Chapter 141

"Mom, does the zoo have powerful animals?" Gu Hangbao opened his arms, making an especially large circle, his eyes brighter than the stars in the summer night sky.

"Yes, tigers, lions, gorillas, they are all very powerful." Lin Zhao answered.

When she said this, the Gu family's children all looked at Third Aunt, pricking up their ears to listen, their eyes shining.

They had heard of tigers; in the village, they were called big cats, and the older generation said they were in the deep mountains, terrifying big guys that ate people, able to eat a child in one bite.

Noticing the children's gazes, Lin Zhao felt regretful: "It's a pity the road is too far; if it were convenient, I would have liked to take you all to see."

There's no harm in children going out to see more.

Gu Lan could see Third Aunt's sincerity, her heart burning, and said: "It's okay, Xiang Yubao and the others can go see, and tell us when they come back, it's the same."

There were so many children in the family, Third Uncle and Third Aunt couldn't take care of them all.

Xiang Yubao had a flash of inspiration: "My family has a camera; when the time comes, I'll ask my father to take pictures for you; with photos, you can see them too."

Not forgetting to ask for Lin Zhao's opinion: "Mom, is that okay?"

"Yes." Lin Zhao responded, looking at Gu Lan and the others with affection, her voice soft: "When we come back from the provincial capital, I'll bring you gifts."

Tie Chui's eyes were sparkling.

The little cub with a straight head didn't know how to be polite; since Third Aunt said she would give him a gift, he dared to accept it.

"Third Aunt is so good."

Tie Dan didn't know what good thing he thought of, and laughed out loud.

Lin Zhao was attracted by his laughter and lowered her head to look at him: "Zhixing, is there anything you want?"

The seven-year-old boy's eyes were lit up by light, and he said with some nervousness and some expectation: "I want a schoolbag, is that okay?"

"Yes." Lin Zhao thought of the military green schoolbag that children liked in her storage ring, immediately agreed, her eyes carrying faint appreciation: "I didn't expect Zhixing to be a child who loves to read, not bad."

Tie Dan felt slightly guilty.

He wanted a schoolbag, which had nothing to do with reading; he just felt, felt that Xiang Yubao and Gu Hangbao looked very spirited when they carried schoolbags, and as an older brother, he also wanted to be spirited.

"I will study hard."

Lin Zhao naturally knew Tie Dan was mischievous, but being mischievous was better than being dull; his brain was active.

"Hmm, you are the older brother, with so many younger brothers and sisters below, you have to set a good example."

Tie Dan puffed out his chest and raised his head: "Must, must, I will."

While talking, Lin Zhao led a string of children of all sizes back home.

Gu Mu saw her third daughter-in-law holding the twins, was stunned for a moment, hurriedly stepped forward to take Seeing Yaobao, and laughed: "Why are you still letting your mother hold her, your mother has been working all day, how tired she must be, and walked all the way back, you can't do this in the future, you know, if you want to be held, you have to wait for your mother to rest."

Seeing Yaobao looked at Grandma, then turned her dark eyes to look at Mom, revealing an invincible, obedient, and soft smile.

"Bao is obedient."

The voice was milky and cute.

Facing her little grandson's obedient and cute little face, Gu Mu couldn't bear to say anything more, letting her play by herself, and saw Gu Lan and the others each holding a small stack of books.

"Zhaozhao, you went to the recycling station to look for books again; these books are so heavy, you've suffered."

The books were for all the children in the Gu family to read; Gu Mu wasn't short-sighted and accepted this favor from her daughter-in-law.

Lin Zhao laughed lightly: "Not tired, I came back on the ox cart."

"The neighboring brigade's ox cart?" In the several adjacent brigades, no one didn't know that ox cart, after all, everyone had sat on it; Gu Mu laughed: "I didn't expect Old Zhuangtou to actually be willing to bring his treasure ox out, and not afraid of his ox brother getting heatstroke."

She and Old Zhuangtou were not far apart in age, so naturally, she knew him.

Lin Zhao told her mother-in-law about the two-flower dog male educated youth.

Gu Mu's brows wrinkled so much they could pinch a mosquito to death.

"People, you still have to honestly live your own life; staring at what doesn't belong to you, you'll end up lifting a rock only to drop it on your own feet."

