Chapter 48: Zhou Zheng

Throughout history, going to the zoo has always been one of the favorite activities for children.

By the 1970s, zoos were already quite well-developed and housed a variety of animals.

This city zoo, though not very large, featured a variety of animals, including elephants, tigers, lions, leopards, monkeys, peacocks, pythons, and hundreds of other species.

The capital’s zoo, for instance, had even housed rare animals like pandas since the 1960s.

However, at this time, the people’s basic needs were not yet fully met, and most of the animals in the zoo were thin and undernourished.

Chenchen loved the monkey hill the most. Watching the monkeys jump and play around, he clapped his hands joyfully. Su Taotao gave him some snacks to feed the monkeys, and his big eyes turned into little crescents as he happily fed them.

Fu Yuanhang liked elephants the most. He even reached out to touch the elephant’s trunk and then took out some paper and a pen from his backpack, sketching an elephant. He wrote the word “elephant” beside it.

Fu Yuanhang’s handwriting had been taught by Fu Zhengtuu and was quite good.

After that, whenever Fu Yuanhang saw an animal, he would sketch it. If he didn’t recognize the animal, he would ask Su Taotao and label each animal with its name.

With just a few strokes, he could bring the animal to life on paper.

Su Taotao hadn’t known about this hidden talent of Fu Yuanhang’s before their visit to the zoo.

In her previous life, Su Taotao had also studied sketching, but she couldn’t help but think—sometimes, talent matters more than hard work. The end point of your effort might just be someone else’s starting point. Look at how gifted he is.

“Xiao Hang, you draw very well. We’ll find a chance to send you to learn painting.”

Fu Yuanhang, holding his sketchbook, was a little embarrassed. “I just drew randomly.”

Su Taotao smiled brightly. “Even if you just drew randomly, it looks this good. If you drew seriously, how amazing would it be?”

Fu Yuanhang’s face turned red.

Su Taotao stopped teasing him.

Chenchen, holding his father’s hand, stood on tiptoe to see his little uncle’s drawing.

Fu Yuanhang showed it to him.

The little guy tilted his head, stared for a while, then nodded, acknowledging his little uncle’s skill. “Looks like~~”

At this, Fu Yuanhang’s ears turned red.

Fu Zhengtuu realized he had once again failed as an older brother. It was only today that he discovered his younger brother had a talent for drawing.

If he had discovered it earlier, if he had introduced him to art sooner, perhaps his brother would be even better now…

But, then again, it wouldn’t have helped much if he’d discovered it sooner. Back then, there wouldn’t have been any opportunity to learn.

Fu Zhengtuu patted his brother’s head. “Very good.”

Fu Yuanhang had always admired his older brother, and hearing this approval from him made him happier than anything else.

The family of four only stayed at the zoo for a little over two hours. When they left, the two little ones still seemed to want more.

Su Taotao promised to take them to other city zoos next time.

It was around dinnertime when they left the zoo. The lunch at the previous restaurant wasn’t to their taste, so Fu Zhengtuu took them to another one.

This time, they didn’t order stir-fried dishes but went for noodles and dumplings instead.

Not only the two little ones, but even Fu Zhengtuu, who had only returned a few days ago, found that his taste had been spoiled by Su Taotao’s cooking.

It seemed that nothing could taste as good as what Su Taotao made.

Apart from the county’s best restaurant, which had improved under Su Taotao’s guidance, it was hard to find other state-run restaurants that could win their approval.

Chenchen ate a few dumplings, then had an egg and an ai ci (a kind of glutinous rice cake), which finally filled him up.

Su Taotao didn’t eat much either. The remaining food was finished by the two brothers, adhering to their principle of not wasting food.

After dinner, they arrived at the train station around 8 p.m.

When they got to the parking lot, someone was already waiting there.

The person who took the car keys from Fu Zhengtuu looked at Su Taotao and the others with disbelief.

