Since returning from that trip to the military compound, Zhou Jiao has never left. Every day, she spends her days either chatting with the new girls she met in the compound, watching movies, or playing chess or cooking a few new dishes.

Recently, Zhang Guoqing is often taken out for a stroll by his father-in-law. Sometimes he is dragged over by the old men in the compound to drink and listen to ideological classes. In the evening, he also has to brag and play with his buddies like Fang Fei.

The two of them lived a colorful life in the compound.

With New Year's Eve just a few days away, the couple learned that more than 40 free markets had been opened in seven districts of Beijing since the second half of last year. They were secretly happy, knowing that they had come at the right time.

Considering that they would return to Northeast China after the Lunar New Year, the couple decided to go to the largest Tianti Free Market in Beijing to buy some supplies and smuggle some things to store at home.

At around four in the morning, Zhang Guoqing and his wife handed their child to Aunt Chen. After leaving the compound, they hired a horse-drawn carriage to inquire about a good Tianti Free Market.

On the adjacent road outside the Tianti Free Market, there are small vendors selling New Year pictures, baskets, new dried fruits and nuts, and toys. The market is divided into four parts: non-staple food and groceries, local specialties, vegetables, and chickens and ducks.

Aside from a few local vendors, the market is mostly populated by farmers from other counties selling their own produce. Winter, when the farmers are off-season, is the time for them to come out and trade. An elderly man with a slight Hebei accent is selling chicken, duck, fish, and shrimp, along with cabbage, scallions, garlic, ginger, dried chilies, vermicelli noodles, and other local specialties.

Zhang Guoqing and his friend first walked around the market. They discovered a wide variety of goods, not just grain. Compared to state-owned vegetable stores, the free market was more convenient, offering a wide variety of products, fresh ingredients, and the possibility of bargaining.

Standing at the entrance of the market, you can see people coming and going constantly. In front of you, you can see many carts parked in the remote part of the market. There are people guarding the things on the carts and constantly taking over the goods sent by their families.

As the sky brightened, the two men saw more and more people entering. Looking at the sacks in their hands, they immediately bought a few large bamboo baskets near the entrance and began buying from the innermost part. When they reached the egg stall, several people were already lined up in front, haggling over the price.

Zhang Guoqing immediately asked Zhou Jiao to watch the goods in the bamboo basket, and he went forward to quietly negotiate with the aunt selling eggs to buy them all. As for the price, after the spring, how many eggs were left?

Zhang Guoqing moved the bamboo basket to the side of the stall and asked Zhou Jiao to watch over it while he hurried over with the sack to continue the shopping.

Zhou Jiao, seeing the auntie's talkative nature, asked her about any nearby markets and fairs. The egg-selling auntie and her husband had come over last night with the villagers in a horse-drawn carriage. Besides her husband, they still had some river fish and shrimp to sell, so she was fine.

Now she was in high spirits and described in detail the markets and bazaars she knew. She was very sensitive to what was sold where and at what prices. When Zhang Guoqing came back again, Zhou Jiao had already understood almost everything.

For example, the Beijing Yongpingmenwai Dried and Fresh Fruit Wholesale Market primarily sells seasonal fruits, such as Beijing chestnuts, Huairou apples, Shanxi pears, persimmons, and black dates. This market's pricing for fruit doesn't follow market trends, often leading to price inversions.

For example, Tuodi in the Jingxi mining area is a traditional market, held on even-days of each month. Dongba and Suncun markets in the eastern suburbs hold markets on the 3rd, 7th, and 10th of each month. Changxin Old Factory holds a market on the 24th, 27th, and 29th of the twelfth lunar month. The products sold at these markets are similar to those in the urban areas, with a few more local specialties from the countryside.

After Zhang Guoqing finished shopping, the helpful woman lent him a cart. After leaving the market, Zhang Guoqing repacked his belongings and returned the cart. The couple found a horse-drawn carriage and returned to the nearby compound.

Zhou Jiao stayed put while Zhang Guoqing returned with two sacks, pushing his bicycle to carry them. The couple carefully hid their belongings in their home, like mice burying their belongings for the winter.

