CHAPTER 419: CHAPTER 316: SHIKUMEN

Zhou Jiao and Zhang Guoqing walked for quite a while before finding a public restroom. They changed clothes inside and then came out to board a tricycle.

They stood before the alleyway twenty minutes later.

Looking at the street in front of them, the couple hesitated for a moment, and after confirming the address was correct, they slowly stepped inside.

Shikumen in the French Concession.

In Zhou Jiao and Zhang Guoqing’s imagination, this should have been a terribly messy alleyway. But what lay before them were rows of houses, clean grounds, the laughter and greetings of neighbors, and children at a small book stall at the entrance of the alley.

All of this made Zhou Jiao’s mood exceptionally complicated at the moment.

Everywhere she looked, at any moment, she could perceive Zhou Xiaozheng’s meticulous care and efforts.

The house was small, the neighbors lived in harmony, and the environment was serene—these were preparations he made out of concern she might vanish from the world and become an orphan, unaccompanied by anyone.

At that time, what kind of feelings drove him to prepare all this?

Zhou Jiao wiped away her tears and carefully surveyed her surroundings, hoping to quickly find the home her father had painstakingly built for her.

Soon, a middle-aged woman noticed Zhou Jiao, who wore a sorrowful expression and had reddened eyes. Seeing this, she paused, took several glances at the tall Zhang Guoqing, and then immediately shouted, "Zhou Jiao? You’re Jiao Jiao, aren’t you? Zhou Jiao back from the Northeast, Jiang Family’s granddaughter!"

Seeing Zhou Jiao nodding continuously, the woman was overjoyed and laughed heartily, clasping her hands in front of her mouth and loudly proclaiming, "The Jiang Family’s Nannan has returned from the Northeast."

As her words fell, several elders and children came rushing out of the alleyway.

Though their accents differed, they all asked the same questions simultaneously.

They warmly greeted the couple, pointing the way ahead, escorting Zhou Jiao and Zhang Guoqing forward, joyfully shouting for Grandma Jiang and Grandpa Jiang to come out and see their granddaughter.

Some children up ahead already ran inside, shouting along the way.

Before the black door stood two elderly people with white hair, appearing to be around seventy years old. Supporting each other, they stumbled forward.

"It’s Jiao Jiao, our own Jiao Jiao..."

Grandma Jiang held Zhou Jiao’s hands, her lips trembling, eyes welling with tears as she looked at her expectantly. As Zhou Jiao and her partner called out "Grandpa" and "Grandma," tears kept flowing down.

Grandpa Jiang came forward, took Zhang Guoqing’s hand, and urged his wife and Zhou Jiao inside, excitedly shouting, "Home, let’s go home, let’s get home quickly."

Zhang Guoqing saw how excitedly the elders ignored the neighbors’ greetings, so he quickly invited everyone to come in and sit.

These old neighbors were very understanding. Laughing and pulling their curious grandkids, they politely declined, repeatedly saying to let the family reunite and chat comfortably, reminding Zhang Guoqing to be sure to bring Zhou Jiao over as a guest.

Watching the hospitable neighbors leave, Grandpa Jiang leaned against the courtyard gate. With a contented smile, he kept nodding and said happily to Zhou Jiao, "Looks just like, exactly like your dad, just like your dad!"

Grandma Jiang, pulling Zhou Jiao inside, said, "Much better looking than his dad. Child, when did you arrive? Shall Grandma cook you some noodles? We can talk after eating."

With a cheerful grin, Zhou Jiao said, "Grandma, we just came after eating. Please, don’t trouble yourself. Let me first introduce you—this is my partner, Zhang Guoqing, his nickname is Xiao Wu. We can’t stay here long, a lot of people are at the hotel. We came this time just to see you and Grandpa. My dad couldn’t get time off, he asked me to tell you to hurry up and come to Shangjing City."

Disappointed, Grandma Jiang said, "Not staying the night? The room on the second floor is all clean, you must go take a look."

"Child, go back and tell your dad. Tell him to work with peace of mind; no need to always want us to go over. Now that you two have reunited, we old couple don’t need to keep our jobs just for you. We’re planning to go back to our hometown in these days to return to our roots. Did your dad discuss with you how to handle this house?"

"My dad just wants you to be with him. Why go back to your hometown? Come to Beijing or go with us to the Northeast, both are better than staying at home. My dad said you can’t agree to go back to the hometown."

Zhang Guoqing immediately followed and said, "Grandpa, Grandma, please come back to the Northeast with us."

Grandpa Jiang laughed heartily, "First, Grandpa thanks our grandson-in-law. As people get older, they just want to return home. Let’s first talk about what to do with this house. You two won’t live here in the future. Recently, someone in the alley inquired and offered two thousand. Grandpa thinks you should sell it, keep the money in hand, and life will be more relaxed. Once we leave, this house will be empty, deteriorating quickly if left unattended. What do you plan to do?"

Zhang Guoqing secretly admired his father-in-law’s insight. After viewing the house and surrounding neighbors, he secretly made a decision and subtly nodded at Zhou Jiao.

