Chapter 26: “stealing The Spotlight”
Lin Zhao planned to bring two jin of pork, ten eggs, and the remaining four bottles of soda.
She had just packed up the things when she heard Er Zai’s shout.
“Mom, Mom, I have big news to tell you!!” The little friend’s voice was high-pitched, full of irrepressible excitement.
Lin Zhao was very curious and quickly walked out of the room.
“What big news?”
Er Zai said: “My little aunt was kicked out of the house by Grandpa.”
After saying that, he even laughed a few times, “Hahaha…”
Lin Zhao: “??!”
Was it the meaning she understood?
“Wait, tell me in detail.”
Er Zai saw Mom’s face full of confusion and gave his brother a look.
Da Zai received the signal, and his expression suddenly became serious.
Then…
The two little brothers started performing.
“Mom, I’m the little aunt.” Er Zai said first.
“Then I’ll be Grandpa, Uncle, Second Uncle, Eldest Uncle’s Wife, and Second Aunt.” Da Zai listed a string of people.
Lin Zhao: “…” There were quite a few actors in that scene at the old house.
Er Zai began performing. His childish little face showed a bitter and deeply resentful expression, eyes wide, neck stiff, angrily shouting, “That’s my third brother’s connection, why should all the benefits go to her…”
Here he changed the lines. The little friend knew Lin Zhao was Mom’s name, so of course he wouldn’t shout it casually, and used ‘her’ instead.
After Er Zai finished his lines, Da Zai took the stage.
Da Zai imitated his grandpa’s appearance, looking deeply at a certain spot as if two people were standing there. He frowned and said: “Send Gu Xing’er to your milk’s place.”
At this point, he paused soulfully, as if the people over there hadn’t spoken.
Then he said coldly again: “Why aren’t you moving yet.”
Er Zai twisted his body, as if someone was pulling him, struggling to stretch his arms, shouting loudly, “Dad, I’m your daughter, you can’t drive me away…”
After that.
It was more dialogue.
The two of them even imitated the tone of speech very well.
Lin Zhao knew who they were imitating without asking.
Finally.
Er Zai performed the action of being dragged away, stumbling all the way to the gate.
Lin Zhao’s mouth twitched.
“…”
Drama queens.
She clearly hadn’t seen the live version, but she felt as if she was there.
“Mom, that’s how it is. My little aunt was sent away.” After Er Zai finished performing, he ran back excitedly and said.
Thinking of something, he laughed out loud, “Tie Chui must be very happy.”
As he was speaking, Little Tie Chui ran to the third branch, his eyes bright.
“Da Zai, Er Zai.” He shouted.
Seeing Lin Zhao, he obediently greeted: “Third Aunt.”
“Alright, you guys play. I’ll go to the backyard.” Lin Zhao was afraid the three little ones would feel awkward and walked to the backyard.
After a few steps, she heard Tie Chui’s excited tone: “Da Zai, Er Zai, little aunt was sent away!”
Gu Xing’er could make all the juniors in the Gu Family avoid her with her own power; she was truly one of a kind.
Lin Zhao arrived at the backyard. The entire vegetable patch was enclosed by a bamboo fence, in neat rows, with wooden frames set up inside. Once covered with green vines, it would surely be another vibrant scene.
She watered the vegetable garden, cleared the fallen leaves in the backyard, and returned to the front yard.
Da Zai and the others were still there, organizing the firewood against the wall. The three five-year-old little boys were working seriously, all very well-behaved.
Lin Zhao smiled slightly and took out a bottle of soda from the net bag meant to be taken to the old house.
She shared it with the three cute little friends.
“Little ones, you’ve worked hard. Share this bottle of soda.”
Little Tie Chui’s eyes lit up instantly, and he quietly licked his lips, looking very greedy.
“Thank you, Third Aunt.” He looked honest and naive, clearly a good child. His smile was even more honest, and Lin Zhao liked him very much.
Da Zai and Er Zai thought of the taste of soda and were also very happy.
Lin Zhao thought they would have a meal soon, so she didn’t give the three little friends any food, lest they have no appetite for dinner.
