"What will happen?"
Zhou Cong walked to the kang and sat down, and asked directly.
Zhou Ming immediately lowered his head and did not dare to say anything more.
Zhou Cong looked at him and said loudly: "What are you afraid of? Just say whatever you think. What are you afraid of? Are you afraid that I will eat you?"
Zhou Ming showed a tangled look on his face: "Brother, I..."
Even his eyes were a little evasive, and he was hesitant in his heart.
"Speak!" Zhou Cong's voice was low, but it gave Zhou Ming an irresistible majesty. "We are a family. If you have anything to say, just say it openly. Let's discuss it together. Don't keep it in your heart."
The Zhou family has always been like this. Even if there is any conflict, it is broken down and discussed.
Zhou Ming looked at Wang Zhong, then at Zhou Ling, and said with great anxiety: "I'm wondering if dad's doing this is a little too much? After all, he is our grandfather."
Zhou Cong nodded slightly, Zhou Cong's consideration was not unreasonable, before he could say anything.
But Zhou Ling next to her had already exploded. She bounced up, pointed at Zhou Ming's nose and scolded: "Zhou Ming, okay! You big traitor, thanks to our dad being so kind to you, why are you elbowing..." "..." He looked so excited, as if he was about to take action if he disagreed with her.
"Zhou Ling!" Zhou Cong glanced at her directly, "What are you doing! Tell me what you have to say."
Zhou Ling pointed at Zhou Ming with an angry look on her face: "Brother, Zhou Ming..."
"Okay, okay! Why, Zhou Ming is not targeting our dad."
Zhou Ming also quickly explained: "I'm just worried that if this matter spreads, others will say bad things about our dad."
"Who dares?" Zhou Ling's eyes widened, as if she was about to turn into minions and transform into a little tigress at the next moment.
"We have other people's mouths, and we can't control what others say!" Zhou Ming said worriedly.
Zhou Cong was quite pleased. Zhou Ming could think so, which showed that he had really matured a lot.
"Whoever dares to talk nonsense, I will smash his windows every day and bully his children to see if he dares to speak ill of our father!" Zhou Ling said angrily.
Now Zhou Ling has become a crazy person who protects her father.
"Zhou Ling!" Zhou Cong heard the black line and scolded him with a straight face.
"Can you look like a big girl?"
"That's all I do!" Zhou Ling raised her head with an angry and arrogant look on her face.
Zhou Cong frowned and his face suddenly darkened: "Huh?"
Zhou Ling changed her face in a second, took Zhou Cong's hand, and said angrily: "Brother, I am also complaining for my father!"
"Well, I don't blame you, big brother!" Zhou Cong is the kind of person who takes the soft side rather than the hard side.
Looking at Zhou Ling, she looked helpless and said: "What Zhou Ming said is not completely unreasonable. Rumors are like invisible knives, which are always the most hurtful. This matter has already happened, and we all must be mentally prepared.
No matter how grandpa treats our dad, he is our grandpa after all. He and grandma gave birth to our dad and raised our dad. In the eyes of outsiders, our dad's behavior is unfilial. "
Zhou Ling drooped her face and looked unhappy: "What kind of world is this! Don't you even know the difference between right and wrong?"
"The grace of having a child is beyond heaven. We can be angry with him, we can oppose his behavior, we can dislike him, but we can't hate him." Zhou Cong said sincerely.
"Actually, there is a reason why our dad made such a decision this time. It's not all because grandpa hit him this time. But you don't know these things, so it's no wonder Zhou Ming has this idea."
Zhou Cong sighed as he spoke, his expression full of sadness.
"What's going on?" Zhou Ling blinked her bright eyes, frowning slightly, a little confused.
Little Tail was also sleepy and crawled to Zhou Cong, pricking up his ears and listening carefully.
Zhou Cong didn't say it directly, but asked: "Did you hear what grandma said today?"
"Grandma said it's like this again, and you're like this again, and it's always like this again. Are you happy that our family has to be broken up?" Zhou Ling immediately learned the lesson.
"Did he treat our dad like this before?" Zhou Ling suddenly felt sorry for her father.
Zhou Mingren is not stupid. He just didn't think of this incident just now, and his expression changed accordingly.
