Chapter 35 "Losing Money"
"I want to help mother with work." said the eldest son.
"Cold noodles are very simple to make. We don't need your help. Go and have fun." Lin Zhao smiled.
The eldest boy shook his head and insisted, "I won't go. I like working with my mother."
"...Alright." Lin Zhao rubbed the top of his head, "Are you thirsty? Do you want some milk powder? Mommy will make it for you."
Usually the twins drink the milk powder, and the older cub has not tasted it yet. He was hesitant, conflicted, and expectant, with all kinds of emotions flashing across his face.
Got it.
"Wait, mother will make it for you. I'll fill the kettle and you can take it out and drink it with the second son Tiechui." Lin Zhao took out the milk powder from the house, mixed the cold and hot water together, poured the milk powder into a green military kettle, and handed it to the eldest son.
"The temperature is just right, drink it now. I'm going to lie down for a while and cook in half an hour."
The eldest child asked, "How long is half an hour?"
Lin Zhao remembered that her son's father had sent a letter back. She hadn't told her son about it yet, so she said, "Your father has sent me a letter, remitted money, and sent me two bills. I plan to buy a bicycle and a watch in the next two days. When you have a watch, I will teach you how to tell time."
"Bicycle?" The child's eyes jumped with excitement, "Mom wants to buy a bicycle? Like the one the captain has?!"
"It's different. I plan to buy a women's one, the kind without a beam in the front. This kind is easier to ride." Lin Zhao explained in a gentle voice.
"It's up to mom to decide." The eldest son didn't know what ladies' bicycles or bicycles with beams were. He thought what mattered most was whether mom liked it.
He stared at his mother's wrist, which was white and clean. In his grandmother's words, it was whiter and tenderer than tofu.
"Mom will look great wearing a watch."
Mom looks good in a skirt. When he grows up, he will buy her lots of skirts.
The elder cub's eyes sparkled.
Lin Zhao scratched the tip of Da Zi's nose with her fingers and smiled warmly, "I'll buy it and show it to you when I get it back."
She was in a good mood and wanted to spend some money, so she asked the eldest boy what he wanted, "Is there anything you want?"
The eldest boy couldn’t think of what he wanted for a while. He had food and drink, new clothes and new shoes to wear. He lacked nothing.
He didn't say anything for a while, so Lin Zhao said, "Think about it slowly. Anyway, I go to the county every day, so it's convenient for me to buy things."
"Um!"
Outside Gu’s house.
Erzai and Tiechui sat cross-legged on a rock eating buns. Passers-by looked at them, and even the adults were very greedy.
The two children have become the most conspicuous presence.
The bangbangs in the old house couldn't help but run over.
"Second lad, Third Aunt bought you meat buns again?!!!" Lai Mei couldn't hide the greed in her eyes.
"Hmm." Erzai munched on a big meat bun, his little mouth full of grease, making Laimei beside him so envious that she wanted to cry. Erzai and his family have such a good life. They have egg custard in the morning, rice porridge so thick that you have to use a spoon at noon, and meat buns brought back from the state-owned restaurant by Third Aunt in the afternoon. Woohoo, he also wants to be his uncle and aunt's child.
Seeing how pitiful his brothers were, Erzai hesitated for a moment, raised the half-eaten bun in his hand, turned his face away with a look of pain, and said, "Brother Bangbang, come on, brother Mei, you two take a bite each."
"Second son, you are really a good brother of mine." Bangbang didn't hesitate, lowered his head and took a half bite, just enough to taste the meat, "I will bring you any sweet fruits I find in the future!"
Lai Mei also took a small bite, sat next to Erzai and hugged his shoulders, "Erzai, if anyone bullies you in the future, tell me and I will avenge you!"
Seeing Erzai giving some to Bangbang and Laimei, Tiechui also generously gave some to his own brother.
Tiedan was so moved that tears welled up in his eyes, and he bit off most of it in one bite.
"It smells so good!" He chewed quickly.
Tiechui lowered his head and found that most of the buns were missing, and the child's eyes were dull.
