Chapter 40: Double Standards
The eldest boy smiled shyly.
"My brother and I are the most awesome kids in our team." Erzai held his head high, as proud as a peacock.
Lin Zhao walked out of the room carrying half a bag of rice. Seeing Yun Cheng getting along happily with the two boys, she thought that they were indeed uncle and nephew as they became familiar with each other after just a few words.
"Yun Cheng, help me bring back the rations."
Song Yuncheng took the bag, fixed it to the front of the car, and when he applied force, he felt something in his trouser pocket.
Remembering that he had forgotten to give the food to his two nephews, he took out the candies in his pocket and gave them all to the eldest and second nephews.
"Big cub, little cub, I brought you some candy."
The eldest and second sons looked at Lin Zhao, and only accepted the gifts after their mother nodded.
"Thank you, uncle." Two children's voices were heard.
"You're welcome." Song Yuncheng pushed his bicycle out and said with a smile, "Go to the county with your mother some other day, and I'll take you out to play."
The second child said cheerfully, "Good~!!"
They also saw their new uncle off to the door.
Song Yuncheng, who finally felt like an uncle, was very satisfied. He rubbed the heads of the two cubs and looked at Lin Zhao, "Sister, I'll go home first. I'll bring the eldest and second cubs home when I have time."
"Got it. Be careful on the road," Lin Zhao instructed.
Song Yuncheng waved and rode away.
Young people are full of energy. They do things in a hurry and sweat profusely.
He left in the last ray of setting sun and disappeared at the entrance of the village in the blink of an eye.
"Mom, when will you take my brother and me to my uncle's house?" Erzai nestled his small hands in Lin Zhao's palms, raised his head, and looked at her eagerly.
Lin Zhao thought for a moment and said, "I'll take you two there when I'm not at work."
"Okay." Erzai's eyes suddenly lit up, and he put his head against his brother's, mumbling something in a low voice.
Lin Zhao looked down, her eyes tinged with smile.
She took her two children to the old house to pick up the twins, a boy and a girl.
The bumpy dirt road stretched into the distance. Even though the sun had gone down, the sky was still bright.
The children in the village were running all over the ground, and the adults were sitting on stools at the doorstep chatting. Everyone had a palm-leaf fan in their hands, and they would fan it from time to time to slap the mosquitoes.
Several large red-painted tables were set up in front of the Lu family’s door. The red paint on the tables was mottled and looked quite old.
The ground was uneven, so a piece of wood was placed under one corner of the table.
Noticing Lin Zhao's gaze, Da Zi took the initiative to say without waiting for her to ask, "It's the soldier uncle from the Lu family who is getting married, and his partner is Xiao Su who came to our house to cause trouble."
Gu's mother called Su Yuxian Xiao Su, and her two sons also followed her example and called her Xiao Su.
"He's your elder. Isn't it impolite to call him Xiao Su?" Lin Zhao didn't get angry. Instead, she asked her son with a smile.
Erzai crossed his arms and snorted, kicked the small stone at his feet away, and pouted, "She cursed, and cursing is impolite."
The eldest son was afraid that his mother would be angry with his younger brother, so he hurriedly explained: "Mom, we only call her Auntie Su in front of you. When there are outsiders around, the second son and I call her Auntie Su."
He doesn't like Su Yuxian either.
She said they could, but they couldn’t say that their mother didn’t know how to teach the children!
"It's good that you know what's going on." Lin Zhao didn't scold her son. She wished that the whole family could stay away from the Su and Lu families.
The slender and soft fingers pinched the second child's cheek.
The child applies baby cream every morning and evening, and his face becomes much more delicate, soft and smooth, and feels soft to the touch, like pinching cotton.
Lin Zhao changed kneading to rubbing.
After rubbing it for a while, he smiled and said, "I'm not at home, stay away from this family, and take Da Huang with you when you go to play."
She is very confident about Dahuang.
