Chapter 257: “being Needed Is A Kind Of Happiness Too”
Lin Zhao didn’t know yet about what happened in the county.
She leisurely prepared the meal, then went to the door to call her son to eat.
As soon as she stepped out, she saw Heng Bao holding a football, and Yu Bao waiting with the little friends, coming over with arms around each other’s shoulders.
Tie Niu had even taken off his jacket.
Seeing this, Lin Zhao said, “Tie Niu, put your jacket back on, be careful not to catch a cold.”
Strangely enough, all the kids in the village, big and small, were rebellious, most impatient with adults lecturing them—those with bad tempers would talk back, those with good tempers would turn and run, never willing to listen. But what Lin Zhao said, they were willing to listen to.
Tie Niu was stunned for a moment, then obediently put on his jacket and looked up at Lin Zhao.
“?” Lin Zhao hesitated for a moment and said, “…Good job.”
The little boy was deeply satisfied and grinned proudly at his little friends.
“Yu Bao, Heng Bao, come home for the meal. Look at the sweat on your heads.” Lin Zhao wiped the sweat from the two kids’ heads with her hand, her face full of disgust.
The twins didn’t mind their mom’s disgust at all and grinned widely.
Heng Bao said boldly, “Just wash up at home, real men aren’t afraid of sweat—they bleed if they have to.”
Lin Zhao pinched his mouth. “You just blabber on and on. Neither your dad nor I are like that. I don’t know who you take after.”
With his mouth pinched, Heng Bao wasn’t angry at all. The cheerful little friend laughed until his eyes curved.
Who else could he take after? His parents, of course.
He waved to his little friends, then clutched his growling stomach and headed home.
“Twins, let’s keep playing later,” Yuan Bao shouted.
“Got it.” Yu Bao turned and responded before going back inside.
Once home, he planned to feed Da Huang and Amber, but saw the two dogs already eating.
He didn’t say anything and called his younger brother to go wash hands and face.
Heng Bao smelled the aroma and couldn’t hold back anymore. He wanted to rush into the kitchen and pester mom to feed him a piece of crispy pork. But as soon as he lifted his foot, his brother called him.
He gave a wry smile and obediently followed Yu Bao.
Lin Zhao noticed the two little brothers’ movements, a smile flashing in her eyes.
…
The Gu family happily ate their meal, while a certain young man at the Supply and Marketing Cooperative was panicking.
“Ding Shun, it’s time to get off work. What are you standing there for? Hurry home. Your home isn’t far,” Buyer Huang saw Ding Shun standing dazed in place and waved his hand in front of his eyes a few times.
Ding Shun came back to his senses and smiled embarrassedly. “Oh, I was just thinking about something. I’ll head out right now.”
“…Thanks.” He pinched his fingers, unaccustomed to thanking someone.
Buyer Huang waved it off. “No problem. Head out early. The weather changes fast—be careful on the road. I’ve checked the windows; they’re all closed. Lock the door before you go. I’m heading out first.”
As he lifted his foot, he remembered that the accountant was on vacation and wouldn’t be back until after the New Year.
He smiled and said, “Wish you and your family a Happy New Year!”
With that, he left with light steps.
Ding Shun stared blankly at his departing back until the figure became a dot.
As if just coming back to his senses, he murmured, “…Happy New Year.”
In previous years, no one had ever said Happy New Year to Ding Shun.
Life in the countryside was tough. Filling their stomachs was hard enough; happiness was far away from everyone.
They only knew to work, to find any edible food—picking up wheat grains, harvesting peanuts; gathering firewood, which could be burned to cook and keep warm…
But this year was different.
He had joined the Supply and Marketing Cooperative, secured an iron rice bowl, and become the hope of the whole family. His old dad had worked hard to support him, and finally saw a return.
Ding Shun thought of the hardships along the way, and his eyes suddenly stung.
As he lowered his head to wipe away tears, he glimpsed the things his dad had told him to bring, and that bit of sourness instantly froze in his heart.
Uh.
His dad had asked him to handle something, and he hadn’t done it.
But he didn’t know that Comrade Lin had started her vacation yesterday.
The things on the ground: one cured chicken, twenty eggs, and some dried wood ear mushrooms.
All were New Year’s gifts his dad had told him to deliver to Comrade Lin.
His dad always said that Comrade Lin was a good comrade. She treated us old peasants like people; she didn’t look down her nose at us. The peach crisps you ate for the first time were given by Comrade Lin…
Ding Shun could already imagine what his dad would say when he got home.
No choice, Ding Shun could only take the basket of things he’d brought, along with the New Year’s gifts from the Supply and Marketing Cooperative, and head home with a bountiful haul.
Ding Shun returned a bit late today. Old Man Ding saw the sky darkening and sent the eldest to pick up his younger brother.
Ding Shun’s eldest brother brought rain gear to pick up his brother.
Not far along, he saw Ding Shun with both hands full and hurried over.
“Shunzi, why’d you come back so late today?” As he spoke, Big Brother Ding took the things from his little brother’s hands.
