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

Chapter 336 "Your Ideas Are Tortured"

The boy who had been rolling his eyes paused slightly, scoffed inwardly, and looked away.

Silly you, don't get utterly defeated and end up crying.

Imagining two identical brothers crying their eyes out, tears and snot flying everywhere, the boy frowned.

I asked my brother for two candies.

"Huh?" His brother was puzzled. "What do you need candy for? Are you nervous?! No way."

The boy, enraged, retorted, "Who's nervous! Mind your own business!"

He looked at his brother with feigned impatience and said, "Stop talking nonsense, do you have any candy or not?"

“…Yes, ancestor.” His brother’s dantian’s little figure wrote eight ninjas in a second.

These are the contestants! The contestants are the most important! Endure!!

He took out candy from his pocket and gave it to his brother, who was acting like a fool and not speaking human language.

Just then, the staff pulled out a red rope to keep the spectators out, leaving a large area in front of them. There was a row of judges in front of them, and rows of neatly arranged desks not far away.

This is a provincial-level competition. The provincial government issues the competition notice, and schools in various cities and counties organize preliminary rounds. Those with excellent results can then participate in higher-level competitions.

The school where Yu Bao and Heng Bao attend is considered a city-level school based on its teaching level and student population. Those who pass the school's internal competition can continue to participate in the provincial competition, which meets the requirements of the notice.

Many schools from lower-level counties gave up their chance to participate in the finals, perhaps out of fear before the competition even began, or perhaps because the journey was too inconvenient. As a result, the number of participants was not as high as Lin Zhao had expected.

Although it wasn't a huge crowd, it was still a provincial competition, so there were still several dozen people.

All the students sat down on either side according to their age. The older and younger children each had an abacus. Some looked eager and couldn't wait to compare their abacuses. A small number of children came from small towns and looked timid. They didn't dare to look up. If they heard someone mocking their clothes, they would be so embarrassed that they almost cried.

Yu Bao glared at them with a serious little face, her expression full of disapproval, "You're bullying me!"

"A little bit."

The audience was too far away for Lin Zhao to hear what the children were arguing about. She stood up, took a few steps forward, and waved to her two sons.

Upon catching a glimpse of her, Yu Bao's expression improved, and fearing her mother's worry, she gave a confident smile.

He'll definitely beat that naughty kid next to him! He'll make him laugh at people again!!

Despite his young age, Yu Bao is full of passion and ambition.

"Quiet down, everyone. Next, I will distribute the test papers to all of you, big and small. After you receive the test papers, don't rush to answer the questions. First, write your name and school at the top of the paper. I will let you know when you can start answering the questions. Do you all understand? If you have any questions, raise your hand now."

The children at the desks shook their heads and said in unison, "No problem."

"Okay, I'll hand out the test papers now." The person who spoke started distributing the test papers, giving them only to the students in the first row and asking them to pass them on to the back. The children cooperated well.

"You must not look around or whisper while answering questions. If you are caught, you will be punished for violating the rules..."

He glanced at his watch and said, "Answer the questions."

The sound of flipping through exam papers rang out.

Soon, the sounds of abacuses being turned up and down were heard again.

The audience whispered among themselves.

"The one who started by using the abacus was my son. He always gets first place in school, so he'll definitely get first place in this competition too."

A woman not far from Lin Zhao spoke excitedly, raising her voice, and was warned by the staff maintaining discipline.

The person with the name tag around their neck noticed the camera in Lin Zhao's hand and assumed she worked for the newspaper. They straightened their collar and pulled up their sleeves, their posture becoming much more upright.

A smile flickered across Lin Zhao's eyes. This was already the third person to mistake her for a newspaper employee. It's true, these days newspaper employees have a high status and are respected wherever they go.

The more I think about it, the more I realize that my little cousin's desire to work for a newspaper is something to be encouraged.

Go back and give Yun Jin a pep talk!

Lin Zhao pointed her camera at her two sons and Gu Lan, snapping photos every now and then, making a commotion that startled the onlookers.

"Are you from the newspaper?" an older woman asked, sizing up Lin Zhao.

"No." Lin Zhao adjusted the angle and took another picture. She discovered another advantage of the two boys—their extraordinary concentration. The exam venue was not quiet, but the two little ones were able to concentrate on the questions without being disturbed by the outside world. Even adults could not do that.

"It wasn't you taking pictures with the camera." The old woman's eyes were strange.

"The competition rules prohibit taking photos?" Lin Zhao looked over in confusion.

"No, not at all," the old woman replied, then suddenly praised, "You're a smart girl. You knew to bring a camera so your brother can see what it was like when they were young and participated in competitions. You're so thoughtful; young people like you are quick-witted."

younger brother?!
There has been a huge misunderstanding.

“That’s not my brother, that’s my son,” Lin Zhao said with a smile.

The old woman frowned, "Stepmother?"

