novelraw Chapter 1010 - 883: Growing Up, Watching the Show
Chapter 1010 - 883: Growing Up, Watching the Show
It was another weekend. Aunt Chen had taken a few days off to go home because her daughter had given birth. In the snatched leisure of this busy stretch, Zhou Xiaozheng quietly observed Ping’an’s mood for a few days, planning to take advantage of the absence of outsiders to have a heart-to-heart talk with the children.So that afternoon, the whole family gathered in the study on the first floor.
Whenever there was serious business, they entered the study; imperceptibly, this had become a family rule. Even the twins, who were used to being brought to the study by Zhou Xiaozheng for instruction, reined in their casualness, obediently dragging over their little stools to sit.
Zhou Xiaozheng looked at the three brothers lined up in a row, primed for battle, their big damp eyes fixed on him. "No need to be so serious."
That was what he said, but his stiff face and eyes devoid of any smile were still seen clearly by the twins, who didn’t dare relax in the slightest.
Ping’an glanced at his parents and grandmother on the sofas to his left and right, then thoughtfully fixed his gaze on his grandfather’s fingers tapping on his knee—looked like it was going to be a very serious topic.
Sitting there, Zhou Xiaozheng kept his attention on the movements of the three brothers. At this moment, when he noticed that the three children had all focused on his fingers at the same time, he laughed to himself.
He cleared his throat. "Ping’an, Grandpa’s seen that you haven’t been going out these two weeks. Your mood should have settled down a lot by now, right? Do you need me to give you a bit more time?"
Miao Lishan almost burst out laughing. She still remembered how, not long ago, this little fellow actually said he needed to think things over carefully and needed some time for his feelings to settle.
"Grandpa, I’ve put my feelings in order."
Zhou Xiaozheng slanted a look at his wife, who was about to speak, then turned his gaze to Ping’an. "That’s good. Do you have anything you want to tell me?"
Ping’an nodded and looked at the two younger brothers beside him. "You two go first."
The little Liu Yi gave a heavy nod, imitating his grandpa and clearing his throat. "Something’s going to happen in the Big Courtyard too. Right now it’s dangerous both outside and inside."
Zhou Xiaozheng smiled. "Go on."
Encouraged by that smile, Liu Yi swept his small hand in a grand gesture. "Let May 1st add to that."
The adults present almost burst out laughing at the scene. They exchanged glances; those who could turned their heads away, those who couldn’t lowered them. Only Zhou Xiaozheng remained composed, continuing to look at May 1st.
"Mm, that’s right. Very dangerous." May 1st echoed seriously, then explained, "Three more kids are gone from our class. Just like in the city, something happened to their families too."
"Lots of adults in the Big Courtyard are frowning and unhappy. The big boys in the front courtyard have raised their bicycle seats really, really high, and the adults can’t stop them no matter how they try."
"Some big boys even said that if they keep stopping them, they’re sabotaging the great situation, and they’re going to cut ties with the feudal patriarchs in their families. Yesterday, Liu Yi and I followed behind the big brothers and big sisters. They were discussing grabbing a few people in the courtyard to set an example."
Zhou Xiaozheng lowered his eyelids. "And then what did they say?"
"They couldn’t agree. As they talked, they said they should deal with the city first; they can’t let the other group snatch their credit. Then they hopped on their bikes and took off."
"Liu Yi and I came back and told Big Brother. Big Brother said they were looking for death, and that we should just stand aside and watch."
Zhou Xiaozheng nodded in agreement and looked at Ping’an with satisfaction.
Ping’an stood up. "Grandpa, I’ve already told my little brothers not to eavesdrop anymore. If they accidentally follow them out of the Big Courtyard, it’s too dangerous."
Zhou Xiaozheng turned to the twins again. "What is the meaning of ’a gentleman does not stand beneath a dangerous wall’?"
Liu Yi and May 1st immediately stood up and recited in unison: "Unless it be due to fate; accepting what is proper to it: therefore he who knows fate does not stand beneath a cliff wall. One who exhausts his Way and dies, that is proper fate; one who dies in shackles and fetters, that is not proper fate."
