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

Chapter 324 "The Sickly Beauty!"

"Why isn't Brother Tiedan here?" Yu Bao glanced at the door a few times, but didn't see Tiedan, and regretfully looked away.

"I'm feeding the chickens at home," Li Bao replied, rubbing Da Huang's cheeks a few times before following Yu Bao inside.

"What about Sister Lan?" Yu Bao asked again, "Doesn't Sister Lan usually feed you?"

“My sister did a lot of work at my maternal grandparents’ house and got exhausted. My mother told her to rest for a few days and that my brother and I should do any work.” Li Bao didn’t hide anything.

Remembering the important matter, Yu Bao looked over seriously and asked with concern, "Your grandfather is better now?!"

"Okay, okay." Li Bao's cheerful tone was impossible to hide.

Relieved, Yu Bao dragged his good friend to try on Warrior shoes.

The two arrived in the yard wearing the same shoes.

Lin Zhao came out of the house and was slightly surprised to see Li Bao. Then her eyes were full of smiles. "Li Bao is back. You're here so early. How is your grandfather's health? He looks so happy. He must be better now."

"Third Aunt," Li Bao called softly, then answered her question, "Okay, Grandpa's alright now."

"It's good that you're alright. Stay for lunch, Yu Bao and Heng Bao miss you," Lin Zhao said.

"Okay, I also want Yu Bao and Heng Bao, and Third Auntie." The child's expression was extremely serious, and the emotions in his clear eyes were also very straightforward.

Lin Zhao smiled and said, "Yu Bao, didn't you bring peanut candy to share with Li Bao? Did you share it?"

"Not yet, I'm trying on the shoes first," Yu Bao said obediently.

"I see. Li Bao, do the shoes fit?" Lin Zhao's smiling eyes fell on Li Bao.

After some time apart, Li Bao had gotten tanned and thinner, looking rather unfortunate. Only when she put on white sneakers did she regain her vibrancy and childlike energy.

"Yes, they fit perfectly and are very comfortable. I like these shoes. Thank you, Third Aunt." Li Bao smiled shyly, her smile slightly naive, still with that familiar charm.

"You're welcome, go have fun," Lin Zhao said, dismissing the children.

Breakfast consisted of steamed buns and milk powder.

After eating porridge for more than a month, Li Bao kept swallowing his saliva. When he started eating, he ate very ferociously, as if he hadn't eaten for three days.

Yu Bao stared in disbelief. "Li Bao, didn't you get any food at your grandpa's house?"

Li Bao's fair face showed a hint of confusion. Yu Bao asked again before he seemed to come to his senses and gave an awkward smile, "There's food."

She rubbed her hands awkwardly and whispered shyly, "I haven't eaten meat in a long time."

Hengbao has a habit of eating what he likes first. He swallowed more than half of a xiaolongbao in one bite and said, "Auntie isn't going to make you any meat again?"

"Hengbao!" Yubao tugged at his arm. "Auntie is busy earning work points and taking care of Grandpa Libao. It's not strange that she doesn't have time to buy meat. Just eat your food and don't talk!"

He was a thoughtful child who knew that very few families could afford to eat meat every few days. Eating meat once every two or three months was considered good. Even the Black Egg and Silver Beans that they knew in the army, whose fathers were so powerful and could earn tens of yuan a month as officers, could only eat meat once a month. They would cook a meat dish for the whole family, which was enough to satisfy their cravings. It was impossible for them to eat their fill.

If even those with stable incomes are like this, then the villagers are even worse off; they're lucky if they can eat like this once every six months.

Yu Bao knew that his aunt was very frugal, saving money for A Lan's dowry, for Tie Dan and Li Bao's tuition, and for their weddings...

Yu Bao seemed to understand but not quite, thinking that adults were really tired and had endless worries.

His mother told him to observe carefully, and all his doubts would be answered.
Later, he observed more carefully and began to understand—

It turns out that their parents gave them the best life in this era of scarcity.

A separate room, a radio, a change of clothes, pocket money, a piggy bank, and even toys like Little Yellow, Amber, Little Gold, and Coal Ball to keep them company...

None of the other children had these.

Thinking of this, Yu Bao looked at Lin Zhao and gave him a sweet smile.

Li Bao, unaware of Yu Bao's intentions in mending Heng Bao's work, chuckled and said, "My mother said we're out of meat coupons at home. We'll buy meat when we get more. Yu Bao, Heng Bao, I'll call you when my mother makes meat."

Yu Bao shook her head and said considerately, "No need, Heng Bao and I don't crave meat."

In fact, he knew that every household didn't buy much meat. If he ate one more bite, his uncle's family would eat one less bite. After going once, the sensible Yu Bao was unwilling to go a second time.

He reminded Hengbao, and Hengbao replied, "That's right, we don't crave meat."

Mom said she's going to the Lin family's house tomorrow. Her eldest uncle secretly told him that he'd found someone to swap the rabbit for his favorite food, and that his aunt would make spicy rabbit meat.

