Chapter 133: “made Up A News Story”
Listening to the lively voices by his ear, Yu Bao was stunned for a moment, looking at the little friends.
“Why didn’t you call me and Heng Bao?”
Yuan Bao said softly to Xiao Hei Shou, “Your family members are all there, still talking, we didn’t dare to call.”
Mao Dan’er was silent, his expression a bit complicated.
He had suggested calling them, but the other little friends disagreed and even shrank back.
Amber couldn’t stand it anymore, using her feet to nudge them and her head to bump them, but unfortunately it didn’t work.
“What’s there to be afraid of? My family members are all very very good, they don’t bully little friends. In the future, just call us directly, we’ll come out when we hear.” Yu Bao said with a serious expression.
“Okay.” The little friends agreed.
Heng Bao took out the photos of Yuan Bao, Da Zhuang and others, his voice cheerful, “Yuan Bao, Da Zhuang… your photos!”
“Wow!”
The little friends touched the photos, their mouths emitting bursts of cheers.
“Yuan Bao is printed on the little paper! Behind is the Big Banyan Tree!”
“Yuan Bao is hung around someone’s neck, with a big red flower, hee hee hee…”
Yuan Bao felt uncomfortable being laughed at by his little friends, and said loudly, “Stop laughing, let’s listen to the song.”
He even knew how to change the subject.
Yu Bao was very careful, knowing that taking photos costs money, even Grandfather the village head felt heartbroken, afraid that Yuan Bao and others would get the photos wet, so he suggested: “Yuan Bao, Tie Niu, Da Zhuang… you first send the photos home, then we’ll listen to the radio, we won’t listen first, we’ll wait here for you, if you hold the photos in your hand they’ll get wet, if put in the bib they’ll wrinkle.”
Heng Bao added: “One photo is very expensive.”
Hearing this, the little friends didn’t dare to delay, and hurried home.
After running a few steps, they suddenly stopped.
Turned back.
“Yu Bao, Heng Bao, you have to wait for us oh.”
The child’s voice was sweet and soft, Lin Zhao had just come out of the house and was charmed into smiling at the corners of her mouth.
The twins saw her, the two cubs stood up with a whoosh, “Mom, where are you going?”
“I’m just wandering around, want to come together?” Lin Zhao smiled.
The little friends without photos pulled Yu Bao and Heng Bao’s hands, shook them, and pleaded softly: “We want to listen to the radio!”
“I remember.” Yu Bao answered the little friends.
Then looked at Lin Zhao, “Mom, we’re not going, Heng Bao and I promised the little friends to listen to the radio with them. You go ahead, take it slow, come home if you’re tired.”
Lin Zhao: “…”
What’s with the second half of the sentence, why does it sound like she’s the parent.
“Got it, you guys play.” Lin Zhao waved her hand, leaving unhurriedly, heading towards the foot of the mountain.
Yu Bao stared at her back, looking for a good while.
He felt Mom was a bit strange.
Mom used to like lying down after work, Dad asked Mom to go out for a walk but she wasn’t willing, why has she been going out so much these two days, what’s good on the mountain?
Not long after, Yuan Bao, Tie Niu and others ran over, accompanied by loud childish voices.
“Twins, we’re here.”
“Ah, you really waited for us.”
Yu Bao said methodically: “I promised you guys, promises to others must be kept, my dad says this is a matter of credit.”
“My mom never keeps her promises to me.” Yuan Bao clenched his little hands, very angry, “She said she’d take me to the city to play, but didn’t take me, big liar.”
“Your mom has to go to the fields to earn work points. One day not working is one day without work points, two days not working is two days without work points. With work points you can get grain and money. Yuan Bao, your mom is saving money, when she saves enough, she’ll take you.” Yu Bao often heard Gu Fu muttering, knowing how important work points are to country people.
He still felt, being city people is better.
Hearing his little friend’s words, Yuan Bao wasn’t angry anymore, “Okay then.”
Tie Niu was extremely anxious, urging: “When can we listen to the radio?”
Heng Bao stretched his little hand to the radio switch, twisted it, the revolutionary song sounded, he turned up the volume, now people several meters away could hear the sound.
The adults in the village were attracted by the sound.
“Da Zai, is this a radio?” The person who came had a tone of shock and disbelief.
No, way, right?!
Who would give a radio worth several hundred yuan to kids to play with?
Yu Bao frowned his little brows, “I’m not called Da Zai, I’m called Gu Zhiyu.”
“Uncle, you can call me Yu Bao.” He emphasized again.
The middle-aged man didn’t care at all, Da Zai, Yu Bao aren’t both the eldest son of Cheng Huai’s family, why be so particular.
“Is this a radio? Fake, right?”
“It’s not fake!” Heng Bao loudly retorted, “This is a gift from my great uncle to me and brother, it’s a radio.”
The little guy felt his great uncle was being looked down on, and seriously retorted the villagers’ words.
