Chapter 132: “there’s A Sound”
The twins said in unison: “The radio!!”
No one in Fengshou Brigade had a radio, and the little friends had never heard one. Their little faces were full of bewilderment.
“What’s this?”
“What does it do?”
“Never heard of it.”
Yu Bao sat on the big stone at the door of their new house, and the little friends surrounded him, sitting in a circle.
“My great uncle said that the radio can listen to stories, red songs, operas, and programs that forecast the weather…”
Yu Bao was a generous little friend and immediately invited his little partners. “We haven’t used it yet. Wait until Heng Bao and I listen, and you can join us too.”
“Um, we’ll listen together.” Heng Bao said too.
These were all his good friends, and he was willing to let them listen too.
When the little friends heard Yu Bao say that the radio could listen to stories, their eyes lit up.
“Yu Bao, are the stories on the radio the same as in picture books?” Yuan Bao leaned against Yu Bao and asked curiously.
The twins had lots of picture books and had lent them some, which were really good.
“Probably the same.” Yu Bao wasn’t sure either, but he thought the radio must be better than picture books.
“Then I want to listen.” Yuan Bao said excitedly. “Yu Bao, when are you going to listen?”
He was afraid of missing out and wanted to ask clearly when his little partners would listen.
Yu Bao: “No rush. I don’t know how to use it yet. Wait until Mom and Dad come back, and I’ll ask them to teach me. Once I learn, I’ll call you.”
Tie Niu was anxious. “Yu Bao, and me! And me! I want to listen to stories too!!”
“I’ll call you too. I’ll call all of you.” Yu Bao said.
Not far away, Song Yuncheng saw the twins commanding such a response and being so popular with the little friends. He tsked in admiration.
As expected of Comrade Lin Zhao’s kids. Look at this social ability—exactly like hers.
He called out: “Yu Bao, Heng Bao, I’m going to put away the things. Are you coming back?”
Yu Bao came back to his senses. “Yes.”
He stood up, patted his buttocks, waved to his little partners, held his younger brother’s and Little Tie Chui’s hands, and headed to the Gu house.
After getting home, the twins directed Song Yuncheng to put the things back in the room.
Song Yuncheng didn’t stay long and said goodbye to leave.
As soon as he left, Gu Mu called the twins over and got straight to the point. “Yu Bao, Heng Bao, did your mom get a job? Do you two know about it?”
The two little brothers exchanged a glance and saw confusion in each other’s eyes.
“We don’t know.” They both shook their heads at the same time.
Gu Mu was a bit disappointed but didn’t show it on her face. She still smiled at her grandsons. “Were you happy going to the city today? Are you hungry? Are Qian Bao and Yao Bao with your mom and dad behind?”
She asked several questions.
Yu Bao repeated to his grandma what he had told his little partners.
Gu Mu was relieved to hear that they had eaten well. It seemed that Third Son’s wife’s maternal family’s uncle had a good impression of Cheng Huai.
That was good!
Another half hour passed, and Lin Zhao and Gu Chenghuai finally got home.
After putting down Yao Bao, Lin Jiazhaozhao plopped down on the stool and shook her arm vigorously.
No matter how strong she was, holding for so long made her arm sore.
“Don’t shake so hard. Be careful not to strain a muscle. I’ll rub it for you.” Gu Chenghuai pulled over his wife’s arm and massaged it with just the right pressure.
“Mom, what’s wrong?” Yu Bao ran over, his little face full of worry.
“Held Yao Bao the whole way, arm is sore.” Lin Zhao said casually.
She had finally realized that Yao Bao was very clingy to her—super clingy.
She hoped that when she grew up and met the boy from the original book, he would listen to her too.
Yu Bao glanced at his sister, his eyes full of disapproval. He made up his mind to lecture Yao Bao about reason later.
Too naughty—how could she make Mom hold her the whole way!
He stepped forward half a step and raised his little fist to thump Mom’s back.
“Mom, I’ll thump for you.”
What a sweet kid this was.
“Thanks, baby.” Lin Zhao’s gaze was gentle.
