Chapter 112

"Older brother is at home, younger sister is sleeping." The third cub answered clearly.

He tilted his head, revealing a cute smile, the cloth shoes on his feet stained with dust, not as clean as usual, but having the look he should have at his age.

Of course, no matter what the third cub was like, Lin Zhao liked him, but she wanted to see her son unleash his nature and be happy even more.

In the original book, the third cub was abducted, and his short life was spent looking for the way home. Before freezing to death, he kept calling for his mother, saying he missed home, missed the small mountain village where his home was, and really wanted to drink a mouthful of hot water...

It was just a few short lines.

Every time Lin Zhao thought of it, it was like ten thousand ants gnawing at her heart.

"Then why did the third cub come out alone?" Her eyes were full of softness as she looked at her youngest son.

The third cub grinned, looking extremely cute, "To pick up Mom."

Lin Zhao had a guess in her heart, but didn't expect to hear these words from his little mouth.

Her eyes and eyebrows were full of smiles, "Wow, the third cub knows how to care about Mom at such a young age? Mom is really moved, thank you, third cub."

The child was praised and felt beautiful in his heart; he kicked his legs even more vigorously and kept saying: "I'll pick up Mom tomorrow too!"

"Alright, but you can't go out of the village entrance, you have to be in a place where adults can see you, and call Da Huang, do you understand?" Lin Zhao said worriedly.

The third cub could understand, puffed out his cheeks, and nodded.

His little milk voice swayed in waves.

"I know~"

Lin Zhao rubbed her son's fine, soft hair, her voice soft, "The third cub is really smart."

Beside her, Yuan Xiang nodded vigorously.

It is smart.

Smart in a way she had never even heard of.

The few of them returned to the Gu family.

Seeing Lin Zhao's light expression, Gu Mu guessed that today's blind date went very smoothly and asked directly: "How was the blind date?"

Lin Zhao looked at Yuan Xiang, and sure enough, she saw her holding the cloth bag and blushing, saying shyly: "... not bad."

"My cousin and that young man are already officially seeing each other." Lin Zhao added.

Gu Mu had heard Lin Zhao mention that young man in the county; she felt his conditions were really good. If it weren't for Xing'er being truly hopeless, she would have thought that if her daughter-in-law's cousin and that young man failed their blind date, she would let Xing'er try, but thinking of her little daughter's temperament... forget it, forget it, don't go and ruin a good young man.

"Congratulations." Gu Mu congratulated Yuan Xiang, "Our family will be holding a happy event before long."

People nowadays value efficiency; there are plenty of people who meet on a blind date this month and get married the next month, so what she said wasn't exaggerated at all.

Yuan Xiang lowered her head, her face turning red.

Seeing she was embarrassed, Gu Mu didn't tease her anymore and said to Lin Zhao: "Third daughter-in-law, the big cub and second cub are in the backyard, they have something for you."

"Is that so? I'll go take a look." Lin Zhao was incredibly curious and went straight to the backyard.

Just as she appeared in the backyard, two children with black hands and faces ran over.

"Mom." The second cub called out crisply, ran toward Lin Zhao, grabbed her hand, and pulled her toward the place where the fire was burning, "Mom, walk faster, hurry and see what brother and I prepared for you as a surprise."

Lin Zhao looked at Gu Chenghuai not far away, curved her eyes, and teased her son, "What should Mom do if she can't walk anymore? I rode the bike for the whole way, my legs are so tired."

The second cub held Lin Zhao with one hand and wiped his face with the other; there was another black streak on his fair and tender cheeks, but his eyes were extremely bright, and his words were full of seriousness, "Mom, I'll massage you in a while, my strength is getting bigger and bigger, I'll rub it for you and you'll be comfortable."

After finishing, he didn't let his dad off either, looked at the man who was busy at the pottery basin where the fire was burning, and added: "Dad, do you have anything to do tomorrow? If you don't, you send Mom to work."

He even had an expression of 'you took a big advantage', "It's just that brother and I are still small; when brother and I get bigger, we'll take turns sending Mom to work and back, one day for me and one day for you. By the time that happens, what business is it of yours, Dad."

Lin Zhao laughed out loud.

