Rebirth in the 50s: The Couple with the Hidden Space-Chapter 764 - 639: Can You Hurry Up?

The two aunts were eating white noodles with poached eggs. Initially, they wanted to be polite and divide it into small bowls. But upon seeing that not only they had noodles, but even the big sister-in-law and her son also got a portion, they stopped pushing around.

The two sisters-in-law exchanged a smile. This niece-in-law is truly amazing! They felt comfortable being guests.

After they had their snack, it was getting late, and the two aunts were eager to head home before dark. Seeing the two large baskets of eggs they brought, Zhou Jiao sighed internally. There were at least sixty to eighty eggs; she wondered how much effort they put into gathering them.

She signaled to Zhang Guoqing to prepare more return gifts. As a daughter-in-law, there were things she couldn’t say or attend to, so it was up to him, as a son, to handle it appropriately without causing any awkwardness.

It’s not that Zhou Jiao was being over-cautious, but she didn’t want interference with her household affairs. It’s a matter of respect and politeness, regardless of whether it’s elders or juniors. Especially with Huang Cuilan, who is prone to gossiping about the in-law’s family. If she, the daughter-in-law, stayed there, her mother-in-law would be worried about managing the situation.

Thinking of how the two cousins have been sending items to Ping’an over the past two years, and also some local specialties from the two aunts’ houses, Zhou Jiao’s eyes lit up. She quickly said, "Mom, please hold the two aunts for a bit; I have something for the two cousins."

"Take it easy, no rush."

Zhang Guoqing watched his mother anxiously urging him and smiled. A harmonious family starts with a good mother-in-law and daughter-in-law. He felt proud of his wife!

"Mom, pack some more meat for the uncles. If there’s none left, I’ll get more."

Mother Zhang glanced at the two in-law sisters in the main room, who were busy with Ping’an, and whispered, "Not too much, they might not accept it out of politeness."

"No worries, I’ll escort them halfway. Mom, just take out the eggs first, then we can put other things in the baskets. I’ll find a bag for the meat."

Zhang Guoqing had just packed twenty pounds of meat when Mother Zhang tightly grabbed his arm. Seeing her glaring at him, he smiled and let go. He expected Zhou Jiao to prepare some fabric as well.

Why? Because she brought back a huge stack of fabric from abroad this time, on top of what she hoarded in Hai City earlier. The total amount was astonishing; it’s perfect for favors.

Given her reluctance to owe favors, chances are she might give quite a lot this time. With this meat included, too much would indeed scare the two aunts, making them hesitant to visit for five years. That would be a blunder from good intentions.

The two aunts are genuine people, but there must be a balance. Human greed can change with external stimuli. Zhang Guoqing didn’t want to ruin the friendly relations.

Before long, Zhou Jiao came in holding a cloth pouch. Zhang Guoqing was a bit surprised but delighted. His wife had indeed become skilled in social dealings.

Zhou Jiao lifted a corner of the fabric to reveal blue cloth inside, discreetly signaled with two fingers to Zhang Guoqing, who nodded in understanding. That was just enough for the two uncles.

Mother Zhang rolled her eyes at the couple but didn’t interfere. The young couple was saving her face; no matter how reluctant she was to part with the items, she couldn’t say so when guests were present.

Zhang Guoqing genuinely carried the bags to send off the two aunts. At the time, every production team was gradually harvesting wheat, and it was hard to even borrow an ox cart.

Walking quite a distance, they were finally fortunate to find a passing ox cart. Zhang Guoqing breathed a sigh of relief. After the two aunts got on the cart, he put the bags in it and gestured to the cart driver to take care of them.

This mischievous kid said he was going to the county town, but he was actually waiting here for them! Seeing the two full baskets, the two aunts couldn’t help but chuckle wryly.

If they had known, they wouldn’t have brought the eggs. This didn’t feel like visiting relatives but more like coming to haul goods. With strangers around, they couldn’t say much, so they just invited their nephew to bring the family over to play at their house sometime.

Zhang Guoqing waved them off and quickly headed back. There were still things to handle that night, so he was a little anxious, almost sending them to the doorstep.

Zhou Jiao laughed heartily in the old courtyard, "Mom, with so many eggs, they’re bound to get broken on the way to Beijing. Please spare me the trouble."

"Your father and I can’t consume so many."

Zhou Jiao chuckled, "We’ll eat them all together. Let the kids know the goodwill from my two uncles’ families, these eggs represent no ordinary generosity."

Mother Zhang could tell that her Jiao Jiao wanted the Old Zhang family to appreciate her maternal family’s intentions. She deliberately exaggerated her share into three. Oh, this child is so thoughtful.

The little showman astutely approached, "Grandma, you and grandpa should eat more. Eggs are nutritious, I’ll buy you lots of eggs when I grow up."

Mother Zhang was so amused she couldn’t stop smiling, hugging her precious grandson tightly.

Little Ping’an was so thrilled, he eagerly patted his chest and promised, "Grandma, in a few days I’ll get more meat for you. You’ll never lack meat in the future."

Mother Zhang held him tightly, not caring about the meat on the ground, and advised, "Grandma only wants Ping’an to grow up well, that’s better than any meat. You must not listen to your dad and run deep into the mountains."

Ping’an, his eyes gleaming, hugged Mother Zhang’s neck and said in his childish voice, "Alright. I’ll listen to grandma and not go to dangerous places with dad."

Zhou Jiao silently watched him charmingly coax Mother Zhang. This kid’s sweet talk was indeed impressive.

"Mom, should I take out the meat?"

"Oh dear, the meat will spoil if not processed."

Ping’an perceptively made a request.

"Grandma, is this meat for Brother Tie Dan and them?"

Mother Zhang shook her head, "Grandma will sun-dry these and store them for family consumption. We shouldn’t use up everything at once, learn to make it last."

Ping’an found a kindred spirit, his eyes lit up as he looked at Mother Zhang beside him, "Grandma, you’re so knowledgeable. This way they won’t spoil?"

"They won’t. They can be salted and dried to last until the New Year."

"Is salt expensive? Do we need coupons?"

Mother Zhang casually replied, "Eight cents a pound. Everything needs coupons these days."

"Coupons? Not worth it."

Mother Zhang got curious, "Oh, why do you say that?"

"Each coupon has a quota, if it’s not enough, you have to exchange for more. That’s exhausting favors." Ping’an looked at the meat selected by Mother Zhang and Zhou Jiao, "With so much meat, do we need a lot of salt? Ten pounds of meat needs one pound of salt, fifty pounds of meat costs four dimes. Four dimes can buy over three hundred pounds of cabbage."

Mother Zhang was stunned to see him convert so fluently without pausing, she turned to Zhou Jiao in amazement.

Zhou Jiao nodded and said, "He can calculate numbers under a hundred."

Of course, she said this modestly. Yet it still delighted Mother Zhang, "Our Ping’an is so smart! Jiao Jiao, as soon as you graduate, give birth again, raise the next child like this."

"Okay."

Ping’an frowned, "Can you hurry? I want a brother soon. Also, Grandma, there’s no one as smart and sensible as me in the world."

Mother Zhang laughed her belly off today. Her grandson was just too amusing. She nodded immediately and said, "Yes, there isn’t a child as good as you."

Ping’an was satisfied. He laughed and said, "But it’s okay, I’ll make my brothers smart. My dad said I’m the eldest, so they have to listen to my commands in the future."