Chapter 406

Gu Hangbao looked through the things Jin Lixin had brought: "Brother, it's peach blossom cakes, what should we do?"

Xiang Yubao had a good idea: "Keep them; another day, we'll share our snacks with Big Brother Jin."

After finishing, the brothers took the peach blossom cakes back into the room.

The scene that happened in the courtyard was all taken in by Lin Zhao.

"That child Lixin is quite good," Lin Zhao nudged Gu Chenghuai's arm. "His mentality is surprisingly strong, and he has manners; it's truly a pity."

Gu Chenghuai said: "He is quite good."

He put his arm around his wife's shoulders: "It's time to sleep."

Lin Zhao pulled down his hand: "I'm going to check on Seeing Yaobao."

The man followed her.

The couple arrived at Seeing Yaobao's room; the little girl on the bed was sleeping in a well-behaved posture, the blanket covering her chest, quiet and beautiful.

Lin Zhao sat by the bedside to tidy up her daughter's scattered hair, planted a kiss on her forehead, whispered a goodnight, and left the room holding Gu Chenghuai's hand.

The couple returned to their room.

Lin Zhao yawned, got onto the bed, and lay down on the inside.

Gu Chenghuai lay down beside her, stretched out his long arm, and turned off the light.

"Your birthday is coming soon; is there anything you particularly want?" the man's deep, pleasant voice rang out.

Lin Zhao was stunned for a moment: "If you hadn't said it, I would have almost forgotten... so my birthday is coming soon."

Another year older.

"There's nothing I want; I don't lack anything," Lin Zhao took the initiative to snuggle up to Gu Chenghuai, the corners of her mouth slightly curled up. "You being safe, and the children being healthy and happy, that is already the best gift."

Gu Chenghuai tightened his arm, kissed the top of his wife's hair, his dark eyes brimming with a smile.

Fine, he would prepare it himself.

"Sleep." His broad, thick hand rested on Lin Zhao's back, patting gently as if coaxing a child.

Lin Zhao's body paused slightly; strange, he was actually acting like a human tonight...

Another half minute passed, the man's hand was honest, and his breathing was normal; it seemed he really had no other thoughts, so she relaxed, carefully changed her posture, buried her little face in his firm and soft chest muscles, and fell asleep happily.

Perhaps because the twins had unintentionally given Jin Lixin the idea, allowing his long-accumulated hatred to be relieved, his attitude toward Xiang Yubao and Gu Hangbao was very peaceful, with no thorns.

Jin Xueqing discovered this and took the initiative to bring his eldest brother into his circle of friends, and also introduced him to Mao Dan'er, Meng Jingmo, and others.

These children, whom Lin Zhao watched grow up, were full of youthful spirit; what was rare and commendable were the beautiful qualities they possessed: kindness, integrity, empathy...

Jin Lixin integrated very well; among these people, even though he only had one eye, and even though he didn't understand anything, they didn't laugh at him, but patiently taught him, took him to school together, and played with him...

There were also people with dark minds who took Jin Lixin's disability to mock him, all of whom were retorted by Xiang Yubao and Gu Hangbao.

That is a story for later.

After becoming familiar with Xiang Yubao and Gu Hangbao, Jin Lixin took the initiative to find his father and proposed that he wanted to go to school.

Deputy Regiment Commander Jin was surprised and delighted: "Good, Dad will sign you up."

Jin Saozi was also happy and wanted to ask which grade her eldest son would be in, but fearing that Jin Lixin would recall unbearable past events, she didn't say it, only saying: "There is still a piece of green cloth at home; Mom will make you a new schoolbag, and I'll embroider a red star on the bag with red thread."

Not wanting to hear her son's refusal, she hurriedly returned to the room, found the cloth, picked some vegetables, and went next door to borrow a sewing machine.

She usually made clothes by hand; this was the first time she had gone to the Gu family to borrow a sewing machine. The needlework done by a sewing machine looked good, and Jin Saozi wanted to give her eldest son the best.

Jin Lixin saw Jin Saozi's light steps, and his expression paused slightly.

He pursed his lips.

He didn't say any more harsh, unpleasant words.

