Huang Xiulan and Zhao Liuniang saw that their mother-in-law had not come out for a long time, so they looked at each other and stepped into the kitchen.

Just came in and saw the vegetable box in the basin.

"Wow, my third sister-in-law has done so much!" Zhao Liuniang restrained herself from smiling too obviously so as not to hurt her mother-in-law's heart.

Huang Xiulan felt painful but said nothing.

The third son’s wife used her own oil and did not take up any public oil, so she said nothing was appropriate.

In line with the principle that a harmonious family brings prosperity, she did not say it was a waste, but only said that Lin Zhao worked hard.

"As soon as the eldest mother came back, she started cooking without waiting for us. It's so hot in the kitchen in the middle of summer. No wonder her face was red. Don't let her get heat stroke."

Mother Gu's attention was diverted.

"It seems to be a little red. There is mung bean soup in the well. I will go and scoop her a bowl."

After he finished speaking, he rushed to the backyard.

Zhao Liuniang wanted to say something, but when she saw her mother-in-law's back, she could only swallow it back.

"Sister-in-law, it smells so good." She stared at the vegetable box, her eyes shining. "I heard Tiechui say that it's full of eggs and tastes better than dumplings."

Huang Xiulan hadn't eaten in the afternoon, and her stomach was empty and she was greedy. Her tummy was rumbling, but she picked up the bamboo basket beside her and covered the basin and vegetable box together.

"Let's cook." She squatted down, dragged out a snakeskin bag from under the chopping board, and took out a few crooked and cracked potatoes.

"..." Zhao Liuniang said sadly, "At least let me smell it more."

"Isn't there a fragrant smell in the kitchen? We still have to cook," said Huang Xiulan.

Zhao Liuniang sighed and cooked with her sister-in-law.

Outside the hospital.

After Gu Chenghuai finished cutting the boys' hair one by one, Lin Zhao looked at the four boys, half squatted, put her face in front of her, and said with a smile: "Boys, how about mother cut your hair too?"

The fourth child could understand what was said. He covered his head with his short and fleshy hands and shook his head like a rattle, "No, no."

"No, then." Lin Zhao didn't force her. She originally wanted to give her daughter a cuter hairstyle.

If Zaizai doesn’t agree, forget it.

Bangbanglaimei took the initiative to pick up the loose hair on the ground.

"Big cub, second cub, it's time for me to go home. We'll play tomorrow." Maodan said, leaving the fish he caught behind with a firm attitude.

Lin Zhao accepted the fish, packed a few vegetable boxes for him, and stuffed them into the child's hands without allowing him to refuse. "We accept your fish. This is a return gift and you can't refuse it."

Maodaner was thinking about his grandmother, so he didn't refuse and thanked her solemnly: "Aunt, thank you."

"I accept your thanks." Lin Zhao smiled softly, "Can you cook?"

Mao Daner said frankly: "It can be cooked, but it's not delicious."

After a pause, he added, "My grandma can't cook either. No one taught me."

Gu's mother, who brought the mung bean soup, heard this.

She said, "Of course your grandma can't cook. When your grandpa was still alive, your grandma never entered the kitchen and never even washed a bowl."

Later, the daughter-in-law he married was very capable and he didn't need her to do anything. It’s a pity that the daughter-in-law died early, otherwise the grandfather and grandson wouldn’t even have enough to eat a hot meal.

Lin Zhao said, "Mao Dan'er, come back next time and I'll teach you how to cook."

She has four children at home and doesn't have much energy to take care of Maodan'er, but she can still teach him to be independent.

Maodan'er's eyes lit up, "Thank you, auntie. I will study hard."

He learns things quickly and will definitely learn them early and won't cause too much trouble to his aunt.

"Okay." Lin Zhao hesitated for a moment and rubbed his head. This child was so sensible that it made her feel distressed. Seeing him reminded her of the twins in the original book.

In the original book, they lived a life worse than Maodan'er, her good boy. Just thinking about it made her heart ache.

Erzai's pettiness flared up, and he quietly squeezed in between them, looking at Lin Zhao, "Mom, my brother and I are going to send Maodan away."

"Call Da Huang." Lin Zhao instructed.

"Hey!" a clear voice rang out.

Tiechui followed, followed by Dahuang and Amber.

A few children just walked out of the Gu family’s gate.

Yuan Bao's loud and excited voice rang out, "Big Cub, Second Cub... there's something exciting happening at the entrance of the village, do you want to go and see it?"

The second child rushed over and asked repeatedly, "What's the excitement? What's the excitement?"

"I don't know. They said that some people were sent to the village... to receive education. Do you want to go and see?" Yuanbao was very anxious, his toes spinning in the mud, ready to rush out at any time.

Erzai still remembered the business and shook his head, "You go first, I'll come later."

"All right."

The word "吧" spread out, and the child's figure disappeared in a flash.

Maodaner knew that Erzai wanted to go and watch the fun, so he said embarrassedly, "Erzai, it's okay, I can go back alone."

