Chapter 098 Chapter 98 Little Mushroom and Dog Egg

The two brothers Zhang Shouren and Zhang Shouyi accompanied Lin Yue all the way to the train. If they had proof that they could not buy a train ticket, they would even have planned to send him to the army.

Lin Yue took out the train ticket and showed it to the two of them: "Don't worry, I bought a sleeper ticket, and your eldest brother has already arranged someone to pick us up as soon as we arrive at the transfer station."

The two finally felt relieved, but still insisted on buying standing tickets. They found a berth with Lin Yue and put their belongings away before getting off the train.

Zhang Wanli and Zhang Linghan had only then calmed down a little from the excitement of seeing the train and finally felt the taste of parting. They held onto their second and third uncle's hands and refused to let go, staring at Lin Yue eagerly.

One knows his own children best. Without waiting for the two to speak, Lin Yue rejected them outright: "No! You send your second and third uncles down, and they send you back again. It's endless. Is that fun? Besides, the train is about to leave. We can't keep making such a fuss."

Zhang Linghan's eyes suddenly filled with tears. He looked up and asked, "Second Uncle, will you and Third Uncle be like Grandma and never see her again after you leave?"

The two brothers were stunned by her words, and when they realized what she meant, their eyes turned red.

In the past two years, there have been many speculations in the village about the relationship between Lin Yue and Principal Xu, but Lin Yue has never admitted it. However, the two knew that the speculations in the village were all correct. This sister-in-law was indeed Principal Xu's biological daughter. Not long after she was born, she was secretly sold to Donglinjia Village by her mother. When she grew up, her mother even exchanged her for half a bag of food, wanting to torture her to death. The "grandmother" in Zhang Linghan's mouth was Principal Xu.

Although Zhang Shouren didn't know where Principal Xu had gone, he knew that to a five-year-old child, his grandma suddenly disappeared and had not been seen for several months, which was no different from never seeing her again. Zhang Shouren squatted down, touched the heads of the two children, and assured them: "No, you have already started learning to write, so we can write to each other often in the future. And this is your home, you can come back anytime! Your third uncle and I will also work hard to get into a university near you, so that we can see each other often again!"

The two siblings' eyes lit up instantly. They turned around and looked at Lin Yue, asking expectantly, "Really?"

Lin Yue nodded helplessly and said with a smile: "When have your second and third uncles ever lied to you two? Well, the train is about to leave, and we have something to talk about. Please make your beds."

Zhang Shouren and Zhang Shouyi became nervous again when they heard that their sister-in-law had something to say to them. Lin Yue patted them twice and said with a smile, "Why are you so nervous? I really have something to ask you. I am going to follow the army this time, and I don't know when I can come back. The house at home will be ruined if it is not occupied for a long time. Please help me take care of it during your holidays. It would be even better if you can live in it. The tables, chairs, and beddings are all ready, don't waste them." Then he handed over the key to the house.

Seeing that the two of them were uneasy and refused to take the key, she forced it into Zhang Shouyi's hand and said, "Anyway, I'll leave this matter to you two. There are two chickens and a duck at home. They should be fed tonight. Don't forget to feed them. When you go to school, remember to tell Aunt Zhang next door and ask her to help feed them."

A long whistle sounded from outside the train window. It was the conductor reminding the passengers that the train was about to depart. Lin Yue pushed the two people out of the carriage and said, "The train is about to leave. You two should go back quickly! Don't forget what I said. There is a small box on the kang. I also gave you the key. That is for you. Use it when you need it. Don't feed it to the mice!"

Sitting on the opposite berth were an auntie in her 50s and a little boy of 6 or 7, probably a grandparent and grandchild. The auntie smiled and said, "Your two uncles-in-law are really good. They are so thoughtful at such a young age, and they get along well with your children!"

Lin Yue smiled and complimented him a few times.

The little boy struggled to break away from his grandmother and went forward to look at the little one sitting on the bunk. Zhang Linghan stopped his hand and said, "This is my brother, you can't move!"

The little boy wrinkled his nose and suddenly asked, "What's his name?"

Zhang Linghan didn't want to say it, but he didn't know what he was thinking about, so he reluctantly told him: "Little Mushroom."

"Little Mushroom? Haha, this name is really weird. Its head looks like a mushroom egg!"

Zhang Linghan was immediately unhappy after hearing this, and turned around and shouted, "Mom!"

When the aunt heard this, she immediately grabbed the little boy and scolded him, "Goudan, why are you so rude again? Give in to your sister!"

Lin Yue pulled Zhang Linghan over and said with a smile: "It's okay, the kids are just joking around, let's ignore them!"

Zhang Linghan leaned over to Lin Yue's ear and whispered, "Mom, why don't you give your brother a new nickname? You didn't believe me when I said people would give nicknames. Now you hear it, don't you?"

Lin Yue laughed: "Then mushrooms and mushroom eggs are not the same thing, why do you like to call them that?"