Another person said: “I’ve seen radios, they’re big iron boxes, yours…”
He looked at the black and white kitten, full of disbelief.
Yu Bao looked at the person, and said logically: “If it’s not, why does it make sound? Besides radio, what else makes sound?”
The villagers didn’t know, and were stumped by the question.
“This is assembled by my great uncle with someone’s help, he thought the sold radios weren’t good-looking, not suitable for little friends, and from Uncle Yun Cheng knew me and Heng Bao like kittens, so he made a kitten radio, this is the radio!” Yu Bao explained and emphasized tirelessly again.
“Okay okay okay, it’s a radio.” The villagers saw the little cub so serious, and went along with him saying a couple sentences.
Changing tone, he said again: “Besides listening to songs, does yours have other uses?”
Yu Bao felt he had convinced the other, happily lifting the corners of his mouth, “Yes, can listen to books, news, operas… lots to listen to!”
The inexperienced little friends exaggerated, radios this year don’t have many programs.
The villagers don’t go out much, even less experienced than Yu Bao, the group didn’t quite get it but were impressed.
“What’s news?” Someone asked.
The twins didn’t know either.
Yu Bao sat on the big stone, swinging his legs, his cute little face serious.
“I forgot to ask.”
Heng Bao said: “I forgot to ask too.”
Just then, Gu Chenghuai walked out of the Gu Family gate, his cold eyes glanced at the children at the door, indifferently withdrew his gaze, planning to go to the new house.
But was called by Heng Bao.
“Dad!”
Gu Chenghuai stopped, looked at him, “What is it?”
Heng Bao hurriedly asked: “Dad, do you know what news is? Great uncle said radio can listen to news.”
“News is the latest news.” Gu Chenghuai answered his son, “For example, you and your brother have a radio, that’s our village’s news. News has big and small, the news played on radio are all big ones, by province or city.”
The little friends originally didn’t understand, but with his example, they got it.
“Me and brother made a news?” Heng Bao’s eyes brightened, proudly looking at Dad, “Is that it?”
“…”
Understood that way… isn’t wrong.
“Yes.” Gu Chenghuai responded, striding away.
Yu Bao calmly looked at the uncle who just asked, and said: “My dad answered.”
The person called uncle by him stared incredulously at the kitten radio, exclaiming: “According to your dad, with this radio, you two don’t need to go out to know what’s happening nationwide?”
Yu Bao thought for a moment, “Yes.”
“Your mom’s that great uncle really spoils you.” Uncle Chang Sheng said.
He was also one of those watching the fun.
“It’s my mom’s great uncle, also me and brother’s great uncle!” Heng Bao said loudly, tone full of pride, “My maternal great aunt is also very very good, makes us delicious meat. Oh right, my maternal great aunt is also a worker.”
The people present: No need to emphasize so much.
But the excited little cub kept going, “And my uncles, I mean Uncle Yun Cheng and Uncle Yun Jin, they’re also very good, buy us sweet ice cream, and take us ice skating.
Ice skating is so fun, I didn’t get enough, Mom can skate too, Mom skates really well, she can glide far in one go, I also want to skate that well, Mom says skate a few more times… I can skate that well too, she also said she’ll take us again later.”
When excited, he even gestured, vividly.
The villagers had just finished work, hadn’t heard the twins talk about the city yet, not in a hurry to go home for dinner, simply stopped to listen to him.
“Heng Bao, your great uncle lives in an apartment building, right?”
Heng Bao gestured with his hands, “Yes, very tall building, have to climb stairs, great uncle’s home is on the third floor.”
“Must be comfortable living there.” The speaker’s words full of envy.
Others also envious, this year who doesn’t want to be city people.
“Whether comfortable or not I don’t know, I didn’t live there, Qian Bao and Yao Bao lived there, you have to ask them.” Heng Bao thought the sofa was pretty comfortable.
Uncle Chang Sheng looked at San Zai sitting there pinching the leather ball, whistled at him, after attracting the little dumpling’s gaze, jokingly said: “Is it comfortable living at your great uncle’s?”
He asked, but didn’t expect San Zai to reply.
Such a young little cub, not even as tall as his thigh, what does he know, definitely doesn’t even know what he’s asking.
But unexpectedly, the short and chubby little guy calmly said: “Comfortable.”
“Whoa, you can understand what I say.” Uncle Chang Sheng showed surprise.
Yu Bao touched his younger brother’s head, gently, expression proud, “Qian Bao is smart, understands everything adults say.”
His younger brother smarter than himself, the older brother didn’t mind at all, instead very happy.
This is his own younger brother.
“You four cubs, tsk tsk!” Uncle Chang Sheng marveled.
He had heard before that San Zai is smart, holding books to read at such a young age, thought villagers exaggerated, but after one exchange, it was true.
The young man looked at his silly nephew, arms crossed, disdainfully: “Sure enough, smart or not can be seen from a young age.”
