Chapter 147: The Adult World Is So Complicated

Gu Gu Chenghuai constantly monitored his wife and children, and was the first to notice something was off with Heng Bao.

He pulled out a dried plum and pressed it to his son's lips.

"Open your mouth."

Heng Bao instinctively opened wide.

A sweet treat slipped into his small mouth.

The child sucked on it a few times, the sour-sweet flavor spreading through his mouth.

After a while, he looked a bit more alert.

Gu Gu Chenghuai relaxed and turned to the other three children. "Are you feeling unwell?"

The twins shook their little heads.

"I'm not sick either," Yu Bao replied.

He looked at his brother, his small face tense with worry. "What's wrong with Heng Bao?"

"Motion sickness," Lin Zhao opened the window wider, explaining. "Some adults get it too. It's fine—just suck on the plum to ease it. If it doesn't help, we'll try something else."

She still had oranges sharp enough to make teeth ache.

Yu Bao relaxed and took his brother's hand. "Heng Bao, are you still feeling sick?"

Heng Bao sucked on the plum, the sourness easing his stomach.

Hearing his brother's question, he shook his head.

The front seat to the left.

A little girl vomited suddenly.

A foul smell filled the bus.

Passengers covered their noses and complained. "It's disgusting! Smells awful! Open the windows—open them all!"

The woman holding the girl looked mortified, slapping the child's back hard.

"Useless brat! Why can't you just hold it in!"

Now she was being insulted too.

Passengers: "…."

Yao Bao perked up her ears, her clear, lively eyes full of curiosity.

Gu Gu Chenghuai sighed helplessly and covered her ears. The little dumpling frowned, but her father smiled at her—his expression left no room for refusal.

All passengers turned to look at the woman hitting her child.

She was dark and thin, rarely smiled, her lips drooped, her expression heavy with sorrow.

The girl was frail, skin stretched tight over bones.

The woman's shouts drowned out the noise of the moving bus.

Seeing this, the passengers stopped complaining.

The man who'd first complained softened his tone. "Alright, alright—just open the windows to air it out. Stop hitting the child. She didn't mean to."

The woman stopped hitting. The girl's back and buttocks burned, she sobbed quietly, too afraid to make a sound.

Heng Bao was still unwell but couldn't resist peeking.

Too short to see over the seat, he saw nothing.

After sitting up briefly, his head spun again. He leaned back, motionless.

Heng Bao asked timidly, "Mama, if I throw up too, will you hit me?"

"No," Lin Zhao slipped another plum into his mouth, her expression gentle. "You didn't do it on purpose. Why would I hit you?"

"As long as you're good, I won't lay a hand on you."

If you're naughty, that's another story.

Heng Bao grinned, delighted inside.

He opened his mouth wide. "More!"

Lin Zhao dropped another plum in.

She asked Yu Bao, "Do you want one too?"

"Yes!"

Lin Zhao fed one to her eldest son.

Song Qian Bao and Yao Bao had rosy cheeks, eyes darting everywhere, sharp as a fox—no motion sickness, so she didn't give them any.

The twins were so small; giving them this could choke them, especially on a bumpy ride.

Another jolt—the little girl vomited again. Her mother screamed louder, jabbing the girl's forehead with her long nails. "Useless little brat! Taking you out is pure shame!"

Her voice filled the entire bus.

Fierce and terrifying, the other children shrank back.

Yu Bao looked puzzled. "Mama, that little girl didn't mean to—why is her mom hitting her?"

"She thinks the child vomiting embarrasses her," Lin Zhao guessed from the woman's curses.

Yu Bao still didn't understand. He scratched his cheek. "But isn't reputation something you earn yourself?"

"You're right. Reputation is earned." Lin Zhao fully agreed.

But some parents just don't get it.

"Some adults are foolish—they blame others for their own misfortunes. Such people are bad. We must stay far away from them, understood?"

Yu Bao & Heng Bao: The adult world is so complicated.

"Understood," the two good children said in unison.

The sound of vomiting came intermittently from the front.

Gu Gu Chenghuai stood up and handed the girl a few dried plums. "Hold them in your mouth. See if it helps."

He'd bought them specifically to prevent his wife and children from getting motion sickness, cutting them small so the kids wouldn't choke.

With the plum in her mouth, the girl's bitter taste faded. Whether it worked or she just didn't want to spit out her first plum, the vomiting stopped completely.

The twins exchanged glances and sighed in relief.

When they noticed their reactions were identical, they burst into laughter.

Lin Zhao smiled, patting both boys' heads. "Look out the window."

The bus sped up; trees on either side rushed backward, sunlight glinting off the glass, blinding the eyes.

Yu Bao pressed his face to the window, eyes wide. "The trees are moving backward—so fast, so fast!"

Heng Bao didn't move, sitting still against the seat, eyes sparkling, exclaiming "Wow!" over and over.

