Chapter 8 "Coaxing"
Lin Zhao smiled and asked, "Are you hungry?"
"I'm hungry!" Erzai answered loudly.
"I'll make the dumplings right away if you're hungry. Wait a few minutes." The stove was on and all they had to do was wait for the water to boil so the dumplings could be put into the pot.
"Mom, how long is a few minutes?" Erzai asked with a smile, clinging to the door frame.
Lin Zhao had a headache because children who didn't go to school had so many problems.
"Can you count?"
"Yes." Erzai said proudly, "I can count to one hundred."
"My brother can do that, too."
When talking about his brother, the eldest one is even more proud.
"That's great." Lin Zhao was busy with her hands, but she didn't forget to praise him. She also found a chance to ask, "Who taught you?"
"My uncle." said Erzai.
Erzai’s uncle is Gu Qingzhou, who is in junior high school.
Gu Qingzhou is a silent and down-to-earth young man. He respects his elders and is very kind to his nephews and nieces at home. He has a completely different personality from Gu Xing'er.
Lin Zhao caught a glimpse of Tiechui washing the twins' hands with Dazai, and said with a smile, "Tiechui, stay and eat with us."
The little boy didn't know how to be polite, and seeing Third Aunt's gentle smile, Tiechui happily agreed.
"I'll go tell my mom."
As he spoke, he rushed out.
The second child yelled, "Iron Hammer, I'm with you."
Seeing that he was about to run away, Lin Zhao poked her head out from the kitchen and said, "Second son, tell your grandma that you don't have to cook for you anymore."
"I know."
The two children ran towards the old house together.
When we arrived at the old house, Erzai's loud voice came in before we even entered the door.
"Grandma, my mom asked Tiechui to eat at my house!"
The old man was just about to cook when Mother Gu heard Erzai's voice and hurried out.
"Your mother cooks?" Her voice was full of surprise.
"My mother is making dumplings today!" Erzai said happily, shouting to everyone in the room.
"…Making dumplings?" Tiedan was almost drooling with envy, "What kind of dumplings?"
"Pork and green onion." Even before he tasted the dumplings his mother made, Erzai thought they were the best in the world.
"By the way, my mother also said that she doesn't have to cook for us anymore."
When Erzai said this, Gu's mother recalled that the third son's wife did know how to cook when she first got married, and her cooking skills were quite good. Even though the ingredients were simple, the dishes she made were always especially fragrant.
Unfortunately, she soon became pregnant with her first and second babies, and never went into the kitchen again.
"Okay, I understand." Mother Gu agreed.
Then he added anxiously, "If you're not full, come find me."
Upon hearing this, the smiles of Mrs. Gu Da and Mrs. Gu Er, who were all delighted, froze on their faces.
I've never seen anyone actively inviting trouble!
Erzai agreed without hesitation, "Yeah."
After he finished speaking, Little Hammer followed up with, "Grandma, Third Aunt asked me to eat at her place."
Mrs. Gu's expression improved instantly.
"Grandma, Tiechui and I are going back!" Erzai said, and he pulled Tiechui and ran very fast. He disappeared in the blink of an eye.
The other children in the Gu family would be so envious.
Why aren’t they the same age as the eldest and second cubs?
Erzai and Tiechui just returned to the door and smelled an even stronger fragrance.
The two greedy children quickened their pace and rushed into the house.
"Mom, are the dumplings ready?" Erzai asked anxiously.
Lin Zhao noticed his movement but ignored it. She was using a colander to serve dumplings. There were five bowls on the stove, eight in each bowl for the five-year-old child, and two for the twins, to taste. They were too young, so they decided to give them malted milk.
"The dumplings are ready, come on everyone..."
Just as he was about to say this, he remembered that the eldest cubs had not washed their hands, so he grabbed the second cub's hand that was touching the bowl and asked, "Did you wash your hands?"
Erzai really forgot about it. Facing his mother's serious face, he smiled and said, "I forgot. I'll go wash it now."
Lin Zhao brought the dumplings out and saw the children washing their hands. She said, "Our hands are full of germs. From now on, you must wash your hands before you take anything you eat. Do you remember?"
"What are bacteria?" Erzai asked with a puzzled look on his face.
"Bacteria are tiny microorganisms that we cannot see with our eyes. If we eat bacteria into our stomachs, worms will grow in our stomachs," Lin Zhao explained in a gentle voice.
Erzai suddenly looked up at Lin Zhao and said in shock, "He has worms in his stomach! Yuanbao had worms in his stool because he had worms in his stomach?"
The scene emerged in her mind, and Lin Zhao wanted to shut Erzai's mouth.
He was about to eat, but he started talking nonsense.
"Yeah." He answered vaguely, not wanting to talk about this topic anymore.
I'll buy some anti-worm medicine next time, Lin Zhao thought.
But the second child was the talkative one. "Mom, there are bugs on my head too? Are they bacteria too?"
"!!"
"Are there bugs on your heads?" Lin Zhao took light steps, and her tone, which was always unhurried, suddenly rose several degrees.
