Chapter 149: “the Adult World Is So Complicated”
Gu Chenghuai always paid attention to the movements of his wife and children, and was the first to notice something wrong with Heng Bao.
He took out a preserved plum and stuffed it to his son’s mouth.
“Open your mouth.”
Heng Bao instinctively opened his mouth wide.
A candy slipped into his little mouth.
The little friend smacked his lips a few times, and the sour and sweet taste spread in his mouth.
After a while, he looked a bit more spirited.
Gu Chenghuai felt relieved and looked at the other three little ones, “Are you feeling unwell?”
The dragon-phoenix twins shook their little heads.
“I’m not feeling unwell either.” Yu Bao answered.
He looked at his younger brother, his little face tense and full of worry, “What’s wrong with Heng Bao?”
“Carsick.” Lin Zhao casually opened the car window wider and explained: “Some adults get carsick too, it’s okay, eat a preserved plum first to settle it, if it really doesn’t work, we’ll try something else.”
She still had oranges that were sour enough to make one’s teeth ache.
Yu Bao felt relieved and held his younger brother’s hand, “Heng Bao, do you still feel unwell?”
Heng Bao had a preserved plum in his mouth, sucking on that sour taste, and his stomach felt much better.
Hearing his older brother’s words, he shook his head.
The seat in front on the left side.
A little girl suddenly vomited messily.
A foul smell spread in the carriage.
Some passengers covered their noses and complained out loud, “It stinks so much, what a disgusting smell, open the windows, open all the windows!”
The woman holding the girl was full of embarrassment and patted the little girl’s back hard.
“Useless thing! Why couldn’t you just hold it in!”
Making her be despised.
Passengers: “…”
Yao Bao pricked up her ears, her clear and lively eyes full of curiosity.
Gu Chenghuai was extremely helpless and reached out to cover her ears. The little dumpling frowned, and Daddy smiled at her, but his expression allowed no refusal.
The passengers on the train all looked at the woman hitting the child.
She was dark and thin, probably didn’t smile often, with drooping corners of her mouth and a bitter expression.
The little girl was very skinny, thin like skin and bones.
The woman’s scolding voice was very loud, easily overpowering the noise of the train moving.
The passengers saw this scene and stopped complaining.
The one who complained first had a hard mouth but a soft heart, and immediately said: “Alright, alright, open the windows to let the smell dissipate, don’t hit the child anymore, she didn’t do it on purpose.”
The woman stopped hitting the child, and the little girl’s back and buttocks were burning hot, hurting so much that she sobbed but didn’t dare make a sound.
Heng Bao was still feeling unwell and couldn’t help but look at the commotion.
Unfortunately, he was short and couldn’t leave his seat, so he saw nothing.
He had just straightened up not long ago when he felt dizzy again, so he leaned his body back and stayed still.
Heng Bao asked fearfully: “Mommy, if I vomited too, would you hit me?”
“No.” Lin Zhao stuffed another preserved plum into his mouth, her expression gentle, “You wouldn’t do it on purpose, why would I hit you.”
“As long as you behave, I won’t lay a hand on you.”
Sassy ones are another story.
Heng Bao grinned, feeling delighted inside.
He opened his mouth wide, “I want more!”
Lin Zhao tossed another one into his mouth.
She didn’t forget to ask Yu Bao, “Yu Bao, do you want one?”
“Yes!”
Lin Zhao fed one to her eldest son too.
Qian Bao and Yao Bao had pink and tender little faces, their eyes observing everywhere, very clever, not carsick, so she didn’t feed them.
The dragon-phoenix twins were so young, feeding them this kind of thing could easily choke them, especially with the bumpy train.
Another bout of bumps, and the little girl in front vomited again. Her mother started cursing loudly again, poking the girl’s forehead hard with long nails, angrily scolding: “Useless dead girl, bringing you out is so embarrassing!”
Her voice filled the entire carriage.