Lin Zhao washed her face with well water, and her whole person felt refreshed.

Regarding her mother-in-law's evaluation, she nodded slightly to show agreement.

Who says it isn't so.

Seeing Yaobao lowered her head to look at her little feet, and said in a soft, cute little voice: "No, no, hit feet."

That little panic could be heard from far away.

Xiang Yubao touched his younger sister's head and said seriously to coax her: "Don't hit, don't hit, don't hit Seeing Yaobao's feet."

The little milk bun seemed to finally be relieved, patted her chest with lingering fear, her little brows relaxed, and she revealed a smile.

After coaxing her younger sister, Xiang Yubao looked at Lin Zhao: "Mom, the meeting gift sent by the comrade-in-arms uncle, can we open it now?"

"Open it."

As Lin Zhao's voice fell, the Gu family's children all surrounded them; Tie Dan supported his eyelids with his fingers, his tone light, revealing a unique little boy's mischief: "Let me see what the cookies look like..."

The twins opened the cloth bag and saw the chocolate first.

Gu Hangbao picked it up and said happily: "Chocolate! So much chocolate! The comrade-in-arms uncle is really generous; I want to have a comrade-in-arms too!"

Lin Zhao: "..."

Tie Dan and the others had heard him talk about chocolate.

"So this is the bitter candy you talked about; so it's like this." Xingci said.

Lin Zhao finished applying skincare products, came out of the room, and said: "Xiang Yubao, Gu Hangbao, unwrap the chocolate and let your brothers and sisters have a taste."

"Got it!" Xiang Yubao's tone rose.

Together with his younger brother, he distributed chocolate to his brothers and sisters.

Gu Mu had no desire to possess her daughter-in-law's things; if her daughter-in-law was filial to her, she wouldn't refuse, and if she wasn't, she wouldn't dwell on it.

She was very gratified that her third daughter-in-law was willing to share good things with her nephews and nieces.

As she got older, she just liked to see the family living in harmony.

"Third daughter-in-law, you've spent money again."

Lin Zhao drank some sugar water and looked at the children, laughing: "Not spending money, those things were sent by Chenghuai's comrade-in-arms."

Fearing that her son would owe a favor, Gu Mu said: "Why did people send things to Chenghuai? We've dried quite a lot of mountain goods at home; why don't we send some to Third's comrade-in-arms."

It was a pure intention from an elder, and Lin Zhao didn't refuse: "Okay, let's send it tomorrow."

Gu Mu became happy: "I'll pack it up right now."

They had dried quite a lot of shiitake mushrooms and wood ear mushrooms at home, and she would pack them all up; if it really wasn't enough, she would go to the village to exchange for some.

Every household had some.

After the difficult years of hunger, everyone was used to storing food.

Courtyard.

The children happily tasted the chocolate, all reluctant to finish it immediately, reaching out to break off a corner to taste.

Some liked it, some thought it was bitter.

Xiang Yubao and Gu Hangbao were both generous children, not protective of food, and were willing to share good things with their brothers and sisters.

After finishing the chocolate, they started distributing the rice puffs.

Gu Hangbao tasted one first, the round "little rice grains" fell down, and he hurriedly caught them with his little hand and stuffed them into his mouth.

"Brother, this is delicious, a bit crispy, and very sweet, like rice."

After sharing with his brother, he took another one and ran toward Lin Zhao with a patter.

"Mom, you eat this, this is delicious, you must like it too."

Lin Zhao didn't refuse her son's filial piety, took it, and ate it: "Hmm, it is delicious."

Seeing the twins reaching out to ask Xiang Yubao for some, she said: "Xiang Yubao, don't give it to your younger brother and sister; you can give them those little animal cookies and let them grind them with their front teeth."

"I know." Xiang Yubao pinched his younger brother and sister's little hands, his expression serious as he reasoned with the twins: "Qian Bao, Seeing Yaobao, you can't eat this, it will get stuck in your throat, be obedient, okay."

The two little ones were very good at reading faces; as soon as they saw their brother's expression, they knew they couldn't eat it.

Qian Bao obediently retracted his hand.

Seeing Yaobao pouted, her face showing grievance, subconsciously looking left and right for Father; not finding Father, her mouth pouted enough to hang an oil bottle.

