Rebirth in the 50s: The Couple with the Hidden Space

Chapter 1060 - 933: Juhua, Bring Bowls and Chopsticks

"Second Uncle, are you there?"Speak of the devil, suddenly Zhang Qingshan’s voice rang out from outside.

"Hey there, nephew, you’re here, hahaha, come on inside, all the folks are in the house."

"Second Aunt, you haven’t gone out yet. My mom and sisters-in-law are chilling at the corner, quite a few people around, just saw you and asked me to give a shout to come over for a chat."

Zhang Qingshan came in with a thin layer of sweat on his forehead, followed by a string of cousins.

Seeing this, Mr. Zhang immediately pointed to the bed and stools, "Sit down quickly, you young folks play around, I’ll go and have a chat with old friends."

"Second Uncle, why don’t you sit with us, why do you leave as soon as we get here?"

"Exactly, Second Uncle, you hadn’t even finished your drink."

"Second Uncle probably wants a smoke, am I right?"

Mr. Zhang smiled nonchalantly, holding his pipe and tobacco pouch, waving his hand, "Don’t drink up all my liquor, there’s not much left, take it easy."

Zhang the Second saw his father going back, called out, "Juhua, bring bowls and chopsticks."

Zhang Guoqing chuckled lightly at this. Why not ask Juhua to bring sauerkraut too?

"Bring the wine!"

"Never mind, let’s save it for the old folks. You don’t know, last year my dad wanted someone to brew some sweet potato wine, and then..." Saying this, Zhang Qingfeng shook his head.

Zhang Qingshan chuckled and looked at Zhang Chunming and his brother-in-law, "Why didn’t you give a heads up? Da Chun and the others wanted us brothers to get together."

He referred to Da Chun, who was his brother-in-law Tian Dachun. Old Zhang’s family typically had few daughters, just two daughters from Mr. Zhang, and one daughter from each of the other two families.

"Big Brother, set a date while Xiao Wu is home. Xiao Wu, how many times have you missed the annual third day gathering?"

Zhang Guoqing smiled apologetically, "It’s been out of my control. That’s a good idea, I haven’t seen the other two brothers-in-law in a long time. How are my two sisters doing lately?"

"Pretty good, with so many brothers in the Old Zhang family, dare they say otherwise..."

Zhang Guoqing quickly cleared his throat, "Brother Qingfeng, are you trying to scare the brothers-in-law? Look, they’re already thinking of slipping away."

"Who’s saying that? In my house, my wife is the real child, I’m just the one my parents picked up. Brother-in-law, don’t you agree?" Chen Xiaobin replied with a cheerful smile.

"Indeed." Zhang Chunming paused, "Last time, Auntie said, with two grandsons now, sons aren’t that special anymore."

This remark brought a burst of laughter from everyone, and they turned teasing glances towards Chen Xiaobin.

After the laughter, with the newly added bowls and chopsticks from Lin Juhua, and two new cold dishes made by Mother Zhang, everyone gathered around without hesitation, drinking and chatting.

They chatted idly for a while.

After a while, Zhang Qingshan, seeing Zhang Guoqing listening with a smile, said, "Xiao Wu, my son Tong Suo is getting married in the second half of the year, will you be able to make it back?"

Zhang Guoqing raised his bowl at the words, "I’ll congratulate you first on becoming a father-in-law."

"You little punk!" Zhang Qingshan laughed and scolded, "I figure it’s gonna be tough, right? Look, come back if you can. It’s still early, the twelfth of the twelfth month."

Zhang Guoqing tugged at his clothes with a wry smile, "Your brother here is practically sold to the country. I took this holiday after saving up for two years and switching shifts with comrades."

"This is the first marriage in Old Zhang’s family’s younger generation, it can’t be sloppy. Have you figured out how to handle it, what’s Uncle planning?"

Zhang Qingshan’s disappointment was eased by this and he laughed, "I was thinking of keeping it simple."

Zhang Guoqing somewhat understood. Internal consensus hadn’t been reached yet. As a distant uncle, it’s even less appropriate for him to intervene, "Time flies, the kids are all ready to start families."

"Exactly, once Tong Suo’s wedding is done, one after another, it’ll be quick. We’re really getting old."

Zhang the Second pointed at Zhang Qingya and jokingly scolded, "No nonsense, you’re getting old? Your wife’s still got a bun in the oven, you’re just showing off."

Zhang Guoqing slapped the table in surprise, "Wow, my brother, how much effort did that take?"

"You rascal, you say anything."

"Oh, look at that, he’s really blushing." Zhang the Second roared, afraid of not stirring up trouble, "What’s there to be embarrassed about? Maybe Sister-in-law and the niece-in-law could become mothers at the same time."

Zhang Qingfeng joined in with a cheer, "Big Brother, did you hear that? You’re not old yet, work hard, strive to hold a grandson and a son together."

Zhang Qingshan good-naturedly punched the two, "You two are hopelessly frivolous!"

"What’s frivolous about it? There are plenty like that in the village." Zhang the Second rubbed his shoulder, "With Tong Suo’s event done, next, is it Yin Suo’s turn?"

Zhang Qingshan gave him a look, knowing how heavy his hand could be. "Let’s wait two or three years, the eldest getting married is almost emptying the family’s savings."

"You’re just making it up."

"Two hundred for bride price, plus bits like quilts and clothes, and less than four hundred won’t cut it. I’ve calculated, doing it simply costs even more."

Zhang the Second frowned, initially wanting to say didn’t they give too much for the bride price, but remembering how much he gave his mother-in-law, he clicked his tongue and decided not to speak.

Zhang Guofu humorously glanced at his second brother, then looked at Zhang Qingshan, "It happens only once in a lifetime, don’t make the kids feel wronged. Marrying a daughter-in-law is more worthwhile than sending a daughter off."

That’s true, bringing in a daughter-in-law adds to the family, while a daughter married off is like water spilled. Zhang Qingshan thought of his two daughters and felt a pang of heartache.

Zhang Guoqing, hearing and watching the scene, secretly shook his head with a smile. Use what you have, is it really necessary to empty the family coffer for a wedding?

Although, like the Second, he doubted the truth of the words, without Uncle Zhang’s old savings, relying just on Zhang Qingshan and his wife’s income from work really wouldn’t suffice.

Two hundred bucks, how many work points, how much money is that?

Zhang Guoqing specifically glanced a few more times at the brothers from the main branch, they seemed okay, but who knows how their wives felt.

"Your son Xi Zi should be looking for a match too, right?"

Zhang Guofu shook his head, "Just working now, no rush, the kid wants stability before seeking a partner."

"Lucky boy Xi Zi. He’s getting five or sixty bucks a month now, you don’t even have to worry about his marriage. Better conditions mean there’s no worry about finding a good match."

"Big Brother, you’ve got it wrong. Neither of his sons needs to worry. Xiao Zuo is with the revolutionary committee, Xiao You in the army, what’s there to stress over?"

Zhang Guofu waved his hand, "We’re all family, it just looks good on the surface."

Zhang the Second, seeing the topic turn to his honest older brother, quickly laughed, "The next generation of Old Zhang’s family is indeed rising, come, let’s drink."

This made the hearty men happily raise their bowls.

The accomplished ones were their own nephews, making them proud. With anyone they met, they all said Old Zhang’s family always produces talented people.