Chapter 26: Showing Off

Lin Zhao planned to bring two catties of pork, ten eggs, and the remaining four bottles of soda.

She had just finished organizing things when she heard the second cub's shout.

"Mama, Mama, I have big news to tell you!!" The child's voice was high, carrying uncontrollable excitement.

Lin Zhao was incredibly curious and walked out of the room quickly.

"What big news?"

The second cub said: "Little Aunt was kicked out of the house by Grandpa."

After speaking, he even laughed a few times, "Hahaha..."

Lin Zhao: "??!"

Was it the meaning she understood?

"Wait, tell me in detail."

Seeing Lin Zhao full of confusion, the second cub gave his brother a look.

The elder cub received the signal, and his expression suddenly became serious.

Then...

The brothers started acting.

"Mama, I'm Little Aunt." The second cub said first.

"Then I'll be Grandpa, Big Uncle, Second Uncle, Big Aunt, and Second Aunt." The elder cub recited a string of names.

Lin Zhao: "..." There were quite a few actors in that scene at the old residence.

The second cub started performing. His young face put on a bitter and deep expression, his eyes widened, his neck stiffened, and he shouted angrily, "That was my Third Brother's connection, why should she get all the benefits..."

He changed the lines here. The child knew Lin Zhao was Mama's name, so naturally, he wouldn't call it casually, so he used 'she' instead.

After the second cub finished reciting the lines, the elder cub went on stage.

The elder cub imitated his grandfather's appearance, his expression deep as he looked somewhere, as if two people were standing there. He frowned and said: "Send Gu Xing'er to your grandmother's place."

Speaking to here, he paused spiritually, as if the people over there didn't speak.

Then he said coldly: "Move."

The second cub's body twisted, as if someone was pulling him, and he tried hard to stretch his arms, shouting, "Father, I'm your daughter, you can't kick me out..."

Afterwards.

It was dialogue again.

They even imitated the tone of voice very similarly.

Lin Zhao didn't need to ask to know who they were imitating.

Finally.

The second cub performed the action of being dragged, stumbling all the way to the gate.

Lin Zhao's mouth twitched.

"..."

She clearly hadn't seen the live version, but she had a feeling of being on the scene.

"Mama, that's how it was. Little Aunt was sent away." The second cub finished acting and ran back, excitedly saying.

Not knowing what he thought of, he laughed, "Tie Chui will definitely be happy."

Just as he was speaking

Just as they were talking, Little Tie Chui ran over to the third branch, his eyes shining brightly.

"Gu Da Cai, Ercai," he called out.

Seeing Lin Zhao, he obediently greeted her: "Third Aunt."

"Oh, you guys go play, I'm going to the backyard to take a look." Fearing that the three cubs might feel uncomfortable, Lin Zhao walked toward the backyard.

Before she had taken many steps, she heard Tie Chui say in a chirpy tone: "Gu Da Cai, Ercai, Little Aunt has been sent away!"

That Gu Xing'er could, by her own efforts, make all the younger generation in the Gu family avoid her like the plague, truly made her the best of the worst.

Lin Zhao arrived at the backyard. The entire vegetable patch was enclosed by a bamboo fence, arranged in neat ridges. Wooden frames were set up inside, and once they were covered in green vines, it would surely be another scene full of vitality.

She watered the vegetable garden, tidied up the fallen leaves in the backyard, and returned to the front yard.

Gu Da Cai and the others were still there, busy organizing the firewood against the wall. The three five-year-old boys were working earnestly, all very sensible.

Lin Zhao smiled slightly and took a bottle of soda out of the net bag she intended to take to the old house.

She shared it among the three cute little friends.

"You cubs have worked hard, share this bottle of soda."

Little Tie Chui's eyes lit up instantly, and he quietly licked his lips, looking very greedy.

"Thank you, Third Aunt." He looked simple and honest, and his smile was even more guileless, which Lin Zhao found very endearing.

Gu Da Cai and Ercai were also very happy when they thought of the taste of the soda.

Thinking that they would be eating soon, Lin Zhao didn't give the three little friends any food, so as not to spoil their appetites.