Just as she was about to cry, her brother stuffed a little cookie no bigger than a fingernail into her hand.

"Seeing Yaobao eat cookie, also delicious, be obedient, don't cry, you won't be pretty if you cry." Xiang Yubao bent his face and made a funny face at his younger sister.

The little milk bun laughed out loud, revealing her tender little teeth.

At this time, Gu Hangbao used a colorful mask to cover his face and said in a rough voice: "Guess who I am?"

Seeing Yaobao forgot to cry even more, reaching out for the mask: "Want, Bao pee!"

She slurred her words in her anxiety, saying "pee" instead of "want".

Gu Hangbao almost laughed out loud; thinking of his younger sister's growing temper, he didn't dare to tease her, cleared his throat, and gave the mask to Seeing Yaobao.

Several little children were playing when Lin Lin Lin Shisheng entered the courtyard, holding a bulging snakeskin bag in his hand.

"Yo, are you performing face-changing?"

Gu Hangbao laughed carelessly: "No, we're playing with the gifts sent by the comrade-in-arms uncle."

Xiang Yubao greeted his Second Uncle, diligently stuffing chocolate, cookies, rice puffs, and meat jerky into his uncle's hand, filling it up.

"Second Uncle, eat candy."

Lin Lin Lin Shisheng was stunned, came back to his senses, and laughed with a face full of gratification: "Thank you Xiang Yubao, you eat it yourself, Second Uncle won't eat."

Xiang Yubao took half a step back: "Second Uncle worked hard building our house, eat it, eat it, we still have a lot."

Lin Lin Lin Shisheng had no choice but to accept it, the corners of his mouth curling up almost to the sky.

He revealed a moved and helpless smile toward Lin Zhao.

Look, the nephew is too enthusiastic, and he has no choice.

"..."

Lin Zhao ignored her second brother's cockiness and asked: "Did Big Brother go to the motor factory?"

"He went." Lin Lin Lin Shisheng answered.

He came over first to tell Zhaozhao about this, and second to deliver things; everything in the snakeskin bag was for Little Four.

"Did he bring food?" Lin Zhao asked again.

Originally, she planned to go with Big Brother, but Lin Shichang didn't want to delay her work, so he said he would go himself; he returned to the East Wind Brigade at noon, took the food, and went to the county.

"Don't worry, he has the payment slip that person gave you, the owed food, and the brigade's introduction letter; Big Brother isn't a child, he has it all figured out, he should have finished it by now." Lin Lin Lin Shisheng laughed happily.

In this day and age, having a worker in the family is something that brings honor to the ancestors, even if the one who is a worker isn't him, he is still happy.

In the past, people in the village laughed at his father and mother, saying they had too much money to burn, supplying their siblings to go to school, and in the end, they were just like their children, working in the fields to earn work points.

When Big Brother finished transferring his grain and oil relationship, the people in the village would be shocked enough to drop their chins to the ground.

Lin Lin Lin Shisheng couldn't wait to see it.

Lin Zhao found her second brother's expression strange, as if he was scheming against someone again.

"Second Brother, who provoked you?"

Lin Lin Lin Shisheng softened his expression, a shallow smile overflowing from his pitch-black eyes, looking gentle and kind: "No."

He changed the subject: "Zhaozhao, Father and Mother asked me to bring food and eggs; send them to Little Four later."

"Okay." Lin Zhao said, "Fourth Brother has me, let Father and Mother not worry. By the way, the acupuncture needles have been sent to Fourth Brother; he has already started treating his own feet. When Father and Mother come again, they should be able to see Fourth Brother healthy and well."

She knew that Fourth Brother had a limp, and Father and Mother felt bad about it.

Lin Lin Lin Shisheng raised the corners of his mouth: "Good thing, I'll tell them when I go back."

It was getting late, he didn't stay long, said goodbye, and left.

At this time, the twins, who had been whispering on the side, walked over.

Xiang Yubao stuffed a cloth bag into Second Uncle's hand.

He stepped back.

Looking up at Lin Lin Lin Shisheng.

"Second Uncle, this is for Big Egg and the others, please help us take it back to them."

After speaking, Xiang Yubao looked at Lin Zhao again: "Mom, you said that we can freely dispose of our things, right?"

