Chapter 10: Are You Jealous That My Mother Has Money to Spend?

“Almost ready—go wake up Erzai and the others,” Lin Zhao instructed.

Dacai wiped the sweat from his forehead and was about to rush out of the kitchen to call his siblings when Erzai burst in.

Seeing his brother, he complained unhappily: “Brother, you got up and didn’t wake me! We always got up together before!”

Dacai felt deeply guilty.

He had been so happy, focused only on talking to his mother and helping her, he’d forgotten Erzai.

Seeing her eldest son’s helpless expression, Lin Zhao came to his rescue: “Erzai, your brother saw you sleeping like a little pig and couldn’t wake you, so he let you sleep longer. Why are you so mean?”

In one sentence, Erzai’s anger popped. He beamed a pleading smile at his brother: “Brother, I wasn’t mean to you.”

Dacai was a generous little boy and held no grudge against his brother. “Where are Sanzai and Sizai?”

Erzai answered: “Still asleep. Should we wake them?”

“Yes. Mom steamed egg custard for us,” Dacai said.

Erzai’s eyes widened in shock, his voice rising: “Egg custard?”

“Mm,” Dacai leaned close to his brother’s ear and whispered, “Mom used four eggs.”

“Wow!” Erzai yelled, bolting into the room to wake the Long Fengtai—he couldn’t wait to eat the egg custard.

Sanzai and Sizai were forcibly roused; the two little ones teared up but didn’t cry, muttering “bad” under their breath while obediently following Erzai’s orders.

Seeing this, Lin Zhao thought her children were truly easy to raise.

Sizai hugged her leg, pointing a tiny finger at Erzai and whining: “Bad, Guoguo.”

Lin Zhao kissed her daughter’s clean little face and teased: “Then let’s punish Guoguo—he can’t eat the egg custard. Deal?”

Dacai and Erzai, watching their mother dote on their sister, showed clear envy.

Sizai panicked, quickly saying: “Guoguo, fanfan.”

She meant to give her brother something to eat.

Lin Zhao lightly pinched her daughter’s nose, smiling. “Alright, alright—give your second brother some food.”

Sizai grinned, revealing four tiny rice-grain teeth.

Her second brother looked deeply moved, wanting to bite her in affection—how good his sister was!

“Dacai, you take care of your siblings while they eat the custard. I’m going next door,” Lin Zhao said, picking up the Xie Li she’d prepared that morning, and heading over.

Dacai and Erzai, entrusted with this important task, solemnly agreed, first leading the younger ones to wash their faces.

“Erzai, Sanzai, Sizai—wash your faces and brush your teeth first. I’ll teach you.”

He squeezed toothpaste onto their brushes.

Erzai stuck out his tongue and gave it a light lick. “Brother, it’s sweet.”

Seeing his action, the Long Fengtai imitated him.

Dacai quickly stopped them, urgently saying: “Don’t eat the toothpaste.”

He turned to Erzai, scolding: “Erzai, don’t put everything in your mouth—you’ll set a bad example for Sanzai and Sizai.”

Erzai always obeyed his brother; the moment Dacai scolded him, he became obedient, brushing his teeth properly, even refraining from sniffing the face soap.

Watching his siblings’ clean faces, Dacai brought out children’s face cream and applied it to Erzai and the Long Fengtai.

“Smelly,” Sizai said.

Sanzai, who had never cried or fussied as a baby, spoke little now, only nodding.

“Brother, I’m hungry. Can we eat yet? It’ll get cold if we wait longer,” Erzai said, not caring about face cream—he only wanted the egg custard.

“It won’t get cold,” Dacai said, putting the cream away before giving the go-ahead.

Erzai had rarely eaten egg custard in his life, especially not this much—he beamed with joy.

“Waking up to egg custard? This is too happy.”

Dacai agreed.

As for the Long Fengtai, their faces were already buried in their bowls, legs wiggling happily as they ate with sweet smiles.

Lin Zhao took half a packet of brown sugar and a handful of hard candies and went outside, knocking loudly on the neighbor’s door.

“Who is it? Just come in—no need to knock,” came a cheerful female voice from inside.

Lin Zhao pushed the door open. Wang Chunhua stared at her in shock. “Dacai’s mother?”

They’d been neighbors for years, yet she’d never seen Dacai’s mother come to their door.

As a guest, Wang Chunhua snapped out of her surprise and told her granddaughter to fetch a stool and pour tea for the visitor.

Wang Chunhua glanced at Lin Zhao’s forehead, noticing the swelling had shrunk. “Your head wound looks much better. Still in pain? If it hurts, go to the county hospital—head injuries aren’t trivial.”

“Much better now, thanks to Auntie’s help,” Lin Zhao smiled.

She added to the Wang child pouring water: “No need for tea—it’s just next door. I came only to deliver something and must return soon—the children are home alone.”