Looking fierce and evil, the little friends in the carriage shrank their necks in fear.
Yu Bao’s face was full of confusion, and he asked Lin Zhao: “Mommy, that little sister didn’t do it on purpose either, why did her mom hit her?”
“She feels that the little friend vomiting made her lose face.” Lin Zhao guessed based on the woman’s cursing.
Yu Bao still didn’t understand and scratched his face, “But, isn’t face earned by oneself?”
“You’re right, face is earned by oneself.” Lin Zhao very much agreed with this.
Some parents just can’t see clearly.
“Some adults have bad brains and blame their misfortunes on others. Such people are no good, we need to stay far away from them, got it?”
Yu Bao & Heng Bao: The adult world is so complicated.
“Got it.” The two obedient little kids said in unison.
The sound of vomiting came from the front from time to time.
Gu Chenghuai stood up and gave the child a few preserved plums, “Hold them in your mouth, see if it can suppress it.”
The preserved plums were specially bought by him to prevent his wife and children from getting carsick, cut very small to avoid choking the kids.
With the preserved plums in her mouth, the bitter taste in the little girl’s mouth dissipated somewhat. She didn’t know if it was because they were effective or because it was her first time eating preserved plums and she didn’t want to spit them out, but the vomiting sounds completely stopped.
The twins looked at each other and let out a long sigh of relief.
When they realized their reactions were the same, they burst out laughing.
Lin Zhao’s lips curved up, and she patted her two sons’ little heads, “Look out the window.”
The train sped up, the trees on both sides of the road retreating quickly, the sunlight shining on the window, dazzling the eyes.
Yu Bao opened his eyes wide, pressed his face against the window to look out, and said excitedly: “The trees are retreating, so fast, so fast.”
Heng Bao didn’t dare move around, obediently leaning against the seat back, his eyes shining, exclaiming “wow” again and again.
“The train is so fast, much faster than the bicycle.” The little friend sighed.
Yu Bao looked at Gu Chenghuai, “Daddy, is this big train we are on expensive?”
Gu Chenghuai raised an eyebrow, “Expensive, you want to buy one?”
“Yes.” Yu Bao raised a brilliant smiling face, “If I had this kind of big train, I could take Grandpa and Grandmother, and Li Bao and them to see the world.”
“See the world” was learned from Mommy.
Gu Chenghuai didn’t discourage his son, “Ambitious, study hard…”
Before he finished, Yu Bao continued, “Study hard every day and make progress, I know.”
On the topic of studying, Heng Bao didn’t want to join in.
He was very smart but loved to play and always wanted to avoid it.
He didn’t even look at the scenery outside the window anymore and silently closed his eyes.
Lin Zhao saw Er Zai’s ostrich-like action and couldn’t help laughing. She reached out and pinched his nose.
“!” Who? Who pinched his nose.
The little friend didn’t open his eyes and quietly breathed through his mouth, avoiding to the end.
“A little rascal avoiding study.” Lin Zhao let go and lightly tapped Heng Bao’s nose tip with her fingertip, “When we get back, you have to catch up on your homework.”
Yu Bao said obediently: “Mommy, I’ll supervise my younger brother.”
Lin Zhao touched her eldest son’s face, “Close your eyes and sleep for a bit, I’ll call you when we arrive.”
“Where to?” Yu Bao was curious about the journey.
“To the train station, take the train to the provincial capital.” Qian Bao in Lin Zhao’s bosom yawned and nestled in her arms with his eyes closed, his little hand tightly grabbing Mommy’s clothes.
Last night, Lin Zhao told the four children a lot… about cases of bad guys trafficking children. The Yu Bao brothers were fully aware of anti-abduction and very vigilant.
Heng Bao opened his eyes, his eyes extremely bright, “Train? Is the train the same as this train?”
“Weren’t you asleep? Awake already?” Lin Zhao teased with a smile.