A child's self-confidence is built with the help of parents.

They even have a sense of being little masters.

Lin Zhao rubbed her son's hair: "That's right."

Xiang Yubao was full of smiles, patting his uncle's arm: "Look, my Mom said we are the little masters of the family, and what we say counts; Gu Hangbao and I are willing to share with Big Egg and the others; Second Uncle, you can't refuse on behalf of the children, otherwise you won't be a good adult."

Lin Lin Lin Shisheng found he couldn't win the argument.

He bent down, hugged Xiang Yubao's neck, and pricked him with his prickly stubble.

"Little mouth babbling, pricking you."

Xiang Yubao dodged left and right, a series of crisp laughs coming out of his mouth: "Second Uncle, I won't say it anymore, it's so prickly."

Gu Hangbao hugged his uncle's waist and tried to throw him using the moves Father taught him; he had so little strength, how could he throw an adult, and Lin Lin Lin Shisheng laughed out loud.

After playing with his two nephews for a while, Lin Lin Lin Shisheng let the little brothers go, shaking the cloth bag in his hand at them: "I'm taking it, tell Big Egg and the others when you go back that it was you two who gave it to them."

"Hmm!" The twins said in unison.

When Lin Lin Lin Shisheng left the Gu family, Lin Shichang had just come out of the motor factory.

He looked at the wide iron gate of the motor factory, holding his freshly minted work permit in his hand, his mood exploding with happiness.

As soon as the old gatekeeper saw his appearance, he knew he was a new worker, shaking his cattail fan and striking up a conversation: "New here?"

Although it was a question, the tone was incomparably certain.

Without waiting for Lin Shichang to answer, the old man continued: "Our factory's efficiency is good, and the benefits and treatment are also top-notch!" He raised his thumb.

"Work hard once you're in, and you won't be bad in the future!"

Lin Shichang nodded: "Thank you, old man."

Saying goodbye to the gatekeeper, he left with light steps.

He ran all the way back to the East Wind Brigade.

At this time, everyone in the brigade knew that the eldest of the Lin family had found the brigade leader to issue an introduction letter to transfer his grain and oil relationship and had become a worker.

As soon as he appeared at the village entrance, the people in the village swarmed up enthusiastically.

"Xibao's father, I heard you became a worker?"

"Xibao's father, this job was found for you by Zhaozhao, right? Your sister is really capable; she hasn't been a worker for long herself, and she got a job for her eldest brother in her maiden home; your family is really rising up."

Lin Shichang smiled without saying a word.

Just as he was about to say something, Lin Lin Lin Shisheng appeared at the village entrance, spotted his eldest brother with sharp eyes, and ran over.

"Big Brother!"

Lin Shichang turned around and said: "Why are you back so early today?"

"Chenghuai went to see his uncle, the bicycle wasn't there, and Zhaozhao asked me to come back early." Lin Lin Lin Shisheng said.

Changing the subject, he asked: "Big Brother, did you get things done? Zhaozhao asked."

Lin Shichang said: "Done, I'll start work tomorrow, you'll have to take care of the family more in the future."

"Why be so polite, you just go to work well."

"What are you holding?" Lin Shichang glanced at the cloth bag in his second brother's hand and asked an extra question.

"Chenghuai's comrade-in-arms sent some food for the four cubs, Xiang Yubao and Gu Hangbao packed up half of it, insisting on giving it to Big Egg and the others." In front of the people in the village, Lin Lin Lin Shisheng laughed until his teeth were visible, as cocky as could be.

Heart exchanges for heart.

Outsiders only saw them being good to their sister's family, but they were blind to the fact that Zhaozhao also had them in her heart.

The onlookers heard this, feeling both envious and sour.

The Lin brothers didn't stay long, using the excuse of going back to tell the good news to the family, walked through the crowd, and headed home.

Chen Yu had been uneasy all afternoon, her mind full of her husband being made difficult and the grain and oil relationship not being transferred, and she was cooking absent-mindedly.

Hearing familiar footsteps, she put down her things and walked out of the kitchen, supporting her belly.

"His father, was it done?"

Lin Shichang handed the work permit to her: "Done, this is the work permit, I'll go to work tomorrow morning."

Chen Yu cried with joy.

"So good, so good."

(End of chapter)