"Don't worry, mom." Erzi's face was rubbed into a strange shape, but the child liked to be close to his mother and didn't mind at all. He grinned and said, "My brother and I won't play with that Lu Baozhen."
He also complained quietly, "She is a crybaby, and we don't like to play with crybabies."
"Then, if Sicub becomes a crybaby, you won't like him either?" Lin Zhao asked with a smile.
"It's different." The second child was very responsible and said loudly, "The fourth child is the younger sister. I like my younger sister no matter what she is like. I am the older brother and I have to protect my younger siblings."
Lin Zhao remembered a word she had learned in the original book, which fits Erzai's face very well: "double standard."
Exactly the same as Gu Chenghuai.
The second child's eyes were full of confusion, "Mom, what is double standard?"
"That's the double standard on your face just now. You have two different attitudes towards other children and your own sister." Lin Zhao couldn't suppress the smile on his lips.
"That's normal. Of course I like my family more than outsiders, especially... my mother." Erzai smiled brightly at her, and the smile made people feel soft inside.
"Really? I'll remember this. If one day you like outsiders more than your family, I will no longer want you as my son." Lin Zhao almost vomited blood when she thought of how Erzai in the book became such a moron and embarked on a path of crime.
If Erzai really became like this, she would really not recognize him.
The child was so frightened that he turned into an emoticon. He hugged his mother tightly and said anxiously: "Why would I like outsiders? I only like my mother, my brother, my younger brothers and sisters, the hammer, and..."
He listed off a list of people until his voice was hoarse, just wanting to show his loyalty to his mother.
"Alright, alright." Lin Zhao patted his head and told him to be quiet. "Just remember it in your heart."
"Yeah." Erzai's cheeks puffed up and he nodded seriously.
The eldest cub patted his chest and said, "Mom, I will take care of the second cub."
"Okay." Lin Zhao responded with a smile.
As they were talking, they arrived at the Gu family's old house.
Seeing Lin Zhao and her two daughters, Gu's mother came forward and said, "The third daughter-in-law is back."
Lin Zhao hugged the twins who rushed up to hug her, smiled and nodded, "Well, the third and fourth cubs are not making any noise, right?"
"No, they are all very well behaved." In their grandmother's heart, the four children are the best behaved in the entire commune, and no other children can compare to them.
The fourth cub grabbed Lin Zhao's arms with his soft hands, and climbed up her legs with his short legs, trying to crawl onto his mother. His little hands were sticky, as if sugar had melted.
Lin Zhao's mysophobia flared up and she frowned slightly.
At this moment, the eldest cub took out a rag from his pocket and wrapped the fourth cub's hands.
The fourth cub looked up blankly, his big eyes full of confusion and dissatisfaction.
"You can't touch your mother with your dirty hands." The eldest son taught his younger sister seriously.
The little kid pouted and looked at the big pot aggrievedly, then uttered two words in a baby voice, "Baby, be good."
"I didn't say you were naughty." The eldest son was busy coaxing his younger sister. He glanced at Lin Zhao, then quickly looked away and said to his younger sister, "Mom likes cleanliness. I'll help you wash your hands, and then you can hug me, okay?"
The fourth cub looked at the big pot, then looked at his mother, and nodded his little head.
"Okay~~"
The eldest cub took his younger sister to wash their hands and face, and the third cub was also caught by the second cub.
After the children left, Gu's mother asked Bangbang to get a stool for Lin Zhao, and asked Gu Lan to pour some water for her third aunt.
"Thank you, mother." Lin Zhao sat down and patted her calves with her hands.
"Tired?" Gu's mother said with concern, "The brigade is far from the county, and you must be tired walking back and forth. Write to the third brother and ask him if he can get a bicycle ticket. If he can get a ticket, buy a bicycle. It will be convenient for you to go to work with a bicycle."
Lin Zhao raised the corners of her mouth, raised her wrist to reveal her watch, and said with a smile, "My son's father sent the ticket, and I ordered a bicycle. It will arrive in two days. I bought a watch today."
She has fair skin and wears a watch, the two complement each other very well.
