Rebirth in the 50s: The Couple with the Hidden Space-Chapter 698 - 573: The Mystery Solved

Early the next morning, as the first light appeared on the horizon, a car left the farm and hit the road back to Hai City.

Ping’an sat in the back seat, watching his father driving in the front, and finally asked, "Dad, will the crabs given by Grandma die? Is it okay for us to take and eat like this?"

Aunt Zhao patted his head and laughed, "Don’t worry so much. How about coming back to my house with me?"

Ping’an shook his head, "No, it’s not possible. The little partners in Grandfather’s village said you can’t visit others’ houses for a month. I’ll come next time to visit your house."

Zhao Wenhui was amused. Such a young child could even say ’visit’. She wanted to explain that this is a god-family and there’s no big taboo, but seeing the serious little face, she decided not to persuade him further.

"Grandma, when you’re done, come find me, and we’ll go back together."

Lin Lishan laughed, "Grandma will go to see how things are first, okay? You really won’t come with me? There will be many aunties to play with you there."

Ping’an, remembering those strange aunties, quickly shook his head, "No, you’re going for work, you can’t bring children to the office, it’s not good."

Zhao Wenhui sighed, "This child is more sensible than my ten-year-old grandson. No wonder my brother always says he wants to steal the grandson back."

Ping’an listened and smiled, "The last time my god-grandpa came to Beijing, he said he liked me the most, and my uncle also said he cherished me, and my tank was personally assembled by him."

Lin Lishan smiled at Zhao Wenhui, "Ah Guang gave him a set of bullet head toys, and he wouldn’t even let anyone touch them. It made Brother Zheng envious."

"I wonder how they’re doing lately, I haven’t gone back this year. Xiao Wu, are you going back for the New Year?"

Before Zhang Guoqing could reply, Lin Lishan said, "They haven’t gone back for the New Year in the past two years. Brother Zheng said they should take the kids over this year to spend the New Year with their grandparents."

"Mom?"

Lin Lishan laughed, "Your dad said you haven’t gone back to celebrate the New Year for several years, so this year you must take the kids back home and let them meet relatives and friends."

Zhang Guoqing shook his head with a smile, his father-in-law truly was a thoughtful person.

Yi Jiefang quickly chimed in, "I think it’s a good idea. Uncle Zhou and my dad will be very busy in the first month, so if I’m not busy, I’ll go back with you."

"You’re welcome to come over. To be honest, for playing, our side isn’t worse than here. This season is the perfect time to go, it’s a pity."

The group was discussing which spots were fun and where delicious food could be found. Talking about unrelated topics, the journey back to Hai City felt like an instant.

Back in the city, it was noon. After having a grand lunch, they reluctantly bid farewell to Zhao Wenhui and returned to the guesthouse.

In the room, Lin Lishan took out bundles of money from her army cap and bag, astonishing little Ping’an, who quickly ran to check if the door was locked.

Zhang Guoqing was amused and exasperated by the antics of the grandmother and grandchild duo.

Lin Lishan collected every penny from her clothes pockets and said, "I have to go to the military district this evening, and it’s inconvenient to have too much money, so keep it for me."

Zhang Guoqing was surprised at the pile of money and receipts before him, genuinely wondering if his mother-in-law had changed. Could it be that after a suicide attempt, she became a different person? 𝘧𝓇ℯ𝑒𝓌𝑒𝑏𝓃𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭.𝒸ℴ𝓂

Lin Lishan saw her son-in-law’s expression, laughed quietly, "Just take a stroll on the street, and you’ll know why money can’t be spent. The prices for luxury goods have risen by a third like in Beijing."

This was something Zhang Guoqing had experienced personally.

Since before the New Year’s plan, the supply of non-essential goods has been implemented at prices 1 to 3 times higher than the listed price. Last month, he took some unused domestic watches from home and some stored special liquor, sold them at the black market for a low price, and made quite a profit. However, what did this have to do with not being able to spend money?

"Mom, aren’t there still a lot of local products over here?"

Lin Lishan peeked at the door cautiously and whispered, "Jiao Jiao said she’ll bring me some good stuff. Also, many places prioritize quantity over quality."

Zhang Guoqing nodded with a smile. This matched his mother-in-law’s taste and ideas.

"Quickly stash it away, just like me, hide it at the bottom of Ping’an’s small backpack, no one would suspect."

Zhang Guoqing finally solved the mystery he had been pondering for some time. Honestly, he had always wanted to ask, but every time he swallowed the words back. He worried about bringing up something awkward.

When his parents last visited Beijing, how did they carry money? It was frightening! In the middle of summer, rolls of money coming out from his father’s shorts scared him half to death! It made him afraid to tell his clean-obsessed wife, and it gave him a psychological shadow; every time he saw money, he wondered if it had a strange smell.

Zhang Guoqing followed her advice, leaving some spare change for the two, and wrapped the rest up in paper and stuffed it back into Ping’an’s small backpack.

He also realized why his son had been treating his small backpack with such care recently. It was as if as long as the backpack was there, he was there. The backpack is lost, the person... pfft, what was he thinking.

Standing at the entrance of the guesthouse, watching Lin Lishan drive away, Zhang Guoqing looked at the remaining people still staring ahead longingly.

He curiously asked Yi Jiefang, "Why are you reluctant to see my mother-in-law go? She doesn’t have a second daughter."

Yi Jiefang rolled his eyes, "I’m reluctant to see the car leave, okay?"

Ping’an was giggling at their banter, making Aunt Chen standing by shake her head and laugh. This outing had truly been one of tears and laughter.

Zhang Guoqing was speechless. That really was the reason, he couldn’t get used to life without a car. In these times, even if you had money, you couldn’t buy a car, and if you had a car, you didn’t dare to drive it. What kind of situation was this!

"What are we going to do for the next two days? We can’t just stay cooped up in here."

Zhang Guoqing nodded as well, but he really didn’t know where would be fun to go. He hesitated and asked, "Why not buy some gifts first? You should at least make your mom happy, right?"

Ping’an quickly interjected, "Don’t go to those fancy places, they’re too expensive. Grandma said my mom likes to shop at Huaihai Old, you don’t need tickets there."

Zhang Guoqing laughed heartily, picking up his son. Truly worthy of being his wife’s child!

"Don’t laugh, seriously! I’m not lying, my mom wouldn’t be wrong. Uncle, you should go to Huaihai Old, Grandma Yi definitely won’t say you’re being inconsiderate, she’ll surely be happy."

Yi Jiefang didn’t mind; his mother would be happy to receive even just a handkerchief from him.

Amidst the lingering warmth of twilight, after queuing for what felt like forever, they finally moved inside. Zhang Guoqing once again witnessed the explosive power of women shopping.

Ping’an widened his eyes, watching the crowd of shoppers in front of him, listening to the loud voices everywhere, holding his small backpack tightly, exclaiming in amazement: "Wow... so many people... they’re grabbing... truly grabbing..."

Compared to his first visit, the counters were now even more crowded with people, each with adrenaline-fueled excitement, that Zhang Guoqing picked up his child and retreated to a distance.

Thinking back to the past, he used to be one of them. Seeing Aunt Chen and Yi Jiefang among the chaotic crowd, the father and son duo laughed endlessly from their hiding spot.