Rebirth in the 50s: The Couple with the Hidden Space-Chapter 650 - 527: There’s No Kid as Good as Me

As Zhang Guoqing left the Shangpo Team, it was getting late. Declining the Jiang family’s generous offer to stay for dinner, he left on his bike with a basket full of twenty eggs and fresh vegetables in one hand.

Those twenty eggs really tired him out. He wasn’t worried about the eggs costing ten cents each. Yes, indeed ten cents apiece, and that’s already considered cheap, all thanks to Jiang Lishi’s mother’s good reputation.

His biggest concern was accidentally breaking them and then getting scolded by people for being wasteful.

This is no joke. He’s experienced it firsthand!

Just as spring began, after more than six months of reconstruction, rural communes dissolved their canteens and allowed personal plots again. Many households began raising little chicks and ducklings.

Finally enduring until the snow melted, during a break from classes, while bringing his wife home, he saw someone sneaking around with a basket covered by a black cloth at the corner of a wall not far from a small bus station.

Ah... Zhang Guoqing was very familiar with such scenarios, so out of curiosity, he pulled Zhou Jiao along to check it out, only to find five bloody white eggs.

They were indeed little eggs, with one being soft-shelled. This clearly was the first-time "baby" produced by a young hen just begun laying.

With a playful mind, he bought them all for one yuan, negotiating with the little girl selling them at a price of two cents each.

The five eggs were fine in Zhou Jiao’s hands, traveling from the outskirts of the city into the urban area on a small train. As they boarded the bus, Zhang Guoqing took them from his wife’s hand and, in a moment of inattention, an accident occurred...

The soft-shelled one got squashed because of a sudden brake, and Zhang Guoqing, primarily focused on Zhou Jiao, didn’t notice it until they got off, when he casually tossed it onto the roadside...

What a ruckus! People waiting for the bus all stared at him, and an elderly lady was so agitated she could only stammer...

Thankfully, a sharp-tongued auntie came out and asked him if he was going to discard it.

Zhang Guoqing nodded, and the sharp-tongued aunt smiled widely, quickly pulling out her lunchbox and squatted on the ground, scraping the yolk and egg white, along with some dirt, into her lunchbox with chopsticks.

At that moment, Zhang Guoqing was so frightened he grabbed his wife and ran... It was terrifying, truly the finger-pointing of a thousand people!

If the twenty eggs were shattered, Zhang Guoqing absolutely believed he wouldn’t make it back to the city. He carefully and cautiously handled them like ancestors as he slowly rode back to the city.

As soon as he entered the Big Courtyard gate, Old Mr. Yi saw him, grabbed two eggs, claiming it was to supplement his little granddaughter’s nutrition. Well... who told Zhang to snatch the good liquor from his house?

Zhang Guoqing jokingly asked if Old Mr. Yi wanted a couple more, saying there’s more at home.

Old Mr. Yi gave him a mysterious smile and quickly left.

Leaving Zhang Guoqing confused until he heard laughter from a nearby park. He suddenly understood, but it was too late...

Indeed, fair enough, two eggs per child. Finally, Zhang Guoqing found himself staring blankly at the four remaining eggs in the basket, disoriented in the wind.

What happened to politeness?

Zhang Guoqing would never admit he often went to pester the old men for food and drink, occasionally secretly taking some good tea back home.

Upon entering the yard, a small whirlwind rushed up, "Dad, where have you been? Grandpa said to wait for you to have dinner together. My tummy has gone flat."

Balancing a bike with one hand and the basket in the other, Zhang Guoqing shouted, "Son, eggs..."

Zhou Jiao stepped out, smiling widely.

"Dad, you’re supposed to say, ’Son, here are some eggs.’ Not ’Son eggs.’ I’m your son Ping’an, not an egg."

Zhang Guoqing chuckled as he parked his bicycle, scooped him up with one arm, "Indeed. Not an egg of a son. How about we go ask Grandma Chen to cook some vegetables?"

"Sure. But Dad, you haven’t told me where you went. Did you pick these vegetables yourself? Why didn’t you take me along for such a fun thing? I’m telling you, I’m quite amazing. I even scooped all the bird eggs from the trees."