Thinking of the rabbit meat he ate in the army, little Gu Zhiheng secretly swallowed his saliva.

Li Bao was stunned. "There are people who don't crave meat?!"

He forgot that Yu Bao and Heng Bao used to be just like him, both being children who craved food. Saying he wasn't craving food was out of consideration for Yu Bao's feelings.

"...Yes, yes, I'm not craving it." Yu Bao's words were not sincere. He was definitely craving it, but he wasn't craving meat that he shouldn't be craving.

Yesterday at the old house, the two kids kept praising how delicious Grandma's cooking was, but they didn't actually fight over it; most of it was given to the others!
……

in the afternoon.

Gu Chan rode her bicycle to the Fengshou Brigade and went straight to find Lin Zhao.

I didn't come empty-handed; I brought a pound of meat and a bag of pastries.

"Zhao Zhao." She greeted Lin Zhao with a smile, then hugged Yu Bao and Heng Bao into her arms. "Yu Bao, Heng Bao, you're finally back! How was it in the army? Did anyone bully you?"

Yu Bao replied, "No, my uncle is here, and Mao Dan'er is here too. Nobody is bullying us."

Hengbao stood proudly with his hands on his hips, "We're already being nice by not bullying others."

Gu Chan ruffled his hair and said, "If others don't bully us, we can't bully others either. Nobody likes a domineering kid."

"I was just kidding, Auntie, how could you believe me? Adults are so easy to fool," Hengbao said with a grin.

Gu Chan patted his head and pushed away her increasingly mischievous nephew. "I brought you some snacks. Go and eat. I have something to say to your mother."

"Okay." The two brothers took three pieces of mung bean cake and left.

In the courtyard, under the flowering trees.

Lin Zhao handed Gu Chan a bowl of sweet potato soup, sat down opposite her, and casually asked, "What does eldest sister want to talk to me about?"

Gu Chan wrapped her arms around the porcelain bowl, her fingers unconsciously turning back and forth.

"It's still about Little Stone..." She hesitated, afraid of displeasing Lin Zhao, and tentatively asked a question while looking at her nervously.

Lin Zhao lightly patted her forehead and said with a self-deprecating laugh, "I should have thought of that, but I got confused while riding in the car!"

In an instant, he became serious, "The matter of Little Stone hasn't been resolved yet?!"

“Your brother-in-law and I have decided to send Xiao Shitou to the provincial capital. We’re buying some things for the child, but we’ve never been far from home before, so we’re not sure if we’ve bought enough. We’d like to ask you to take a look,” Gu Chan said.

"Is that all?" Lin Zhao's eyes were filled with helplessness. "Seeing your tense expression, I thought it was something serious. Okay, I'll take a look. When? Tomorrow afternoon would be fine?"

Gu Chan smiled and said, "Okay! You just got back, I was afraid of disturbing your rest."

It's really not a big deal, and we don't need to ask our siblings for help. But as parents, we can't help but overthink things.

Little Stone is so small, so silly, and as quiet as a goose. His mother is always afraid of mistreating him. "When can't you rest? Big sister, you're being too polite," Lin Zhao said irritably.

Gu Chan: "It's not that I'm being polite, but you need to have time to help me."

She is a very tactful person, and her words and actions make people feel comfortable. It is because of this that Lin Zhao enjoys dealing with her.

"I have time. If I'm talking about resting, today is enough!"

Lin Zhao asked, "Will my brother-in-law take Xiao Shitou to the provincial capital then?"

"Yes!" Gu Chan's tone was light, no longer showing the panic she had when she called Gu Chenghuai and Lin Zhao before.

“Your brother-in-law went there a few days ago to scout out the place, familiarize himself with the area, and also to see where Xiao Shitou will be staying. He said the place is nice, with room and board provided, and the food is quite good. Xiao Shitou is lucky to have been chosen. If he can stay, he won't have to worry about the future.”

It's no exaggeration to say that Wei Xiangdong slept well the night he returned from the provincial capital.

“That’s great, it’s a good path for Xiao Shitou,” Lin Zhao said. “But what about his schooling if he goes to the provincial capital?”

“There are teachers at that training base. The coaches said that the children will learn the necessary cultural knowledge, and it won’t interfere with their literacy learning,” Gu Chan explained.

Otherwise, she would have to think about it some more.

"It's all good." Lin Zhaozhen thought it was a promising future, and maybe Xiao Shitou would be one of the first young people to go out and achieve great success.

Having said what she cared about most, the weight on Gu Chan's heart was lifted, and she was in the mood to talk about other things!
"Zhaozhao, have you heard? Our brigade is going to build a road."

Lin Zhaozhen had never heard of this.

She looked surprised. "...Never heard of it. When will it be repaired?"

Lin Zhao had long suffered from the dirt roads in the countryside.

