Chapter 131: There's sound

The twins spoke in unison: "A radio!!"

No one in the Bumper Harvest Brigade owned a radio, and the children had never even heard of one; their little faces were filled with confusion.

"What's this?"

"What's it for?"

"Never heard of it."

Xiang Yubao sat on the large rock at the entrance of their new house, and the children gathered around him in a circle.

"My great-uncle said that a radio can play stories, sing revolutionary songs, perform operas, and even broadcast weather forecasts..."

Xiang Yubao was a generous child and immediately invited his little friends, "We haven't used it yet, but when Gu Hangbao and I listen, you can all join in too."

"Yeah, we'll listen together," Gu Hangbao added.

These were all his good friends, and he was willing to let them listen.

When the children heard Xiang Yubao say that a radio could tell stories, their eyes lit up.

"Xiang Yubao, are the stories on the radio the same as the picture-story books?" Yuan Bao leaned against Xiang Yubao and asked curiously.

The twins had many picture-story books that they lent to them; they were so good to read.

"Probably the same," Xiang Yubao wasn't sure, but he thought a radio must be more impressive than picture-story books.

"Then I want to listen," Yuan Bao said excitedly, "Xiang Yubao, when will you listen?"

He was afraid of missing it and wanted to be clear about when his little friends would be listening.

Xiang Yubao: "No rush. I don't know how to work it yet. When my mom and dad get back, I'll have them teach me, and once I learn, I'll call you."

Tie Niu grew anxious, "Xiang Yubao, count me in! Count me in! I want to hear stories too!!"

"I'll call you too; I'll call all of you," Xiang Yubao said.

Not far away, Song Yuncheng saw the twins' popularity and how well-liked they were by the other children, and he clicked his tongue in wonder.

As expected of Comrade Lin Zhao's cubs; look at that social ability, it's exactly the same as hers.

He called out: "Xiang Yubao, Gu Hangbao, I'm going to put these things away, are you coming back?"

Xiang Yubao snapped out of it, "Coming."

He stood up, patted his bottom, waved to his little friends, and holding his younger brother's and Little Tie Chui's hands, he headed toward the Gu family home.

After arriving home, the twins directed Song Yuncheng to put the things back in the room.

Song Yuncheng didn't stay long and took his leave.

As soon as he left, Gu Mu called the twins over and asked straight to the point: "Xiang Yubao, Gu Hangbao, your mom bought a job? Do you two know about this?"

The brothers looked at each other, seeing confusion in each other's eyes.

"We don't know," they shook their heads simultaneously.

Gu Mu was a little disappointed, but she didn't show it on her face, still smiling at her grandsons, "Were you happy going to the city today? Are you hungry? Are Qian Bao and Seeing Yaobao behind with your mom and dad?"

She asked several questions.

Xiang Yubao repeated to his grandma what he had told his little friends.

Gu Mu felt relieved hearing they had eaten well; it seemed the third daughter-in-law's maternal uncle had a good impression of Chenghuai.

That was good!

After another half hour or so, Lin Zhao and Gu Chenghuai finally returned home.

After putting Seeing Yaobao down, Lin Zhao sat on a stool and shook her arms vigorously.

No matter how strong she was, her arms would be sore after holding someone for so long.

"Don't shake them so hard, be careful not to strain a tendon, let me rub them for you." Gu Chenghuai pulled his wife's arm over and massaged it with moderate force.

"Mom, what's wrong?" Xiang Yubao ran over, his little face full of worry.

"Held Seeing Yaobao the whole way, my arms are sore," Lin Zhao said casually.

She had finally discovered that Seeing Yaobao was very clingy to her, the super clingy kind.

She hoped that when she grew up and met the boy from the original book, she would listen to her too.

Xiang Yubao glanced at his younger sister, his eyes filled with disapproval, and he made up his mind to lecture Seeing Yaobao later.

She was too bad, how could she make Mom hold her the whole way!

He stepped forward and raised his little fists to pound his mother's back.

"Mom, let me pound your back."

What a sweet cub.

