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 so things can’t be rushed. Fortunately, his son was still young and had plenty of ti, so he was not in a hurry.
When Ping’an ntioned 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 excitent 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 ho 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?
Ti 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 hotown, 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.
Since that was the intention, the family of three planned the next day’s tasks the night before. At dawn the following day, they each started their own tasks.
Zhang Guoqing rode on Eldest Zhang’s bicycle to the county, while Zhou Jiao started off with two sets of new clothes to the old courtyard, and Ping’an had already hopped excitedly to check if his grandfather had once again gone to the fields out of goodwill.
In the old courtyard, Mother Zhang happily watched her grandson Ping’an practicing horse stance, while in the kitchen Huang Cuilan occasionally told her three daughters to stop busying themselves and go play. In the backyard, Mr. Zhang weeded while instructing Xi Zi and the others, and sotis laughter erupted from the group.
When Zhou Jiao arrived, the courtyard was filled with laughter and vitality. This lively farmhouse courtyard radiated joy, all that was missing was a magpie’s joyous chirp.
Mother Zhang imdiately saw her coming, smiled, waved, and when Zhou Jiao approached, she saw the two sets of dark-colored clothes in her hands and knew imdiately for whom they were ant.
She complained, "Why are you making clothes for us again? Your father and I can’t even wear out the ones we have."
"I have nothing to do every day, so I’m just practicing my skills." As Zhou Jiao spoke, she headed towards her in-laws’ room. She had deliberately placed two big red envelopes in the pockets and decided it was best not to let anyone see them yet.
As soon as Mother Zhang saw her doing so, she imdiately followed. In the inner room, she took the clothes and didn’t need to feel—she could clearly see the bulging red envelopes.
"Mom doesn’t lack money. The money you and Xiao Wu gave before is still saved up. Take these out first. We have no place to spend money in our hotown. Be good, listen."
Zhou Jiao saw her lower her voice and glance cautiously out the window, feeling quite amused. She quickly shook her hands, ran out of the room.
Actually, she understood that Mother Zhang and her husband were reluctant to spend money. But isn’t money said to be courage? Before going back to the Northeast, she received an overseas bonus plus rewards totaling one hundred sixty-three yuan and twenty-eight cents.
Not to ntion the gains from unjust earnings this ti. 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 mont, 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 co 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 t him halfway, and your second brother asked 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.
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