“Whoa, so heavy. What all is this? Heavier than when you left this morning.”
Ding Shun had been walking with sore arms the whole way. Without being polite with his big brother, he handed over the things.
He wiped the sweat from his forehead.
“New Year’s gifts from the Supply and Marketing Cooperative,” he said.
“So much!!” Big Brother Ding was both delighted and surprised.
“Yeah.”
Ding Shun grunted in response, then said sullenly, “The New Year’s gifts Dad told me to give to Comrade Lin—I didn’t deliver them.”
“Huh?” Big Brother Ding paused mid-step and looked at him. “Why? Did Comrade Lin refuse?”
As soon as he said it, he felt it didn’t make sense. The cured chicken Mom made, the saved-up eggs and wood ear mushrooms—all good stuff. Not rare, but not something shabby either, right?
“No.” Ding Shun kept walking toward the village with his head down and explained, “Comrade Lin is on vacation.”
“Huh?” Big Brother Ding exclaimed again.
“This… what bad timing.” He said, “No way around it. We’ll ask Dad when we get back and see what he says.”
Old Man Ding naturally had nothing to say.
The kid had brought the things but couldn’t find the recipient—it wasn’t his fault.
He took a puff of his pipe tobacco—the tobacco leaves his youngest son had bought him after getting his salary. “Forget it. We’ll deal with it after the New Year.”
“I said send it early, send it early, but you dawdled. Now look, no chance,” Old Woman Ding muttered.
Old Man Ding: “…”
Who was dawdling? The cured chicken wasn’t ready—could he give it like that?
He figured that girl didn’t seem like someone who could cook.
Had to prepare it properly.
Old Man Ding ignored his old lady and said to Ding Shun, “What good stuff did the Supply and Marketing Cooperative give?”
As soon as the head of the family said this, everyone in the Ding family got excited, their eyes lighting up.
“They gave oil, meat, towels, soap, several pounds of Fuqiang flour, and the cheap defective products I bought,” Ding Shun explained.
He looked at Big Brother Ding. “Big Brother, you and big sister-in-law need a water kettle. I got one for you.”
This defective water kettle was given to him by Buyer Huang, who had plenty.
Big Brother Ding was stunned, subconsciously looking at his parents. Seeing no objection, he happily said, “Great, thanks, brother.”
He took the water kettle from his brother’s hand, looked it over left and right, delighted like a child.
“Now we can have hot water even when it’s cold.”
The smile on Big Brother’s face was bright and genuine. Ding Shun felt satisfied too.
He had studied hard, aced middle school entrance exams every time with top scores, all for this moment.
Being needed was a kind of happiness too.
Eldest Sister-in-law Ding fondled the water kettle lovingly, her dark face full of smiles.
“You went to trouble, little brother,” She couldn’t say fancy words, but thought she’d cook the hidden cured sausages later.
The old couple of the Ding family watched their sons and grandsons, the wrinkles at their eyes easing a bit.
“These days are getting better and better,” Old Man Ding sighed.
Precisely because of this, he was very grateful to Lin Zhao.
That girl had given the Ding family hope.
Next, Ding Shun told the whole family the news of Lin Zhao’s article in the newspaper.
Old Man Ding was so happy his teeth showed. “Good, really good. That girl is something else!”
After praising, he urged his son to study more.
“Shunzi, you need to learn well from Comrade Lin.”
“Dad doesn’t expect your articles to make the provincial paper. Even a small newspaper is an honor.”
Ding Shun pursed his lips, feeling a slight weight on his shoulders.
Even a small newspaper wasn’t easy.
At least, those comrades in the big factories’ propaganda departments couldn’t get their articles published either.
The tagged propaganda department comrades: Polite much?
“…I’ll try hard,” Ding Shun said, under great pressure.
Old Woman Ding stashed away the New Year’s gifts her son brought back and patted his shoulder.
“My son is a worker—what can’t he do?” She was endlessly proud.
She said to Ding Shun, “Shunzi, work hard. Someday when your name’s in the paper too, Mom’ll stew a chicken for you—all two chicken legs yours.”
Food attack, huh?
Ding Shun swallowed twice, thinking of his mom’s condition, suddenly sobered up, his heart calm as still water.
The chance of getting into the newspaper and eating chicken legs was slimmer than him squeezing out Director Jiang to become head of the Supply and Marketing Cooperative.
“…I’ll try hard,” the young man said helplessly.
Turning family entertainment into a colorful show!
…
The influence of that article went far beyond this.
Far away in the military region, Meng Jiusi and others saw it too.
“Dad, is that Aunt?” Meng Jingmo’s eyes were bright, his words full of pride.
“Probably.” For some reason, Meng Jiusi felt the byline under the article title was his sister’s.
Meng Jingmo stared at the two words “Lin Zhao,” saying proudly and admiringly, “Aunt is amazing.”
Then he turned to Xiao Bai and rubbed his little brother’s face.
“Aunt is amazing, right, Xiao Bai?”