Yu Bao’s face turned red, but his eyes didn’t dodge. “No need to thank me. I’m Mom’s son. Thumping Mom’s back is what I should do.”
He couldn’t let his brother take all the spotlight, so Heng Bao also stepped forward and pressed diligently.
Qian Bao couldn’t squeeze in, so he pouted, went to get his own dictionary, dragged over a small straw mat and spread it out, pulled his sister to sit next to Mom, focusing on companionship.
Gu Chenghuai: What a clever one.
While thumping Lin Zhao’s back, Heng Bao asked, “Mom, do you know how to use the radio?”
Lin Zhao suddenly understood.
No wonder they hadn’t gone out to play with their little partners—they were waiting here.
“I know. Wait until I rest a bit, and I’ll teach you.”
Heng Bao’s face lit up with joy.
In a moment, Lin Zhao recovered. “Alright, I’ll go wash my face. After washing, we’ll listen to the radio.”
“Mom, I’ll get water for you!” Yu Bao’s cheerful little milky voice rang out. He diligently went back inside to get a basin, then ran out da-da-da, scooping water with the gourd ladle.
“Thanks, Yu Bao.” Seeing her son’s mouth a bit dry, Lin Zhao asked, “Thirsty? If you are, have Dad fish out some mung bean soup from the well for you and your brother to share a small bowl.”
Drinking too much would cause diarrhea.
“Okay!” Yu Bao looked at Gu Chenghuai. “Dad, Mom says to fish out mung bean soup for us.”
“Got it.” Gu Chenghuai went to do the work, giving the twins a bowl and his wife a bowl.
Lin Zhao washed her face, took two sips of mung bean soup to quench her thirst, fetched the cloth bag containing the radio, unzipped it, and saw a kitten-shaped radio about half the size of her arm, sprayed with black and white paint, with no strange smell.
A very thoughtful gift.
“It’s a kitty!!” Heng Bao said loudly.
He gently touched the radio, the light in his eyes astonishingly bright.
Yu Bao touched it too, his eyes curving into crescents.
“Yes, it’s a kitty.” Lin Zhao saw a piece of paper at the bottom of the cloth bag with drawings and words on it— an instruction manual handwritten by Uncle Song.
“Your great uncle even wrote an instruction manual. So thoughtful.”
She followed the manual, turned the switch, and noisy sounds arose with static hisses. She pulled up the electric wire, fiddled a few times, and a song started.
“There’s sound!” Yu Bao said excitedly.
“Someone’s singing!” Heng Bao’s eyes shone. “Mom, let’s listen to the song. When I learn it, I’ll sing it for you.”
Lin Zhao guessed the kid liked this and didn’t touch it anymore. “Okay.”
She pointed to the switch again. “This is the off switch. If you don’t want to listen, turn it left.”
“Um um.” The twins responded, staring at the kitten radio—the more they looked, the more they liked it.
Great uncle is so nice.
Xing Ran and the other Gu family children didn’t go out to play either. They brought stools over, sat around the radio, and pricked up their ears to listen to the song.
If anyone spoke, they would be glared at by several pairs of eyes.
Lin Zhao stepped forward to turn up the volume. “This is the volume—it can be turned up or down.”
Yu Bao stepped forward to try it, and the red song on the radio went loud then soft.
The little friends’ eyes widened in amazement.
“So interesting.” He looked at Lin Zhao, eyes very bright. “Mom, does great uncle make radios?!”
Heng Bao looked at Mom too, his eyes even brighter than his brother’s.
He even admired the photo studio old master’s skills. Of course he wanted to learn his own great uncle’s techniques…
The twins were born to Lin Zhao, so of course she knew what the two kids were thinking.
“He doesn’t, but your great uncle knows people who do.”
She reached out and pinched Heng Bao’s mouth that wanted to speak, smiling. “You two work hard to get into university. Universities teach everything, and all the top experts are there. You can learn any skill.”
The twins didn’t bring it up for now. The Gu family children had full trust in this Third Aunt Lin Zhao.
She said the college entrance exam would resume sooner or later, and they all believed her.
