Rebirth in the 50s: The Couple with the Hidden Space novel Chapter 455

Chapter 455: Chapter 344: Traveling with Parents

For several days, Zhang Guoqing had been worried about Zhou Jiao being bored at home. Taking advantage of the bright April spring and warming weather, he switched two workdays with a colleague before the weekend, planning to take her out for a trip to relax.

On the day of departure, right after breakfast, Zhang Guoqing rode his sidecar motorcycle back to the village. He didn’t return to his own small yard; instead, he found his parents. Without explaining anything, he asked them to bring a set of changeable underwear and follow him.

Mr. Zhang and his wife were startled, seeing his smiling face that didn’t seem like something was wrong. No matter how much they asked, he didn’t say anything, so they hurriedly followed him.

When they reached the county town and saw Zhou Jiao all set to go, Mr. and Mrs. Zhang realized the plan was for the whole family to spend a few days out of town. They were relieved and burst into laughter.

They never expected Zhang Guoqing and Zhou Jiao would take them to see the ocean. Travelling was something they had never considered. In earlier years, they spent months and months working with the earth to fill their bellies. Now they were like cultured people, able to walk around and enjoy the scenery.

The Zhang Family didn’t tell outsiders about their trip. When they met neighbors along the way, Mr. Zhang jokingly said they were going to visit relatives. Having lived this long, he knew that telling the truth would bring criticism. Visiting relatives was always the best excuse.

According to Zhang Guoqing’s plan, they would stay one night in the provincial city. The next morning, they would take a train to D City, just in time to see the sea and have lunch, then return on the third afternoon.

Mr. Zhang, hearing his proposal, directly let him take charge. As Mr. Zhang said, they couldn’t read a single word, just don’t lose them was fine.

Traveling light this time, Zhang Guoqing carried a bag of ready-to-eat snacks and clothes, along with the baby, Ping’an, and quickly boarded the bus.

Upon reaching the provincial city, Zhang Guoqing and Zhou Jiao didn’t bother Zhao Chuan Guang’s family. Familiar with the routines, they checked into a guesthouse and took their parents for lunch. They started visiting tourist spots, wandering North Market, listening to storytelling, seeing anything novel. Everything made Mr. and Mrs. Zhang both curious and delighted, repeatedly saying they had broadened their horizons.

This time Zhang Guoqing had bought theater tickets in advance. His parents, used to being frugal all their lives, were thrilled yet reluctant to spend money during the trip. They only looked, but didn’t buy anything. Since they were out, they didn’t care about money. In the end, Zhou Jiao secretly employed her trump card — buy it if you like it.

Leaving the exhausted Zhou Jiao and the child to rest at the guesthouse, Zhang Guoqing accompanied his parents to enjoy a brilliant performance of traditional art. Being there to appreciate it firsthand was incomparable to just listening to a phonograph without seeing the stage characters. No one left their seat during the show, and Mr. and Mrs. Zhang clapped along with everyone until their palms were red.

On leaving, they bumped into theater enthusiast Liu Laosan. This time he was with a female comrade. Upon seeing Zhang Guoqing, he hurriedly waved. After introductions, Liu Laosan kept winking at him.

Zhang Guoqing knowingly nodded and deferred visiting him for a couple of days. This tourism was not part of his plan, and he had little interest. He understood roughly that the other party had private goods to introduce to him again. To be safe, he now rarely traded with the other party. Regardless of whether they had a backing, it was best to avoid unnecessary trouble when possible.

Mr. Zhang was already used to such scenes. Since coming to the provincial city, his younger son met acquaintances everywhere he went. Anything that could be deferred a few days meant it was not urgent.

Early the next morning, Zhang Guoqing went to a small alley to buy the breakfast his parents favored. After breakfast, the whole family leisurely boarded the train.

During the three-hour train journey, Mrs. Zhang finally fulfilled her wish to sit in the iron box. She tried hard to control her excitement, experiencing the swift speed for the first time in her life, smiling at the surrounding passengers, happily observing everything before her. From time to time, she had quiet conversations with Mr. Zhang.

Not just Mrs. Zhang, but even though Zhang Guoqing had taken the train before, the soft sleeper was truly not as lively as the seated compartment. Amidst varied accents from across the country filled the car.

At stops along the way, vendors crowded outside the window, hawking their wares. The interior and exterior noises resonated, as passengers moved up and down.

Most interestingly, little Ping’an by the window waved his small hands, continuously shouting "ah... ah...", and whenever someone passed food through the window, he joyfully reached out to grab it.

This amused some passengers so much that they insisted on unwrapping snacks to give to him. Zhang Guoqing quickly thanked everyone and brought out some snacks that Zhou Jiao had prepared to share with the passengers.

In a short three-hour span, with these interludes, everyone soon became familiar with one another, laughing together.

Arriving at D City, faced with a city completely different from his past life and smelling the faint scent of the sea in the air, Zhang Guoqing didn’t hesitate at all. He found a coachman with a honest-looking face and went directly to a guesthouse near the bustling area.

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