Chapter 283: What is this man imagining again?

Gu Hangbao could no longer babble; he glared at his father. Bad Daddy!!

With a creak, the bathroom door opened.

Gu Chenghuai brushed past his son to greet his wife. He took the dirty clothes from Lin Zhao's hands, his deep, pitch-black eyes fixed on her arm.

"Did you bump the wound?" His brows were knit with worry.

The two cubs also ran over, wearing the exact same expression as their father.

"I'm fine, I was being careful," Lin Zhao replied, then muttered, "I don't want to be reported by Little Brother."

If her parents knew she had been so reckless, they would have plenty to "nag" her about.

A smile flashed in the depths of Gu Chenghuai's eyes.

Just as he was about to compliment how good Zhao Zhao looked in this dress, Xiang Yubao beat him to it: "Mom, you look really pretty in that dress."

"..."

Gu Hangbao also said, "Mm-hmm. Haven't seen this outfit before, have we?"

As he spoke, he tucked his hands into his pockets and circled Lin Zhao.

"What are you doing?" Lin Zhao, having washed away the dust of the journey, asked in a great mood.

"Checking for blood," Gu Hangbao replied. He then nodded with apparent satisfaction and stroked his chin. "None. Looks like the wound didn't split open."

"..." So precocious.

Gu Chenghuai glanced at his son. "Go, go, go. What business is this of yours? Go tidy up your things."

Gu Hangbao put his hands on his hips. "How is it not my business? This is my mom. I'm concerned about my mom, don't you be a busybody."

Gu Chenghuai bent down, scooped up his second son, and landed a palm the size of a cattail fan on his bottom. "You little rascal, is that how you talk? If I don't give you a complete childhood... you'll be floating up to the sky."

He was his own son, after all, and with his wife and children just arrived, he was in such a good mood that he couldn't bear to discipline the child; the palm landed with most of its force removed, not heavy at all.

But—

In Gu Hangbao's eyes, this was a matter of cosmic proportions.

The six-year-old, soon-to-be second grader's face turned red, and his short, prickly hair nearly stood on end.

He shrieked, "Ahhh, Dad is hitting people!"

Gu Hangbao flailed his limbs in a struggle, howling in anger, and reported to Lin Zhao, "Mom, let's go home. We aren't staying here. Dad is too bad. I'm going back to report him to Grandpa and Grandma and make them spank Battalion Commander Gu's bottom too."

Mao Dan and the others looked at each other. Fearing Gu Hangbao would become angry out of shame, they tacitly turned away, not watching the scene of him getting spanked, and whispered among themselves.

Gu Chenghuai circled Gu Hangbao with one arm, swinging him like a swing. "Who are you calling Battalion Commander Gu, you stinky brat?"

"Calling you, calling you, just calling you." Gu Hangbao felt this game was quite interesting and the corners of his mouth were about to curl up, but he barely remembered he was still angry and pulled a small, stern face again, clamoring, "You just wait, you can't run away. My grandpa and grandma will avenge their precious grandson..."

Gu Chenghuai's expression melted, and he let out a scoff. "Who are your grandpa and grandma to me?"

Gu Hangbao paused, tried his best to lift his head, and huffed, "... Your mom and dad."

"So you know. Then where do you get the confidence that my mom and dad would discipline me?" Gu Chenghuai was also afraid his son's head would lack blood flow, so he held him upright, tossed him upward as if to discipline him, and caught him steadily with both arms.

Gu Hangbao had never played such a "game" before. When he was tossed out, his little face turned pale with fright, but upon discovering he had been caught, a brilliant smile bloomed on his face.

"That's fun! Do it again!!" he shouted excitedly.

Gu Chenghuai's tone rose. "Still going to report me?"

With the playfulness taking over, Gu Hangbao couldn't remember why he was angry anymore. "No, no, fly one more time," he said, his voice full of joy and excitement as he hugged his father's neck and acted spoiled.

Gu Chenghuai wanted to say, "Straighten out your voice when you talk, do you think you're my apple of the eye?" but seeing his son's happy face, he didn't say it. After tossing him a few more times, he put Gu Hangbao down.

"You've gotten heavier. Looks like you've been eating well."

Gu Hangbao's cheeks were flushed, and he said quite proudly, "Mom came to make meat for us, I ate so much..."

He drew a circle with his arms, happily sharing his life from the past year with his father.

Gu Chenghuai replied from time to time. Seeing Lin Zhao wiping her hair with one hand, he decisively abandoned his son, walked toward his wife, and took the towel to wipe her hair for her.

"Does your arm hurt?" he asked.

"It doesn't hurt," Lin Zhao said, the corners of her mouth lifting slightly. "Didn't I say... I didn't use too much force with the injured arm."

Gu Chenghuai nodded with satisfaction, pressed her shoulders to make her sit down, leaning against the cushion he had asked a villager to make, and stood behind her, wiping her wet hair with gentle movements.

"Before the wound is completely healed, if you want to wash your hair, I'll help you." His voice was soft and full of patience.

"How will you help?" Lin Zhao turned her head to look at him.

His warm, large palm gently held her head and straightened it.