At this time, Deputy Regiment Commander Jin opened his mouth to ask: "Which grade do you intend to enter?"

Jin Lixin quickly withdrew his complex thoughts and said: "I have finished the junior high school curriculum myself; I want to participate in the final exam and enter high school after the New Year."

The current semester system is the 522 system, called the "nine-year integrated system": 5 years of elementary school, 2 years of junior high, and 2 years of high school.

Jin Lixin had always known that only by studying could he escape his hometown. Old Lady Jin wouldn't let him go to junior high, so he studied secretly by himself, and if he didn't understand something, he would seek advice from the educated youth.

He didn't ask for advice for free; he exchanged firewood or mountain goods for it.

"You finished it yourself?" Deputy Regiment Commander Jin asked, puzzled.

Jin Lixin looked at his father: "Jin Baogen couldn't endure the hardship of schooling; he wasn't willing to go to junior high, and those people at home wouldn't let me go either, saying it was a waste of money."

"Waste of money, my foot!" Deputy Regiment Commander Jin got angry. "I haven't missed a single month of your living expenses and tuition fees; who is wasting money? That idiot and good-for-nothing Jin Baogen is the one wasting money."

He felt even more hatred toward those people in his hometown.

The more Deputy Regiment Commander Jin learned about his eldest son's life in his hometown, the deeper his guilt became.

The man who usually had the final say at home had a complex expression and patted Jin Lixin on the shoulder.

"Dad has let you down."

Jin Lixin's eyes felt hot, and he hurriedly lowered his head.

He wanted to say a few harsh words to sting his father as usual, preferably making him feel as sad and painful as himself, but his throat was choked up so badly that he couldn't say a single word.

Deputy Regiment Commander Jin felt as if a stone were blocking his heart.

"Go back to your room and rest; I'll go inquire about your schooling."

He sighed, turned around, and left the house.

Jin Lixin's situation was special, so the military school handled it specially and accepted him, but he had to take an exam.

If he failed the exam, he would have to start learning from junior high.

Jin Lixin had no objections.

He passed the exam, and the score was quite beautiful, with very few points deducted.

Just like that, Jin Lixin's plan to enter the first year of high school after the New Year was settled.

That night.

Jin Xueqing learned that his eldest brother would be entering high school after the New Year; he was shocked and looked at his brother with worship in his eyes.

"Brother, you are truly amazing," Jin Xueqing praised from the bottom of his heart.

Jin Lixin:?

"What's so amazing about this..." He gnawed on a white steamed bun, caught a glimpse of Jin Hua'er swallowing her saliva, hesitated for a few seconds, and gave her half.

Seeing this scene, Jin Xueqing grinned and moved his stool toward Jin Lixin with one hand.

"Big Brother is the most amazing; I'm really happy that Big Brother is back," Jin Xueqing said with a smile. "Hua'er, aren't you happy?"

Jin Hua'er divided that half of the white flour bun into two, kept half for herself, and gave the other half to her second brother.

"Happy!" her voice was full of joy.

Jin Lixin's hand holding the chopsticks exerted a little force, and he couldn't describe the feeling in his heart.

So he was also worthy of receiving praise and love?

After the final exam, Xiang Yubao and Gu Hangbao returned home with their excellent double-hundred scores.

"Mom, it's double hundreds again, and there are award certificates; is there a reward?" Gu Hangbao shouted for Mom as soon as he entered the courtyard.

Lin Zhao came out of the room and took the report cards of her two sons to look at.

"Not bad."

Gu Hangbao's smile was bright: "Brother and I aren't as smart as Qian Bao, but we aren't bad either, okay? Getting first place is easy."

"Be a little more humble; if your dad hears you, he'll want to suppress your arrogance again," Lin Zhao bent her finger and tapped her son's forehead lightly.

"Okay, I'll be humble," Gu Hangbao put on a steady expression of having learned his lesson. "I still have to continue working hard and strive to get first place in every exam; is that okay?"

Lin Zhao pushed him away: "Exaggerated! Stop clowning around, go wash your hands."

Afterward, she pasted the two new award certificates on the award wall.

