Rebirth in the 50s: The Couple with the Hidden Space

Zhang Guoqing could easily see the little hints among the children. He smiled and didn’t think much of it. With the character of his eldest sister, the children she raised wouldn’t be lacking in integrity.

It’s because the children are good that he’s more willing to contribute; otherwise, with the parents around, as an uncle, there’s no need for him to get too involved.

After returning to the guesthouse, the mothers-in-law group had not yet returned, nor had Mr. Zhang and his grandson. Zhang Guoqing figured they wouldn’t appear until it was mealtime.

"Alright, you guys do your own thing. We’ll go out when everyone comes back." Zhang Guoqing waved his hand, letting the kids go ahead and distribute the gifts.

"Uncle, you take a rest first."

Zhang Guoqing nodded with a smile. "If you’re hungry, have some pastries, don’t be reluctant. I’ll take you all to the night market tonight, think about where else you want to go and give me your answers."

"Uncle, it’s better not to go out; everywhere costs money."

"Opportunities are rare, in the future I won’t have time to take you around. While we’re all here in the provincial city, think of a few more places."

Xi Zi helplessly pointed to the noise from the adjoining rooms, "They’re already ecstatic, better not bring this up."

Zhang Guoqing ruffled his hair, "Weren’t you always wanting to go to the seaside?"

"Forget it, with this many people, it would cost a lot. We’ll have plenty of opportunities to travel after we start working. You shouldn’t have bought those three clothes today; my grandma will definitely say something once she sees them."

Zhang Guoqing gave him a sidelong glance. This kid’s becoming less cute as he grows.

"Uncle, don’t be stubborn. If you tell my grandma about going out, she’ll surely lecture you."

"Zhang Mingyuan, you’re getting gutsy, always using your grandma to poke at me!"

Xi Zi laughed heartily. Talking with his uncle was truly a blessing!

"You really don’t plan to test into Beijing?"

Xi Zi shook his head, "I want to stay closer to grandpa and grandma, the family still needs looking after. If I go to Beijing, I might not even come back twice a year, I can’t leave my siblings."

Zhang Guoqing patted him reassuringly. A really good kid, he took on the role of the eldest son well.

"Don’t put too much pressure on yourself. If something comes up, talk to your uncle."

Xi Zi nodded.

"Go play with Ziwen and the rest. Take advantage of your youth, when it’s time to be wild, be wild. Life is short, don’t wrong yourself too much."

"Are you going to hit me with another ’carpe diem’, ’spend all and it will come back’? Haha... Uncle, you take a rest, I’m off." 𝑓𝑟𝑒𝘦𝓌𝑒𝑏𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝘭.𝒸𝘰𝑚

Watching him quickly run off, Zhang Guoqing chuckled, "You little rascal!"

Over on the other side, Mother Zhang led her three daughters-in-law to visit Zhang Guofu’s school, saw her eldest son, and chatted a bit with his classmates. Soon the school bell rang, and not wanting to delay her eldest son’s studies, she had to leave in a hurry.

Zhou Jiao waited for a long time, but still didn’t see her mother-in-law show off. She continued to smile warmly and chatted cheerfully with everyone.

It’s clear her face-slapping plan didn’t succeed. Her mother-in-law was a kind-hearted elder who wouldn’t utter a harsh word, not even a sarcastic one, as Zhou Jiao hadn’t heard a single one.

Haha, face-slapping failed!

Zhou Jiao thought this was quite good. To earn genuine respect from others, it’s not something outsiders, including a few like them, could resolve for Huang Cuilan. Ultimately, it all depends on her own abilities.

Without Mother Zhang stepping in, Zhou Jiao wouldn’t have wanted to come along. Was it necessary?

Her mother-in-law was upset that her eldest daughter-in-law was being looked down upon and decided to take her out to show her off. It’s like how nouveaux riches flaunt their thick gold chains—look how rich we are.

That’s her mother-in-law, an illiterate old woman using the simplest, most direct approach to maintain her daughter-in-law’s dignity.

Quite admirable! Not every mother-in-law goes to such lengths for her daughter-in-law.

Zhou Jiao had asked herself many times if she could do the same if the roles were reversed. If someday her own son Ping’an married such a daughter-in-law, haha... she would absolutely want the person to stay as far away as possible, so as not to be an eyesore.

Watching those people in the school chatting with Mother Zhang, their demeanor and choice of words demonstrated the respect and affection they held for her mother-in-law, a representation of loving maternal kindness.

And this respect was definitely not drawn from their family background. It was from each person’s heartfelt admiration for a benevolent mother and the kindness that radiated from her words.

"Mom, I really had my eyes opened today. So this is what it’s like for college students to live in such a big school, they truly have it good. Before, I only knew our Xiao Wu and Jiao Jiao went to college, now I understand what that really means."

Mother Zhang laughed and scolded, "Understand what? You silly daughter-in-law! Our Xiao Wu and Jiao Jiao attend one of the best universities; their campus is even bigger than this one by half."

Zhou Jiao watched Mother Zhang show off amusedly. How come she didn’t say this earlier? It seems her mother-in-law only boasts in front of their own family.

That’s pretty good!

Lin Juhua didn’t get upset by Mother Zhang’s words, she just laughed, "Then next time, Mom, you should take me to Beijing! I’ll carry your bags."

Zhou Jiao smiled and replied, "No need to wait until next time, you can come with us this time. But, can you bear to leave my Second Brother alone at home?"

Who is Lin Juhua? Among the village women, she could talk dirty without blushing or getting breathless.

Upon hearing Zhou Jiao’s words, she immediately said, "You know, I really can’t leave your Second Brother behind. There’s a cafeteria, so food I don’t worry about, but as for clothes, there’s no one to wash them. It wouldn’t be right to let him go out in the summer all smelly."

Zhou Jiao looked at her with a smile. Truly an intelligent woman! As soon as she said this, her mother-in-law’s face lit up with a bigger smile. Zhou Jiao realized Lin Juhua was the sharpest in this household!

When Zhang the Second lived in the village, when she snuck some food, she might get a few angry glares and scolded by her mother-in-law, nothing too harsh. Moreover, her husband wouldn’t hit her.

Once Zhang the Second moved to the city for work, she immediately curbed this behavior. Because she knew clearly that if she angered her husband this time, coupled with her mother-in-law’s dislike, it could very well lead to divorce.

Being savvy and knowing how to get along is Lin Juhua’s biggest advantage.

For instance, every year at the end of the year, she would always send hand-sewn new clothes to Ping’an. She knew she valued sentiment, and the clothes she sewed herself made her much happier than bought ones.

Even though Zhou Jiao understood her intentions, could she invalidate such kindness? She couldn’t!

Moreover, this won her a lot of favor with her parents-in-law. After all, parents hope for a harmonious relationship among their children and daughters-in-law, united and harmonious?

Zhou Jiao enjoyed dealing with intelligent people, especially those without malice. She understood perfectly what it meant to be "in the same boat". For example, regarding Huang Cuilan, Lin Juhua had made quite an effort!

"Mom, how about we take a stroll around the department store? Eldest Sister-in-law, Second Sister-in-law, if you want to buy anything, just let me know. I have industrial coupons and tickets."

"No need, keep it for yourself to buy things."

"I don’t need to buy anything, just looking is fine."

Mother Zhang also nodded and said, "We can see if there are any defective goods, otherwise don’t bother. If we have it at home, let’s not waste money."