"Don't you worry about it, I have a way," Gu Chenghuai said.

The smile in Lin Zhao's eyes deepened. She didn't ask further, only saying, "Alright, then I'll be waiting."

Her hair was very thick, making it quite troublesome to wipe, and it wouldn't dry for a long time.

I wonder when the hairdryer I asked Little Brother to buy will arrive?

Just as she was thinking this, Meng Jiusi walked over carrying something.

"Little Brother." Lin Zhao waved her hand, her movement like a beckoning cat.

Meng Jiusi walked toward her, put down the item, and said gently, "The thing you wanted, it's just in time to be used."

Hearing this, Lin Zhao's beautiful star-like eyes were filled with surprise.

"Is it what I think it is?" she asked uncertainly.

It's only been a few months, and Little Brother already got it?!!!

That's so awesome~!!

The smile on Meng Jiusi's lips was as gentle as a breeze. "Yes, the hairdryer you wanted."

Lin Zhao stood up happily. "That's great!"

"It came just in time, I was almost going to cut my hair."

Before setting off, she had almost cut it short. Every time she washed her hair, she had to wipe it for so long that it annoyed her enough to want to cut it.

Meng Jiusi looked at his younger sister's long, black, flowing hair. "It was so hard to grow it this long, what a pity it would be to cut it. Now that you have a hairdryer, you don't have to wait for it to dry naturally. Keep it for now, and cut it if you don't want it anymore."

He was afraid Zhao Zhao would cut it short on impulse and regret it later.

Lin Zhao curved her eyes. "If I have a hairdryer, I won't cut it!"

She took out the hairdryer Little Brother brought. It was quite compact, not at all as clumsy as she had imagined.

She said with great surprise, "It's actually this small, I thought it would be very big."

Meng Jiusi smiled. "Small is easier to carry."

Since it was for his younger sister, he naturally bought the best.

"Thank you, Little Brother." Lin Zhao's tone rose, her mood exceptionally good.

"Don't be so polite," Meng Jiusi said nonchalantly. He didn't have a wife, he managed his own accounts, and he could spend the money he earned on whoever he wanted; no one dared to nag him.

Thinking about it, divorce really was a good thing.

"You tidy up first, I'm going back to cook. Come over to eat when you're done."

Leaving these words behind, he left again.

Just living like this once Zhao Zhao comes to follow the army, just thinking about it makes one feel happy.

"Gu Chenghuai, hurry inside, use the hairdryer to blow-dry my hair!" Lin Zhao said, linking her arm with Gu Chenghuai's as she walked into the room.

"Why didn't you tell me if you wanted this thing?" Gu Chenghuai's focus was here.

"If I told you, wouldn't you still have to ask someone to help buy it? Little Brother is from the capital, he knows more people, it's more convenient for him to buy it than you," Lin Zhao explained.

"I'd be willing to ask someone," Gu Chenghuai emphasized. "In the future, tell me if you want to buy anything, I'll buy it."

Before Lin Zhao could tease him for being overly sensitive, the man added, "I like it when you trouble me, I like buying things for you."

Lin Zhao's gaze softened, and she reflected for a moment.

"Alright, I'll come to you for everything from now on."

She used a urging tone to say to the man, "Our family's television is counting on you to buy it! When are you going to buy it?"

A low chuckle spilled from Gu Chenghuai's throat. "There's already news about the ticket, I'll buy it in the second half of the year, I guarantee you'll be able to watch it for the New Year."

Lin Zhao felt awkward.

She wasn't in a hurry. There's nothing to watch on TV right now, there isn't even a Spring Festival Gala, and the programs are pitifully few; it's really nothing rare.

The price is also ridiculously expensive, several hundred yuan.

There's no need to waste that money.

Lin Zhao pondered for a moment and said, "How about we buy it after I and the children follow the army?"

"Hm?" Gu Chenghuai plugged in the hairdryer, his expression puzzled.

"It's too conspicuous, what if bad people target us? We have a radio at home, that's enough!" Lin Zhao casually pulled out a reason. She couldn't say she didn't care for it; who would believe that? It's a television, who wouldn't care for it?!

Gu Chenghuai was easy to persuade, especially when it came to his wife; whether what she said made sense or not, he adopted whatever he could.

"Alright."

He looked at Lin Zhao with guilt. "I've wronged you..."

Lin Zhao: "???"

Meow meow meow? What is this man imagining again?

She pointed to her half-dry hair, signaling Gu Chenghuai to blow-dry it. "Help me blow it dry, you still have to give your two sons a bath. They crawled onto the bed without even washing, they're so dirty, just like you."

Gu Chenghuai was momentarily speechless, but he didn't argue.

The children's good traits all follow their mother, and the bad ones all follow him. Fine.

As long as Zhao Zhao is happy.

The buzzing sound of the hairdryer rang out, and the hot air brushed against the tips of her hair, drying them quickly.

Gu Chenghuai was using it for the first time, but he was quite skilled and not at all clumsy. Lin Zhao wasn't surprised; her man was smart and learned everything quickly, he couldn't be more reliable.

"It dried really fast," Lin Zhao remarked.

