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

Chapter 1141: Chapter 1014: The Old Lady’s Departure

Years 1972 and 1973 slowly passed by, and Zhou Jiao inevitably rose in status, with nieces and nephews already having families, it was natural that grandnephews were born.

During these two years, she kept rushing to her hometown to send gifts. After Mai Miao got married, Zuo You brothers and Zi Wu also gradually settled down.

Yet her family never had the opportunity to return home. Firstly, it became more inconvenient to take leaves, and secondly, with turmoil rising below, it was conceivable that the Zhou Family faced pressure.

All this made Zhou Jiao hesitant to leave home.

Outsiders mocked Zhou Xiaozheng as "evergreen," jesting about his youthful looks past fifty, but also indicating his position remained steady as a rock.

But who could know how much effort her father and Zhang Guoqing invested behind the scenes?

—— Not only to secretly assist innocent comrades but also to manage commitments with the Digital Group. This couldn’t be explained away in simple words.

Since ancient times, lonely ministers faced the hardest challenges, especially as Zhou Xiaozheng’s old chief aged gradually, old age eventually leads to death, is there any true eternal life?

And what the Zhou Family could do was to observe the situation like the Yi Family and other families, maintaining his stance. But being caught in the storm without colluding, how could one say they’re as steady as a rock?

This year, yet again, there were major ups and downs. After enduring the cold shoulder for a long time, this time someone made a comeback to lead practical work within Zhongkou, but sparking true corrections was no easy task.

One can imagine how distressing the days of 1974 would be...

A restless year abruptly follows as Old Mrs. Cheng is hospitalized again.

It’s not just a mere cold; beyond her weakening physical functions as she aged, her closest old comrades unexpectedly passed away.

These successive blows suddenly overwhelmed Old Mrs. Cheng. She couldn’t understand why, after facing decades of wind and rain, traveling through battlefields for decades without yielding, now in their old age, they faced unjustified grievances and departed unexpectedly.

Even at this point, the elderly woman remained tight-lipped about these feelings, still unwilling to drag the next generation into the turmoil.

Instead, she used a dignified reason. In her words, she had completed what she needed to do, and it was time to live out the rest of her life.

In the ward, Zhou Jiao was tearful, choking up as she said: "Who says that? Ping’an hasn’t married yet, and I still don’t understand much. Auntie, you can’t say that; hearing this would break my Uncle’s heart."

The elderly lady grasped one of her hands while using the other to wipe away her tears, chuckling lightly, "Silly child, everyone has their day, I’ve already lived longer than your grandmother..."

"Don’t say that, I won’t listen." Zhou Jiao shook her head desperately, holding back tears and gripping her hand tightly in return, "Auntie, listen to me, don’t think like that, there are good days ahead. You live to a hundred, and I want to show you the revitalized Gu Family."

The elderly lady laughed and patted her, "Alright, I’ll live to be a centenarian, is that enough?"

No matter whether she meant it sincerely, Beijing was no longer a place for her to rest peacefully. Only by staying away and traveling could she disperse her melancholy.

That evening, Old Mrs. Cheng, coaxed by Zhou Jiao into eating a bowl of porridge, quietly slept. Those from the Cheng Family remaining in Beijing gathered with the Zhou Family, repeatedly considering the situation, eventually Mr. Cheng decided once his wife gained some strength, they would go out and visit friends and relatives.

"In her youth, she longed to travel and see the magnificent scenery across the country, this time we finally fulfilled this wish."

Mr. Cheng looked at the worried juniors, smiling to reassure them, "This time we’ll first visit the second child, take time to see old friends, then spend some time with the eldest, I miss the children too."

Upon hearing this, Cheng Ruzhu expressed, "I happen to want to travel too."

Mr. Cheng glared at her, "You can’t travel now, with elders and children on your hands, where are you going? First, take care of the family, after retirement go wherever you like with Cong Wen."

"But how will you go out without anyone accompanying you?"

"Who says no one will be? Aren’t the aunt and guards people? Alright, it’s decided then, you all focus on your work at the unit, we’ll return after a trip to spend the New Year."

"Dad, make sure to keep in touch wherever you go. Also, stay away from remote places with inconvenient transport, heading to the seaside for relaxation wouldn’t be bad."

Upon hearing this, Mr. Cheng just smiled without commenting. They hadn’t even left yet, everyone was already worried, it’s not like they were children, especially with guards accompanying them, how could they possibly get lost?

Nowadays, he simply hoped for his lifelong partner to stay healthy and live a few more years, waiting to hold hands and enter the coffin together. As for distance, if it keeps his partner happy, treading anywhere from the ends of the earth would suffice.

Zhou Jiao opened her mouth, glanced around at several people present, but ultimately didn’t speak. She’d better not cause more trouble, she could leave now, but not for long.

So, in the following time, Zhou Jiao not only went to work but was mostly stationed at the Cheng Family, personally taking care of the elderly lady. She wanted nothing more than for the elderly to get healthier and for them to gather longer; everything else seemed like idle talk.

A month later, when Old Mrs. Cheng could move freely, she claimed brisk walking wasn’t an issue, first leading the Zhou Family to the mountains to pay respects to Zhou Jinyu and Gu Mingzhu.

Standing before the grave, Old Mrs. Cheng touched the tombstone engraved with Gu Mingzhu’s name, no one knew what she thought, she simply smiled at the Zhou Family members.

Zhou Jiao felt perhaps the elderly lady was joyful, she could finally lead the Zhou Family, allowing the elder sister underground to truly have successors.

On the third day, after settling the arrangements for the grandson’s family at home, Mr. Cheng and Old Mrs. Cheng eventually left together on their journey.

This time, contrary to the prior agreement to visit Cheng Siyu first, the elderly couple embarked directly on the train to Jiang City, planning to rest a few days then move towards Lingnan.

Zhou Jiao thought she might guess the ultimate destination of their journey, why Lingnan?

Aside from the beneficial southern climate for convalescence, there’s another reason. That region was the second hometown where her grandparents and the elderly lady escaped from Gu Family.

Old Mrs. Cheng missed her kin.

Just like that, they abruptly left, leaving not only Zhou Jiao unaccustomed, even the three children found the Big Courtyard somehow desolate, not knowing whether it was the absence of the elder that loved them most, or the lack of a readily welcome spot.

Fortunately, over the next couple of months, amidst sightseeing and visiting old friends, the elderly couple would periodically get in touch, listening to the elderly lady’s laughter over the phone.

That’s good!

Perhaps traveling really suits health, bringing some solace to Zhou Jiao about missing the elderly lady’s companionship a little less.