When the rain subsided a little, the few of them made their way to Uncle Zhou’s house.
“Uncle Zhou, are you home?” Xia Fang knocked lightly on the door and asked.
When they spoke at the intersection just now, Uncle Zhou was going out for a walk. He should be back by now.
“Coming, coming,” Uncle Zhou said.
The heavy door opened slowly. When Uncle Zhou saw Xia Zhe, he smiled even more happily.
“Xiao Zhe, when did you come back? Come in, come in!” Uncle Zhou hurriedly invited Xia Fang and the others into the house.
“Grandpa Zhou, I just came back today. The army allowed me to take a vacation,” Xia Zhe said.
He hurriedly pulled Qiao Mei to his side and introduced her to Grandpa Zhou. “Grandpa Zhou, let me introduce you. This is my wife, Qiao Mei.”
Uncle Zhou’s full name was Zhou Sheng. He had been a teacher and educator his entire life and was a high school language teacher. Now that he had retired, he spent his time at the nearby park and played chess. His life was quite comfortable.
He had grown old without having any children. However, the students he taught were all very outstanding and would often come to visit him.
Zhou Sheng only ever loved one person and that person was Xia Zhe’s grandmother. They were originally classmates. However, Xia Zhe’s grandmother liked Xia Jun.
Xia Jun was handsome and well-built, and Xia Zhe’s grandmother married him without any hesitation. Xia Jun also treated Xia Zhe’s grandmother very well. After that, Zhou Sheng did not fall in love with anyone else, and he lived alone without getting married and having children.
Zhou Sheng had always treated Xia Zhe like his own grandson. Ever since Xia Zhe was born, Zhou Sheng had watched him grow up. He always thought about Xia Zhe whenever there was something delicious to eat.
Sometimes, when Xia Zhe got into trouble and was beaten and scolded by Xia Mao, he would run to Zhou Sheng’s place so that Xia Mao would not beat him.
“We met at the entrance of the alley just now. You’re a lucky kid to find such a beautiful and capable wife. Your grandmother would definitely like her very much,” Zhou Sheng said.
Qiao Mei smiled shyly. Xia Zhe also looked at Zhou Sheng in embarrassment.
“Uncle Zhou, have you eaten?” Xia Fang asked.
“Not yet. I’m an old man and I don’t really cook. When I’m hungry, I’ll just grab a quick bite,” Zhou Sheng said with a smile.
“That won’t do. Grandpa Zhou, when I move here in the future, you can come to my house to eat. I can cook well,” Qiao Mei said.
“There’s no need to go through so much trouble. You two just need to live your own lives well,” Zhou Sheng said.
“What trouble? When Xia Zhe returns to the army, I’ll have to stay here alone. When my grandfather comes to live here, the two of you can hang out together and talk to each other,” Qiao Mei said.
Zhou Sheng nodded when he heard what Qiao Mei said.
“Grandpa Zhou, it’s raining today and already so late now. We didn’t buy any groceries, so we’re thinking of having a meal here,” Xia Zhe said.
“Alright, alright, alright. It’s lively when there are more people, but there’s not much food in the kitchen. I’ll go make you guys something to eat.” After saying that, Zhou Sheng wanted to go to the kitchen.
“No need, no need. Grandpa Zhou, didn’t I say that I would show you my skills? I’ll let you have a taste of my cooking today,” Qiao Mei said.
After she finished speaking, Xia Zhe brought Qiao Mei to the kitchen. Xia Fang and Zhou Sheng sat in the courtyard to play chess and drink tea.
“Which family in the capital is Mei Mei from?” Zhou Sheng asked.
“Not from the capital. She’s from a family in the countryside. Xia Zhe took a fancy to her himself and it wasn’t arranged by his family,” Xia Fang explained.
Zhou Sheng was a little shocked when he heard this. Although Xia Jun and Xia Mao did not care about differences in status, Xu Lan was still very particular about it.
“And Xia Zhe’s mother did not say anything?” Zhou Sheng asked in surprise.
Xia Fang sighed resignedly and said, “Don’t you know what Xiao Zhe is like? He got married behind our backs and didn’t let her know at all.”
“Hahahahahaha!” Zhou Sheng laughed loudly.
“Sigh, there’s nothing we can do,” Xia Fang said.
“Good lad. So this is how he got married. As expected of Wu Min’s grandson.” Zhou Sheng picked up his teacup and drank some tea as he sighed.
