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

Chapter 335 "Blood Ties Are Truly Wonderful"

"Why are you asking this? Do you want to go?" Lin Zhao stopped fiddling with the camera and turned to look at him.

"Mmm, is that okay?" Hengbao opened his big, adorable eyes, looking very eager.

"Don't you have a competition?" Lin Zhao said.

In short, Hengbao's expression froze.

Lin Zhao chuckled and pinched his cheek. "I didn't come here to play with you guys this time. I have important business to attend to. But you said... you wanted to bring another first place back."

After saying that, Erzai, who was always acting on a whim, stopped and focused on fiddling with the camera.

Less than two minutes later, Hengbao came over again, "That's not right. We're here to participate in a competition, but we also have free time. Mom, why don't you take us when we're not competing?"

Yu Bao thought so too, staring longingly at Lin Zhao, her eyes gleaming with desire.

"You're quick-witted," Lin Zhao complimented, then pondered for a moment, a smile playing on her lips. "We'll see."

Yu Bao's dark, bright eyes darted around, and he pulled out a leaf from somewhere, put it to his lips, and blew on it.

At first, the sound was intermittent and the tone was hard to discern, but after a while it became smooth and clear, resembling the voice of "Little Swallow".

He looked at Lin Zhao, a hint of embarrassment in his expression.

After blowing, put away the leaves.

"This is the first time I've played the new tune that Grandpa De taught us. Does it sound good?"

Lin Zhao put down her things, raised her arms to her chest and clapped her hands, "That sounds great, you played it really well."

Gu Lan, who had just come out of the restroom, also clapped, "That was beautiful! I could hear it even from the restroom. Yu Bao played it really well."

Hengbao, eager for praise, exclaimed, "I can do it too!"

"You're amazing too," Gu Lan replied politely.

Hengbao proudly raised his hand and diligently massaged Lin Zhao's shoulders, "Mom, take us there, I haven't played with Xiaoshitou in so long."

"Even if we meet, we might not be able to play together. Little Stone is busy with training, I don't know if he'll have time to see us..."

Before Lin Zhao could finish speaking, Hengbao seized on the loophole in her words, "Mommy, you meant 'us'? You're taking us with you?!"

His eyes were wide open, shining brightly under the light projected from the roof.

“If you behave well, I’ll take you there,” Lin Zhao said. “I’ll not only take you to see the little stones, but also to the zoo.”

The twins' eyes lit up again, and they clenched their little hands expectantly.

"Sister Lan, there are so many little animals at the zoo, it's so much fun! Little Jin is the one we met at the zoo entrance," Yu Bao shared with Gu Lan.

“I know, I’ve seen the photos that my third aunt took of you,” Gu Lan said. “My third uncle is in the photos too; he looks so impressive.”

“My mom brought her camera, she’ll take pictures of you again when we go. Sister Alan is standing next to the peacock, the peacock’s display of its tail feathers is so beautiful.” Yu Bao was very thoughtful, without mentioning any ferocious beasts like tigers or lions.

No matter how much he wanted to take care of his cousin, Hengbao's words shattered his hopes: "And there's a roaring tiger, super majestic."

Not only that, he also clumsily imitated a tiger's roar, his voice tender and lacking in intimidation, like a young animal whose teeth had not yet fully grown in.

Gu Lan was charmed by her two younger cousins ​​and said in a cooperative tone, "That sounds like a lot of fun."

"It's really fun! Tie Niu and the others really wanted to come to the zoo, and Li Bao wanted to come too, but unfortunately there's no zoo in the county, so they can't see the big tigers." Yu Bao felt sorry for his friends.

Hengbao sighed deeply, "Libao was almost here, but unfortunately she was outdone."

Gu Lan also felt sorry for her younger brother, "It's okay, I'll tutor him in the future and help him improve his grades. There should still be a chance."

"Alan's idea is right," Lin Zhao praised, then smiled and said, "I'll bring you here again if there's another chance."

She would never admit that she had ulterior motives for bringing the children along.

The provincial capital is more prosperous, with abundant resources and many novel things, making it perfect for passing the time.

Yu Bao's face turned serious, and he said to Heng Bao, "Heng Bao, from now on, when we study, let's call Li Bao along."

Hengbao's face nearly split open with a grin. "Great! Let's call Libao too!"

With Youlibao at the bottom, he became the second-place winner.

Gu Lan asked Lin Zhao about the time and, upon learning that it was almost time to meet, said, "Yu Bao, Heng Bao, let's go find the teacher."

The two kids had no objections, sat up, squatted down, and obediently put on their shoes.

"Are your feet still hurting?" Lin Zhao asked casually.

After sitting on the train for several hours, their feet were stuffy. As soon as they arrived at the guesthouse, they took off their shoes to let their feet breathe. After all, they were just kids, and after a short rest, they were full of energy.

"It's not uncomfortable," Yu Bao answered for him.

