Chapter 335

Watching the back of the stranger's head, Xiang Yubao and Gu Hangbao looked puzzled.

Gu Lan was even more confused.

What kind of look was that?

Lin Zhao also felt that the youth was strange, but geniuses all had personalities; it was normal, right?

"Are you hungry? Let's eat first. If there's still time after eating, I'll take you to see Little Stone."

The twins jumped up on the spot with joy.

"Xiang Yubao, I'm going home now. I'll wait for your letter." Before leaving, little Zhou Zhou walked up to Xiang Yubao, held his hand, and repeated it again in a small voice.

"Don't worry, I'll write to you; my mom will testify." Xiang Yubao promised.

Zhou Zhou looked at Lin Zhao, his face flushed red.

"Right, I'll testify." Lin Zhao smiled. She had always supported her sons' friendships.

Zhou Zhou said thank you, waved at them, and then ran toward his mom and dad.

His family was in a county under the provincial capital, and they had already bought tickets to go back. Taking advantage of the remaining time, they wanted to go shopping.

"You've already made new friends? How are you so great?" Lin Zhao looked at her sons with gentle eyes.

Xiang Yubao placed his hand on his left chest. "I spoke up for justice; everyone wants to be friends with me."

"Oh? How did you speak up for justice?" Lin Zhao was curious.

After asking for leave from the team leader, she held the twins' hands and walked out, looking at Gu Lan from time to time to confirm she was keeping up.

While walking out of the competition venue, Xiang Yubao chattered away, telling the truth about the small conflict before the competition.

"My son is truly a brave little child." Lin Zhao praised.

The little child felt wonderful inside.

"It's a good thing Sun Xian didn't come, otherwise he would have been bullied too." Xiang Yubao added.

Lin Zhao had heard him mention this child before.

He was a shy and sensible boy. From his words and actions, one could tell his family was poor, yet he would smile and call her, thanking her for allowing Xiang Yubao to give him vegetable buns.

That child had to walk dozens of miles to go to school, had to do farm work, and didn't live at school. She heard he left home at four o'clock every day, and when he got home, he still had to pick wild vegetables, pick firewood, and take care of his younger brothers and sisters...

"I remember you said little Sun Xian learned arithmetic very well. Why didn't he come?!"

"His family couldn't afford the two yuan." Xiang Yubao replied. "Sun Xian also didn't have an abacus, so he didn't sign up."

Lin Zhao was speechless for a moment.

Gu Hangbao thought of the competition prize money and said, "If Sun Xian had come, he could have gotten the prize money."

Xiang Yubao sighed. "What a pity."

Lin Zhao rubbed her son's head. "There will be opportunities in the future."

"Mm." Xiang Yubao responded. Putting aside the matter of Sun Xian, he asked, "Mom, do you know where Little Stone is training? How do we go there?"

"Of course I know; we'll take a car." Lin Zhao answered his questions one by one. Seeing the brothers were both excited, she laughed. "You two are so excited; do you still have the mood to eat?"

"Yes." Gu Hangbao wouldn't miss any meal. He blinked his bright black eyes. "I want to eat meat, big chunks of meat! We used our brains today; we must replenish well, otherwise our hair will turn white."

Lin Zhao: "..." May I ask where the connection between the two is?

"Eat, if you want to eat, then eat." She took the three children to a state-run restaurant.

Today's supply included sweet and sour pork, so she ordered a portion immediately, asked for two portions of cabbage and meat dumplings, another portion of braised mutton, and two flower rolls for the twins that they wanted. That was about it.

Several people found a place to sit down. The twins sat on the same long bench, looked left and right, and swung their legs gently.

The brothers whispered to each other for a while.

Gu Hangbao smelled the fragrance drifting from the kitchen and asked Lin Zhao, "Mom, what kind of meat is sweet and sour pork? Have you eaten it before?"

"I have. Your grandpa knows how to make it; it's crispy on the outside and tender on the inside. One bite can make a person dizzy with delight." Lin Zhao said. She didn't expect there to be such a dish here, which made her quite expectant too.

"Grandpa hasn't made it for us." Gu Hangbao said calmly.

Lin Zhao looked at him. "I am your grandpa's treasure, and I've only eaten it once. You have an opinion now? You child, you really have been spoiled to the point of going to heaven..."

"??" Gu Hangbao's little brows furrowed, and he cried out in injustice. "I don't have an opinion; Mom is wronging a little child."

"... Alright, you don't have an opinion, you're just a little sour, okay?" Lin Zhao teased her son.

Gu Lan covered her mouth and laughed.

Gu Hangbao still wanted to say something, but the waiter called Lin Zhao to pick up the food. She stood up, called Gu Lan, and went to the counter to pick up the dishes.

Xiang Yubao and Gu Hangbao occupied the seats. It was exactly mealtime, and if one wasn't careful, the seats would become someone else's.

The chef at this restaurant had good skills; the dishes were fragrant and the portions were sufficient. No wonder the diners were endless.