"Bad grandpa, he only knows how to bully daddy." Little Tail also looked angry.
"Hey!" Zhou Cong sighed and said, "Actually, I shouldn't have told you about this, but since something like this happened today, there is no need to hide it, lest you blame our dad for this. Is there any misunderstanding?"
As he spoke, he glanced at Zhou Ming.
"Brother, you should tell me what's going on!" Zhou Ling grabbed Zhou Chong's arm anxiously and shook it.
Zhou Ming and Xiaowei also looked at Zhou Cong seriously.
"I was still young at that time, it was 1978 or 1979, and Little Tails hadn't been born yet. You two were just a little bit older and had just learned to talk and walk not long ago."
Zhou Cong didn't see it with his own eyes at the time, but he heard it clearly outside the house. Afterwards, he quietly asked Li Suhua about what happened that day.
"Grandpa also had a disagreement, so he attacked our father and kicked him far away. I remember that my mother only applied medicine to our father for three days.
It was also from that day that we moved out of Guangzi. At that time, our house had not been built yet, so we had to live in my uncle's house, with the whole family crowded on the same kang.
I heard it clearly outside the house at that time. Although I can’t remember the specifics, I still remember the general situation. My father was so angry that he told my grandfather and uncle about the separation of the family on the spot. Grandpa seemed to be very angry too, and directly Just tell our dad to go away and never look back at the photo album again.
Our family was divided like this. My father didn't want anything, not a house, nor a deposit, so he and our mother took a few of us and moved to our uncle's house. "
"After we went there, our dad never went back to the old house."
"Even when I visited my grandparents during the Chinese New Year, they dropped us off at the door and left."
When Zhou Cong said this, several children suddenly realized that Wang Zhong always used the excuse that something was wrong, but he never said what it was. They didn't ask, so they just believed it. They didn't expect that there was such a thing here. out.
"Hmph!" Zhou Ling snorted, her smile turned red because she was angry.
The little tail smiled and almost stopped crying: "Our dad must be in pain!"
"It must hurt!" Zhou Ling said indignantly: "Our dad has been practicing martial arts since he was a child, and his body is as strong as an ox. In 1978, 1979, my dad was only 27 or 28 at that time. He was still in his prime, so he was still like this He has been on medicine for three days, which shows how serious grandpa is."
Zhou Ming had a stern look on his face, and he had begun to regret the injustice he had just done for Zhou Zhigang: "I'm sorry, brother, I shouldn't have said that without knowing the facts."
"It's okay!" Zhou Cong smiled lightly, imitating Wang Zhong's example, and raised his hand to rub Zhou Cong's head, "You didn't mean it either."
"Hmph!" Zhou Ling pouted, glanced at Zhou Ming, and cursed: "Traitor."
Zhou Ming lowered his head in shame, his expression gloomy.
"Zhou Ling! That's it!"
"Hmph!" Zhou Ling snorted again, turned away, and finally stopped talking about Zhou Ming.
But Zhou Ming was already full of guilt at this moment.
Zhou Cong was quite helpless when he saw this, shook his head, raised his eyes with a look of reminiscence, and continued: "I was not as big as a little tail at that time. Although I was deeply impressed, I don't remember many details very clearly. And at that time, our father asked our mother to take me and you Yueyue outside the house, probably because he didn’t want me and Yueyue to see grandpa beating him."
"Then why did grandpa beat our dad that time?" Zhou Ming asked impatiently.
Zhou Cong frowned and recalled, "Just because grandpa asked our dad to clean the public toilets, my dad refused to go, so he was beaten by grandpa."
"Why did grandpa ask our dad to clean public toilets? Is it because our dad did something wrong?" Zhou Ling asked.
"I was still young at that time, so I just went there because of my fear and didn't think much about it."
Zhou Cong shook his head, "Later, when I got a little older and started to understand things, I only found out the reason by asking around from my grandma and my mother."
"Brother! Can you speak without gasping and finish it in one breath?" Zhou Ling couldn't help stamping her feet anxiously: "People will be anxious to death because of you."