"This car is so fast—much faster than a bicycle," the child sighed.

Yu Bao turned to Gu Gu Chenghuai. "Dad, is this big car expensive?"

Gu Gu Chenghuai raised an eyebrow. "Expensive. You want to buy one?"

"Yes!" Yu Bao beamed. "If I had this big car, I could take Grandpa, Grandma, and Zhi Bao and see the whole world!"

"See the world" was something he'd learned from his mother.

Gu Gu Chenghuai didn't dampen his son's spirit. "Ambitious. Keep—"

Before he finished, Yu Bao interrupted. "Study hard, improve every day—I know."

Heng Bao didn't want to talk about studying.

He was smart but lazy, always trying to avoid it.

He stopped looking out the window and closed his eyes.

Lin Zhao watched her second son's ear-covering trick and couldn't help smiling. She pinched his nose.

"!" Who? Who pinched his nose?

The child didn't open his eyes, quietly breathed through his mouth, determined to keep avoiding.

"Little troublemaker, running from study," Lin Zhao released him, lightly tapping his nose. "You'll make up your lessons when we get home."

Yu Bao nodded obediently. "Mama, I'll make sure my younger brother does his homework."

Lin Zhao stroked her eldest son's face. "Close your eyes and sleep. I'll wake you when we arrive."

"Where are we going?" Yu Bao asked, curious about the journey.

"To the train station. Then we'll take the train to the provincial capital." In her arms, Song Qian Bao yawned, curled up, eyes closed, small hands gripping her clothes tightly.

Last night, Lin Zhao had told the four children many stories about child traffickers—Yu Bao and his brothers were now hyper-alert.

Heng Bao opened his eyes, bright with excitement. "Train? Is the train like this car?"

"You weren't asleep? Now you're awake again?" Lin Zhao teased.

Heng Bao grinned.

"I've never ridden one. Ask Dad."

The twins were surprised.

They'd always assumed their mother knew everything.

So… their mother had never ridden a train either?

The once-tense children instantly calmed.

They turned their gaze to Gu Gu Chenghuai.

"Trains are long, with many carriages. Each carriage holds many people. When they move, they make 'chug-chug' sounds…" Gu Gu Chenghuai patiently explained.

Heng Bao shouted excitedly, "Dad, is the train faster than this car?"

Lin Zhao whispered gently, "Your voice is a bit loud."

Gu Hangbao covered his mouth, his long, dark eyelashes fluttering gently, radiating cleverness.

Gu Gu Chenghuai smiled slightly and continued, "Faster than this cart."

Gu Hangbao developed new expectations.

Children are curious about new things, but their interest fades quickly; after sitting in the cart for half an hour, their excitement had largely vanished, and they leaned against their seats, fast asleep.

To be honest, the seats were cramped and narrow, the noise was loud, and the road was bumpy—it wasn't comfortable at all.

Lin Zhao remembered the original novel, which said that in the future, transportation would become much more convenient, travel would be fast and comfortable, crossing provinces would be easy, and it wouldn't take long.

How much better if we had arrived sooner.

Gu Gu Chenghuai noticed his wife's gaze fixed, her mind somewhere far away; he tilted his head. "What's wrong? Are you uncomfortable?"

"No," Lin Zhao shook her head.

"I just feel… every time you come back, it's such a struggle. The journey must be exhausting." Her expression softened, her eyes filled with pity.

Gu Gu Chenghuai's gaze grew tender, his voice gentle, "Not at all. Every time I return, thinking that I'll see you soon…"

His eyes swept over the four children. "Seeing the kids makes me happy—all my fatigue disappears."

It was the truth.

He spent little time with Zhaozhao, so he cherished every meeting, looked forward to it immensely, and felt no exhaustion.

Lin Zhao took Gu Gu Chenghuai's hand, their fingers interlaced, and turned to look out the window, a smile tugging at her lips.

Gu Gu Chenghuai gazed at her profile, his eyes soft with affection and deep appreciation.

He tightened his grip slightly, his deep eyes shimmering with a faint smile.

After a while, the other passengers fell silent, the entire carriage quiet except for the occasional loud snore.

The journey, nearly an hour long, felt both swift and slow.

The vehicle was about to stop.

A low, melodious voice reached Lin Zhao's ears.

"Zhaozhao…"

He had barely spoken when Lin Zhao opened her eyes, her gaze clear, not drowsy at all.

Gu Gu Chenghuai was surprised. "You weren't asleep?"

"Mm." Lin Zhao rubbed her temples. "It's too bumpy—I couldn't sleep at all."

The ride gave her a headache.

Gu Gu Chenghuai's deep black eyes flickered with concern; he soothed her gently, "Just bear with it a little longer. Once we get on the train, you can sleep."

"Can we get sleeper tickets?" Lin Zhao's eyes lit up.

