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

Chapter 1132: Chapter 1005: How About We Discuss Something?

"You child, why are you so thoughtless? Why did you bring the new bride out in the middle of the night? Why didn’t you go to bed earlier? What are you doing here? Can’t it wait until tomorrow morning?"

Mother Zhang couldn’t help but grumble as she saw her eldest grandson, who shouldn’t have been here, bringing the new bride over. Yet, she quickly pulled the new granddaughter-in-law into the house.

Zhang Ziwen chuckled indifferently, took off his coat, and walked in. Seeing the crowded living room, even his grandparents were present, he couldn’t help but laugh.

"I was wondering why there wasn’t anyone at home; turns out you all gathered here to chat." He then looked at the three Ping’an brothers, "What time are we leaving tomorrow?"

"Brother, you really came over. Tomorrow you don’t have to come, we will drive and leave directly in the morning." Ping’an smiled as he glanced at everyone and looked at Mao Minghui, "Cousin-in-law, if you and Sister-in-law have any vacation or business in Beijing, remember to find us. We brothers will take you shopping."

Mao Minghui and Gong Xiaoya nodded in agreement. They didn’t need an invitation from the children; they would greet the elders on their own, especially since they wanted to meet the legendary old maternal uncle and his wife.

Liu Yi and Wu Yi had no complaints about these two sisters-in-law, as they weren’t their biological sisters-in-law. When Ping’an finished speaking, they nodded with satisfied smiles.

Maintaining the current situation, they were already very content. Especially with Mao Minghui accompanying Zhang Ziwen on his wedding night, this action represented their genuine sincerity towards their family.

After the big family chatted for a while, Zhang the Second was quite perceptive and chose to retreat first, and then the elders promptly left. Even Mr. Zhang and Mother Zhang escorted Accountant Zhang and his wife out the door.

With only the younger generation left in the room, even Gong Xiaoya was not surprised, but the newly arrived Mao Minghui was quite astonished. She had long heard that Old Zhang’s family elders were open-minded, but giving space to the younger generation was truly something that refreshed her understanding of the in-laws once again.

"Let’s move to the study so as not to disturb Grandma and Grandpa’s rest."

No one had any objections to Zhang Ziwen’s suggestion. In fact, Xi Zi and the rest of the grown-up brothers teased him, wondering why a newlywed wasn’t hurrying back home, questioning if they might intentionally ruin the wedding night.

"This time back home, are you three coming back for the summer?"

This question was really tricky for Ping’an to answer. He hadn’t gone for military training this winter break, so there’s no way he’d let the summer go to waste. Before he truly became an adult, he wanted to experience a lot. As his grandfather said, firsthand experience prevents rash decisions in the future. And this topic wasn’t suitable to openly discuss right there.

Ping’an pondered for a moment, then shook his head, "It’s hard to say now, our school has a lot of military training activities, especially Liu Yi and Wu Yi sometimes have to learn farming, during that time we can’t leave."

Zhang Ziwen nodded somewhat regrettably, estimating it would be another two or three years before they met again.

While he was feeling wistful, Zhang Mingyou was carefree and casually threw an arm around Ping’an’s shoulder, "Wu Di, how about a little discussion with you, Third Brother?"

"Go on." Ping’an wasn’t worried about him suggesting work arrangements. His three brothers weren’t truly heartless, after all, they were true cousins. At worst, there’d be frustration at his lack of ambition, but everyone has their own path. Mm, along with reminding his maternal grandfather’s relatives that business should be dealt with seriously. Still, Zhang Mingyou has an advantage over outsiders.

For instance, rural soldiers, if without connections, might return to the village as squad leaders or, at best, security guards at a factory.

But Zhang Mingyou was different. He had a town registration and a high school diploma, although he couldn’t get into an administrative unit like a security bureau, he could definitely work as a staff in a factory.

Zhang Mingyou nudged him and gave him a look, "Come with me to get some stuff."