She returned to the room to write a letter to Gu Chenghuai.

The content of this letter was mostly flattery, talking about the one-day tour of the county she took Gu Da Cai and Ercai on, and mentioning the thank-you gift she sent to Yang Junzhi...

By the time she finished writing, it was several pages long.

Lin Zhao checked it once, and seeing there were no sensitive words, she put the letter into an envelope, stuck on a stamp, and planned to mail it tomorrow.

The three little men finished organizing the firewood.

Seeing that the water jar in the kitchen was empty, Ercai leaned against the window, poked his little head into the room, and said loudly: "Mom, there's no water in the jar, I'm going to call Uncle to fetch some."

Since her awakening, Lin Zhao had become very clean, and the household's water consumption kept increasing.

Previously, Gu Yuanshan and Gu Yucheng took turns fetching water every two days, but now it wasn't enough even for daily use.

"No need for now, I'll mention it myself when we go to the old house later."

Ercai didn't think much of it, said "oh," and used the remaining water to wash his hands and face.

Lin Zhao thought for a moment and took out an aluminum lunch box and five feet of corduroy fabric, planning to take them to the old house together.

The cubs' father wasn't home, and there would be many things to trouble the old house with in the future; she couldn't always take advantage of them. If they provided the labor, she would provide the goods—she wasn't short of these things anyway.

In the blink of an eye, it was time to go to the old house.

Lin Zhao carried the items out and said to the three little friends in the yard: "Let's go, let's go to the old house for dinner."

She caught a glimpse of the soda bottle and saw two-thirds left, and was slightly stunned: "You've been at it for so long, and the soda isn't finished yet?"

Ercai said earnestly: "Good things must be drunk slowly, how can we finish it all at once?"

Gu Da Cai and Tie Chui nodded, clearly agreeing with Ercai's words.

Lin Zhao shook the things in her hand and teased the cubs: "Look at what this is?"

Gu Da Cai's eyes widened: "Meat, eggs, and soda!!"

Tie Chui licked his lips, drool almost flowing out. As a child who didn't get much fat in his diet, he wanted to bite into the raw meat the moment he saw it.

"It's big fatty meat!!" His voice was even more high-pitched than Gu Da Cai's.

Ercai took the things from Lin Zhao's hand and looked at her with his clear, large eyes: "Mom, are we taking these over?"

"Yes, our family has five mouths to feed, we can't just eat for free," Lin Zhao said.

Ercai chuckled openly, poking a hole in his mother's logic: "My brother and I have been eating for free for years."

Lin Zhao: "..."

She said calmly: "The past is the past, the future is the future."

Ercai wanted to say something else, but Gu Da Cai glared at his younger brother, and Ercai immediately fell silent.

After glaring at his brother, Gu Da Cai wanted to take the other small bag from Lin Zhao's hand, but she refused: "This is for your Aunt and Second Aunt, I'll carry it myself. You and Ercai take that one, okay?"

"Okay," Gu Da Cai replied obediently.

Tie Chui looked curiously at the small bag in Third Aunt's hand, unable to tell what it was.

Lin Zhao took the three little friends to the old house.

Ercai carried a piece of meat that looked to be two pounds, while Gu Da Cai carried the net bag containing the eggs and soda.

This scene was not just showing off in an ordinary way.

The villagers saw what they were carrying and couldn't help but take a few extra looks.

Meat had an attraction for adults, but an even greater one for children.

Ye Tie Niu saw the meat in Ercai's hand from afar and rushed over, drool spilling from his mouth: "Ercai, you have so much meat in your hand." He really wanted to eat pork cracklings, wuwuwu.

Ercai was extremely proud and said loudly: "My mom has become a salesperson at the county supply and marketing cooperative. Grandma told us to go to the old house for dinner to celebrate.

My mom said our family has five mouths to feed and we can't eat for free, so these are all prepared by my mom for my grandparents."

The villagers heard this, and in an instant, their impression of Lin Zhao changed.

From being lazy, pretentious, and muddled, she became filial, generous, and cultured.

