Chapter 21 "Zhao Zhao, please be reasonable"
"Mom doesn't know?" Erzai's face was full of disbelief, as if something was broken.
Lin Zhao nodded calmly, "...I don't know how to do that anyway."
She pinched Erzai's cheeks and gently pulled them away, "Not many high school students know how to make cameras."
This is not taught in high school.
Erzai's expression was serious, "What should we do?"
"Study hard and get into university, where you will have great teachers to teach you," Lin Zhao said happily.
So, Erzai had his first ideal in life.
The five-year-old child grinned and said excitedly, "I want to go to college and make a camera for my mom, my brother, my grandparents, and a hammer. One for each of us."
Lin Zhao was silent for a moment, then said, "Come on."
"Yeah." Erzai nodded quickly.
The older cub frowned when he saw that his younger brother had a goal but he didn't.
The expression on that face is not easy to understand.
"You are still a child. Don't think too much about it. You will know when you go to school." Lin Zhao touched her eldest son's prickly bald head and comforted him softly.
Dazai was a sensitive and thoughtful child, but he was obedient. When he heard her words, he stopped thinking about it and his expression relaxed.
Just then, the waiter called Lin Zhao to get her meal.
She let her two sons take the seats while she went to get the food.
The food in state-owned restaurants can’t be said to be top-notch, but they use generous amounts of ingredients and serve in large portions.
The mother and her two children shared a bowl of shredded pork noodles, and their stomachs were bloated after only a few bites of the other two dishes.
Fortunately, Lin Zhao was prepared and brought a lunch box with her. She put the pork stewed with vermicelli, which she had only eaten a few bites of, into the lunch box, and put the radish and bone soup into another lunch box, and walked out with her two sons.
"We have lunch ready. Let's go back and heat it up and continue eating."
Erzai took the initiative to help his mother get the lunch box, saying nice things: "Cooking is tiring, Mom, take a day off."
The eldest son agreed, "Mom has been cooking for several days in a row. She is very tired. When we get back, the second son and I will heat up the food while Mom rests."
Lin Zhao was touched.
What is it like to have two little sweet pepper sons?
warm!
So warm!
Two thickened cotton-padded jackets.
"Okay, thank you two little men for your hard work then."
The eldest son was very happy to do things for his mother. "It's not hard for me. I like to help my mother."
"You are such a good son." Lin Zhao took the initiative to hold the eldest son's hand.
The eldest cub stared at his mother's hand, and the smile on his face became even brighter.
Mother's hands are so soft, he likes being held by her.
Seeing this, Erzai walked to the other side of Lin Zhao, held her other hand, and raised the corners of his mouth. His smile was particularly innocent and bright.
Lin Zhao looked at the sun, estimated the time, and felt that it was almost time, so she took her two children to the post office.
Twelve o'clock.
Gu Chenghuai's call arrived as expected.
Lin Zhao answered the phone, curled her slender white fingers, and heard a deep and pleasant male voice, "Comrade Lin."
The familiar sound traveled to my ears along the electric current, feeling a little strange and a little novel.
This was the first time Lin Zhao spoke to Gu Chenghuai on the phone.
"It's me, Comrade Gu." She imitated the other person and said seriously.
Gu Chenghuai's deep black eyes revealed a barely perceptible smile.
He got straight to the point:
"There's a salesperson job at the supply and marketing cooperative. It's basically been secured. You need to go through some procedures. Please take some time to go..."
Before he could finish, Lin Zhao interrupted the father in astonishment, "Work?"
A salesperson at a supply and marketing cooperative? !
It feels like a big cake hits your head.
Gu Chenghuai heard the doubt in his wife's tone and immediately guessed that she had forgotten what she wrote in the letter. Helplessness appeared in his eyes and he explained, "Didn't you say you wanted to work? Don't you want it anymore?"
As he spoke, his tense body relaxed and leaned against the counter.
Lin Zhao recalled her feelings when she wrote the letter. She was very angry at the time and wrote everything. She wrote several pages and then ate a braised chicken leg. She didn't have time to check. She mentioned that she wanted to work, so it was possible.
"want!"
"Gu Xing'er said I was a freeloader and that I sucked your blood. I need to work. When I start working, I can support myself and my four children."
Gu Chenghuai frowned slightly and said, "What do you want me to do?"
Lin Zhao pursed her lips and stopped talking.
"Don't hurt anyone by mistake." Gu Chenghuai's voice revealed a hint of helplessness.
Lin Zhao tightened her grip on the phone and said unhappily, "That's your sister. She was born from the same mother."
"You also said that she is my sister, just my sister." Gu Chenghuai pinched his brows and said in a deep voice: "You can't punish me for her mistakes, Zhaozhao, be reasonable."
His voice was superior, and even more seductive when it was deliberately lowered.
Lin Zhaoyu's ears felt hot. This man was doing something bad on purpose again.
The corners of her mouth could not help but rise, and she said, "Then you are not allowed to secretly give money to Gu Xing'er, otherwise... otherwise I will take the four children back to my mother's home!"