After a moment, he came to his senses, rushed home, and complained to his mother, "Mom, my brother bit off half of my bun in one bite, I couldn't bear to eat it."
Tiechui, a little boy who had rarely cried since he was a child, cried very aggrievedly because his brother bit off half of his bun.
Huang Xiulan was confused, "Where did the buns come from?"
Tiechui wiped his tears and said in a choked voice, "My third aunt gave it to me."
"Your third aunt is so generous to you." Huang Xiulan had long discovered that her third brother's wife favored Tiechui.
Looking at his youngest son's crying face, he laughed in his heart and said with a straight face, "I will scold your brother when he comes back. How can he even take his younger brother's buns? He is really ignorant."
At this time, Tiedan ran in shyly.
“Hammer…”
He called his brother.
Tiechui was still angry, so he turned his back and gave him a slap on the back.
He ate the bun angrily while being angry and finished it in two or three bites.
In such a short period of time, the five-year-old child learned +1 in life experience, which is - delicious food must be stuffed into the stomach as quickly as possible, otherwise it will be snatched away!
Huang Xiulan watched her two sons quarreling but did not try to persuade them. The two brothers resolved their conflict on their own.
Roubaozi almost caused a quarrel between the brothers, but Lin Zhao didn't know about this for the time being.
She called out the lucky draw wheel and saw that many tasks on the right side of the task bar had been completed.
[Congratulations on completing the clock-in, gaining a valuable life experience and earning 100 points. ］
[You sent letters and packages to your husband, taking the initiative to deepen the relationship between you and your husband. How thoughtful of you! You get 200 points. ］
[Wow! Bringing gifts to the children on the first day of work, and they were their favorite meat buns. It was a super gentle gesture and I earned 3 points. ］
…
There are also some minor tasks that are not worth mentioning.
The current total score is 393.
Suddenly, he became rich and had so many points. Lin Zhao raised his hand and drew five times directly.
【Noodles × 5 bags】
【Cotton × 20 catties】
【Double-handled iron pot × 1 piece】
[Green five-pointed star small shoulder bag (children's version) × 5 pieces]
【Dungarees overalls (Men's) × 2 pairs】
【Malted milk × 1 can】
【Authentic free-range eggs × 50 pieces】
【Soap × 2 pieces】
[Red potion × 1 bottle]
【Cotton × 30 catties】
【Military green cotton cloth × 10 pieces】
【Soft gloves × 1 pair】
【Pagoda candy × 10 pieces】
【Farmhouse pork × 20 catties】
【Apple×5kg】
【Spicy Chinese sausage × 2 pieces】
【Canned yellow peach × 2 bottles】
【Honey × 1 bottle】
【Braised beef noodles × 2 bags】
The above are all the prizes you can get after spending 50 points.
Some prizes are duplicated, such as cotton, but it doesn’t affect anything.
Think about it from another perspective, something you picked up for free is really worth the money.
I'm going to my uncle's house tomorrow to pick up something!
Lin Zhao put most of the things into the storage ring, locked some inconspicuous things in the cabinet, and went to cook while humming a song.
It was very hot in the morning, but now the temperature is okay, but still stuffy, so it would be very comfortable to eat cold noodles.
She had just finished making the noodles and was about to put them down when her eldest son ran home.
"Mom, the captain is calling you! The thief who stole our bricks and tiles has been caught, go and see."
Hearing this, Lin Zhao quickly walked out of the kitchen and asked, "Who is it?"
"Chang Sheng Niang!" Da Zi said angrily, and repeated, "It's Chang Sheng Niang! Chang Sheng Niang is a thief, Chang Sheng is a bad guy, and their whole family is not good people!"
"Big boy." Lin Zhao's gentle voice was tinged with severity for the first time. She frowned slightly and said disapprovingly, "You can't curse people. It's definitely wrong to have a leftover mother, but children can't curse people. Others will think you are uneducated and that your mother and father don't know how to teach children."
The eldest child immediately admitted his mistake and said nervously, "I won't curse anymore, don't be angry, Mom."
"Mom is not angry, just change it." Lin Zhao led the eldest child out and asked as they walked, "Where is the excitement you are talking about?"
