In the small courtyard in the county town, Zhang's father and mother carefully observed the house from the inner room to the outer room, from the kitchen to the warehouse, and even the toilet, and found nothing unusual.
Standing in the courtyard, the elderly couple looked at each other and thought of the small warehouse in the old house. There were a lot of things in there, and if the situation really got serious, it would be even more difficult to deal with.
"Xiaowu?"
The old couple thought of their eldest son at the same time, but the distance was too far and the soldiers had to cross. Once they became soldiers, they became the people of the country and could not just leave as they pleased!
There was the rumble of a car outside, but Zhang Dad and his friend paid no attention. Leaders from the provincial capital frequently visited several nearby units, especially during the initial inspections.
But after a while, the figure in military uniform that appeared at the door was their eldest son, wasn't he?
Father Zhang and Mother Zhang subconsciously wiped their eyes.
Zhang Guoqing walked forward quickly with amusement, walked up to his parents, and saluted them, "Dad and Mom, I am an unfilial son. I couldn't come back earlier."
He could imagine how uneasy his parents had been during this period. But just as he had thought, being a soldier meant losing freedom.
This time, with great difficulty, valuable materials were transported to the Northeast Military Region. As someone in the logistics department, he had the opportunity to return with the military plane. Otherwise, it would be inconvenient to express many things in the letter, and even contacting Zhao Chuangguang on the phone might not be safe.
Father Zhang patted his son, his eyes slightly red. "Okay, okay, Dad is looking forward to your return. Don't you have a vacation? You won't be punished for coming back like this, right?"
"Dad, let's not talk about this for now." Zhang's mother grabbed her son and walked towards the kitchen. "Are you hungry? I'll make some cold noodles for you. Tell me how things are going over there. Are your father-in-law and the others okay?"
Zhang Guoqing held his father's rough hands with his other hand and said with a smile as they walked: "Everything is fine. Before I came here, Jiaojiao asked me to take you back."
Mother Zhang smiled at her husband and said, "Let's talk later. How many days can you stay this time? I've prepared a lot of dry goods. Can you take them with you? If not, I'll send you a package."
Zhang Guoqing looked at the expectation in his parents' eyes and replied guiltily, "I'm here on a mission this time, and I have to take a military plane back to Beijing tomorrow afternoon."
"It's okay. Business is more important. It's good enough that I can come back and see you. Dad heard from your uncle Dashan that you usually only have about 20 days of vacation a year, and sometimes you can't even schedule a vacation. As long as you are doing well in the capital, everything is fine. Mom and Dad will come over if they miss you."
Zhang Guoqing saw his mother's grip getting tighter and tighter. Even though his mother had a smile on her face and nodded repeatedly, he knew that she was reluctant to let go.
For a moment, he was speechless.
What could he say? He'd forcefully drag them back to Beijing. Not only would he not worry about the courtyard, but even according to the social status regulations, he and Zhou Jiao could both be allocated a two-bedroom, one-living-room apartment. Housing wouldn't be a problem, and even supporting the elderly wouldn't be a problem. But they still had four children and a bunch of grandchildren. How could they bear to leave?
Looking at his busy and happy mother, Zhang Guoqing sat at the table and listened to his father's speech. He also understood the current situation in the county from his words.
Fortunately, he arrived in time.
When Zhang's father told him about the things in the small warehouse in his hometown, Zhang Guoqing suddenly remembered that he should use the cellar he dug before going to college.
Thinking of this, he looked at the time, worried that his brother and sister-in-law would come over, so he didn't pay attention to the work he was doing. He put two pieces of wood in, stood up and pulled his father up.
"What's wrong?"
"Your old son will take you to see a place."
Mother Zhang said quickly, "It will be ready soon. Eat first and then go. Don't go too far."
"It's at home, Mom. I'll let Dad tell you later." As for asking his mother to keep it a secret? With his father around, there was no need for him to say anything.