She was almost amused to death by the second cub.

Gu Chenghuai narrowed his eyes, looked at his son who was rebelling against the heavens with cold eyes, and said lightly: "Gu Hearing Hearing Erzai, shut your mouth. What business is it of yours? When I'm at home, you don't have a chance to please your mother."

The second cub crossed his arms and hummed, "Dad isn't at home every day, we have plenty of chances."

Gu Chenghuai choked.

"..." Annoying cub!

The big cub brought a stool for Lin Zhao, "Mom, sit."

He also brought half a bowl of water, "Mom, drink some water, it's boiled water, and I added white sugar, it's sweet."

Lin Zhao was indeed a bit thirsty, so she drank a mouthful of water first; it did have sugar, but it wasn't greasy, which suited her taste.

"Thank you, son." She said with a smile.

Seeing what Gu Chenghuai was roasting, she glanced at it curiously, "What is this roasting? It smells quite fragrant."

"Roasting bird meat, and bird eggs." The second cub said loudly, his expression very proud, "Mom, the bird eggs were found by Mao Dan'er when he took us; we found more than ten, and he split half with us."

"The bird was hit by Dad..." His eyes were extremely bright, like bright stars lighting up the night sky, his tone proud and admiring, "Dad is so amazing, he uses a slingshot to hit birds, and every shot hits. My dad is the most amazing dad in the whole brigade, no, the whole commune."

Gu Chenghuai's mouth curled slightly.

Isn't that so!

The big cub also said: "Mom, we begged Dad to help roast the meat and eggs, Dad roasts them very deliciously, you hurry and eat one."

Once Mom eats one, she will find out that he and his brother didn't say wrong, the roasted bird eggs are really delicious.

Lin Zhao walked toward Gu Chenghuai and stretched out both hands.

The young couple looked at each other and knew what the other meant.

Gu Chenghuai took a ladle to scoop water and slowly poured it into the vegetable plot, and Lin Zhao washed her hands with the water.

"Thank you, Comrade Gu." Lin Zhao curved her eyes and smiled.

Gu Chenghuai shook his head helplessly, his voice stained with a smile, "Try it, sparrow eggs, I often ate them when I was a kid, I don't know if you're used to eating them."

Lin Zhao rolled her eyes at him and acted tough, "I'm also a country person, okay? You've eaten them, so of course I've eaten them too. When I was a kid, my eldest brother and the others also went to catch sparrows, find bird eggs, and wild fruits; everything you've eaten, I've eaten too."

Gu Chenghuai smiled without a word.

Not necessarily.

When he went on missions, he was so hungry he even swallowed raw meat; his wife was so delicate, she couldn't stand even a bit of fishiness, so she couldn't have eaten them.

"I underestimated you, I really shouldn't have." Gu Chenghuai said with a smile, put down the ladle, wiped Lin Zhao's hands, and handed over the bird meat and bird eggs that had just been roasted, "Try it, see if there's any difference in taste from when you were a kid."

Lin Zhao thought to herself, there must be a difference, at least the seasoning was very different. When she was a kid, there was only salt, but now, the Gu family used the seasoning she drew from the lottery; not only was it complete, but the taste was also incredibly good. Even stir-fried cabbage was delicious, and roasted meat and eggs were even more extraordinary.

She first tasted a bird egg; it was tiny, not even a mouthful.

The taste was fragrant, the skin was slightly crispy, and the inside was very soft.

"Delicious, better than when I was a kid." Lin Zhao was very supportive.

The bird eggs were found by the twins; hearing that Mom liked them, the little brothers smiled very happily.

"If Mom likes them, we'll go find them again in the future and roast them for Mom again." The big cub said.

Lin Zhao knew that before she awakened, finding bird eggs and roasting bird eggs were things the twins looked forward to; for them, this was a rare delicacy.

For such small children, to be able to think of sharing the delicious food in their memories with her, their mother, how many children could think of that? It would be good if they didn't stuff all the delicious food into their own mouths.

Lin Zhao's heart was incredibly warm, and she opened her arms toward the twins, "Come here, Mom will hug you."

Swish.

The two children's faces instantly turned into red apples.