She returned to the room and wrote a letter to Gu Chenghuai.
The content of this letter was mainly rainbow farts, talking about her day trip to the county with Da Zai and Er Zai, and the gift of gratitude she sent to Yang Junzhi…
It ended up being several pages long.
Lin Zhao checked it and saw no sensitive words, so she put the letter paper into an envelope, stuck a stamp on it, and planned to mail it tomorrow.
The three little men finished organizing the firewood.
Er Zai saw that the water jar in the kitchen had no water left, climbed on the window, stuck his little head into the room, and said loudly: “Mom, the jar has no water. I’ll go call Uncle to fetch water.”
After awakening, Lin Zhao loved cleanliness very much, and the family’s water usage kept increasing.
Previously, Gu Yuanshan and Gu Yucheng took turns fetching water every other day, but now it wasn’t enough every day.
“No need for now. I’ll tell them myself when we go to the old house later.”
Er Zai didn’t think much and said oh, using the remaining water to wash his hands and face.
Lin Zhao thought for a moment, then took out an aluminum lunchbox and 5 chi of corduroy fabric, planning to bring them to the old house together.
With the cubs’ dad not at home, there would be many things troubling the old house in the future. She couldn’t always take advantage; they provided the effort, she provided the things, and she didn’t lack these anyway.
In the blink of an eye, it was time to go to the old house.
Lin Zhao picked up the things and went out, saying to the three little friends in the yard: “Let’s go, to the old house for dinner.”
Her peripheral vision caught a glimpse that the bottle of soda still had two-thirds left, and she was slightly stunned. “You’re all so good at it, and the soda isn’t finished yet.”
Er Zai said seriously: “Good things should be savored slowly; how can you drink it all at once.”
Da Zai and Tie Chui nodded, clearly very agreeing with Er Zai’s words.
Lin Zhao shook the things in her hand and teased the little ones: “Look what this is?”
Da Zai’s eyes widened: “Meat, eggs, and soda!!”
Tie Chui licked his lips, saliva almost drooling out. A little friend whose belly had little oil and water wanted to gnaw on the raw meat when he saw it.
“It’s big fatty meat!!” His voice was even higher than Da Zai’s.
Er Zai took the things from Lin Zhao’s hand, his clear big eyes looking at her: “Mom, are we bringing these over?”
“Yes, our family has five mouths; we can’t eat for free.” Lin Zhao said.
Er Zai openly snickered and pointed out the loophole in his mom’s words: “Brother and I have eaten for free for several years.”
Lin Zhao: “…”
She said calmly: “The past is the past; the future is the future.”
Er Zai wanted to say something more, but Da Zai glared at his younger brother, and Er Zai immediately shut up.
After glaring at his brother, Da Zai wanted to take the other small package from Lin Zhao’s hand, but she refused: “This is for your Eldest Uncle’s Wife and Second Aunt. I’ll carry it myself; you and Er Zai take that one, okay?”
“Okay.” Da Zai agreed obediently.
Tie Chui curiously looked at the small package in Third Aunt’s hand, unable to tell what it was.
Lin Zhao took the three little friends to the old house.
Er Zai carried a piece of meat that looked like two jin, while Da Zai carried the net bag with eggs and soda.
This scene was unusually eye-catching.
The villagers saw what they were carrying and couldn’t help but look a few more times.
Meat was attractive to adults, but even more so to little friends.
Tie Niu saw the meat in Er Zai’s hand from afar and rushed over, saliva overflowing from his mouth: “Er Zai, you have so much meat in your hand.” He really wanted to eat fried pork rinds, wuwuwu.
Er Zai was extremely proud and said loudly: “My mom became a salesperson at the county Supply and Marketing Cooperative. My milk asked us to go to the old house for dinner, saying to celebrate.
Mom said our family has five mouths, so we can’t eat for free. All these are what Mom prepared for Grandpa and milk.”
The villagers overheard, and in an instant, their impression of Lin Zhao changed.
From lazy, dramatic, and clueless to filial, generous, and educated.