That move she made made the eldest and second cubs sad.
The same face showed the same injuries.
The second child complained: "Mom hates us."
I don't feel disgusted at all, but I get goosebumps all over my body.
Lin Zhao changed the subject: "Eating dumplings, it won't be good if you put them away."
He had already made up his mind to wait for the barber to come back and shave the two boys' heads.
The eldest and second cubs felt a chill on their foreheads and were in a hurry to eat the dumplings, not noticing that their mother had successfully diverted their attention.
"It's time to eat dumplings." Erzai sat down happily.
The twins were also hungry, and when they saw the food they wanted to grab, Tiechui put his arms around his two brothers and sisters, and the two little ones pushed hard towards the dumplings, making a sound of exertion, "Hmph..."
"Tiechui, don't worry about the third and fourth cubs. Let them eat by themselves." Lin Zhao crushed the dumplings in two small wooden bowls with chopsticks and waved at the twins.
The hammer was released at the same time.
The twins staggered towards Lin Zhao, reached out their washed white hands towards the small wooden bowl, grabbed the food and stuffed it into their mouths.
After a while, Erzai had already eaten half of the dumpling, and his eyes were as bright as the sun.
"It's delicious. Lots of meat. Mom, brother, and Tiechui. Come on and eat."
Seeing that he was eating very quickly, Lin Zhao reminded him worriedly, "Don't be impatient. Eat slowly. Be careful not to choke. If you like it, I'll make you some in a few days."
Erzai didn't have time to swallow the dumpling in his mouth, and said in a hurry: "Okay! Mom, I like eating dumplings!"
Lin Zhao saw that the twins had food all over their faces and felt that it was necessary to make a few cloth bags for the two little ones, otherwise she would collapse from doing all the laundry.
"Comrade Erzai, I want to ask, is there anything you don't like to eat?"
Children all like to act like adults. When Erzai heard this title, he smiled widely and said excitedly, "No, I like everything!"
The eldest child followed up and said, "Mom, I'm not picky about food either."
As soon as the two elder brothers spoke, the third and fourth cubs could no longer hold back. They swung their hands holding the small wooden spoons, and their pink and tender little mouths uttered: "Wo, poof..."
I thought they were not picky eaters, but when they got anxious they spit out their rice and instantly turned into dirty little kids.
Lin Zhao didn't care, all children are like this.
It was difficult to get enough to eat in that era. There were no children to coax or feed, and Lin Zhao was a good cook, so the children ate with relish and finished their meal in no time.
"Are you full? If not, there's more." Lin Zhao said.
The eldest son helped his mother clean up the dishes with a smile on his face.
"I'm full, Mom. Let us wash the dishes while you take a rest."
Tiechui and Erzai also held their bulging bellies and helped collect the bowls.
"Be careful." Lin Zhao did not refuse, but just gave instructions.
The second child smiled and said, "Don't worry, mom, my brother and I can wash the dishes."
Ever since they turned five, they have been the ones to wash all the dishes at home. Mom is so lazy.
but……
If his mother cooks, he is willing to wash the dishes every day and do all the housework.
The second child looked at his mother who was cleaning up his younger brother and sister, and the curve of his mouth kept widening.
"Erzai, what are you laughing at?" Tiechui asked curiously.
Erzai smiled happily and pretended to be mysterious, "You don't understand."
Tiechui scratched his head. Erzai said nothing, so of course he didn't understand.
Lin Zhao washed the hands and faces of the twins, applied some moisturizing cream, and saw a light flash on the task bar on the right side of the big turntable again.
Prompt that the task is completed.
[The children ate the delicious dumplings, which satisfied them both physically and mentally. Congratulations on successfully completing the task and getting 5 points. ］
5?
Isn't this a 4-point mission?
Yanfeng glanced at the task list and saw Tiechui's name in the brackets.
It turns out that the fee is calculated per person. If she had told me earlier, she would have called a few more children.
Lin Zhao was full of regret.
Just after she finished applying lotion to the twins, the second cub's little black face popped up in front of her.
"Mom~~" Gu Erzai's voice was full of twists and turns when he called his mother, and his tone had small waves.
"What's wrong?"
"I've never used any face cream." Erzai didn't even say that he wanted his mother to use some face cream on him, but instead tried to be pitiful in a roundabout way.
The eldest son also looked at Lin Zhao without saying anything, his black and white eyes full of anticipation.
Lin Zhao felt helpless and sad, and said, "Go wash up."
Just as I finished speaking, I noticed that the task bar on the right side of the lottery wheel had been updated again.
[Summer is very dry and the skin is always dry. Apply some moisturizer to the kids. You will get 5 points for completing the task. ］
It automatically puts the hammer into the task.
"Tiechier should go too," Lin Zhao said.
Tiechui was flattered and said thank you, then was pulled over by Erzai to wash his hands and face.
After quickly washing their hands and faces, the children lined up in front of Lin Zhao.
