While writing the third one, Lin Ying heard a commotion outside. After a while, a head popped in, and then several more followed.
"Hehe, Auntie, look, I brought the water cup my mother made for me."
"I have one too, and I brought it with me."
Lin Ying was surprised that they arrived so early; the previous two days they had arrived in the afternoon.
They asked around and found out it was snowing outside, and it was so dark they couldn't see anything. Their parents wouldn't let them play outside, so they came here.
Seeing that they had actually brought the water cup as requested, Lin Ying readily took out the White Rabbit milk candy.
"Two for each of you, and I'll take the rest."
The children's eyes lit up when they saw the milk candy, but Lin Ying said, "Eating too much candy will ruin your teeth. If you eat too much candy here and ruin your teeth, your parents will come after me."
So, is it possible to rinse your mouth after eating sugar and brush your teeth every morning and night?
Enticed by the White Rabbit candy, the children patted their chests and made promises one by one.
Lin Ying was worried that they would get carried away with their play and forget, so she specifically said, "You know I'm a doctor. If any of you haven't brushed your teeth, I won't let you come to my house anymore. You won't be able to eat meat, drink sweet water, or eat White Rabbit candy. You won't even be able to listen to the radio."
Upon hearing this, everyone nodded vigorously, afraid that if they were too slow, Lin Ying would not see their determination.
Seeing that they agreed, Lin Ying smiled and said, "Okay, come and get your candy, two pieces each!"
With that, Lin Ying put the candy on the table and left.
She went outside, peeled a few pears, made rock sugar pear soup, let it cool outside a bit, and then poured it into a bucket at home.
Then he took the large spoon from home and carried it back with him.
"I've put the sweet water in the inner room. Anyone who wants some can go in and scoop some into their own cup. If you're a little one, ask your older brothers or sisters for help, or you can ask me."
With candy in their mouths, everyone mumbled, "Okay."
Lin Ying found it amusing, put the bucket in the inner room, and then poured a cup for herself and the younger children first, telling the older children to help themselves.
Of course, Lin Ying felt that drinking too much sweet water would be cloying, so the other bucket contained cooled boiled water.
The bucket of water was placed on the bedroom floor; it was warm but not cold, just right for drinking.
After finishing all that, Lin Ying put away the White Rabbit candy, then took out the dried fruit for everyone to eat as snacks. She then ignored them and sat there to continue weaving baskets.
After getting their permission, Xiaoqiang turned on the radio, and this time, "Journey to the West" was playing. Clearly, the children preferred this.
Everyone listened intently.
The children in the compound went home after the performance of "Journey to the West." However, they made a promise with Lin Ying to come back in the afternoon to listen to "Taking Tiger Mountain by Strategy."
After they left, Lin Ying checked the time and made herself brunch, which meant eating breakfast and lunch together, two meals a day.
After finishing her meal, Lin Ying continued weaving her basket. The basket she wove wasn't very big, only about 20 centimeters in diameter and about 10 centimeters high.
She made about five, but then stopped because she ran out of materials. She went to the stove and put her table saw and tools there.
Lin Ying plans to make a box out of wooden planks to grow vegetables that are not picky about sunlight.
Lin Ying had just adjusted the table saw when she heard a noise outside. She thought it was one of the kids from the compound, but instead she heard a woman yelling, "Lin Ying! You come out here!"
Lin Ying frowned, picked up the thick cotton coat next to her, put on her hat and went outside. As soon as she stepped out, she saw a woman who was wrapped up very tightly had already walked to her door.
Because the person was wrapped up so tightly, Lin Ying didn't recognize who it was. Just as she was about to ask, the woman spoke first.
"What do you mean? If you don't want the child to come to your house, just say so. You're always making a fuss about these random things. Yesterday you were asking for a water cup, today you're asking for medicine and a toothbrush. What, is your house lined with gold? You can't even let the child come if they don't brush their teeth?"
Lin Ying saw An Zi following behind, his eyes red with worry, and realized that the person in front of her was Gao Chunhua, the wife of the third battalion commander of the second regiment.
Lin Ying knew that it was because this person was shameless and loved to take advantage of others. Every time she went to town, she liked to peek into her basket to see what was inside.
However, compared to Gao Chunhua, her son Anzi was a shy child. Especially now, he was anxious to explain something to Lin Ying, but didn't know how to start.
Gao Chunhua scolded them all the way, and the children all told her they would brush their teeth properly from now on, so they knew what Gao Chunhua was scolding them about.
Some people thought Lin Ying was making trouble for no reason, but others were reasonable, like Han Xiangxiu. She was educated and knew that people were doing this for the good of their children, so she supported her by buying a toothbrush and toothpaste for her child. She could use the water jug that her husband had given away to make a mouthwash cup.
However, those military wives from the village had never brushed their teeth in their lives, and in their eyes, that was a waste of money. Lin Ying was essentially encouraging her children to squander money.
Regardless of their purpose, a crowd quickly gathered in front of Lin Ying's house.
Li Yue'e also came out of her house, because she was afraid that Lin Ying would be bullied.
However, walking over was naturally slower than Gao Chunhua speaking; before she even arrived, Gao Chunhua spoke again:
“You just ask the children to buy whatever you want. We poor farmers are not like you, a rich lady from a capitalist family. We don’t have the money to buy those things! If you don’t want the children to come to your house, just refuse. Why make things difficult for us here?”
After Gao Chunhua finished speaking, everyone outside gasped. After all, they only talked about Lin Ying's background in private. Later, Zhang Shanlin explicitly said that if they brought it up again, their husbands would be punished. So now, hearing Gao Chunhua say this, everyone was a little worried for her.
Gao Chunhua was not afraid. She was a proud poor peasant. If the army punished her husband because of this capitalist's daughter, she would go to the army and make a scene!
Li Yue'e walked over at this moment and happened to hear Gao Chunhua say this. She immediately shouted, "Gao Chunhua, you can't keep your mouth shut! You just blurt out everything! What, didn't your child tell you that they ate and drank at someone else's house these past few days? All-you-can-eat braised pork noodles, sweet soup, and fried dried fruit. Lin Ying didn't hold back at all and shared it with the children. And you didn't even say 'thank you'? Fine, what are you doing making a scene here?"
Hearing Li Yue'e's words, the parents with children nearby, who had just been somewhat resentful of Lin Ying's request, also felt a little guilty. Indeed, putting everything else aside, just the bowl of braised pork noodles that their children had described would cost several cents to buy outside, especially for families with two or three children, where no one would stop them from eating it.
Buying a toothbrush and toothpaste only costs a few cents; there's really no need to make a fuss about it.
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