"Thank you, baby," Lin Zhao's eyes were gentle.

Xiang Yubao blushed, his eyes not dodging, "No need to thank me, I'm Mom's son, pounding Mom's back is what I should do."

He couldn't let his brother have all the glory, so Gu Hangbao also stepped forward and started pounding away energetically.

Qian Bao couldn't squeeze in, so he pouted, went to get his dictionary, dragged out his little cool mat to spread it, and pulled his younger sister to sit beside Mom, focusing on keeping them company.

Gu Chenghuai: Clever little thing.

While pounding Lin Zhao's back, Gu Hangbao asked: "Mom, do you know how to use the radio?"

Lin Zhao suddenly realized.

No wonder they didn't go out to play with their friends; they were waiting here for this.

"I do, let me rest for a bit and I'll teach you."

Gu Hangbao's joy was evident.

Before long, Lin Zhao recovered, "Alright, I'm going to wash my face, and after that, we'll listen to the radio."

"Mom, I'll get water for you!" Xiang Yubao's cheerful little milky voice rang out, and he diligently returned to the room to get a basin, then ran out again, scooping water with a gourd ladle.

"Thank you, Xiang Yubao." Seeing her son's mouth was a little dry, Lin Zhao asked: "Are you thirsty? If you are, I'll have your dad scoop some mung bean soup from the well for you, you and your brother can share a small bowl."

Drinking too much would cause diarrhea.

"Okay!" Xiang Yubao looked at Gu Chenghuai, "Dad, Mom said you should scoop some mung bean soup for us."

"Got it." Gu Chenghuai went to work, giving the twins a bowl and his wife a bowl.

Lin Zhao washed her face, drank two sips of mung bean soup to quench her thirst, and took the cloth bag containing the radio. She pulled the zipper and saw a cat-shaped radio, about half the size of her arm, painted in black and white, with no strange odor.

A very thoughtful gift.

"It's a kitty!!" Gu Hangbao said loudly.

He touched the radio gently, the light in his eyes astonishingly bright.

Xiang Yubao touched it too, his eyes curving into crescents.

"That's right, it's a kitty." Lin Zhao saw a piece of paper at the bottom of the cloth bag, with drawings and words on it; it was a manual handwritten by Uncle Song.

"Your great-uncle even wrote a manual, he's so thoughtful."

She followed the manual, turned the switch, and a noisy sound rang out, accompanied by static, pulled up the antenna, fiddled with it a few times, and singing started.

"There's sound!" Xiang Yubao said excitedly.

"Someone's singing!" Gu Hangbao's eyes brightened, "Mom, just listen to the songs, when I learn how, I'll sing for you."

Lin Zhao guessed the cubs loved listening to this and didn't touch it again, "Okay."

She pointed to the switch, "This is off, if you don't want to listen anymore, turn it to the left."

"Mm-hmm." The twins responded, staring at the kitty radio, loving it more the more they looked.

Great-uncle is really good.

Xing Ran and the other Gu family children stopped running wild, brought stools, sat around the radio, and pricked up their ears to listen to the songs.

If anyone spoke, they would be glared at by several pairs of eyes.

Lin Zhao stepped forward to turn up the volume, "This is the volume, it can be loud or soft."

Xiang Yubao stepped forward to try it, and the revolutionary song on the radio went from loud to soft.

The children widened their eyes, looking very amazed.

"This is so interesting." He looked at Lin Zhao, his eyes very bright, "Mom, can Great-uncle make radios?!"

Gu Hangbao also looked at his mom, his eyes brighter than his brother's.

He even coveted the skills of the old master at the photo studio; his own great-uncle's technique... of course he wanted to learn that too.

The twins were born to Lin Zhao, so of course she knew what the two cubs were thinking.

"He can't, your great-uncle knows someone who can."

She reached out and pinched Gu Hangbao's little mouth, which was about to speak, Lin Zhao smiling, "You two work hard to get into university; universities teach everything, and they are all top-notch, you can learn any skill."

The twins didn't mention it for now, but the Gu family children had absolute trust in their third aunt, Lin Zhao.

