Rebirth in the 50s: The Couple with the Hidden Space-Chapter 572 - 453: The Highest Art Is Winning Hearts

Chapter 572: Chapter 453: The Highest Art Is Winning Hearts

The tactics of the Old Captain are quite effective—attacking the mind is indeed the best strategy. Watching the children’s innocent and tender smiles, Zhang Guoqing vigorously rubbed his face.

After lunch, Zhang Guoqing walked home with heavy steps, accompanied by Zhou Jiao. He understood the Old Captain’s decision to provide thin gruel for the children while ensuring that the strong adults ate solid food, but he struggled to accept it emotionally. To him, children represent the future.

Zhou Jiao took out two sets of old clothes without speaking. At this stage, many words between them didn’t need to be spoken; she understood that they must make a trip to the mountain.

Seeing this, Zhang Guoqing pulled her up and smiled, "Let’s go, let’s head to the mountain. I’ll take you for a stroll."

Zhou Jiao smiled at his words. She wasn’t a saint, but she certainly wasn’t heartless. The village still had some resources, occasionally even tasting wild game.

Compared to the refugees, they were far better off. With such circumstances, there was truly no need to worry—who doesn’t feel for their own children?

Carrying Zhou Jiao, Zhang Guoqing set out, not spotting a single feather on the outskirts of Daqing Mountain. Feeling uneasy, they intentionally visited the collapsed temple, relieved to find the boulder still there.

For others, it was a challenge to move the boulder, but Zhou Jiao effortlessly handled it without Zhang Guoqing having to use brute force. He was speechless, yet proud—his wife was indeed incredible!

Zhou Jiao couldn’t appreciate his smugness. Luckily, the cold weather preserved the bags of corn, which although gnawed by small animals in places, remained largely free from spoilage.

After securing the corn, sweet potato dried slices, and millet bran, Zhang Guoqing once again carried his wife towards a distant location.

In the dense forest, anything edible had been thoroughly scavenged, and the rabbits, wild chickens, and even the grassland itself had been ravaged.

As for his blessed land—not a trace of animals remained, not even a single fish tail in the creek.

Even though Zhang Guoqing had mentally prepared himself—the moment a secret spreads, it’s close to being public knowledge—the sight before him still pained him deeply. His wife’s medicinal herbs, their garden, had all been destroyed.

"No worries, it’ll return to its original state in two years."

Zhou Jiao’s reassurance didn’t alleviate his concern. Coming from a family of hunters, Zhang Guoqing understood better than anyone that this kind of environmental destruction is not beneficial, as it compresses the animals’ living spaces.

He refrained from voicing his concerns to avoid worrying his wife. With the cold and harsh weather, as mountain animals lose their food sources, their descent from the mountain is inevitable.

After the wolf disaster, if bears and tigers were to appear again, it would be a real catastrophe.

He sighed, picked up Zhou Jiao once more, and ran toward their wooden shack. He hoped that his grandfather’s goodwill wouldn’t lead others to dismantle it for firewood.

From afar, he finally caught sight of the standing wooden house covered in snow, feeling somewhat relieved. At least those people didn’t act foolishly.

"Forget it, I’ll take out a wild boar now; there’s nothing else left to find."

Zhang Guoqing shook his head in silence. He needed to see what was happening—whether the animals had escaped to the deep mountains or had been eradicated, and he needed to check the surroundings to understand any hidden dangers.

Seeing him continue without pause, Zhou Jiao glanced around and pondered briefly before asking, "Are you heading to the Wild Boar Forest?"

"Yes."

"Foolish. We’ve eradicated the pigs, so there wouldn’t be any left. And what if there are wolves there?"

"I’ll just feed you to the wolves. Shh, be quiet, I’m listening."

Zhou Jiao slapped him lightly and obediently clung to his neck, holding her breath and not daring to exhale loudly. Her imagination ran wild, wondering if some grandfather pig might be lying in wait for them to fall into a trap and take revenge.

——No grandfather pig, but rather a group of pig brothers.

Fast-footed Zhang Xiaowu neared the old spot of the Wild Boar Forest, placing Zhou Jiao securely on a tree before stealthily approaching the area.

Zhou Jiao waited almost until she fell asleep before finally seeing him drag out a big and small wild boar. She quietly gave him a thumbs-up! Zhang Budao missed out by not going to university for hunting.

"Sweetie, let’s pack up and leave immediately."

Seeing his stern expression, Zhou Jiao refrained from asking for details, quickly packed up, and jumped onto his back at lightning speed. Fearing danger, she worried that if they didn’t move quickly, they could encounter a vengeful tiger, and she would accompany her bold-to-the-point-of-foolishness husband into the afterlife.

After traversing a good distance, Zhou Jiao couldn’t help but ask in a low voice, "What happened?"

"Stragglers! It seems another herd of wild boars has migrated over. Nearby mountains still have wolves, but these animals don’t dare enter the deep mountains; it’s likely that there are larger creatures inside."

Zhou Jiao shivered and tugged on his ear, "Hurry up!"

"Haha... No worries, they’ve kindly delivered meat to our doorstep."

Zhou Jiao dared not respond, knowing she was a burden; otherwise, she would have dragged him to run faster. Last time it was a tiger; who knows what it is this time?

Arriving at the wooden hut, Zhou Jiao was still uneasy, cautiously glancing behind for a long time, long enough to experience hallucinations. She kept feeling like many wolves were tailing them.

"We can’t stay here. With ice and snow covering everything, we’ll head back and talk there."

Zhou Guoqing, unprepared, was nearly pulled down by her, quickly embracing her to leave. Just a little more, and he, a big man, would embarrassingly fall because of his petite wife.

The couple sneaked back home like habitual thieves. No one was around at home, not surprisingly, considering the helpful nature of Mother Zhang, who was out selecting seeds, and Mr. Zhang, who had spent the afternoon chatting with his old friends without returning home.

Zhou Jiao shut the gate and whispered to him, "The small pig’s meat is tender; can we keep it for ourselves?" After finishing, she coyly grinned.

Could Zhang Guoqing say no? Absolutely not. If it weren’t for the surplus of meat in the space, his wife would’ve regretted even losing a single pig hair.

He looked at her speechlessly and nodded. Though she didn’t enjoy eating it herself, her tendency to hoard like a hamster had left their son ecstatic every time he saw guards delivering food and supplies—a trait undoubtedly influenced by prenatal education.

Thinking of his son, Zhang Guoqing smilingly suggested, "This time we’ll stew a big slab of meat. Ping’an prefers stewed over roasted. I’ll check the Black Market in the coming days for pork since he and dad both find wild boar meat tough."

Zhou Jiao nodded enthusiastically, "We can use fine grains to exchange for domestic pork. Make sure to get more bones—can we ask Uncle Dasheng? Pig feet and tails are good stuff."

Fortunately, no one overheard their conversation; those words would certainly stir up resentment.

Remembering his son, Zhang Guoqing thought of the village children. Seeing it was time for supper, he slung a wild boar on his back and headed to the canteen.

Upon receiving the message, the Old Captain decided to keep the wild boar as task meat on arrival. Not a single pig hair was allocated to Zhang Guoqing. As for treating the children, a good meal itself was a dream, let alone a feast of big chunks of meat.

Accountant Xiao Shitou held the ledger and calculated the amount of food the wild boar could be exchanged for, estimating how much longer everyone could enjoy full meals.

For a moment, not only adults but even children remained silent, with bright eyes fixed on the wild boar on the ground.

This scene tugged at the Old Captain’s heartstrings, prompting him to decide to use the remaining meat bones from the warehouse to make soup for the children, allowing them extra meat broth in the evening.