Heng Bao giggled.
“I’ve never been on one, ask Daddy.”
The twins were very surprised.
The two little brothers always thought their mom knew everything.
Turns out, Mommy hasn’t been on a train either.
The originally nervous little friend immediately became calm.
He turned his gaze to Gu Chenghuai.
“The train is very long, with many carriages, each carriage can seat many people. When the train moves, it makes a ‘chug chug’ sound…” Gu Chenghuai patiently explained to his son.
Heng Bao had a loud voice and asked excitedly: “Daddy, is the train faster than this train?”
Lin Zhao gently reminded, “Your voice is a bit loud.”
Heng Bao covered his mouth, his long black eyelashes blinking lightly, showing cleverness.
Gu Chenghuai smiled and continued: “Faster than this train.”
Heng Bao had new expectations.
Little children are very curious about new things but have short attention spans. After half an hour on the big train, their excitement waned greatly, and they fell asleep leaning on the seats.
To be honest, the seats were cramped and narrow, plus the noise was loud and the road bumpy, so sitting wasn’t comfortable at all.
Lin Zhao recalled the original book, which said that in the future, transportation would be much more convenient, people could travel fast and comfortably, cross provinces easily without taking much time.
If only that day came sooner.
Gu Chenghuai saw his wife staring blankly, her soul who knows where it wandered, and tilted his head, “What’s wrong, not feeling well?”
“No.” Lin Zhao shook her head.
“Just thinking… you go through a lot every time you come back, the journey must be very hard.” Her expression softened, her eyes full of heartache.
Gu Chenghuai’s gaze softened even more, his voice gentle, “No, every time I come back, just thinking that I’ll see you soon…”
His gaze swept over the four little ones, “See the children, I’m happy, all fatigue is gone.”
True words.
He spent little time with Zhaozhao, so he cherished every meeting opportunity, looked forward to it immensely, and didn’t feel tired.
Lin Zhao held Gu Chenghuai’s hand, interlocking their fingers, turned her head to look out the window, her lips curving up.
Gu Chenghuai looked at her profile, his gaze full of tender affection and cherishment.
He squeezed her hand slightly, his deep eyes tinged with a faint smile.
After a while, the others on the train lost the desire to talk, and the entire carriage quieted down, occasionally a slightly loud snore sounded.
The nearly one-hour journey felt fast or slow.
The train was about to stop.
Lin Zhao heard Gu Chenghuai’s low and pleasant voice by her ear.
“Zhaozhao…”
Just called once, Lin Zhao opened her eyes, with little sleepiness in them.
Gu Chenghuai was surprised, “You weren’t asleep?”
“Mm.” Lin Zhao rubbed her brow, “Too bumpy, couldn’t sleep at all.”
The train ride gave her a headache.
Gu Chenghuai’s deep black eyes flashed with heartache, and he comforted her warmly, “Bear with it for now, you can sleep on the train later.”
“Can we get berth tickets?” Lin Zhao’s eyes lit up.
“Yes.” Gu Chenghuai had an officer’s certificate, not hard to get berth tickets.
If not, he had connections in the railway, he could find someone.
He never bought berth tickets for his own travels, always hard seats. Berth tickets were expensive, the difference could buy Zhaozhao a coat.
Taking his wife and children on a trip, Gu Commander wouldn’t let them suffer that.
Lin Zhao rubbed her face against Gu Chenghuai’s shoulder, her words full of joy, “Gu Commander, you’re awesome!”
Gu Chenghuai’s lips curved high from his wife’s praise, no trace of coldness left.
Lin Zhao patted Yu Bao and Heng Bao’s shoulders one by one, “We’re almost there, time to wake up.”
The two little brothers opened their eyes at the same time, rubbing their eyes and looking around, clearly still a bit dazed.
The train stopped, and people got off one after another.
“No rush, we can be last.” Lin Zhao said.
Getting on needs squeezing for a good spot, getting off doesn’t.