"Yes." Gu Gu Chenghuai had his officer's ID—getting sleeper tickets wasn't hard.

Even if he couldn't, he had connections on the railway—he could always find someone.

On his own trips, he'd never bought sleeper tickets—only hard seats. Sleeper tickets were expensive; the price difference could buy Zhaozhao a warm coat.

When traveling with his wife and children, Commander Gu would never let them suffer like this.

Lin Zhao nuzzled against Gu Gu Chenghuai's shoulder, her voice brimming with delight. "Commander Gu, you're amazing!"

Gu Gu Chenghuai's lips curved high at her praise, his coldness vanished entirely.

Lin Zhao patted Xiang Yubao and Gu Hangbao's shoulders one by one. "We're almost there—wake up."

The twin boys opened their eyes simultaneously, rubbing them and glancing around, clearly still dazed.

The vehicle stopped, and passengers began to disembark.

"We don't need to rush—we can get off last," Lin Zhao said.

Getting on required jostling to secure a good spot; getting off didn't.

The children were obedient.

Hearing the noise, Seeing Song Qian Bao woke up, resting his small face against his mother's shoulder, his clear, dark eyes observing everything around him.

"Oh, Seeing Song Qian Bao's awake too. Are you hungry? When we get off, we'll find somewhere to eat," Lin Zhao patted the back of her youngest son's head.

Seeing Song Qian Bao smiled with crinkled eyes, sweet and docile.

The family disembarked. Gu Gu Chenghuai brought his wife and children to a state-run restaurant and ordered several dishes.

While waiting for the food, he took the twins to buy train tickets.

Outside the train station, police patrolled; inside the restaurant, it was crowded. Zhaozhao was clever, strong, and skilled in martial arts—these factors gave Gu Gu Chenghuai confidence to leave.

"Mom, stay with your brother and sister, don't wander off—we'll be right back," Xiang Yubao warned anxiously.

He remembered the stories his mother told—human traffickers loved to kidnap children, and also pretty young women like her.

Lin Zhao laughed in exasperation. "... Alright, I know."

Gu Hangbao also warned the twins. "Stay right on Mom, understand? Big brother will be back in a second."

Seeing Song Qian Bao and Seeing Yaobao sat quietly on the long wooden bench, holding hands, curiously watching everything around them.

"Mm."

Lin Zhao said, "You two must stick close to Dad—don't get separated."

The twin boys solemnly nodded.

If they got kidnapped, they'd never see Mom and Dad again—they'd definitely stay close to Dad.

The dishes had just arrived.

Gu Gu Chenghuai returned with his two sons.

No sooner had they sat down than the man handed Lin Zhao the tickets and smiled. "I bought three sleeper tickets."

Lin Zhao took them, her eyes crinkling with joy. "We can lie down now."

"Mm."

On this trip, Xiang Yubao and Gu Hangbao looked at their father with even brighter eyes, their gazes brimming with admiration.

Lin Zhao smiled. "Xiang Yubao, Gu Hangbao, why are you so quiet? That look… like you've just met your father for the first time?"

Xiang Yubao looked away, proudly declaring, "Mom, Dad is so amazing."

"Oh?" Lin Zhao listened attentively.

"The ticket seller talked to people like this…" Xiang Yubao pulled down the corner of his mouth, making a fierce, glaring expression. "So scary, so scary! But when Dad showed his card, the ticket lady's attitude changed right away."

Gu Hangbao pouted. "Mom, I want to see Dad's card—please help me?"

"No," Lin Zhao refused firmly. "That's important. Children shouldn't touch it. Be good, eat your meal—there's meat."

Her tone left no room for argument.

Gu Hangbao read the situation well—he knew it was hopeless and immediately dropped the idea of seeing the card, picking up his chopsticks to eat.

Capital City, Train Station.

Meng Meng Jingmo and Meng Meng Guangbai stared at the road they'd come from, their expressions dazed.

The brothers held hands tightly.

Meng Xiaobai pressed his body against his brother, whispering, "Brother, can we go back?"

"Yes," Meng Meng Jingmo lowered his eyes, his voice firm and resolute. "We'll come back with Dad."

Meng Xiaobai clenched his fist, waving it slightly, his voice small but fierce. "When Dad comes home, the bad people in our house are done for—they hit you, and Dad will definitely avenge you!"

Meng Jingmo believed this utterly.

"Mm, let's go."

Meng Xiaobai didn't move. "Brother, where's Mom? Won't she come with us?"

He was only four—too young to hold grudges. Yuan Qin had once been kind to them; it was natural he missed her.

As for her not protecting them during this time, the child didn't think much about it—in his small mind, his grandmother's family were the worst.

Meng Jingmo shook his head.

He looked at his brother and said, "If Mom came, Dad would be beaten. Do you still want Mom to come with us?"