Gu Chenghuai said, "You have always been in charge of our family's accounts. If I don't have any money left, what can I give you? And I listen to my wife."
He spoke seriously, and Lin Zhao's mood improved.
"Is the job you're talking about real?"
"Isn't it said that it's hard to find a job nowadays? How did you find one? What should I do?" Lin Zhao couldn't help but feel nervous when she thought about work, and questions popped up like beans.
Gu Chenghuai didn't feel bad about the phone bill at all, and explained the situation to her patiently and carefully.
"I have already remitted the money. You can go directly to the county government building to find Yang Junzhi. He is my comrade-in-arms and will guide you throughout the whole process. It's okay. It's just a formality. You are a high school student. Isn't the job of a salesperson easy for you? You will be fine."
His wife is pretty and a high school student. She is just a salesperson, so she can be easily taken advantage of!
"Okay." Lin Zhao heard that Gu Chenghuai had made all the arrangements, and the job of salesperson was basically a done deal, so her brows relaxed.
"Thank you, my dear father."
Gu Chenghuai smiled softly, "No need to be so polite, mother."
Lin Zhao saw her two sons clinging to her arms, standing on tiptoe, wanting to hear their father's voice. She said to the person on the other end of the phone, "The eldest and second sons are here too. Talk to them."
"good."
Lin Zhao handed the phone to Dazai, who looked tense and held it with both hands, his whole body stiff with nervousness.
"Don't be so nervous. It won't break. I'll hold it for a while and it'll be fine." Lin Zhao said in a low voice.
Her voice reached Gu Chenghuai's ears, and the young officer raised his eyebrows.
The eldest boy held the phone and moved his mouth, but before he could speak, a voice came from the microphone.
"Big cub."
The electric current changes the sound of people's voices. Adults can vaguely hear some familiarity, but for children, the voices on the other side are extremely strange.
The eldest was nervous and shocked, and stammered, "Is there a sound?"
"That's your father." Lin Zhao said with a smile.
"Dad?" The eldest son hesitated and called tentatively.
Gu Chenghuai seemed to see his son's face. His eyebrows and nose were like his, his eyes were like his mother's. He had a quiet and well-behaved personality, and his smile was shy and cute.
"Yes, Dad." Gu Chenghuai responded and asked, "How is home?"
"Very good." Speaking of home, the eldest son had something to say, "Mom took me and the second son to my grandmother's house. My second uncle shot a wild rabbit, and my grandmother cooked spicy rabbit meat for us. It was delicious."
Gu Chenghuai gave timely feedback, "Wait for Dad to come back, Dad will take you to hunt rabbits."
"Dad, can you catch rabbits?" the eldest boy asked with his eyes wide open.
In the minds of children, being able to hit rabbits is super cool.
Sharpshooter Gu Chenghuai: “…” You underestimate your father!
"Yes." He said, "I will teach you how to use a slingshot next time I go back."
The eldest boy's eyes lit up, but then dimmed again when he thought about how he and his brother didn't have a slingshot, "We don't have a slingshot."
"Dad will do it for you."
After a few words, the father and son became close. The eldest son gradually relaxed, with a happy light in his eyes. "Thank you, Dad."
"Dad, my mom said she wants to build a brick house. Have you got the bricks?"
Gu Chenghuai said in a gentle voice, "I got it."
The eldest child looked up at Lin Zhao, his eyebrows dancing, "Mom, Dad said he got some bricks and tiles!"
"I heard it." Lin Zhao's eyes were warm.
At this time, the second child stared at the first child eagerly and said pitifully, "Brother, is it my turn?"
The eldest son looked reluctant, but he didn't monopolize the phone. He told his father and gave the phone to the second son.
After giving it to him, he imitated Erzai's previous behavior and pricked up his ears to listen to his father's voice in the microphone.
"Dad!" Erzai shouted.
As soon as Gu Chenghuai heard this lively voice, Erzai's cunning little face seemed to appear in front of him.
"Yeah." he replied.
"Dad, when will you come back?" Erzai didn't feel awkward at all over the phone line and spoke to his dad very comfortably. While speaking, he looked at the phone in his hand with his shining eyes. It was amazing.
"If you don't come back, my brother and I will almost forget what you look like!"
Gu Chenghuai's expression did not change, "It's okay, Dad remembers you."
The second child chuckled and whispered, "I remember too, Dad. Mom let my brother and I see your photo last night."
Gu Chenghuai guessed that his wife showed the two boys the photo on the marriage certificate.
"When Dad comes back, our family will go take some photos."
The second child said happily, "Okay."
"Mom made new clothes for my brother and me. We are going to take pictures wearing the new clothes!"
"And I get to wear my little army cap!" he added excitedly.
Thinking that his father didn't know that they were going to get little military caps soon, Erzai said, "My mother said that she would give me and my brother a little military cap each during the Chinese New Year!"