Leaving Liu Yi brothers to accompany the others, Ping’an followed him to the yard.

Before he could speak, Zhang Mingyou leaned in to whisper, "Why don’t we brothers do some business together?"

The light inside the house filtered through the window and curtains, casting onto Ping’an’s face, revealing a faint smirk. Zhang Mingyou patted him, "What are you thinking? I just feel like us brothers only going to work is wasting resources. You know Northeast local products are popular in other provinces. You say, in the town, we few plus the eldest brother in the provincial city, and you all in Beijing. Even if we don’t do private business, just getting goods from the village to the purchase station in Beijing, the difference and profits are considerable, aren’t they?"

After hearing these vague words, Ping’an didn’t need much explanation. Not only was his family the backbone, but it was troublesome too. If the money was to be made, he would have mobilized Xi Zi and the others starting at age five.

Especially as the saying goes, clear accounts between brothers, and where money transactions are involved, he’d rather not end up in an embarrassing situation.

About money, from what he knows, his family truly wasn’t lacking money. Despite the three brothers pretending to be poor all the time outside, all four elders at home had high salaries, not to mention how quickly his mom could calculate on her abacus; they definitely had savings.

"Among our five families, there are quite a few boys. I think if we don’t earn some extra money, later my dad, second uncle, and aunt’s pressure won’t lessen.

When the eldest brother married, the dowry money was taken by the sister-in-law back to her family, but my parents didn’t have the nerve to ask for it back. The wedding cost over five hundred yuan from start to finish. Plus, when the eldest aunt arranged Brother Ziwen’s wedding, though Brother Ziwen had earned quite a bit over the years, together with the dowry money, it also cost over five hundred yuan."

After he finished speaking, Zhang Mingyou sighed, "With so many brothers, if each spends five hundred yuan to marry a wife, the elders’ marrow will be drained."

He then looked at Ping’an, "There’s one more thing you probably don’t know. According to Old Zhang’s family rules, children who haven’t separated must turn over all their earnings to their parents. I earn only a few yuan a month, but I’ve no intention of taking advantage of my brothers in the future, especially when the eldest sister is about to take her dowry and get married."

Ping’an squinted slightly, observing unnoticeably.

"So, are you in?"

"The New Year is over, whatever it is, we need to wait for the autumn harvest. Third Brother, this isn’t something to rush, nor can it be achieved in one go. Rushing recklessly would be a fool’s errand."

Zhang Mingyou rolled his eyes at him, "Speak properly, stop spitting out four words one after another."

Ping’an genuinely responded word by word in a deep voice, "First, just, do, your, job."

After saying this, seeing the nearly jumping-with-anger Zhang Mingyou, he shook his head with a chuckle, "The situation above is increasingly bleak these days. Whatever you plan to do, it’s better to wait. Even if we don’t engage in speculative profiteering, small deals won’t make money; if it escalates, even my grandfather can’t protect me."

"No way? Didn’t that person flee and die?"

Ping’an glanced at him, refusing to answer those questions. Thinking like this was naive, truly naive. "Better to work steadily; countless people with money haven’t lived to spend it in recent years. Receiving a stable wage is already a huge blessing."

"As for the eldest uncle and the other elders, don’t worry. If money was truly scarce, would daughters-in-law spend high prices? It’s not like they can’t get married without doing so. Is it necessary? My dad’s few best friends didn’t spend such a lot of money."

Being told, Zhang Mingyou reflected halfheartedly on the meaning of his earlier words, casually muttering, "Didn’t they start the trend themselves?"

Ping’an understood what he meant, it was simply that the elders had set a precedent with high bride prices, diminishing face if their daughters-in-law were less. But what is face?

Can "face" be eaten, or offer tangible benefits?

Should he marry a wife just to compare with his mom’s dowry? Does he believe his dad wouldn’t beat him to death for it? Marry what lousy wife then!