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

Chapter 333 "Don't dwell on immoral things"

Chu An instantly beamed with joy, his eyes filled with nothing but adoration.

He knew that entrusting his sister to the Lin family was no problem. He first praised himself in his heart, and then bowed deeply to the Lin family.

Chu Ning also bowed in gratitude.

The Lin family was already exceptionally kind to take her in temporarily; when Wu Jian'an and the others came looking for her, there was absolutely no need to help her.

But they still helped her.

Chu Ning, who was quite frightened by those people, was filled with gratitude. Even though they had left, her heart was still beating very fast, as if it was about to jump out of her chest.

Chu An gave his sister a reassuring look, then casually found a stool to sit on and chatted with the Lin family.

"Auntie, will Shisheng be back soon?"

The young man had bright, clear eyes and a friendly demeanor. He was also a friend of Lin Shisheng, so the Lin family treated him quite warmly.

"What happened these past two days," Song Xiwei said.

"Please pass on a message for me: I'll treat him to dinner when he gets back," Chu An said with a smile, reaching out to pat the things she had brought. "And these too, just a small token, for Auntie to add some dishes to the family, and some snacks for the children."

Song Xiwei said, "You're very thoughtful."

"What are you talking about? My Ningning is a lot of trouble for you to take care of her." Chu An smiled sheepishly, "My sister might need to bother you for a few more days..."

Song Xi waved her hand slightly, "Stay wherever you like. My house is big and has many rooms. Comrade Chu can stay as long as he wants."

Chu Ning's eyes welled up with tears.

She thought the Lin family would resent her.

"Thank you, Auntie," she said, her voice choked with emotion.

Song Xiwei had never shed a tear more than twice in her life, but she couldn't bear to see the little girl cry, so she comforted her, "Don't take that scoundrel to heart, they won't be able to be so arrogant for long."

Seeing his sister's tears, Chu An felt an urge to chop Wu Jian'an into eight pieces.

He quickly comforted her, saying, "Ningning, don't cry. Nobody at home is blaming you. Your parents are trying to figure something out..."

As the words left my mouth, a wave of helplessness washed over me.

His family had some influence in the county, but they were still struggling to compete with the powerful Wu family, unsure of which side to focus their efforts on.

Chu Ning pursed her lips. She knew it wasn't that simple, so she smiled casually and said, "I'll wait for my brother to pick me up and take me home."

Chu An gave her a reassuring look, then stood up to say goodbye to the Lin family.

Seeing that he was about the same age as her son, Song Xiwei softened and said a few words of comfort, "Being too high-profile will lead to trouble sooner or later. Don't worry too much. Maybe that family will be in trouble in a couple of days."

"I hope so," Chu An replied, taking it as his aunt's attempt to comfort him. He didn't show any sign of dejection.

After leaving the Dongfeng Brigade, Chu An rode his bicycle towards the county. On the way, he passed the place where he had encountered Wu Jian'an and his group. The image of those people looking like dogs in a sorry state flashed through his mind, and he felt a sense of satisfaction.

Deserve it.

Song Xiwei was very efficient. She went to the county the next morning, and within two days, the "hooligans" wandering the streets were gone.

The Wu family and those who abused their power for personal gain fell from grace one after another and were sent away overnight. The police found several thousand yuan in banknotes, a drawer full of colorful banknotes, and a box of antiques that would bring bad luck to anyone who owned them...

The stolen goods were found at the Wu family's home, witnessed by all the neighbors.

Everyone was talking about it.

"So much money! This corrupt official must have embezzled it!"

"...That box looks like it's full of precious jewelry. No wonder Wu Jian'an was always at the front during that time. He was so eager to stuff it into his own pocket. Bah, insatiable greed!"

"The old Wu family is greedy, and the young one loves to bully others; neither of them is good. Let's just send them all away, the farther the better!"

The crowd was furious. Some people seemed to have been holding back their anger for a long time, and they threw the rotten vegetable leaves they were holding at the Wu family members.

When the Chu family heard about the Wu family's downfall, they were so excited they couldn't speak. They dropped everything and rushed over.

I happened to see the entire Wu family being taken away.

Chu's mother wept with joy.

"My daughter can come home! Ningning can finally come home!" Tears of joy streamed down her face.

Chu's father also felt a lump in his throat, but he tried hard to hold it back. He said to his wife, "Let's go to the Lin family in person to thank them for taking in our daughter. I heard that Wu Jian'an went to the Lin family to cause trouble. I wonder if the Lin family lost anything. We have to compensate them for everything. We can't cause them any more trouble."

"Not only should we compensate them for everything, but they've done us such a huge favor, we must thank them properly." Mother Chu wiped away her tears and began to make plans.

"Come on, let's go home and pack our things. We'll pick up Ningning later," she said, leaving no room for argument.

The Chu family father and son were both from the transport team, and Chu's mother's family were also veterans in the transport team. They were not short of money or things, and they brought two large bags full when they went to the Lin family.

