Joint Trial
The remaining snow in the compound had not yet melted, and the branches were covered in shattered jade-like frost. Zhan Bo called everyone out into the courtyard to take a family photo. The Zhan family had more and more people now. Zhan Aiping and her husband came out with their two children. Zhan Mingzhao and Gu Xiangyi stood under the eaves sweeping snow. Zhan Aijia held her child and frowned as she looked out the window. “Gangzi isn’t even here. What family photo are we taking?”
Her husband had not come.
“Little Gu, come, stand in the middle with me.” Zhan Bo enthusiastically called Gu Sheng over. Gu Sheng cooperated and unfolded the banner that read “Family harmony brings prosperity.”
Zhu Jiaorong stood beside Zhan Bo with Zhan Mingkang. Zhan Mingkang curled his lip, while Zhu Jiaorong made him hold the end with the word “prosperity,” hoping he would have a good future.
Zhan Aiping stood beside Gu Sheng, each of them holding a child. Her younger brother Zhan Mingzhao and Gu Xiangyi stood beside them. Zhan Aijia stood alone next to Zhu Jiaorong, holding her child.
The whole big family gathered together like that.
Their neighbour He Qiang came to help take the photo, and several neighbours from the compound came to watch the excitement.
Old Chen, wearing a grey cotton-padded jacket, stared at the “Family harmony brings prosperity” banner, then looked at the large Zhan family. There was no shortage of handsome men and beautiful women among them. When his gaze landed on Zhan Aiping, her brother, and Gu Sheng, his heart turned unbearably sour.
Old Chen sneered inwardly. This fractured big family, and they still dared write “family harmony brings prosperity”?
Although he cursed the Zhan family for their fake harmony in his heart, Old Chen was still extremely envious and jealous of the cheerful Zhan Bo.
That useless, face-loving Zhan Bo had far too good a life. He was far too good at marrying off daughters. Both his daughters had married regiment commanders with boundless prospects. Even his eldest son was dating the Gu family’s daughter.
Unlike his own daughter, who had thrown herself at a useless poor boy.
Old Chen felt bitter. After the Zhan family finished taking their photo, he spoke sourly into Zhan Bo’s ear. “Old Zhan, your children are very good at finding partners.”
Zhan Bo grinned so widely his mouth could barely close. “My children have good judgement.”
“Of course, it’s also because I educated them well.”
The jealousy inside Old Chen grew stronger, burning like a raging fire. Unable to hold back, he said sarcastically, “That’s true. If this were ancient times, Old Zhan, you’d be the emperor’s maternal uncle.”
“As for me, the children I taught are foolishly upright. None of them can do such flattering, ingratiating things.”
Zhan Bo felt uncomfortable. What did he mean by “such flattering, ingratiating things”?
“Old Chen, our Zhan family all live openly, honourably, and uprightly. We’re unlike some families who shirk hardship, avoid difficulty, and fear suffering.”
“My eldest daughter followed the army to the borderlands. My eldest son voluntarily went to the countryside as an educated youth. Even my youngest son, I’m going to send him up to the mountains and down to the countryside as an educated youth too.”
Zhan Bo glanced sideways at Old Chen. “Some people, relying on connections, arrange jobs for their children… Aiyo, the organisation sees all these things.”
Zhan Bo said righteously, “Our Zhan family would never do such shameful, unpresentable dealings!”
Old Chen nearly choked. His face instantly reddened. He had indeed arranged jobs for all his children and found ways for them to avoid going to the countryside. He froze. “You—you’re sending your youngest son to the countryside as an educated youth?”
Back then, when Zhan Bo had sent Zhan Mingzhao to the countryside, many people had sighed behind his back. As expected, once there was a stepmother, there would also be a stepfather. This stepfather had sent his own son into the fire pit.
Now—Zhan Bo was actually going to send his youngest son to become an educated youth?!!
Was this “righteousness over family”? No, no, no. Did he actually have such correct thinking?!
If Zhan Bo really sent Zhan Mingkang to the countryside as an educated youth too, even the leaders would view him more favourably.
Zhan Bo said grandly, “Of course. How could the children of my Zhan family fear hardship or exhaustion?!”