Mother Gu didn't spoil the fun and praised it right away: "It looks good. It's also convenient to check the time at work with a watch."
Gu Lan poured the water, placed it in front of Third Aunt, and secretly glanced at Lin Zhao's wrist.
The little girl has starry eyes.
Aunt San looks really good in the watch.
Noticing Lin Zhao's gentle and smiling gaze, she blushed and quickly lowered her head.
"Thank you, Aunt San, for giving me the lunch box." Gu Lan said in a low voice.
Lin Zhao smiled, "You're welcome. I just happened to have one more child at home, and you just happened to need one."
Seeing that the little girl was still embarrassed, she said, "If you really feel bad, please take care of the older kids while I'm away."
Gu Lan nodded seriously, "I will!"
Lin Zhao stuffed a handful of shrimp candies into her hand and said, "Go and play."
Gu's mother was relieved, not because of the handful of candy, but because she felt that the third son's wife treated her as a member of the Gu family, and she was happy.
"By the way, Third Brother's wife, I heard the eldest and second sons say that you gave them candy to kill worms. Where did you buy this candy from? Can they eat it? If they can, I want to buy some for them, too."
Knowing that Lin Zhao was particular, she did not tell anyone about seeing bugs in the toilet.
"No need to buy. I have some extra. I'll give five to my children at home," said Lin Zhao.
Mother Gu immediately said: "How can I let you spend money..."
Before she could finish her refusal, Lin Zhao interrupted her and said, "A piece of candy is only five cents. I don't need the thirty cents."
Mother Gu choked.
Three cents is also money.
"Okay, then I'll thank you on behalf of Bangbang and the others."
Lin Zhao waved her hand and said directly, "You have taught the Gu family's children very well. I like them very much. You don't need to thank me for this little thing."
Thinking that Yuyu didn't have any pagoda candy, and worried that her second sister-in-law might overthink and cause misunderstanding, she added, "Children over two years old can't eat pagoda candy, so I didn't prepare any for Yuyu."
Zhao Liuniang didn't think much about it at first. After hearing Lin Zhao's explanation, she smiled and said, "You are really thoughtful, sister-in-law. If you hadn't told us, we really wouldn't have known that the sugar fish couldn't be eaten."
"Yeah." Huang Xiulan also agreed, "I didn't even know there was candy to kill worms."
She was puzzled. "Who would have thought that sugar can kill worms?"
"The kids at home will be so happy to have candy."
Gu Lan handed Lin Zhao a palm-leaf fan. Lin Zhao smiled at her and fanned herself from time to time.
The third and fourth cubs washed their hands and faces, staggered towards their mother, and ran into Lin Zhao's arms.
"mother!"
The little dumpling shouted happily, his voice was soft, sweet and very sticky.
Lin Zhao put the twins on her lap and fanned away mosquitoes. She also called out to the older and younger children, "Come closer, I'll fan you too. Be careful not to get bitten."
The eldest son didn't want to trouble his mother, so he took the palm-leaf fan, waved his arms, and fanned Lin Zhao.
"Mom, let me fan you." He didn't feel tired at all and was very happy.
Dad said that when he was not around, he and Erzai had to protect mom, help her with things, and be filial to her. He remembered what dad said!
Zhao Liuniang felt her eyes hurt when she glanced at her two sons who were lying on the mat spread out in the yard, swinging their legs with their legs crossed.
We all have sons, why are other people’s children so caring?
The two-year-old Yu Yu imitated the older cub and fanned her, looking very serious about it.
The old mother's heart melted, and she pulled her little daughter into her arms, calling her "be good and obedient".
"It has to be a daughter. What's the point of having a son? He can only give you courage when fighting. He's useless in normal times. He's better off being a daughter. Damn you."
Zhao Liuniang kissed her daughter's face. She was as gentle to Yuyu as she was to Bangbang and Laimei.
Laimei turned over, lay on the mat, and swung her legs, "Mom, I want to change my name!"