Chang Sheng was listening to the radio intently, suddenly despised by little uncle, jumped up in anger, yelling: “Little uncle! What did I do!?”
“Learn well from the four cubs.” Uncle Chang Sheng patted his head, “Silly boy.”
Ever since being taught a lesson by Lin Zhao, Chang Sheng isolated by little friends, his temperament became much more likable, Uncle Chang Sheng looked at this cub a bit more favorably, previously too lazy to bother.
Chang Sheng looked at Si Zai playing with the cloth tiger, scratched his head, little girl’s toys, he wasn’t going to learn that!
Under the twins’ influence, Chang Sheng no longer used insulting words like little girl, money-losing goods, and gradually stopped thinking that way in his heart.
…
Hot and bustling at the Gu Family door, not many people at the foot of the mountain.
Lin Zhao found Fourth Brother, gave Meng Jiusi two White Rabbit Toffees, “Fourth Brother, eat a candy to replenish stamina.”
Meng Jiusi was chopping pig feed, clumsy but serious.
“Thanks.” He wiped his sweat, cleaned his hands, took the candy, unwrapped it and put it in his mouth, tasted the sweetness, enjoyed squinting his eyes.
“No need to thank.” Lin Zhao said.
She pointed at the pig feed, “Need my help?”
Meng Jiusi didn’t expect sister to help him, amusedly asked: “You know how?”
Lin Zhao gave him a you-never-seen-anything look, “I’m at least a country girl, basic farm work I can do okay. I can also cut wheat, break corn…”
“Can’t tell.” Meng Jiusi’s eyes full of laughter.
He felt getting along with Lin Family very relaxed, very comfortable.
Even in his difficult situation, sister’s appearance could calm his heart.
“You seem like a city girl, the kind who doesn’t know what wheat looks like.”
Lin Zhao took it as Fourth Brother praising her pretty, eyes curving, “No way, I grew up loved.”
Meng Jiusi didn’t think of himself and feel self-pity, instead happy for his sister, “That’s good.”
“Fourth Brother, how come you’re not at all… resentful, no dissatisfaction?” Lin Zhao really didn’t understand, normal people given Fourth Brother’s life script would have lots of grievances, feel the world owes them, but her Fourth Brother so calm, accepting anything.
“Resentful of what? Dissatisfied with what?” Meng Jiusi calm.
“I’m unfortunate, but meeting Grandfather is fortunate, knowing I wasn’t abandoned, my family always looking for me, no regrets in my heart, what dissatisfaction.”
He looked at Lin Zhao, “You’re my own younger sister, I hope you’re good.”
Especially knowing country girls nine out of ten not valued, no chance to study, no chance to see the world, from small to big revolving around home, at marriageable age can’t escape betrothal gifts fate…
Sister raised very well by family, he was very happy, also felt his family very good, sincerely thought having such family is his blessing.
Meng Jiusi unlike Lin Zhao could easily say ‘love’, he just silently thought in his heart.
“Fourth Brother…” Lin Zhao knew he meant it, waves in her heart.
“Although I think you’re a bit silly, I like you even more, Fourth Brother.”
Meng Jiusi was at a loss, face somewhat hot.
His ex-wife never said such mushy words to him.
Corners of mouth unconsciously rose.
Meng Family except Old Master Meng, others didn’t like him, bullied him openly and secretly, before he thought this was his fate, maybe born unlikable…
Sister’s this like made Meng Jiusi feel, he wasn’t so bad.
Lin Zhao took out the spirit needles she brought, “Fourth Brother, the needles I brought you, see if usable?”
The needles in the needle bag varied in length and thickness.
She didn’t know medicine, didn’t know if Fourth Brother could use.
Meng Jiusi saw the needles from sister, eyes burning.
“Useful. Zhaozhao, this set of needles very precious, can be heirloom.”
Lin Zhao stunned, didn’t expect Fourth Brother such high praise for this set, laughed: “Okay, be your heirloom.”
Tone casual yet serious.
Meng Jiusi suddenly looked at her, eyes full of disagreement, “I’m your brother, how can I take sister’s advantage, keep it yourself, sell when short of money, can exchange for quite a bit.”
Clearly saying to sell is him, but full of reluctance is also him.
Not greedy, but thought of needles falling into unskilled hands, felt heartache.
“I don’t lack money.” Lin Zhao replied.
“This set of needles has value staying with someone who knows traditional Chinese medicine, Fourth Brother keep it, study your medical skill well, later become famous doctor, plenty people will stuff money into your hands, with money won’t you spend on your only sister?”
Meng Jiusi immediately said: “Definitely will, whatever I have I’m willing to give you.”
“Then that’s it, don’t nag, keep the needles, if afraid of losing dig a pit to hide, maybe use someday.” Lin Zhao attitude not refusing.
She thought, maybe Fourth Brother later has chance to become brigade doctor, no need to do those rough jobs wasting time.
Still ten years.