"Under the big banyan tree." replied the eldest.
The mother and son quickly rushed to their destination.
At this time, the team leader scolded Chang Shengniang in a tone of disappointment. His voice was so loud that the birds on the tree flew away in fright.
"What can you do with those bricks you stole? Huh? What can you do?! You can't even use them, and they'll leave your family alone in the village, and you really are... you really have nothing to do."
Chang Shengniang never expected that the truth would be revealed and her face was filled with regret.
"I didn't mean it. I was just angry. Lin Zhao and her bastards made me dig manure and copy books. My hands were swollen. I just wanted to teach her a lesson and show her that I'm not someone you can mess with. I didn't mean to steal."
Changsheng was boycotted by the other kids and couldn't even raise his head. He hated his mother so much that he wouldn't let her touch him and kept sulking with his head down.
Chang Shengniang was very sad and regretful.
When Lin Zhao came over, the crowd of onlookers voluntarily made way for her.
"Are you the one who stole the bricks and tiles from my house?" She stopped in front of Chang Shengniang and slightly opened her red lips.
There was no expression on the face of her mortal enemy, but Chang Shengniang still couldn't raise her head. She looked ugly and didn't even look at her.
"Pretty arrogant." Lin Zhao said in a calm tone.
Chang Sheng Niang's eyes were blazing with anger, and she shouted, "...what do you want?"
Hey, the thief is so crazy! ?
"Why are you shouting so loudly?" Lin Zhao frowned and took her eldest son back half a step to prevent her saliva from spraying on their faces. "What else can we do? Pay the money. You are so arrogant after stealing. Do you believe me, I will report you to the police?"
The captain was afraid that she would really report it to the police, so he hurriedly said, "Big Cub's mother, please don't report it to the police. If this gets out of hand, it will affect our team's evaluation as advanced. This is not acceptable."
"So what?" Lin Zhao was unmoved, with an arrogant look, "To put it bluntly, whether the brigade is awarded advanced or not has nothing to do with me. It's impossible for me to suffer a loss...
"..." No, when have you ever suffered a loss?
The captain knew that Lin Zhao had a bad temper, so he comforted her in a friendly manner, "That's natural."
"Changshengniang, please say less!" The captain was speechless.
"It was wrong for you to steal. Be nicer, apologize if you should, pay the money if you should, and don't bring harm to the team. If the team loses the title of advanced because of you, you will be the sinner of the whole team."
Since it concerns their own interests, the expressions of the people watching the fun around them all became strange, and they all tried to persuade Chang Shengniang.
"Changshengniang, you are indeed wrong in this matter. Just listen to Dazai Niang. Whatever she says, just do it. Let's get this matter over with. We can't keep it like this. We all have things to do."
"Yes, yes, you stole the bricks and tiles, so you should pay for it."
"Then... the evidence is the Gu family's bricks. They were all taken out by your family. You can't argue. If Da Zi's mother really reports it to the police, you will be the one who suffers."
…
The more she heard these words, the more panicked she became. She glared at Lin Zhao angrily and said, "I'll compensate you fifty cents, no, twenty cents..."
Lin Zhao raised her eyelids and looked at her, her eyes full of mockery.
"Two cents? I'll give you two cents and you can buy a few to try."
Her expression turned cold. "If you don't sincerely apologize and compensate, I won't waste my time. Just report it to the police."
Seeing that Lin Zhao took it seriously, Chang Sheng's father jumped out quickly, glared at his wife, and smiled at Lin Zhao, "Mother of Da Zi, we will compensate you. We will compensate you two dollars. Is that enough? Don't report it to the police. It's all because of a brigade. Don't report it to the police."
Two pieces?
More than enough.
"Okay." Lin Zhao agreed.
She didn't mind falling out, but after all, she still had to live in the village, so she had to forgive others when she could.
Chang Sheng Niang scratched the man's face, her voice suddenly rose and became sharp, "Are you crazy? That's two dollars!!!"
"Then what do you say we should do? It's your fault." The man shook off her arm and went home to get two dollars for Lin Zhao.