Zhou Cong continued: "The reason is because my aunt's parents said they would visit our house. At that time, my aunt's father was the top leader in our Jiangliao Province, and my aunt's mother was the one we fought against last time. Before retiring, she was also a big leader in the province. Grandma said that after her grandfather knew that they were coming, he immediately asked the family to clean the old house inside and outside, even the streets near the old house. We also asked our dad to clean public toilets."
"Isn't this making a fuss out of a molehill?" Zhou Ling was very unhappy.
Zhou Cong said: "That's why my father is not happy. He said that there is no toilet at home, so there is no need to clean the public toilet. He also said that although my mother-in-law's parents are big leaders in the province, they are here to visit, not to inspect. There’s no need to do any superficial things, just keep the house clean and tidy.”
"Grandpa was not happy and had a few quarrels with our dad, and then he beat our dad."
"Is it because of this?" Zhou Ming and Zhou Ling asked at the same time, even their surprised expressions were exactly the same.
"Yes!" Zhou Cong said: "This is what my grandma and mother said personally. One person may remember it wrong, but it is impossible for both of them to remember it wrong. And I am not completely unaware of this matter."
Zhou Cong just couldn't remember the whole process of that day, but he didn't completely forget it.
"Just because of such a trivial matter, the old man beat our dad up and drugged him for three days?" Zhou Ling changed her name directly. She stopped calling her grandpa and became the old man.
If it was just a small bump, just apply some medicinal wine and some ointment, and it would be fine. Even with Wang Zhong's physique, he had to take medicine for three days. One can imagine how heavy Zhou Zhigang's attack was at that time.
"Yeah!" Zhou Cong nodded and said, "Actually, it's much more than that. If only grandpa had a bad temper and liked to beat people up, with our dad's temper, he wouldn't have ended up like what happened later."
"Why else?" Zhou Ming asked curiously, which was also the doubt in Zhou Ling and Little Tail's mind.
Zhou Cong said just now that it was after that incident that his family moved out of the optical film, separated from Zhou Zhigang and Zhou Bingyi, and they didn't want anything, so they went directly back to Zheng Juan's natal family and their uncle. Squeezed into a house in Taiping Hutong.
You know, there were already Zhou Ming and Zhou Ling at that time. Their family of five, including Uncle Guangming, made a total of six people, living in one house.
Then think about their aunt, who has a family of three and only one room. She thought the place was small, so she left her daughter in their house for more than ten years.
Zhou Cong sighed, his tone full of sighs: "At first, I thought it was because grandpa had a bad temper and an old-fashioned personality, and he was strict with our dad and the others. But later I found out that from when our dad was a child until we were born, grandpa beat him There will always be only our dad."
"Why? Is it because our dad is naughty and disobedient?" The more this happened, the more Zhou Ming wanted to know.
Zhou Ling and Little Tail also looked at Zhou Cong impatiently, their eyes full of questions.
Zhou Cong shook his head and said, "Maybe only grandpa knows the reason."
"In order to pursue love, my aunt ran to Qian Province alone, abandoned her family and parents, and even threatened to sever ties with my grandparents. Grandpa did not lay a finger on my aunt.
The uncle lied to his grandparents and said that the reason why he and his mother-in-law did not want children was because he could not have children. But the fact is that his mother-in-law injured her body when she went to the mountains and went to the countryside. After that, she could not conceive children. Grandpa knew this. Finally, the uncle still didn't move a finger. "
As he spoke, Zhou Cong's eyes were full of doubts: "My dad was beaten severely because he refused to listen to him and went to clean the public toilet." At the same time, he was full of disappointment in his heart.
If it were an outsider, Zhou Zhigang would be partial to them and they would at most give him advice and not say anything. But Wang Zhong is the father of several children. How could the children not be moved by his father's unfair treatment?
"And this time! Although my dad spoke a little hastily, it was for Yueyue's sake. From the beginning to the end, our dad never said a word that Yueyue and her aunt and others were not allowed to return the photos. He just forbids aunt and uncle from talking to each other. Yue Yue uses strength."
"Sometimes I really doubt..." Midway through his words, Zhou Cong realized something was wrong and quickly stopped without continuing.
But Zhou Ling next to her said angrily: "Damn it, isn't our dad his biological child? Why do you do this to our dad!"
