Rebirth in the 50s: The Couple with the Hidden Space-Chapter 610 - 489: Her Father-in-Law Is Quite a Character

Chapter 610: Chapter 489: Her Father-in-Law Is Quite a Character

Before the New Year, after the summer madness, the high prices in the black market, the country imported a batch of sugar and flour. This finally gave people something to be happy about.

With the market beginning to supply high-priced pastries and candies, quite a few high-priced restaurants were added. For a time, this helped many people with savings address their urgent needs.

Various department stores and grocery shops were crowded, with people squeezing together, and counters filled with citizens buying high-priced pastries and candies.

Unfortunately, they were high-priced items after all. Milk candy cost six yuan per pound, and pastries cost five yuan. To be honest, the prices were not much lower than those of the black market.

It didn’t take long for these high expenses to become unmanageable even for those with high incomes, further barring many families struggling to make ends meet.

Especially in those once-glorified high-priced restaurants, there were fewer people, looking empty. With dishes starting at least four or five yuan, and some even costing twenty or thirty, it truly wasn’t something most people could afford.

Zhou Jiao didn’t care about what others thought, she personally clung to her mother, refusing to let her go.

"Mom, you really shouldn’t go. Whatever you want to eat, just tell me, I’ll cook it and let you eat to your heart’s content!"

"We just want to have a look."

Zhou Jiao firmly shook her head, "I’m afraid I can’t hold you back, and you’ll be heartbroken and lose sleep over it at night."

With the average monthly wage of ordinary workers only enough for one dish, such curiosity should not be entertained.

Initially, the wealthy ones would still come, but even the foolish rich have stopped visiting now. She would have to be brainless to provoke her mother.

Forget about the supplies at home; just relying on her father’s special provisions, there’s no need to visit any high-priced restaurant. When has her mother’s living standard ever been impacted? Truly irrational.

Time gradually approached the end of the Year of the Rat, about to usher in the roaring Year of the Ox.

Another New Year, although Zhou Jiao prepared meticulously, the festive atmosphere of this year felt less exciting than the last.

After a collective New Year’s Eve dinner, they welcomed the greetings on the first day of the new lunar year.

Nowadays, it wasn’t popular to clasp hands and offer wishes of "Congratulations on your fortune." Whether it was greeting or visiting family and friends, it was replaced with nods and a "Happy New Year."

Zhou Jiao estimated that apart from Ping’an receiving red envelopes, all children in Beijing followed suit with "Hello, comrade dad" and "Hello, comrade mom"... truly abandoning old customs with no red envelopes.

The collective New Year’s celebration was reminiscent of last year’s. The temple fair and amusement parks could not revive the prosperous scenes of previous years.

After the Spring Festival, the streets’ well-dressed pedestrians seemed to decrease significantly due to hunger, occasionally visible at high-priced restaurants. Most people moved swiftly, no longer strolling leisurely.

After the first lunar month passed, Mr. Zhang’s third letter arrived. Inside the envelope, there were two sheets of letter paper written by Xi Zi, along with a personal handwritten letter from Mr. Zhang.

Mr. Zhang told his eldest son and daughter-in-law that he was worried about exposing the household’s grain; he sought help from Zhao Chuan Guang, exchanging most of the fine grain for coarse grain in the provincial city, and then exchanging it for grain coupons, multiplying the profits several times. Now, nobody had as much wealth as him, and he mentioned his eldest son should reach out if lacking grain.

Zhou Jiao read and smiled knowingly. Her father-in-law was an influential figure. Avoiding Zhao Dashan and finding her godfather was a brilliant move! Upon seeing the upright handwriting, it truly was remarkable.

"Come on. My dad actually knows several characters, he just used to write in traditional script, often missing strokes. Now with Xi Zi and the others around him, what’s difficult about simplified characters? Don’t you remember that he personally recorded the separation’s account book?" Zhang Guoqing did not want to admit his father was illiterate.

Zhou Jiao smirked, "Dad is impressive. Otherwise, how would he have exchanged fine grain for coarse grain to feed the family in earlier years? We made profit here, and he made quite a bit too."

