Chapter 13: “lin He Ling”
Lin Mu smiled and said, “No beating, no talent.”
Little Bald Head Er Zai, who had just had his head shaved, was eating rice. He nodded along, seemingly very much agreeing with his grandmother’s words.
Lin Zhao picked up a dumpling for him with her chopsticks, then picked one up for Little Bald Head Da Zai, and laughed, “What are you nodding about? Do you want me to beat you two a few times too?”
“Plop—!”
The dumpling on Er Zai’s chopsticks fell into his bowl. The little friend looked terrified. “Mom beats people too?”
Da Zai was also a bit nervous, his thin little face scrunched up.
When Mom beat him, could she avoid Er Zai? He didn’t want to lose face.
Lin Zhao nearly died laughing inside but pretended to be serious. “If you two behave, you won’t get beaten. If you’re naughty, remember it, and wait for your dad to come back to beat you. Comrade Gu Chenghuai has muscles all over his body, full of strength—beating hurts the most.”
Da Zai & Er Zai looked shocked: “!!!”
In just a few breaths, the meat dumplings from White Flour weren’t tasty anymore.
“Pfft…” Lin Shisheng couldn’t help laughing. “Zhaozhao, look how scared you’ve made the two little ones. You’re scaring your own kids—are you their biological mother?”
“Yes, their dear biological mother.” Lin Zhao couldn’t help but grin too.
Lin Mu glared at her two unreliable siblings and comforted her grandsons. “Your mom is joking with you. Your dad is a great hero defending the home and country. He only beats bad guys, not kids. Eat up quickly.”
Er Zai felt relieved and ate the dumplings in big bites, using his mouth to save face for himself. “I know Mom is teasing us. Mom says we’re her treasure eggs. If Dad beats us, Mom will definitely protect us. Mom wouldn’t bear to let us get beaten.”
“Er Zai is so smart.” Lin Mu thought her grandson was really smart. “Da Zai is smart too.”
Lin Zhao had made a lot of dumplings. Lin Shisheng ate fine grains until he was stuffed—this was the most satisfied he’d ever been in his life.
He sipped the dumpling soup, sighing with complex emotions. “Zhaozhao, your cooking skills are getting better and better. It’s your brother-in-law’s good fortune to marry you.”
Lin Zhao’s eyes flickered as she casually probed. “Did Second Brother and Second Sister-in-law have another fight?”
Not wanting to mention his frustrating wife, Lin Shisheng changed the subject. “Has your brother-in-law said when he’ll have time to come home visit relatives?”
“No.” Lin Zhao thought of the letter she’d sent—her children’s dad should receive it soon.
She looked forward to a reply.
Lin Mu understood her son-in-law had a tough job, full of danger and hardship, and comforted her daughter. “Cheng Huai’s job is dangerous and tiring. Write him a few more letters when you have time.”
“Mm-hmm.” Lin Zhao nodded.
Lin Mu knew her daughter well. Though spoiled and unable to endure hardship, she never made empty promises—if she agreed, it meant she’d taken it to heart.
This visit, Zhaozhao’s temperament had changed quite a bit.
Lin Mu used the bib tied around Si Zai’s neck to wipe her face, casually saying, “Zhaozhao has finally grown up. I still remember when you were in first year of junior high and refused to stay at your uncle’s house, insisting on going home. Your eldest brother and second brother picked you up and dropped you off at school every day…”
Lin Shisheng looked at his mom, wanting to say something, but was stopped by Lin Mu’s glance.
“Mom remembers wrong.” Lin Zhao held San Zai in her arms and wiped his hands. “It wasn’t first year of junior high, it was first year of high school. And I only stayed home for two days—too cold to bear, so I still went to my uncle’s house.”
Laughter overflowed in Lin Mu’s eyes, and her heavy heart settled back in place.
It was her daughter.
She must have come to her senses.
“You still remember. I thought you’d forgotten. Visit your uncle when you have time.”
Lin Zhao had no idea that her changes after awakening made her mom think she’d been possessed by something evil.
Thinking of her uncle, Lin Zhao felt deeply guilty.
“Mom, does my uncle… blame me?”
She didn’t say the last two words. She really was an ungrateful wolf—her uncle blaming her was only right.
“Zhaozhao, don’t overthink it. Your uncle doesn’t blame you. He misses you a lot and is a bit heartbroken. Just go see him, and it’ll all be fine. Your uncle has been so good to you—paying for your schooling, saving all the good food for you. He’s never been mad at you.” Lin Shisheng comforted her a few words.
He cleared the bowls himself and went to the kitchen to wash them.
Lin Mu never spoiled boys. Second Uncle Lin and his brothers all did housework. Before Lin Zhao married, she’d washed dishes no more than ten times.
“I’ll go see my uncle.” Lin Zhao said. Even if he scolded her, she’d accept it—she really had no conscience.
“Mm. Go check the vegetable garden—see if you’re satisfied. With your second brother here, boss him around as you like.” Lin Mu didn’t want her daughter upset and changed the topic.
Lin Zhao went to the backyard. The vegetable garden was fenced with bamboo slices only up to calf height. A wooden rack against the wall made it easy to grow beans and loofahs. The small vegetable patch was neatly arranged in rows.