Xiang Yubao and Gu Hangbao were worthy of being twins; they had tacit understanding. They swung their chopsticks toward the sweet and sour pork at the same time. After one piece each reached their stomachs, their eyes brightened.

"Delicious." Xiang Yubao evaluated, and looked at Lin Zhao with expectant eyes. "Mom, can we bring a portion for Little Stone? Using my prize money."

"Sure." Lin Zhao walked to the place where dishes were ordered, asked for another portion of sweet and sour pork, and handed over a lunch box, saying she wanted to pack it.

She looked good and spoke with a three-part smile; talking to her made people feel good. The waiter's stern face relaxed, and she agreed.

Lin Zhao said thank you again and returned to her seat to eat.

There were many people in line, and those who were eating didn't dare to dawdle; they all buried their heads and ate hard, not even saying a few words.

Influenced by this atmosphere, Xiang Yubao and Gu Hangbao also ate faster than usual.

A customer heard that the sweet and sour pork and braised mutton were gone and complained with dissatisfaction. He had only said one sentence when the waiter threw the rag, and her face stretched long. "Gone means gone; who are you losing your temper at! Only scallion braised tofu and stir-fried spinach are left. Do you want them or not? If not, don't occupy the space."

In this day and age, waiters in state-run restaurants were also very arrogant, and ordinary people didn't dare to offend them. After all, these people would really hit people if they got anxious.

"... I want a portion of scallion braised tofu, and four taels of rice." Saying this, he gave the money and tickets, afraid that even the tofu wouldn't be available to eat.

Gu Lan leaned toward Lin Zhao's side, her voice full of confusion. "Third Aunt, that waiter is so fierce."

Her voice was very low, with an expression of a child being afraid.

"Don't be afraid. Generally speaking, they won't scold people for no reason, but scolding people is a thing that happens. This is considered good; those with more explosive tempers will even hit and scold customers." Lin Zhao answered in a low voice as well.

She pointed to the wooden sign hanging on the right wall. "Look at what words are written on that wooden sign?"

Gu Lan looked over.

【No hitting or scolding customers.】

"..."

"Will they really hit and scold customers?" Gu Lan shrank her neck, feeling that city people were too terrifying.

"Yes, an iron rice bowl is just that arrogant." Lin Zhao said.

She ate the last piece of sweet and sour pork, rinsed her mouth with dumpling soup, stood up, and took the three children out of the restaurant.

Gu Lan looked back at the plaque of the state-run restaurant, her gaze full of longing.

"Being a worker is really great; it's decent and you don't have to take any abuse."

She withdrew her gaze and looked at Lin Zhao. "Third Aunt definitely doesn't hit or scold people; she is a clerk everyone likes."

Xiang Yubao and Gu Hangbao nodded like pounding garlic.

"That's right, that's right. The grandpas and grandmas who come to the supply and marketing cooperative to exchange eggs all like my mom." Xiang Yubao said proudly.

"My mom is super good." Gu Hangbao followed up. Seeing someone secretly selling flowers nearby, he exchanged two candies for two wood hibiscus flowers that had just sprouted buds.

The flower seller exchanged them for candy, thought of the happy look of his children at home, raised his mouth, and said a few more words. "Little student, after you get home, put the flowers into a bottle filled with water. The flowers can live for several more days, and they can even bloom bigger."

Gu Hangbao's eyes were surprised. "Really?"

"Chinese people don't lie to Chinese people; you are the flower bones of the country, and I wouldn't lie to you even more." After guaranteeing, afraid of being noticed, he quickly changed places.

They were catching speculation and profiteering; he could only fire one shot and change places. His luck wasn't bad today; he exchanged for candy!

Gu Hangbao held the flowers, walked toward Lin Zhao, and handed one of the flowers to her. "Giving Mom flowers; these are flowers from the provincial capital, they look good. The grandpa selling flowers said that if you put them into a bottle with water, the flowers will bloom bigger and can live for several days."

He gave the other one to Gu Lan. "This one is for A-Lan sister. My mom said that girls all like flowers."

Gu Lan was stunned on the spot, a bright smile appearing on her face. "Thank you, Gu Hangbao; this is the first time I've received flowers."

So this is what it feels like to receive flowers; her heart was almost floating away!

"I'll buy you candy later, using my prize money."

"No need, A-Lan sister, use your prize money to buy gifts for Uncle and Aunt. Uncle and Aunt will definitely be happy." Xiang Yubao gave her an idea.

Gu Hangbao also said, "I still have one candy."

Lin Zhao managed her sons' candy consumption strictly. After the two cubs had a toothache once from eating too much candy, they knew the depth of it and would consciously restrain themselves without needing to be told much.

This is called people teaching people and them not learning, but things teaching people once and them learning.

Lin Zhao liked and cherished the flowers her son gave her. For this reason, she made a special trip back to the hostel, inserted the flowers into a bottle of water, took the things Gu Chan entrusted her to bring to Little Stone, asked the locals, hired a horse-drawn carriage, and the four of them sat on it and rushed toward the training ground where Little Stone was.