Old Chen: “…” This man surnamed Zhan was probably mad.
He wanted face so badly he was losing his son!
If his youngest son went to the countryside as an educated youth, he would become a farmer. His entire life would be ruined!
Then again, both daughters had married regiment commanders, and his eldest son was marrying the Gu family’s daughter. The remaining youngest son could be ruined, and it would still just be ruined.
Old Chen looked deeply at Zhan Bo and thought: once someone becomes a stepfather once, he can become one a second time.
“I’m not as good as you.”
“Old Zhan, don’t just make empty promises. I’ll be waiting to personally see you send your son to the countryside as an educated youth.”
“If you can’t bear to do it in the end, Old Zhang and I will laugh at you every day.”
Zhan Bo snorted. “Just wait and see.”
He had already boasted out loud. For the sake of his face, he had to send Zhan Mingkang to the countryside as an educated youth.
Zhan Aijia overheard some of it and ran to Zhan Mingkang, taking joy in his misfortune. “Little brother, you’d better be careful. Dad wants to send you to the countryside as an educated youth.”
Zhan Mingkang felt no sense of crisis at all. “You’re listening to Dad talk nonsense. Mum definitely won’t agree.”
Zhan Mingkang was very confident because he knew his mother absolutely could not bear to let him go to the countryside and suffer.
What Zhan Mingkang did not know was that, at this moment, his mother was also hoping he would go to the countryside for re-education and strive to make something of himself.
After taking the family photo, Zhan Aiping and the others stayed at the Zhan family home for another day. Zhan Aiping and her brother secretly burned incense for their mother, Ai Feihong. Now that “monsters and demons” were being overthrown, holding memorial rites for ghosts and spirits or burning paper money was extremely taboo, so they could only do it secretly.
After lunch, they set off again for the Gu family. Once they left the Zhan family, Gu Xiangyi became overjoyed. The smile on her face could not be stopped. Now that they had left the Zhan family, did that mean she had finished meeting the parents?
“I was almost suffocated!” Gu Xiangyi had listened to their verbal sparring and desperately wanted to join in and say a few words, but she could not, because she had not yet become a daughter-in-law of the Zhan family.
If she could not hold back and spoke, what if they thought she was a fierce “daughter-in-law” and refused to let her through the door?
A little impatience could ruin a great plan.
“Brother, I learned from you. A little impatience can ruin a great plan.” Gu Xiangyi smiled. “I performed pretty well at the Zhan family, right?”
Gu Sheng: “…”
Beside him, Zhan Aiping could not help laughing. “Once your little sister marries in, I have a feeling there’ll be a good show to watch. Your little sister really is someone who enjoys watching chaos grow.”
Gu Sheng laughed and wrapped an arm around his wife’s shoulders. “You say that as if you’re not like that too.”
Zhan Aiping said, “I’m a proper, serious person.”
Zhan Mingzhao: “…”
Thinking that they were about to go to the Gu family, Comrade Zhan Mingzhao was now the only one who was nervous, gloomy, and unable to speak.
Zhan Mingzhao said weakly, “How many of your brothers are coming back for New Year?”
One older brother-in-law was already enough to kill a man, and now he had five of them.
Gu Xiangyi said, “Only my second brother isn’t coming back this year. Second Brother and Second Sister-in-law’s child is too young, so travelling thousands of miles isn’t convenient… Don’t worry. My eldest brother, third brother, and fourth brother are just three bachelors.”
“Only Little Brother and I have partners!” When Gu Xiangyi said this, she was extremely proud. She had finally risen up and could sing the song of liberation. She, Little Sister Gu, was bringing a partner home too!
Zhan Mingzhao’s vision went dark. “That’s not the issue.”
“If you had five older sisters, I wouldn’t be so afraid.” These were five older brothers.
If his partner had five older sisters, for Zhan Mingzhao, that would be nothing. He could deal with them in minutes.
Zhan Aiping: “…”
As expected, those were words worthy of a friend of women.
Gu Sheng said, “What a pity. I’m her fifth brother, not her fifth sister.”