Da Zai was afraid everyone couldn’t see clearly what was in his hand, so he raised it and shook: “And soda! Soda!!”
Little Tie Niu had never drunk soda and stared at the orange water in the net bag, so greedy that tears were about to fall: “I’ve never drunk soda. Is it better than brown sugar water?”
“Better than brown sugar water!” Tie Chui also had a proud expression, 100% similar to the two cubs.
Tie Niu was the brigade leader’s own grandson, the first in the entire brigade to eat big meat buns from the state-run restaurant. Now, everything Da Zai and the others were eating and drinking was stuff he hadn’t tasted, and the little friend was about to cry from grievance.
“Wuwuwu, I want to drink soda too.”
Da Zai saw his little friend crying from greed and looked at his mom: “Mom, can we let Tie Niu taste the soda we saved?”
Lin Zhao smiled and said: “I already said it, didn’t I? The things Mom gives you, you can decide for yourselves who to share with. You are the little masters of the house; you have this right.”
Da Zai loved hearing Mom say they were the little masters of the house; his heart bubbled with joy.
He looked at Er Zai and Tie Chui and asked seriously: “Do you want to share with Tie Niu?”
He even stated the reason for sharing: “Tie Niu shared bird eggs with us before.”
Er Zai, who had no mom to care for him before, was a food-protecting and stingy little friend. After knowing Mom liked him, Er Zai was willing to share.
“Sure, I’m willing to share.” He said loudly.
Tie Chui followed Da Zai and Er Zai; if they had no objection, neither did he.
“I’m willing to share too.”
Er Zai grinned and said to Tie Niu: “We still have half a bottle of soda at home; we’ll drink it together in the afternoon.”
Tie Niu went from crying to laughing, eyelashes still wet with tears, but his smile was huge: “I’ll share my sweet wild fruits with you too.”
“Good~~”
The two little friends were short and chubby, only that tall, wearing patched clothes, having a serious conversation—it was adorably lethal.
In a short time, the news of Lin Zhao bringing meat to her parents-in-law spread throughout the village.
Human nature is very complex—
When a bad person does one good deed, it’s like a flash of light streaking across a dark night sky. People are surprised to find he’s not beyond saving, so all his bad deeds are washed clean by this moment of good. But when a good person does one bad deed, it’s a stain on white paper, glaring and impossible to ignore, wiping out all his good deeds with this one mistake.
Lin Zhao wasn’t a bad person, but she belonged to the former category.
With Da Zai and Er Zai’s publicity like this, her previous bad reputation was instantly reversed.
Yes, a daughter-in-law who was willing to bring meat, eggs, and soda to her parents-in-law—there weren’t many in the entire brigade. So what if she was lazy? She was filial.
Because of the two jin of meat, plus Da Zai and Er Zai’s two blabbermouths, the few minutes’ walk to the Gu Family old house seemed exceptionally long.
When they arrived, Lin Zhao let out a long sigh of relief.
Da Zai and Er Zai, however, had faces full of reluctance, expressions saying how it arrived so soon.
Lin Zhao was speechless.
How much these two little brothers loved showing off.
While Mom inwardly complained, Da Zai and Er Zai walked into the Gu house with the steps of elders.
“Grandpa, milk, we’re here. We brought meat and soda!”
Er Zai’s voice was as loud as ever.
Gu Mu and the two daughters-in-law came out from the kitchen.
Seeing that piece of meat, they were both shocked and delighted.
Yo, what day is it today? The third son’s wife actually brought meat to the door?!
“Third Son’s Wife, what’s this?” Gu Mu asked.
“Isn’t it because double harvest rush is tiring? I happened to buy a few jin of meat and brought some over for you to replenish.” Lin Zhao said calmly.
Gu Mu was stunned.
Lin Zhao took out the things from the cloth bag and handed the aluminum lunchbox to eldest sister-in-law Huang Xiulan: “Eldest sister-in-law, doesn’t Alan need a lunchbox? This one hasn’t been used much; give it to her.”
