Rebirth in the 50s: The Couple with the Hidden Space-Chapter 770 - 645: The Little Schemer’s Plot

Under the big locust tree at the village entrance, Xi Zi was vividly describing the childhood anecdotes of his little uncle and aunt. Of course, he also heard these rumors, but it didn’t stop his younger brother, Xiao Wu, from enjoying them.

Xi Zi guessed that the words of those old ladies in the wheat field this morning piqued Ping’an’s interest. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have secretly tugged at him and asked him to take a stroll around Zhou Family Village.

"Every year during the Qixi Festival, there’s a magpie bridge for the Cowherd and Weaver Girl to reunite, and this stone bridge was also where your parents often met between the two villages back then."

Thinking he wouldn’t understand, Ping’an rolled his eyes at him.

Xi Zi teased, "Don’t you believe it! Your dad used to pull your mom to the middle of that bridge quite often when he was five."

"You saw it?"

Xi Zi laughed, "That’s what grandma and the others said. There were witnesses, no mistake. The spot you’re sitting on now, they say, adults used to watch them holding hands and playing here."

Ping’an wasn’t interested in listening to this, clenched his fists, and casually said, "Is everyone in Zhou Family Village surnamed Zhou?"

"Just like in our village, there are a few families with different surnames."

"Do they get bullied?"

Xi Zi chuckled, "Every place bullies outsiders."

"Then why did they move here? Why not go back to their hometown? My Grandpa Jiang says old people like to return to their roots."

Xi Zi shook his head, "The ones who come out can’t make a living in their own place, otherwise who would bring their family here? Look at the Old Zhou Family, they all ran to the neighboring county because they couldn’t stand being mocked."

Ping’an stood up and walked toward the washing board by the river, his eyes glinting with amusement, "No wonder. So they must be doing well now. With my family’s gold, they certainly don’t lack money."

"How is that possible? Everyone in the provincial city knows their family is notorious. I heard they aren’t doing well elsewhere either, otherwise their family member Zhou Linan wouldn’t repeatedly try to move back."

Ping’an turned his head to look at him, "Oh?"

"I have a classmate whose little uncle also works over there. I heard that many people were keeping an eye on their gold."

Ping’an quickly walked a few steps, squatted down by the river, washed his hands, and exclaimed, "That clan leader’s grandpa just now is really pitiful. If they come back to the village, wouldn’t outsiders say he took gold to help them?"

Xi Zi glanced at the two women washing clothes a little distance away, nodded, and said, "Indeed."

"Oh dear..." Ping’an exclaimed and quickly shouted, "Big brother, those brothers earlier were all pretty nice. We have to be loyal. Shouldn’t we warn them about this? If those people move back, and a bunch of hooligans come, it might end up fatal."

Finishing his words, Ping’an looked anxiously at him and continued, "Especially those neighbors around that yard. It’s so dangerous. If bad people mistakenly enter the wrong place in the dark, it could be disastrous. It’s terrifying."

One of the women washing clothes was notably Guoshu’s wife, the village’s notorious character. She would have long tried to grab something from Zhang Guoqing’s son had it not been for fear of Zhang Guoqing.

Since Ping’an came to wash his hands, she had been paying attention to what the two brothers were talking about.

Upon hearing Ping’an’s exclamation, and without waiting for Xi Zi’s reply, she quickly grabbed the clothes she was rinsing, lifted her head with a smile, and echoed, "Indeed, you’re Xiao Wu’s kid, right? You take after your dad, very kind-hearted. Don’t worry about outsiders, they’re far from us. Our team is safe, nothing to fear."

Seeing this, Ping’an obediently nodded, "I know our village is separated from them by a river, those bad guys won’t come our way. Even if they do, we aren’t afraid, there are many of us."

After speaking, he didn’t wait for Guoshu’s wife to react and ran toward the bank waving his little hand and shouting goodbye.

"...Goodbye... Oh no... Old Shan’s wife, we need to tell the kids’ dad, one wrong move and someone’s life could be at stake. What if they run into them in the dead of night..."

Ping’an had run far away when he heard that flattering loud voice of the old woman who smiled foolishly at him a beat late, curling his lips in a sarcastic smile.

——These people always think he’s young, just want to take advantage of his family!

Xi Zi followed closely, seeing they were far apart so the other couldn’t hear them.

Only then did he say to the slowing Ping’an, "In the future, don’t bother with that person, run far away. She’s the infamous trouble in the village. The other day, that snot-nosed little brat was her oldest son; you can tell from such a big boy still snatching food how they were raised."

Ping’an chuckled inwardly, but nodded blankly on his face, "I’ll listen to you, big brother."

Xi Zi smiled contentedly, reached out to pat his head, suddenly remembered that except for a few elders, Ping’an didn’t allow anyone else to touch his head.

He then patted Ping’an’s little shoulder, "Come, big brother will tell you the glorious tales of that one. She’s the character our little uncle once called unforgettable."

Ping’an lowered his eyes, took his hand, and listened to the anecdotes he told while walking, graciously giggling now and then, though his eyes squinted slightly.

If Zhou Xiaozheng were here, he’d definitely know this kid was again absent-mindedly pondering something.

Meanwhile, Xi Zi had no idea he had once again been used by his younger brother as a prop. Oblivious, he lowly gossiped, getting carried away, he exposed all the "celebrities" in the neighboring teams.

A few days later, when the team members of Zhou Family Village, especially the neighbors of Old Zhou Family, went to the Zhou Clan Leader’s house raising a ruckus, insisting that the Old Zhou Family must not move back, the situation escalated further. It was only then that he curiously asked Ping’an if he had anticipated it?

Of course, facing the ignorant Little Ping’an, especially his bewildered look of not understanding, this matter became a puzzle to Xi Zi. However, in the years to come, a decade older, he increasingly got used to seeking advice from his younger brother whenever something came up.

Along the main road leading to the county town, a figure pushing a cart appeared. From afar, Little Ping’an could tell the two tall and short figures walking shoulder to shoulder were definitely his mom and dad, joyfully jumping and waving his hand to shout.

Xi Zi squinted at the distance, asking uncertainly, "Is that really little uncle and little aunt? Let’s wait a bit more, calling out to the wrong people would make us a laughingstock."

"No way." Ping’an was very confident. These past two days, he observed that women in the village had low status, walking behind men when they went out, even his grandma walked a step behind his grandpa.

People walking shoulder to shoulder up ahead must be his parents. His dad truly adored his mom, unlike many of his friends’ parents who walked far apart even when in the same row.

Zhang Guoqing listened closely and recognized it as Ping’an’s voice, immediately picking up Zhou Jiao beside him and putting her on the cart, pushing it as he ran, complaining, "You see, staying on the cart would have been better, my son must have been waiting a long time."

Zhou Jiao gripped the handles, glancing at him sideways. She couldn’t be bothered to retort. She was the stepmother, alright?

"Son..."

"Dad, I missed you so much..."

Approaching, Zhou Jiao couldn’t bear to look directly at the silly father and son’s cheering embrace, it was truly glaring. She glanced at the snickering Xi Zi, see! They’ve become a joke.