Zhan Mingzhao said, “Brother-in-law, spare me.”
“Brother-in-law, if you love my sister, you have to love me too.”
Goosebumps nearly rose all over Gu Sheng. “…?!”
Veins practically popped on Zhan Aiping’s forehead. “Don’t act spoiled toward your brother-in-law!”
Gu Xiangyi fell into a shameful silence for a moment. “Should I say thank goodness he’s a younger brother-in-law and not a younger sister-in-law?”
“Sister-in-law, if you love my brother, you have to love me too!”
Zhan Mingzhao’s scalp tingled. “Then should I say thank goodness she’s a younger sister-in-law and not a younger brother-in-law?”
Gu Sheng: “…If you were my younger brother-in-law, I’d tear you apart with my bare hands.”
Zhan Aiping linked her arm through Gu Sheng’s. “Let’s ignore those two. They’re birds of a feather.”
“Mingzhao, after you leave the army, are you going to work as a tea picker at the tea factory?”
Zhan Mingzhao said, “That’s my plan. I’m just afraid my brother-in-law’s family will look down on my job.”
Gu Sheng said, “Not really.”
Zhan Aiping said, “Isn’t the tea factory also an import-export branch company? I don’t think the leaders will waste your talent.”
With Zhan Mingzhao like this, why would he pick tea? He was clearly suited to receiving foreign guests and discussing business with people.
Gu Xiangyi asked curiously, “Then what should he do?”
Zhan Aiping said, “Sell tea.”
Zhan Mingzhao: “Be a shop assistant?”
“Something like that.”
Zhan Aiping thought her younger brother was most suited to sales. He would definitely be able to coax all the uncles, aunties, and young girls into a daze.
*
At this time, there were more people in the Gu family home. The atmosphere was proper and solemn, with no New Year feeling at all.
The eldest, third, and fourth brothers had all returned. Old Fifth, Gu Sheng, was already nearly thirty, so none of the brothers above him were young. Yet the three brothers sat on the sofa as three stern, serious bachelors without partners.
Among them, the third brother looked at his eldest brother on the left, then at his fourth brother on the right, thinking how out of place he was.
It was as if he had been given the wrong number in line.
Third Brother Gu looked at his watch, hoping Old Fifth and Little Six would hurry back. He really could not stand this much longer.
Originally, Third Brother Gu had not planned to return home. As a divorced man, what was he going back to his old home for during New Year? To be criticised?
Unfortunately, precisely because he had divorced, Old Gu had issued a final order that he had to come home.
Third Brother Gu: “…” He was the first divorced man in the Gu family. Originally, he had thought the first man to divorce would be Old Fifth. Unexpectedly, it had turned out to be himself.
He had been careless.
Comrade Old Gu and his eldest brother very much disapproved of his behaviour and took turns educating him.
Third Brother Gu crossed one leg over the other. So what if he was divorced? At least he was better than the two old bachelors beside him.
Eldest Brother Gu glared at him. Third Brother Gu curled his lip and had no choice but to sit properly. The three brothers sat upright and solemnly, backs straight, standing like pines and sitting like bells.
Qin Ying had just come home after buying vegetables. When she saw the scene in the living room, she immediately felt a little dizzy… These three sons were already quite old, yet none of them had partners or children. With these three bachelors sitting together, what did it look like?
Other families were lively and bustling, filled with women, children, laughter, and reunion. But their Gu family? Several grown men sat together in stern seriousness, somehow turning the home into a meeting room.
Qin Ying swallowed, and a phrase involuntarily surfaced in her mind—“three-court trial.”
With this formation, outsiders would not dare come to their house as guests. There was no warmth of home at all.
Once Gu Ze’an returned, the father and sons could directly hold a full meeting.
Qin Ying went to the kitchen to put down the vegetables, clicking her tongue. “It’s New Year. Can’t you lot smile a little?”
Eldest Brother Gu pushed up his glasses, thinking that since their little sister was bringing a partner home for the first time, as her older brothers, they could not behave frivolously.
With five older brothers-in-law above her, just thinking about it would make a man’s legs go weak. No wonder no one had dared marry Gu Xiangyi before.
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