Rebirth in the 50s: The Couple with the Hidden Space-Chapter 508 - 392: Dad, I Really, Really Want to Eat Meat

After the exam, Zhang Guoqing’s house welcomed a peak of visitors.

In the past, around this time, various markets would have started, and adults and children could visit to enjoy the bustle, making it a good place to go.

Today, the markets were closed, and the children were on holiday. Besides playing with sleds in the snow, there was no corn to shell at home. All of the Zhang family grandchildren and a few other grandchildren crowded into the courtyard.

The weather was brutally cold with the heavy snow. Unlike the other households, Zhang Guoqing’s home was as warm as spring inside, thanks to the heated walls and heated beds, requiring few layers of clothing.

Xi Zi and the others were determined not to return home. Every night in the west room and study, small and large heads lined the heated beds, a sea of children.

In a few days, the "Iron Triangle" of Li Qinglin and Zhang Yuntao arrived, carrying their rations and change of clothes, taking over the remaining wooden bed in the west room.

Zhao Yuanyuan was very upset. She was just a little late, and the only available room was taken. She certainly couldn’t squeeze onto the heated bed with Zhou Jiao’s family, so she had to sleep alongside the children.

Honeycomb briquettes were indeed better than coal balls.

Aunt Wang, the neighbor, had been talking about honeycomb briquettes for months and now regretted it so much as she watched the Zhang and Chen families not far away. She comforted herself that at least she could visit doors.

Huang Juan was the happiest. Although her family didn’t have a strong labor force like Zhang Guoqing’s, they managed to cobble together time to make quite a few honeycomb briquettes. She always said that since the authorities made people use honeycomb briquettes and even the always shrewd Zhang Guoqing agreed, it was imperative to follow suit.

She looked proudly at her husband, Old Chen, sideways. See, wasn’t she competent as the manager of the household? This year, no one in the family got frostbite.

Laughter echoed every day from the Zhang Family Courtyard, attracting children nearby to start slowly gathering and even retired elders often visited.

Snowball fights, building snowmen, making ice lanterns, Eagle Catching Chicks, and playing jackstones provided endless fun for the children; while listening to operas and storytelling, chitchatting, making shoe soles, and occasionally visiting neighbors kept Mr. Zhang and Mother Zhang smiling with delight, making everyone momentarily forget about food shortages and enjoy an early festive season.

Zhou Jiao was experiencing both pain and joy. Her son had playmates every day and was so happy that he fell asleep with a smile every night. Her in-laws had company, laughed happily all day, and no longer fussed about leaving.

The only thing that troubled her were the items inside "the space." They were tangible and visible but not edible. The thought of their aroma made her reluctant to use it. Yet every day, it was either wild vegetable buns, corn cakes, sweet potato porridge, or sauerkraut soup, making her stomach ache.

Zhou Jiao often self-deprecated to Zhang Guoqing. She figured she was a nun in advance, just missing a green lantern and a wooden fish. This made Zhang Guoqing feel both distressed and amused.

Days passed by, and Li Qinglin and Zhang Yuntao went to their maternal relatives for the New Year. Before Zhou Jiao could feel envious, Zhao Yuanyuan followed her twin brothers there as well.

The departure of the four relieved Zhou Jiao’s burden but also increased her longing for her father in Beijing. Especially when Lin Lishan secretly wrote to tell Zhou Jiao that her father was so busy every day that he had lost weight.

Everyone has selfish motives. She suspected that the things she sent back with her father probably ended up being contributed by him. Call it mistrust, but she even doubted whether her mother, Lin Lishan, was quietly transferring things back to her maternal home. All these worries heightened her concern for her father.

Regarding Zhou Xiaozheng, he was her only relative in two lifetimes. The next day, Zhou Jiao risked a trip to the provincial city to send things to Old Mrs. Cheng.

If there was anyone in Beijing who genuinely cared about Zhou Xiaozheng?

Zhou Jiao felt it was only Old Mrs. Cheng. Setting aside family interests, only the old lady truly cared for her and her father.

Although Zhou Jiao credited her mother in her heart, the conversation before the incident, Lin Lishan’s acknowledgment of her maternal family, and doubts about Zhou Xiaozheng left an impression on Zhou Jiao.

After the tenth day of the twelfth lunar month, after collecting the supplies for the three sons’ families, Mr. Zhang and Mother Zhang took the children by sled tied to cattle to return to their hometown.

"Beautiful or not, homeland waters; close or not, hometown people." In Mr. Zhang and Mother Zhang’s hearts, the hometown was their Zhang Family Village. No matter how good the county was, they still yearned for the old locust tree at the village entrance.

Standing at the gate, as the ox cart rounded the corner and disappeared, the couple both let out a sigh of relief.

Zhang Guoqing looked at the child in his arms. Today was truly unusual; he had expected another crying scene.

"Son, why aren’t you fussing to go back with Grandpa and Grandma?"

Ping’an replied, "Noisy."

Zhou Jiao stifled a laugh. She understood her son well. It wasn’t just the noise that bothered him; it was more about his stinginess. He disliked others touching his picture books, toys, or sharing his food.

At first, when more children came, it was lively, and he was generous. But once he realized that he had to share his fruits and everything else, he was unwilling.

Zhang Guoqing, carrying his son into the courtyard, said, "Hmm, it is indeed noisy. But don’t you miss Grandpa and Grandma?"

"No, Grandma gave my candy to my brothers."

Zhou Jiao couldn’t be happy hearing this. How could holding grudges at such a young age be right? "Ping’an, Grandma loves you the most. She would be very sad to know you’re thinking this way. There are plenty of candies at home, so Grandma gave some to your brothers. When there were few apples, didn’t Grandma save them all for you?"

Ping’an lowered his head, saying, "But many of the brothers didn’t give me anything."

Zhang Guoqing shook his head at her, patting the child’s head, "Next time Grandma wants to give you something, tell her you don’t want it. Understand? This time Ping’an did well. You didn’t cry or fuss when unhappy, you’re a good child."

He didn’t think Ping’an was wrong. Others didn’t know they had space; now everything was scarce. Every family had their children keep a tight hold on what they had. Though the nephews and nieces brought their own rations, he supplemented a lot more. Besides, his two sisters occasionally brought some snacks, but his brothers and sisters-in-law came empty-handed.

"Daddy, I really want to eat meat."

When Ping’an said this, Zhang Guoqing’s heart ached, almost bringing him to tears. To be safe these days, his son had really been wronged. Such a young child understood not to mention his cravings because he was told not to let others smell the aroma.

"Alright. You can have whatever you want to eat. Daddy and Mommy have hidden it all."

Zhou Jiao looked at this father-son duo with a headache. With a dad like him, no wonder the son was stingy.

Holding Ping’an high, Zhang Guoqing laughed heartily with his son’s laughter, "Wife, Jiao Jiao, don’t worry. Our son isn’t stingy; he has principles."

Zhou Jiao laughed speechlessly. Go ahead and indulge, just indulge. It spared hearing complaints of the child being skinny from hunger at night.

In the following days, to avoid visitors, Zhou Jiao had Zhang Guoqing lock the door from outside when he went to work. Not to mention Ping’an thinking it was noisy, she also felt it was a bit chaotic.