Chapter 4 "Letter"
After watching the kids leave, Lin Zhao returned to the house. The house was in a mess and she didn't have the heart to clean it up. After all, the swelling on her head hadn't healed yet and it still hurt from time to time, which was very annoying.
Let’s wait until tomorrow…we’ll talk about it tomorrow.
After convincing herself, Lin Zhao lay down and closed her eyes.
When she woke up again, it was dark and she could hear Erzai's voice outside.
"Brother, why hasn't mom woken up yet? Is she fainted?"
The eldest son quietly went in to see Lin Zhao and knew that his mother was angry. When he heard what the second son said, he yelled at him: "Second son, your voice is too loud. What if you disturb your mother? Grandma said that people with head injuries need to rest more. Don't talk."
The second child listened to his elder brother the most and kept silent.
After the sun went down, the room became very dark, but there was no need to turn on the lights for the time being.
Lin Zhao got up from the bed and opened the door. The eldest son came to greet her. He was afraid that his mother would return to her previous state of ignoring him, so he did not dare to get too close.
Standing there, he asked, "Mom, does your head still hurt?"
Lin Zhao approached the eldest child, touched the top of his head, and said with a smile, "You feel much better after a good sleep."
The eldest child saw that his mother had not changed and laughed: "Grandma asked me to bring you some food, are you eating now?"
After a good night's sleep, Lin Zhao was indeed a little hungry. "Okay."
Erzai hurriedly brought the meal.
The eldest son was feeling depressed because his chance to perform was snatched away by his younger brother. When he saw his mother smiling at him, the corners of his mouth curled up a little.
Lin Zhao took the meal brought by Erzai, which was cornmeal porridge stewed with cabbage. The only meat was the poached egg on the rice.
Without the kids telling her, she knew that the fried eggs were given to her by her mother to nourish her body.
"Thank you, big cub and second cub."
"You're welcome." Dazai blushed shyly and brought a stool for Lin Zhao to sit down and eat.
It is midsummer and there are many mosquitoes in the countryside. These mosquitoes are very poisonous. One bite will leave a big bump that is very itchy.
Several red lumps were bitten on Lin Zhao's legs.
Building a house and buying a mosquito net are imperative.
"Big lad, little lad, I'm planning to build a new house for our family. What do you think?"
The eldest boy's eyes widened.
Build a house! ?
"Can we build a brick house?" Erzai became excited and asked loudly.
The eldest son signaled to his younger brother to keep his voice down so as not to disturb his younger siblings who had just fallen asleep. The third and fourth cubs had a great time playing in the afternoon and were put to sleep early by their older brothers.
The second child covered his mouth and looked at Lin Zhao eagerly. His voice became a few decibels lower, but there were some small waves in his voice: "Mom, the child likes brick houses."
You know what, it’s quite cute to see kids talking like this.
"...Okay." Lin Zhao recalled the zeros on the passbook that the child's father had handed in, and nodded decisively: "Brick and tile houses are cleaner, so let's build brick and tile houses. Then we'll install mosquito nets for you, so you won't be woken up by mosquitoes at night. But brick and tile are more troublesome... Don't worry, I'll write to your father tonight and ask him to think of a solution."
Gu Chenghuai, who is far away in the military camp: Thank you for thinking of me.
Seeing that the eldest son did not speak, Lin Zhao slowed down her voice and said, "Why are you silent, eldest son? The house we built is our home, and every family member can give their opinions."
"Mom, is there money at home?" the eldest son asked hesitantly.
Lin Zhao felt sad. The eldest son was sometimes so calm that he didn't seem like a child. The children were forced to grow up because of their parents' inaction.
She smiled at the eldest child and whispered, "Yes, there is still enough money to build a house and feed you four children."
The eldest boy smiled with a clean smile and bright eyes.
Lin Zhao ate her meal with big mouthfuls, not disliking Gu's mother's poor cooking skills at all.
Even though she looks fair and tender now, and doesn’t look like a country girl, she actually suffered a lot when she was young…
Her parents and brothers were all nice to her, but their whole family depended on farming for a living and it was hard for them to even have enough to eat. They were lucky enough to have cornmeal porridge to fill their stomachs.
She was able to go to school thanks to her uncle, who was a worker in the city.
Thinking back on the past few years, as if she had been possessed by a demon and had inexplicably lost contact with her uncle, Lin Zhao felt like an ungrateful person.
"Mom, can I live in the same room with my second son?" The eldest son made his request.
Erzai nodded quickly: "Yes, yes, yes, I want to live in the same room with my brother!"
Lin Zhao smiled and asked, "What about the third and fourth cubs?"
The eldest boy said without thinking, "Then let's just live in one room with four of us." He had never thought of leaving his younger siblings to be taken care of by his mother.
"Yeah." Erzai had no objection. He always did what his elder brother said.
Seeing that it was getting late, Lin Zhao asked the children to go to bed early, and both parties went back to their rooms.
Before returning to the house, the eldest son couldn't help but look at Lin Zhao, and prayed silently in his heart that his mother would be the same tomorrow as she was today.