After returning home, Zhou Jiao fed the children and immediately set to work with Zhang Guoqing on preparing the live chickens and ducks. These were the most demanding tasks this time, as they ensured Zhou Xiaozheng and his wife would always have fresh chicken soup. Zhang Guoqing bought every chicken he saw, tied them up, and stuffed them into a sack. His fear of the chickens made him move quickly. He'd killed them, leaving Aunt Chen and Zhou Jiao barely enough time to clean them.

Aunt Chen looked at the twenty or so old hens that had been cleaned up, and she hated them so much that she just wanted to call them spendthrifts. She felt even more distressed because some of the old hens still had eggs in their stomachs.

Zhou Jiao saw that she couldn't bear to look directly at him, and knew that she was distressed, so she said, "Don't worry, it all goes into the stomach. When I'm not at home, my dad will be busy and make a few bites. I'll pack it up and put it outside to freeze. I'll trouble you to stew it for them every week. Don't be reluctant to use the dry goods I'll send you in the future. It's worth it as long as my parents can eat it. I bought a lot of eggs this time. I pickled the duck eggs into salted duck eggs and use them with porridge. I'll leave the eggs for my parents to eat slowly. Auntie remembers that my dad likes boiled eggs."

Aunt Chen nodded. Over the past few months, she'd thoroughly understood the chief's dietary preferences. She knew the Zhou family's tastes were similar to those of southerners, prioritizing nutrition and hygiene. Aside from Lin Lishan, who woke up late, everyone else drank two cups of hot water before waking, and porridge after their run. Zhou Jiao and her daughter, in particular, always had a boiled egg in the morning.

For several days, Zhou Jiao and Zhang Guoqing made daily trips to the market and suburban bazaars. After returning to Beijing, Zhou Jiao had ample cash after cashing in the deposit slips from the small courtyard rental. She secretly planned to exchange the cash for supplies. Because they had space, they took advantage of this rare opportunity to stealthily stock up on supplies.

After a series of crazy purchases, Zhou Jiao and her friend were worried that the noise would attract attention. Considering that they might have to go to S City again, they had no choice but to give up even though prices were extremely low now.

Zhou Jiao and her partner weren't worried about the money, but they were afraid of attracting attention. She still had over $5,000 in cash, not to mention the $10,000 in cash in her space.

When she returned to Beijing this time, Zhou Xiaozheng gave her the deposit certificate that Gu Ruyi had returned and asked her to withdraw all of it and close her account. Zhou Xiaozheng personally took her to withdraw the cash in batches three times, and after she took it out, her father didn't want it and kept it with her.

As the young couple went on an astonishing shopping spree, the Zhou family's warehouse overflowed. Zhou Xiaozheng had no objections, feeling deeply that his daughter had experienced early hunger and hardship, a deep sense of insecurity that had fostered her hoarding habit. This misunderstanding, in turn, sparked a deep interest in the market economy in the man who deeply loved his daughter. Years later, he often jokingly said his daughter was a lucky charm.

The Zhou family's daily menu changes, and their fruits and dried fruits are always available, delighting the Cheng brothers Cheng Yongxian and Lin Liying's two youngest sons, who have refused to leave. Even though the Cheng and Lin families followed suit and bought a lot of New Year's goods, their obsession with Zhou Jiao's cooking remained unshaken.

As they moved in, Zhou Jiao took the opportunity to gradually reduce her contact with Mrs. Lin. During this period, Mrs. Lin used the excuse of cultivating the relationship between the grandmother and the granddaughter to do all kinds of things - either giving her a piece of old fabric or a few old cheongsams, or taking her to tour the compound with a look of deep affection, or taking her out to visit friends.

Zhou Jiao knew all about her persistent summons and her various deliberate and unintentional attempts at prodding and showing off, but she handled them with ease. Fortunately, Old Lady Cheng's permanent residence at the Zhou residence made Old Lady Lin wary and afraid to even set foot inside. Otherwise, given Old Lady Lin's playful and scoundrel nature, the Zhou residence might have become her stage.

At the end of 1958, the two branches of the Gu family in Beijing were torn apart. Unexpected turmoil followed one after another, leaving the Gu family in a state of disarray.

