Chapter 117: The New Courtyard (2)

Outside the west wing, Zhang Guoqing glanced at the silver ear fungus soaking on the stove—it had already softened. He opened the small damper on the coal stove, letting it burn. This time, since he was inside, he wasn’t worried about it boiling over. The secondhand books he’d bought were stacked in the cabinet in the outer living room, organized together with the books he’d bought before. He was a bit concerned, though—so many books out in the open in the outer living room, where people came and went, were bound to attract attention.

He looked at the pile of eggs in the small sitting room, then at the cabinet stuffed with brown sugar and red dates. The outer living room was packed with things: some cured meat and air-dried chicken his mother-in-law had bought for them, all sorts of smells mingling together. Anyone who came in would be shocked.

In the cellar, the rice and flour his mother-in-law had brought were barely touched, still piled up. He didn’t plan to move these to the cellar either. It was more convenient to keep them in their own room, so they could cook whenever they wanted, and avoid any complaints from his sisters-in-law.

Back in the inner room, Zhou Jiao was listening to music and chatting with their son. When she saw Zhang Guoqing come in, she immediately waved him over.

“What’s up? Something wrong?” Zhang Guoqing took off his coat and lounged on the kang bed.

Zhou Jiao shook her head with a smile and scooted over to lean against him.

But Zhang Guoqing did have something on his mind. “Jiaojiao, there’s too much stuff in the living room. Now that Mom’s gone, people from the village are bound to drop by. With all this coming and going, it’s too conspicuous. Just the eggs alone—there must be at least 500. When you have time, put the eggs, red dates, brown sugar, cured meat, and all that into the space. Once our son starts eating solid food at eight months, we won’t have to worry about having too many eggs. Just leave 30 eggs in a small bamboo basket in the house. Whenever I get a chance to buy more, you can store them away. As for this room, except for the clothes our son is currently wearing, put all his other things into the space too. Otherwise, someone who doesn’t know any better might mess with them. Basically, anything we’re not using right now, just store it away. Over time, you never know—even our sisters-in-law might want something if their kids go without. For now, let’s slowly build up our supplies in the space. Use what we can buy outside. Starting tomorrow, the rationing system will be fully enforced—even in the city, you’ll need a coupon just to buy a single green onion.”

Zhou Jiao immediately stood up. “Let’s do it now, while everyone’s asleep and no one’s around. It’ll be easier to cover our tracks.”

The two exchanged a glance and decided to act quickly. Zhang Guoqing checked on their son, tucking his little hands under the quilt, then he and Zhou Jiao went out to the living room, locked the door, and started packing. Zhang Guoqing organized and packed, while Zhou Jiao stored everything away in the space, including all the books—they’d sort them later when they had time.

Once they’d finished with the outer room, Zhang Guoqing had her sit and check if they’d missed anything. He put the small bamboo basket with 30 eggs in the innermost corner, topped it with two pheasants and some cured meat. In the cabinet, he left two jin each of brown sugar and red dates, plus some silver ear fungus for easy access.

“Honey, this space is really handy. We don’t even have to move things around. But what should I say if Mom and the others ask about it tomorrow?”

“Just say I tidied everything up because the stuff in the living room was starting to smell. If they ask anything else, just play dumb—if you don’t know, you don’t know.” Zhang Guoqing grinned.

They checked the outer room again—everything was in order, and they had enough food prepped for the next few days. They could make soup anytime.

Back in the inner room, which Lin Lishan had already tidied, it was even easier to organize. Zhou Jiao took out the two boxes she’d kept in the space. One was empty, so she arranged inside it the jewelry Grandpa Zhang and Grandma Zhang had given her, as well as the pieces left by Zhang Guoqing’s father. At the bottom, she placed the small wooden box her grandmother had given her father, her mother’s bankbook and property deed, and the box her maternal grandmother had given Ping’an. Then she added some valuable jewelry and their own cash—1,000 yuan.

“Brother, this box is for valuables only. Help me remember, so we don’t mix things up later. I want to leave half of it empty for when we go back to Beijing to fill it with my dowry. My mom said she’s prepared some valuable jewelry and gold for me. Who knows when I’ll be able to fill this box to the brim.” Zhou Jiao sighed.

Zhang Guoqing covered his mouth, his shoulders shaking as he tried not to laugh. After a while, he finally said, “You already have so much, and you still want more? You can’t even wear it all—what’s the point? Wouldn’t a piece of meat be more practical?”

Zhou Jiao shot him a glare, annoyed at his lack of romance. “I just like looking at it when I’m in a bad mood. What’s wrong with secretly wearing it at home and admiring myself?”

Zhang Guoqing laughed at her reaction and tried to comfort her. “Don’t worry, your husband will help you fill up the rest of the box. When we’re old and times are better, you can wear a different set every day, and I’ll take you out for a stroll every day. Imagine what a sight we’ll be—an old lady showing off her bling!”

“Haha…” Zhou Jiao burst out laughing, pointing at him. “A different set every day? With your old bones, if someone tried to rob us, you wouldn’t even be able to give chase! Are you trying to make us targets? Afraid people won’t know we’re rich? When we’re old, let’s just travel around the country. I’ve never really seen the world. When I was a student, I was always broke, just thinking about making money—wishing I could be buried in cash. After we got married, all I wanted was to get rid of my burdens and live a good life with you. When I finally wasn’t short on money, it just became a number. After our son was born, all I wanted was for our family to go out and see the world together. But I never thought we’d end up so far away. Life is like a dream, and dreams are like life.”

Zhang Guoqing saw her growing more and more downcast, her voice getting softer. He hugged her, gently stroking her hair, and whispered in her ear, “Whether life is a dream or a dream is life, as long as you’re by my side, as long as I can hold your hand, it doesn’t matter if we look back or look ahead. With you, nothing is wasted.”

Zhou Jiao smiled at him. “May we be of one heart, and grow old together without parting.”

She always remembered the day she received his proposal letter. When she opened it, there was just that one line on the red paper—her name at the top, his at the bottom—tying them together across two lifetimes.

Zhang Guoqing chuckled. “Back then, I racked my brains and still couldn’t figure out how to propose. My friends suggested all sorts of things—roses, getting down on one knee in public, hiding a ring in a meal at a restaurant—but I knew you wouldn’t like any of that. It just didn’t suit you.

You’re not the type to like shallow displays of affection or showing off. You have to understand, for a science guy like me, it’s not easy. Then one day, I remembered the old tradition of the three letters and six rites—all written on red paper for the bride. I thought about writing a poem on red paper and stayed up all night, but in the end, nothing fit better than ‘May we be of one heart, and grow old together without parting.’ So I wrote that and sent it to you. I was so nervous—my heart was pounding. I hoped you’d understand me, but I was afraid you’d think I wasn’t sincere.

When you smiled and nodded, I felt like you really understood me, and I understood you. My heart ached with happiness, and I had to hold back tears so I wouldn’t cry out loud. Finally, I had someone in this world who truly understood me. I was no longer just Zhang Guoqing the orphan—I had a wife to share my heart with, a future with adorable children, and at last, a real home. I didn’t have to envy others who could proudly shout, ‘I’m going home!’ anymore.”"