Chapter 12: “little Yezi’s Birthmark”
“Zhaozhao, child, you have to put some effort in. Don’t rely on your mother-in-law for everything. The Gu Family has so many children, Cheng Huai’s mother’s energy is limited. The children are born by you; you can’t leave everything to others. Mother didn’t teach you like that.” Lin Mu earnestly advised.
She knew her daughter’s situation these past few years and thought her daughter had it hard, so she couldn’t bear to say too much. Time flew by several years, and Lin Mu worried that after her several grandsons grew up, they would grow distant from her daughter. Every time they met, she would advise a few words.
“I know, I…” Lin Zhao wanted to explain, but was interrupted by Da Zai and Er Zai bursting through the door.
“Grandma!!” Er Zai shouted enthusiastically like a little sun.
Next came Da Zai’s voice, equally filled with joy, “Grandma.”
Lin Mu’s face was full of smiles as she waved to her two grandsons: “Aiyo, Grandma’s Da Zai and Er Zai, come quickly and let Grandma see if you’ve grown taller.”
Da Zai and Er Zai stood in front of Grandma, standing straight like little poplars.
Er Zai’s expression was full of pride, “Grandma, look at me first. I ate a big bowl yesterday, a full eight meat dumplings. I must have grown taller.”
“You ate dumplings yesterday?” Lin Mu was surprised.
“Yes, Mother made them, with lots of meat, especially delicious.” Er Zai showed off again.
Lin Mu was even more shocked, “Your mother made them?”
“Mother is also going to make clothes for us.” Da Zai added.
“Zhaozhao, have you figured it out?” Lin Mu suddenly looked at Lin Zhao, her tone somewhat agitated.
Lin Zhao didn’t explain much and nodded, “Yes, I’ve figured it out. The four kids were all born through my hardships; I can’t ignore them.”
Da Zai and Er Zai, the two little friends, had their mouths curved like fishing hooks.
“That’s the right way to think.” Lin Mu’s eyes were full of relief, “You’ve become sensible.”
These past few years, she and Zhaozhao’s father had always felt regretful, thinking… they had agreed so easily to their daughter getting married back then; it was too hasty. Zhaozhao was still a child who hadn’t grown up. Marriage, having children, and her husband not being around—life wasn’t smooth, so her temperament changed…
Her father always advised her that it would be fine once the daughter grew up, and it really was.
See.
Her daughter had suddenly become sensible.
“I’ll go back and tell your father; your father will definitely be happy too.”
Lin Mu and Lin Father were childhood sweethearts; they hadn’t quarreled in decades and had never separated. Their relationship was very good, always thinking of each other.
Lin Zhao was used to it.
However.
Seeing the joy on her mother’s face, she added, “I’ll come back often in the future.”
“Good.” Lin Mu responded with full vigor.
As soon as her words fell, Lin Shisheng came in.
“Second Brother.” Lin Zhao’s tone rose lightly.
“Zhaozhao, in the future, let Da Zai and Er Zai go to the Gu Family Old House less.” Lin Shisheng said.
Lin Zhao was puzzled.
“What’s wrong?” Lin Mu’s face darkened, her sharp eyes falling on Lin Shisheng’s face as she asked: “Did someone in the Gu Family give our Da Zai and Er Zai a dirty look?”
“No dirty looks, but Da Zai and Er Zai almost got hurt by their little aunt.” Lin Shisheng recalled the scene he had encountered before, his expression unpleasant.
“What?” Lin Mu quickly checked Da Zai and Er Zai, afraid that in the time she hadn’t noticed, her two grandsons had suffered something.
Da Zai hurriedly said: “Grandma, Er Zai and I are fine. When little aunt’s firewood was about to fall on us, Second Uncle appeared and kicked the firewood away for us.”
Er Zai nodded vigorously beside him.
Lin Mu felt relieved but was furious. She stood up to go to the Gu Family Old House.
She was held back by Lin Shisheng.
“Mom, I already taught them a lesson.”