A smile appeared on Gu Chenghuai's lips, "Really? Your mother is really good to you two brothers." She never even gave him a pair of socks.
"Yes." Erzai looked at Lin Zhao and smiled widely, "My mother is very kind to us. Tiechui is very envious of her. He even cried out in disbelief, asking why he is not her son."
Gu Chenghuai listened patiently, "Your mother is good to you, you two should listen to her."
"Listen, my grandma said that my brother and I are the best behaved! We help mom take care of the third and fourth cubs, collect firewood, make fire, and wash clothes!" The second cub was in high spirits and spoke with a proud tone.
Gu Chenghuai's eyes were filled with smiles. He trusted the eldest cub, who was obedient, but the second cub was very naughty. Fortunately, he listened to the eldest cub the most.
"Great! Your mother has worked hard, you and your brother should share the burden for her. Dad is not at home, you and your brother are the only two men in our family, you should protect your mother, if there is any problem, go to the old house and call for help."
He was far away and couldn't help.
Because of this, Gu Chenghuai couldn't blame Lin Zhao at all, even though she had ignored the children in the past few years.
The second child was like a primary school student who received a red flower as a reward from the teacher. He was so excited that he shouted, "I know! I am a man, I will protect my mother!"
"I can do it, too." The eldest child interrupted with a red face.
Gu Chenghuai chuckled and said, "Second son, give the phone to your mother."
Lin Zhao picked up the phone and asked, "What's wrong?"
Gu Chenghuai said, "I've asked Yang Junzhi for help with the slips needed for bricks and tiles. You can go to the county government building to find him and he will give them to you. Bricks and tiles are troublesome to transport, so I'll ask dad and my eldest and second brothers to help."
"good."
After answering, Lin Zhao suddenly didn't know what else to say, so she said, "I've noted down everything you said. Is there anything else? If not, I'll hang up now. I'll write you a letter."
"Yes, according to..."
Gu Chenghuai just uttered "hmm" and before he could finish the rest of his words, there was a clang, followed by a beeping sound.
The other side is dead.
He put down the phone, helplessness flashed in his eyes, and he was about to say that he would go home to visit his family in a while.
Never mind, just treat it as a surprise.
Just as Gu Chenghuai left the mail room, Sun Yeli appeared. He caught the faint smile on his face and asked curiously, "I see that you have a good relationship with your sister-in-law. Have you ever thought about bringing your wife and children over?"
"You're not addicted to eating in the cafeteria, are you? You're not unmarried like me. You've been married for several years, but you still don't bring your loved one. Is there something wrong?!"
Gu Chenghuai stopped, his deep black eyes fell on Sun Yeli, with a puzzled look: "What do you mean?"
"Haven't you heard anything?" Sun Yeli looked around and lowered his voice, "Someone in the family compound has been spreading gossip about my sister-in-law."
Gu Chenghuai frowned, looking uneasy, "What gossip?"
Sun Yeli could hear the coldness in his words and didn't dare to keep him in suspense, so he said quickly: "It's no wonder you didn't hear about it since you didn't live in the family housing. Many people in the family housing said...you and your sister-in-law were engaged when you were children and you don't have much affection for each other. Some people also said that your sister-in-law is from the countryside, has no education and no looks, and you will divorce your sister-in-law sooner or later."
"Nonsense!" Gu Chenghuai couldn't help but curse.
"I fell in love with Zhao Zhao at first sight, and we talked about marriage the second time we met! My wife is still a high school student, who says she is uneducated!"
Gu Chenghuai found the rumor incomprehensible.
Sun Yeli was stunned.
After being stunned for a long time, the usually resolute soldier stammered, "Love at first sight?"
Gu Chenghuai's eyes flashed with discomfort, but he didn't show it on his face. "What's wrong?"
"No, nothing, I just feel that... it's not like you." Sun Yeli scratched his head.
Who is Gu Chenghuai? He is a tough guy with no sympathy for women. How could he fall in love with a girl at first sight?
It's unbelievable.
Gu Chenghuai looked puzzled.
"My sister-in-law is very beautiful, right?" He couldn't control his gossipy heart.
The doubt in Gu Chenghuai's eyes quickly disappeared, and he glared at him, "You are a resolute and upright soldier, how can you judge a person by his appearance? It's superficial."
"..." So you're judging people by their appearance?
Before Sun Yeli could refute, Gu Chenghuai asked sternly, "Do you know who is spreading bad things about my wife?"
"I don't know. I live in the dormitory too."
"Then how did you know?" Gu Chenghuai asked again.
"I'm not like you. I have my own sources of information." Sun Yeli raised his chin and said proudly.
Gu Chenghuai is the youngest battalion commander in the military region. He is outstanding in all aspects. However, he is too handsome and has little expression on his face, which gives people the feeling that he is not easy to approach. Therefore, no one dares to gossip in front of him, and naturally no one will hear it.
"Is this why you always persuade me to bring my wife and children to the military area?"
Sun Yeli asked back: "What else?"
Is he just too bored?
(End of this chapter)
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