Chapter 72

Gu Fu had previously gone to the county seat to see Gu Chan.

She was indeed scared, but she still wouldn't admit her mistakes; she cursed and complained about him as a father, without a shred of respect.

He didn't hold any expectations that Gu Chan could change for the better.

Gu Mu, however, believed that after such a scare and receiving education, perhaps Chan would be scared out of her wits and wouldn't be so willful anymore.

"I hope Chan learns a lesson and can be a bit more sensible."

Being timid is better than that state she's in now.

Lin Zhao and the two sisters-in-law exchanged a look, both shaking their heads in their hearts, feeling that it was probably impossible.

A dog can't change its habit of eating feces.

You have to listen to the ancestors' lessons.

Gu Chan is sixteen, not six; her temperament was set long ago, so it would be strange if she could change.

Fortunately, they had separated the family.

Lin Zhao was incomparably glad.

Before she awakened, she had done something proper, like making a fuss about separating the family.

Her eyes showed traces of a smile; she gave herself a thumbs-up and glanced at the cubs' father with a haughty look.

She had shaken off a plaster, eh.

Gu Chenghuai raised his eyebrows and smiled.

"It's getting late; if you have anything to say, say it tomorrow, let's all wash up and sleep." Gu Fu felt sorry for his third son's hard journey, so even though he had too much to say, he held it back and let the family sleep first.

"Right, right, right, listen to your father. Third son, you sleep well tonight, and we'll talk tomorrow." Gu Mu followed suit.

Thinking that she didn't know how many days her son would stay this time, she asked: "Third son, how many days are you staying this time?"

Gu Chenghuai looked at his wife and said: "I can stay for more than a month."

He would leave after Zhaozhao's birthday.

Lin Zhao's birthday is in August.

"More than a month, eh." Gu Mu was full of smiles, "Good, good, good, tell Mom what you want to eat, and Mom will make it for you."

Speaking of cooking, it reminded Gu Chenghuai of something.

"Mom, where are you injured?" As an excellent soldier, his sense of smell was quite sharp; he smelled the medicinal scent on Gu Mu, and could even name a few of the ingredients.

Gu Mu was very pleased with her son's concern and said with a smile: "I did get a little hurt, but it's mostly healed; don't worry, it's nothing."

It was indeed much better.

The medicine given by the third daughter-in-law was better than the barefoot doctor's medicine.

If it weren't for the fact that she ran too fast when she suddenly heard her son was back, the most serious wound that had already scabbed over wouldn't have split open.

No way around it; as a mother, she hadn't seen her son for nearly two years, so she was too happy.

Gu Chenghuai saw that Gu Mu's complexion was indeed quite good, so he relaxed and said concernedly: "Nourish your body well before the injury heals; we'll handle the family matters."

"Mm." Gu Mu responded, urged the family to go back to their rooms to sleep so as not to waste lamp oil, and went back to her room with the old man.

The boys of the first and second branches were urged by their parents to wash their feet.

Bang Bang took his younger brothers and sisters to wash, and Gu Lan took Yu Yu and Fourth Cub.

Over here, Gu Chenghuai took the luggage into the room, and Lin Zhao followed behind the man.

His sharp eyes scanned the furnishings in the room and found that they were exactly the same as when they had just gotten married; Gu Chenghuai put down his things and wrapped his long arms around Lin Zhao.

"Wife." He called out in a low voice, lowering his head to kiss Lin Zhao.

He didn't dare to be presumptuous, just kissing the corners of her mouth with restraint and forbearance.

The handsome young military officer had been trained for years and had raw strength; he could lift his slender wife with one hand, and with a little effort, Lin Zhao was lifted off the ground.

"..."

She was annoyed and hit him.

"Can you give me a heads-up beforehand? You're so annoying." Lin Zhao complained in a soft voice, reaching out to wrap her arms around Gu Chenghuai's neck, her soft red lips lightly touching his chin.

Gu Chenghuai felt secretly pleased.

His cold brows and eyes rippled with smiles, as if ice and snow were melting.

