Rebirth in the 50s: The Couple with the Hidden Space novel Chapter 658

Chapter 658: Chapter 534: Surveillance and Inside Information

Inside the basketball court, Zhang Guoqing checked the time, left the court, bid farewell to a few friends, and took Zhou Jiao and their son home. He took a shower, changed clothes, and then left the Big Courtyard.

To supervise Zhou Xiaocun, he personally sent someone to keep an eye on Lin Liyin. At this moment, he could be seen riding his bike, zigzagging through the alleys of the mixed housing compound.

Around five or six in the afternoon, every household started cooking dinner. The smell of soy sauce and stewed dishes filled the air, wafting through the nostrils.

Accompanied by the fragrance were voices calling children back home for dinner. Soon, Zhang Guoqing rode his bike and stopped beside a public toilet.

"Hehe... Brother Xiao Wu, I’ve been waiting for a while, just about to find you. You wouldn’t believe how amusing today’s events were."

A dark-skinned, about twelve or thirteen-year-old boy darted out from the alley, grinning widely at the sight of Zhang Guoqing, eagerly speaking up.

Zhang Guoqing stopped him, noticing him holding his stomach, and said angrily, "Are you skipping meals again because of hunger? Is money saved this way? How are you going to raise your younger siblings if you carry on like this?"

"Brother, don’t be mad. I didn’t save money. I just ate before coming."

Zhang Guoqing didn’t say anything further, pushing his bike forward, "I’m famished, so let’s grab a bite to eat first. We can talk about those trivial matters later."

The dark-skinned boy followed him silently. Once at the restaurant, he saw Zhang Guoqing ordering meat dishes and stared at him wide-eyed, clutching his arm tightly.

Zhang Guoqing looked at him speechlessly, smiled at the impatient waiter, and handed over a ticket at the counter, "Don’t mind the kid, please hurry the chef."

After saying this, he whispered to the dark-skinned boy, "Stop causing trouble, be careful or I’ll smack you."

After paying, he took the boy to a corner, patting him on the head, "If you can’t finish, take the leftovers for Xiao Hui and the others. I have money, don’t worry about me starving."

"Tomorrow I’ll tell Sister Jiao Jiao you’re smirking at female comrades."

Zhang Guoqing laughed out loud. Silly kid!

The dark-skinned boy was actually fifteen years old, named Lei Tianming. He had a seven-year-old brother named Lei Tianliang and a three-year-old little sister named Lei Xiaohui.

Speaking of this child, he was truly pitiful. Nobody knew his origins. A nameless and homeless child of five or six years old, one day, unable to bear the cold, he ran to a woodpile near the Lei family to keep warm, and was discovered and adopted by the Lei couple.

The Lei couple were kind people. Even after the birth of their biological son, they never neglected him and always treated him as their own. A few years ago, the Lei family’s man had an accident and passed away, leaving behind a pregnant wife and young children.

Aunt Lei was so shocked by this event that she gave birth to a daughter, and almost lost her life due to massive blood loss. Her health deteriorated, making it impossible to do heavy work.

Thankfully, her workplace assigned her light duties, allowing her to rely on the supplied grain and a meager salary to survive in a single room in the mixed housing, struggling to support the entire family.

At twelve, Lei Tianming gave up school to help ease the family burden, collecting garbage and doing odd jobs for neighbors, while taking care of his younger siblings at home.

He thought he could hold on until he turned sixteen to become an apprentice, lightening his mom’s load, and improving the family’s situation. Unexpectedly, disaster struck this small family.

Two winters ago, subsisting only on rationed grain, the family of four was reduced to drinking a bowl of thin porridge daily. Baby Xiaohui, malnourished, developed edema, barely holding onto life.

Lei Tianming begged many people to no avail. Desperate, he went to the black market to sell things.

Selling what? His own blood.

A dark-skinned, bloodless child held up a sign with the neatly written words — "Selling Blood."

At that time, nobody paid attention to a child. After their clandestine trades, they quickly left.

Zhang Guoqing and Zhou Jiao, after their own trade, overheard someone mumbling about a child selling blood to save his sister and took notice. But when they turned around to find the figure — there in the snow, Lei Tianming fainted, still holding up the "Selling Blood" sign.

Seeing this, Zhang Guoqing wept on the spot.

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