Gu Da Cai was afraid that everyone wouldn't see what was in his hand clearly, so he raised his hand and shook it, saying: "There's also soda! Soda!!"

Little Ye Tie Niu had never drunk soda before. He stared at the orange liquid in the net bag, so greedy that tears were almost falling: "I've never drunk soda, is it better than brown sugar water?"

"It's better than brown sugar water!" Tie Chui also had a proud expression, 100% similar to the two cubs.

Ye Tie Niu was the Captain's own grandson and the first child in the entire brigade to have eaten a big meat bun from a state-run restaurant. Now, what Gu Da Cai and the others were eating and drinking were things he had never tasted, and the child was almost aggrieved to tears.

"Wuwuwu, I want to drink soda too."

Seeing his little friend crying from greed, Gu Da Cai looked at his mother: "Mom, can we let Ye Tie Niu taste the soda we saved?"

Lin Zhao smiled and said: "I've already said it, the things Mom gives you, you can decide for yourselves who to share them with. You are the little masters of the house, you still have this much right."

Gu Da Cai loved hearing his mother say they were the little masters of the house, and he felt bubbles of happiness in his heart.

He looked at Ercai and Tie Chui and asked earnestly: "Are you willing to share with Ye Tie Niu?"

He also stated the reason for his willingness to share: "Ye Tie Niu shared bird eggs with us before."

Ercai, who had no mother's care or love, was a child who guarded his food and was stingy, but knowing his mother loved him, Ercai was willing to share.

"Okay, I'm willing to share," he said loudly.

Tie Chui just listened to Gu Da Cai and Ercai; if they had no objections, he had none either.

"I'm willing to share too."

Ercai grinned and said to Ye Tie Niu: "I have half a bottle of soda left at home, let's drink it together this afternoon."

Ye Tie Niu laughed through his tears, his eyelashes still wet, but his smile was very wide: "I'll share my sweet wild fruits with you too."

"Okay~~"

The two little children were short and stout, only that tall, wearing patched clothes, talking seriously—it was truly adorable.

In a short time, the news of Lin Zhao bringing meat to her parents-in-law spread throughout the village.

Human nature is very complex—

When a bad person does a good deed, it is like a bright light flashing across a dark night sky; people are pleasantly surprised to find that they are not beyond redemption, so their badness is washed away by this moment of kindness. But when a good person does a bad deed, it is like a stain on a white sheet of paper, so glaring that it cannot be ignored, and all their good deeds are erased by this one mistake.

Lin Zhao was not a bad person, but she also belonged to the former.

With Gu Da Cai and Ercai promoting her like this, her previous bad reputation was instantly reversed.

Yes, there were not many daughters-in-law in the entire brigade who were willing to send meat, eggs, and soda to their parents-in-law. So what if she was lazy? She was filial.

Because of the two pounds of meat, plus the two mouths of Gu Da Cai and Ercai that could talk, the few minutes' walk to the Gu family's old house seemed exceptionally long.

Upon arrival, Lin Zhao let out a long sigh of relief.

Gu Da Cai and Ercai, however, looked like they hadn't had enough, their faces full of expressions asking why they had arrived so soon.

Lin Zhao was speechless.

How much did these two brothers love to show off?

While their mother complained in her heart, Gu Da Cai and Ercai walked into the Gu house with a swagger.

"Grandpa, Grandma, we're here, we brought meat and soda!"

Ercai's voice was as loud as ever.

Gu Mu and the two daughters-in-law came out of the kitchen.

Seeing the meat, they were both surprised and happy.

Oh my, what day is it today, that the third daughter-in-law actually brought meat to the door?!

"Third daughter-in-law, what is this?" Gu Mu asked.

"Isn't the double-harvest season tiring? I just happened to buy a few pounds of meat, so I brought it over for you to nourish yourselves," Lin Zhao said lightly.

Gu Mu was stunned.

Lin Zhao took the things out of the cloth bag and handed the aluminum lunch box to the eldest daughter-in-law, Huang Xiulan, saying: "Eldest Sister-in-law, doesn't A-Lan need a lunch box? This hasn't been used many times, give it to her."

Gu Lan was the eldest daughter of the first branch, twelve years old this year.