As she spoke, she placed the items on the table.

She disliked unnecessary politeness.

“Yesterday was truly a bother for Auntie. These candies are for the children to sweeten their mouths.”

The Wang child’s face lit up, eyes fixed on the candies, swallowing saliva repeatedly—but didn’t beg for any, clearly well-trained.

“No need to be so formal,” Wang Chunhua hurried to return the gift, but Lin Zhao pressed her hand down.

“This is a thank-you gift. Auntie, please accept it. Dacai and the others have benefited from your care—this is nothing.” Lin Zhao disliked back-and-forth refusal; her beautiful face turned solemn.

When she smiled, she was sweet as honey; when she grew cold, she became like a white plum hanging on a winter branch—cool, distant, and intimidating.

Wang Chunhua froze, still wanting to speak, but saw only Lin Zhao’s retreating back.

“Dacai’s mother…”

Hearing her voice, the figure walked even faster.

Wang Chunhua laughed and sighed.

How strange was Chenghuai’s wife’s way of doing things.

You couldn’t find another like her in the entire brigade.

“Nai, I want candy,” Wang’s grandson tugged at her skirt.

Wang Chunhua swatted his hand away. “Be gentle! You’ll tear the clothes! You little unlucky brat—if you rip my clothes, I’ll beat you.”

The naughty boy quickly let go—his nai really did hit.

“Nai, candy,” the boy pleaded pitifully.

Wang Chunhua hesitated—candy was so rare. She wanted to save it for the New Year.

“Go away, go away. Why eat candy now? Go play.”

The boy clung to her leg, wailing: “Nai, I want candy!”

The other children stood still, staring at the candies with eager, burning eyes.

Wang Chunhua, worn down, pried out one candy and gave it to her eldest grandson. “Dissolve it in water and share.”

Saying that, she hurried inside to avoid further pleading, hiding the rest.

News that Lin Zhao had brought gifts to the Wang household spread quickly through the village.

A group of gossipy aunts gathered again, chattering loudly, one after another.

“I heard Chenghuai’s wife brought something to the Wangs. Do you know what it was?” The village’s most gossipy woman lowered her voice.

“Who knows? Chunhua didn’t show off, and no one dares ask Dacai’s mother directly,” said the second-most gossipy aunt.

At that moment, Changsheng’s mother snorted, her face full of disdain. “Everyone knows she’s stingy—even making clothes for her own kids is too much. What could she possibly give the Wangs? Probably just some rotten sweet potatoes.”

Yuanbao’s mother stared at her in surprise. “You haven’t heard?”

“Heard what?” Changsheng’s mother looked puzzled.

“Lin Zhao bought meat buns for Dacai and Erzai. Yesterday she even made dumplings for them. Oh, and Tiechui ate at Gu’s third household too,” Yuanbao’s mother said.

Changsheng’s mother rolled her eyes, voice dripping with envy. “Who knows what she’s pretending? She’ll probably revert in two days. A dog can’t change its habit—I don’t believe someone so selfish could change.”

Yuanbao’s mother opened her mouth to say more, but saw Dacai and Erzai walking over with the Long Fengtai.

The two older boys didn’t run or jump as usual—they walked slowly, unusually refined.

Yuanbao’s mother instantly spotted the new shoes on Dacai and Erzai. She jumped up in shock. “Dacai, Erzai—did your mother buy you shoes?”

Dacai smiled shyly. Erzai proudly announced: “Yes! Mom says they’re Hui Li shoes!”

The onlookers glanced at Changsheng’s mother, delighted to see her face turn a rainbow of colors.

Everyone’s eyes sparkled with amusement. They rose and gathered around Dacai and Erzai to examine their shoes.

“These shoes really are different—look so grand,” Yuanbao’s mother praised. “Dacai, Erzai—how much did these cost?”

Dacai blushed, ears turning red under the crowd’s attention.

Erzai lifted his right foot, turning it side to side so everyone could see it fully. “Pretty, right? Mom didn’t say how much, but she’s so good to us!”

Yuanbao’s mother laughed at Erzai’s lively expression. “Yes, your mother is good to you.”

Buying two pairs of shoes for several yuan—how could that not be good?

Changsheng’s mother muttered sourly: “What a waste. Buying shoes for kids—money’s so plentiful she doesn’t know what to do with it. A spendthrift woman.”

The frugal women, who split every cent in half, nodded.

Yes, wasteful.

But some were sensible.

“Gu’s third son gets a monthly allowance. For years, Lin Zhao never bought anything extravagant. She must’ve saved a lot—what’s wrong with buying her kids shoes? If I had money, I’d buy them for mine too,” Yuanbao’s mother countered.

She was envious, but not bitter.

Women who got along with Yuanbao’s mother agreed: “Exactly. If you have money, who wouldn’t buy?”

Willingness to spend is one thing; having money is another.