Chang Shengniang's eyes were red with anger and she wanted to snatch the money back, but she was forcibly pulled back.
The couple fought and the noise lasted until the evening.
He became the subject of village gossip for more than half a month.
After this incident, Chang Shengniang, who always loved to gossip about others, no longer liked to go out.
Lin Zhao took her two sons home, and the second son angrily said, "I will never play with Changsheng again!"
"We don't play with him in the first place." The eldest son corrected his younger brother. In the past, Changsheng always laughed at them because their father didn't care about them and their mother didn't love them, so they didn't play with him.
"I'll never play again in my life!" Erzai is serious and holds a grudge.
"Uh-huh."
Lin Zhao was amused by the conversation between the two kids. It was so funny to hear a five-and-a-half-year-old child talking about a lifetime.
Remembering that she hadn't seen the twins for the whole day, she told the first and second cubs, "You two go to the old house to pick up the third and fourth cubs. I'll go home and cook. The meal will be ready when you come back."
"Ai!"
Before the two little brothers could get over, Mother Gu came over with a short, stout, unsteady human cub. After sending the child away, she left with her fame and honor concealed.
The twins, a boy and a girl, had not seen their mother for a day. When they saw Lin Zhao, they started crying, and tears as big as beans rolled down their eyes.
"Bad! Mother is bad!" The fourth child hugged his mother's neck tightly and cried very loudly. His tender face was pressed against Lin Zhao's neck. Water slid down her neck. He cried in a babyish voice, "Mom... won't... take care of... the baby."
She accused word for word.
The third cub hugged his mother's legs and howled.
Lin Zhao was in a headache from the howling, and hurried to comfort her, "Okay, okay, you bad mother, you bad mother, stop crying, I'll steam a delicious egg custard for you and add two drops of sesame oil, okay?"
It's no use coaxing him, the one-year-old kid is still crying.
I have been staying with my mother every day these days and have formed a habit. But when I woke up today, I didn’t see my mother. The two little kids were filled with grievances.
"Mom gives you some sweet candy. Do you want some?" You have to coax your own children.
The second child came over and asked eagerly, "Mom, what candy are you going to give to the third and fourth children? Is there any for me and my brother?"
"Just help me coax my younger brother and sister first," said Lin Zhao.
Hearing this, the second child's eyes turned smartly, and he took the twins' towels and wiped their faces and blew their noses one by one.
The twins were so confused that they forgot to cry.
After crying for a while and trying to build up her emotions, she finally stopped crying.
Lin Zhao: “…” It really looks like an act.
Sanzai raised his water-washed eyes and reminded her crisply, "Mom, sugar."
"You guys can't miss it." Lin Zhao tapped Sanzai's nose and went back to the house to get some candy.
Four cubs followed behind her.
Lin Zhao opened the cupboard and found that the compartments were full of food: milk powder, malted milk, shrimp candy, rock candy, apples, watermelons, canned yellow peaches...
So much to eat! !
Looking at the food, the eldest and second cubs, who had never been able to fill their stomachs since childhood, were particularly satisfied, their eyes shining like stars.
"Mom, what is that?" Erzai stood on tiptoe, pointing at the canned yellow peaches, his saliva almost dripping onto the ground.
"Canned yellow peaches, do you want some?" Lin Zhao said with a smile.
"Yeah, yeah." Erzai nodded his little head quickly.
"We need to eat right now, so we'll eat tomorrow. I'll put it on the table in the morning, and you guys can get up and eat."
"Okay." The eldest child said, "Can my younger brother and sister eat it?"
Lin Zhao gave the candies to her four children, and she processed the ones for the twins and broke them into small pieces to ensure that they would not choke.
"No, you can only eat them when they are older."
Erzai looked at his younger siblings with sympathy, eating the prawn candies happily.
Fortunately, he was not a child over one year old, and he was thankful in his heart.
If you see that the chapter has been updated, it is because the author has corrected typos or made minor changes that do not affect the overall content.
I am so happy to see so many new readers. I hope you enjoy reading. Thank you for your support. I love you~
(End of this chapter)
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