Lin Mu stopped in her tracks and asked: “How did you teach them?”
Er Zai’s eyes shone like lamps, proudly recounting the scene of their Second Uncle venting for them.
He was a little friend with very strong language talent, clear thinking, and good memory. He used performance to recount the previous scene.
Lin Zhao watched her second son sometimes acting as his little aunt, sometimes as himself and Da Zai, sometimes as his Second Uncle—busy but orderly.
Perfectly recreating that scene.
Very vivid.
It made people feel like they were there.
Her expression softened slightly.
She deeply felt that Da Zai and Er Zai had big hearts. Clearly almost hurt, but in less than half an hour, the two little friends had forgotten about it.
“Thank you, Second Brother, for protecting Da Zai and Er Zai.” Lin Zhao smiled and thanked Lin Shisheng.
Lin Shisheng was slightly stunned and said somewhat unexpectedly: “So polite with Second Brother?”
He raised his eyebrow and smiled, “Is this still my sister?”
Helplessness flashed in Lin Zhao’s eyes.
She had been spoiled by the family before, never even said thank you, no wonder Second Brother found it strange.
“Second Brother, are you and Mom hungry?”
Lin Shisheng saw her change the subject but didn’t deliberately expose it, saying in a joking tone: “Are you treating Mom and me to a meal?”
“Want dumplings?” Lin Zhao asked directly.
The Lin Family didn’t eat commodity grain, relying entirely on the field for food. Fortunately, Lin Shisheng could fish and hunt, occasionally tasting meat, which was better than other families.
Hunting and fishing depended on luck; the Lin Family hadn’t eaten meat for over a month.
Not to mention fine food like dumplings.
“Sure.” Lin Shisheng wasn’t polite with his own younger sister.
As soon as he spoke, Lin Mu slapped his back, making him grimace in pain.
“Mom.” The young man who already had two children said in a resentful tone.
His playful appearance made Da Zai and Er Zai laugh heartily. The dragon-phoenix twins didn’t understand but also giggled.
“What sure? Does the family lack your eating or drinking? Coming to Zhaozhao’s to mooch.” Lin Mu scolded with a stern face.
When she looked at her daughter, her expression softened again, “Mom and your Second Brother already ate before coming. We just came to check on you because we were worried; we’ll go back soon.”
She touched her grandson’s thin little face, “You take good care of my several grandsons, and Mom will be satisfied.”
Lin Zhao put her arm around Da Zai’s shoulder and said seriously: “These past few years, my brain was waterlogged; I didn’t know to cherish the four kids. Now I’ve awakened and am good to them.”
Da Zai turned his head to meet his mother’s gentle eyes, his own eyes curving slightly, “Yes, Mother is very good to us; Grandma, don’t worry.”
“Mom, I want to tidy up the vegetable garden in the backyard. You and Second Brother help me with it.” Lin Zhao said without politeness.
Lin Shisheng had protected his sister since childhood, the kind who did whatever Zhaozhao said—a total sister dotter.
Without thinking, he said: “Tell me how you want it done; I’ll handle it.”
“Let’s go to the backyard to talk.”
Several people arrived at the backyard.
Lin Zhao glanced at the messy backyard and said disdainfully: “The backyard is so messy. Second Brother, help me make a circle of fence around the vegetable garden. The fence should be bamboo slices, all the same height. I don’t care about the style, but it has to be neat, and…”
“Make people feel refreshed, right?” Lin Shisheng continued.
“I get it, just like at our house. Don’t worry, leave it to Brother.”
His Zhaozhao had been a little girl with demands for life since childhood.
Lin Zhao made requests to Lin Mu again, “Mom, help me plant some other vegetables. There are too few vegetable seeds; Da Zai and them are tired of bok choy.”
“?”
Da Zai was full of question marks.
But he didn’t expose his mother.
“Spoiled.” Lin Mu said about Lin Zhao but didn’t refuse her daughter, “I’ll go to the Gu Family Old House to see if there are any vegetable seeds.”