In the woodshed, Zhang Guoqing smiled mysteriously at his father and cleared out the firewood and miscellaneous wood from the corner near the flower bed.
Father Zhang watched his actions thoughtfully.
When Zhang Guoqing bought this yard, one of the three adobe houses was used as a toilet, and the other two were used to store gardening tools and farm implements, as well as bamboo baskets, bamboo winnowing baskets, coal briquettes, and so on.
Originally the ground was all mud, which was not a big problem in the winter, but when the rainy season came in the summer, it would be wet when you stepped in from the yard. For this reason, every time he and Zhou Jiao returned to the village, they would pick up a lot of stones, lay the small ones in the toilet, and lay the remaining neat and large ones in the other two rooms.
Later, considering certain issues, he dug a basement along the flowerbed and vegetable garden. With his own strength and Zhou Jiao's space, he built it according to the kitchen cellar's standards and it was completed in a few months. He had kept it a secret from his parents for the past few years, wanting to keep it as a backup.
Too many people knew about the kitchen cellar, so it was impossible to keep it a secret. People's hearts were unpredictable. Who knew if someone would bully his parents in the future when he was away from home?
Unless his parents told him about this cellar, no one would have imagined that there was such a large cellar under the vegetable garden, next to the toilet. Regardless of whether there was anyone peeping or not, who would pay attention to how many times he went to the toilet?
Zhang Guoqing pointed to a small stone sandwiched between them, then to a bluestone slab in the corner of the wall. "Dad, first push hard on that slab three times, then turn this small stone five times."
Father Zhang followed his instructions half-believingly and half-doubtingly. After turning the small stone five times, he immediately widened his eyes in disbelief and looked outside vigilantly.
"Dad, don't worry. I have good hearing ability and can hear the surroundings. There's no one around now. I'll take you to see it this afternoon. Now you know why I kept asking you not to clean up the village, right?"
Father Zhang nodded subconsciously, touched the opening of the hole that was large enough for a fat man to enter, looked at the step, and touched it reluctantly.
"Xiao Wu, where did you find the master chef? Is that person trustworthy?"
Zhang Guoqing laughed happily, "Dad, this master chef is your daughter-in-law. Do you think she can be trusted?"
"What?" Father Zhang blurted out, stumbling and almost falling on the stairs.
"Yes, it's our Jiaojiao. She knows a lot of things, and these are all designed and modified by her. It just so happens that your son has made great contributions."
"We didn't dare tell you and my mother before because we were worried that we might need it someday. And the situation is not optimistic this time. It's time, otherwise I wouldn't be rushing back."
Father Zhang stood there in silence for a moment, then began to instruct, "Don't worry about anything else, but don't tell anyone about Jiaojiao's craft. If your mother asks, just say you asked your father-in-law to help find a master."
Zhang Guoqing responded with a smile.
His wife had opened a secret room and was familiar with ancient books about mechanical doors. This was just a small job. If the capital city wasn't unsafe, she would have dug many holes like a rabbit.
"Xiaowu, our family has truly married a golden child. No, even a golden child can't compare to him. I'll have to burn some incense for your grandfather later. He always said that this child and you were made for each other."
Ouch, talking about his wife, Zhang Guoqing's mouth cracked even wider. Fortunately, he didn't forget the main thing. "Dad, I'll take you downstairs to take a look. There are vents installed inside, so you don't have to worry about poisonous gas after a long time."
After going down the stairs, Father Zhang watched his eldest son light the oil lamp on the wall, then saw him turn a handle next to it again, and counted to five.
"Dad, look, this one also turns five times. The five turns up there open it, and the five turns here close it. If the Japanese had come before liberation, you and my mom could have hidden in here."
This is also what Zhou Jiao has always considered. She said that if her grandfather had known a little bit about these crooked ways, the Zhou family would not have been wiped out.
Now, she is planning to teach her three sons someday. Who knows if that will ever come in handy?
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