Rebirth in the 50s: The Couple with the Hidden Space

Upon waking up in the morning, Zhang Guoqing looked at his wife sleeping sweetly in his arms and silently grinned. This little girl has begun to learn to knock some sense into him—does it mean she loves him even more?

"The sun and moon are the highest and brightest, spouses the closest and yet most distant."

This saying applies to others; he never feels that way about his own marriage. In this world, even if connected by blood, a son cannot compare to a wife.

Last night, Zhou Jiao asked a question that he subconsciously did not answer. What nonsense about a woman sacrificing her life for him. He never forced anyone; what does it matter to him how others live or die?

He knows his wife well. Even though she is inherently defensive and somewhat cold towards outsiders, her values are correct, and she has integrity, unlike himself, who is just a facade.

Just like the situation with Eldest Zhang this time. Even if she really dislikes Huang Cuilan, she still condemns the wrongdoing from a moral standpoint.

And him? What he’s lacking is integrity!

Zhang Guoqing laughed sarcastically. He understood at the age of five in his previous life that there is nothing that comes without effort in this world; whatever he wants, he must fight and struggle for himself.

If it doesn’t involve personal interests, everything is easy to discuss. Money can be earned if lost; suffering a little loss isn’t a big deal; didn’t everyone say that taking a loss is a blessing?

But if anyone ever threatens his wife, even if gratitude is as big as the sky, it’s worthless.

"Honey, go back to sleep."

Zhang Guoqing relaxed his arm’s grip and gently patted her, "Okay. Be good, continue sleeping."

When Mr. Zhang and his wife arrived at the provincial city station with a bunch of grandchildren, Zhang Guoqing and his family of three had already been waiting at the exit for a long time.

"Grandpa..."

Holding Ping’an, Zhang Guoqing smiled at Zhou Jiao and said, "Look, I even guessed the time correctly."

Zhou Jiao smiled and nodded. Just as she was about to speak, she unexpectedly saw Huang Cuilan and Lin Juhua were also coming along, indicating that her mother-in-law had really gone all out this time.

This silly girl, still unaware that it’s not her mother-in-law, but herself who’s footing the bill. Not to mention that a room at the inn costs a dollar and twenty cents per night, the meals require a considerable amount of food stamps.

There’s a saying that money matters less when you have plenty. As money becomes abundant to her, her focus shifts away from it. Making her dear parents-in-law happy becomes her aspiration.

"Mom, Sis, I’m here."

Mother Zhang looked up to see her youngest daughter-in-law grinning like a blooming flower, and she couldn’t help but burst into laughter with joy. The pain of just spending on the fare disappeared.

"Why come to the station to meet us? What if we hadn’t made it? Silly child!"

Zhou Jiao chuckled and stepped forward to take her luggage, "Mom, the inn isn’t far from here, shall we go drop off the luggage first?"

"Is it the same inn as last time?"

Zhou Jiao pretended not to notice her mother-in-law’s concerned look and immediately diverted the topic, "Yes, brother has already booked the rooms; it’s all waiting for your arrangement."

What else could Mother Zhang say? Her youngest son is a prominent figure; with people coming and going, they couldn’t let him lose face. She nodded, "Then let’s walk there; it’s very close."

It really is quite close, but it takes over half an hour to walk! The key is her mother-in-law’s intention, even avoiding the bus. Well... let’s walk, consider it as a workout, and an early shopping trip.

"Jiao Jiao, tell me what these places are, so your second sister-in-law won’t get lost later and embarrass you."

Zhou Jiao smiled, "Second sister-in-law, you won’t get lost. If you lose your way, just ask anyone how to get to Eighty-one Inn, they’ll surely know."

Lin Juhua nodded earnestly, "Eighty-one, I can remember that."

"Second sister-in-law, what did you and big sister-in-law bring? Why such large packages?"

"Your Aunt Zhao and Uncle Zhao are in the provincial city, right? We rarely come here, so we packed some dry goods; later when we leave, let Xiao Wu deliver them."

Upon hearing this, Zhou Jiao laughed, "Why don’t we go to the military district first? She’d definitely be delighted to see you." 𝙛𝒓𝒆𝙚𝒘𝒆𝓫𝙣𝓸𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝒄𝒐𝓶

Lin Juhua shook her head, "Let’s not disturb them for now; it’s not good to be rowdy with so many people. We’ll greet them when we leave."

Mother Zhang approvingly nodded. Brother Zhao and his wife are genuine people; their whole family going there would consume his month’s grain supply, wouldn’t it?

"Mom, from there, is it the way to the kids’ father’s school?"

Mother Zhang had been there countless times and nodded.

Seeing her mother-in-law longing to visit the school, Zhou Jiao smiled and advised, "Let’s rest at the inn first, and contact big brother a bit later."

Lin Juhua continued, "Yes, let’s wash our faces first, change clothes. Dad and mom need to rest their feet, too."

The four women walked behind Mr. Zhang and the other men, along the way Mother Zhang quietly shared with the three daughters-in-law, focusing her talk more on two of them about city life’s nuances.

Zhou Jiao listened by the side, frequently nodding. Her mother-in-law indeed has understanding, teaching the rural daughters-in-law the ways of conduct in society.

"...pay attention to these details, we’re no less than them. Straighten your backs and be bold. Once you’ve seen more, it’s just so-so,"

Lin Juhua nodded, "Mom, I’ve remembered."

Huang Cuilan also nodded repeatedly.

"Actually, most city dwellers are almost all poor. Their homes are so small that they can’t even turn around, just looks impressive on the surface..."

Zhou Jiao saw her mother-in-law lower her voice to talk about the city people’s struggles, and couldn’t help but laugh silently. Praising while downgrading, her mother-in-law truly is skillful.

Upon reaching the inn, despite Mother Zhang’s insistence, plans changed—booking four rooms. Zhang Guoqing thought it over and realized splitting the boys into two rooms wouldn’t be crowded, and so let her have her way.

After a noisy cleanup, they had lunch at a restaurant. Following discussion between Mr. Zhang and his wife, they split into three groups.

Unwilling to join the group of silly boys, Mr. Zhang took Little Ping’an to the nearby theater for some bonding time.

Meanwhile, Mother Zhang led the three daughters-in-law to flaunt at her eldest son’s school. The remaining group of young boys and girls were all taken by Zhang Guoqing to the department store to buy gifts.

"Uncle, let’s just look, don’t buy. Otherwise, I won’t go."

"That’s right, Uncle, we all have what we need; there’s no need to waste."

Zhang Guoqing smiled and nodded, "Okay, let’s just have a look. So many things, I can’t afford them anyway. After the mall, let’s visit Xiao Wen’s school."

"Isn’t it before the term starts now? Will there be anyone?"

"In the institutions, students might be participating in summer internships. Besides, next week you’re supposed to report, so there shouldn’t be nobody; we’ll check it out."

Calculating his return time to Beijing, Zhang Guoqing planned to inquire about early reporting, intending to settle his nephew’s arrangements while he was at home.

Inside the department store, Zhang Guoqing picked out a stack of pencils and study supplies, selected some girly hair ties and hair bands, and ultimately spent a hefty price on three pink aprons for three girls.

He figured if he continued giving fabric to the kids, perhaps his eldest niece would wear patched clothes for three years again. This smart, clever child was just suffering because she was born to the eldest brother.