Time always seems to fly on happy days. For several consecutive days, Zhang Guoqing took his son to the mountains to avoid pedestrians. He was eager to teach his son all the knowledge he had.
But he also knew that everything has its limits, and some things couldn't be rushed. Fortunately, his son was still young, so he had plenty of time, so he wasn't in a rush.
When Ping An again mentioned that the game he had caught could be exchanged for money or tickets, the couple decided that it was better to open it than to block it. They followed their child's wishes and the next night, the three of them took action.
After teaching the children to disguise themselves and lower their voices, they began to set up stalls at several black markets in the nearby city late at night and early dawn.
Those two nights of speculation and profiteering had Xiao Ping'an going through a rollercoaster of emotions. From the thrill of earning a high price in exchange for tickets, to the anger of encountering malicious robbery of goods, to the thrill of a sudden raid on the black market that forced them to flee in panic, it had made this little boy grow up a lot.
He said, "I know why those people, knowing the dangers, still go to the black market to make money. Because there are huge profits there. This proves that the saying that people die for money is true."
He said: But without ability and power, no matter how much money and tickets you have, it’s useless. In the blink of an eye, everything is gone...
On the way home that night, he talked a lot...
Zhang Guoqing and Zhou Jiao were very relieved. They were not interested in making money, otherwise they would not have allowed the situation to develop and not tried to escape.
Instead, we hope that all these unexpected events will help children understand the complexity of this society and learn to recognize what the outside world is like when they put aside their formal identities.
Zhou Jiao had a constant worry she dared not share. Ping An had lived a life that had been too easy. Without experiencing setbacks and hardships, how could he have become strong?
But what worries her most is the violent storm that will follow. That is no longer a trivial matter. In serious cases, it may be a matter of life and death. Can she withstand it safely?
Time, ignoring the mundane world, ticked by until the weekend - this day was also Zhang's mother's 52nd birthday.
A few years ago, when Zhang Dayou, Zhang's father, who was three years older than Zhang's mother, turned 50, Zhang Guoqing wanted to celebrate his birthday, but was stopped by his eldest sister.
It is said that in their hometown, there is no such thing as fifty years old. It has always been "sixty is longevity, seventy is old man, eighty is old age, ninety is old age, and a hundred is a star."
Birthday celebrations usually start from the age of 60, and the age is calculated in lunar calendar. Birthday celebrations can only be given to the elderly when both of their parents have passed away.
Well, he had originally thought that there was no Z Country after Yashan. He had never expected that in this remote place, even in this day and age, the old traditions were still maintained.
Since that was the case, he followed the local custom. Otherwise, if he celebrated his father's fiftieth birthday, wouldn't that be cursing him to live ten more years?
But there's an old saying in the old capital: "At thirty-three, you'll turn around, at sixty-six, you'll die without a piece of flesh, and at seventy-three or eighty-four, the King of Hell won't call you to go." There's also a saying: "If you live to fifty-five, the King of Hell will count them."
If Zhang Guoqing hadn't come back, he wouldn't have bothered about turning 55. Coincidentally, his father's 55th birthday was just over a month away. With a plan he couldn't say, he decided to take advantage of his mother's birthday to have his father eat some longevity noodles in advance, just to celebrate.
Since we had this plan, the three of us discussed our respective tasks for the next day last night. At dawn the next morning, we started our respective actions.
While Zhang Guoqing was riding Zhang Lao Da's 28-bar bicycle to the county town, Zhou Jiao from the family also started to go out to the nursing home with two new sets of clothes, and Ping An had already jumped over to check whether his grandfather had gone to the fields to show his love again.
In the old courtyard, Zhang's mother stood in the yard, happily watching her grandson Ping'an doing horse stance. From the kitchen, Huang Cuilan's voice could be heard from time to time, telling the three girls to stop playing. In the backyard, Zhang's father was weeding and giving instructions to Xizi and the others, and occasionally the group burst into laughter.
When Zhou Jiao arrived, the courtyard was filled with laughter and life. This lively farmyard was filled with joy, just missing the magpie's call.
Zhang's mother saw her come in at a glance, and waved at her with a smile. When she came closer, she saw two sets of dark clothes in her hands. How could she not know who they were for?
She complained, "Why are you making clothes for us again? Your father and I don't have enough clothes to wear."
"I have nothing to do every day, so this is a good opportunity to practice," Zhou Jiao said as she walked towards her parents-in-law's inner room. She had deliberately placed two large red envelopes in her pockets, but it was better not to let anyone see them for now.
When Zhang's mother saw her like this, she immediately followed her into the inner room and took the clothes without her having to touch them. How could she not see such a big red envelope?
"Mom is not short of money. I've saved all the money you and Xiaowu gave me before. Take these out first. We have nowhere to spend money back home. Be good and listen."
Zhou Jiao watched her lower her voice and look out the window cautiously, her heart filled with joy. Seeing this, she quickly shook her hands and ran out of the room.
She knew full well that Zhang's mother and her husband were reluctant to spend money. They say money is courage. Before returning to Northeast China, she had received a travel allowance plus a bonus totaling 163.28 yuan.
Not to mention this ill-gotten gains, after trading with the middle-aged man, excluding the food coupons and supplies she exchanged, she received over 50,000 yuan in cash. Ten yuan a piece, two yuan a piece, it was literally several sacks of cash.
If she hadn't been afraid of scaring her mother-in-law, she would have planned to give them 999 yuan. They were so bold!
Now it seems fortunate that she didn't give him a big red envelope, otherwise she wouldn't even be able to leave the room. Her mother-in-law would definitely guess that they were up to something bad!
In the east room, Zhang's mother watched her scurry away like a little rabbit, smiling helplessly and shaking her head. Turning around and unwrapping the tightly wrapped red paper, she saw nine one-yuan bills sandwiched between a bundle of ten-yuan bills. She knew, without even counting, that it must be ninety-nine yuan.
Looking at the identical red envelope on the kang, Zhang's mother jumped up as if she had been burned by fire, climbed onto the kang and closed the window.
She kept muttering, "What a fool! What a pair of prodigals! Oh, I'm going to die! Pah... Good luck... Where should I hide now?"
Zhou Jiao, who had gone out, didn't know her mother-in-law was busy in the house. At this moment, she saw Lin Juhua carrying a package and holding her little son as she walked into the courtyard.
Seeing this, she quickly stepped forward and said with a smile: "Second sister-in-law, what's this look like? Why are you here so early?"
Lin Juhua handed her her son and breathed a sigh of relief. "What do you mean early? Xiaowu is almost in the county town. I met him on the way and your second brother told me to come back first. I happened to not have a baby carrier with me, so I had to carry him all the way back. You don't know how tired I was that I almost cried. If I had known, I would have waited until my eldest sister and the others left together."
Zhou Jiao smiled when she heard that. Seeing that her mother-in-law had not come out yet, she knew that she had not hidden the money yet. She deliberately slowed down her pace, holding the child and leading her to the stone table.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
