That night, Wang Zhong received the news that Hao Dongmei's father suddenly had an asthma attack and was admitted to the hospital instead of going to Chenglao Zhou's house.
All Zhou Zhigang's preparations turned out to be wishful thinking, and his enthusiasm was poured down by a basin of cold water.
Wang Zhong didn't say anything about this. He didn't even return to Lao Zhou's house. He still lived in Taiping Hutong, living a small life with his wife and children on the hot bed.
What Wang Zhong didn't know was that the matter was far more than that. When the driver of Hao Dongmei's parents drove a large box of gifts back to Lao Zhou's house together with the two cans of tea sent by Zhou Zhigang, Zhou Zhigang's face turned dark. Like the bottom of a pot.
This time it was equivalent to a direct critical hit, and it sprinkled several pinches of salt on Lao Zhou's wounds.
Knowing that Hao's father had asthma and was admitted to the hospital, Zhou Bingyi and Hao Dongmei didn't care about anything else. They spoke to Zhou's father and Zhou's mother and hurriedly followed the driver.
Zhou Zhigang was sitting in the back room with a gloomy face. He was wearing the clothes he wore when he got married. He even combed his hair specially, but in his mind, he was thinking about what Wang Zhong said.
Could it be that Zhou Bingyi really lied to him when he said he couldn't have children?
Is it because he doesn't object to his marriage to Hao Dongmei?
Zhou Zhigang's first reaction was not to believe it, thinking that Wang Zhong was speaking out of anger, but after thinking about it carefully, there seemed to be no possibility of Wang Zhong joking about such a thing.
In the car returning to the provincial party committee compound, Zhou Bingyi and Hao Dongmei were sitting in the back seat, close to each other.
After repeatedly confirming from the driver that Hao's father was fine, Hao Dongmei became worried again.
"Bingyi, what if dad doesn't let us be together because I can't have children?" Hao Dongmei also loved Zhou Bingyi so much that she was so panicked and asked such a question.
Zhou Bingyi took Hao Dongmei's hand and comforted her softly: "Don't worry, my parents are not unreasonable. Besides, we have been married for so many years, so it will be okay."
"But...I...I'm worried..." The scene where Zhou Zhigang got angry and had a fight with Wang Zhong just now was still vivid in his mind, and Hao Dongmei couldn't help but think about it.
"I have everything! For my parents, I will do their work." Zhou Bingyi put his arms around Hao Dongmei's shoulders, pulled her in and comforted her softly: "Don't you still believe me?"
Hao Dongmei buried her head in Zhou Bengyi's arms and pressed her cheek against his chest, "I'm just worried!"
"Okay!" Zhou Bingyi said with a smile: "Believe me, I can handle it!"
"Yeah!" Hao Dongmei could only hug Zhou Bingyi tightly, but the tears in her eyes could not be stopped despite wiping them away.
·······
The next day, with nothing to do during the day, Wang Zhong and Zheng Juan took the children to the provincial party committee compound to visit Qu Xiuzhen, who had retired.
Unexpectedly, the security guard at the Provincial Party Committee compound was replaced by a young man who had just retired from the army. He didn't know Wang Zhong and Zheng Juan, so it was impossible to let him in.
"Brother, just call Dean Ma's house and tell Zhou Bingkun and his family to come visit them."
Wang Zhong spoke very politely, and even took out a large front door and handed it out.
The young man was a nice guy. He shook his head and said that he didn't smoke, but he still didn't refuse Wang Zhong's suggestion: "Okay, I'll call Dean Ma's house and ask."
The young man also noticed that Wang Zhong had a good temperament, and the three children were also very polite. They greeted him obediently and called him uncle. Moreover, Wang Zhong skillfully called out the name of the young man's predecessor and the location of Ma Shouchang's family. Otherwise, Maybe it will take a while.
As soon as the young man picked up the phone and before he could make a call, a familiar figure walked out of the gate pushing a bicycle.
"Bingkun? Zheng Juan?" Zhou Bingyi was a little surprised. Zheng Juan was okay, but when he saw Wang Zhong, Zhou Bingyi thought of the kick last night, and his expression changed.
"Uncle!" Zhou Cong and his two children greeted Zhou Bingyi.
Zhou Bingyi was okay with the children, and he managed a smile on his face when he answered.
Zhou Bingyi frowned, with a bit of vigilance and a bit of rebuke in his tone: "Why are you here?"
He seemed to be blaming Wang Zhong for coming to the provincial party committee compound without his consent.
"This is not an important military area. We can come whenever we want!" Wang Zhong didn't show much respect.
Zhou Bingyi glared at him: "Although this is not an important place for sergeants, it is also the provincial party committee compound. All the leaders of the province live here. No idlers are allowed in. What are you doing here?"
"Brother, what do you think I'm here for?" Wang Zhong didn't answer, but asked instead.
