Rebirth in the 50s: The Couple with the Hidden Space-Chapter 484 - 370: After Minor Heat (Part 2)

After filling up a cart, two large bamboo baskets were hung at the back. The village woman, Zhou Jiao, boldly and confidently moved from village to village, collecting things.

Reaching the end of her journey, she looked at the provincial road ahead.

Zhou Jiao gestured to her son whether to go forward or backward, and seeing his big eyes blinking at her, she pointed forward—play, and backward—daddy.

The child immediately pointed backward.

This made Zhou Jiao burst into laughter, kissing him several times.

The next day, Zhang Guoqing went to work, and Zhou Jiao once again drove the sidecar motorcycle out of the county.

Seeing the intersection ahead, she pulled over and communicated with her son in her arms.

She pointed in the direction of the provincial city, softly saying "play, eat," while gesturing, making the child repeatedly shake his head.

Sigh...it wasn’t just the child; she also lost interest in heading that way again and again.

Thinking for a moment, Zhou Jiao looked at the direction to the left, checked her watch—let’s go for it!

She mentioned water, gesturing waves and bathing, and sure enough, her little genius son giggled and pointed to the left, saying "water, go."

To teach her son the difference between water and the sea, Zhou Jiao stopped frequently to ask for directions, taking shortcuts, and the bumpy road lulled her child to sleep.

At eleven in the morning, she uncovered a small blanket and couldn’t help but laugh. Watching the child rub his eyes, she quickly took out a warm towel to clean his little face and handed him the bottle.

After finishing a bottle of milk, the mother and son finally arrived at Old Wang’s house, which sold crabs, before noon.

Old Wang came out and looked behind Zhou Jiao, slightly startled.

Zhou Jiao made an excuse—she had relatives in the next village and would leave after some time with them.

After a chat, Zhou Jiao still asked him to prepare the crabs; she really couldn’t take any more seafood.

How does it feel to face the sea in summer? Zhou Jiao didn’t know, but at this moment, her son’s giggles lifted her spirits.

A big sheet of oily paper was laid on the beach, and the mother and son built and demolished sandcastles, playing so joyfully that they attracted the fisher kids to join in the fun.

The candies that Zhou Jiao gifted made the kids so happy they pulled out various conch shells and started blowing like horns.

Ping’an’s attention was soon captured by the seagulls’ calls and the little crabs scuttling on the beach. He pulled Zhou Jiao, pointing ahead, wanting to go.

Zhou Jiao supported him with her hands, watching him eagerly scoot forward step by step, and then furiously fling sand at the crabs that escaped.

She smiled gently. How much she wanted to tell him: My child, there will be more things in life you can’t have just by wishing. Just like now, you don’t have the strength to run fast, so you can’t have it. No matter how much you vent your anger, what’s gone is gone. So, my child, grow up slowly; with capability, you can ensure a lifetime of peace.

Zhou Jiao’s thoughts were interrupted by her son’s actions. She watched his face filled with surprise as he looked at his little hand, again trying to grab sand, only for it to slip away again.

Facing his expectant look for an explanation, Zhou Jiao didn’t speak. She grasped a handful of sand lightly, waited for a moment, and then turned her hand over. She grabbed another handful tightly, holding it firmly, until the sand slowly trickled out, leaving just a pinch in her hand.

Watching as the child lowered his head to repeatedly try to grab sand, she sat on the beach, holding him on her lap, watching him silently.

After a while, maybe Ping’an learned that the more you try to hold things tightly, the easier they are to lose. Or maybe he didn’t yet understand why the things he held tightly would eventually leave.

Zhou Jiao thought that maybe when he grows older, he would understand this feeling of helplessness.

Seeing him start a new game, Zhou Jiao smiled, quietly supporting him, accompanying him.

Mother and son repeated the game over and over. When the child was tired, she took the chance when no one was around to start feeding him solid food and milk.

Seeing that it was getting late, Zhou Jiao picked him up, telling him it was time to go back to find daddy.

What is the bond of flesh and blood? This is it—Ping’an looked at the sea and said "go."

Zhou Jiao noticed his little face was reluctant and secretly collected two large buckets of seawater, two large buckets of sand, starfish, and conch shells. She hoped her child could joyfully see the sea and the beach at home.

On the return journey, carrying two large baskets of crabs and a basket of seafood from the sea, Zhou Jiao set off boldly and confidently once again.

At this moment, Zhang Guoqing in the county was nearly going crazy with worry.

He returned home in the morning to fetch documents and found his wife and child not at home. He wasn’t worried, thinking they went shopping.

At noon, he declined a colleague’s invitation, only to discover they were still not at home. He wasn’t worried, assuming they went out to play and lost track of time.

At two in the afternoon, he went home again and found that his wife and child were still not at home. He couldn’t help but start worrying.

Zhang Guoqing finally realized that his wife and kid had set off on an adventure. He tried to recall, searching around the yard and house for clues.

After a long time, he had to admire his wife. If it weren’t for the reduced gasoline, he wouldn’t have found a single clue.

Returning to his work unit, after asking for leave, he cycled around the county in search of his wife.

As the sun set, and the evening approached, Zhang Guoqing, from anger to panic, prayed to all the gods he knew, gradually losing hope.

Standing on the street looking at the main road, he began to guess if they had been kidnapped? But that was impossible. His wife Jiao Jiao wasn’t a fool; even the sedative she carried could knock out a thousand people easily.

The familiar sound of the sidecar motorcycle came from afar, and Zhang Guoqing shook his head with a bitter smile, thinking he must be hearing things again. Then he stood there, dumbfounded.

As the sound came closer and closer, he snapped back to reality, vowing to tie up his wife and child with a rope.

Seeing the distinct, bright smile approaching, he closed his eyes. He had worked himself too hard, but it was okay; they were back, safe and sound.

Zhou Jiao stuck out her tongue, giving him a silly, appeasing smile.

That night, Zhou Jiao repeatedly promised she would definitely tell him where she was going next time she left, barely avoiding her final misadventure.