She said the college entrance exam would eventually be restored, and they all believed her.

Since classes were suspended, that atmosphere of laziness and aversion to learning hadn't reached the Gu family yet.

"We will!"

"Get into university, learn skills!"

After shouting their slogan, they continued to listen to the songs wholeheartedly.

Lin Zhao sat back down to continue drinking her mung bean soup. Gu Mu called her, and she paused. Just as she was about to stand up, Gu Chenghuai pressed her shoulder, "You sit, I'll go."

He knew what his mother wanted to ask and was worried that the two would hurt their relationship, so it was better for him to step in.

Lin Zhao was lost in thought.

Gu Chenghuai arrived at the main room and asked straight away: "Mom, you want to ask about the job, right?"

"You know?" Gu Mu blurted out.

"I know." Gu Chenghuai nodded, "Originally Zhao Zhao wanted to give the job to Eldest Sister, but I said it wasn't appropriate and told her to give it to Eldest Brother-in-law."

Gu Mu was stunned for a moment, then raised her hand to pat her son's arm, though she eased up most of the force as it landed.

The third son was a soldier, braving wind and rain, and would get hurt from time to time, so as a mother, she felt sorry for him.

"You..." Gu Mu was so angry she didn't know what to say.

Gu Chenghuai said: "Mom, that's a job my wife found herself; giving it to Eldest Sister would cause trouble, and giving it to our family isn't appropriate..."

He wasn't the type to snatch his wife's things for himself.

Gu Mu also knew that giving it to A-Chan would cause trouble, and the eldest and second daughters-in-law would make a scene, but...

In front of her own son, there was nothing she couldn't say, "Qingzhou doesn't have a job either."

Gu Chenghuai was surprised, "Isn't Qingzhou still in school?"

"He is still in school, but isn't he almost done..."

"He doesn't plan on going to high school?" Gu Chenghuai frowned, interrupting his mother.

Gu Mu's face looked a bit ugly, and she said: "Xing'er said some nasty things, and Qingzhou said he wouldn't study anymore. He said when he finishes junior high, he'll find a temporary job, and if he can't, he'll come back to earn work points."

"Qingzhou has a stubborn temper, and no matter how your father and I try to persuade him, it's no use."

Gu Chenghuai's brow furrowed even tighter, a cold, sharp light flashing in his eyes, "What did Gu Xing'er say? What right does she have to talk about Qingzhou!"

Gu Mu didn't want to mention it, "Anyway, it wasn't nice. You know your brother's personality; he's sensitive and is dead set on not studying anymore."

"I'll go to my uncle's house tomorrow to pick him up and persuade him on the way." Gu Chenghuai wanted Qingzhou to go to high school; in the military, people with higher education always developed better than those without culture.

"Okay!" Gu Mu responded happily, "Qingzhou listens to you; he'll definitely listen to what you say."

Gu Fu, who had been silent, also said: "High school is only two years, it won't cost much money. Let him at least finish high school. Once he graduates, your mother and I won't stop him from doing whatever he wants."

It wasn't easy to get to junior high.

Qingzhou wasn't like Xing'er, who failed every exam; Qingzhou was always first. It would be a pity not to go to high school.

Gu Chenghuai agreed, looked at his parents, and said: "Dad, Mom, no matter if Qingzhou studies or not, I won't ignore him."

The year he went to be a soldier, Qingzhou smashed his piggy bank, gave him all the money he had saved with such difficulty, and cried, telling him to take care of himself.

That money...

—Nine yuan, eight mao, five fen.

Gu Chenghuai remembered this number clearly.

His younger brother was cultured, smart, and steady; of course, he wouldn't watch him rot away in day-after-day of manual labor.

He had already decided that when Qingzhou was about to graduate from high school, he would find him a job.

Hearing the most capable third son say this, the old couple felt relieved.

Seeing Chenghuai lingering and not leaving immediately, Gu Mu knew what he was thinking and smiled, "Don't worry, I'll persuade your sister-in-law not to let them talk nonsense in front of your wife... making your wife unhappy. Go do your business."