Zhang Wanli snorted coldly: "Why did you give your brother this name? Isn't it because of Mushroom Egg? And you always shave his head!"

Lin Yue smiled. When she gave birth to her third child, the news of the mushroom egg's successful explosion came in, so she gave the third child this nickname.

She whispered, "You also know the meaning of this name. It's a good name, right? It's their fault if they give us nicknames. We are not wrong. Don't look for the reason in yourself!" Then she pointed at the little boy opposite her, "Do you like his name? You may not like it, but you didn't think of making fun of him or giving him a nickname after hearing it, right!"

The two children nodded thoughtfully.

The aunt across the street had just finished disciplining her grandson and said with a smile, "Children are ignorant and always talk nonsense. Don't be offended."

Lin Yue also smiled and said politely: "It's okay, we are just children! Auntie, are you going to visit relatives?"

The aunt sighed: "Oh, I have to go see this child's father! The child's mother died early, and his father was transferred to work somewhere else a few years ago and has been away for several years. He doesn't have many relatives there, so I took the child in to raise him. This child hasn't seen his father for several years, and the last time he saw him was because he was going to have a stepmother..." As she said that, she wiped her eyes with her sleeve.

Lin Yue felt very upset after hearing this, and could only comfort her palely: "This is also human nature. After you get married, just be good to the children..."

The aunt nodded and said no more. The two of them calmed down, but they heard Zhang Linghan and the little boy quarreling again.

Goudan said: "My dad is the best. He can lift me up with one hand and carry me on his shoulders to walk around!"

Zhang Linghan was not convinced: "My father is even more powerful, he can lift me and my brother up, he is stronger than your father!"

"My dad can eat four bowls of rice in one meal!"

"My dad can eat ten bowls!"

"Even the most ferocious black dogs in our village are afraid of my dad. They don't even dare to bark when they see him!"

"That's nothing. My father even dared to kill wolves!"

"You're bragging! My dad is awesome, many people listen to him, and they do whatever he tells them to do!"

"I'm not bragging. My father is the head of a regiment. He has a gun in his hand, and he kills one Japanese soldier with each gun!"

The little boy obviously hesitated and said stutteringly, "My father is also a regiment commander, the commander of the 31st regiment. He has two guns and can kill two Japanese at once!" As he said this, he was afraid that Zhang Linghan would not believe him, so he raised his hand to gesture.

Zhang Linghan laughed after hearing this. "Haha, you're bragging!"

The little boy pursed his lips and tears immediately fell.

Lin Yue shouted, "Zhang Linghan, come here!"

Zhang Linghan reluctantly walked to Lin Yue's side and pouted, "Mom, he was bragging, saying that his father was the head of the 31st Regiment!"

Zhang Wanli rolled his eyes and muttered softly: "Little brat, boring!"

Lin Yue said coldly, "I heard it, little brat!" Seeing Zhang Wanli shut up, she looked at Zhang Linghan again, her tone even colder than before: "Think about it carefully, did you brag just now? Comparing with others meaninglessly and making fun of them, do you think you did the right thing?"

Zhang Linghan was unconvinced: "I was right!"

"Oh, then tell me, when did your father fight against the Japanese?"

Zhang Linghan seemed to suddenly realize something and his eyes widened instantly: "The Japanese, it seems they have been chased away a long time ago..."

"Look, in your heart, your father is the most powerful, he can do anything, he can even fight the Japanese. So in this little brother's heart, is his father also the most powerful?"

Zhang Linghan nodded, thinking it made sense. She walked over to the little boy and said, "Don't cry, I won't make fun of you. Both of our fathers are amazing!"

The children's quarrel came and went quickly, and soon the three children were playing together.

The auntie across the street felt a little embarrassed: "He has heard a lot of praise from the villagers since he was a child, so he thinks his father is the best. Plus, we haven't seen each other for so many years, so he has become like this..."

Lin Yue smiled and said, "That's nothing. My two children are the same. Their father has been serving in the army in other places. The two children have grown up to this age, and the time they have spent with their father is less than three months in total. But it can't stop them from thinking that their father is the best in the world."

My aunt also laughed when she heard it.

Children tend to forget things quickly, but they are also very persistent about some things. Even after getting off the train, the little boy named Goudan still hadn’t forgotten what happened before. He said loudly to Zhang Linghan: “When I grow up, I want to join the army and become a higher-ranking officer than the regiment commander!”

Zhang Linghan did not laugh at him this time. Instead, he took out a red five-pointed star from his bag and handed it to the little boy, saying with a smile, "Okay, this was sewed for me by my mother. Look, there's my name on it. I'm giving it to you!"

The little boy tightly grasped the five-pointed star sewn with red cloth in his hand, waved goodbye, and reluctantly got off the train with his grandmother.

Lin Yue never imagined that one day many years later, this crudely made five-pointed star would return to her hands again, and that this little man with two snotty noses would actually embark on this glorious and dangerous road.