The Long-Sheng Niang sneered, her face brimming with disdain.

Who can’t just open their mouth and claim money blows in from the wind? What’s the point of buying anything?

?-

Because of the two pairs of shoes, Dacai and Ercai ran wild through the village, instantly becoming the shiniest kids in the whole hamlet.

The two little ones even made a special trip to the Gu family’s old homestead.

Walking up to Gu Fu, Ercai said, “Grandpa, look at my new shoes—Mom bought them for me and my brother. Aren’t they pretty?” He preened like a peacock spreading its tail.

Gu Fu nodded with a smile. “Pretty.”

Dacai also waddled over to his grandfather, and after receiving the same compliment, he walked away utterly satisfied.

Hearing Ercai’s loud voice talking about new shoes, the Gu children rushed out.

Seeing the shoes on Dacai and Ercai’s feet, none of them turned into jealous lemons.

“Dacai, Ercai, are these the HuiLi shoes the educated youths talked about?” Gu’s eldest grandson, Bangbang, crouched down and touched Ercai’s shoe, his eyes brimming with envy.

Ercai nodded vigorously, his grin bursting from his eyes.

“Mom bought them for me and my brother.”

Bangbang had been to school—he knew how rare a pair of HuiLi shoes was. His envy nearly spilled out of his eyes. “Third Auntie is so generous to you.”

Lin Zhao had merely bought the children shoes, yet the children’s perception of her flipped completely.

Ercai grinned. “My mom is the most generous and best mom in the whole brigade!”

He leaned his face close. “Bangbang, smell my face—does it smell nice?”

Bangbang inhaled and caught a sticky sweetness. “Nice. What is it? Snow Cream?”

“Not Snow Cream. Mom bought us, my brother, and Sancai and Sicao special children’s face cream—made just for kids,” Ercai emphasized.

Bangbang sighed. “Third Auntie really spoils you.”

“My mom won’t buy me anything,” said the eleven-year-old boy, nearly crying from envy.

“Ercai, can I touch your shoe?”

Ercai immediately took off his shoe. “Sure, go ahead.”

Bangbang patted his pant legs clean, took the shoe, and marveled, “You can really tell the difference—it feels so soft. How’s it to wear? Tell me, brother.”

Eight-year-old Laimei copied her brother, touching the shoe. “It’s different. Dacai, Ercai, how can you even wear these? If they were mine, I’d never dare put them on.”

Dacai remembered what Lin Zhao had said, his face glowing. “I said the same thing, but Mom said… shoes are made to be worn.”

“Mom also said she’ll buy us new ones when these wear out!” Ercai added.

Bangbang and Laimei’s eyes turned red with envy.

Ercai, who was close to Tiechui, saw him staring longingly and waved him over. “Tiechui, want to try them on?”

Tiechui was stunned. He grinned foolishly. “...Really?”

“Why not? We’re brothers.”

As he spoke, Ercai took off his shoe and stepped barefoot onto the ground.

Dacai frowned. “Ercai, your feet are dirty. You’ll need to wash them before putting the shoes back on.”

“I know, Brother,” Ercai waved him off, unconcerned.

He’d take good care of his new shoes, of course.

Tiechui slipped on Ercai’s new shoes, unsure how to place his feet, his limbs light as air.

Huang Xiulan watched her son’s smile and felt a pang of sorrow.

She wanted to buy him new shoes too, but she couldn’t—Gu hadn’t split the household, and she had not a single coin.

At that moment, Huang Xiulan felt a deep, bottomless envy for Lin Zhao.

Being sharp-tempered and lively isn’t always a bad thing.

Gu Er’s wife, Zhao Liuniang, felt the same way.

When will they ever split the household?

Because of Dacai and Ercai’s HuiLi shoes, Gu Dasao and Gu Ersao were stirred deeply, their hearts unsettled for a long time.

Gu Xing’er returned home carrying a bundle of firewood and saw Dacai and Ercai—her gaze darkened.

Her eyes flicked to their new shoes, and she sneered, “Spending Third Brother’s money like water, then coming here to show off? Is this how your mother raised you?”

Her words froze the atmosphere.

Ercai sat on a wooden stool, looked up at Gu Xing’er, and said seriously, “Third Uncle is my father too. My brother and I are his sons. It’s his duty to support us. Why are you so angry? Are you jealous that Mom has money to spend?”

Gu Xing’er choked, a suffocating anger lodged in her chest.

“Thud!”

She dropped the bundle of firewood straight toward Dacai and Ercai.

“Damn it!” Lin Er, who had just entered the Gu home to visit his two nephews, saw the bundle flying toward them—he sprinted forward, leapt through the air, and kicked the bundle back.

Right toward Gu Xing’er.

“Ahh—!” A cry of pain rang out. When everyone looked, Gu Xing’er lay sprawled on the ground, pinned under the firewood she’d brought home.