The mother of the era is reborn to support her cannon fodder children!

Chapter 323 "Let's grab a bite to eat before we start cursing"

Zhao Liuniang tilted her head and replied, "She is sick, and I heard she is quite ill. I didn't ask for details, but I saw that my sister-in-law's eyes were so red, and she didn't dare to mention it. I also asked Alan, but she didn't know anything either. She cried when I asked her too many questions and looked very panicked... I hope she's alright."

Lin Zhao: "Are you saying when you're coming back again?"

“I’ve been back for three days now, I think I’ll be back soon. Every day I’m delayed means one less work point, and I can’t bear to do that, sister-in-law. My father is important, but food is important too, we can’t keep delaying forever,” Zhao Liuniang said again.

Being a woman is tough.

Mother Gu spoke up, "It's time to eat. Everyone wash your hands and come to the table. If you keep talking, the food will get cold. Eat first, then we can talk."

Everyone got to work, washed their hands, and sat down at the table.

When it came time to greet her grandson whom she hadn't seen for over a month, Gu's mother was very generous. She killed an old hen, took out the cured meat she had planned to eat for the New Year, and added some seasonal vegetables, making it even more lavish than the New Year itself.

"During this visit, Hengbao sprained his ankle, and the third son's wife was slashed by human traffickers. Both mother and son suffered greatly. But those who survive such a disaster are bound to have good fortune in the future. Now that you've returned safely, everything will go smoothly for you from now on," said Mother Gu, explaining the reason for the meal.

Zhao Liuniang had just returned and hadn't heard about this yet. Upon hearing it, she almost smashed her bowl.

"What's going on?" Her face was tense, and her lips were tightly pressed together.

Those in the know explained the reasons in a hushed tone.

Zhao Liuniang's expression changed according to what everyone was saying.

"Good riddance!" Upon hearing that the head of the human trafficking ring had been executed, she shouted with joy, "How despicable! He deserved to die!"

After finishing speaking, he shoveled a mouthful of mixed grain rice into his mouth.

Meeting the stunned stares of everyone at the table, he said awkwardly, "I'm too hungry, let me take a bite first before I continue cursing!"

Lin Zhao: "..."

Gu's mother's lips twitched a few times. "Alright, eat! Whatever you have to say, we'll talk after you finish eating!"

When the family members spoke, no one objected, and no one talked about heavy topics anymore; they began to focus on eating.

Bangbang and the others ate quickly and with gusto. They were so hungry, so incredibly hungry! They hadn't eaten meat for over a month, sob sob!
Given that Hengbao was injured in the army, the chicken leg was his.

He didn't eat alone; he shared the food with his younger siblings, praising as he ate: "Grandma's stewed chicken is so delicious! I've been thinking about it every day since I was in the army. Grandma, don't just eat potatoes, eat some meat too. I'll get you some; the meat is so good!"

A few words were enough to make Gu's mother beam with joy, and she began to plan when she could kill the chicken in the backyard.

Lin Zhao was silent.

How could she remember that Hengbao hadn't forgotten about his hometown and hadn't mentioned his family much?

Zhao Liuniang clicked her tongue and joked, "No wonder Hengbao is coveted; his sweet talk can really make people dizzy with delight."

She looked at her two sons, who were engrossed in eating, and said irritably, "You two should learn more from Hengbao about how to conduct yourselves. Don't just stand there like idiots, all you know is how to eat. Wipe your mouths, look at the grease on your lips!"

Lai Mei licked the bits of meat off her lips, smiling broadly, not taking her words to heart at all.

He said in a carefree manner, "My dear mother, although my brother and I are not good at mushy things, we are both easygoing. If we had two petty sons, with you nagging in our ears, we would have turned against Hengbao long ago. We are not like this brotherly and respectful relationship now. Mother, people should be content."

Bangbang casually replied, "Exactly! There's no such thing as a perfect person. Everyone has strengths and weaknesses, advantages and disadvantages. A perfect person... that's a god."

Zhao Liuniang was stunned.

"I'll say one sentence, and you two will each say ten," she said helplessly.

Lin Zhao wiped Yao Bao's mouth with a handkerchief and said, "Who said Bangbang and Lai Mei can't talk? I think they have very good communication skills, and what they say is meaningful. What good kids they are! Second sister-in-law, don't always look down on people."

"That's right, stop looking down on people!" Lai Mei exclaimed, her eyebrows and eyes sparkling with youthful energy.

Bangbang was a bit older and didn't show her emotions as openly as Lai Mei, but she still managed a slight smile.

Yu Bao wiped her mouth and diligently served meat to her two cousins, saying, "Bangbang and Laimei are really good friends, I like them very much."

The other three children also expressed their opinions one by one.

Zhao Liuniang's lips curled up, a hint of helplessness on her face. "Fine, I won't say anything more."

Gu Yucheng swallowed the food in his mouth and said, "It should have been done a long time ago. None of the children in our Gu family have gone astray. You don't need to worry about them..."

“Who says there aren’t any who grow up crooked? Your good sister is so crooked it’s unbearable to look at!” Zhao Liuniang blurted out without thinking.