Sunny weather doesn't affect anything, but once it rains, there are puddles here and mud there, making it impossible to walk. What's most troublesome is that the road is full of creepy little animals.

Gu Chan said, "I heard that repairs will begin after the harvest season ends, so it should be soon."

"Build a gravel road?" Lin Zhao then asked.

“Yes, gravel roads are cheaper.” Gu Chan nodded. “The brigade has started growing mushrooms, and the commune sends people to pick up mushrooms every month. The roads in our brigade are too bad to walk on, and the clerks have complained about them several times. The brigade leader and a few brigade cadres discussed it and decided to repair the road. Each family would contribute a strong laborer, and they would work for a few days to repair the road.”

"Oh, right, the brigade leader also suggested installing some streetlights, but the villagers complained about the electricity consumption and weren't happy about it. The brigade leader didn't mention it again, I don't know what happened after that..."

Lin Zhao: "..."

They understood that the members of the commune did not earn money easily, but they also felt that it was worthwhile to install electric lights.

We've reached an age where we can understand both sides!

……

Children grow so fast! The last time I saw them, they were just two little hamsters. A month or so later, they had grown up like balloons, with white skin and big eyes. Unlike other children who are thin and small, they had gained weight and were round and plump.

“They’re so big already, so round and plump! Third Egg and Fourth Egg are destined to be reincarnated, arriving at the best time in the family. I’m their aunt…” Lin Zhao reached out and touched the twins in the wooden cart.

Her brother grasped her finger with his tiny little fingers, babbling in baby talk and revealing a sweet, melting smile.

"San Dan, arrest me!"

Chen Yu looked at her sister-in-law's smiling face and shook her head helplessly. She's a mother of four, yet she's still so childish.

but.

This also shows that Zhao Zhao married well. As a woman herself, and as Lin Zhao's sister-in-law, Chen Yu hopes for her well-being, and her eyes are very gentle.

“He likes you,” Chen Yu said gently.

She lightly tapped San Dan's nose with her fingertip, a smile on her face. "You know the milk powder you drink was a gift from your aunt, right? Your aunt is good to you, so you should be good to your aunt when you grow up."

"Definitely," Big Egg chimed in from the side. "If they dare to treat Auntie badly, I'll beat them up!"

Erdan chimed in, "I second that."

He looked so pretentious that Hengbao looked at him with admiration, "Brother Erdan, have you read a new picture book?"

"Yeah." Erdan chuckled. "My aunt said there were good books at the recycling station, so my dad, your uncle, took us there. We were lucky and found a few. My dad said they were some classic novels."

"Brother Erdan, I want to see it," Hengbao asked.

"Okay, I'll show you later. But it has to be a secret. Don't tell anyone, or you'll be in big trouble," Erdan reminded him seriously.

Hengbao immediately understood that he should keep quiet, and his mouth was tight enough to keep quiet. "I promise I won't say a word."

Yu Bao's hand, which was touching Si Dan, was also grasped. His eyes, which were filled with surprise, were like stars, and he was both happy and confused. His gaze was all over the place as he looked at Chen Yu, then at Lin Zhao, and then at his uncle.

"Four Eggs arrested me too!!"

Chen Yu laughed and said, "Si Dan likes you as his older brother. Look, he's smiling at you."

“I see it! My little brother is handsome,” Yu Bao exclaimed.

Yao Bao was incredibly curious about the little thing inside the wooden cart that was making babbling noises. She grabbed the edge of the cart with her little hands and stood on tiptoe to look. She was small, but she was quite heavy. If there hadn't been an adult next to her, she could have tipped the cart over.

Before Lin Zhao could speak, Lin Shichang picked up his niece and let her look down at the two little cubs.

Yao Bao's big, adorable eyes widened, and her voice was clear and crisp, "Little brother!!"

"Yes, it's my younger brother," Lin Shichang said affectionately.

Xi Bao said to Yu Bao and Heng Bao from the side, "I have a younger brother now! I'm finally not the youngest anymore!!"

Hengbao, this straight-laced guy, remained silent for a few moments before finally saying, "You weren't the youngest to begin with; Zhengzheng is the youngest."

Xi Bao: "...I hate people who throw cold water on things the most."

Hengbao frowned slightly. "Sister Xibao, you have to learn to accept reality."

The adults laughed heartily at the children's innocent and childlike words.

Just then, the courtyard gate was pushed open.

A disheveled man with a messy beard walked in.

"...Wow, it's so lively!" the young man's familiar voice rang out. "Zhaozhao's back! If she hadn't come back, I was thinking of joining the army!!"

Lin Shichang was the first to react, "Second son, you're back. Wife, boil a pot of water and let the second son wash up."

"No need to bother, it's so hot, I'll just wash with cold water," Lin Shisheng said loudly.

He came in carrying a large cloth bag, followed by a pretty woman with a sickly appearance.

Everyone in the courtyard was dumbfounded.

"Second brother, who is this?" Lin Zhao asked.

(End of this chapter)