Huang Xiulan was overjoyed. After accepting it, she smiled and said: "Oh my, it looks no different from a new one. Thank you, Third Sister-in-law."

Lin Zhao accepted the thanks and gave the five feet of corduroy fabric to Zhao Liuniang, saying: "Gu Gu Ersao, you have good craftsmanship. Here is five feet of corduroy fabric. Make a set of autumn clothes for Mother, and use the remaining material to make a pair of pants for Yu Yu."

Zhao Liuniang was also full of joy and quickly expressed her stance: "Okay, I know Mother's measurements, I'll make it tonight."

Gu Mu was incredibly surprised: "Make autumn clothes for me?"

"Yes, it's for Mother," Lin Zhao said. "I'm going to work in a few days, and Mother still has to take care of the four cubs. This is a hardship fee."

Gu Mu was a very traditional person who couldn't bear to eat or dress well. If there was anything good at home, she gave it to her grandsons and granddaughters; if there was fabric, she also prioritized them.

She hadn't added new clothes for many years, and her clothes had the most patches in the whole family.

Suddenly enjoying the blessing of her daughter-in-law, the old lady's nose felt sour, and she almost cried.

She touched the corduroy material and said: "Such good material, make it for yourself, why make it for me? I'm so old, why would I wear new clothes?"

"So what if you're old? You need to wear new clothes even more when you're older," Lin Zhao said disapprovingly.

Gu Mu felt incredibly warm in her heart. The third daughter-in-law was still very good; the way she was before must have been because she was young.

Lin Zhao added: "Eldest Sister-in-law, Gu Gu Ersao, the household uses water quickly, fetching it once every two days isn't quite enough."

Huang Xiulan and Zhao Liuniang only then realized why the third daughter-in-law gave them benefits—it was waiting for them here.

However, the two didn't mind at all.

Fetching water was just a matter of spending a little time.

The benefits they received were solid.

"Okay, I'll tell your eldest brother later," Huang Xiulan agreed immediately.

Since the third daughter-in-law made a request, she felt even more at ease accepting the aluminum lunch box.

Zhao Liuniang was the same, thinking that the remaining fabric could be used to make a pair of pants for her Yu Yu, and the smile in her eyes was almost flying out.

"Fetching water is simple, I'll also remind Yu Yu's father."

Both sisters-in-law received benefits, and looking at Lin Zhao now, everything about her was pleasing to the eye.

This pleasing feeling reached its peak after eating the meat and drinking the soda.

Without Gu Xing'er, the Gu family's meal was exceptionally harmonious, especially the children, who were all happy to the point of madness.

With meat, scrambled eggs, and soda, even immortals wouldn't trade this life.

After the nap.

Lin Zhao took the time to deep-fry the cicada nymphs the cubs had caught, and a fragrance wafted from the kitchen.

After Ercai woke up, he smelled the fragrance and woke his brother. The two brothers shuffled in their cloth shoes, rubbing their eyes as they walked toward the kitchen.

Seeing Lin Zhao's figure, they instantly woke up.

"Mom, it smells so good, what are you making?" Ercai asked.

Lin Zhao held a large porcelain bowl, waved it in front of the two children through the window, letting the fragrance spread: "Deep-fried cicada nymphs."

Gu Da Cai showed a shocked expression: "Mom, I've eaten cicada nymphs before, they didn't smell this good. Did you add meat?"

"I deep-fried them, and there are other seasonings, of course it's fragrant," Lin Zhao said proudly.

She had tasted them first; they were crispy and crunchy, smelling delicious, though they were hot enough to burn her mouth.

"Go wash up quickly, these are best eaten while hot," Lin Zhao urged the two cubs, also fearing that the twins would wake up and clamor to eat.

Gu Da Cai and Ercai washed up obediently, went back to the room to apply baby cream, and then came to the kitchen.

"Mom, we're washed," Ercai said.

Gu Da Cai added: "We applied baby cream."

Lin Zhao praised them casually: "Very good."

She handed the fried cicada nymphs to the two cubs.

"You two go outside to eat, don't let your younger brother and sister see."