She straightened her clothes, shook off the dust from her feet, and walked toward the Gu Family Old House.
Er Zai hurriedly followed.
Lin Shisheng went to get bamboo slices.
Lin Zhao looked at the dragon-phoenix twins sitting in the yard digging soil. The two little milk babies who couldn’t speak clearly seemed to be debating something; it was particularly amusing.
“Da Zai, watch your younger brother and sister. Mom is going to make meal. Your grandma and uncle came to see us; today we’ll keep them to eat dumplings.”
“Okay.” Da Zai said happily, “Mom, I’ll watch San Zai and Si Zai well; you go busy.”
Eating dumplings made him happy; eating dumplings with Grandma and Second Uncle made him even happier.
“Having such an obedient son saves me so much worry.” Lin Zhao said with emotion.
She walked to the front yard.
Da Zai, left in place, was almost coaxed into a placenta by his mother.
Lin Zhao had just reached the front yard when she heard a familiar voice from outside.
Someone outside shouted that the barber had come.
She hurriedly shouted at the top of her voice: “Da Zai.”
Hearing his mother’s call, Da Zai hurriedly led the dirty dragon-phoenix twins over.
“Mom?”
Lin Zhao gave Da Zai a two fen coin and said: “The barber is here; you and Er Zai get your hair trimmed.”
“Bald heads.” She reminded.
Da Zai stood stunned in place.
Lin Zhao coaxed gently: “Bald heads are cool. Besides, your and Er Zai’s hair grows fast; it’ll grow back soon.”
Da Zai felt his mother made sense, “Okay.”
So he led his younger brother and sister out of the house.
After a few steps, he ran into Er Zai trotting behind Lin Shisheng. Da Zai hurriedly shouted: “Er Zai, Mom wants us to get haircuts; are you going?”
“I’m not going; I want to help Second Uncle.” Er Zai said.
“Mom said haircuts are cool; if you don’t go, I will.” Da Zai said as he led his younger brother and sister toward the village entrance.
Seeing this, Er Zai instantly changed his mind, “I’ll go too. We’re brothers; we do everything together.”
Lin Shisheng shook his head with a smile.
Tie Chui ran over from afar, “Da Zai, Er Zai, what are you going to do?”
“We’re going to get haircuts; are you going?” Er Zai said.
“Going.”
The brothers went off together.
Lin Zhao was busy in the kitchen. When Lin Mu returned with vegetable seeds, she called Zhaozhao, originally wanting to tell her what vegetable seeds she got. Glancing into the kitchen doorway, she saw her daughter had mixed a lot of flour, all fine grains, and her face changed abruptly.
She rushed in.
“Zhaozhao, what are you doing? Mixing so much flour, all white flour. Can’t make ends meet anymore?”
Looking closer, the flour in the flower-open-wealth enamel basin was beyond saving; it hurt her heart.
“It’s fine.” Lin Zhao smiled.
Lin Mu said irritably: “Who lives like you? So much white flour could let Da Zai and them eat noodles for a month.”
“There’s still flour left, Mom don’t worry; won’t starve your grandsons.” Lin Zhao’s tone was calm, “You and Second Brother came to see me, and I don’t even make you a meal—what would that be like.”
Lin Mu was unmoved, still angry, “Never saw you so distant before.”
Lin Zhao still smiled, “I’m different now.”
Lin Mu hadn’t gone to school and didn’t know what east or west, earnestly said: “Zhaozhao, son-in-law earning money is not easy; spend thriftily.”
“There are also Da Zai and them to raise. When they’re a bit older, they’ll go to school, get married, right?”
“Not planning and calculating now, the crying days are ahead.”
“There’s Da Zai and their dad.” Lin Zhao didn’t take it seriously. She had a carefree temperament, never overthought; for her, living well in the present was most important.
Lin Mu wanted to hit her, “Son-in-law can earn, but can’t stand marrying a wife with wide finger gaps who can’t see.”
