."

Look, look.

Zhang Guoqing knew his father-in-law had the timing well-arranged. Now he wished he could throw Gu Ruyi to the end of the world. Once this old witch was gone, his wife would return.

In the deep night, the urgent ring of the phone broke the warm atmosphere in the study.

Zhou Xiaozheng checked his watch, grabbed the receiver, and before he could speak, the person on the other end spoke.

"Chief Zhou, your wife is undergoing emergency treatment at the general hospital..."

The voice from the old telephone receiver spread in the study, shocking Zhang Guoqing to his feet, and he rushed out immediately.

"Dad, I’ll get Brother Wang to drive, Ping’an, you stay with grandpa."

Ping’an tightly grasped Zhou Xiaozheng’s hand, looking up at him, tears in his eyes, expectantly watching him.

Zhou Xiaozheng picked up the child and walked outside, muttering to himself, "Don’t be afraid, your grandmother will be fine. She will definitely be fine! The many cannons couldn’t kill her; she’ll be okay. She even said a few days ago that when the holiday comes, we’ll take you to the South for a trip..."

Zhang Guoqing and Xiao Wang, with a few others, ran out from the rear guardroom. They hadn’t even started the car when they saw his father-in-law carrying the child out, followed by Aunt Chen running after them.

At critical moments, he didn’t consider the idea that children shouldn’t go to eerie places like hospitals at night. Seeing that his father-in-law, though calm on the surface, was indeed concerned about his mother-in-law, as evidenced by how tightly he held the child.

"Auntie, wait at home for my call."

With that, Zhang Guoqing told Xiao Wang to drive quickly. Looking at his father-in-law, he didn’t offer comfort. The situation in the hospital was unknown, and anything said now would be just noise, mere nonsense.