Rebirth in the 50s: The Couple with the Hidden Space-Chapter 607 - 486: What Did You Eat?

What’s trending lately?

——It’s definitely what you’ve been eating.

This craze has swept across the lands from south to north, inside and outside the pass.

Mr. Zhang finally wrote a complete letter. For the first time in his life, he sent a letter to Beijing, with a simple message: Xiao Wu, don’t send food coupons!

This sudden message left Zhang Guoqing puzzled. Fortunately, letters from Zhang the Second and several older siblings followed closely.

The area around Zhang Family Village sees a peak of people arriving—farmers who once envied city dwellers now see urban citizens lowering themselves, visiting rural relatives, stepping into small farm houses and open fields.

It must be said it’s an irony—those poor relatives once treated with disdain are now followed by so-called city folks; what’s it like to be in their shoes?

The Old Zhang’s family has been farmers for generations, living off hunting and farming. Only with the exception of Zhang Guoqing, the entire family moved to the county town.

At this moment, Mr. Zhang looked at the bustling families in the village, silently grateful that his three brothers didn’t have any shameless relatives. He subconsciously ignored his troublesome nephews and nieces.

Uncle Zhang frowned and scolded, settling the quarrel before walking with his second brother to Old Captain’s house.

"Why are you back? Look at you, your complexion is rosy, younger than the little brother, don’t wander aimlessly. At this age, don’t you have any sense? What if something happens on the road?"

"Brother, you’re wrong. I can easily handle ten people alone."

Uncle Zhang glanced at his second brother with a headache. How confident is this guy? Ten people?

"Go back. People have been arranged to live in both the second brother’s and Xiao Wu’s courtyard, there won’t be any problems. It’s better to go to Beijing instead of hanging around in front of me."

Mr. Zhang listened, unfazed. This time, thanks to his big brother arranging for solitary elderly people in the village to stay at the houses of his two sons, otherwise, it’d have been awkward to drive out some families later.

Seeing him leave with a bent back as they reached the forked path, Mr. Zhang could only shake his head helplessly.

Upon returning to the old house, he found his two sons visiting again, glaring at them out of anger.

"Dad, let’s leave. It’s terribly cold and a waste of firewood."

Zhang the Second quickly nudged his big brother. Oh dear, what a way with words. Otherwise, their dad might think they came worrying the old couple was wasteful.

"Dad, Xiao Wu’s courtyard is empty, you have to go back and see if anything’s missing."

Sure enough, after Zhang the Second said this, Mother Zhang hurried to pull her husband away back to town.

Others might not know, but Zhang the Second knew his younger brother had prepared quite a few private goods for their parents. Last month, their dad had him exchange fifty pounds of rice for coarse grains.

If not for their dad and little brother, his family and his brother’s family would have struggled to make ends meet.

On their way back, Zhang the Second walked slowly with Mr. Zhang, seeing his mother and elder brother stride quickly ahead, increasing the distance.

He quietly told Mr. Zhang, "Uncle Zuo said all universities in Beijing are also cutting food rations, even my Uncle Zhou has reduced supplies. Xiao Wu’s food coupons must not be sent back anymore."

Mr. Zhang glanced at him before lowering his head without a word. It’s easy to say; if not for his providing some coarse grains, they would have likely written to Beijing for help by now.

However, the youngest son indeed shouldn’t send food coupons back anymore. If there are many supplies in hand, the daughters-in-law’s minds would start to stir. Don’t think he doesn’t know the eldest secretly gave her parents ten pounds of cornmeal, and if not for the second eldest watching, it’d be similar.

Back in the county town, this time Mr. Zhang refused to stay at his other two sons’ houses. Sons are his own, but the two daughters-in-law are outsiders. Avoiding their husbands every day, sweet-talking him and his wife while occasionally mentioning their family’s difficulties, does he not know their thoughts? He just can’t be bothered.

Mother Zhang ignored her two sons’ pleas, firmly deciding to live on her own. She and her husband could eat whatever they wanted, make a good meal to reward their grandchildren without having to worry about anyone. With a heap of stuff left by the youngest son, she’d be a fool to suffer with her daughters-in-law.

The old couple cooped up in their room, finally managed to write a letter with great effort. Hmm, the couple was satisfied, it’s convenient to be able to write letters themselves.

This letter, laden with Mr. Zhang and Mother Zhang’s heartfelt affection, reached Zhang Guoqing ahead of time.

When Zhou Jiao saw Zhang the Second’s letter, learning her parents-in-law had again run back to live on their own, she guessed something must have happened to make the old couple uneasy.

This time the couple did not oppose in their reply, but instead sent a letter to their eldest sister Zhang Meili, asking Ziwen and the three brothers to frequent and accompany the elderly. Trusting that with Xi Zi and Ziwen’s kids around, their parents wouldn’t be lonely and would somewhat reduce Zhang Meili’s family burden as well.

From clues here and there, the couple discerned the food coupons sent back would make the two sisters-in-law envious, causing trouble for their parents. Considering the food storage back home, the couple complied with Mr. Zhang’s instructions and stopped sending food coupons back.

Such actions also relieved Mr. Zhang. Especially upon seeing the substitutes appearing in the canteen such as green algae, the old couple was inwardly grateful—his youngest wouldn’t have to save food coupons from the gaps between his teeth and shouldn’t have to eat such stuff.

His youngest, Zhang Guoqing, indeed won’t have to eat substitutes, yet unfortunately, the food situation at school isn’t improving, rather becoming more bleak.

From this autumn semester, everything is uniform: cornmeal, sweet potato chips, sorghum flour, buckwheat flour. Even on the rare occasion white flour appears, it’s no longer the original standard of 85 flour but changed to "bran-inclusive" flour.

What is "bran-inclusive"? It means 100 pounds of wheat produce 100 pounds of flour. Swallowing it gives a clear scratchy pain in the throat. Even such are rare.

The most common dry rations on the table are cornmeal and buckwheat flour. While the flour appears white, once made into buns, they turn blackish.

These coarse grains, after multiple modifications in the canteen, included many leaves, corn cob powder, and other weird stuff; the taste became harder, astringent, with a slight bitterness and a hint of sweetness, the worst part being it causes constipation.

The previously black and coarse steamed buns, vegetable balls, Zhang Jiao could at least somewhat imitate, but not this time. The components are too complex, no matter how hard she tried, she failed to replicate it.

Not long after, in order to keep everyone full, the canteen added many varieties, introducing some substitutes. The most abundant among them is a kind of green algae.

After consuming this, the stomach feels intensely churned, followed by bloat like a drum, even passing gas becomes difficult. But at least it staves off hunger.

To earn more of these foods, many people braved the snow to go to the countryside, staggering back to school only after dark, turning in collected "spoils" at the canteen for some substitute food stamps.

Fortunately, the school no longer mandates dining in the canteen. Unless necessary, Zhang Guoqing and his wife rarely dared to stay in the canteen for a second longer than needed.

While Yi Jiefang and others, often too hungry, would go home every couple of days to bring back dry goods, cooking some soup just enough to get by.

Watching other classmates gradually become thinner, everyone silently agreed no longer to bring back foods with meat scent to school.