Zhang Guoqing nodded with a smile, carefully reading the letter, folding it securely and placing it in a box, letting Zhou Jiao store it in the space. These secrets must not be revealed.

Thinking about the things Xi Zi mentioned in the letter, Zhou Jiao genuinely felt it wasn’t fair for women, "Do you think ten pounds of cornmeal can really marry a pretty girl?"

After speaking, she wasn’t waiting for Zhang Guoqing’s answer, looking ahead. She herself felt silly, could such a thing be faked? As the head of a family, whether for settling or a daughter’s future, this is indeed a good strategy.

Zhang Guoqing didn’t want outside matters to affect his wife’s mood. Holding her up, he praised her, "Wife, you’re so smart! Now everything bought requires receipts, you really don’t need to worry."

Speaking of supplies, Zhou Jiao boasted, "The best is Huaihai Old products, so practical. Once the canteen is dissolved, trading pots and knives can reap quite a lot."

"Little money-grubber."

While the couple was being playful, outside came the conversation between Old Mrs. Cheng, Cheng Ruzhu, and Aunt Chen.

Zhou Jiao got up from Zhang Guoqing’s embrace, tidied her clothes, and followed him out of the room.

"Auntie, little aunt."

Greeting them, Zhou Jiao saw the packages on the ground and looked at Old Mrs. Cheng and her daughter.

"Let’s talk inside." The old lady asked Aunt Chen to tidy up and led them into the living room.

"What’s going on?"

Cheng Ruzhu casually said, "Just some things for our Ping’an. Don’t refuse, I know you guys aren’t lacking anything, it’s our gesture."

Seeing Zhou Jiao about to refuse, the old lady smiled and said, "Alright, listen to me. You’ve been secretly helping Yu’s brothers, you think your little aunt doesn’t know? We are all family, don’t be polite with your little aunt."

Cheng Ruzhu nodded, "Push back and forth, and things become distant. Your little uncle even asked me to bring dumplings, saying the ones you made he already finished."

Everyone laughed heartily upon hearing this.

"You two really aren’t polite."

"There’s no room for politeness. Cong Wen’s colleagues have swelling in their lower limbs, relying on the hospital’s recovery powders to support themselves. Yu and his brothers’ school are eating leaves."

Zhang Guoqing chuckled, "Why didn’t little aunt bring a few cousins over today?" He really didn’t want some bad news from outside to scare his wife, so he diverted the topic.

Cheng Ruzhu didn’t want the kids to come over any more. Eating at the brother’s house all the time, is that right?

She laughed, "Once school starts in a few days, you won’t see even their shadows. These days, their grandfather wants them to accompany him."

After chatting for a while, Cheng Ruzhu recalled some rumors she heard, glanced at their faces, hesitating to speak. But leaving things unsaid felt unfair if the children were ignorant, saying it risked upsetting them.

Zhou Jiao noticed her unsettled expression, lowered her eyes, understanding it must be related to the Lin Family. She too heard some whispers, just hadn’t expected even those in the north side like Cheng Ruzhu were aware.

Considering a while, Cheng Ruzhu didn’t voice it, planning to mention it to the old lady later. Anyway, as long as it didn’t involve her elder brother’s family.

Even Old Mrs. Cheng knew, Cheng Ruzhu really didn’t need to struggle that much. 𝘧𝓇𝑒𝑒𝑤ℯ𝑏𝓃𝘰𝑣ℯ𝘭.𝘤ℴ𝘮

The Lin Family always made a fuss over small matters, afraid that others wouldn’t know. This time, Eldest Lin, Lin Aiguo, was victimized by his own mother, turning his household upside down.

The son endured countless hardships to return alive, yet wasn’t allowed to properly care for his wife who guarded her virtue for years, instead being dragged by his mother, keeping him from home. Is this how a mother behaves?

Outsiders think Gu Ruyi, the old woman, is seriously ill and wants her eldest son to accompany her. But Old Mrs. Cheng clearly knows that the old woman maliciously intends to make trouble, asserting her dominance.

See what happened now? The eldest daughter-in-law no longer serves the Lin Family. This is true karma!