“You raised me.” Lin Zhao wasn’t afraid; her whole life, her mother hadn’t said heavy words to her more than a few times.
Lin Mu choked and was so angry she didn’t want to pay attention to her, went to the backyard.
Lin Shisheng, who had gotten the bamboo slices, saw his mother’s furious back, poked his head into the kitchen, and asked in a low voice: “Zhaozhao, how did you anger Mom again?”
Lin Zhao covered the mixed dough and started preparing the filling. The small enamel basin was full of meat, “Mom says I have wide finger gaps.”
Lin Shisheng saw so much meat, his Adam’s apple rolling like a bead, somewhat greedy.
He agreed with Lin Mu, “You do have wide finger gaps. So much meat, and you used it all up. Better to save it and eat a meal every few days.”
Lin Zhao looked up at him, “Don’t talk nonsense; want to eat or not?”
“You say it like that—who doesn’t want to eat meat.” The Lin Family grain was tight; they hadn’t wrapped dumplings in two years.
“After Second Brother finishes work, I’ll let you eat dumplings until full.” Lin Zhao walked two steps forward and said to Lin Shisheng: “Hold out your hand.”
Lin Shisheng stretched his arm and opened his hand.
Lin Zhao put two rock sugars in it and smiled: “To sweeten Second Brother’s mouth.”
“Rock sugar?” Lin Shisheng’s eyes were full of surprise. He had seen rock sugar but not such white transparent ones without a trace of impurity.
“Is it rock sugar? Doesn’t look like the ones I’ve seen.”
Without waiting for Lin Zhao to answer, he popped the sugar into his mouth, tasted the sweetness, and a thick smile flashed in his eyes.
“It’s rock sugar.” Lin Zhao continued busying her hands, “Second Brother, for the vegetable garden fence, is one hour enough? I’m timing it to boil the dumplings.”
“Enough, enough.” Lin Shisheng’s expression was casual and confident; that bit of work was nothing for someone who often did hard labor.
“Got it.”
Lin Shisheng went to the backyard to work. As he guessed, he listened to Lin Mu nagging for a good while, all about Lin Zhao having wide finger gaps and not knowing how to live.
He said: “Zhaozhao hit her head; supplementing isn’t bad.”
“Mom brought Zhaozhao eggs and fish to supplement her too…”
Lin Mu said while tidying the vegetable garden: “Is that for her to supplement herself? That’s for us to supplement. Your sister is good to you; keep it in mind and protect your sister more.”
Lin Shisheng had long expected the topic to return here, “That’s for sure. I have only one sister; of course I’ll protect her.”
“Remember your words.”
Yesterday, the fragrance from the Gu Family made the neighboring villagers unable to eat. Today at mealtime, the meat fragrance wafted again.
The Wang Family children were all crying from greed. Wang Chunhua saw her grandsons and granddaughters crying pitifully, gritted her teeth and boiled two eggs for the children to share, finally coaxing them.
The children of the other neighbor couldn’t be coaxed for half a day; the boy’s crying could shake the roof.
The Lin Family people were each eating a bowl of dumplings.
Hearing the wailing next door, Lin Mu frowned and asked Lin Zhao: “Has that side always been like this?”
“Not before; just started these two days. There’ll be more chances to cry in the future.” Lin Zhao didn’t mind.
She couldn’t stop cooking to consider the neighbors.
“Still beat too little. Your brothers didn’t dare act like that when they were little.” Lin Mu said.
Lin Shisheng was eating dumplings one after another savoringly when he paused at her words, “Mom’s sandbag-sized fists—we wouldn’t dare make trouble.”
Not exaggerating, the Lin Family three brothers grew up under their mother’s force suppression.
Lin Zhao had three brothers—no, accurately, she should have four brothers.
Her Third Brother and Fourth Brother were twins. The twin younger brother was stolen right after birth.
The Lin Family only knew that child had a small leaf-shaped birthmark on his ear; nothing else.