The man had taken off his coat while eating, and now he was wearing a military green shirt with the hem tucked into his trousers, showing off his broad shoulders, narrow waist, and long legs.

The most scheming part was that the collar of his shirt was half-open, and as he moved, his firm, solid muscles were vaguely visible.

Lin Zhao was particularly susceptible to this side of him.

Her red lips curled up, her eyes and brows full of pleasure, and her slender, fair fingers touched Gu Chenghuai's neck.

Her fingers felt like they were carrying electricity.

Gu Chenghuai easily caught her wrist and laughed in a low voice.

"Not letting me touch you?" Lin Zhao smiled.

Her fingertips were kissed.

A low, hoarse laugh came from her ear, "I'll let you, tonight we'll..."

Lin Zhao broke free from his hand, her fingertips lightly tapping Gu Chenghuai's chest, her eyes full of calm insight.

She smiled, "Scheming."

Gu Chenghuai smiled without a word...

Lin Zhao used force with her arms, and his neck was forced to tilt forward; the Battalion Commander's tone was slightly helpless, "Zhaozhao, if you use any more strength, I'll have to go find an old Chinese doctor for acupuncture again."

Thinking that old Chinese doctors were currently in a high-risk profession and it was hard to say if he could even find one, he sighed lightly.

Lin Zhao felt a bit guilty and quietly let go of her strength.

"Old Chinese doctors are currently..." her words trailed off.

Gu Chenghuai's expression was gentle, "Don't be afraid; our family's background is upright, so no matter how chaotic it is outside, it won't affect us. No matter what happens, I'm here; I can protect you all."

A military officer who had been on the battlefield and was decisive in killing—not everyone dared to, or could, provoke him.

Lin Zhao certainly believed him.

It's just that.

She subconsciously grabbed Gu Chenghuai's collar, using force unconsciously, which made his collar messy, vaguely revealing...

Lin Zhao didn't have the heart to *hiss-ha-hiss-ha* for the moment, her gaze fixed on Gu Chenghuai, "My dad, he..."

Gu Chenghuai thought his wife was going to say something alarming, but it turned out to be about his father-in-law.

He lowered his head to kiss Zhaozhao, barely satisfying his craving, and before his wife could punch him, he said: "Don't worry, I've solved it all; Dad's background won't be a problem."

Lin Zhao's brows relaxed; she cupped Gu Chenghuai's face with her hands, her eyes shining brightly, her tone light and containing excitement, "How did you manage that?"

In the original book, the rural class background division was coming up, and her father was classified as a "Rightist" element.

The man deliberately kept her in suspense, pointing to his handsome face, wanting a reward.

Lin Zhao really wanted to hit him; she pouted and kissed the cubs' father on the lips, sucking hard with a *pop* sound.

"Tell me quickly!" she urged.

Gu Chenghuai pulled Lin Zhao to sit down; thinking of something, his eyes became deep, and his thin lips pressed into a sharp line.

"You know, I came back from Haicheng, and the situation there isn't exactly good."

"I'm a soldier, and my sense of smell for danger is quite sharp; I've concluded that the upcoming turmoil won't end very quickly."

"After I got back, I went to find Yang Junzhi, first to drop off my luggage, and second because I wanted to know if there was any movement in the county."

"I heard from him that the class background division documents were distributed a while ago, and they will be collected back at the latest by next week."

"I asked him to help keep an eye on Dad's background."

For both the Gu and Lin families, the Gu family had been poor peasants for five generations, and their ancestors were dirt poor, and they were still poor now, so there was nothing to fear.

The Lin family was different; Lin Heling's air and manner of speaking looked extraordinary. Not to mention that there were many people who knew his background, so they had to be on guard.

Lin Zhao gripped Gu Chenghuai's arm, "But I heard that the matter of background division has nothing to do with the county government."

"The Yang family's old man holds a high position."

Lin Zhao understood.

She let out a long sigh of relief, wrapped her arms around Gu Chenghuai's neck, and kissed him twice.

"Cubs' father, you are just too capable, too reliable!!"