It was completely different from how they acted before Gu Chenghuai came back.

Before, the two little ones were very clingy, wishing they could stick to Lin Zhao's arms; if she touched their little hands or kissed their little faces, the little brothers could be happy for a day.

But, when they were sticking to Mom in front of Dad, both children felt a bit embarrassed.

The big cub and second cub quietly looked at Gu Chenghuai and found that their dad didn't know how to turn around at all, so the little brothers were angry.

"Dad, turn your back, you're looking straight at us, brother and I are embarrassed, it really affects us cultivating feelings with Mom, you turn away..." The second cub's eyes were full of disapproval, and he said one sentence after another.

Gu Chenghuai laughed in anger, "Should I flip over the wall and make room for you?"

Why are they so troublesome? It's because I haven't beaten them enough!

The second cub's eyes lit up, "Alright, alright."

"Dad can actually flip over the wall!?" So amazing.

The admiration flowed out of those eyes.

"..." Gu Chenghuai couldn't laugh or cry.

The big cub took advantage of his brother babbling, wiped his hands and face clean, and burrowed into Lin Zhao's arms; having not stuck to Mom for several days, the child felt beautiful in his heart.

Seeing his brother, the second cub also wanted to rush toward Lin Zhao.

Seeing his brother coming, the big cub blurted out: "Second cub, wash your hands, wash your face, you're all black, don't get Mom's clothes dirty."

The second cub braked and stopped, looked down at his hands, which were indeed all black, and hurriedly went to the side to wash his hands and face.

After cleaning up, he hugged Lin Zhao's waist.

"Mom, I practiced writing obediently today."

Lin Zhao held her two sons' faces and kissed the big cub and second cub's cheeks one by one, "Really great, really makes Mom worry-free, Mom will bring you a gift tomorrow."

The second cub was very expectant, looked up with his little face, his voice soft, "Mom, what is it?"

"It's a secret for now, you'll know tomorrow afternoon." Lin Zhao also said softly.

The second cub knew Mom was going to give them a surprise, so he didn't ask further, smiled sweetly, and said nice things, "Mom is really good, brother and I are the happiest cubs in the whole commune."

The big cub also said: "Mom makes brother and me the happiest cubs in the whole commune; when we grow up, we will also make Mom the happiest mom."

Is this drawing a pie?

Whether it was or not didn't matter; at this moment, the warmth in Lin Zhao's heart was real.

"Alright, Mom will wait."

The twins were full of energy.

Gu Chenghuai witnessed with his own eyes his wife coaxing the two cubs into placentas; the two boys were like they had been injected with chicken blood, wishing they could grow up immediately to support their mother.

"You two rest on the side first; what you two are talking about is something decades from now. With me here, your mother will be the happiest wife for a lifetime."

The second cub was unconvinced, but didn't know how to refute; he knew his dad was right.

The child's brain turned very fast, and he openly dug a hole for his dad.

"If Dad wants to make Mom the happiest wife, he can't make Mom angry, he has to listen to Mom, whatever Mom says is what it is, you have to take the initiative to do things at home, you can't let Mom urge you... Dad can do it, right?"

He was such a short little thing, looking up and confronting his own father who was a head taller than him, without any fear, saying whatever came to his mind; a child who wasn't spoiled definitely wouldn't be like this.

Lin Zhao looked at the second cub's appearance and felt very gratified.

A child who is open and aboveboard is really likable!

Gu Chenghuai used the fire tongs to stir the fire in the pottery basin, and hearing the second cub's words, his tone was casual yet serious, "Of course, you don't need to tell me."

"You're so young, yet you manage so much; who did you hear these words from again?"

Lin Zhao was also curious and stared at the second cub's black head in surprise.

"I heard it from people in the village." Because it was heard by the river, the second cub didn't dare to mention too much, afraid Mom would worry.

The big cub's eyes were strange.

Did people in the village say that?

How did he remember that the aunts were all talking about the bad things about their men—

One said her man always made her angry, another said her man only listened to his mother and wouldn't listen to her, his wife, at all, another said her man didn't even know how to pick up an oil bottle, and the last one said her man was unclear with the fox spirit in the neighboring village...

