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

"Unless your elder sends someone to pick you up, forget it! Wait till after we eat, we’ll take you out for a stroll."

Zhou Jiao pursed her lips and smiled, "I’ll go to the hotel reception to make a call now. Could I trouble you, teacher, to come with me? I’ve been here twice, I won’t get lost, and I’ll be back first thing in the morning."

The receptionist pulled a reluctant face until she heard Zhou Jiao say the call was going to the Military District, and immediately became enthusiastic, putting down her knitting.

Zhou Jiao couldn’t help but sigh at how people are so fickle; prejudice exists everywhere. She gave Counselor Wu an apologetic smile—she had made him suffer with her.

Yi Jiefang had been watching Zhou Jiao, as he had promised his friend, who’s considering breaking ties, that he would keep an eye on his wife. Before any official breakup, he had to watch over her first!

So when the phone call connected and the loud voice from the receiver rang out, he rushed forward to greet: "Uncle, it’s the youngest from the Yi Family, I’ll come over in a bit too."

"The youngest from the Yi Family? What are you doing there? Oh right, you’re in the same school. Alright, alright, someone will pick you up in half an hour."

"Uncle, have them wait for us at the square, don’t come to the hotel."

Zhou Jiao frowned and glared at him.

You with your loud mouth, still afraid of someone knowing? And could someone tell her, why this darn phone transmits sound? She wanted to leave alone, not bring a tag-along!

"Sister, Uncle Zhou and Xiao Wu both asked me to look after you. Would I dare let you go out by yourself? Stop glaring, I’ll buy you candy later."

"Da Yi, you’re the teacher’s right-hand man, work comes first. How can you abandon the organization for personal matters?" As she said this, Zhou Jiao gave a glance to Counselor Wu.

Counselor Wu was delighted to stand aside and watch the drama. Zhou Jiao had just made a call to the Military District looking for *** Commander, and with the phone so loud, Yi Jiefang had called out several times.

He was already sure it was safe, so since they ensured no mishaps, he let them be. Compared to other students, these few in his class were quite reliable.

Seeing Zhou Jiao say this, he cleared his throat, "Why don’t you stay to help me? No matter how good your relationship is, it’s not appropriate to be seen going to a place you’re not familiar with."

Yi Jiefang was frustrated, "Teacher, she’s my sister, my actual sister. And also my real sister-in-law!"

Zhou Jiao quickly soothed this man grandly, "Yes! Dear brother, let’s announce it in the newspaper tomorrow! Rest assured. Who in the Military District would dare bully me?"

"But..."

Zhou Jiao clapped her hands, "No ’buts’, my dear brother. If some fool comes to mess with me, I’ll use your name, if that doesn’t work, I’ll use Grandpa Yi’s name, alright?"

Yi Jiefang burst into laughter, "No need, just use Uncle Zhou’s name."

Zhou Jiao secretly sighed in relief. This guy was much easier to handle than Zhang Guoqing!

Counselor Wu shook his head with a smile, "Have you decided?"

"Absolutely. Thank you, Teacher. I’ll leave my dear brother to you, you point east, he won’t go west." Zhou Jiao cheekily pointed at Yi Jiefang, "Dear brother, I’ll go ahead first."

"Wait, I’ll watch you get on the bus!"

"Right, put her on the bus. Don’t oversleep and be late tomorrow."

Zhou Jiao quickly nodded, not even going to get her luggage, telling them she might be back in the evening. That part was true, avoiding for a night, someone might accuse her of not sleeping well in a common dorm, seeking special privileges and personal enjoyment in the future.

As long as she could avoid giving them evidence, Zhou Jiao would never let anyone catch her slipping.

After getting on the vehicle, waving goodbye to Yi Jiefang, and driving some distance, Zhou Jiao clung to her purpose, using buying gifts as an excuse to have the soldier who came to pick her take her around the area.

Upon reaching her destination, recalling the map markings, and looking at the sky, Zhou Jiao squinted her eyes. If everything went smoothly, she could still return to the hotel seamlessly!

It was now afternoon work hours, Zhou Jiao didn’t go to their house but brought her father’s regards to the unit, exchanged a few friendly words, and declined their invitation to their home.

After happily wrapping up the conversation, they planned to offer her a ride back.

This time, Zhou Jiao was cautious and brought up her father’s disapproval of her being treated specially outside, to not trouble any uncles. Moreover, she still had to visit a senior in the city.

In the end, with Zhou Jiao insistently refusing, they had no choice but to let her know she could call if anything happened. They personally led her to the bus heading from the Military District to the city.

Once in the city, Zhou Jiao truly started to shop leisurely, first going to a well-known pharmacy to purchase some unavailable tonic herbs and signature herbs of the store, as per her habit.

Afterwards, she really began wandering around, just like always, collecting gourmet food. As a city with well-developed waterway transportation and close to several major provinces, supplies were more complete than in the north. Besides needing various tickets making it inconvenient, if it weren’t for worrying about the night’s activities, Zhou Jiao would have gone on a shopping spree.

As for the tickets, heh... in such a big city, the black market definitely isn’t lacking. Zhou Jiao knew these kinds of dealings like the back of her hand. This is also why Zhang Guoqing wanted his friends to keep an eye on his wife.

Don’t be fooled by how timid she usually seems; when she gets fierce, the stubbornness and thrill-seeking in her bones will turn the world upside down, never mind considerations for safety.

His concerns were beyond Zhou Jiao’s understanding. Of course, she had also forgotten her greatest disdain for the whole "sworn brother and sister" thing! Someday, when Yi Jiefang keeps calling Zhang Guoqing brother-in-law, it might even set his teeth on edge.

As dusk approached, Zhou Jiao started heading to the post office to make phone calls. The first call went to the Military District, informing that uncle that she was safe, had met with that senior, and was making this call to reassure him.

As the post office staff’s gaze changed, Zhou Jiao let out a sigh of relief and then mentioned there were two more calls to make. You can’t blame her for making a fuss over nothing.

Zhou Jiao absolutely believed that if it weren’t for the influence of the Military District, making another call would have definitely drawn contempt and suspicion. People might notify the Public Security Bureau to see if she was a spy.

I mean, who else would spend so much money on phone calls? In different environments, she could only cautiously approach the boundaries, testing the attitudes of those around her.

The world never lacks smart people, Zhou Jiao dared not be careless. A single misstep could lead to total ruin.

When leaving a message for the hotel and finding they hadn’t returned yet, she asked the staff to convey that she had left the Military District and was now at a nearby senior’s house, so they needn’t worry. If she stayed the night, she’d return at dawn.

This was also to prevent Yi Jiefang from unraveledly calling the Military District. Should anything go wrong, Zhou Jiao firmly believed that if she "disappeared," that kid would stir up storms in the city.

On the last call, Zhou Jiao gently and warmly mentioned calling Beijing Military District Courtyard, to report her safety to her family and children. This, of course, led to even more enthusiastic service.

What is reality? This is it!

Zhou Jiao, however, had no intention of correcting the worshipful gaze when Beijing was mentioned. With grandpas there who had been deified, it indeed lacked no ardent admirers.