Gu Lan was the eldest daughter of the first branch, twelve years old this year.
Huang Xiulan was delighted, took it, and smiled: “Oh, it looks almost new. Thank you, third sister-in-law.”
Lin Zhao accepted the thanks and gave the five chi of corduroy fabric to Zhao Liuniang: “Second sister-in-law, you’re skilled at sewing. Here’s five chi of corduroy fabric. Make a set of autumn clothing for Mom; use the remaining fabric to make a pair of pants for Yu Yu.”
Zhao Liuniang was also full of joy and quickly expressed: “Sure, I know Mom’s measurements. I’ll make it tonight.”
Gu Mu was extremely surprised: “Make autumn clothing for me?”
“Yes, for Mom.” Lin Zhao said. “I’ll be going to work in a few days; the four cubs still need Mom to take care of them. This is hardship pay.”
Gu Mu was very traditional and reluctant to spend on food or clothing. Good food at home went to the grandsons and granddaughters; fabric at home was also saved for them.
She hadn’t gotten new clothes in many years; her clothes had the most patches in the family.
Suddenly enjoying fortune from her daughter-in-law, the old lady’s nose soured, and she nearly cried.
She touched the corduroy fabric and said: “Such good fabric, make it for you. What do I need it for at my age? No need for new clothes.”
“What’s wrong with being this age? The older you are, the more you should wear new clothes.” Lin Zhao disagreed.
Gu Mu felt extremely warm inside. The third son’s wife was actually very good; her previous behavior must have been because she was young.
Lin Zhao said again: “Eldest sister-in-law, second sister-in-law, the family’s water usage is high; fetching every two days isn’t enough.”
Only then did Huang Xiulan and Zhao Liuniang realize why the third son’s wife gave them benefits—it was waiting here.
But the two didn’t mind at all.
Fetching water was just a bit time-consuming.
The benefits they got were tangible.
“Sure, I’ll tell your eldest brother later.” Huang Xiulan agreed immediately.
With the third son’s wife making a request, she accepted the aluminum lunchbox even more willingly.
Zhao Liuniang thought the same; the remaining fabric could make pants for her Yu Yu, and the smile in her eyes was about to fly out.
“Fetching water is simple; I’ll remind Yu Yu’s dad too.”
Both sisters-in-law received benefits, and now Lin Zhao looked pleasing everywhere.
This pleasing feeling peaked after eating meat and drinking soda.
Without Gu Xing’er, this meal at the Gu house was unusually harmonious, especially the children at home, who were all going crazy with joy.
Meat, fried eggs, and soda—this life was better than immortals’.
–
After the afternoon nap.
Lin Zhao took the cicada monkeys the cubs caught and fried them in oil. A fragrance wafted from the kitchen.
After Er Zai woke up, he smelled the aroma, woke his brother, and the two brothers shuffled in cloth shoes toward the kitchen, rubbing their eyes.
Seeing Lin Zhao’s figure, they instantly woke up.
“Mom, it smells so good. What are you making?” Er Zai asked.
Lin Zhao held a large porcelain bowl and waved it in front of the two little friends through the window, letting the fragrance spread: “Oil-fried cicada monkeys.”
Da Zai showed a shocked expression: “Mom, I’ve eaten cicada monkeys before, but none smelled this good. Did you add meat?”
“I fried them in oil and added other ingredients, of course it’s fragrant.” Lin Zhao said proudly.
She had tasted it first; it was crispy, fragrant to death, just mouth-burning hot.
“Go wash up quickly; it’s best eaten hot.” Lin Zhao urged the two cubs, also afraid the dragon-phoenix twins would wake up and fuss for some.
Da Zai and Er Zai obediently washed up, went back to the room to apply baby cream, and then came to the kitchen.
“Mom, washed.” Er Zai said.
Da Zai added: “Applied baby cream.”
Lin Zhao casually praised: “So obedient.”
She gave the fried cicada monkeys to the two cubs.
“You two eat outside; don’t let your younger brother and sister see.”
So many votes, thank you everyone for your support. Extra update tomorrow, 2k~~