The big cub was thinking when he heard the second cub ask: "Mom, what is a fox spirit?"

Lin Zhao subconsciously looked at Gu Chenghuai.

Hmm? What's the situation?!

Gu Chenghuai was even more confused than his wife.

"Why are you asking this?"

The second cub said: "I heard an aunt in the village say that her man was unclear with the fox spirit in the neighboring village. Is a fox spirit a monster turned from a fox? How can it be unclear with a person?"

His bright black eyes were full of innocent curiosity.

"Second cub, after the founding of the country, things can't become spirits; small animals are just small animals, no small animal can turn into a monster, do you know?" Lin Zhao answered.

"Oh." The second cub understood half-heartedly, and then asked again: "Then how can a fox spirit be unclear with a person?"

Lin Zhao: Why haven't you forgotten yet!?

"Ask your dad, I'm going to send your cousin home." Lin Zhao left a sentence, gave Gu Chenghuai a 'you're on your own' look, and hurriedly returned to the front yard.

The twins knew about her sending Yuan Xiang back to the Dongfeng Brigade; although they also wanted to go, they knew Mom had serious business, so they didn't make a fuss. Knowing Lin Zhao would be back soon, they didn't follow her and were still pestering their dad.

Gu Chenghuai couldn't discuss such a profound question with his young son; his deep, dark eyes swept over the twins, and he said lightly: "Do you still want to roast eggs like this?"

"... Learn."

"If you learn, learn seriously, don't ask about this and that."

Lin Zhao came to the front yard, returned to the room to take out the clothes she had changed out of in the morning, packed some things to bring back to her maiden home, called Yuan Xiang, and carried her back to the Dongfeng Brigade.

Returning to her maiden home, just like before, she received a warm welcome from the whole family.

"Cousin, you're back." Lin Er Dan took the initiative to take the bicycle and pushed it to the wall to park it.

Dadan took the big bag from Lin Zhao's hand, "Cousin, I'll take the bag, is it heavy? Don't tire yourself out, why did you bring it back yourself? You should have let Dad and Second Uncle bring it back tonight.

Cousin, you must be thirsty, I'll go pour you some water, Grandpa boiled fruit jam, I'll make you fruit jam water, it's sour and sweet, you'll definitely like it.

Grandpa specifically saved two bottles for you, saying he would send them to you... but he hasn't had time yet.

Cousin, Grandpa's complexion has been much better these two days, Grandma said the things you sent are very useful..."

Comrade Lin Dadan, who has the demeanor of an eldest brother outside, is a chatterbox in front of his own family, his words fine and dense.

Lin Zhao had a smile on her lips and responded from time to time.

Xibao stuck to Lin Zhao, "Cousin, can you sleep at home for one night? Tonight I want to sleep with you."

"I'm afraid I can't, I didn't tell the family, and I have to go to work tomorrow." Lin Zhao said.

Seeing the disappointment on Xibao's face, she touched her fine, soft hair and added: "When my house is built, I'll invite you all to stay for a night, and Xuanxuan and Zhengzheng too, we'll sleep on one bed, okay?"

Xibao nodded, "Alright, alright."

Lin Zhao saw that the clothes Xibao was wearing were modified by Chen Yu, which suited her very well and made the little girl look even cuter, "The clothes are very pretty, your mom modified them very well."

"Thank you, Cousin, for the clothes." Xibao rubbed her head against her cousin's palm.

Seeing her daughter being so clingy, Chen Yu supported her protruding belly and said helplessly: "Xibao, let your cousin rest, don't be so annoying."

"I know." Xibao sat obediently to the side, her eyes fixed on her cousin.

Lin Zhao sat down and looked at her father's complexion; it was indeed better.

"Dad, your complexion has improved a bit, how do you feel? Is that medicine useful for you?"

Lin Heling smiled and said gently: "It's useful."

He was a patient and could feel that the medicine was repairing... his broken body.

"It's good that it's useful." Lin Zhao showed a bright smile, and her eyes also curved into a crescent moon.

She looked at Song Xiwei again, "Mom, I made a new set of clothes for you and Dad, and I've also modified the clothes for Xuanxuan and Zhengzheng, they are all inside, do you want to take a look?"