Rebirth in the 50s: The Couple with the Hidden Space novel Chapter 15

Chapter 15 - 5: Jiao Jiao's Bittersweet Feelings

No one knew the thoughts of Grandpa Zhou's family, even Grandma privately talked with Grandpa about the little daughter-in-law remarrying, wondering if it was because she feared taking on a burden.

As a result, 16 years passed, and Zhou Jiao's mother remained dedicated to singlehood, spending years traveling with groups to the Northwest and Qinghai, but never coming to the Northeast.

A comrade of Grandpa Zhou said that the child couldn't get over the grief of losing her lover and needed time.

Ha, well, who gave Zhou Jiao time? Who gave her the childhood of losing fatherly and motherly love?

Young Zhou Jiao seemed obedient, but was actually filled with thorns, sensitive and stubborn, observing people coldly, at odds with so-called family. Only Zhang Guoqing, two years older than her, told her that she could borrow his mother if she needed, which was how they became friends.

In her childhood, what she envied most was Zhang Guoqing. Among the nearby villages, he was the only one still getting piggyback rides from his father at the age of ten. Even if he made mistakes, his mother always found excuses to shirk responsibility; the spankings sounded loud but didn't hurt.

When bullied by other kids, his mother would stand in the opponent's house and scold ambiguously until the other side started hitting the children before leaving. During times of scarcity, even an egg was precious; his mother would secretly give him one, which he'd save for her.

Walking back and forth from school, no matter the weather, cold or hot, they stayed together, plotting revenge against the older cousins at home. Aside from Grandpa and Grandma, Zhang Guoqing was the one who grew up with her.

Last year, there was a hotly contested slot for military service, which he gave up for her.

She still remembers him saying, "If I leave, who will be with you? If I leave you like your dad, who will truly care for you?"

At 16, after finishing middle school, seeing her grandparents' health worsening due to old war injuries, she decided to marry Zhang Guoqing. During that time, Grandpa called but couldn't reach her mother, only hearing she went to the Northwest.

At the wedding, Grandpa gave her father's pension to her, and she didn't expect him to save what her mother sent over the years either. Grandpa valued the eldest son and grandson the most; apart from Grandma and her aunt, no one truly planned for this second family's orphan. Even her aunt hoped to use Grandpa's connections for her grandchildren to join the army.

The four children in her uncle's house were even more spoiled and domineering than her, wishing the Lin Family were their maternal grandparents. She was sickly since childhood; the special milk powder and malted milk sent by the Lin Family almost all went into their stomachs, raising them to be tall and strong.

She was weak like a chick at ten, finally having a better life when Grandma couldn't bear it any longer, gradually nursing her health over the years.

The honest uncle and the calculating aunt, over the years, drained the old couple's retirement and the support her mother sent. Weddings, houses, and fancy gifts for the eldest son's wedding, the second son's high-status bride, and a son always in high school, exhausted Grandpa and Grandma's savings.

Luckily, they only had four kids; if it were seven or eight, they might have sucked the marrow dry.

The once scholarly Grandpa and Grandma had been assimilated by the rural aunt, losing the dignity from their prestigious family background. Fortunately, Grandma taught Zhou Jiao the ancestral medical skills and embroidery, providing glimpses of the Huang family's legacy in Beijing.

Grandpa's ability to keep her father's pension and give it to her was satisfying. Moreover, Grandma secretly tucked a small box of jewelry away for her.

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