"Truly beautiful," she clapped her hands.

She had never had to worry about the twins' studies; Xiang Yubao was a self-disciplined youth, and under his influence, even someone as active as Gu Hangbao had never slacked off in his studies, and his grades had never been poor.

Looking at Lin Zhao's proud appearance, the two youths were very happy in their hearts, but Gu Hangbao said with his mouth: "We get them every year, what's so beautiful about them?"

Lin Zhao turned her head and gave him a white look: "If I don't look at them, you'll say I don't value you; being a person is truly difficult."

The youth, who had grown taller than Lin Zhao, put his arms around his mother's shoulders and said heroically: "I'm just joking! Mom, don't worry, there will be more next year; as long as the two of us are still in school, I guarantee we'll bring award certificates home every year."

Lin Zhao looked at her two tall and sturdy sons, her eyebrows and eyes brimming with smiles.

It was not in vain that she tried every way to supplement the children's nutrition every day; their height grew fast, and they were not yet fifteen, but they were already nearly one meter seventy.

"Next year you two will be in high school; time passes truly fast," Lin Zhao said with emotion.

Xiang Yubao looked at his mother and said earnestly: "Mom hasn't changed at all; you're still the same as when we came to follow the army."

He knew best what Lin Zhao cared about, and he provided plenty of emotional value.

Gu Hangbao retorted: "You've changed, you've changed; Mom is even better looking."

The brothers were sweeter-mouthed than the other, coaxing Lin Zhao until she was beaming with joy.

She said: "You can't relax in high school either; maybe you'll be lucky and happen to run into the restoration of the college entrance exam."

Xiang Yubao's eyes flickered; he regarded what his mother said as a golden rule; if Mom said the college entrance exam would be restored, then it would definitely be restored.

"Will Mom take the exam with us?" he asked.

"I will. I've always wanted to go to university; if it weren't for the nationwide famine, I would have been a university student more than ten years ago," Lin Zhao didn't regret it, however; she never looked back.

The life of these past ten-plus years had been peaceful and happy, and she had lived it very fully.

"So to say... we might become classmates..." Xiang Yubao was very excited.

Gu Hangbao's excited heart went thump-thump: "Mom, I want to take the exam for a university in the capital; you take the exam for a university in the capital too. By then I can help you fetch water, help you wash clothes, and we can go to class together, eat together, and on weekends the three of us can go out to play, climb the Great Wall, watch the flag-raising... just thinking about it makes it feel interesting. By then I can take lots of beautiful photos for Mom!"

Xiang Yubao was infected by what his younger brother said, his eyes shining: "Wherever Mom goes to university, I'll go; I want to be in the same university as Mom."

"Me too!" Gu Hangbao followed up.

Lin Zhao: "..."

"Let's talk about future matters in the future."

The college entrance exam would only be restored in October of the year after next; it was almost New Year's, so counting carefully, it was less than two years, just the right amount of time.

By that time, the twins would be sixteen, just right for university.

Xiang Yubao looked at his mother, determination revealing itself in his eyes.

He was definitely going to be in the same university as his mother.

Mom was beautiful and gentle; what if she was bullied? He had to watch over her.

In the blink of an eye, it was Lin Zhao's birthday.

Gu Chenghuai asked Old Han to make a cake that only city people ate for birthdays.

Old Han grumbled while making it.

He was a traditional imperial chef, yet the one surnamed Gu asked him to make some gadget introduced from abroad; wasn't this making things difficult for people?

Yet that person would come out with a line every now and then: "You owe me; you owe me a favor, it's been several years, I just want a cake, I promised my wife I would give her a surprise, you have to help me..."

Listen to that, is that something a human would say?

And it wasn't him who promised it.

If his father knew, he would scold him for forgetting his roots.

Damn.

In the very end, Chef Han still made it, with the help of his wife; his wife came from an extraordinary background and had eaten cake before.

Chef Han looked rough and rugged, but his hands were skillful; the cake he made was not only beautiful but also fragrant and sweet, dotted with seasonal fruits on top; placed there, it made people drool.

Han Shuang slurped her saliva: "Dad, it's truly fragrant! I didn't expect you to have this skill."