Father Gu: "..."

Gu's mother lost her appetite.

Gu Yucheng glared at his wife and scolded her in a low voice, "Why did you have to bring up that sore spot?"

Zhao Liuniang lightly patted her mouth, "It really wasn't intentional, it just slipped out of my mouth by itself."

Gu Yucheng choked, unsure of what to say.

"Mom, my wife has such a foul mouth, please don't be angry, I'll make her apologize to you..."

"Alright," Gu's mother interrupted her son's spellcasting. "Stop talking nonsense and eat."

Zhao Liuniang dared not utter another word.

After the meal, I took the initiative to clear the dishes and chopsticks and take them to the kitchen to wash.

"Second sister-in-law, has Gu Xing'er come back while I was away?" Lin Zhao inquired through the window.

"...Keep your voice down, don't let Mother hear, or she'll get upset again." Zhao Liuniang stopped what she was doing and subconsciously looked towards her parents-in-law's room.

"Mother went to the backyard and didn't come inside," Lin Zhao reminded her.

"Oh, oh, oh." Zhao Liuniang wiped her forehead in a feigned manner.

Then her eyes lit up, and she leaned closer to Lin Zhao, "Gu Xing'er is going back to her parents' home, of course she has to go back to the village."

Lin Zhao gave a forced smile, "Returning home only a few months after getting married? Isn't that too perfunctory?"

"Slap!" Zhao Liuniang slapped her thigh. "Who says otherwise!"

“And there’s more. Gu Xing’er took her man to the second house, acting like she didn’t recognize us…” She said with a look of disdain, “If she hadn’t come to our house, I could have admired her. But she did. If you come to our house, you should at least have the right attitude. We can’t be rude to the new son-in-law, right? But she was so arrogant, acting like it was an honor for our family that she was willing to come back, and that we should be grateful to her. The things she said were so awful.”

"Third sister-in-law, I'm not trying to be mean, but your second brother has a pretty good temper, right? He was really angered by Gu Xing'er that day. He pointed at the door and told her to get out, saying he never wanted to have anything to do with her again and that she didn't need to worry about us coming to our door to beg for money!"

What Zhao Liuniang didn't say was that Gu Yucheng tossed and turned all night, unable to sleep.

This time it's real anger!
Lin Zhao felt something was off. Gu Xing'er was close to Gu Ershu, but she looked down on their branch of the family and didn't want to associate with them. Logically speaking, it would have been more reasonable for her not to visit them.

"How is the person Gu Xing'er married?"

Zhao Liuniang sighed with a complicated expression, "She's quite nice. She's polite, courteous, and speaks very well. It's a real pity that she married such a spendthrift wife as Gu Xing'er."

Upon hearing this, Lin Zhao marked Gu Xing'er's husband's name as "not simple".

Whether there's an ulterior motive or not is another matter, but something is definitely off.

"My second sister-in-law has a good impression of him."

Zhao Liuniang nodded, "That's right. I feel that comrade is down-to-earth. He didn't look down on country folk when he came to my house. He's different from any other city youth I've met." Lin Zhao smiled, "Song and Wen, the educated youths at the educated youth settlement, were also city people. They weren't arrogant either, so why are they the first ones?"

Zhao Liuniang slapped her forehead. "Look at me, how could I forget about Song and Wen, the educated youth? What a sin! These two comrades are not bad either."

First impressions are hard to change, so Lin Zhao didn't try to make her sister-in-law more wary. In short, with her rules in place, Gu Xing'er and the family she married into wouldn't be able to take advantage of her.

Several excited screams came from the courtyard.

"Ah ah ah ah ah--"

Zhao Liuniang was startled. She wiped her hands on the apron made of scraps of cloth and quickly walked out of the kitchen.

"What's wrong? Why are you shouting so loudly?" she asked.

Bangbang and Laimei hugged the Warrior shoes like they were hugging their dream lovers, their faces flushed with excitement.

"Mom, Auntie bought us a gift! Do you know what it is? Warrior shoes! I have Warrior shoes now!!" Lai Mei ran to Zhao Liu Niang, excitedly showing off her new shoes.

“I have one too.” Bangbang also came over.

After speaking, she looked at Lin Zhao and said apologetically, "Thank you, Third Aunt."

He was a bit older and knew these shoes were expensive.

Lai Mei also came to her senses and thanked them, "Thank you, Third Aunt, I really like these shoes."

“What do you like? Do you know how expensive these shoes are? You two each have a pair, and your third aunt's salary is half a month’s wages.” Zhao Liuniang took the shoes away and said to Lin Zhao, “Third sister-in-law, can we return these? They are still young and don’t need to wear store-bought shoes. I made them each a pair of cloth shoes, which is enough for them. Can we return them? Don’t waste money.”

Even though Bangbang and Laimei are very sensible, they are still children. They were inevitably disappointed when their shoes were taken away, but they also knew that their mother was right, so they didn't say anything.

"I can't return them!" Lin Zhao snatched the shoes back and returned them to Bangbang and Lai Mei, then said, "I bought them at the supply and marketing cooperative near the army base, so I can't return them."