Seeing that his younger brother hadn't put his shoes on properly, he offered to help him.

Before leaving, she reminded Lin Zhao like a little adult, "Mom, if you're tired, take a nap. We'll be back later. If you're going out, don't forget to leave a note. You can also ask the auntie at the door to pass on a message to us."

"I'm not going anywhere. I'll take a shower and rest for a while. After you're done, I'll take you to eat. After dinner, we'll go to the bookstore." Lin Zhao already had a plan in mind.

Yu Bao immediately beamed with joy, "Okay, we'll be back soon."

Lin Zhao nodded and watched the three children leave.

The teachers' voices echoed in the corridor, but she wasn't worried about anything happening to the children.

The guesthouse is strictly managed; unidentified people cannot enter, and there are guards at the entrance. The police station is not far away, so safety is guaranteed.

Inside the house, Lin Zhao took a shower, changed into her pajamas, and took a nap. When she woke up, she heard the child speaking in a low voice.

"When will Mommy wake up?" Hengbao asked.

"Don't talk, Mom is tired. She can wake up whenever she wants," Yu Bao replied calmly, picking up her little abacus and fiddling with it. Her eyes were lowered, and when she wasn't smiling, her gaze at that angle was strikingly similar to Gu Chenghuai's.

Blood ties are truly wondrous.

Gu Lan was slightly taken aback. The thought flashed through her mind, and she lowered her head to continue reading the notebook. It contained the precautions for tomorrow's competition, which the teacher had just mentioned. She was afraid that she would forget them because she was too nervous, so she wanted to read them several times.

Lin Zhao opened her eyes, but not wanting to disturb her sleep, she didn't turn on the lights, only letting in natural light through the cracks in the window.

"What are you doing? Why didn't you call me?" She sat up, her hair slightly disheveled, her cheeks flushed with a healthy blush.

Hengbao pulled the light cord, turned on the light, and then ran to the bedside, resting his chin on his hands and looking obediently at Lin Zhao.

"Mom, you're awake?" he asked, knowing the answer already.

"Yes, I'll get ready and take you out later." Lin Zhao got out of bed and walked towards the bathroom, without asking them about the competition.

This is the teacher's business; she doesn't need to worry about it.

By the time Lin Zhao finished packing, the twins and Gu Lan had already slung their bags over their shoulders, waiting for her to give the order to leave.

"Set off."

Hengbao immediately opened the door and led the way with light steps. Gu Lan felt that he was walking too fast, so she hurriedly chased after him and grabbed his hand.

The four of them went to a state-run restaurant, had a delicious meal, and then went to a bookstore.

It was Gu Lan's first time visiting the bookstore, and she couldn't take her eyes off it from the entrance.

"So many books!" she exclaimed. "This is the largest bookstore in the provincial capital, so there must be a lot of books," Lin Zhao explained softly. Although many books had become banned, there were still many that could be circulated, such as agricultural books, mechanical books, and other types of books.

"Go ahead and pick something. I'll pay for whatever you like." Lin Zhao patted Gu Lan's shoulder, encouraging her to choose boldly.

Gu Lan quickly waved her hand, "No need for Third Aunt to buy it for me. My mother told me to keep the money my grandmother gave me, and my parents also gave me money and coupons before I left."

They gave us quite a lot. My parents said, "A poor family should be rich on the road. It's better to bring more than to be penniless."

Lin Zhao smiled and said nothing more.

Walk towards the rows of bookshelves to choose a book.

The main purpose was to buy books for Qianbao. This was the only request the child made to her when she learned that she was coming to the provincial capital. She only said she wanted books, and when asked what kind of books she wanted, she said any kind was fine.

What's the difference between this and just doing whatever?
Lin Zhao pondered for a moment and began to choose. Qianbao was so young, no matter how smart he was, he still needed to start with early education, mainly with storybooks.

She picked up six books in a row, and then carefully selected some technical books, all of which were quite old and had annotations in them.

Lin Zhao herself couldn't understand these books and wouldn't even look at them, but her subconscious told her they would come in handy, so she simply bought them.

It took more than an hour to select the books. Lin Zhao bought a lot, so there must have been at least twenty or so books.

The teller was shocked.

Gu Lan chose three books, while the twins chose picture books. The two boys had discussed it and decided that each of them would choose three books to read in turn.

"There are quite a few books, why don't we just send them back?" Lin Zhao doesn't like to carry large or small bags when she travels; for her, the less she has, the better.

“Okay.” The twins had no objections.

Gu Lan had no objections.

So the group went directly to the post office and mailed the book back to their hometown.

Mailing was a completely new experience for Gu Lan, and she paid close attention to it.

Lin Zhao was very open-minded and even showed her how to fill out a form, occasionally adding an explanation. Gu Lan suddenly understood and looked at her aunt with gratitude.

She learned a lot during this trip to the provincial capital, things that weren't in textbooks.