After Hao Dongmei's father was hospitalized for asthma yesterday, Zhou Bingyi and Hao Dongmei went to the hospital, and then followed Hao's father back to Hao's house.
"What do you mean by this?" Zhou Bingyi's face became even more ugly, and his eyes towards Wang Zhong became cloudy and uncertain.
Wang Zhong grinned softly and said, "Brother, don't worry, Juan'er and I didn't come here for eldest brother, we didn't go to the Hao family, and we never wanted to take advantage of eldest brother."
At this time, the security guy in the guard room also stuck his head out of the window: "Comrade, Chief Qu asked you to go in quickly!"
Wang Zhong held Lingling in one hand and carried a rattan basket in the other. It was covered with cloth. He didn't know what was in it. He walked straight past Zhou Bingyi: "Brother, we have an appointment with Secretary Qu, so we don't want to delay it." , just go in first.”
Zheng Juan also nodded and smiled slightly at Zhou Bingyi, hugged Mingming and walked inside.
Zhou Bingyi's expression became even more ugly. Wang Zhong's move was like an invisible slap, slapping him hard on the face. Yesterday's kick was only physical damage, but today's move was a mental attack.
"Comrade Zhou, the comrade just called you eldest brother, are you brothers?" The doorman at the window looked at the back of Wang Zhong and his family walking in while holding the bicycle, and suddenly asked curiously.
"They are brothers." A smile suddenly appeared on Zhou Bingyi's originally ugly face.
"No wonder Secretary Qu is so happy to hear that your brother is here."
Zhou Bingyi smiled and did not answer, but as soon as he turned around, the smile disappeared instantly.
In front of Ma's house, Qu Xiuzhen and Ma Shouchang couldn't wait to wait outside the door after receiving the call from the guard room. When they saw Wang Zhong's family from a distance, they couldn't wait to wave their hands.
Zhou Cong was even more happy. When he saw the old couple, he couldn't wait to run over.
"Grandpa Ma, Grandma Qu!" Zhou Cong and the old couple are old acquaintances.
"Ouch! Congcong has grown so tall!" Congcong is already six years old. Wang Zhong and Zheng Juan have been well fed since childhood. They are tall. They have been practicing boxing with Wang Zhong since they were four years old. They are as strong as the little ones. Like a calf.
"Where is Yueyue?" When Wang Zhong and his wife came here before, they would bring either the two older children or the four children together, and they were never left behind.
"Yueyue's parents are also back for the New Year. She must stay with her parents for the New Year!" Wang Chong explained with a smile.
"Oh! Her parents are back! She really should stay with her parents."
The old couple suddenly realized that the child Yueyue was really pitiful. He was sent back to Jichun at such an old age and has been following Wang Zhong and Zheng Juan.
"Hello, Grandpa Ma! Hello, Grandma Qu!"
The two younger children, Zhou Ming and Zhou Ling, also called out to someone obediently.
"Lingling is almost a big girl!" Qu Xiuzhen knelt down and looked at Lingling with two pigtails, a bright smile on her face.
Ma Shouchang also squatted down and opened his arms towards Mingming: "Come on, Mingming, let Grandpa Ma hug you."
The two little ones looked up at Wang Zhong and Zheng Juan in unison. After receiving encouraging looks from their parents, they also opened their hands and walked into the arms of the old couple, making the old couple extremely happy.
The old couple's attention was focused on the three children, and they did not pay careful attention to Wang Zhong's words. He was not talking about his sister and brother-in-law, but Yueyue's parents.
The old couple are not unreasonable people, not to mention they have three children. The calf Zhou Cong is too strong, and the old couple may not be able to hold it when they are older, but Zhou Ming and Zhou Ling are two little guys. But that's not a problem.
After saying a few words, the old couple led Wang Zhong and his family into the house, each holding the other in his arms.
The Ma family was the same as it was a few years ago. A group of people were sitting on the sofa. The coffee table was filled with fruits and snacks. Several children were very happy.
Normally at home, Wang Zhong strictly controlled their snacks and would never eat too much. Before today's arrival, Wang Zhong rarely let them know how to eat.
Seeing that the children were acting like wolves that had never seen meat, Wang Zhong immediately coughed and kept a straight face. The children's outstretched hands immediately froze, and four pairs of eyes looked at Wang Zhong, looking pitifully. Pretty.
Wang Zhong said: "What should I say before eating snacks?"
Several children turned to look at the old couple and said in unison: "Thank you, Grandpa Ma, thank you, Grandma Qu."
Then the four pairs of eyes looked at Wang Zhong again. When they saw Wang Zhong nodding, they threw themselves into the pile of snacks on the coffee table with a smile on their faces.
Watching this scene, the old couple glared at Wang Zhong in perfect agreement, and then called to the children: "Don't be afraid of your father. Grandpa Ma and Grandma Qu are here to support you. If he dares to speak against you, Grandpa Ma will teach him a lesson."
