Rebirth in the 50s: The Couple with the Hidden Space-Chapter 423 - 320: Return to S City Again

Returning to S City, the sky was gradually darkening. The military vehicle took them directly back to the hotel.

The nanny stayed behind to care for the sleeping Ping’an. The group boarded a small ferry to enjoy various delicious cuisines. After dinner, no one was in a rush to return, so they strolled along the streets, admiring the beautiful scenery.

The bustling atmosphere of the city was alive and well. On the Dapu River, large and small boats floated, with workers on the docks. Tourists wandered the Bund, sentinels patrolled the streets, trams dinged along their tracks, and rickshaws whizzed by under the lights outside the row of international architecture, making the city’s night lively.

Old Mrs. Cheng had been watching the child for days and had the rare opportunity to go out tonight. She held Zhou Jiao’s hand all the way, reminiscing about the times when she and her sister Gu Mingzhu sailed freely on the Dapu River during their youthful days.

Zhou Jiao was enveloped by the old lady’s voice. Looking at the scenery ahead, she felt infinite melancholy. Who knows how much rise and fall these international buildings have witnessed, or how many people’s joys and sorrows the mighty Dapu River has carried away.

The next day, everyone decided to visit Bai Xiang City God Temple first. Coming to S City without tasting the snacks at the City God Temple or bringing back some specialties felt like a regrettable trip.

At the Bai Xiang City God Temple market after the Lantern Festival, the festive atmosphere had not faded, with crowds everywhere. 𝓯𝙧𝙚𝒆𝙬𝙚𝒃𝙣𝙤𝒗𝓮𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

In the square in front of the temple, at the toy stalls beside Nine Bends Bridge, there were all sorts of novelties: moving picture shows for a few coins, colorful masks, lifelike wooden knives and swords, slingshots, diablos, and cheap trinkets that made many children reluctant to leave.

The chatter and laughter from the tea house, coupled with the fragrant aroma hitting their noses, urged people to quicken their steps to find the source of the smell.

Old Mrs. Cheng was familiar with the delicacies from past visits. She ignored the long queues in front of various restaurants and entered the second-floor private room of Changxing Building nearby, ordering crab roe soup dumplings and other types of small buns for breakfast.

After breakfast, everyone left, and the old lady softly introduced several surrounding specialty snacks, such as spare rib rice cakes, chicken and duck blood soup, and fermented rice dumplings.

As Old Mrs. Cheng carefully explained along the way, seeing that Zhang Guoqing and Zhou Jiao had a general understanding, she began taking Cheng Ruzhu, Lin Lishan, and the others to buy gifts to take back to Beijing, leaving the couple to stroll.

Zhang Guoqing and Zhou Jiao didn’t object. They knew the old lady’s group had visited the City God Temple multiple times and had little interest in revisiting. Besides, they were eager to buy specialties and hurry back to care for the children. Perhaps the old lady thought the couple had other matters to attend to, so she led the group away.

Zhang Guoqing and Zhou Jiao exchanged smiles. Compared to future generations, the City God Temple was even more traditional and antique-looking, which intrigued them less. However, the authentic food delighted them. Considering they would visit the second-hand book stalls on Fuzhou Road today, they began shopping along the street.

Besides specialty snacks and novelty toys, their biggest interest lay in the old-brand pear syrup candy in Yu Garden. As for cakes and pastries, they could find everything at the First Food Store on Nanjing Road.

Nearing noon, the couple hurried towards Fuzhou Road carrying bags. They had long been enchanted by the rumors of this "Four Horse Road."

As soon as they hopped on the rickshaw, the driver, hearing they were going to Fuzhou Road to buy books and stationery, immediately chuckled and said everyone knew about it.

The closer they got to Fuzhou Road, the more this street rivaled Nanjing Road. Along the street were numerous specialty bookstores and stores specializing in cultural supplies, with large pharmacies and restaurants visible everywhere.

Reaching their destination, seeing the numerous bookstores and cultural supply stores, the couple happily high-fived to celebrate. Without delay, they casually went into a second-hand bookstore and started their separate search. As agreed, Zhang Guoqing was responsible for picking domestic ancient books, while Zhou Jiao went to find foreign magazines and original classics.

Immersed in the old bookstores, the book-obsessed couple lost track of time.

After a long time, standing in front of the last old bookstore, Zhang Guoqing, feeling his stomach rumbling, checked the time and looked wryly at his still-excited wife.

After asking the store owner to keep an eye on their purchases, Zhang Guoqing pulled Zhou Jiao to a nearby snack shop.

After ordering the shop’s specialty dishes, Zhang Guoqing watched Zhou Jiao rub her waists and shook his head helplessly. Now he truly didn’t plan to shop anymore, deciding to choose some stationery supplies before heading back.

Zhou Jiao felt the same. Besides, she’d bought almost everything she needed, and she started missing the child during this time.

After finishing their day’s itinerary, the couple returned to the hotel with their items. Upon entering the old lady’s room, they saw the child comfortably asleep in her arms, and they both breathed a sigh of relief.

Seeing their relief, Old Mrs. Cheng laughed and shook her head, "It’s fine. The child just finished eating and fell asleep. Besides in the evening, he’s well-behaved during the day as long as someone is with him."

Zhang Guoqing washed his hands, took the child, and noticed his mother-in-law and Cheng Ruzhu hadn’t returned. He curiously asked, "Auntie, where are my mom and little aunt?"

Old Mrs. Cheng smiled, shaking her head, "They’re even better than you at shopping. They haven’t returned since lunch. Now the child is asleep, you should quickly see if there’s anything else to bring back."

Zhang Guoqing saw Zhou Jiao getting eager again and knew she’d recovered and was itching to shop. Thinking that he needed to accompany her to the seafood store tomorrow morning and might even help her find where to buy hairy crabs, and not wanting to leave the child with the old lady all day, he thought it was a good time to rest first.

Zhang Guoqing shook his head and told the old lady, "We’re leaving tomorrow. You’ve hardly gone shopping this time, let Jiao Jiao accompany you out. I’ll stay with the child and take a nap."

After saying this, he saw the old lady hesitating, so he quickly got up with the child and went back to his room. The longer they delayed, the less likely they were to return for dinner.

Watching him leave, Old Mrs. Cheng shook her head and smiled. She considered that her maid had been eager to visit Huaihai Old and decided to let Xiao Chen accompany her. They should be able to buy some favorite gifts. As for herself, she refused Xiao Chen’s company and planned to wander nearby with Zhou Jiao, not intending to go far.

Zhou Jiao urged Xiao Chen and the others to go quickly, assuring them it was fine with her accompanying the old lady. They’re near the First Department Store, and these areas are safe, with no need to have a service soldier with them.

Watching them leave, Zhou Jiao held Old Mrs. Cheng’s arm, and the two walked closely, conversing softly.

With plenty of life experience, the old lady often advised her on interpersonal matters during this time. Now she advised Zhou Jiao that the gifts for her parents-in-law should not be too extravagant since they were used to frugality and might not be happy to receive them. Listening to her detailed analysis, Zhou Jiao nodded with a smile, aware that the old lady had noticed Lin Lishan’s lack of social skills and worried that she might not fulfill her maternal teaching duties adequately.

The two strolled past the shops along the street. Without Zhang Guoqing by her side, she didn’t dare to buy recklessly, concerned about carrying them. They were out only to see the sights, stopping to look at anything they fancied.

It wasn’t until dinner that Zhang Guoqing saw everyone gradually returning. Each person was carrying large and small bags, even the service soldiers and the nanny had bought quite a bit.