Gu Chenghuai was coaxed into a broad smile.

"Solving all worries for my wife is what I should do; otherwise, what do I exist for?"

He then said in a tone that was casual yet revealed a bit of seriousness: "If you run into any trouble, tell me; I'm still very useful."

His resentment over Zhaozhao not writing to him for so long was bigger than the entire Milky Way.

Lin Zhao covered her mouth and laughed, "You're blaming me, complaining that I didn't write letters often enough."

"You're my leader; how would I dare." Gu Chenghuai lowered his eyes; clearly a big guy who could knock out an adult with two punches, he insisted on putting on a wronged look, like a lost Golden Retriever.

Lin Zhao pulled his hand, leaned her face over to look at him, and said softly: "I didn't mean not to write, I..."

She didn't know what was wrong with herself either.

Everything was fine before they got married and just after they got married, but after giving birth to the twins, she felt like a different person.

She even felt like a stranger to herself.

No wonder Gu Chenghuai felt so wronged.

Just imagine, your newlywed wife, who was originally intimate, suddenly turns cold toward you—who could handle that?!

"Just pretend my brain was broken; after you go back to the army, I'll write to you every day, okay?" The guilty little wife coaxed him patiently.

Gu Chenghuai frowned, correcting her statement, "It's not your problem."

"Hm?" Lin Zhao was puzzled.

"Blame the four cubs." His wife had just turned cold toward him, and Gu Chenghuai didn't know why, so he had asked many people for the reason.

He heard that someone who had studied abroad had come to the military district hospital, so he went specifically to ask; that person happened to know a little bit and said that giving birth had a huge impact on women, not just on their bodies, but also on their mental state.

"... I'm also to blame." Gu Chenghuai honestly admitted his mistake.

Lin Zhao didn't follow his train of thought and asked suspiciously: "Why are you to blame?"

Gu Chenghuai didn't deliberately hide it and told his wife what he had learned, his pitch-black eyes full of heartache.

Zhaozhao gave birth to twins, which was harder than for other mothers.

He really wasn't a human being.

Lin Zhao knew her own situation, and it was completely different from what the cubs' father said.

She didn't explain, but smiled: "Since you feel guilty, you should treat me even better."

Gu Chenghuai held her hand with a little force, his expression firm, "I will; I will treat you well for the rest of my life, only treat you well."

Lin Zhao rested her forehead on his shoulder, the smile in her eyes deepening.

"Zhaozhao, shall I take you back to your parents' home tomorrow?" Gu Chenghuai offered.

"Okay." Lin Zhao responded; speaking of going home, she remembered the background division matter again.

She raised her head, looked at Gu Chenghuai earnestly, and asked: "Gu Chenghuai, if—I'm just saying if—if that time I had been smashed to death by your sister..."

Gu Chenghuai heard this, his heart feeling like it was being gnawed by ten thousand ants, his whole body radiating low pressure.

Lin Zhao didn't give him a chance to speak, her words continuing: "And my dad was labeled a 'Rightist' again, would you still protect my family?"

"Of course I would." Gu Chenghuai frowned and said without hesitation, unable to understand why Zhaozhao would ask such a question.

"But..." he lowered his eyes and said again: "If you... I would lose more than half my life."

"Zhaozhao, don't make such assumptions; you must be well, you must be well." Gu Chenghuai cupped Lin Zhao's face, his black eyes gazing at her as if he were holding a delicate flower.

Anyone who hurts Zhaozhao must go to hell.

Fierce energy surged in his eyes.

"I'm well; we will all be well." Lin Zhao shook his arm, her smile bright.

This man valued her more than anything else; it was her good fortune.

The bamboo curtain was lifted, and it was actually Third Cub.

"Third Cub is here, come, Mom will give you a hug." Lin Zhao beckoned to her youngest son.

Third Cub's pitch-black, clear eyes looked at her steadily, as if he sighed, before he stepped with his short legs toward his mother.