The four children happily said that the old couple was so nice. Zhou Ling also obediently picked up two white rabbit toffees, walked up to the old couple and handed them to them.
Qu Xiuzhen happily hugged the little girl and kissed her hard several times.
Wang Zhong took out two bottles of wine: "Authentic Old Yanjing Erguotou and Niulanshan."
Then there were several bottles of canned fried sauce: "Juan'er learned this from a neighbor's aunt in Yanjing. It's authentic Yanjing fried sauce. It has no flavor when used to mix noodles."
Lao Ma picked up a bottle of Niulanshan and swallowed: "Just right, let's drink one bottle at noon later."
Wang Zhong took out two more cigarettes: "The big Qianmen I bought under the Qianmen building."
But after handing it out, he took it back and warned with a serious look: "Lao Qu, you can smoke, but you have to control the amount, otherwise I won't give it back!"
"Okay, okay!" Qu Xiuzhen impatiently grabbed the front door from Wang Zhong's hand: "A grown man who is so verbose and whiny is not as good as an old woman!"
Wang Zhong immediately complained: "Old Ma, you don't care about this?"
Lao Ma didn't want to think about it but said: "Why is it that only Lao Qu has it, where is mine?"
The old couple are both big smokers.
Before Wang Zhong could say anything, Lao Qu raised his eyebrows and said, "What, you're not convinced?"
Lao Ma snorted, but did not give in.
Wang Zhong and Zheng Juan both had smiles on their faces. This was always the case for the old couple. Bickering was one of their joys.
Wang Zhong took out two more, which made Old Ma so happy that he turned around and went to amuse the children beside the coffee table.
"How's it going? Is Grandpa Ma's family big?"
"It's so big, so big!" He was obviously very cooperative. The Ma family was a modern small Western-style building with a very elegant layout and a large space. After Lao Ma and Lao Qu moved in, they didn't make any changes at all.
"Why don't you go back and live with Grandpa Ma from now on!" Ma Shouchang joked with the children.
The three children all shook their heads in unison.
"Don't you like living in a big house?" Ma Shouchang was a little surprised. These children didn't play by the rules!
It was Zhou Cong who gave the answer: "Grandpa Ma, our home in Yanjing is not small. I still have my own room."
Zhou Cong said like a show off.
"And dad also said that a new house will be built soon. By then, each of us will have a big room. It will be so big."
"That's it!" Ma Shouchang looked like he suddenly understood.
Qu Xiuzhen, on the other hand, glanced at Wang Zhong after hearing this, and asked curiously: "Are you planning to build a new house?"
Wang Chong said with a smile: "It's not like you don't know about my house. It only has two rooms. The family has a large population and a lot of children. How can we live there? These days, Juan'er and I are living in Taiping Hutong with our children. of"
"This is indeed a problem." Qu Xiuzhen nodded and said, "Then what are your plans?"
"What else can we plan?" Wang Zhong said: "First divide the household registration, then apply for a homestead and build a new one."
"Didn't I study architecture in college? If the homestead site is approved, I can design it myself and build a larger one with a yard. When Congcong and the others grow up and get married, it won't be a problem. There’s no place to live.”
"Are you still planning to build a photogrammetric film?" Qu Xiuzhen asked.
Wang Zhong shook his head and said: "What are you doing with the Jianguang calligraphy tablets? It used to be okay, but now the Guangzhou calligraphy tablets are dirty and messy, and the public security is getting worse and worse. I'm thinking about the wording. It's so close to you." Try applying wherever you want and see if you can find a suitable one.”
"Anyway, it's still more than two years before I graduate, so I'm not in a hurry. If I can't find it, I'll live in Yanjing first."
Qu Xiuzhen turned to Ma Shouchang, who was sitting on the ground and playing with the children, and said, "Old Ma, I remember that there is a lot of open space in the south of our compound, right?"
Ma Shouchang nodded: "There are quite a few. They used to be the small villas of wealthy landlords and merchants. The places were all spacious. Although those houses have been returned to them now, the land has always belonged to the country. .”
"But if you want to build a house there, it can't be a mud house like yours." Lao Ma reminded.
The old couple is happy to help Wang Zhong within the scope of their ability and without violating their principles. However, the area is full of small western-style buildings and villas. It would be really a bit awkward to insert a room like a photo album into the area. Affect the overall appearance of that area.
Wang Zhongdao: "Since we are going to build, we must build a house that can be passed down to our children and grandchildren. I plan to use a reinforced concrete frame structure and fill the walls with red bricks. Even if I want to change the style in the future, it will be easy to redecorate."
"Reinforced concrete frame?" Ma Shouchang was slightly surprised: "This costs a lot of money. Are you so rich?"
If it is just red bricks, the price will definitely not be expensive, but if you really want to build a reinforced concrete frame, whether it is steel or cement, the price is not cheap.
"I have saved some royalties from writing books over the years. It should be enough to build a house." Wang Zhong said modestly.