Gu Chenghuai curled his lips.

It was just because she had just gotten the hairdryer that his wife cared for it so much; she wouldn't be like this after using it three or five times.

Lin Zhao combed her hair and urged the man, "Go give your sons a bath, scrub them down. They haven't washed in days, the mud on their bodies must be two layers thick!"

"Yes, ma'am," Gu Chenghuai said with a smile.

Before leaving, he cautioned, "Be careful with your arm, if you're sleepy, take a nap, I'll call you later."

Lin Zhao was indeed sleepy, the kind of physical and mental exhaustion where the ground felt like it was swaying when she walked; everyone who had been on the train for too long was like this.

"Alright, I'll take a nap." She walked toward the bed, and when she lay down, she felt her whole body lighten, and she wanted to sigh with comfort.

Gu Chenghuai took out a thin blanket, covered Lin Zhao's stomach, and then walked out of the room with light steps.

"Where is my mom?" Gu Hangbao, who was eating biscuits, looked behind his father.

"She's sleepy and is resting, you are not allowed to make any more noise," Gu Chenghuai said.

"I won't make noise." Gu Hangbao looked obedient; he used Lin Zhao as a raft, and he would always listen obediently.

"Stop eating for now, I'm taking you two inside to bathe." Gu Chenghuai found the towels and change of clothes prepared for the two cubs and said to the twins.

Both brothers were clean children and bathed diligently. They hadn't been able to bathe for many days on the train and had complained more than once that their bodies were itchy.

Hearing Gu Chenghuai's words, they finished the biscuits in their hands and followed their father.

"Mao Dan, Mo Mo, you guys take Bai Bai and eat slowly." Gu Chenghuai left these words behind and carried his two sons into the bathroom.

The courtyard Gu Chenghuai applied for didn't have many people living nearby, and since the car arrived close to mealtime, the most gossipy women were all at home cooking, so not many people knew... that there was one more household in the family quarters.

It was the playful children who knew. They were playing when a large car with four wheels arrived, and the children excitedly ran after it.

Until the car stopped.

Several children saw people arriving at the Gu family courtyard, and there were two identical little boys. The children who had never seen twins had their eyes wide open, hiding in a corner and whispering.

After the people in the car entered the courtyard, the children scattered like a swarm of bees.

They returned home and told their respective mothers about the rare thing they had seen.

"Children who look exactly the same? They must be twins, right? Are they boys or girls?" This was the one who loved to compare sons with others.

"That's the courtyard Battalion Commander Gu applied for. His family has arrived? There's going to be a good show in the family quarters!" This was the one who loved to watch the fun.

"They must have started arguing, right? It was so hard for them to come follow the army, and they can't live in a building, they can only live in that broken courtyard that people buy. If it were me, I'd be stifled too. Where can't you live in a broken courtyard? They're all like that in the village." This was the one who lived in a building and felt superior.

Several families had new gossip material because of Lin Zhao's arrival.

Those idle women hurriedly finished their meals, washed their bowls and chopsticks in a few swipes, and gathered together to talk about the Gu family.

Number One said, "I heard Battalion Commander Gu's family is hard to get along with, I wonder if it's true?"

Number Two said, "It must be. You guys don't know yet, right? That family has a pair of twins, and they're boys! Giving birth to two boys in one litter, how much confidence must they have? Can they be easy to get along with?"

Number Three said, "Eh, I heard from my Qingqing that that person..." She pointed her index finger upward, "... that person's only son knows those twins, and they seem to have a very good relationship. I wonder how they know each other?"

Number Four's expression changed slightly, and she exclaimed, "Are you talking about that hero leader?"

That is one of the top leaders in the entire military region, how would the new military wife know him?

Qingqing's mother nodded. "Yes, I asked Qingqing several times, and she said she really saw Chief Ning's son and the twins having a good relationship, and several children were hugging and jumping together."

The people present were stunned. They had all seen Chief Ning's son; he was steady beyond his years and very polite to people, but... he gave people an indescribable sense of distance, making people afraid to get close.

He only played with the two children of Doctor Meng's family, or stayed at home reading and studying, as self-disciplined as his father. Who would have thought he had such a lively side?

Can't believe it.

"Will Battalion Commander Gu's family go to the cafeteria to eat? She just arrived, the house must need tidying, where would she have time to cook? Let's wait here, we should be able to see her." Family member Number One said.

The others agreed, so several people took out their small stools and huddled together, doing their own work.

They indeed got their wish, and an hour later, they saw Lin Zhao.

Gu Chenghuai had been decorating the house during this time and had gradually become familiar with the sisters-in-law in the family quarters.

Seeing several military wives, he took the initiative to introduce them to Lin Zhao: "Zhao Zhao, these are the military wives in the family quarters. This is Sister-in-law Zhang, this is Sister-in-law Wang..."

After a simple introduction, he introduced Lin Zhao to the military wives: "This is my wife, Lin Zhao."

Gu Hangbao tugged on his sleeve. "Dad, and me—your son!"

Xiang Yubao covered his face.

He was often at a loss because of his younger brother's excessive social skills! ===== CHAPTER 284 =====