Lin Zhao had no idea of Dazai's little thoughts. When she returned to the house, she did not rush to bed. Instead, she sat at the table and wrote a letter to the child's father.
She had suffered a great deal today, and it was really unfair. She still felt aggrieved, thinking of her image in the book - a troublemaker, an unlucky cannon fodder, full of bad habits, and with no other advantages except for being able to give birth... She was so angry, and the more she thought about it, the angrier she got.
She gave birth to four babies for Gu Chenghuai, so what's wrong with him raising them? Besides, her husband didn't say anything, so why did that damn book say that about her? !
Lin Zhao took out the letter paper and pen that had not been used for a long time. It seemed that she had not been sending letters to the military region as frequently since she became pregnant with twins! ?
The ink in the pen has dried up...
This pen was given to her by Gu Chenghuai, and it cost her about ten yuan.
Open the drawer, take out the ink inside, and fill the pen with ink.
Lin Zhao wiped off the remaining ink from the tip of her pen and began to write a letter. She wrote several pages in a fluent manner. By the end, her wrist was sore and she had forgotten what she had written.
She is a girl who gets angry quickly and gets over it quickly.
After writing the letter and venting my feelings, the anxiety in my heart was almost gone.
Remembering that there seemed to be a braised chicken leg in the cupboard, Lin Zhao got up to get it.
After opening the oil paper package, a strong salty aroma hit her face and she couldn't help swallowing.
It's not that she is greedy, but her stomach is lacking in oil and water.
There was only one chicken leg, which was not suitable for any of the kids. Besides, it was late at night, and it was not good for the kids to eat such braised food. She should just take care of it! !
Lin Zhao licked her lips and started to eat. The braised food was really delicious. She chewed faster after taking a bite and finished a leg in two minutes.
The bones cannot be wasted, feed them to stray dogs tomorrow.
The ancestors of the stray dogs in the Harvest Brigade had made great contributions. Even in the most difficult times, people never thought of killing the dogs to fill their stomachs.
-
The next morning, when Lin Zhao woke up, the four children in the family had already returned from the old house after having breakfast.
Hearing the noise coming from her room, the eldest son hurried over and knocked on the door gently.
"Are you the eldest child? Come in." Generally speaking, the child who knocks on the door must be the eldest child. If it is the second child, he will just rush in.
When the eldest boy heard his mother's gentle voice, a smile appeared on his face.
Push the door open and enter.
"Mom, does your head still hurt?" he asked as soon as he entered.
While asking the questions, he was also looking at the bump on Lin Zhao's head.
Seeing that the bump had shrunk, he said in surprise, "Mom, the bump on your head has gotten smaller."
"Yes, I noticed it too." Lin Zhao smiled.
At this moment, Erzai rushed in and looked at her with shining eyes: "Mom, when are you going to the county town to buy meat buns?"
Lin Zhao stroked the hair on Erzai's head and said, "I'll go after I wash my face and brush my teeth."
The smile on Erzai's face widened, and the corners of his mouth almost reached the back of his head.
He didn't urge her, he just wanted to make sure his mother would really buy it.
After getting the OK, the second little boy was like a hardworking bee. He poured water for Lin Zhao to wash her face, brought her the water, found a towel, and got a toothbrush and toothpaste... He even wanted to brush his mother's teeth.
Lin Zhao quickly stopped him: "...Don't worry about me, just do your thing."
I can't stand it, she's not a beautiful waste.
"Oh." Erzai turned around and was about to leave, but after taking two steps he turned back and said, "Mom, hurry up."
Lin Zhao: “…”
"Little greedy boy." Lin Zhao complained, but his eyes were smiling.
Erzai didn't feel offended, grinning like a little fool: "Yes, I am a little greedy."
He came closer to Lin Zhao, raised his head, and asked with a smile, "Mom, can I buy two meat buns for your little greedy boy?" Erzai raised two fingers.
Lin Zhao pushed his cute face away and refused to fall for it: "No."
No, forget it.
The second cub didn't bother any more, turned around and walked towards the eldest cub.
Lin Zhao discovered another good thing about Erzai: he knew when to act and would never hesitate or procrastinate when it was time to give up.
The third and fourth cubs also got up and started playing in the yard. The two cubs wanted their mother to hold them. The eldest cub was very tired as he had to take care of his younger siblings as a child. He felt better only after the second cub helped.
After washing up, Lin Zhao sent her children to the old house and went to the county town alone.
There is no bicycle at home, but the team leader's family has one. However, the team leader's wife is a person who likes to take advantage. Not only do I have to give benefits if I borrow her bicycle, but she will also nag me. It is better to walk.
Seeing that Lin Zhao had gone to the city again, the gossipers in the brigade began to gossip about her again.
"The eldest son's mother went to the county town again. Isn't it time to collect her allowance yet? What is she doing in the county town?"
"Who would have known that Lin Zhao was the only one in the entire brigade who lived a good life. She raised herself to be fair and tender, and she didn't care about her children, leaving them all to her mother-in-law. It was really unlucky for Cheng Huai Niang to marry such a daughter-in-law."