Throughout history, there have been many who have taken advantage of others' misfortunes. As the situation escalated, more and more people became interested, and the truth gradually became apparent. A quarrel between the two Gu brothers and their children revealed that the concubine owed the principal wife 10,000 taels of gold. Then, one after another, accusations surfaced, and the concubines of the Gu family conspired to murder a member of their family. At the end of 1957, the Jiangnan Gu family, a prominent clan, became a household name, and the drama captivated the citizens of Beijing.

Two days ago, after Gu Ruyi's elder brother Gu Changqing was detained following in the footsteps of his grandson, Mrs. Lin Gu Ruyi stayed indoors and cut off all contact with her mother's family.

Rumors were swirling outside, but Zhou Xiaozheng and his daughter had anticipated the outcome. They remained as steady as a rock, waiting for the final blow to fall. Past events had their consequences, and they remained patient, biding their time.

On the 23rd day of the 12th lunar month, the day before the Little New Year's Eve, two sisters from the northwest, Lin Xueli and Lin Xuezhen, were the first to return to Beijing for the Lunar New Year. Twenty-one-year-old Lin Xueli was a wild-eyed young woman with short black hair and a military uniform, a blunt and rude demeanor. Seventeen-year-old Lin Xuezhen was innocent and lively, outspoken and friendly; this was their initial impression on Zhou Jiao.

Among the three sisters of the Lin family, compared with the hypocritical Lin Xuelin, this pair of sisters not only have special hobbies and love all beautiful things, which undoubtedly makes Zhou Jiao more satisfied.

The sisters were adept at livening up the atmosphere and communicating with others. Before the afternoon had even begun, a large group of brothers and sisters from the compound had gathered at the Zhou residence for dinner. Adding in the Cheng family's Cheng Yongxian brothers, who had recently been staying at the Zhou residence, and Lin Liying's two sons, the Zhou residence was suddenly bustling with activity.

Zhou Xiaozheng held Ping'an in his arms and dragged Lin Lishan to the Cheng residence. Without the presence of their elders, especially the feared Zhou Xiaozheng, the Zhou family happily rushed to the service center outside to bring back some wine, and they continued to have fun until the movie started in the courtyard before slowly leaving.

The next day, Zhang Guoqing and his wife drove their military truck, along with their cousins ​​from the Cheng and Lin families, to Dongfeng Market to buy mutton. The truck's tarpaulin was leaking everywhere, and the cold winter wind made everyone hunch their necks, but it didn't dampen the young people's enthusiasm for fun and food.

After Zhang Guoqing treated everyone to lunch for just over five yuan, the third child, Lin Xuezhen, insisted that the eldest child, Lin Xuelin, already receiving a salary, treat them for a haircut. According to her, since they were paid, they were adults and should treat. She grabbed Zhou Jiao, who was about to speak up, and pinched her from behind. Zhang Guoqing, distressed, quickly offered to treat them, but was interrupted and shooed aside by the rude second child, Lin Xueli. Everyone burst into laughter.

Finally, the men and women split up. Zhang Guoqing was pulled away by the Li brothers, who were obsessed with firecrackers. He had promised the two little ones the previous night to stock up on firecrackers for the entire Lunar New Year, so they could have fun. Meanwhile, the Lin Dinghui and Cheng brothers, along with the two little ones, had bought some at Dong'an Market. When they asked where else they could buy new firecrackers, a group of boys drove a truck around looking for them.

The four girls went to the nearby Silian Barber Shop. Before they even finished their haircuts, Lin Xuezhen had already planned her afternoon itinerary. She hurried back, forgetting her clothes, and was waiting to get some clothes made. She'd learned that her uncle had given Zhou Jiao a large amount of cloth coupons. She'd secretly asked Zhou Jiao for them the previous night. Now that she had the coupons and the money from Old Lady Lin, she couldn't wait to go shopping, especially to the Wangfujing Department Store, which she'd longed to visit.

Zhou Jiao knew she liked high-end items, and she had no objection to that. What girl doesn't love beauty? Last night, Lin Xuezhen couldn't stop fondling her sheepskin coat, but she had no desire to possess it. So when she asked for the voucher, she gave it to her. But she still worried that this girl's pursuit of clothes was too unrestrained.

Lin Xuezhen, returning from the Northwest, seemed to want to make up for the years she'd spent away from Beijing. She took the three of them on a rickshaw and spent the afternoon traversing four major shopping malls. Finally, as night fell, she returned home, still feeling excited.