Zhou Mei, Mr. Zhouâs niece, grew up in the Zhou Family. Since Mr. Zhou and his wife had no children, they treated Zhou Mei like their own daughter, giving her the best of everything.
Who could have expected that with the onset of this movement, the first person to stand out and accuse Mr. Zhou would be his own niece, Zhou Mei.
Mr. Zhouâs wife was so enraged that she fainted on the spot and subsequently fell ill, never recovering. By the time Mr. Zhou was sent here, she had already passed away.
When Mr. Zhou first arrived here, he was like a broken man. If Yao Ruanqian hadnât taken care of him secretly, he might have died long ago.
Now, after finally persevering through hardships to see hope again, this vile woman appears and stirs up trouble anew.
Gu Lingling now wishes she could slap Zhou Mei a few times.
"Grandpa Zhou," Gu Lingling said with heartache, "You still have me. You always say Iâm your real granddaughter, but is this how you treat your real granddaughter?"
"How can those people compare to me? Or are you just saying that and, in truth, theyâre closer to your heart?" Gu Lingling deliberately pouted as she spoke.
Although she didnât know what the letter said, it clearly gave Mr. Zhou a feeling of despair, making him want to teach her everything before self-abandoning.
Thinking of this, Gu Lingling felt very saddened.
How are these family? Theyâre clearly butchers!
"Grandpaâs just deluding himself and didnât think it through." Mr. Zhou, hearing Gu Linglingâs words, suddenly realized that he had been too narrow-minded in the past.
He always claimed he treated Gu Lingling as family, yet when he received Zhou Meiâs letter, he was enraged by these so-called relativesâ shamelessness, considering just living out his life like this.
"Grandpa, have all my words been in vain?" Gu Lingling helplessly spread her hands, "Have you forgotten what Iâve said?"
"You spoke so much, how should Grandpa know which words youâre referring to?" Mr. Zhou truly didnât know what she was talking about.
"Let me tell you," Gu Lingling leaned in and whispered, "Next year, by the latest the year after, you can return to the Capital City."
Now, itâs nearly August, and by next October this movement will completely end, followed by a wave of people returning to the cities. People like Mr. Zhou, who are high-level intellectuals, are exactly the talents the country needs.
So he will soon be welcomed back.
"You little rascal." Mr. Zhou thought about the things mentioned in the letter, and smiled as he tapped Gu Linglingâs forehead, "No need to comfort Grandpa like this; Grandpa really has thought it through now."
"Grandpa, Iâm really not lying to you," Gu Lingling said, "I donât know how to make you believe me, but regardless, in just over a year or two at most, youâve endured so many years already, whatâs two more years to fear?"
Mr. Zhou laughed.
Indeed, whatâs there to fear?
"Alright," Mr. Zhou waved his hand, "But we should still keep up with our studies, donât think you can slack off just because youâre young; many years have already gone to waste."
Gu Lingling knew that the waste Mr. Zhou referred to wasnât about her, but about her peers in this era.
But thatâs just how the times are; she can only care for those who matter to her.
As for Zhou Mei, although Gu Lingling canât go to the Capital City now, sheâs already made note of her in her heart.
In the future, if thereâs a chance, she certainly wonât let that woman go.
This adds Zhou Mei as another person Gu Lingling dislikes, beside Wang Meili and her daughter!