Rebirth in the 50s: The Couple with the Hidden Space-Chapter 775 - 650: Silent and Unspoken

When the village horn signaled the end of work, the Zhang Family’s birthday feast had already gone through three rounds of drinks. The children, each with a bottle of soda, were also slowly taking small sips and finishing up.

As the horn sounded, Mr. Zhang frequently looked toward the door. His two brothers were supposed to be finishing work.

From this gesture of his father, Zhang Guoqing understood what true sibling bond was. He imagined that if he were enjoying delicious food and drink, he would really be thinking about his two older brothers.

He glanced at the restless children due to the adults not finished yet, and seeing them giving him looks, he smiled and waved them off to go play.

"Uncle, ice cream?"

"Wait a bit, be careful with your stomach."

"We’ll bring some to Brother Tie Dan and the others."

These kids’ eyes were darting around, like little puppies, almost wagging their tails, their thoughts plainly written on their faces, the meaning was obvious.

Zhang Guoqing chuckled and nodded, "You handle it yourselves."

Children have their own friendships, which he didn’t intend to meddle with. Seeing Ping’an run out with them, he was quite pleased; his son wasn’t that petty after all.

"Dad, I’ll go call Uncle and Little Uncle over."

Mother Zhang spoke before her husband could say anything, "Don’t go, you guys keep chatting, I’ll go and bring your Aunt and Aunt Zhang along as well."

Once Mother Zhang stepped away, Zhou Jiao and the other women got up to clean up the other table’s mess. Serving bowls and chopsticks, wiping down tables, dismantling the tables, tidying everything up in no time.

This year’s harvest was much better than last year, but still not enough for the members to eat their fill. After the experiences of the past few years, no one dared to slack off now, working even harder.

As a result, even with the horn announcing the end of work, it wasn’t like everyone got home so quickly. So by the time Uncle Zhang and the others came over, an hour had roughly passed.

Mr. Zhang invited everyone to sit at the table, while from the kitchen, Zhang Meili hurriedly brought four bowls of noodle soup on a wooden tray, smiling happily as she approached.

"Everyone’s here today, not working this weekend?"

"It’s just that the children’s mother is celebrating a small birthday today, and the kids wanted to gather. Has the team finished being busy for the day?" Mr. Zhang replied while asking his son to pour them drinks.

Uncle Zhang shook his head with a laugh, "The work in the fields is endless. Finishing here, weeding there, loads of work. In a while, it’ll be time for the autumn harvest again."

Indeed. Besides busy farming times, there’s also no real leisure in other times. Seeing his two brothers with faces sunburned red, Mr. Zhang couldn’t bring himself to tell them to take it easy.

In the countryside, only by working in the field for work points can one get a share of the grain. What would folks eat if they did less? Their Old Zhang’s family was already considered better off. Apart from farming, they rarely participated in chores like repairing reservoirs or gathering mountain stones. Unlike other families, where indeed women worked like men, and men like beasts of burden.

After Uncle Zhang finished eating the noodle soup, he wiped his mouth and turned to Zhang Guofu, "How long are you staying this time?"

"I have to rush back tomorrow morning, just took half a day’s leave."

Uncle Zhang nodded, "Keep up the good work! After you finish learning, is there an arrangement whether to stay in the provincial city or come back?"

"I still plan to return to the county town."

Uncle Zhang nodded with a smile, "Coming back is good. Big cities aren’t as free as small places."

Nearby Mr. Zhang said, "Big brother, little brother, have some wine..."

Uncle Zhang, seeing his mysterious smile, his eyes lit up, without a word lifted the glass, took a sip, then drank it all down.

Uncle Zhang hurriedly picked up his drink without speaking, sniffed it, and laughed, "This ginseng wine has been brewed for quite some time, hasn’t it? I guess it must be Xiao Wu who asked Uncle Wang for it."

Mr. Zhang smiled without saying a word.

Uncle Zhang, hearing this, pestered Zhang Guoqing, "That old man was willing to give it? How much did you ask for?"

"He didn’t have much, the remaining five catties I snatched." Zhang Guoqing chuckled softly.