The little ones were all obedient.
Hearing the noisy sounds, Qian Bao woke up too. He leaned his little face on Mommy’s shoulder, his watery bright black eyes observing the surroundings.
“Ah, Qian Bao woke up too, hungry? After we get off, we’ll find a place for a meal.” Lin Zhao touched her youngest son’s nape.
Qian Bao curved his eyes in a smile, obedient and soft.
The family got off the train, and Gu Chenghuai took his wife and children to the state-run restaurant and ordered a few dishes.
While waiting for the food, he took the twins to buy train tickets.
There was public security patrolling outside the train station, the restaurant was full of people, Zhaozhao was quick-witted, had strength and martial arts skills, with these factors, Gu Chenghuai felt at ease leaving.
“Mommy, you and younger brother and sister stay obediently, don’t run around, we’ll be back soon.” Yu Bao instructed worriedly.
He remembered the stories Mommy told, human traffickers liked to abduct children and also pretty young girls like Mommy.
Lin Zhao was amused, “…Got it.”
Heng Bao also instructed the dragon-phoenix twins, “You stay well on Mommy, got it? Big brother will be back in a bit.”
Qian Bao and Yao Bao sat obediently on the long wooden bench, the two little ones holding hands, curiously looking at everything around.
“Mm.”
Lin Zhao said: “You two stick close to Daddy too, don’t get separated.”
The two little brothers solemnly agreed.
If abducted, they wouldn’t see Daddy and Mommy, they would definitely stick to Daddy.
The dishes had just been served.
Gu Chenghuai returned with his two sons.
Just sat down, the man gave the tickets to Lin Zhao and smiled: “Bought three berth tickets.”
Lin Zhao took them, smiling with curved eyes, “We can lie down.”
“Mm.”
This trip, Yu Bao and Heng Bao looked at Daddy with even brighter eyes, full of admiration.
Lin Zhao laughed, “Yu Bao, Heng Bao, why are you two so quiet? These eyes… like you just met your Daddy?”
Yu Bao withdrew his gaze and said proudly: “Mommy, Daddy is so awesome.”
“Oh?” Lin Zhao listened attentively.
“That ticket seller spoke to people like this…” Yu Bao pulled down the corners of his mouth, making a fierce glaring expression, without stopping, “So fierce, so fierce. Daddy took out his booklet, and that ticket seller auntie’s attitude changed instantly.”
Heng Bao acted coquettishly, “Mommy, I want to see Daddy’s booklet, help me.”
“No.” Lin Zhao refused her son’s request, “That’s an important thing, little friends can’t touch it. Be good and eat, there’s meat.”
Her attitude was unquestionable.
Heng Bao was good at reading expressions and knew it was impossible, so he immediately gave up the idea of seeing the booklet and picked up his chopsticks to eat.
–
Capital, train station.
Meng Jingmo and Meng Guangbai looked at the road they came from, their expressions dazed.
The brothers held hands tightly.
Xiao Bai squeezed toward his older brother and whispered: “Brother, can we come back?”
“Yes.” Meng Jingmo lowered his eyes, his words firm and powerful, “We will come back with Daddy.”
Xiao Bai clenched his fists and swung them a few times, his voice milkily fierce, “When Daddy comes back, the bad guys at home are done for, they hit Brother, Daddy will definitely avenge Brother!”
Jingmo deeply believed this.
“Mm, let’s go.”
Xiao Bai didn’t move, “Brother, what about Mommy? Won’t she come with us?”
He was just over four, the age that holds no grudges. Yuan Qin had been good to them before, so it was normal for him to miss Mommy.
As for Yuan Qin not protecting them during this time, the little friend didn’t think too much. In his small heart, Grandmother’s family was the worst.
Jingmo shook his head.
He looked at his younger brother and said: “If Mommy goes, Daddy will get beaten. Do you still want Mommy to go too?”