"Zhou Ling!" Zhou Cong quickly said with a straight face: "Some things should not be said carelessly." He almost said these words with a bald mouth just now.
"I'm not talking nonsense. If it weren't for this, then brother, tell me why?" Zhou Ling asked loudly without fear.
"If it weren't for our dad, who would have taken care of grandma these past few years? If it weren't for our dad, would my uncle and aunt be able to go to Yanjing to go to college with peace of mind?"
"But it's just that they don't miss our dad's kindness. They are all targeting our dad. Doesn't it mean that our dad inherently owes them?"
"Just because our dad didn't allow my aunt to take away my cousin, just because our dad had a tough attitude towards my aunt and didn't have nice words to say, he took action?"
"He is overbearing and does not distinguish between right and wrong. Don't let me call him grandpa again!" Zhou Ling said everything in her mind.
Zhou Ling was also so angry that she kept talking out loud.
Little Tail also said angrily: "Third Sister, I won't bark anymore!"
After hearing this, Zhou Ling felt better, rubbed Little Tail's head, and praised him: "This is my sister's good brother."
Zhou Ming lowered his head, wishing he could find a crack in the ground to crawl in. Just now, he even thought that his father might have gone too far.
"Okay!" Zhou Cong quickly stopped Zhou Ling: "I'm telling you this not to make you hate anyone, but I just don't want you to misunderstand our dad!"
"Our dad is the best dad in the world!" Zhou Ling pushed the little tail and said, "Little tail, don't you think so?"
"Daddy is the best dad in the world. Grandpa is a bad person, and my aunt is also a bad person." Little Tail said with deep understanding. Little Tail is already over seven years old. He is no longer an ignorant child who doesn't understand anything. He is very aware of the things around him. , have begun to have their own subjective judgments.
"Zhou Ming! What about you!" Zhou Ling's tone was not as friendly as when she asked Little Tail, "Do you still think our dad has gone too far?"
"I'm sorry!" Zhou Ming lowered his head.
"Thankfully my dad didn't hear what you said, otherwise, my dad's heart would be broken by you." Zhou Ling has always been an expert at last-hitting.
Zhou Ming was already filled with guilt, but Zhou Ling's words were like stabbing a knife into his fragile little heart, over and over again.
"I'm sorry!" Tears rolled in Zhou Ming's eyes. Regret, guilt, and countless thoughts rushed into his heart, becoming the last straw that broke the camel's back. Zhou Ming collapsed completely, and his tears fell like rain.
"Zhou Ling!" Zhou Cong quickly glared at Zhou Ling. Zhou Ling snorted and turned away. Although she respected Zhou Cong and was a little afraid of him, that was when she was being unreasonable. If she was being unreasonable, , Zhou Ling's combat effectiveness can be directly maxed out.
Zhou Cong hurried to protect Zhou Ming: "Well, didn't you know before? Dad said that a man is not afraid of making mistakes and corrects them. He is still a man."
"Brother!" Zhou Ming sobbed and said in his final voice, "I'm sorry."
"Okay, okay! Don't be sad."
"Just let dad handle the elders' matters. We won't interfere. Whatever dad decides, we will support him unconditionally." Zhou Cong said.
Zhou Ling said with deep approval: "Brother is right."
"Little Tail, do you hear me?"
"Yeah, yeah, yeah!" Little Tail nodded immediately, "I will always be on daddy's side."
······
In the living room, Wang Zhong smiled and said softly to Feng Yue: "Okay, if something happens, remember not to keep it in your heart alone. Tell your uncle, your aunt, or Congcong. "
"Yeah, I understand!" Feng Yue nodded.
"It's getting late, it's almost time to rest."
"How about you sleep in your grandma's room with grandma and your little aunt tonight?" Wang Zhong did not decide directly, but asked Feng Yue for his opinion.
Feng Yue likes to stay here. In addition to being reluctant to leave Wang Zhong and the others, this is also one of the reasons. Zhou Rong will never talk to her like this, ask her for her opinion, and will only tell her this or that after making a decision.
Thinking of Li Suhua, Wang Zhong sighed, shook his head helplessly, and said, "Your grandma has suffered a lot today! You and your auntie sleep with grandma, talk to her, and comfort her."