"Yes, yes, don't say she can give birth! Which woman can't give birth? A lazy and greedy wife like her... I don't want her even if she can give birth."
Wang Chunhua was just passing by and heard these people talking behind her back. She couldn't help but say, "The eldest son's wife doesn't like your son either."
The aunt was so angry that her face turned blue: "How can you talk like that!"
What happened to her son? He is fine.
The auntie couldn't help but fight back, so she sarcastically said, "I heard that you went to help Lin Zhao yesterday. I don't know if she thanked you."
Wang Chunhua didn't take it seriously and said calmly, "I help people because I hope that my child will get help when he gets into trouble outside. I don't need people to thank me. Besides, we are all from the same hometown, so it's normal for us to help each other. There's no need for these empty words."
Having said that, he turned and left.
A few gossipers were caught on the spot gossiping and could not get together anymore, so they dispersed in a hurry.
Lin Zhao was unaware of what had happened here. When she arrived at the village entrance, she put the chicken bones left over from last night in the place where stray dogs often hung out.
As soon as she left, a big yellow dog appeared in her place. It had messy and dry hair, was very thin, and each bone in its body was clearly visible.
Smelling the fragrant bone, the big yellow dog sniffed it, licked it with his tongue, but did not eat it. He moved his head away from the bone and barked.
“Woof…”
A moment later, a little yellow dog came out, walked slowly to the bone, started chewing it, and its tail shook like a propeller.
The big yellow dog was drooling. It was hungry, but it never thought of eating a bite.
The bones of the braised chicken legs were very soft, so the puppy finished them quickly. He didn't feel anything in his stomach, so he called out to his mother, "Woof..."
This means not having enough to eat.
The big yellow dog lowered its head and licked the cub's head, causing it to fall to the ground. It barked again in a cute and fierce voice.
Afterwards, two dogs, one big and one small, left.
The road from Fengshou Brigade to the county town is not far, but of course not close either. Riding a bicycle is close, but walking alone is far.
It was nearly eleven o'clock when Lin Zhao arrived at the county town. It took her two hours and she was almost exhausted.
She first went to the post office and mailed the letter. Only after she saw the post office staff put the stamp on it and placed it among the pile of letters did she feel at ease.
"Are you still not confident in my ability to do things?" The round-faced girl with two short braids in front of the counter teased with a smile.
The girl's name was Liang Yi. She had worked in the post office for several years and knew Lin Zhao.
Lin Zhao chuckled, "It's been a while since I sent a letter. Seeing you do it so neatly again, I find it interesting."
Liang Yi was overjoyed by the compliment. Seeing that Lin Zhao's forehead was red and a little swollen, she asked with concern, "What's wrong with your head?"
"I bumped into him." Lin Zhao said casually.
"Be careful, a hit to the head is no small matter."
"Yeah." Seeing someone coming to do business, Lin Zhao waved at the counter and walked out of the post office.
After sending the letter, she went to the supply and marketing cooperative again.
There were many things missing at home, so Lin Zhao carried all the tickets that were about to expire with her.
Bought some cloth, hard candy, toothbrush, toilet paper...
Seeing Warrior shoes, I asked the salesperson, "Are there any for five-year-olds?"
Lin Zhao looked like a wealthy person and was very efficient at buying things. She would pay once she was satisfied with the item after just one look. The salespersons were quite polite in front of her and did not have the usual arrogance of being indifferent to customers.
Few people bought shoes these days. Everyone wore homemade cloth shoes. Adults rarely bought shoes, and it was even rarer for families to buy shoes for their children. The supply and marketing cooperative bought a few pairs of children's Warrior shoes, but they hadn't been sold for more than a year. When the salesperson saw that Lin Zhao wanted to buy some, he was very happy and said, "Yes, how many pairs do you want?"
Without waiting for Lin Zhao to speak, he recommended diligently: "The quality of the Warrior shoes is good, and they look good on the feet. You will definitely not regret buying them."
"Two pairs, thank you." Imagining how happy the eldest and second sons would be when they saw the shoes, Lin Zhao felt that it was worth it no matter how much money she spent.
The salesperson is happy that the accumulated items have been sold out. Even if there is no monetary reward, the director will give her verbal praise, which will be beneficial for her evaluation as an advanced employee.
So he became even more enthusiastic, wrapped two pairs of Warrior shoes in paper, put them on the counter, and pushed them over: "Seven dollars."
Yes, seven yuan for two pairs of shoes is almost half a month’s salary for an average worker, which is quite expensive.
Lin Zhao took the shoes in her hand, measured them, estimated the size in her mind, felt that they were the right size, and paid for them decisively.
The salesperson had been working for half a year and had never seen anyone so generous with their money. He could not help but feel envious. He remembered that he still had two blankets in stock and took the initiative to ask, "Do you want a blanket?"
"Yes!" Lin Zhao's eyes lit up.
It just so happened that I went back to change the blankets that the third and fourth cubs were covering.
The salesperson squatted down and took out two blankets from the cabinet under the counter.
It’s red and looks tacky, but it’s good quality.
"I want them all," said Lin Zhao.
(End of this chapter)
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