"No, we'll take you there." Erzai's words were full of dominance, "What if Wang Yaozu is hiding somewhere to block you?"

"That's right." The eldest child also said, "It's not necessary to watch the excitement."

but.

He still wanted to see it a little.

So the eldest child changed the topic and said, "We can watch it later. Yuanbao is here, he can watch it for us and tell us later."

Maodaner smiled brilliantly, "Big cub and second cub, you are so nice."

Glancing at the iron hammer beside him, he added, "Iron hammer is good too."

Erzai hooked his shoulder and said, "We are good brothers, and good brothers should help each other."

Maodan'er's eyebrows were curved with joy, and only then did he look a little like a child.

"Come on, I'll take you to my house. If you want to see me in the future, you can just go to my house."

The Ning family stands alone at the entrance of the village. It is an old tiled house, square in shape, with four rooms at a glance. The tiled roof is covered with clumps of weeds, but the small courtyard does not look messy or dilapidated, but rather has a different kind of vitality.

especially.

An old lady with a kind smile sitting next to the persimmon tree makes this yard even more special.

The clothes she wore were ordinary, but she had a great temperament, and her face was white and firm. People in their sixties inevitably had wrinkles, but the wrinkles were not ugly, as if they were a gift from time to beauty, very unique.

Except for Maodaner, the other children who saw this scene were stunned.

...They had never seen a grandmother like this.

Hearing the sound of footsteps, Granny Ning turned around and skillfully hid the small bowl. She was a little surprised to see her grandson's hair getting shorter, then smiled and waved at the kids, "Mao Dan'er brought his friends home."

As soon as she moved, Maodan knew what was going on.

The child looked stern with a dark and thin face and said sternly, "Grandma, you stole the candy again!"

"You kid, what do you mean by cheating?" Old Mrs. Ning refused to admit it.

"I saw it all!" Maodan'er puffed up his cheeks, his eyebrows knitted tightly, "You put so much in, I can see it's all black. If you put so much brown sugar in the porridge, all your teeth will fall out."

"What nonsense!" Old Lady Ning pretended to be serious. "I brush my teeth every morning and night, and my teeth are neater than yours."

Not wanting to listen to her grandson's nagging, she looked at the eldest and second sons, "You two are Gu's twins, right? You look so handsome and well-proportioned."

He also didn't forget Tiechui, "This little guy is also strong and looks... solid."

The three little cubs grinned.

Dazai spoke up, his words were clear and polite: "Hello, Grandma Ning, I'm Gu Dazai, Maodan'er's good brother, we are here to send Maodan'er home."

The second child said in a loud voice: "I am the second child."

"…I am Iron Hammer."

Old Mrs. Ning loves being lively. When she sees these energetic children, she feels several years younger.

"Okay, okay, they are all good kids."

Maodaner put down the tin thermos and said, "Grandma, this thermos is a defective one that Aunt Lin brought back from the supply and marketing cooperative. She told Grandma Gu that it was for us."

He told Mrs. Ning the whole story.

Old Mrs. Ning seldom goes out, but she knows the situation of each family and knows who Aunt Lin that Maodaner mentioned is.

"Grandma, Aunt Lin made some vegetable boxes. I ate two. Aunt Lin also asked me to bring back a few. I'll cut them for you." Maodaner knew his grandma's habits. He took the vegetable box to the kitchen, cut it with a knife, put it on a plate, picked up a pair of chopsticks, and left the kitchen again.

Old Mrs. Ning never touches her hands when she eats. It's not that she is picky, but it is a habit she developed when she was a girl and has been like this all her life. If she is asked to change now, she will not be happy.

Besides, her family is willing to spoil her and it doesn’t cause any trouble to others.

"Grandma, please eat it quickly. It's still hot. Aunt Lin's cooking skills are very good. The vegetable box is especially delicious."

The twins puffed out their chests, their faces beaming with pride.

Yes, their mother is so great!

Old Mrs. Ning only needed to take a look and smell it to know that it tasted good.

She was born with a silver spoon in her mouth and never suffered any hardship in the first half of her life. Even after she lost her son, she didn't feel like she couldn't live anymore. Her son sacrificed his life for the sake of the nation, and she was proud of him.

Her daughter-in-law is gone, her old man is gone, but she survived. The dead are gone, and the living must be well.

What has she not experienced in her life?

"It looks good at first glance." Old Lady Ning said with a smile, "I haven't had many decent meals since your grandfather passed away. Today I am grateful to the Gu family for helping me."

Mao Daner said seriously, "Aunt Lin said she would teach me how to cook in the future. Grandma, I will study hard and cook for you when I learn it."

"I promised my grandfather that I would take good care of you." Thinking of his grandfather, Maodan'er's nose felt sore.

His grandfather is so good to him. He knows how to do everything. He can make bamboo frogs and bamboo dragonflies for him... He also cooks delicious food.