He was the same age as his younger sister; Fourth Cub walked wobblily, like a cute little penguin, but he wasn't—he walked very steadily, didn't talk much, but spoke more fluently than Fourth Cub.

"Mom~~" the little child called out in a milky voice.

Lin Zhao picked up her son and kissed his little cheek, "Whose cub is this, how is he so cute!"

Third Cub's eyes curved, smiling very reservedly without making a sound.

Gu Chenghuai saw that his feet were wet, came to his senses, took a foot-wiping cloth, half-squatted down, and wiped his son's feet.

The little bun's feet were very small, not even as big as his hand, white and tender, making one's heart feel soft.

Third Cub buried his face in Lin Zhao's chest, secretly watching his father who was wiping his feet.

"Third Cub, why did you come into the room? Where are your brother and sister?" Lin Zhao touched her youngest son's hair; his hair was very soft, which he inherited from her.

"Take..." Third Cub pointed to the foot-wiping cloth in Gu Chenghuai's hand.

"Taking the foot-wiping cloth, eh." Lin Zhao said softly.

The cubs took turns doing chores, so it wasn't strange for Third Cub to come in to get it.

"Mm." Third Cub responded, reached out to Gu Chenghuai for the cloth, and didn't forget to thank his father, "Thank you, Dad."

His voice carried the softness and sweetness unique to a young child.

Gu Chenghuai looked at his youngest son, who looked extremely similar to him, and his love for Third Cub was no less.

He bent down and reached out to Third Cub, "Come, Dad will carry you out."

Third Cub opened his arms.

Father and son looked alike, and up close they looked even more like they were cast from the same mold; at a glance, you could tell they were related.

"Cubs' father, I've discovered that the way you hold the children makes you look even more handsome." Lin Zhao raised her hand to straighten his collar.

Gu Chenghuai's eyes were gentle.

Suddenly, he pressed his son's head to his shoulder, lowered his head to kiss his wife, smiled in a way that was both roguish and handsome, and carried Third Cub out of the room.

Lin Zhao was slightly stunned, her lips curling up.

Gu Chenghuai carried his son into the courtyard; Fourth Cub saw her brother being carried and also reached out her hands to be held.

"Dad, want a hug~!"

Lin Zhao smiled: "Fourth Cub's speech has become fluent, really great."

Fourth Cub sat on a small wooden stool, her two feet soaking in a wooden basin; praised by her mother, her eyes curved into smiles, and she reached out to touch her own head.

"Cub is great." The little milky voice was sweet.

Gu Chenghuai didn't put Third Cub down, letting the child hang on him, and wiped the feet of the three cubs one by one, finally stretching out his arm to pick up his little daughter at the same time.

The twins were lifted high at the same time, slowly grinning and showing identical smiles, saying one after another: "Dad is really good~~"

Seeing Dazai and Hearing Erzai were so old, and this was the first time their father had wiped their feet, so they were dazed.

"Dad wiped my feet?" Hearing Erzai's tone was full of disbelief.

Neither the eldest uncle nor the second uncle had ever wiped Tie Chui's feet; at most, they would impatiently throw the cloth at them.

"Dad wiped mine too!" Seeing Dazai emphasized and added.

"I think..." Hearing Erzai weighed his words, smiling, "Dad is actually quite good."

Lin Zhao was smug, "I told you your dad was very good, didn't I?"

"Yeah, Dad is really good." Hearing Erzai's hostility toward his father decreased by a large margin, but he didn't forget to point at Gu Chenghuai: "If Dad would stop clinging to Mom, that would be even better."

"... Who is your mother to me?" Gu Chenghuai asked with a cold face.

"My mom? My mom is your wife." Hearing Erzai had an expression that said, *How could you not even know this? *

"As long as you know that; your mother is my wife first, and then your mother, understand?" Gu Chenghuai's expression was serious.

His temperament was cold and hard; when he wasn't smiling, that coldness felt like a freezing frost and rain hitting one's face.

The twins didn't dare to make a sound.

At this moment, Fourth Cub leaned her head over and left a wet saliva print on Gu Chenghuai's face.