After the guests dispersed and the slightly tipsy Zhou Xiaozheng was settled, Zhou Jiao’s face became increasingly radiant with laughter, unable to hold back any longer.
——Her dad said his little sweetheart finally didn’t have to leave fingerprints on things, finally made it through five years, and as a father, he was extremely, extremely happy.
Zhang Guoqing followed up, "Wife, I’m also very happy, extremely extremely happy."
Standing in the courtyard, upon hearing this, Zhou Jiao burst into joyful laughter once again. Not because she had a good job, but because she understood that her dad and the man beside her were happy for her escape from farm work.
"Jiao"——from this name, she again felt the unwavering fatherly love. Her dad’s greatest hope was nothing more than for her to lead a life filled with the sentiment of "Jiao."
"Brother, I’m the ’Jiao’ in ’Scenery so charming,’ not changing my name!"
Under the night sky, Zhang Guoqing tenderly touched her head, looking at her sparkling eyes, "Alright!" The meaning behind her words was manifold, but he understood.
Earlier, there wasn’t a lack of ignorant youngsters pointing at his wife’s name with a self-satisfied look, only to be confronted by her face-to-face, finally granting him some peace.
Next, perhaps there would be more storms ahead, but he had confidence. As long as he could hold her hand, even in hell, he would carve out a bright path.
Zhou Jiao bowed her head to look at the tightly held right hand, extending her left hand to cover it firmly. The strength of the two hands was warm; with him there, she was fearless!
After standing for a while, once she felt calm, Zhou Jiao pulled him to check on their sons before heading to the bedroom, handing him the shoulder bag. Tonight, she’s going to reply to many, many letters.
"Tomorrow, after registration, we’ll first deliver the good news to Dad and Mom."
"That’s good, Xiao Mi should visit in these days. This time, letting her deliver the message can save us some money. Aunt Sun has already been worried about running out of milk powder."
After joking around, as usual, Zhang Guoqing first checked Mr. Zhang’s letter.
Sister-in-law Lin Juhua and second sister Zhang Meihao both had daughters in May.
According to Mr. Zhang, the Chen Family parents were overjoyed, bragging to acquaintances now and then. In contrast, his second brother and sister-in-law’s attitude towards their little daughter was far different.
Finally, they asked whether their jobs were confirmed and if they would take a trip back home with the three kids during summer vacation?
After reading Mr. Zhang’s letter, Zhang Guoqing winked at Zhou Jiao, "Any thoughts?"
"No wonder Zhang the Second didn’t send a telegram to announce the good news. How come he still favors sons over daughters? Having two sons and two daughters is great! Two is good enough, old-fashioned!"
"He’s just sick!" After cursing his second brother, he still opened the other’s envelope, planning to see what he had to say. After reading, Zhang Guoqing was amused.
"How does he have the nerve to say he’s worried I’d envy him for having a daughter, hence didn’t send a telegram to irritate me? Do I even care? Can his girl’s child measure up to my son?"
Zhou Jiao shook her head speechlessly. Okay, this one seems to prefer sons too. What a situation!
"Forget it, don’t stoop to his level! Jiao Jiao, you first look at the second brother’s letter, he mentioned Zhou Xue’s son there. Isn’t that child about the same age as Ping’an?"
Zhou Jiao nodded.
"If it were Yuanyuan and her husband, they’d have told you long ago. Just different personalities."
Zhang Guoqing nodded and took out pen and paper to reply. For the two close friends, there wasn’t a need to send a return letter; by the time it reached them, they’d already be at work.
"What do you say about me becoming a true soldier after tomorrow’s registration, shouldn’t the plaques hang on both courtyards back home?"
Zhou Jiao was startled by his words and made a stumble. Couldn’t he be a bit more secretive in his scheming, already plotting before even registering?
"Also, remember during registration to see if they assign you level 22 or 23? With a prior first-class merit, barring any accidents, essentially turning regular at level 22 with fifty-six yuan; level 23 only has forty-nine plus change."
"Adding various subsidies, our combined salaries are quite substantial indeed. Hospitalization free, daycare for three sons free, and holiday benefits. Truly worthwhile, I’ll strive for a day to ride a small car for free!"
"First time earning thirty-two yuan back then, I was thrilled for an entire day, truly thoughtless! Such great news must tell Dad and Mom, their youngest son’s family truly secured the iron rice bowl."
"No wonder Taozi said in the letter he woke up laughing. Of course, the young couple has no burden, no kids, dining out fearlessly."
As Zhang Guoqing murmured along, working on replies, Zhou Jiao couldn’t help but giggle softly. This fool hadn’t been as happy even when moving bags of cash home from the black market.
Indeed, it feels different getting validated the rightful way!
Following his train of thought, Zhou Jiao increasingly felt life was quite nice indeed. No wonder Fang Fei and others said their years of waiting couldn’t match university graduates being regularized so promptly.

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