Rebirth in the 50s: The Couple with the Hidden Space-Chapter 534 - 417: Destined Affinity

That afternoon, after discussing the matter, Zhang Guoqing and his wife didn’t take it seriously. The continuous rain had filled the house with laundry, which was a much bigger headache for them.

A rare sunny day finally came. Just as they hung the clothes in the yard, Zhang the Second came running to tell them to return to the village for fishing. It was said that Mr. Zhang sent a message for the three brothers to hurry back.

Taking advantage of the good weather, and feeling cooped up at home, Zhang Guoqing immediately took his wife and child back to the village.

Every household in Zhang Family Village gathered by the river. The men were in the river fishing, the women on the shore catching, and the children counting. From afar, Zhang Guoqing’s family could hear laughter.

Mr. Zhang met them at the entrance of the village and whispered, "It’s hot, and the Old Captain is worried the fish won’t last in the canteen. Each family should fish for themselves. Catch as much as you can and take it home."

Zhang Guoqing nodded with a smile, handed the child to his father, and pulled Zhou Jiao to squeeze in next to Mother Zhang.

After watching for a moment, he took off his clothes and shoes, grabbed a bamboo basket beside Mother Zhang, and jumped into the river.

Seeing this, Mother Zhang got anxious and whispered to Zhou Jiao, "Look, Xiao Wu took the wrong basket. This one has small holes, only small fish can be caught."

"Mom, it’s okay. We want big fish, the small ones can be thrown back. Let him enjoy himself for a while, we can’t eat that much anyway." Zhou Jiao tried to comfort her when she saw how anxious she was.

Soon, Zhou Jiao noticed Zhang Guoqing’s intent when she saw him catching a lot of clams and river shrimp, her heart warming. This guy was thinking of her.

Some people nearby saw this and helped with a laugh. In no time, they had piled up a large plate. Seeing his two brothers also coming over, Zhang Guoqing quickly grabbed a few fish and came ashore. He felt it was enough to eat and didn’t want to compete with others for the fish.

The villagers were very hospitable, and some even tossed big fish into his bamboo basket.

Zhang Guoqing thanked everyone and saw Ping’an was watching with great interest and didn’t want to leave. Thinking that Mr. Zhang was holding him, there shouldn’t be any issues, he instructed the child a few words before taking Zhou Jiao home.

Back home, they found it very clean inside, which they couldn’t have managed without his parents’ care. After the couple checked the backyard, they set off for Daqing Mountain Taoist Temple.

With the continuous rain recently, Zhang Guoqing was worried about safety on the roads, so he carried Zhou Jiao and ran all the way to their destination.

This place was very familiar to Zhang Guoqing. If it wasn’t for the map marking it, he would never have thought there was a natural cave here. In earlier years, there were often wolf howls, just in this eerie place.

He suspiciously looked around. The wolf pack came down the mountain, and the Taoist temple collapsed. Wang Baiwan died in 1952, and the timing just didn’t add up. Could it be Mrs. Wang’s prank?

"What’s wrong? Didn’t you say this place was safe? Are there still wolves?"

"No wolves. Jiao Jiao, you wait for me in the tree. I’ll scout the path first."

Zhou Jiao looked at him suspiciously, "Is something wrong? Let’s go back, whoever wants it can have it. I don’t fancy some nouveau riche stuff."

Zhang Guoqing chuckled silently. That statement was so confident. He shared his inner doubts with Zhou Jiao, only to be rolled eyes at. Happily, he followed her to the front of the cave.

"See that? The moss on top is at least a few years old. If there’s something inside, it must have been hidden during the little devils’ invasion. Later the temple collapsed, even wolves came. Mrs. Wang must have been in a hurry, what could she do if she couldn’t get in? So she marked it, leaving it to her descendants."

Zhang Guoqing had no time to answer her as he groped around with his hands. After much difficulty, he found a raised stone, pulled Zhou Jiao behind him, and pressed it gently.

The cave revealed a large opening, but he was still uneasy, worried about being trapped inside. Just as he was about to move a boulder to prop the entrance, Zhou Jiao quickly handled it with her space.

Suddenly, Zhou Jiao had the upper hand, skillfully using cloth strips and candles to test the air, then stood up and pulled out a large round stone, pushing it forward.

Zhang Guoqing understood. It was estimated that they experimented at the old house last time, no wonder she was now a pro.

The couple proceeded without danger all the way to the innermost part. Seeing this, Zhou Jiao pouted; compared to the secret room in her grandmother’s old house, this was like a makeshift bunker.