Chef Han couldn't help but glare at her: "You haven't eaten any less of the egg yolk pastries, cloud cakes, pineapple cakes... that I've made for you."

"I didn't say those weren't delicious, Dad, why are you so sensitive?" Han Shuang said unconvinced.

Life had been stable these past two years; she started growing her hair out, and the little girl with white skin and big eyes grew a head of slightly curly hair, as beautiful as a doll.

Her personality, however, was not quiet at all; she was fiery, spoke directly, and her father was often choked by her to the point where he didn't know what to say.

Chef Han took a deep breath, stopped paying attention to his leaky cotton-padded jacket, and as if showing off his skills, made several more types of Chinese-style pastries, intending to send them to the military region all at once.

Han Shuang hugged the gift she had prepared: "Dad, I'll go with you."

She smiled happily: "Aunt Lin invited me."

Chef Han: "..."

He was just a chef, a delivery person.

With a wooden face, he sent the cake and his leaky daughter to the military region together; Chef Han didn't linger and turned to leave.

Lin Zhao poked Gu Chenghuai: "Did you provoke Comrade Han again?"

Gu Chenghuai calmly denied: "No, I asked for help, my attitude was very proper; Old Han is just like that, no need to pay attention to him."

Old Han: Heh, ptooey.

Lin Zhao gave her man a look and left holding Han Shuang's hand.

Not wanting to be too conspicuous, Han Shuang wore a hat when she came to the military region, looking obedient and soft.

Seeing this little girl also jump out of the original book's plot and grow into the bright and confident appearance she had today, Lin Zhao was extremely gratified.

"Aunt Lin, this is the birthday gift I prepared for you; it's a handkerchief I embroidered myself, I hope you like it," Han Shuang handed the gift she brought to Lin Zhao. "My mother also prepared a gift, it's inside; look at it when you go back to the room."

Lin Zhao smiled and rubbed the little girl's curly and soft hair: "Help me thank your mother, and thank our Juan'er too."

"You're welcome, Aunt Lin; where are Zhiyu and Zhihang? I want to go find them," Han Shuang said.

After Xiang Yubao and Gu Hangbao entered junior high, except for Lin Zhao, no one was allowed to call them by their nicknames, and those who were close to the twins changed their forms of address.

Lin Zhao said: "The two of them went out and haven't come back yet; you sit and wait for a while."

Han Shuang sat obediently in the courtyard, her eyes always keeping an eye on the movement at the entrance.

Although she didn't live in the military region, she was sent here from time to time by her father, and her relationship with Xiang Yubao, Gu Hangbao, and the others was quite good.

The thing Han Shuang's father sent was quite large; Lin Zhao was curious about what was inside and followed him to the kitchen to see.

"What is this?" she asked Gu Chenghuai.

"Cake," Gu Chenghuai didn't keep her in suspense, let her take a look, and then covered the lid again.

Lin Zhao was amazed at a glance and praised: "As expected of a professional chef, it's truly beautiful."

Much better than her own skills.

For the past few years, she had been the one making them for the children; finally, it was her turn to eat, and this taste... truly not bad.

After looking at the cake, Lin Zhao pulled Gu Chenghuai back to the room to look at the birthday gift Han Shuang's mother and daughter had sent her.

Inside the embroidered cloth bag were several handkerchiefs with childish patterns, and at the very bottom was a dress that seemed somewhat bold by today's standards.

Blue and white floral fabric, halter-neck dress, V-neckline, waist-cinching fishtail design, fitting the curves of the waist and hips, the hem naturally draping...

Han Shuang's mother's aesthetic never went wrong; as expected of a young lady.

Lin Zhao held the dress in front of her and gestured, liking it extremely.

"Truly beautiful, it's a pity I can't wear it out."

But it's okay, in another two years she'll be able to wear it; this style will never go out of fashion.

Gu Chenghuai looked at the style of the dress and felt it was a bit... cough cough, revealing, but seeing that Zhao Zhao liked it, he didn't say anything unpleasant.

He could protect his wife; as long as she was happy, that was all that mattered.