With the broadcast spreading names like Ping’an, Zi’an, and Ru’an, they became well-known. Of course, the broadcast always regretted the tricky names Liu Yi and May 1st, which Mother Zhang found hard to pronounce.
This is how it goes...
"Xiao Wu, is it ready? May 1st can’t wait anymore." Mother Zhang cradled her grandson, giving her youngest son a reproachful look. Where did his usual cleverness go?
Zhang Guoqing didn’t bother to correct his mother. How nice is the nickname Ru’an! These days, he was often thrown into confusion by these names.
Lin Lishan quickly took the baby bottle handed over by her son-in-law, "It’s ready. We’re here. Go and accompany your father, or go find Da Yi and them to play."
Such a real mom! Zhang Guoqing lifted his head, touched, only to find his mother-in-law didn’t even glance at him, eagerly running to dote on her grandson.
Does she really care about me, or is she disdainful?
On the kang, Zhou Jiao covered her mouth, stifling her laughter, and waved him over.
"Wife..."
Behind others’ backs, Zhou Jiao mouthed silently, "I love you the most."
It seems his own wife is the best. Any favoritism is fake. As soon as his mom and mother-in-law saw the twins, they were grinning ear to ear, forgetting about their youngest son.
"I wonder how Ping’an is doing with his master? Do you want to go over? I’m worried Dad can’t handle the two of them."
Zhang Guoqing recalled the scene he saw yesterday, his face turning strange as he looked outside.
Zhou Jiao looked at him, puzzled.
"What’s up?"
Zhang Guoqing glanced at the three surrounding the twins, whispering, "I’ll tell you, but you can’t sneak out."
He had refrained from telling Zhou Jiao for a day, afraid she’d want to join the fun.
"Even if I wanted to, I couldn’t go."
"Old Hu somehow got two chickens. When I went over yesterday, he had Ping’an holding the chickens for experimenting with medicine. Our son said the chickens were in a state worse than alive yet couldn’t die."
"Pfft," Zhou Jiao couldn’t hold back a chuckle, she could already imagine the chaos in that small courtyard. No wonder Ping’an didn’t bother to come home last night.
What’s there to be amused about?
Zhang Guoqing remembered his son’s gleaming eyes, giving him a headache. His wife was thinking too simply! That unreliable master of hers wouldn’t just stop at a few small tricks.
However, he didn’t plan to say more, guessing that besides drugging the fish at the river at night, there were many more antics. That old man was truly crafty!
Not just Zhang Guoqing, even Mr. Zhang felt he’d gained insight. He had never seen such a, well, he couldn’t say ’irreverent old man’, just hadn’t seen such a childlike elder.
In the hutong courtyard, Old Hu grabbed a handful of golden corn kernels mixed with white rice, waving Ping’an over: "Master will teach you a trick; we can have meat every day without raising pigeons."
Mr. Zhang retreated to the inner room, smiling and crying at the same time. Would his well-behaved grandson turn to stealing? Last night he brought back a big bucket of fish, and this morning he brought back two softshell turtles and a pile of loaches and eels.
Now, he was eyeing pigeon meat.
Old Hu climbed the ladder to the west roof, adding corn, rice, and water to the trap set up there. After climbing down, he dusted his hands, looking at his apprentice’s grandson smugly.

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