Rebirth in the 50s: The Couple with the Hidden Space novel Chapter 14

Chapter 14 - 4: Zhou Family Past

After the family finished dinner, Zhang Guoqing also felt entirely exhausted, and his body couldn't sustain anymore. He informed everyone and returned to the room, lying down beside Zhou Jiao, and finally fell asleep peacefully.

Zhou Jiao was awakened by the sound of a child crying. In her sleepy confusion, she looked at the unfamiliar room, and after a while, she remembered they had traveled through time and later had a son. Glancing to her right at Zhang Guoqing lying there, she smiled.

Mother Zhang held the child and saw Zhou Jiao awake: "Jiao Jiao, don't move, just lie still. Let the child lie next to you for now, Xiao Wu should let him sleep, his head injury hasn't healed yet. He was out in the cold wind again today. I'll go get you something to eat, I'll take care of you and the child tonight. Just us two women can manage."

Zhou Jiao was quite happy to hear Mother Zhang's words, which carried a strong sense of pampering. Recalling Mother Zhang in her memories, Zhou Jiao sincerely considered her as her own mother.

The Mother Zhang doted quite a bit on her youngest son; usually, she'd have long allowed him to sleep in the main room for comfort. Zhou Jiao had just given birth to a son, and early tomorrow Zhang Guoqing would have to go to the Yue Family to report the good news, so she had no choice but to arrange for the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law to take care of things. Seeing all this movement didn't wake him, she quietly cursed the few rascals from Lin Village, but forgot that those guys hadn't gained any advantage either, all with bruised faces, and two even had fractures and were detained by the militia.

Zhou Jiao laughed softly, "Mother, thanks to you being here, otherwise neither of us would know how to take care of the child. Look at this little one; we don't dare hold him. Mother, look at how small he is, red like a little monkey, he looks so unattractive, will he be able to find a wife when he grows up?"

Mother Zhang pretended to smack Zhou Jiao's arm and laughed, "You child, little ones grow exposed to the wind, this boy was born over 6 jin, very substantial. He looks handsome. Don't worry, does Xiao Wu need to bring any messages when he reports the good news tomorrow?"

Zhou Jiao was momentarily stunned when Mother Zhang mentioned her mother's family, hurriedly searching through her memories.

The original identity was somewhat awkward. How do you say it, originally she grew up with her grandmother, her father died on the battlefield shortly after she was born.

Her grandmother was the only daughter of an Imperial Physician family in early Capital City, wealthy since childhood, grew up with untouched fingers, and had a marriage arranged with an equally suitable family. The counterpart was also a reputable literati family. Just after getting married, without even consummating the marriage, the Eight-Nation Alliance invaded the Capital City, arresting male members of her husband's family under the pretext of sheltering the Yihe Tuan, leading to a massacre of the entire family.

Her grandmother barely managed to survive thanks to the cleverness of her personal maid; they disguised themselves and escaped through the chaos from the small kitchen in the backyard back to her maiden home. Her parents had no choice but to flee, fearing implicating others. The Capital City was in chaos, everyone was nervous, they packed their belongings and fled to the southern countryside villa with their family of three along with the housekeeper and maid, living under assumed names and relying on ancestral medicine skills and belongings to survive.

When she finally grew to 10 years old, understanding the world, she expressed wanting to find her mom. The only result was her mother coldly said during a phone call that she was busy performing all around, had no time to see her, told her to stay peacefully at home honoring her father. Full of tears, she became completely heartbroken; since then, she never mentioned her mother again, leaving letters from her unopened, not responding as if not thinking about her.

Zhou Family Village and Zhang Family Village were just upper and lower villages, separated by a river, with a stone bridge connecting the two. Zhou Family Village was even closer to the mountains, Grandpa Zhou was an old revolutionary, Grandma Zhou had been a military doctor in her youth, the couple was highly respected locally.

The pretty Zhou Family girl, Zhou Jiao, grew up hearing her maternal grandparents had military backgrounds, along with several uncles, her mother was also a soldier, in this era soldiers were well regarded. Apart from workers, soldiers were provided food, living, and clothes by the state, received monthly wages, military coupons were universally used nationwide, they had priority without queuing at supply cooperatives.

Apart from her father's accidental martyrdom, no one knew since Little Zhou Jiao became aware, apart from receiving clothes sent by her maternal family and her mother's annual remittances, she hadn't met them. People said they cared for the child but never took her in.

Occasionally overhearing aunt's muttering, big uncle sacrificed alongside Mr. Zhang, second uncle stationed somewhere abroad, Grandpa was a big figure no time to visit old war friend her Grandpa, Grandma was ill again, etc. Sister-in-law was strange, so beautiful yet refused to remarry or raise her daughter, just left at home, yes left.