Lin Zhao smiled politely, "My own flesh and blood."

Ignorance is no excuse; be tolerant.

"Huh?" The old woman looked doubtful. "It doesn't seem like it. You look only eighteen or nineteen. How could you be the mother of two grown boys? Don't try to fool me. I may be old, but my eyesight is still good."

"I'm in my mid-twenties, and those two are definitely my biological children." The old woman had a kind face and wasn't unpleasant to look at. Lin Zhao had nothing better to do, so he was happy to chat with her a bit.

"Oh my, I can't believe you're living such a comfortable life," the old woman said with a sigh. "When you're living a comfortable life, you look younger. Young lady, cherish your good life."

"Mm," Lin Zhao replied with a smile.

"Young lady, could you take a picture of my grandson later? I'll pay." The old woman lowered her voice. "The price is the same as a photo studio, or even two cents more. Just put that red cloth on the picture at the end."

Fearing that Lin Zhao wouldn't believe her, she took out a few cents and slipped them into Lin Zhao's hand when no one was looking.

"Daughter, I'm begging you."

Lin Zhao: "..."

Which one is your grandson?

The old lady was overjoyed and pointed to the sturdy boy in the second row of the upper grades, "That one, the fattest one."

He says he's fat, but he's actually only slightly rounder than other teenagers.

However, it's also clear that his family is well-off.

"understood."

The old woman said sincerely, "Thank you, young lady."

Lin Zhao waved her hand and moved to film the middle school group.

First, take a series of pictures of Gu Lan.

The girl who answered the questions so diligently is so quiet and lovely.

The total time for answering the questions was only one hour. Time flew by, and people began to hand in their papers. Now, teachers are grading the papers, and the results are being announced immediately.

"Kang Xin, 82 points."

"Chu Qing, 95 points."

……

The students who received their results quickly learned how they did.

Lin Zhao listened intently and caught the scores of her two sons.

Yu Bao got a perfect score, while Heng Bao made a small mistake and got 99 points.

All of them received high scores.

She clapped her hands excitedly, her beautiful face glowing, her expression proud.

When you meet the eyes of the two kids, raise both hands high and make a big stick gesture.

Upon seeing this, the little boy who looked exactly like him straightened his chest, raised his head, and showed a big smile.

Next, Gu Lan, who was in the upper grades, also performed consistently well and got a perfect score.

Both are good; their arithmetic skills are excellent.

It seems that when it came to paying the grain tax, a group of children following behind Father Gu, quickly fiddling with the abacus and helping with the accounting, were quite useful.

After completing the test, most students were eliminated based on their scores, leaving ten students from each of the primary and secondary schools. Several judges then presented questions, and the students provided their answers on the spot.

It looks easy, but it's actually a test of both arithmetic and mental fortitude.

For the more assertive kids, it was nothing; they were actually quite excited. But for the quieter, more reserved students, looking at the surrounding audience made their hearts pound like drums, their hands and feet go numb with panic, and their minds go completely blank. The former were Lin Zhao's twins, while the latter were represented by Gu Lan.

"Don't be afraid, Lan. I'll take you to the zoo after this is over," Lin Zhao said, stepping forward a few paces.

Her voice was neither too loud nor too soft, just loud enough for Gu Lan to hear.

Gu Lan gazed at her third aunt's smiling face, and her heart gradually calmed down. It was nothing. She had already done a great job to get this far. Even if she lost, it wouldn't matter. She had already gained a lot from this trip to the provincial capital.

With this thought, Gu Lan seemed to have boundless courage, and her shoulders straightened unconsciously.

"Congratulations to all the students on stage for making it to the finals. According to the competition rules, the next round will be the final competition for the elementary school group. Students from the middle school group who have made it to the finals, please go and rest for now," the host said.

Yu Bao and Heng Bao stood obediently in place, waiting for the next step. Their two identical faces were quite eye-catching.

The two brothers were talking in hushed tones when someone stopped in front of them.

The two looked up and saw a big brother with an irritable and impatient expression.

"Is there something you need, brother?" Yu Bao asked politely.

He remembered—it was the older brother with the twitching eyes. Realizing this, he smiled sweetly and endearingly.

The boy took his hand out of his pocket, palm up, revealing two round chocolates.

Yu Bao's head popped into a question mark, and he looked over blankly, not understanding what it meant.

The boy looked impatient, thinking to himself that they were idiots, but said with a serious face, "Here you go, one for each of you."

He's looking down on people; even kids from city and county schools can be quite capable.

"Thank you, brother." Hengbao took it and took out two White Rabbit milk candies from her small pocket. "Here, brother."

Then he gave one of the chocolates to Yu Bao.

The boy stared at the White Rabbit candy in his palm, slightly lost in thought.

He didn't come to his senses until he was kicked off the stage.

He was being fed by two children?!

The boy was patted on the shoulder and turned around to meet his older brother's maliciously smiling face.