Ever since classes stopped, that lazy, study-hating atmosphere hadn’t reached the Gu family yet.
“We will!”
“Go to university, learn skills!”
After shouting the slogan, they continued listening to the song intently.
Lin Zhao sat back down to keep drinking mung bean soup. Gu Mu called her. She was stunned for a moment and was about to get up when Gu Chenghuai pressed her shoulder. “You sit. I’ll go.”
He knew what his biological mother wanted to ask. He was worried it might cause a rift between them, so it was better if he handled it.
Lin Zhao looked thoughtful.
Gu Chenghuai went to the main house and asked directly, “Mom, you want to ask about the job, right?”
“You know?” Gu Mu blurted out.
“Yes.” Gu Chenghuai nodded. “Originally Zhaozhao wanted to give the job to Eldest Sister. I said it wasn’t appropriate and suggested she give it to Big Brother-in-law.”
Gu Mu was stunned for a moment, then raised her hand to slap her son’s arm, but lightened the force as it fell.
Old Three was a soldier, coming and going in wind and rain, getting injured from time to time. As his mother, her heart ached for him.
“You…” Gu Mu was so angry she didn’t know what to say.
Gu Chenghuai said, “Mom, that was a job your daughter-in-law found herself. Giving it to Eldest Sister would cause trouble, and it wouldn’t be appropriate for our family…”
He wasn’t the type to pull his wife’s things to his own side.
Gu Mu also knew it would cause trouble for A Chan. Eldest Daughter-in-law and Second Daughter-in-law would make a fuss, but…
In front of her own son, she had nothing she couldn’t say. “Qingzhou doesn’t have a job either.”
Gu Chenghuai was surprised. “Hasn’t Qingzhou graduated yet?”
“Yes, not graduated yet, but it’s soon…”
“He’s not planning to go to high school?” Gu Chenghuai frowned and interrupted his mother’s words.
Gu Mu’s face looked a bit unpleasant. She said, “Xing’er said some unpleasant things. Qingzhou said he won’t study anymore. After junior high graduation, he’ll find temporary work. If he can’t, he’ll come back to earn work points.”
“Qingzhou is stubborn. Your dad and I tried to persuade him, but it was no use.”
Gu Chenghuai’s brows furrowed tighter, a cold sharp light flashing in his eyes. “What did Gu Xing’er say? What right does she have to talk about Qingzhou!”
Gu Mu didn’t want to mention it. “Anyway, it wasn’t nice. You know your brother’s temperament—he’s sensitive. He absolutely refuses to study anymore.”
“I’ll go to Uncle’s house tomorrow to pick him up and persuade him on the way.” Gu Chenghuai wanted Qingzhou to go to high school. In the troops, people with higher education always developed better than those without.
“Okay!” Gu Mu responded happily. “Qingzhou listens to you. He’ll definitely listen to what you say.”
Gu Fu, who had been silent, also said, “High school is just two years and doesn’t cost much. Let him at least finish high school. After he graduates, whatever he wants to do, your mom and I won’t stop him.”
Getting to junior high wasn’t easy.
Qingzhou wasn’t like Xing’er, who failed exams every time. Qingzhou always came first. It would be too much of a pity not to go to high school.
Gu Chenghuai agreed, looking at his parents. “Dad, Mom, no matter if Qingzhou goes or not, I won’t abandon him.”
The year he went to serve as a soldier, Qingzhou smashed his own piggy bank and gave him all the money he had saved with great difficulty, crying and telling him to take care.
That amount of money…
—Nine yuan, eight jiao, and five fen.
Gu Chenghuai remembered that number clearly.
His little brother was educated, smart, and down-to-earth. Of course he wouldn’t watch him rot away in day-after-day labor.
He had already decided that when Qingzhou was about to graduate high school, he would find him a job.
Hearing their most capable Old Three say this, the old couple felt relieved.
Seeing Cheng Huai dawdling and not leaving right away, how could Gu Mu not know what he was thinking? She smiled. “Don’t worry, I’ll persuade your sister-in-law. I won’t let them babble nonsense in front of your wife… and make your wife unhappy. Go busy yourself.”