It was the first time in the three children's lives to ride a horse-drawn carriage; they were so excited they didn't know where to put their hands and feet.

The carriage had no cabin and was surrounded by wooden boards, with small stools placed inside.

Gu Hangbao looked at the dark brown big horse with glowing eyes, staring unblinkingly, wishing he could rush forward and hug it.

After a while, he withdrew his gaze and met Lin Zhao's smiling face.

"Seen enough?" Lin Zhao's tone was gentle.

Gu Hangbao laughed, "Mom, will the big horse be tired?"

Lin Zhao didn't answer, but the woman driving the carriage laughed. "How could a horse be tired? They are born to carry people and pull goods."

Gu Hangbao leaned forward and asked with a smile, "Grandma, can you ride a horse?"

"Yes, if I couldn't, how would I dare to drive a carriage? I used to be..." Halfway through the sentence, she didn't continue.

"Wow, so amazing." Gu Hangbao chatted with people without being an outsider. "My grandma is also super amazing; she knows how to box and how to swing a whip; she is the person I admire most."

The woman driving the carriage looked back.

What a coincidence, she also knew such a person... with a set of boxing and kicking skills, and a whip that swung with great momentum. She was her savior in her girlhood, saving her from the hands of bandits, and was also the person she respected most.

Thinking of the past, the person driving the carriage was in no mood to talk anymore and soon delivered the people on the carriage to their destination.

"The place you want to go is just across the road." She reminded Lin Zhao, gave a light shout, and drove the carriage away.

What a crisp person.

Lin Zhao sighed in her heart, held Xiang Yubao and Gu Hangbao's hands, and greeted Gu Lan to cross the road.

The iron gate was tightly closed, and the sign at the entrance said that idlers were not allowed to enter.

Seeing Lin Zhao and the others, the person guarding the gate walked over.

"What are you here for?"

Xiang Yubao said, "We are looking for someone; my younger brother is inside, his name is Little Stone. By the way, my younger brother's full name is Wei Yan."

"Where is the introduction letter?" The guard asked.

Lin Zhao took the introduction letter out of her bag and handed it to the other party through the gate.

"The introduction letter is no problem. You go in first, don't run around; they are training inside. I'll go help you call someone." The guard said politely, brought Lin Zhao and her party to the lounge, poured water, and went to find someone himself.

Little Stone was training while sweating like rain. Suddenly being called by the coach, he thought he had done something wrong and was a little nervous.

"Coa, coach..."

"Training well, don't be nervous." The coach said gently. For talented players with quiet personalities, he always prioritized encouragement. "Calling you is a good thing; someone from your family is here to see you and is waiting at the main entrance. Go take a look quickly."

Little Stone's eyes were as bright as lamps, and his tone became light. "Is it my dad or my mom?"

"I'm not clear about that; go take a look and you'll know." The coach sold a mystery.

"Coach, I'm going." Little Stone's voice fell, and he ran toward the main entrance.

The older children who were training with him were worried and looked at the coach one after another.

"Coach, can I follow and take a look? I'll just take a look from afar and come back immediately."

"I also want to go take a look. Little Stone is silly; what if his family members lie to him?"

The children who were sent here were not all born into happy families. The ones speaking were sent here like tools—

Their parents felt that sending them here could save food and tuition, and the country would raise their children for them, so why not do it?

Their family members rarely visited them, and the rare time they came, it was to get some benefits from them, such as saved steamed buns, etc.

So the youths were very worried about Little Stone.

"If you want to go, go. The missed training must be made up." The coach knew the children couldn't settle down, so he simply let them go.

"Thank you, coach." Several youths said in unison and disappeared on the spot in an instant.

The coach laughed and scolded: "A bunch of stinky boys."

Little Stone saw the people at the door of the lounge, his steps stopped, he rubbed his eyes in disbelief, put his little hands down, and his expression was also dazed.

His little voice was excited to the point of drifting.

"Xiang Yubao brother~~ Gu Hangbao brother~~!!!"

He was younger than the twins and was far from the time of voice change. His voice was a child's voice, filled with genuine joy, which made people feel pleasant.

Xiang Yubao and Gu Hangbao looked in the direction of the sound. Seeing Little Stone, they hurriedly waved at him, remembering the words of the guard uncle, and didn't run, standing in place waiting for Little Stone to approach.

"You come, you come."

Without them saying it, Little Stone ran toward them, the smile on his face brighter than the sun.

"How did you come? I couldn't have imagined it." His eyes curved into crescent moons, and his hands held Xiang Yubao and Gu Hangbao's hands tightly, having a sense of unreality.

"We came to participate in the abacus competition and came to see you by the way. Big Aunt misses you very much; she entrusted us to bring you things. Are you doing well here?" Xiang Yubao scrutinized Little Stone, carefully checking his arms and legs, and only relaxed his furrowed brows when he saw there were no obvious injuries.

"I'm good." Little Stone nodded happily.

Thinking of something, his eyes were covered with a thin mist. "It's just that at night, I miss Dad, miss Mom, miss brother, miss Aunt and you all..."