The arrival of the whole family at the Lin family's home brought another lively atmosphere.

……

The road to Fengshou Brigade has finally been repaired.

The small stone paths, tamped very firmly, meander through several sections, intersecting and extending to the foot of the mountain, leading to the intersection. As a result, the village is much cleaner and tidier.

Yu Bao and Heng Bao ingeniously dug up some colorful wildflowers and planted them in front of their house, giving their yard a touch of rustic freshness.

Lin Zhao thought it was a good idea, so she took out her camera, had the four kids stand in front of a row of flowers, and captured the moment.

"Well done, it's a pleasure to watch," she praised.

Seeing the twins being praised, Tie Niu and the other children's eyes lit up, and they had an idea.

In less than half a day, all the wildflowers at the foot of the mountain were dug up.

The children who joined later couldn't find flowers, so they dug up some foxtail grass and planted it in front of their own houses.

A man and woman, exhausted from work, returned home and saw foxtail grass at their doorstep: ...

"Who did this?!" The shout startled the old hen in the yard, who began to cluck uneasily.

As soon as the sound faded, he started pulling up the weeds.

After working hard for a long time, I finally finished planting the foxtail grass. But when I went home to get a drink of water, my parents had already pulled it all up… pulled it all up…

The child burst into tears, "My flowers... Waaaaaah, the flowers I worked so hard to plant... Why did you pull out my flowers? Waaaaaahh ...

The little one was very upset and cried very sadly.

"What? You planted this grass? My son, why are you planting this rotten grass in front of your house?" The woman pulled her son up, lifted her clothes, and wiped the tears from his face.

The little boy struggled with his small arms and legs, working up a sweat, and then cried out, "This isn't weeds, I begged the older brother to help me dig them up!"

"What are you doing digging up weeds?" His father patted his son's head with his large, fan-like hand, not hard but almost knocking the child to the ground. "I see that everyone else is planting flowers, why don't you dig up some wildflowers to plant?"

The child turned away, his little shoulders trembling, still sad, and said in a wronged tone, "All the flowers have been dug up."

The man fell silent for no apparent reason. Did he? I didn't notice.

"What does it matter if the area at the foot of the mountain has been completely dug up? I know a place that definitely hasn't been dug up. I'll take you there after we finish eating."

The little boy's eyes, washed with tears, shone brighter than the stars as he asked expectantly, "Really, Dad? You can't lie to a child."

"I'm not lying, I'll take you there in a bit."

The woman ignored the father and son and went inside to cook. A couple of days later, Lin Zhao noticed that every household had planted flowers in front of their doors, in all sorts of colors, vibrant and beautiful, just like the intense heat of summer.

Even the mushroom collectors were astonished, praising the road repeatedly—not for the flowers, but for the fact that it was finally smooth.

……

When Yu Bao and Heng Bao came home from school, the two brothers told Lin Zhao some news.

"Mom, Hengbao and I did well in the school's abacus competition. The teacher said that those who rank high will go to the provincial capital next month to compete with elementary school students there. The first place winner will receive a prize." Before even putting down his schoolbag, Yubao said anxiously to Lin Zhao.

Hengbao wiped the sweat from her forehead and continued, "The teacher said it's voluntary, and children who want to go should tell her the result tomorrow morning. Mom, can my brother and I go?"

"Sure," Lin Zhao readily agreed. She knew about the twins participating in the abacus competition and was very supportive.

"You can tell the teacher tomorrow morning."

She then asked, "Are you two the only ones going? Are there any other people in the family?!"

"Hengbao and I are from the lower grades, while Sister Alan represents the upper grades," Yubao said proudly. "Sister Alan is also number one!"

"So your sister Alan will be going too?" Lin Zhao asked.

“Sister Alan said she’s not going.” Yu Bao’s expression changed instantly, from beaming to dejected. “Sister Alan didn’t say why, but I know why she’s not going. It’s because it costs money, two yuan per person.” He held up two fingers.

Hengbao brought her round little face close to Lin Zhao's, blinked her long eyelashes, and asked with a grin, "Mom, are you worried about the money? My brother has two yuan, and I have two yuan, so that's four yuan in total. Four yuan can buy so many things!"

Lin Zhao extended her index finger, pressed it against his forehead, and gently pushed his large face away. "What if I said I felt sorry for him?"

"I'll use my New Year's money." Hengbao spread his little hands, not disappointed. "If it's not enough, I'll borrow money. I can write and sign an IOU."

"You're so young, who would lend you money? Aren't you afraid of wasting it?" Lin Zhao said speechlessly.

“My grandma will lend money, and so will my grandpa.” At this point, Hengbao revealed a sly look and said mysteriously, “I know where my grandpa hides his secret stash of money.”

If Grandpa doesn't lend him the money, he'll tell Grandma about it, and she'll definitely reward him. Then he won't need to borrow any more; he'll have enough money!

This kid is his own flesh and blood; even if he doesn't say it outright, Lin Zhao knows what he's thinking.

"...Don't dwell on such immoral things," she said speechlessly.