Because I had to teach Gu Lan the mailing process, sending the book took a little longer than usual.

Lin Zhao and the twins remained calm and waited for Gu Lan to understand before leaving.

It was already late, so they didn't stay outside any longer and went straight back to the guesthouse.

The school teachers breathed a sigh of relief when they saw that they had returned safely.

"I went to the post office and came back a little late, sorry to have worried the teacher," Lin Zhao said apologetically, handing the red date cake she had bought on the way to the responsible teacher.

The teacher declined a few times, but finally accepted it out of embarrassment when he couldn't refuse.

"Gu Zhiyu, Gu Zhiheng, think about what I said in the meeting again before you go to bed. If you can't remember anything, ask your sister." The teacher reminded them again because it was about tomorrow's competition.

Yu Bao gave a small military salute. "Don't worry, teacher. We will. Gu Zhiheng and I will try our best to get first place and bring honor to the school and to the teacher."

The female teacher was overjoyed and gave the twins more encouragement, telling them to go to bed early and get enough rest before leaving.

Back in the room, another female teacher asked, "Are those who went out back?"

"We're back." The female teacher waved the paper package in her hand. "Comrade Lin brought us some red date cake. Do you want some?"

The teacher sat up abruptly, picked up a piece of red date cake and started eating. "Eat up, Comrade Lin is so generous, he didn't forget to bring us food when he went out."

"Gu Zhiyu and Gu Zhiheng are also very generous. I've seen them give food to Sun Xian in our class."

Sun Xian's family was poor, and they tightened their belts to send him to school. When the child returned home, he had to cook, wash clothes, gather firewood, and dig wild vegetables... He never had a full meal. He fainted from hunger once. If it weren't for his twin brothers, he probably would have lost his life!
Since then, the twins have occasionally been seen bringing food to their classmates.

What's truly admirable is that, despite their young age, the two brothers knew to consider their classmate's self-esteem, and the food they brought was simple and not particularly expensive, such as vegetable dumplings and cornbread.

"Sun Xian?" Teacher Sun Xian sighed when he mentioned Sun Xian. He was a professional student who owed tuition fees. He wasn't particularly bright, but he was hardworking, diligent, and sensible. He was a child who made people feel sorry for him. "I never thought they could get along so well."

"Who can't Gu Zhiyu and Gu Zhiheng get along with?" Sun Xian's teacher said with a smile.

"Yes, I've never seen these two chat with just anyone." This is also a great spectacle at the school. The twins can become good friends with the children of cadres and also with rural children who can't afford to eat. With them around, the teachers have a much easier time.

With such well-behaved students, their teachers could live a few more years.

Unbeknownst to Lin Zhao, who was listening to the two female teachers' casual conversation, she was actually telling her two restless children to go to sleep.

“Alan is asleep. Are you two tossing and turning like pancakes? Close your eyes now, or I’ll call your teacher to come and watch you sleep.”

As soon as they heard their mother call for the teacher, the twins immediately became well-behaved, lying flat on their backs in the most docile sleeping positions imaginable.

"Go to sleep." Yu Bao patted his younger brother's back like an older brother, his bright black eyes watching Lin Zhao's expression.

"..."

Lin Zhao pretended not to know and closed her eyes to go to sleep.

No one paid any attention, and the two boys stopped being excited. Yu Bao pulled out the light, leaned gently against his mother, smiled, and fell asleep.

The next morning, after a quick breakfast, about ten students were taken to the competition venue.

Lin Zhao followed at a distance that was neither too close nor too far.

The three children of the Gu family, each with a wooden abacus in hand, looked at their opponents with great enthusiasm and confidence, showing no stage fright whatsoever.

Gu Lan's performance was also good. You could tell she was nervous, but she overcame it and didn't shrink back or look inferior. She appeared quite calm.

"An exam-oriented student?"

Lin Zhao muttered to himself, found an angle, and captured the moment Gu Lan participated in the competition.

The banner above was also photographed—***The 3rd Abacus Competition.

At this moment, the judges arrived on stage one by one, and looking at the children who were like the rising sun, they had smiles of satisfaction on their faces.

These are the hopes of the nation.

The game is about to begin.

Yu Bao and Heng Bao subconsciously searched for Lin Zhao's figure.

Lin Zhao waved vigorously at her son, making a cheering gesture.

Seeing their mother's smile, the twins cheered, their slight nervousness dissipating and replaced by a blazing fire.

"Hengbao, we must win first place!"

Hengbao held the abacus to his chest, looked at his opponents, and gave a serious "hmm".

Upon hearing this, a student from a prestigious school in the provincial capital snorted and arrogantly glanced at the two identical-looking boys.

Hmph, students from an unknown school, trying to compete with them for first place? Dream on.

Yu Bao and Heng Bao didn't notice the big friend's disdain. They thought his face had some kind of involuntary twitching problem. After a moment of surprise, they gave him a kind smile.

"..."

(End of this chapter)