CHAPTER 147: CHAPTER 117: LIN FAMILY OF BEIJING (2)

"Grandpa, just say it, everyone is waiting. You haven’t talked about how Zhou Jiao is yet. You just said she’s excellent, but how? A 17-year-old rural girl who’s even seen the big city, how excellent can she be? Hehe, grandpa, are you joking with us?" Lin Family’s eldest granddaughter, Lin Xuelin, said with a sneer.

Beside her, Li Jianjun heard this and rolled his eyes skyward several times. He most disliked hearing about rural versus urban, as if city folks were somehow superior? Who dares say their ancestors didn’t come from the mud? He’s from the countryside himself, is he worse than city folks? Really think those from the countryside are lower class? Not to mention him, his eldest brother-in-law Zhou Xiaozheng is also from the countryside, and who dares to claim they’re more impressive than Zhou Xiaozheng? The Lin Family is only relying on the old man, and that little girl feels superior, yet she can’t even pass the high school entrance exam without connections to enter a work unit?

Mr. Lin glanced at his eldest granddaughter’s dismissive expression, then at his eldest daughter-in-law who shared the same view, and noticed his youngest daughter was rather thoughtful. As for his youngest son-in-law, no need to look at him; even he didn’t like what the eldest granddaughter said.

Mr. Lin exchanged a look with Mrs. Lin, shaking his head in disappointment. The Lin Family truly has deteriorated with each generation. This eldest granddaughter grew up by her grandmother’s side, yet learned nothing useful.

Mrs. Lin rolled her eyes at him, indicating she understood his implication. He was suggesting she hadn’t been a good educator. But the granddaughter has a mother, what was her role here? Moreover, some things come down to genetics and insight. Considering the kind of family her eldest daughter-in-law comes from, what could they expect from the child?

"You old man, hurry and speak! We’re listening to know what that kid is like. We haven’t met her, and a photo reveals nothing about her personality. Shanshan only has this one daughter, what’s on her mind? In these 17 years, she hasn’t even seen her once. We don’t want that child to be upset and cry her way home."

If Lin Lishan were here, she would undoubtedly look at Mrs. Lin full of questions and grievances.

Mr. Lin chuckled coldly, saying, "Upset Shanshan? That girl is protective. If Shanshan sees her father, she should first ask if he has any other children outside, any brothers or sisters? If he does, then don’t go to the Northeast to see her. Jiao Jiao says she can handle her parents not being around, but she won’t tolerate betrayal. Listen to that, from a 17-year-old girl, would it upset Shanshan?"

Mrs. Lin pondered these words and after a moment said, "She has quite a strong personality. Is she quick-tempered? What’s her disposition like? How is she in dealing with people? Is she proud and aloof like Zhou Xiaozheng?"

"She’s like Zhou Xiaozheng. She is wise, strategic, calculating, and inherently proud and aloof, resembling Zhou Xiaozheng in many aspects. Although on the surface, the father-daughter duo differs; he often wears a stern expression while she smiles at everyone. How she interacts with people is very similar. His offspring is his offspring.

Outwardly, she gives the impression of being scholarly. Though Jiao Jiao is petite and seems frail and quiet, she is patient, calm, steady, and magnanimous.

She is extremely talented. Her only hobby is reading. She has no close friends or siblings, just books. Apart from books, she is also adept at embroidery and has learned all the traditional medicinal skills from her grandmother. It’s said she mastered the Three Character Classic and Thousand Character Classic by age three. What’s even more fascinating is that aside from her grandmother and the person she grew up with, Zhang Guoqing, no one knows her background. Everyone just knows Zhou Jiao loves to read.

She is very low-key. She knows how to hide, and she does it well, avoiding trouble whenever she can. Her temperament is gentle, and as long as her bottom line isn’t crossed, everything is negotiable. But once crossed, it’s straightforward and to the point." After speaking, Mr. Lin sighed, lamenting such a wonderful child who desires and is content with simplicity.

Mrs. Lin looked at him puzzled, unable to resist asking, "Why do you sigh over such a good child? Did something happen?"

Mr. Lin sighed again, "Before we even arrived, the young couple had guessed we would visit around those days and predicted Zhou Xiaozheng would return before the year’s end. Do you know how they guessed? Because we suddenly sent more packages this year. They could deduce it from the smallest clues.

There’s also a major event. The day we arrived, something happened that shook the entire county town. That child, how to say – let’s talk about it later.

Not just Jiao Jiao, her fiancé Zhang Guoqing, at 18, handles things with courtesy and composure—noble family heirs are no better. I took him to a meeting, and those old colleagues couldn’t stop praising him. What’s extraordinary is his divine power, easily lifting over 500 pounds with one hand, and he’s bright. After watching Xiao Zhou drive for half an hour, he was driving himself. Yet even with that, he insists on not joining the army, supporting his own way. An outstanding kid. What a pity."

The reactions in the living room were mixed. Mr. Lin looked at his eldest granddaughter’s disdainful face and sighed inwardly. Thankfully, she is a girl, and he still has a grandson; the Lin Family still has hope. Inheritance truly matters. He must discuss with his partner over selecting a granddaughter-in-law carefully, as a good woman can bless three generations.

Lin Liyin was listening intently and hurriedly asked, "Dad, tell us what happened. What kind of event could stir the entire county town?"

Thinking of Zhou Jiao, Mr. Lin burst into laughter, "Jiao Jiao is very famous in the county town. If you mention Zhou Jiao, some might not know her, but say ’golden baby’ to anyone in the town, and they know her. It’s a nickname given to her by others.

And what does ’golden baby’ mean? It’s a playful name that means she singlehandedly supports five families of the Zhou relatives. Wait a moment, I’ll let Xiao Zhou explain the event, and you can learn from it. After hearing, you should share your thoughts. Xiao Zhou, come to the living room."

Xiao Zhou was tidying up the study room, and upon hearing the call, quickly came out, "Commander, do you have any orders for me? The study room is all tidied."

"Nothing, just talk about Jiao Jiao and Xiao Wu’s situation, and tell them what Jiao Jiao said that day. Let these people listen and reflect."

Xiao Zhou hesitated, looking around, "Well, I can’t convey Zhou Jiao’s demeanor. Xiao Fei has written down the speech; would you like to read it yourself?"

Mrs. Lin nodded, indeed this put the child in a difficult position, "Go ahead, bring it over and we’ll read it ourselves. Can you tell us what major events transpired later?"

Mr. Lin shook his head, "Explain first, then they can read it. Start from when we went to the county town up until arriving at her home. Be detailed."

Xiao Zhou chuckled inwardly; the old man had long prepared for today, and just earlier instructed him to remember writing to the Northwest. Seeing everyone waiting, he cleared his throat, sat down, and began detailing the events from the start in the county town to Zhang Family Village, speaking for over an hour. When he finished, the living room fell silent.

Xiao Zhou quietly stood up and returned to the study, bringing back stationery to hand to Mr. Lin. After receiving it, Mr. Lin handed it to his wife, signaling her to read.

The old man wanted to listen again, to further understand this child’s hardships. Watching them cheerfully these days, he almost forgot that despite such an environment, the child hadn’t been led astray, but rather, developed a more open-minded character.

Listening to his wife’s voice, Mr. Lin couldn’t help but reflect on Zhou Jiao’s proud figure standing among the crowd, sighing once more.