The vegetable garden thoroughly soothed Er Zai’s obsessive-compulsive tendencies. He exclaimed, “Second Uncle is so awesome! Mom, our family’s vegetable garden is just like Grandmother’s house now!”
Lin Zhao was very satisfied too.
Not long after eating, Lin Mu and Lin Shisheng were heading home.
Da Zai and Er Zai were especially reluctant to see them go, water welling up in their eyes.
Lin Zhao touched the two boys’ little bald heads—the stubble felt prickly and not comfortable, but at least it had destroyed the lice breeding ground.
“I’ll take you to Grandmother’s house another day.”
Er Zai instantly beamed and asked excitedly, “When? I miss Grandfather.”
“I miss him too. I want to hear Grandfather’s stories—I love them.” Da Zai said.
Lin Zhao chuckled lightly. “What a coincidence—I like them too.”
Her dad had a mysterious background, wandering here due to warfare when he was only about ten. His head had been injured, memories jumbled—he didn’t remember where his home was, only that his surname was Lin and his name Lin Heling.
He could read and draw, full of knowledge, able to tell any story, and handsome too. In her maternal grandma’s words, her dad standing there was like a noble young master from the opera—strikingly handsome, good-looking everywhere.
Lin Zhao prepared plenty of good things—canned food, brown sugar, meat, and dried noodles—and wanted Lin Mu and Lin Shisheng to take them back, but they refused.
Even when Lin Zhao got angry, they wouldn’t take them. With no other way, Lin Zhao boiled a bowl of dumplings, packed them in a lunchbox, and made her mom take it back for her dad.
“It’s for my dad. If Mom won’t take it, I’ll deliver it myself.” Lin Zhao was very unhappy.
She resented her mom for being so distant.
Those things were from her lucky draws—she wanted to be filial to her parents, it had nothing to do with the Gu Family. Yet her mom said they treated her badly.
Lin Zhao specifically pointed out the dumplings were her filial piety to her dad, so Lin Mu couldn’t refuse.
“Alright, Mom will take it. My daughter knows filial piety now— it’ll make your dad happy too.”
Lin Zhao didn’t smile. “Those other things are my filial piety to you and Dad too. Why won’t you take them?”
“You’re a mom of four now—how are you still so clueless? If I took them, what would your reputation be? Everyone in the village would point at your backbone, saying you’re secretly subsidizing your maternal family behind the Gu Family’s back. Your dad always says public opinion is fearsome. You might not think of this, but Mom can’t harm you.” Lin Mu said earnestly.
“But…” Those things had nothing to do with the Gu Family.
She couldn’t say that outright.
Lin Zhao felt a bit stifled.
No job, not financially independent—she couldn’t even be filial to her parents.
“Mom knows you’re filial. Our family is poor but we don’t lack food. Save those good things for Da Zai and the others. As long as you take good care of the kids and give Mom less to worry about, Mom will be at ease.” Lin Mu smiled and patted her daughter’s hand, then gave Da Zai and Er Zai a bunch of instructions before leaving with Lin Shisheng.
Everyone in Fengshou Brigade ran into them.
“Da Zai’s grandmother is heading back already?”
“Why not stay longer?”
“Lin Sister-in-law saw her daughter and is going back?”
…
No matter what they thought inside, people in Fengshou Brigade kept up appearances.
Lin Mu was the type to respond to kindness but not force, and she smiled and chatted with them. “Yes, heading back—there’s stuff at home.”
After a few words, the two from the Lin Family left.
At the village entrance, locals were still talking.
“Cheng Huai’s wife is so fortunate—even after marrying out, her maternal family still thinks of her. I saw her mom and brother bring her a basket of eggs and a fat fish. The Lin Family really dotes on their daughter.”
“Yeah, in ten miles and eight villages, I’ve never seen a family dote on their daughter like the Lin Family. If not for them spoiling her, Cheng Huai’s wife wouldn’t be so lazy.”
“They even gave fish—that’s meat. The Lin Family is really generous.”
“I heard Da Zai’s grandmother rushed over in a panic as soon as she heard her daughter bumped her head. The Lin Family is so protective—if Gu Xing’er hadn’t been beaten?”
A group of women chattered nonstop like weasels in a melon field.
Someone in the know looked around, saw no one coming, and lowered her voice. “She was beaten, howling in pain. It was Da Zai’s second uncle who did it.”
One of them shifted to a more comfortable sitting position, eyes lighting up, and hurriedly asked, “The Gu Family members didn’t stop it?”
“Stop what? You wouldn’t stop it either if it were you.” The well-informed woman said.
This instantly hooked everyone’s interest.
“Tell us in detail…”
The woman, stared at by several pairs of eyes, was immensely satisfied and recounted what she’d heard with passionate flair, spittle flying.
After hearing it, someone said, “I haven’t heard that Gu Laotai went to the Gu Family’s third branch to settle accounts.”
“Da Zai’s grandmother is a village bully—heard she killed someone before. No one who clashes with her ends up well. Gu Xing’er’s grandma is old—how dare she go? She still wants to live a few more years.” Another woman guessed.