His mind was full of his wife—this kid was beyond saving!
Gu Chenghuai’s brows relaxed. “Thanks, Mom.”
He turned and left the room.
Lin Zhao saw the kids’ dad come out and asked curiously, “What was it?”
“Nothing. I’m going to Uncle’s house tomorrow to pick up Qingzhou.” Gu Chenghuai said.
Gu Mu’s maternal family was very far away, and the road was full of potholes with no end in sight. Lin Zhao had only gone once and never wanted to go again.
“What time?”
“I’ll go right after dropping you off.”
“There’s candy in the cabinet—take some as you see fit.” Lin Zhao said straightforwardly. “You only go once in a long time, so bring more things. There’s a bottle of oil in the corner of the cabinet—take it.”
Gu Chenghuai’s stern brows and eyes suddenly softened, his deep voice tinged with laughter. “You’re even willing to part with oil.”
What was there not to part with?
A barrel of oil was nothing.
In the original book, when the third son was abducted, many people from Gu Mu’s maternal family also went out. They went to the train station and places with lots of people to help search, holding wooden signs and asking everyone they saw, walking until their feet were worn out.
The Gu family members searched for as long as they did.
“Take some White Rabbit Toffee too. Don’t be stingy. I’ll buy more if it’s gone.”
Gu Chenghuai said warmly, “Okay.”
“There seems to be a cured sausage in the room—take that too.”
“Okay.”
…
The twins figured out the radio and were thinking of letting their little partners listen together, so Yu Bao asked, “Mom, can we take the radio to the door?”
“Yes, but don’t break it.” Lin Zhao said. “This is a gift your great uncle specially prepared for you. It’s very troublesome to make, so cherish it, okay?”
“Got it!!” Heng Bao said loudly.
Yu Bao remembered the photos and said, “Mom, where are Yuan Bao and their photos? Can I give them to them?”
“I would have forgotten if you didn’t say. I’ll get them.”
Lin Zhao walked into the room as she spoke.
She took out the paper package containing the photos from her shoulder bag, selected the ones of the village little friends while walking out, and let the twins deliver them.
The twins had just seen their own photos, and the two little brothers both grinned.
“This is me and Tie Chui’s photo!!” Heng Bao’s smile was brilliant.
Little Tie Chui corrected him. “Heng Bao, I’m not called Tie Chui anymore. I’m Li Bao now.”
Heng Bao said righteously, “No, when we took the photo, you were still Tie Chui. You’re Li Bao now.”
“The people in the photo are Tie Chui and Er Zai, right?” Tie Chui’s smile was honest and simple.
“Yes!” Heng Bao answered, imitating Lin Zhao to praise his good brother. “Tie Chui is awesome.”
The little friend grinned widely.
The other Gu family members saw their own photos and were all very happy. They washed their hands thoroughly twice before touching them for fear of getting them dirty.
“This is me.” Huang Xiulan said.
Zhao Liuniang saw her collar flipped up in the photo and was extremely annoyed. “Aiya, my collar is sticking up. I checked the mirror several times at the time.”
“My hair is covering my eyes!” Tie Dan wailed.
Lai Mei put her hands on her hips, tone smug. “I stand so straight—looks like a little soldier! I’m very satisfied, quite satisfied!!”
Gu Lan had her first photo in life. She stared at the photo in her palm, feeling her palm sweat, and quickly put it on the table, wiping her hands on her clothes three times.
So nice.
Gu Fu and Gu Mu were also looking at the photos, their hearts full of mixed feelings.
At their age, being able to leave a few photos—who was more awesome than them?
“Third Daughter-in-law, you took them really well.” Gu Mu praised.
Lin Zhao’s lips curved up. “We’ll take more at New Year.”
She thought this small amount of money was well spent.
After the twins finished looking, they gave the photos to Lin Zhao to keep, took the radio and photos, and left the Gu house.
As soon as they reached the door, they saw Yuan Bao and the others rushing out.
“Yu Bao!”
“Heng Bao!”
“You finally came out!”