Zhou Jiao smiled knowingly. She knew that in the past two years, any Shanghai citizens with houses or land in the countryside had been sent back, chasing away many people. How could two completely unrelated elders have a house in the countryside?

If she really agreed, she would indeed be heartless.

Zhou Jiao said with a smile, "No sale! Keep it for Grandpa and Grandma to live in. If you miss home, you can go back and stay for a few days. It’s hard to live in the countryside without grain supplies. There are many old neighbors here, which is nice for some mutual care. In the future, if I come to S City, I’ll have a place to stop."

"Ah... silly child." Grandpa Jiang glanced at his wife, knowing that this matter couldn’t be rushed and still needed to be discussed with the child’s dad. He hoped to return home with his wife to accompany their children underground before they passed away.

He paused for a moment, then continued, "About the stuff upstairs, you need to tidy it up. Some things are too eye-catching if left there. You understand what Grandpa means, right?"

After saying this, seeing Zhou Jiao nod in agreement, he immediately smiled with satisfaction, "Later, you go up and see what’s there. Tomorrow or the day after, Grandma and I will take the neighbors to the market. You two take the opportunity to move out. No problem, right?"

Next, Grandpa will take you two to the street community office and say hello, let them meet you. Don’t say you’re not coming back, just say you’re still studying and see if you can get into a school in Shanghai, understand?"

Grandma Jiang nodded immediately, "Yes, definitely don’t say you’re not coming back. Just say there are many things to deal with in the Northeast, and you can’t make a decision for a while. Once things are settled there, you’ll return."

Zhou Jiao nodded quickly.

Grandma Jiang stood up and took out a key from the drawer, handing it to her, letting the couple go upstairs to have a look.

Stepping on the wooden stairs, Zhou Jiao excitedly grabbed Zhang Guoqing’s hand tightly, her face smiling, imagining the little dress, red shoes...

Opening the left room door, she sees it’s a bedroom. The wooden planks are carpeted, the entire room’s curtains and beddings are pink floral, innocent and romantic. This was her dad’s expectation for her at ten years old.

"Snow White’s little bedroom. Haha... didn’t think Dad still has a childlike heart." Zhang Guoqing laughed aloud. No wonder Zhou Jiao asked him, but her father-in-law said nothing, letting her see for herself.

Zhang Guoqing pulled Zhou Jiao into the room and opened the small wardrobe, "There really is a Snow White little dress! Jiao Jiao, look, all foreign goods. The labels are even in English. Dad blended East and West. This little qipao is really stunning! Our daughter won’t lack dresses in the future."

After saying this, his eyes shone brightly— a whole cabinet of little girl’s clothes, hats, and shoes, comparable to his son Ping’an’s wardrobe!

Zhou Jiao touched the clothes and skirts, wondering where her dad said there were only a few pieces. Luckily she came to handle it. She imagined the mood when he prepared these things, secretly sighed.

She pointed towards the door for Zhang Guoqing, seeing him understand to stand at the door, she thought about it and first lifted the carpet, indeed finding ten US dollars underneath. These old folks are honest people!

Zhou Jiao quickly ran to the desk, crawled under the bed, and dug into the wardrobe. After her treasure hunt ended, looking at the bed covered with gold bars, silver dollars, and US dollars, it really made her laugh and cry. Didn’t her dad worry that in case anything unexpected should happen, it would all be a waste?

Zhou Jiao reluctantly took one last look at the room. She decided to come tomorrow to move everything into space as-is. In the future, she’ll definitely restore it and keep it as a memento.

Upstairs, the two small rooms are about the same size. The remaining little study room is more of a music room. Inside is an imported piano, a famous brand. Once again discovering gold bars and other valuables, Zhou Jiao has become numb.

She felt she should have a good talk with her dad about where his money came from.

Zhou Jiao quickly stored the gold, silver, and valuables in space. Then she took another look around the room. The previous room made her Snow White, and this one aimed for her to become a talented lady?

Zhang Guoqing had no time to enjoy. At the moment, he had begun planning in his mind. How to safely move things without drawing attention? He opened all the windows in the room, suddenly having a bright idea. Sure enough, his father-in-law must have used the window to bring things in— it was impossible to move a piano through the hallway.

He had a plan, now to figure out how to hide it from Lin Lishan. Otherwise, if all those things appeared in the Northeast in the future, it would really be too absurd!

Zhou Jiao leaned close to his ear and whispered about using Huang Yaoguo, the textile factory truck driver, for cover. Seeing his eyes light up with understanding, she knew her role was done.

The couple tidied up everything, took one last look, then went downstairs, looking at the two bowls of noodles on the table, and cheerfully ate them up without delay.

The couple chatted happily with the elderly for a while, agreeing to come back tomorrow morning to move the things.

Saying goodbye to the elderly, Zhang Guoqing and Zhou Jiao followed the family’s instructions to leave on another route. They were even more impressed with Zhou Xiaozheng, realizing they still had much to learn.