He sized them up with curiosity, his gaze straightforward, making it not uncomfortable to be looked at.

Zhou Zheng thought to himself, these people must have some kind of special background—big, medium, and small—all so good-looking.

He gave Fu Zhengtuu a subtle nod. “Not going to introduce them?”

Yes, this man was Zhou Zheng, Fu Zhengtuu’s university classmate, and the grandson of Fu Zhengtuu’s retired boss. The car was something Fu Zhengtuu’s former boss had insisted he take.

The two had been like brothers, sharing a bunk bed in university. Fu Zhengtuu’s character was something Zhou Zheng knew well.

His life was all about work, and he would never do things like picking up his colleague’s wife and children.

Fu Zhengtuu succinctly introduced them: “My wife, my son, my brother.”

Then he turned to Su Taotao. “My university classmate.”

Su Taotao: “…” So they’re not even worthy of names, huh?

The fact that Zhou Zheng was willing to lend Fu Zhengtuu his car and give him such a friendly reception showed they had a strong relationship.

Su Taotao smiled politely at the university classmate, who might be close to someone she knew. “Hello, I’m Su Taotao. This is my son, Chenchen, and our younger brother, Fu Yuanhang.”

Zhou Zheng’s eyes went wide, almost as big as copper bells. He stuttered, his tongue tying itself in knots. It took him a while to spit out, “Hello, I’m Zhou Zheng.”

Then he turned to Fu Zhengtuu, cursing loudly, “When the hell did you get married? Why didn’t I know you even had a kid?”

This guy was impossible!

Zhou Zheng prided himself on being Fu Zhengtuu’s closest friend and couldn’t accept the fact that Fu Zhengtuu had married and had a child without telling him.

Fu Zhengtuu thought, I just found out a few days ago that I have a child. How would you know?

As for getting married, that was something they had hurriedly done. They had a quick ceremony, and then he got sent off on a mission, working on project deadlines. He had been away for over two years and hadn’t even had time to pick up their marriage certificate. He had almost forgotten that he even had a wife at home. How could he have told Zhou Zheng?

Fu Zhengtuu glanced at Su Taotao. Yes, they hadn’t registered their marriage yet.

Fu Zhengtuu felt guilty, feeling bad for them, especially for their son.

Fu Zhengtuu wasn’t one to engage in small talk. He picked up two large bags and was ready to head into the station. “We’ll talk later.”

Zhou Zheng: “…”

Zhou Zheng blocked his way. “Does the old man know? What about the others at the base?”

This was a pointless question because, of course, they didn’t know.

Before leaving, the old man had even asked Fu Zhengtuu to visit and introduce his cousin to him.

But Fu Zhengtuu just quietly kept everything to himself, got married and had kids, and didn’t even mention it.

Zhou Zheng couldn’t let it go. He had to ask: “When you got married, did you report to the old man? Did you tell anyone else at the base?”

Fu Zhengtuu looked at him, still a little frustrated. “If someone saw my marriage announcement, they would know.”

Zhou Zheng clicked his tongue twice, pointed at Fu Zhengtuu, and gave him a thumbs-up. “You’re something else!”

He rummaged through his pockets for a while but couldn’t find anything prepared, not even a candy. In the end, he pulled out a big red envelope and handed it to Chenchen. “Chenchen, right? Uncle didn’t bring any presents, but here’s some money for you to buy candy.”

Chenchen was a bit shy, and though he had become more outgoing thanks to Su Taotao’s teaching, this was his first encounter with such a situation. He turned away and hugged Su Taotao’s neck, not wanting his money.

Su Taotao was speechless. She couldn’t understand how Zhou Zheng, such a social butterfly, could get along with Fu Zhengtuu, given that their personalities were so different.

Fu Zhengtuu took the red envelope and stuffed it into Chenchen’s pocket. “Thank him for me.”

Then he glanced at Su Taotao. “It’s getting late. Let’s head in.”