"Mom, okay, apply it on me first." Erzai said with a smile, his eyes fixed on the vanishing cream on the table.
Lin Zhao scooped out a small amount of face cream and spread it evenly on Erzai's face, not neglecting even his little hands.
"Thank you, mom. It smells so good." Erzai smelled the fragrance on her hand, squeezed the twins aside, and sat next to his mother.
The twins thought Erguoguo was playing with them, so they squeezed him with their little butts from the left and right, giggling and looking very happy.
It's the eldest's turn.
The eldest boy was happy and excited, his ears turned red with shyness, and his eyes looked at Lin Zhao with bright eyes, as if there were pearls in them.
"Thank you, mom." The eldest boy said embarrassedly.
After saying this, he hurried aside.
In a corner where Lin Zhao couldn't see, he also raised his hand and sniffed gently.
It smells good.
Tiechui's face was redder than Dazai's. After Lin Zhao finished applying the ointment on him, the little boy left in panic.
At the same time.
[…Congratulations on completing the task and earning 5 points. ］
A total of 12 points.
Lin Zhao was not in a hurry to draw. After all, a lottery should have some sense of ritual, so she drew before going to bed.
Just then, Gu Xing'er came over carrying two bundles of firewood. When she smelled the fragrance in the yard, her heart felt like it was soaked in a jar of sauerkraut. She looked at Lin Zhao with disgust and jealousy.
She hadn't eaten since yesterday, and her limbs felt weak from an empty stomach. She threw down the firewood with a gloomy face and ran out.
Erzai curled his lips and said, "My aunt is not particular at all. She doesn't even put them in order."
As he spoke, he walked over and dragged the firewood to the corner.
Dazai and Tiechui came together to help.
The twins wanted to join in the fun, so Lin Zhao quickly hugged the two little ones in her arms and said with a smile, "You two should stop making trouble."
Erzai has a bit of obsessive-compulsive disorder. He puts the firewood on the table one by one, in an orderly manner. If he sees that a piece is too long, he will break it into pieces before putting it back.
In 1966, there was not much entertainment during the day or at night.
Like other villagers, Lin Zhao's family went back to their rooms early to sleep.
Before entering the house, she suddenly said, "Third and fourth cubs, sleep with me."
The third and fourth cubs were hanging on Lin Zhao's legs. When they heard their mother calling them, the two little ones raised their fair and tender little faces with puzzled expressions.
Lin Zhao's heart trembled at the cuteness. She touched her daughter's face and said softly, "Fourth child and brother will sleep with mother tonight. Do you want to?"
"Yes, sleep." The fourth child uttered these two words in a baby voice.
The three kids nodded.
Erzai was extremely envious of this.
"Mom, did I sleep with you when I was a child?" Erzai asked expectantly.
Lin Zhao's heart ached, because... in her memory, it seemed that there was no such thing.
Her heart felt like a stone was weighing on her. She looked listless and had no energy for anything. Of course she didn't want to take care of a noisy, demanding baby.
Seeing that his mother didn't say anything, Erzai smiled and said, "Of course there is. Grandma said that newborn babies can't leave their mothers. When my brother and I were young, we must have shared a room with our mother. Our mother must have also coaxed my brother and me to sleep. That must be the case."
The eldest boy imagined the scene of his mother coaxing them to sleep, and his eyes were as bright as stars.
is that so?
Lin Zhao felt guilty and ashamed, her eyes dodged and she said, "You two are grown-up friends now, and I can also coax you to sleep..."
Before she finished her words, the second son, who was used to taking advantage of others, looked at Lin Zhao and said, "Mom, I want to sleep with you tonight."
The eldest son also wanted to do so, but he didn't say it. He looked at his mother nervously and expectantly.
"Okay." Lin Zhao agreed, "Since you have taken a bath and are clean children."
Hearing this, Dazai's eyes lit up, as if stars were falling in his eyes.
He is so happy.
Erzai chuckled and pulled his brother back to the house, saying as they walked, "Mom, let's go get a pillow."
After arriving at the house, the second child's smile never faded, and he said to the eldest child, "Brother, Mom is so nice today. I like her. How about you?"
The big boy's dark eyelashes, like little fans, trembled slightly, his eyes were full of shyness, he pursed his lips, and after a while he spoke: "I like it too."
"Hey, I knew you would like it too."
Hearing his younger brother's laughter, the older boy's already hot ears turned even redder.
There was no electricity in the Fengshou Brigade, and every household used kerosene lamps. Candles were expensive, and no one was willing to buy them. The lights in the house were dim, shining on people, and they felt especially warm.
Lin Zhao is making her bed.
The mattress on the bed is too hard. The outside needs to be washed and dried, and the cotton inside needs to be refilled, otherwise the winter will be very difficult to endure. Fortunately, it is still midsummer and there is time to prepare. By then the new house should be built, two kangs can be set up, the room can be cleaned up for the kids, and some new clothes can be bought. Then we can get on with our daily lives.
(End of this chapter)
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