Rebirth in the 50s: The Couple with the Hidden Space novel Chapter 771

Chapter 771: Chapter 646: Living to Fifty-Five, King Yan Does the Counting

Happy days always seem to fly by. For several consecutive days, Zhang Guoqing took his son to avoid pedestrians and run up the mountain. He was eager to impart all sorts of miscellaneous knowledge.

However, he also knew that everything has its limit, and some things can’t be rushed. Fortunately, his son was still young and had plenty of time, so he was not in a hurry.

When Ping’an mentioned again that the prey they caught could be exchanged for money and tickets, the couple discussed and decided that it was better to address this curiosity directly rather than suppress it. Following the child’s idea, the family of three began their operation the following night.

They taught the child how to disguise and modulate his voice. Then, at the break of dawn, they started moving around several black market spots in the nearby city to set up a stall.

The two nights of dabbling in black market trading made Little Ping’an experience the ups and downs of emotion. From the excitement of being able to earn a high price, to the anger of having goods maliciously seized, and to the thrilling danger of having to flee when a black market was temporarily raided, the little child matured considerably.

He said: I understand why those people risk danger to earn money in the black market. Because there’s exorbitant profit. It proves that people do die for wealth.

He said: But without skill and power, no amount of money and tickets is useful. In the blink of an eye, it’s gone...

On the way home that night, he said a lot...

It made Zhang Guoqing and Zhou Jiao quite relieved. Their purpose wasn’t just to make money. Otherwise, they wouldn’t let things develop and not try to escape.

They hoped these unforeseen events would help their child understand the complexity of society and learn to see what lies outside their formal identities.

Zhou Jiao always had a worry she didn’t dare express to others. Would her Ping’an, who had lived so smoothly and had not encountered hardships, have the inner strength when faced with them?

But what worried her most was the storm that might follow, which was no small matter. It could be a matter of life and death—would her Ping’an be able to withstand it?

Time marches on regardless of worldly matters and soon ticked to the weekend—the day also marked Mother Zhang’s fifty-second birthday.

Years ago, when Mr. Zhang, who is three years older than Mother Zhang, turned fifty, Zhang Guoqing had wanted to celebrate it for him. Unexpectedly, his elder sister stopped him.

It was said that in their hometown, there was never a custom of celebrating a fiftieth birthday. It had always been "sixty for longevity, seventy as an elder, eighty as venerable, ninety as senescent, a hundred as celestial."

Celebrations typically began at age sixty, and only if the elderly person’s parents had passed away was it appropriate to wish them longevity.

Assuming there was no Z Country after Yashan made him realize these old traditions were still maintained in this remote area, even in today’s day and age.

Since that was the case, he followed the local customs. Otherwise, if he held a grand fiftieth celebration for his father, would it not be like cursing him to live ten years less?

However, there’s an old saying in Old Capital City: "Thirty-three takes a sharp turn, sixty-six without dropping a piece, seventy-three, eighty-four King Yan doesn’t call you himself." Also, "Live to fifty-five, King Yan counts you in."

If Zhang Guoqing hadn’t returned, he wouldn’t be concerned about the fifty-five age mark. Coincidentally, his father was turning fifty-five in just over a month. With a mindset of it being cautious rather than spoken, he planned to use this occasion of his mother’s little birthday to also let his father have longevity noodles beforehand as a blessing.

Not to mention the gains from unjust earnings this time. After transactions with middle-aged people, and excluding exchanged food coupons and materials, she received over fifty thousand in cash. Large ten yuan bills, small two yuan bills—it was truly a few bags full of cash.

If it weren’t for fearing she’d frighten her mother-in-law, she would have given a red envelope of nine hundred and ninety-nine yuan. Enough to give them courage like oxen!

In retrospect, it was lucky she didn’t give a big red envelope, or she wouldn’t even be able to leave the room. Her mother-in-law would surely suspect them of engaging in illicit activities!

In the east room, Mother Zhang watched her slip away like a little rabbit, smiling helplessly and shaking her head. Turning around, she carefully opened the tightly wrapped red paper, revealing a bundle of ten yuan notes with nine one yuan notes tucked in. She didn’t even need to count to know it would be ninety-nine yuan.

Then she glanced at the identical red envelope on the kang bed. Mother Zhang sprang up as if scalded, climbed the kang bed, and went to shut the window.

She muttered, "These fools, a pair of spendthrifts. Oh dear, I’m dying, ptooey... prosperity to us... where should I hide this now?"

Stepping outside, Zhou Jiao wasn’t aware that her mother-in-law was busy in the room. At this moment, she spotted Lin Juhua entering the courtyard, carrying a bundle and holding her young son.

Upon seeing this, she quickly approached with a smile and said, "Second sister-in-law, what style is this? How come you’re here so early?"

Lin Juhua handed her son over to her and breathed a sigh of relief, "Early? Xiao Wu must be almost at the county by now. I met him halfway, and your second brother asked me to return first. I didn’t bring a carrier, so I had to carry the child all the way back. You wouldn’t believe how exhausted I was. I should have waited for the eldest sister and them."

Hearing this, Zhou Jiao smiled, understanding that her mother-in-law probably hadn’t finished hiding the money yet. She deliberately slowed her pace, holding the child and leading Lin to the stone table.