The information that Xia Xiaolan couldn’t obtain, Zhou Guobin knew clearly.
Zhou Cheng’s career development wasn’t entirely independent of family connections – at least the Zhou family could access this kind of intelligence.
Pan Baohua was an exceptional person. Initially, Zhou Cheng was assigned to the same location as him. When Zhou Cheng was still new, Pan Baohua was already known as a “big shot,” consistently ranking at the top in annual evaluations.
Pan Baohua’s departure was due to a conflict that left someone disabled.
Though the conflict had its reasons, Pan Baohua had indeed violated discipline. The leadership wanted to protect him, which is why he was allowed to retire early… Otherwise, Pan Baohua would have faced court.
Someone like Pan Baohua could easily become a threat to society after leaving the organization. Though the unit arranged work for him, he never reported for duty. Instead, he gathered others with similar experiences and went south.
Zhou Guobin knew about Zhou Cheng’s close relationship with Pan Baohua. When Pan’s incident caused a major stir, the Zhou family quietly helped, but the opposing party, who had their background, wouldn’t let go of Pan Baohua, forcing his departure.
Zhou Guobin believed that regardless of their past friendship after Pan Baohua left the organization, he and Zhou Cheng should have gone their separate ways. Yet Zhou Cheng maintained close contact with him. Zhou Guobin had warned him before, but unexpectedly, when Zhou Cheng went to Fujian Province to combat smuggling, he became entangled with Pan Baohua again.
The authorities had reason to suspect Zhou Cheng and Third Brother Pan were exchanging intelligence – even Xia Xiaolan had met Third Brother Pan twice, indicating their close relationship!
As a father, Zhou Guobin doubted his son – Zhou Cheng had never been one to follow rules strictly.
Xia Xiaolan believed in Zhou Cheng.
Zhou Guobin felt both comforted and exasperated by such youthful faith.
Because Xia Xiaolan was level-headed, Zhou Guobin felt he could share more details with her. If she hadn’t gone to the Land Forces Academy and found no one, he wouldn’t have even told Guan Hui’e about Zhou Cheng’s isolated investigation.
This was the first time Guan Hui’e heard these details.
The Zhou family men liked keeping secrets. When Zhou Cheng volunteered for the front lines, he acted first and reported later. Neither Guan Hui’e nor Grandmother Zhou knew. By the time they found out, Zhou Cheng had been at the front for over a year – how could they call him back?
During that period, Guan Hui’e suffered from insomnia and neurasthenia, only able to sleep with medication.
The dosage kept increasing, and if Zhou Cheng hadn’t returned, Guan Hui’e might not have held on. After Zhou Cheng was transferred back to Beijing, her neurasthenia disappeared without medication, and she could finally sleep soundly!
This was why Zhou Guobin hadn’t told her.
When Xia Xiaolan expressed her trust in Zhou Cheng, Guan Hui’e strongly agreed:
“Zhou Cheng knows his limits. If Pan Baohua was involved in smuggling, Zhou Cheng wouldn’t associate with him, let alone exchange intelligence. Why did he go to the academy for further studies? Zhou Cheng knows what he’s doing.”
It was to address his educational gaps and to lay low for two years.
Sending this batch of students to combat smuggling wasn’t in the Zhou family’s expectations, but Zhou Cheng wouldn’t rashly seize opportunities, much less exchange intelligence with smugglers!
They couldn’t choose him as deputy leader of the operation and then not allow him to show his capabilities, could they?
Laying low didn’t mean holding back – how many people under his command would get hurt if Zhou Cheng reserved his strength on the battlefield?!
“Aunt Guan, if it’s not true, it’s not true. You can’t make something out of nothing.”
Xia Xiaolan comforted Guan Hui’e, and the two women instantly allied, leaving Zhou Guobin both amused and helpless.
Xia Xiaolan had no reason to worry. With the Zhou family’s influence watching over him, no one could falsely accuse Zhou Cheng. She had met Third Brother Pan herself and trusted both Zhou Cheng and his judgment in choosing friends!
The visit to the Zhou residence wasn’t wasted – at least she learned her boyfriend’s whereabouts.
After discussing everything important, Guan Hui’e inquired about Xia Xiaolan’s recent activities. Learning about her English competition participation, Guan Hui’e was surprised:
“I heard from your Aunt Zhan that this competition is very difficult. Did you make it to the finals? Among so many universities in Beijing, only twenty students reached the finals!”
Guan Hui’e had learned this from chatting with friends.
Twenty finalists from all Beijing universities – even Huaqing University would only get a few spots. She hadn’t expected Xia Xiaolan, a freshman, to be one of them.
Aunt Zhan worked in the Higher Education Department of the Ministry of Education, a colleague of Wang Guangping, whom Xia Xiaolan had met at the social gathering.
Guan Hui’e felt that every time she thought Xia Xiaolan was impressive, the girl would prove herself even more capable, giving her mixed feelings.
After learning about the English competition, Zhou Guobin was also pleased:
“Whether you win or not, participating in such competitions is a great experience!”
Zhou Cheng needed to work harder, or he might fall behind Xia Xiaolan, Zhou Guobin thought privately: Had Zhou Cheng felt pressured and taken risks trying to achieve merit?
Surely his son wasn’t that foolish!
For Xia Xiaolan’s first overnight stay at her boyfriend’s home, the Zhou residence was spacious enough to have a spare room. Before her arrival, Guan Hui’e and Sister Zeng had prepared new bedding.
The thick new cotton quilt was originally made for Zhou Cheng, but since he hadn’t used it, it was now in the guest room.
They had prepared toiletries for Xia Xiaolan, and Guan Hui’e had even left new sleepwear in the room. The Zhou family treated her first overnight stay as a formal matter.
Xia Xiaolan felt this solemnity.
She hadn’t asked whether Guan Hui’e still had objections to her relationship with Zhou Cheng.
But judging from Guan Hui’e’s attention to detail, her attitude had softened.
The Zhou family’s standards weren’t harsh, and Xia Xiaolan felt confident about her future with Zhou Cheng. Beyond their mutual affection, his family was reasonable!
…
While Xia Xiaolan received respectful treatment at the Zhou residence, Xia Ziyun was also staying at the Wang family home. After her engagement to Wang Jianhua, this was her first overnight stay there.
Wang Guangping’s position was two levels below Zhou Guobin’s, and their housing allocation reflected this difference. Ran Shuyu found Xia Ziyun lacking in self-respect, clinging to the Wang family like a leech, and looked down on her.
Like now, after dinner, Xia Ziyun lingered at their home, refusing to leave. Late at night, when Wang Jianhua suggested she stay over, she agreed!
They weren’t married yet, and with Wang Jianhua at home, what would the neighbors think?
Unlike in later times, cohabitation wasn’t common then – unmarried couples sleeping together was unacceptable.
If Xia Ziyun had missed her dormitory curfew, couldn’t she stay with her parents instead? Staying with the Wang family would surely start gossip among neighbors tomorrow morning. In her poor mood, Ran Shuyu spoke harshly:
“Your uncle mentioned that in the National College English Competition by the Ministry of Education, your cousin made it to the finals. That’s truly exceptional – Huaqing University only had four finalists, and she’s one of them!”