An empty little cave piled with six wooden crates, without protective measures, the timber had already decayed. A gentle pull and it fell apart. Inside four of the boxes were books, rice, flour, medicinal herbs, and fur coats, all had already weathered.

Of the remaining two boxes, one was full of wooden rifles and bullets. This one was carefully preserved with oiled paper, still brand new. The last box contained gold, silver dollars, and a rosewood box.

The air inside was very stale, not suitable for a long stay. Zhou Jiao packed up two boxes, took out a broom, and, imitating her father, cleaned the traces while retreating.

Leaving the cave, the couple restored everything outside, cleaning the traces. They didn’t destroy the mechanism. As for whether anyone would enter the cave again, that wasn’t their concern.

Zhang Guoqing carried Zhou Jiao, detoured in a circle, started collecting wild chicken eggs, digging wild vegetables, and picking mushrooms. If it weren’t for the torrential rain on the mountain, worrying about safety. For Zhou Jiao, these foods were much better than inedible gold and silver, which made her mood happier.

The couple didn’t delay much, seeing they had enough, they carried the two wronged wild chickens down the mountain to pick up their son.

They stayed in the village until three in the afternoon. Zhang Guoqing used the excuse of clothes drying in the yard, with large and small packages slung over him, hurriedly brought his wife and son back to the county town.

When it was late at night and everything was quiet, the couple went to the study and started unpacking the two boxes.

Men love playing with weapons. Zhang Guoqing couldn’t put down the wooden rifles in the box. He guessed that these foreign goods were purchased by Wang Baiwan at a high cost. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have such a comprehensive collection.

"Jiao Jiao, when we see Dad, let him have a look. He’ll definitely like it."

Zhou Jiao stuck out her tongue, sheepishly said, "Better not let him know, otherwise we’ll get scolded. We promised him not to go up the mountain, he will definitely scold you."

Zhang Guoqing nonchalantly shook his head, "It’s alright, getting scolded doesn’t hurt."

Zhou Jiao gave him a disdainful glance, "First, help me open this small box. I’ll look for clues, see if they have any secrets."

Zhang Guoqing effortlessly pried it open with his dagger, without a lock, prying was just too easy.

Zhou Jiao opened the box, and gasped softly, "Brother, look...."

Zhang Guoqing turned to look at Zhou Jiao. Following her gaze downward, he found a pile of women’s jewelry and an oil paper package with squares inside.

Zhou Jiao reached in and pulled out a necklace, "This one is very similar to the one in my space. Look at the beads; they’re just half the size of my original one."

"Not similar. This one looks like a counterfeit. It doesn’t have the sense of age, not like an antique. Don’t mess around with that blood recognition binding stuff."

Zhou Jiao hesitated, looking at him, "Should we really not try? When I touch this bead, it feels very familiar."

Zhang Guoqing patted her head, smiled, "Don’t overthink. Since you like it, keep it. Once the situation is better, I’ll find materials to make an identical one to your original. Keep looking, see if there’s anything else you like. What’s in the oil paper package, open it up and see, maybe it can unlock the mystery."

Zhou Jiao didn’t say more, untied the oil paper package. Inside were several cleared land deeds and two bank deposit forms and certificates. Seeing the banks were all overseas, she didn’t even bother to look at the amounts. When could she ever go abroad?

Out of sight, out of mind, Zhou Jiao quickly put them into her space. Suddenly she widened her eyes, "I... my goodness..." 𝘧𝑟𝑒𝑒𝘸𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝓁.𝘤𝘰𝓂

Zhang Guoqing was startled.

Quickly, Zhou Jiao took out the box again, hurriedly found that necklace, and discovered the bead was indeed gone! She sighed long, looking at Zhang Guoqing with resentment.

Zhou Guoqing took it and looked, "The bead’s gone once it went in? Check yourself for any abnormalities. Any headache or discomfort somewhere..."

Zhou Jiao quickly interrupted his rambling: "There’s an empty room added to the space. Everything’s normal. I should have let you bind it with blood, maybe you’d have one. See, this is the oversight! It’s killing me with regret."

Zhang Guoqing couldn’t help laughing seeing her distressed face. Truly, a person’s heart is never content, even scaring himself a little.

With his laughter, Zhou Jiao quickly came to her senses, rolled her eyes at him, and pulled him along, happily calculating how much more she could store. The main cause of the space enlargement, and the connection between Mrs. Wang and the previous life’s Zhang Family, however, was forgotten by the two of them.