"Little uncle, don't worry, grandma will be left to me and my little aunt." Feng Yue assured Wang Zhong, patting her chest.
"Okay, let's go upstairs early!"
"Little uncle, you should also go to bed early."
"go to sleep!"
Watching Feng Yue go upstairs, Wang Zhong was the only one left in the huge living room. Watching Feng Yue's figure disappear at the corner of the stairs, the smile on Wang Zhong's face also disappeared.
He leaned back and lay directly on his back, recalling the scene just now, his face was as heavy as water, and his mood became inexplicably depressed.
Wang Zhong is not a saint and cannot keep calm all the time. At some point, he will lose control.
Today, when I saw Feng Yue who was forced to look like that, she cried like a pear blossom with raindrops. She was soft and weak, petite and pitiful, like a flower bone that had been destroyed by the storm.
She and her daughter-in-law had worked hard to take care of her for more than ten years, and they were reluctant to scold her even once to raise her to what she is now. She was already treated like her own daughter.
If he could turn back time and do it again, Wang Zhong would still make the same choice.
As for Zhou Zhigang, Wang Zhong subconsciously clenched his fists.
He had no feelings for Zhou Zhigang in the first place, but Zhou Zhigang repeatedly challenged his bottom line and attacked him. How could he not be angry? If the children hadn't been here today, Wang Zhong was afraid that he might not be able to resist fighting back. .
As for Li Suhua, remembering that when Zhou Zhigang took action today, Li Suhua stood up without hesitation, slapped Zhou Zhigang in the face, and said those words hysterically, Wang Zhong felt a warm feeling in his heart.
His face, which had no expression at all, changed again, with the corners of his mouth rising slightly.
In the entire old Zhou family, the only one who is truly worthy of his concern and worthy of his affection is Li Suhua.
only.
Thinking of Li Suhua's original work, which caused cerebral hemorrhage due to excessive excitement and lay in bed for several years, Wang Zhong couldn't help but worry.
Worried about Li Suhua's health.
I made up my mind to take Li Suhua to the hospital for a good check-up tomorrow.
Find Lao Ma and go to 131 to check.
As for Zhou Zhigang, from now on, life or death has nothing to do with him.
Second floor, Li Suhua's room.
Zheng Juan also took off her sweater and trousers, lying next to Li Suhua, holding Li Suhua's hands that were rough from years of work and had begun to show wrinkles due to age.
Zheng Juan didn't speak, just held Li Suhua's hand, lay quietly next to Li Suhua, and looked at her.
Li Suhua stared at the ceiling with a sad expression, her eyes were dim and empty, without any brilliance.
The room was completely quiet, except for the breathing of mother-in-law and daughter-in-law.
I don’t know how long it took, but Li Suhua suddenly said: "Juan'er! I'm sorry!"
"Mom!" Zheng Juan tightened her hand on Li Suhua's palm and said softly: "You are not sorry for me, there is no need to say sorry!"
With tears in Li Suhua's eyes, she turned to look at Zheng Juan. The tears in her eyes fell down and wet the pillow: "I'm sorry for you, and I'm sorry for Bingkun."
"If I hadn't dragged him to live here, things like this wouldn't have happened today."
Tears welled up like a fountain and could not be stopped.
"He has been like this for so many years. I have always known it, but I have never stopped him. I have always acquiesced."
Zheng Juan said: "Mom! How can I blame you for this!"
Li Suhua was still crying: "I originally thought that with Congcong, Mingming, Lingling, and Little Tail, he would change. I didn't expect it, I really didn't expect it."
The more he spoke, the more excited he became, and the more tears he shed.
Zheng Juan was also infected by Li Suhua, and she burst into tears: "Mom! Don't be like this. This matter has nothing to do with you. Neither Bingkun nor I blame you."
"sorry!"
"sorry!"
"I'm really sorry!" Li Suhua cried harder and harder, raising her hands to cover her mouth and nose, trying hard not to make a sound.
Zheng Juan was heartbroken. She suppressed her tears, raised her hands to wipe away her tears, and tried to comfort Li Suhua.
I cried for five or six minutes.