His mind was full of his wife; this child was beyond saving!

Gu Chenghuai's brow relaxed, "Thank you, Mom."

He turned and left the room.

Lin Zhao saw the cubs' dad come out and asked curiously: "What's up?"

"Nothing, I'm going to my uncle's house tomorrow to pick up Qingzhou," Gu Chenghuai said.

Gu Mu's maternal family lived extremely far away, and the road was full of potholes, with no end in sight. Lin Zhao had only been there once and never wanted to go again.

"What time are you going?"

"I'll go straight there after dropping you off."

"There's sugar in the cabinet, take what you see," Lin Zhao said readily, "You only go once in a long while, take more things with you. There's a bottle of oil in the corner of the cabinet, take that too."

Gu Chenghuai's cold, sharp brows suddenly melted, his deep voice tinged with a smile, "You're even willing to part with the oil."

What was there to be unwilling about?

What was a bucket of oil?

In the original book, when the third cub was kidnapped, many people from Gu Mu's maternal family came out, going to train stations and other crowded places to help search, holding wooden signs, asking everyone they saw, until their feet were worn raw.

They searched for as long as the Gu family searched.

"Take some White Rabbit Creamy Candies too, don't be stingy, if we run out, I'll buy more."

Gu Chenghuai said gently: "Okay."

"There seems to be a sausage in the room, take that too."

"Okay."

After the twins figured out the radio, they were eager to let their little friends listen together, so Xiang Yubao asked: "Mom, can we take the radio to the entrance?"

"You can, just don't break it," Lin Zhao said, "This is a gift your great-uncle specially prepared for you, it was a lot of trouble, so cherish it, you know?"

"We know!!" Gu Hangbao said loudly.

Xiang Yubao remembered the photos and added: "Mom, what about Yuan Bao and the others' photos? Can I give them to them?"

"I would have forgotten if you hadn't mentioned it, I'll go get them."

Lin Zhao walked into the room while talking.

She took the paper bag containing the photos out of her satchel, picked out the ones for the village children as she walked out, and let the twins deliver them.

The twins saw their own photos for the first time, and the brothers both raised smiling faces.

"This is a group photo of me and Tie Chui!!" Gu Hangbao's smile was brilliant.

Little Tie Chui corrected him, "Gu Hangbao, I'm not called Tie Chui anymore, I'm Li Bao now."

Gu Hangbao said righteously: "No, you were still Tie Chui when the photo was taken, you're only Li Bao now."

"The people in the photo are Tie Chui and the second cub, right?" Tie Chui's smile was simple and honest.

"Right!" Gu Hangbao answered, learning from Lin Zhao to praise his good brother, "Tie Chui is really great."

The child grinned.

The others in the Gu family saw their own photos and were very happy, washing their hands twice before touching them for fear of getting them dirty.

"This is me," Huang Xiulan said.

Zhao Liuniang saw that her collar was flipped up in the photo and was extremely annoyed, "Oh my, my collar is flipped up, I looked in the mirror several times when I took it."

"My hair is blocking my eyes!" Tie Dan wailed.

Lai Mei put her hands on her hips, her tone smug, "I stood really straight, I look like a little soldier! I'm very satisfied, extremely satisfied!!"

Gu Lan had her first photo in her life; she stared at the photo in her palm, feeling her palms sweating, and hurriedly put it on the table, wiping her hands on her clothes three times.

It's really great.

Gu Fu and Gu Mu were also looking at the photos, their hearts full of complex emotions.

Living to this age and still being able to have a few photos left, who was as awesome as them?

"Third daughter-in-law, you took them really well," Gu Mu praised.

Lin Zhao's lips curled up, "We'll take them again during the New Year."

She felt this little bit of money was worth spending.

After the twins finished looking, they gave the photos to Lin Zhao to keep for them, and the two of them took the radio and the photos and left the Gu family home.

Just as they reached the entrance, they saw Yuan Bao and the others dart out.

"Xiang Yubao!"

"Gu Hangbao!"

"You finally came out!"

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 132 =====