Rebirth in the 50s: The Couple with the Hidden Space-Chapter 756 - 631: Seeking Help to Find Someone

The nights in late July on the lunar calendar are still stuffy enough to make you want to swim in Beijing, but in Zhang Family Village, this remote place, the weather has already started to cool.

Walking on the country path, without the scorching heat of the sun during the day, a gentle breeze blows, making people comfortably ignore the harassment of mosquitoes and bugs.

Under the big banyan tree at the bridgehead at the village entrance, a group of men, young and old, are gathered smoking dry tobacco in long pipes, chatting away. Occasionally, they hit a funny point, bursting out in hearty laughter, causing a few hunting dogs to bark wildly.

Zhang Guoqing saw from afar the Old Captain among them, and of course, his father was there too. Such a lively atmosphere wasn’t found in the county, no wonder his father often wanted to return home.

With a wide-open view all around, he really couldn’t spot where his son had gone off with the group of youngsters. After some thought, he walked over to say hello to everyone.

Mr. Zhang saw his older son coming over and pointed in a direction, "Ping’an went with them to play with the neighboring team..."

He hadn’t finished speaking when several uncles from the clan beside him burst out laughing.

"Xiao Wu, you really can’t underestimate your son. With those short legs, he insisted on walking on his own, and he ran really fast."

"Exactly. I thought growing up in the city would be different from the kids in our village. I didn’t expect him to play everything just as well. He climbed the tree so quickly; I just called out for him to slow down, and swoosh, he was already up."

The Old Captain laughed, "You’re not seeing whose son he is. When Xiao Wu was that age, wasn’t he just as lively? It’s all inherited."

The old men next to him nodded repeatedly, "That’s true. Xiao Wu was so mischievous back then. I remember when he was about that age, that wild kid blocked my chimney."

"That’s nothing. Every time the jujube tree in my yard bore fruit, he would trick my little grandson by saying they weren’t sweet. That silly kid got upset and insisted that Xiao Wu taste them."

Everyone burst into laughter. This really was something that kid would do.

Zhang Guoqing quickly cupped his hands in a gesture of pleading, "Grandpa Li, Third Uncle, please be kind and spare me some face."

"Alright, after all those years of eating my dates, shouldn’t you invite me for a drink?"

"Exactly. We know Xiao Wu is capable. These years, we’ve forgotten what wine tastes like. Not much, just get us ten catties of strong liquor."

"Everyone who’s here should get a share. It doesn’t have to be sorghum liquor, any wine will do."

Zhang Guoqing was truly amused by these old fellows. Seeing his father smiling and nodding slightly, he laughed, "Alright. Since all you elders have spoken, as your junior, I’ll go to the city tomorrow and beg, if necessary, for ten catties of wine. Tomorrow night, I’ll bring some snacks to go with the wine right here."

"Great. Xiao Wu, you could go find Old Man Wang, that old man doesn’t lack wine at home. He might even have some meat."

Seeing the Old Captain speak, Zhang Guoqing smiled and nodded repeatedly, "That’s reliable. Third Grandpa, you just wait here. Even if I don’t talk it over with him, I’ll snatch it if I have to."

Up ahead, the shout of Li Qinglin rang out, "Xiao Wu... Xiao Wu..."

Hearing it, Zhang Guoqing replied and said with a smile to everyone, "My buddy is looking for me; I’ll take leave first. Dad, I’ll head over."

Mr. Zhang nodded with a smile, "Go ahead. That kid has been waiting for you for a while now."

Watching Zhang Guoqing walk away with a relaxed smile, Old Li praised enviously, "This kid has been worth it in his life."

"Listen to Uncle Li, my cousin is very filial to you."

"It’s different, it’s not the same."

Everyone knew what he meant, so they just smiled without saying anything. Of course, it’s different. Zhang Dayou’s three sons are all more filial than the other, and even the grandsons are affectionate and respectful to him.

Who doesn’t know that even though Zhang Dayou had his sons start living separately early, a single word from him carries more weight than anyone else! There are filial children, but such elderly being pampered is rare.

The Old Captain chuckled, "Contentment brings happiness. We should not compare, to avoid disappointing our own children."

Zhang Guoqing quickly strode up to Li Qinglin and gave him a playful punch, "Why didn’t you wake me up? Where’s Taozi?"

"I just got home today, didn’t go to Taozi’s place. Xiao Wu, I need your help."

Zhang Guoqing put an arm around his shoulder, asking while walking, "Do you want to go to my place to talk?"

"No, after talking, I need to hurry back home."

"You can stay at my place tonight."

"Never mind, there’s plenty of time; I’ll stay with my parents for a couple of days first. Once Taozi and the others get back, we’ll gather again."

"Okay. Since you just got back, you must have a good talk with your aunt. So, tell me, what do you need me for?" Zhang Guoqing said while guiding him to a secluded area.

Li Qinglin, seeing the surroundings were vast and open with no obstructions, glanced thankfully at him, "You know a lot of people, brother, I can only turn to you for help to find someone."

Zhang Guoqing nodded knowingly. She must be that girl Li had been longing for. He was curious why Linzi didn’t come back this summer; now it made sense!

"...I went through a lot of trouble to get her new address, and as soon as the summer vacation started, I went to Guangdong Province. It turned out that although there was an address, it wasn’t her there.

I tried every possible way, and in the end, I had no choice but to call your house, but no one answered after several tries. Then I called the Dai family, and Da Yi said you had just gone back home, so I rushed back overnight and arrived home today."

Zhang Guoqing nodded. He didn’t ask why he didn’t let Da Yi help directly, wasn’t it obvious! The relationship hadn’t reached that point, besides the fewer people knew about this, the better.

"Xiao Wu, this isn’t an easy task. Please try your best to help me find her. If I can’t find her, then I’ll wait for her to reappear."

"I’ll give it a try first. Do you have a photo of her? And you keep referring to her as her; at least tell me her full name, age, height?"

Li Qinglin sighed softly and slowly said, "There’s no photo of her in the school archives; do you think she had premeditated this? The more I investigate, the more unsettling it gets. Her name is Hu Xiaohui, height 1.58 meters, a typical Jiangnan girl’s figure. Her character is quite stable, but privately she’s very childlike..."

Zhang Guoqing found the name so familiar, but he really couldn’t recall. Besides, many people could share the same name. Hmm, probably just an illusion.

"...She has a small black mole at the corner of her right eye. She often said her mother mentioned it was an ominous tear mole, always urging her to remove it. She’s very spontaneous in her actions but deeply stubborn..."

Zhang Guoqing quickly gestured to stop him from continuing, "Wait, did you say she has a tear mole?"

"Yes. Why?"

At that moment, Zhang Guoqing remembered that Zhou Jiao had mentioned a few companions going abroad, but this thing really was tricky to deal with. Let alone whether it was the same person, even if it was her. He understood what confidentiality regulations were. One wrong move could involve Zhou Jiao.

"Nothing, this feature makes it easier to find. When you parted ways, did she leave any messages? Like casually mentioned anything?"

Li Qinglin looked up at the sparkling stars in the sky, "At first, she said she would appear when I graduated. Later, she left a note telling me to forget her."

After saying this, he took out a folded envelope from his pocket, "In it, there’s a note she left and her personal information. Don’t lose the note."