Just when the little guy was about to fall into depression, Old Lady Ning stuffed a mouthful of vegetable box into her mouth and squinted her eyes in delight.

Joking with grandson: "Miss your grandpa?"

"Your grandfather has worked hard all his life, he wants to take a break, don't be like this, it's hard for him to rest peacefully."

Maodan was not yet sad, and that little flame of sadness... was extinguished by a bucket of water from his milk, and no longer could produce any sparks.

"..."

Old Mrs. Ning felt that the twins were not exaggerating and that their mother's cooking skills were indeed good.

So delicious!

"Mao Dan'er, get me something." Old Lady Ning ordered her grandson, "There are three jade gourds in the dressing box on my dressing table. Go get them."

Maodan went to get it without saying a word.

The children of the Gu family grew up in love. They were never shy when meeting people. They looked around the Ning family's yard, comparing it with their own, and looking for differences.

The second child was a talkative baby. After the Ning family's grandparents finished talking, he couldn't wait to ask, "Grandma Ning, is the tree in your house a persimmon tree?"

His eyes are black and bright, and he looks smart.

Old Lady Ning smiled lovingly, "Yes, wait until September when the persimmons are ripe, then you can come and pick them."

Children don't know how to be polite. They will just respond to whatever others say.

"Thank you, Grandma Ning." Erzai thanked her politely and said, "I will come. Grandma Ning, ask Maodan to call me. The pomegranates at my grandma's house are about to ripen. My second uncle said he would bring us the biggest and reddest ones. I will share some with Maodan as well."

As soon as Maodan heard this as he came out, his heart felt warm and he smiled with his eyes curved.

"Second cub, I know where there are bird eggs. I'll take you to pick them up tomorrow."

Erzai's eyes lit up, "Okay."

He turned his head and looked at the eldest child, his tone full of excitement, "Brother, Maodaner knows where to find bird eggs. We can roast the eggs and send them to mother tomorrow."

Old Mrs. Ning thought the children were just greedy, but she didn't expect that they wanted to give the food to their mother.

The old lady looked a little dazed.

She remembered that her son was so filial and always thought of her as his mother when he got any good things.

"Grandma, the jade gourd." Maodaner handed over the jade gourd.

Old Mrs. Ning came to her senses instantly, took the jade gourd, and waved to the twins and the hammer.

"Child, come here."

The three children came forward in a daze.

Old Mrs. Ning gave each of them a jade gourd.

"It's a gift for meeting you. Keep it and bring Maodan to play with you next time." She spoke in a gentle voice with a smile on her face.

The kid didn't know the value of this thing and accepted it with a smile.

"Thank you Grandma Ning. This gourd is so beautiful. Maodan is our good brother and we won't let anyone bully him." Dazai said seriously.

Erzai also said, "Yeah, whoever bullies Maodan'er is bullying me, Gu Erzai, I will beat him to death!"

Tiechui scratched his head in a naive manner, "I always listen to the eldest and second sons."

The personalities of the three little boys were clearly revealed.

Old Mrs. Ning couldn't stop laughing.

How interesting.

"Maodan, what's wrong with your hair? Who cut it for you?" She only remembered to ask this now.

Mao Dan'er was not surprised at all and replied calmly, "The twins' father is my uncle Cheng Huai."

"The craftsmanship is quite good, not bad, he looks much more energetic, but it's so eerie with the hair covering his eyes, like a male ghost drowned in the river." This was the complaint from the grandmother.

She said she would cut his hair, but the boy was not happy.

He completely forgot how bad his craft was. Not only did the cutting be uneven, but there were always a few cuts on Maodan's head every time.

After hearing Grandma Ning’s description, the three cubs covered their mouths and laughed loudly.

Maodan was a little embarrassed, but the corners of her mouth were raised.

The Ning family has always been quiet, but today it is really lively and he is so happy.

"Grandma Ning, Yuanbao said there was some excitement at the entrance of the village. Can Maodan go with us to see it?" Erzai was still thinking about his little friend's words.

"Sure." Old Mrs. Ning said with a smile.

"Maodan, Grandma Ning agreed, let's go!" Erzai pulled Maodan outside.

Dazai and Tiechui also walked in a hurry.

What’s the excitement at the village entrance?

Maodaner remembered something and turned to Old Lady Ning and said, "Grandma, the vegetable box is for you. Eat it all. I'm full."

Old Mrs. Ning waved at him.

Eat only one, put away the rest and eat with your grandson in the evening.

When the four children arrived at the entrance of the village, the excitement that Yuanbao mentioned was long gone.

The second cub's chubby little head drooped down. Seeing that his little master was in a daze, Da Huang swept his hand with his big tail.

The child grabbed the furry tail and rubbed it, and the depression in his heart disappeared.

"Second cubs, what are you doing at the entrance of the village? Everyone has gone to the old dilapidated house at the foot of the mountain." A passerby saw a few silly little cubs and spoke up.

I shook my head when I left. I couldn't even eat hot shit.