For him, the wine was a minor matter. Old Mr. Wang heard about him taking his son up the mountain and also wanted to join, which was indeed a good thing. But these matters, he didn’t plan to tell outsiders about.

What does ’old but vigorous’ mean? Seeing the white-haired, crane-like Mr. Wang today, Zhang Guoqing gained new insights into health maintenance. This time, going up the mountain to find some more supplements should help Zhou Jiao improve her health.

Uncle Zhang, eating the meat from the jar, his eyes lit up, asked in surprise, "Xiao Wu, did you go deep into the mountains?"

Zhang Guoqing knew why he asked this. Wild chickens can still be hunted by going slightly deeper into the mountains, but with wolves around, other wild animals might not be found.

He smiled and shook his head.

"Too bad there’s no free time lately, otherwise it would be great if you led a team into the mountains. The previous dense forest might be wasted, but it was worth it, saving many people."

Zhang Guofu interjected, "The price of wild game in the provincial city is selling very high."

"High now isn’t as high as when we went to the provincial city then. When luck was good, a bear could be exchanged for two small yellow fish, more valuable than a pestle," Uncle Zhang reminisced.

Uncle Zhang laughed dismissively, "Big brother still can’t forget. Not only us three brothers, but even Dad only hit one bear. Was those two small yellow fish so easy to earn?"

"True, now apart from Old Mr. Wang’s family, no one dares to venture into the mountains. He said the wild animals have all retreated to the deep mountains, wanting to eat something good is a rare thing now."

"Even if they haven’t retreated to the deep mountains, it’s still not going to happen. These beasts run as fast as thieves, almost like they’ve become spirits."

Zhang Guoqing silently poured wine nearby.

"I haven’t thought about wild animals. The ginseng at home is almost used up, if only these old arms and legs could still climb into the deep mountains, I would do it. These things must be prepared as life-savers."

Zhang Guoqing glanced at his dad, noticed he didn’t budge, and his eyes suddenly flashed with thought, lowering his eyelids contemplatively. Apparently, his uncle wasn’t short on resources either.

Aunt Zhang also glanced at her husband, worried he’d forget that today was her second brother-in-law’s wife’s small birthday, worried he’d forget the taboo. She smiled and gently said, "There’s half left, enough for us to use."

Aunt Zhang took over the conversation, "Go yourself, at most you can find four-leaf grade. You can preorder with the mountain gatherers, they’re almost starting to go up and down the mountain."

"Too expensive, can’t afford them... these things can only be used without feeling bad when self-harvested."

Outside, Zhou Jiao, overhearing the conversation, brightened her eyes. She immediately realized her thinking had fallen into a trap. How could she overlook this treasure just because she had some mountain ginseng Zhang Guoqing had dug up.

Right now, there’s no cultivation technology. These resource-based products will become rarer in the future. The cash that troubled her could completely be exchanged for her wild ginseng, maintaining value and reducing space. Moreover, the mountain gatherer’s ginseng picking team definitely keeps stock at home, so neither side has to worry about exposing their savings.

Zhou Jiao felt more and more excited with her thoughts. Compared to gold and antiques, ginseng and Lingzhi these precious items are easier to trade. If not for the many people present, she would have wanted Zhang Guoqing to act quickly.

Even if she didn’t mention it, given Zhang Guoqing’s understanding of her, he knew so perfectly well.

This moment Zhou Jiao quietly stayed beside Mother Zhang and the three sisters-in-law, listening carefully to their chat about topics ranging from pestles to forest frog oil.

Looking at his wife, even though she remained composed, her eyes were bright enough that she was one step away from asking who had any stock left, Zhang Guoqing saw this and smiled knowingly.

He thought, they indeed had a telepathic connection. Just now, he also considered this issue. Apart from foreign currency that couldn’t be used, all the cash should be turned into rare items at home.

People inevitably experience illness and pain in a lifetime, it’s crucial to seize this good time and prepare more life-saving medicine, like original nutritional supplements.

What’s money? Damn it! That’s a root of trouble. Use it all up, and then it’s perfectly peaceful to be a handsome gentleman.