Even his own father is being cheated; he's been spoiled rotten and doesn't know his place!

"Hehe." Hengbao chuckled and confirmed, "Mom, then my brother and I will register with the teacher tomorrow morning?"

"Okay." Lin Zhao nodded proudly, "I'll go with you then."

The twins' eyes lit up, and they exclaimed in unison, "Really?"

"Really? I'll just stop by and see Little Stone." Lin Zhao said casually.

"I want to go too, take me with you, take me with you!" Hengbao pestered his mother.

"If you two have time, but there's a time conflict..."

The two puppies nodded happily, like two lapdogs.

……

Lin Zhao casually mentioned the abacus competition to Huang Xiulan. She praised Yu Bao and Heng Bao repeatedly, and then mentioned that A Lan had also participated in the school competition, but did not mention going to the provincial capital, probably because she was embarrassed to say that her ranking was not good.

Huang Xiulan sighed, "I already said, it doesn't matter what ranking she gets, it's not a big deal. Compared to so many children of cadres and workers, she's already doing well just to get in. But she's so competitive."

"Didn't Alan say? Her ranking is quite good, I think she's in first place," Lin Zhao said in surprise.

"What?" Huang Xiulan suddenly turned her head. "First place?"

Lin Zhao nodded. "Yes, Yu Bao said so."

Huang Xiulan suddenly stood up. "Why didn't Alan mention that?"

"Perhaps because it costs two yuan, Alan felt sorry for her sister-in-law and brother who don't earn money easily, so she gave up this opportunity," Lin Zhao said, offering his guess.

Huang Xiulan felt a tickle in her heart.

"Silly girl!" she said.

She wiped her eyes. "I have to go, I absolutely must go."

"First place! My daughter is so proud of me. She did so well on the test, and she didn't even mention it to me or her dad." Huang Xiulan was both proud and heartbroken.

Lin Zhao said, "Alan is sensible."

"She's so sensible, too sensible." Huang Xiulan didn't wish her daughter were this sensible.

Thinking that her two sons were also keeping it from them, she laughed in exasperation. "Tiedan and Tiechui are the same. They only listen to their sister. Their sister told them not to tell us, their parents, and they really didn't."

"The siblings have a good relationship; their parents should be happy," Lin Zhao could only offer this consolation.

Fearing that the more she tried to persuade her sister-in-law, the angrier she became, she changed the subject, saying, "I will take Yu Bao and Heng Bao to the provincial capital, and A Lan will come with me then."

Huang Xiulan slapped her thigh, "Then I'll have to trouble you, sister-in-law. I feel at ease with you taking care of Alan. Don't worry, Alan is a good girl and won't cause you any trouble."

Lin Zhao smiled but didn't say anything. Who would dare take a troublesome girl out?

That afternoon, a dish of scrambled eggs with scallions appeared on the dining table in the main house of the Gu family.

Gu Lan was quite surprised to see this fancy dish. "Mom, what good news is there today?"

Gu Yuanshan was also puzzled.

Tie Dan grinned from ear to ear as he looked at his sister, "Why ask so many questions? It's good enough to be able to eat it."

Huang Xiulan rolled her eyes at him, "You greedy brat, there were no eggs for you. How dare you hide such a big thing from adults? If I don't teach you a lesson, you'll never know your place."

Tie Dan's eyes widened, and he wailed, "Why wasn't I included? What did I hide from you?"

“You dare say you didn’t hide anything from us about your sister?” Huang Xiulan looked at him.

Tie Dan immediately wilted.

Hesitantly, he glanced at his parents, "You...you all know?"

"Hmph, how could I not know?" Huang Xiulan poked Tiedan's head with her index finger. "Such a big thing, such a great thing, how dare you hide it from me and your father? I've raised you for nothing."

Tie Dan immediately dragged his younger brother into the mess, saying, "Li Bao knows too, why don't you say anything to him? Mother is lying." He even turned the tables on him.

Li Bao looked up blankly and smiled sheepishly.

Huang Xiulan glanced at him once, then looked away. "What grade is your brother in? What grade are you in?"

Gu Lan finally managed to squeeze in a conversation, saying apologetically, "Mother, don't blame my brother, I told them not to say it."

Gu Yuanshan didn't understand for a long time. "No, what are you guys talking about? What do you mean by 'saying something strange'? Can you please talk to me?"

Tie Dan rattled off the whole story to his father, not forgetting to defend himself in the process.

After hearing the whole story, Gu Yuanshan frowned, his expression serious, and looked at Gu Lan, saying, "This is a good thing, why didn't you tell us?"

“I know, my sister doesn’t want to spend money,” Tie Dan said. “She said Dad works hard to earn money, and she doesn’t want to waste it.”

"How is it a waste?" Gu Yuanshan frowned even more.

He sighed softly, "To win first place is such an honor. Out of so many students, it's not easy for you to win first place. Just because you can't bear to spend the money, you give up the opportunity to continue the competition? Silly girl."

(End of this chapter)