"How do you explain it?"
"A gentleman must stay away from dangerous places. This includes two aspects: first, to take precautions before something happens, to sense potential danger in advance and take protective measures; second, once you realize you’re in a dangerous situation, you must leave in time."
After the two brothers finished in unison, May 1st added cleverly, "Plus, Grandma Chen is behind us, so we won’t go out the main gate of the Big Courtyard."
Zhou Xiaozheng nodded in satisfaction. "Sit down. Grandpa believes the three of you are good children who keep your word. Remember Grandpa’s most basic requirement of you: at any time, preserving your life is the most important thing."
The three brothers looked at each other and all broke into happy smiles, nodding toward him.
Since the issue of danger had been raised, Zhou Xiaozheng glanced at his daughter and lowered his eyes. "Your analysis is very reasonable. That deserves praise."
"Big Brother?!"
Ping’an shot a look at his two smug little brothers, who were practically wagging their tails. Silly little brothers, this is just the beginning...
"Next, Grandpa’s going to give the three of you an assignment. This time it’s a bit difficult..." Halfway through his sentence, Zhou Xiaozheng deliberately looked at them without speaking.
"Grandpa, we’re not afraid."
Liu Yi and May 1st nodded at the same time.
Zhou Xiaozheng smiled. "Good. For this assignment, Ping’an, you will continue to stop taking part in those activities..."
Ping’an nodded. He was still young now; if he didn’t go out, no one would question it. These past two weeks he’d used the cold weather and the excuse of taking care of his younger brothers to refuse.
"...As for Liu Yi and May 1st, apart from when your mom and dad take you out, likewise, aside from the nursery, you must not leave the adults’ side on your own. Can you manage not to wander around outside when there’s nothing to do?"
May 1st furrowed his brow and was the first to ask, "Grandpa, is there danger?"
Before Zhou Xiaozheng could answer, Liu Yi rolled his eyes at him and tossed out his catchphrase. "Idiot."
"You’re the idiot! Can’t I even ask?"
"Talking to you is exhausting."
Zhou Xiaozheng didn’t bother with the three-year-olds’ squabble and let out a bright peal of laughter. With the younger generation being this outstanding, that was enough.
The twins stared at him, dumbfounded, then looked at Ping’an, utterly confused. Why wasn’t Grandpa scolding them, and instead laughing so happily?
Zhou Jiao knit her brows and looked at Zhang Guoqing.
The couple could both see the gravity in each other’s eyes. They just didn’t know what exactly could pose a threat to their family’s safety, making his/her father so cautious.
They didn’t need to ask that question themselves.
Zhou Xiaozheng patted each of his three grandsons on the head in turn. "You’re all good children! All right, you can go upstairs and play now."
"Mm, I’m the best. Grandpa, I won’t stoop to Liu Yi’s level anymore."
"Grandpa said we’re all good kids." Liu Yi gave him a disdainful side-eye. "Forget it, forget it. Next time you do something stupid, I won’t laugh at you."
"That’s enough out of you two." Ping’an glared at his little brothers and pulled them away. If he let them keep chatting, they’d probably bicker forever.
Watching his three treasures leave, Zhou Xiaozheng noticed his daughter’s slight frown and chuckled. There was still one more treasure waiting for his explanation.
"All right, stop frowning. You look like an old granny."
"Dad?"
Zhou Xiaozheng gave her a reassuring smile. "It has nothing to do with our family. Very soon, someone’s going to start going after the Liang Family. We can just sit back and watch the show."
Zhou Jiao looked at him suspiciously.
"Use that clever head of yours and think about how to avoid any appearance of involvement. That’s what you should be considering."
There he went again. Eight or nine times out of ten, there was no getting around the fact that her dad had had a hand in it. Who knew when he’d set the whole thing up? Thinking of the preparations she herself had made, Zhou Jiao wondered if her efforts were going to be wasted yet again.