Since coming to the military region, life had been comfortable. No one bullied their family, no one looked at them strangely. Meng Jingmo’s temperament had gradually returned to its former cheerfulness; now he even teased his little brother.
Xiao Bai nodded several times. “Yeah yeah yeah, Aunt is amazing.”
He said it very seriously.
“Aunt is great,” Xiao Bai’s smile was soft. “Aunt made cotton-padded clothes and cotton shoes for Xiao Bai.”
Hearing this, Meng Jiusi felt warmth spread in his heart.
These past few months, he and his sister and the Dongfeng Brigade family had kept in touch.
A letter every half month, rebuilding the family affection missing for years.
He had sent back quite a few packages, and Dad, Mom, and sister had sent return gifts.
“Aunt is good to you, so when you grow up, you be good to her too,” Meng Jiusi taught his son.
“Of course,” Jingmo said righteously.
He would always remember that it was Aunt and Uncle who brought them to Dad’s side, sparing him and his brother potential hardships.
Aunt was their guardian angel.
Xiao Bai nodded seriously too.
A familiar youthful voice sounded outside the house.
“Jingmo! Meng Jingmo!!”
Meng Jingmo walked out, replying, “Coming.”
Mao Dan’er pushed open the door, entered the yard, saw Meng Jiusi and greeted him, then said to Meng Jingmo, “Did you see the newspaper?”
“Yeah, saw it. Did you see my aunt’s name?” Meng Jingmo asked.
Mao Dan’er hadn’t known it was Aunt Lin’s name at first; it was his grandma and dad who told him, so he knew Aunt Lin was in the newspaper.
“Yeah, I saw it.”
Meng Jingmo put his hands behind his back, chin lifted high. “Isn’t my aunt amazing?”
Mao Dan’er nodded. “Amazing.”
Aunt Lin was also amazing at cooking.
He thought to himself.
Jingmo felt his earlier pose was a bit childish and embarrassing, so he smoothly changed the subject.
“Mao Dan’er, is your family going back to the brigade for New Year?”
Mao Dan’er lowered his head, voice muffled. “No, Dad’s work is busy and he can’t leave. Grandma’s not well, can’t go back either.”
He was too little to go back alone.
He really wanted to go back; he had so many things he wanted to say to the twins.
Jingmo knew Mao Dan’er had always been thinking about going back. Not knowing how to comfort him, he thought and said, “How about this: write a few letters, and I’ll take them back to Yu Bao and Heng Bao for you, okay?”
It would have to do. Mao Dan’er looked at him. “Have them write back to me.”
He’d been at the troops so long and hadn’t made many friends. Either too arrogant and annoying, or petty and awkward-tempered—he didn’t like them.
The Gu family’s twins were the ones he liked.
If only they could come accompany the army sooner!
“Sure!” Jingmo agreed immediately.
…
Gu Chenghuai returned to the troops with stubble, went to report to the leader.
Entering the office, he found the regiment commander acting strangely, glancing at him several times.
“?”
He wondered inwardly but didn’t show it.
He calmly checked his uniform, found nothing wrong, and was even more puzzled.
Gu Chenghuai had a steady temperament— if others don’t move, neither do I.
He proceeded with the report as usual.
The middle-aged man at the desk nodded from time to time, occasionally asking a question or two, as if the strangeness he’d sensed earlier was his imagination.
After the report.
Gu Chenghuai saluted, preparing to leave.
Then he heard the leader say, “Your accompany the army application has been approved. When do you plan to have your family come?”
Gu Chenghuai narrowed his eyes.
Unclear why the leader suddenly asked this, he said vaguely, “Not decided yet.”
“Arrange it soon,” Lü Guozhi said. “No need to worry about work. Your wife’s skills mean she can pick any job in the troops.”
Hm?
Gu Chenghuai’s sharp black eyes showed a trace of confusion.
Zhaozhao’s skills?
What skills?
His wife had many skills; he didn’t know which one the regiment commander meant.
Before Gu Chenghuai could ask, Lü Guozhi tossed him a newspaper.
“Read that article,” he said.
Gu Chenghuai looked down.
Zhaozhao’s submitted article was published!!
He knew his wife would have no problem.
“It really got published!” Gu Chenghuai’s voice carried delight. The stern aura like a sword pointing to the heavens instantly melted; his eyes held a smile, his demeanor becoming open and bright.
Lü Guozhi saw him change faces, nearly losing control of his stern expression.
It was as if he were meeting this elite soldier for the first time.
“…You can go.”
Gu Chenghuai didn’t return the newspaper. He boldly folded it a few times, put it in his military uniform pocket right in front of the regiment commander, and even patted it down.
After all that, he thanked Lü Guozhi and left the office.
Lü Guozhi chuckled and cursed, rubbing his brow as if with a headache, then continued looking at his documents.
Gu Chenghuai had submitted the accompany the army application but didn’t plan to bring wife and kids right away. First, New Year was coming soon; second, the yard wasn’t tidied, and they needed to buy things.
Didn’t need to be luxurious, but at least as good as home.
Zhaozhao was coming to accompany the army, not to suffer hardships.