What this person didn’t know was that, by a twist of fate, she’d guessed Gu Nai Nai’s thoughts pretty accurately.
“Gu Xing’er is weird too. She doesn’t clash with Yuan Bao’s Mother or Bang Bang’s mother—instead she picks on Da Zai’s mom. What is that? Like they say, meeting means mutual hatred—they fight on sight?” The speaking aunt mended a hole in her trousers while voicing her confusion.
There were no fools in the group.
A woman in a blue shirt smiled faintly. “Cheng Huai’s allowance gets higher every year. After he married, he hands over less and less money. The benefits Gu Xing’er can get are fewer and fewer—how can she not resent it?”
“Tsk! Cheng Huai can’t just not marry, right? He has to start a family. Gu Xing’er’s temperament… is a bit domineering.”
They were all sharp— with a little thought, they knew exactly what Gu Xing’er was thinking.
While Gu Xing’er was unaware, her repeated troublemaking had affected her reputation.
No impact visible short-term, but when she got older, she’d have reason to cry.
–
Gu Family’s Third Branch.
Lin Zhao finished sewing two outfits and called to Da Zai and Er Zai in the yard. “Da Zai, Er Zai, come in and try on your new clothes.”
The two little friends ran into the room pattering.
Seeing the two identical short shirts and black pants, they grinned happily.
“Thanks, Mom.” Da Zai’s voice lilted lightly, his eyes bright.
Er Zai’s mouth nearly split to the back of his head as he immediately started undressing to try them on.
Seeing this, Da Zai hurriedly did the same.
Their parents were both good-looking, so none of the Gu kids were ugly. Da Zai and Er Zai ran up mountains and down rivers all day, tanned pitch-black, but from their features, you could tell they weren’t bad-looking.
Clean brows and eyes, the same perky nose as their dad, lips neither thick nor thin—just right, even their head shapes better than the village kids by a mile.
Even bald, they were clear-eyed and handsome.
Just a bit dark.
Usually in ragged clothes, it wasn’t obvious. In new clothes, they looked like different people.
Da Zai smoothed down the hem neatly and looked up at Lin Zhao, tiny expectations shimmering in his eyes. “Mom?”
Lin Zhao met a pair of clear, black-and-white bright eyes. She took his hand, pulled him close, looked him up and down, smiled, and nodded. “Good-looking, very good-looking, handsome just like your dad.”
Under her praise, Da Zai’s face grew redder. He was shy, but bubbling with joy inside.
Er Zai was a little friend who couldn’t stay quiet for a second and crowded over too.
“Mom, what about me?” He blinked big eyes, righteously demanding praise.
“You’re good-looking too.” Lin Zhao was amused by his little expression.
Er Zai: “…” That’s it?
He asked anxiously, “Am I handsome like Dad too?”
Da Zai thought his brother was so dumb and said, “Er Zai, you look just like me. I’m handsome like Dad, so you must be too.”
Er Zai giggled. “I forgot.”
“Mom, can Brother and I go out?” he asked.
Lin Zhao gave Er Zai a look, knowing full well inside. “Want to go show off again?”
“Mom~~” Er Zai’s voice waved coquettishly.
“Not yet—clothes need to be washed first before wearing.” Lin Zhao explained gently. “Take them off for now. Mom will wash them later. It’s hot; they’ll dry by early morning tomorrow. You can show off then.”
Da Zai thought of how hard his mom worked making the clothes. As he undressed, he said, “Mom, we’ll wash them ourselves, right Er Zai?”
What could Er Zai say? Of course agree.
“Right, we’ll wash them ourselves.”
Lin Zhao stood, stretched her stiff body, and said, “Fine, I’ll watch you wash. Da Zai, grab the laundry soap—you know which one?”
“I know.” Da Zai went inside for the laundry soap.
It wasn’t so hot now, and it was still light out. Lin Zhao took the kids to the riverbank.
The riverbank was cool, lots of people—some washing clothes, mischievous little boys rolling up trouser legs to fish, others chatting while enjoying the breeze…
Yuan Bao’s Mother was washing clothes too and was surprised to see Lin Zhao, greeting her warmly. “Cheng Huai’s wife is here too.”
Lin Zhao smiled. “Out for a stroll.”
Da Zai and Er Zai found a sloped stone slab and squatted side by side. They wet their tops first, soaped them up, rubbed and scrubbed—actions skilled, clearly not their first time.
“Da Zai, Er Zai, use more laundry soap.” Lin Zhao held San Zai and Si Zai, who wanted to step in the water, keeping the two little ones back.
Yuan Bao’s Mother and the other women washing clothes were dumbfounded.
“Da Zai’s mom, you don’t even wash clothes for the kids?” An older aunt looked disapproving.
Before Lin Zhao could speak, Da Zai said seriously, “Er Zai and I can wash ourselves. Mom worked hard making the clothes.”
“…?” What’s hard about making clothes!
“Is making clothes harder than earning work points?” Chang Sheng’s Mother couldn’t hold back and said to Lin Zhao’s face, “Your mom is just lazy.”