"Why did you give candy to those two elementary school kids?" his older brother guessed, stroking his chin. "It was your first time seeing twins, wasn't it? You must have found it quite rare too."

The more she talked about it, the more she realized it was true, and she added, "Those two children are good-looking, smart, and polite; they're quite endearing."

With his older brother's explanation, the boy found the answer to his strange behavior.

“Brother, I want a younger brother too,” he said.

The young man's expression froze.

"……what do you want?"

The boy answered seriously, "My little brother."

He pointed to the stage and said, "Those twins."

His brother's lips twitched. "You've even made demands? I might as well find a few sacks and kidnap them both for you."

The boy took it seriously and said in a solemn tone, "Your idea is very 'punishment,' like the punishment in criminal law."

The young man: "..." His brother really has no sense of humor.

My grandfather said that smart people like his brother sometimes have a different way of thinking than ordinary people, and we should be tolerant of them.

Yes, tolerance.

"Forget it." The boy changed his mind again. "Mom is so old, she probably can't have any more children."

The tone shifted abruptly, "Brother, when are you planning to get married?"

"Why are you asking this?" The young man tensed up, thought for a moment, and said, "You don't have a younger brother, so you're thinking of using your nephews and nieces to make up for it, do you?"

"Ah."

"Don't even think about it." The young man didn't want to rush into the grave of marriage, and knowing that his brother was just making things up, he didn't take it to heart.

The competition on stage has begun.

Yu Bao and Heng Bao performed very well. They were articulate, answered questions quickly and confidently, and gave correct answers, which pleased the judges. The audience applauded every time the host said their answers were correct.

The twins fought with increasing intensity, becoming more and more adept as time went on.

They ultimately won first place, or rather, tied for first place. The hosts said it was an unprecedented first time, congratulations to Gu Zhiyu and Gu Zhiheng.

The applause of the audience was thunderous.

Lin Zhao and Gu Lan drummed with extra force.

It was just an abacus competition, but Lin Zhao felt so excited that she was moved to tears.

Picking up the camera, she captured the moment her sons received the award. The twins understood perfectly, placing the certificates and prizes in front of their chests and looking at Lin Zhao with bright smiles.

The picture freezes.

"Good luck, Lan. The result isn't important; just don't have any regrets," Lin Zhao said to Gu Lan as he put away his camera.

Gu Lan nodded solemnly, "I will."

She's in the middle school group, so she knows the competition process. As long as she performs normally, she should be able to bring home a certificate.

This is indeed the case.

Gu Lan also won an award, but it was only the second prize. The first prize was won by that relaxed and casual boy, the one who exchanged candy with Yu Bao and Heng Bao.

The young man had an arrogant look in his eyes and wore a white shirt. He seemed like someone who looked down on others, but once he entered the arena, his arrogance vanished, and he became completely at ease.

When the judges asked him questions, he answered them off the cuff with 100% accuracy.

This drew rounds of applause.

He is the most outstanding teenager in the middle school group, so it's no wonder he's arrogant; he certainly has the right to be.

After the awards ceremony, Yu Bao and Heng Bao didn't rush to leave. They chatted with the other children who had come to participate in the competition.

In a short time, I even knew his nickname.

“Zhouzhou, I’ve remembered your address. I’ll definitely write to you when I get back.”

"Yu, don't cry. I think you did very well. You were just a little nervous. Next time, you'll definitely get first place. Don't cry, I'll let you touch the medal."

"Miaomiao, temporary gains and losses are nothing, don't be discouraged, here's some candy..."

Before the exam, Zhouzhou, who had been protected by Yu Bao, said, "Yu Bao, I know a lot of words now, and I will write back to you too."

……

Seeing the twins so busy, Lin Zhao's lips twitched slightly.

They've made friends! These two kids are just like their uncle.

Gu Lan covered her mouth and laughed. She admired Yu Bao and Heng Bao's ability to talk to anyone.

After they finished greeting the children, they walked briskly towards Lin Zhao and handed her their "spoils of war".

His little expression was so smug.

"Mom, I came in first place!"

Lin Zhao gave a thumbs up, "Awesome!"

This competition has prize money: first place gets fifty yuan, second place gets thirty yuan, third place gets ten yuan...

The two kids gained a lot from this competition.

Yu Bao: "I'll use the prize money to buy Mom a dress and little leather shoes. I'll buy meat for Grandpa and Grandma, and pastries for my maternal grandparents..."

Hengbao: "Buy hair ties and hair clips for Yaobao, buy picture books for Qianbao, and candy for Libao!"

The plan for how to use the bonus has been finalized.

At this moment, the boy who won first place in the middle school group passed by, his gaze lingered on the twins for a moment, then shifted to Gu Lan with inexplicable envy, before leaving with his brother.

It's so nice to have a younger brother.

(End of this chapter)