“These are from my third aunt. Second sister-in-law, don’t worry about them. They’re both grown up now, they need a pair of shoes that they can wear in public.”

She wouldn't be so generous if she hadn't had a stroke of luck.

Isn't this extra?
"That's right! Adults always say that children shouldn't meddle in adult matters, and adults shouldn't meddle in the affairs of our children's kingdom either!" Hengbao shouted.

Lin Zhao patted his head, "You're everywhere."

Turning to Bangbang and Laimei, she said, "Don't mind your mother, go try on your new shoes. If they don't fit, I'll find a way to get you replacements."

After the two boys, one big and one small, walked away, Zhao Liuniang solemnly thanked her third sister-in-law.

"...You've spent so much money again." She rarely saw her son so happy.

Lin Zhao waved her hand, "It's nothing. I know that when Mother was busy with the work in the fields, Bangbang and Laimei took care of Qianbao and Yaobao. The children helped, so of course I have to show my appreciation. Besides, I heard that you were very strict with them this summer. The two children were locked at home studying every day for a month. It's time to let them have some fun."

“I’m not a stepmother, how could I not show any appreciation? Just the other day, I gritted my teeth and bought each of them a meat bun,” Zhao Liuniang quickly explained, afraid that her sister-in-law would think she was a miser who only took from people and never gave them anything.

That's her own son, the one who will take care of her and her husband in their old age. Of course she wants to treat them well, but she just doesn't have the means.

Three children need food, drink, clothes, and schooling... and when they grow up they'll get married. How can we manage without being frugal and saving money like crazy?!

“I know my second sister-in-law is a good mother,” Lin Zhao nodded in agreement.

These words pleased Zhao Liuniang more than any praise.

“I’m so happy!” she said.

“I’m not good at raising children. I’m always afraid that I might accidentally become that wretched person in my own family. But I’m willing to learn. I’ll learn from my parents, my older brother and sister-in-law, and you. I want to be a good mother. If I can get a word of praise from you, the God of Literature, I’ll be truly happy.”

Zhao Liuniang didn't think that giving birth to the children and providing them with food and drink was enough. She believed that parents had a responsibility to educate their children well.

She herself was uneducated and under a lot of pressure. Fortunately, she married into a good family with a good mother-in-law and good sisters-in-law.

Lin Zhao was moved and said again earnestly, "Second sister-in-law is a very competent mother and has raised her children very well."

Zhao Liuniang smiled, her eyes reddening. "I made you a few pairs of cloth slippers. I'll bring them to you later."

"You're just sitting at the counter doing nothing, aren't you?" Lin Zhao pretended not to see her reddened eyes.

“Yes, everyone does it this way. Time passes too slowly if you don’t find something to do.” Zhao Liuniang composed herself and then asked, “Third sister-in-law, when do you plan to start work? I’ll hand over my duties to you.”

To be honest, after working there for a month, she experienced what it was like to be a factory worker, and she was indeed reluctant to leave, but she would not do anything dishonorable.

Don't get involved in things you shouldn't.

"No rush, I'll rest for a couple more days," Lin Zhao said. "I haven't been back for over a month, I need to go back to my parents' home and see my uncle. I'm exhausted from the car ride, I need to rest a bit more, let's talk about it next week!"

Zhao Liuniang: "Okay, just let me know when you want to start work."

"it is good."

Afterwards, Lin Zhao took several pairs of finely stitched cloth slippers home.

It's not something valuable, but it's a token of my sister-in-law's affection. Cloth shoes are so comfortable and breathable.

……

The next day, early in the morning.

Bang bang bang——! !

There was a knock on the door of the Gu family's third house.

Big Yellow Amber walked to the door, smelled the familiar scent, didn't bark, but just wagged its tail impatiently.

The big dog was clever; it straightened up and used its right paw to pry at the door latch.

"Big Yellow, can you do it?" The little boy outside the door squeezed his face against the door, one eye bulging open, trying hard to see inside, and said, "Yes, push it to the right."

Yu Bao got up to pee and noticed the noise at the door. "Da Huang, why are you unbolting the door?"

Hearing this, the little boy outside the door jumped up excitedly, his voice light and cheerful, "Yu Bao, it's me! Iron Hammer, Li Bao, I've come to find you!"

Yu Bao's eyes lit up instantly, his sleepiness vanished, and he rushed to the door like the wind.

With a click, the door opened.

Li Bao rushed in and gave Yu Bao a bear hug.

"Yu Bao, you're finally back! I missed you so much! This month has been so boring!"

Yu Bao hugged his good friend back, "I missed you too. I brought you a gift. Come on, I'll take you to see it."

"Are they Warrior shoes?" Li Bao asked bluntly.

“You know now,” Yu Bao said with a smile.

"Yeah, my brother told my brother, and my brother told me." What Li Bao didn't say was that his brother had asked him to ask if it was true, but when he saw Yu Bao, he forgot all about what his brother had said.

Tie Dan: "??"

(End of this chapter)