Zhao Liuniang glanced at him perfunctorily, then turned her attention back to her daughter and said casually, "Go find your father, and change it however you like."
Anyway, she already has a daughter, so she can just change the waiter's name.
Lai Mei jumped up excitedly and went to find her father Gu Yucheng, "Dad, I want to change my name!"
Gu Yucheng asked: "Okay, what do you want to change it to?"
"Gu Ba Wang!" Lai Mei said in a sonorous and powerful voice.
His father choked.
Turn your head away and ignore him.
What does it mean?
Lai Mei was puzzled and chased after Gu Yucheng, "Dad, what's the matter? Please pay attention to me. Are you going to change it or not?"
"Change the ball, and you're still bullying me. I'll beat you to a bastard." Gu Yucheng pushed his son's black face away and sent him away, "Go away, go play somewhere else! It's rare to have some quiet time."
"Tsk." Lai Mei was not afraid of death and tsk her father, rolling her eyes, "You favor girls over boys, you are biased."
Gu Yucheng raised his hand, Lai Mei hurried away, lay back on the mat, crossed her legs, whined, and looked very unhappy.
He had wanted to change his name for a long time. He felt that his name was no different from those of Zhaodi, Laidi, Pandi and Wangdi in the village. Others were asking for a brother, but he was asking for a sister.
But my sister already has one.
Thinking about being laughed at by her name all the time, Lai Mei stopped shaking her legs and fell into autism.
Erzai was also on the mat. Hearing his sigh, he nudged him with his elbow, "Brother Laimei, what's wrong with you?"
"If you still consider me your brother, call me by my new name," said Lai Mei.
"...Brother Ba Wang?" Erzai called tentatively, his expression simply could not be described in words.
The word "ugly" almost turned into pieces of paper and flew into Lai Mei's face.
"It sounds nice, right?" Lai Mei didn't notice and was quite proud of herself. This was a super domineering name that she had thought of for herself for a long time.
Unfortunately, his father didn't agree to change it.
The naughty boy hung his head, exuding an air of despair.
"It doesn't sound good." Erzai shook his head like a rattle.
Lai Mei widened her eyes.
How is that possible?
He felt that these two words he heard from the educated youth were particularly domineering.
Erzai's eyes confirmed, and he said it again, "It really doesn't sound good."
Snap!
Lai Mei lay back down, her body straight, feeling like she had lost all desire to live.
Lin Zhao couldn't help laughing, her tone soothing.
"Don't despair just yet. You will definitely have to change your name when you go to school. Laimei has the same name as the eldest and second sons. It's just a nickname. Your parents are just teasing you."
If she remembered correctly, Bangbang had a famous name, Gu Xingye.
It's just that he is used to his nickname, and not many people call him by his real name, so most people think he has no real name.
Lai Mei's eyes gradually brightened, and he sat up. It was not easy to look for his parents again, so he looked at Father Gu and discussed, "Grandpa, can you help me choose a name?"
"Whoever gives birth to the baby gets to name it. Your grandfather has no say." Mother Gu directly dismissed the matter.
She didn't want to get involved unless her son and daughter-in-law told her to.
Lai Mei doesn't want her parents to pick it up.
Look at the names his parents gave him: Bangbang, Laimei, or Yuyu. Which one sounds better? !
He looked at Father Gu earnestly, "But the name you gave me sounds nice."
The second child's eyes turned and he ran towards Gu's father, using his little arms to massage his shoulders and back, his little face full of smiles.
"Master, you've been tired all day, let me give you a back massage."
Father Gu’s mouth was almost crooked from smiling.
"Okay, okay, you give me a beating."
He gladly accepted it because his grandson was filial.
Erzai pounded for a long time until his arms became sore, so he slowed down, clenched his fists and pounded slowly.
Seeing that Mr. Gu was very satisfied with his service, he smiled and leaned closer to him and told him his purpose.
"Master, how about you also give me, my brother, and our third and fourth cubs a name?"
(End of this chapter)
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