Zhang Guoqing handed the basket to Aunt Chen, praised, "You can even climb trees now, that’s really impressive. But how about making a deal with me? Climbing trees is too dangerous. Can you not go next time?"

Ping’an hesitated for a moment, "If it’s too high next time, I won’t climb, and if I don’t know the situation, I won’t climb. Is that okay?"

Zhang Guoqing patted the child’s head, "I don’t oppose you climbing trees or going down rivers, but you’re still young. You must play under adult supervision. Danger is everywhere, and we must be careful."

"Then you accompany me."

"Alright, write it on a note."

Zhou Jiao didn’t ask about his errands, happily listening to the father-son duo chattering.

"Dad, since there’s no work tomorrow, should we have a drink together?"

Zhou Xiaozheng nodded with a smile, "Your uncle’s back home, they’ll come by for a drink later."

"Grandpa, I want a Beibingyang."

"Only a small cup."

"No problem, a sip is enough for me."

Zhang Guoqing curiously asked him, "Is it that the more you can’t have something, the more you want to try it?"

Ping’an slyly smiled, "Not at all. I just want to join you and Grandpa for a drink. When I grow up, I won’t need soda, I’ll drink with you two."

The Cheng family’s arrival coincided with Little Ping’an boasting about what he could do when he grew up, amusing everyone secretly.

"You forgot there’s also one more thing you can do when you grow up, which is to get married." 𝘧𝑟𝑒𝑒𝘸𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝓁.𝘤𝘰𝓂

Ping’an shook his head with a smile, "No rush, I’ll find a wife when I want a son. Uncle Fang said marrying a wife is a losing deal. You must hand over your salary, report where you’re going, soothe her if she cries, calm her if she’s angry, and can’t even swat her. Life’s no picnic.

Everyone burst out laughing.

Old Mrs. Cheng advised him, "Don’t say these words to your Aunt Fang, okay?"

Ping’an blinked his large eyes, "Great-grandma, Aunt Fang already heard. She said she’s even more aggrieved. She has to wash clothes for two people, cook for two people, and doesn’t dare spend her wages."

Zhou Jiao explained on the side, "Fang Fei and his wife joked around in front of us, and he overheard them."

Granny nodded while laughing, "This young couple seems well-matched, they seem to be doing well. They’ve been married for some time now, shouldn’t they be having a child?"

Ping’an leaned over to Granny’s ear and whispered, "Uncle Fang said the seed has started to sprout. My dad said Uncle Fang will be a dad next year. They’re not telling people now, scared the little baby will run away."

Granny immediately understood, it’s not yet three months. She saw the men taking their seats for a drink, and she asked him quietly, "Haven’t you asked for a little brother or sister?"

Ping’an glanced over at Zhou Jiao in the distance, gleeful as a mouse finding oil, giggling. After a moment, he whispered to Granny, "Great-grandma, it’s a secret. My dad promised me a brother soon."

"Well done!"

"My dad said I’m the eldest, and the little ones must listen to me in the future." Ping’an exclaimed joyously, grinning from ear to ear.

Old Mrs. Cheng quietly affirmed, "That’s right. Our Ping’an is so smart, anyone who doesn’t listen to you would be a fool. My favorite will always be our Ping’an."

"My dad also said I’m his favorite. Originally, he didn’t want a baby, but I was too lonely, so they had to give me a brother to play with.

Forget about a sister, I’d have to protect her, that’s too tiring. Raising her only to marry her off, it’s not worth it in the end. I also think a brother is better, he can marry in a wife, and she doesn’t need to be sent away."

Old Mrs. Cheng laughed, covering her mouth. This child sure knows how to calculate things, no wonder he’s so happy. But, can she tell him that having a boy or girl doesn’t depend on his father’s intentions?

She’s curious to see how Xiao Wu will explain to his son if a girl is born. How confident this silly child is that it will be a boy!

"Aren’t you worried that your mom and dad won’t love you anymore once the brother arrives?"

Ping’an lifted his chin, proudly declaring, "Impossible! I’m smart, obedient, and well-behaved—there’s no better child than me."

Granny chuckled, where does this inexplicable confidence come from? Just like his dad, indeed an apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.