After the banquet, the sky had already turned dark. Zhou Xiaozheng and Zhang Guoqing declined the drunken Zhao Dashan’s offer to see them off, and the two made their way through the village using a flashlight to navigate in the dark. The weather had been fine during the day, but at night the temperature dropped sharply. On the way back to Zhang Family Village from the county town, there was no one in sight. The two underestimated the night’s chill. Wearing military coats and braving the strong northern wind, they walked quickly, too cold to speak. The wind cut their faces like a knife, but their physical fitness had always been excellent, so their pace was unaffected. Reaching the village entrance, they both breathed a sigh of relief. Seeing they were nearly home, Zhang Guoqing finally asked him, "Dad, are we going to see Grandma tonight?" "Yes, we must go; I reckon the old couple is waiting for news from me tonight. You don’t have to come; I’ll take your mom with me." Zhang Guoqing looked around to make sure no one was around, then said softly, "Dad, actually about Uncle, should I go to the town police station tomorrow to check? For Grandma’s sake, it’s better for Uncle to be released. Otherwise, I’m afraid her health won’t hold up; she was sick this summer, and her health is just getting better now." Zhou Xiaozheng turned to look at him and said, "You’ve been hesitating all the way because of this? It’s already decided, why would he come out? He deserves what he got. If he comes out, would the others agree?" Zhang Guoqing chuckled and said, "I can go meet him in person. If he extricates himself, it could be minor or major. If he doesn’t come out, firstly, the main house will break up, and Grandpa and Grandma will have no one to take care of them. Secondly, whatever it’s said, he’s still a member of the Zhou Family and Jiao Jiao’s uncle, your own brother. It doesn’t look good." "And you all don’t hate him? He’s the worst of them; letting him off would be too easy. Do you mean to have him put the blame on Huang Zhaodi, let him come out and just take some criticism?" Zhang Guoqing shook his head, "Jiao Jiao won’t hold a grudge. She often says that caring too much about enemies only punishes yourself, and insignificant people should be ignored. Besides, for Grandma’s sake, she would agree with Uncle coming out. No matter if he comes out or not, it doesn’t affect us much. As long as Grandma isn’t worried about her eldest son suffering, it’s fine." ᴛʜɪs ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ ɪs ᴜᴘᴅᴀᴛᴇ ʙʏ 𝘯𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭•𝘧𝘪𝘳𝘦•𝘯𝘦𝘵 Zhou Xiaozheng was silent for a moment, with no reaction. Zhang Guoqing knew he was weighing options in his mind, so he didn’t make a sound and just accompanied him as they slowly walked home. Approaching the main door, Zhou Xiaozheng stopped and said to him, "Then you go see what he says tomorrow. If his attitude isn’t right, don’t bother with him. Also, make sure to finish things cleanly and don’t get yourself involved. As for tonight, your mom and I will go see them and mention in passing that it’s hard to deal with and that we are looking for people." "Okay, rest assured about my work. I’ll head to town first thing in the morning." Zhang Guoqing nodded. After finishing their conversation, the two went directly into the yard and found Lin Lishan pacing in front of the west wing, occasionally looking over. As soon as she saw them, she immediately smiled and said, "It’s really you two coming back. Jiao Jiao said you were coming, but I didn’t believe it. Ah Zheng, your child really has a telepathic connection with you." Zhou Xiaozheng grinned and said proudly, "Of course. The connection between my daughter and me is much stronger than with you. Let’s go inside, you’re freezing out here. You really are silly, waiting inside would be better." He said as he quickly went into the house, "Jiao Jiao, Dad is back. My precious daughter, guess what present I brought you today? You’ll love it." Lin Lishan ignored him and said to Zhang Guoqing, who was behind, "You must be exhausted following your dad around all day today. Go greet your parents first, then come back for some hot soup to sober up." Zhang Guoqing nodded with a smile and turned towards the main room. He could still hear the laughter and conversation between Zhou Jiao and her father. He chuckled inwardly, thinking about how similar this father and daughter were in temperament and taste, truly a pair of kin. Lin Lishan came in just in time to hear Zhou Xiaozheng talking about the study in the new house and was thrilled. She eagerly chimed in, "Brother Zheng, did you say the study has two large bookshelves? And lots of books inside too? That’s wonderful. Our Jiao Jiao loves that kind of thing. Tomorrow, I’ll look in the county to see if there’s someone who makes sofas professionally? Putting a soft sofa in the study will allow Jiao Jiao to read comfortably." Zhou Jiao said to Lin Lishan, who had just entered, "Mom, aren’t you afraid of spoiling me? You don’t need to fuss. This is unfamiliar territory, and it’s troublesome to find people for things." "It’s not a bother; I’m happy to do it. I’ll just take these few days to see what else we might need. Brother Zheng, please continue." Lin Lishan said eagerly to him. Zhou Xiaozheng took the glass of water Zhou Jiao handed over, took a sip, and continued to talk in detail about the small courtyard in the county. He intertwined his explanations with how to identify antiques and how to maintain them. He spoke of the previous owner’s meticulousness in aspects like the kitchen basement, fire walls, and furniture decorations, and shared his own analyzed insights.