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

Chapter 368 "Carrying a Little Sun"

"Ahhh, it really is Dad!"

Hengbao shouted excitedly and hugged Gu Chenghuai tightly, as enthusiastic as a human sunflower.

Gu Chenghuai's eyes softened, and he picked him up and tossed him into the air.

"Ahhhhhh, so high, so fun!" Hengbao screamed, her voice filled with joy, not knowing what fear was.

Gu Chenghuai played with Hengbao for a while, then picked up Yubao and tossed him up in the air.

Yu Bao wasn't as emotionally expressive as his brother, who was yelling "Ahhh!" and letting out a string of cheerful laughter.

Like an assembly line, after holding Yu Bao, Gu Chenghuai put him down, squatted down, and opened his arms towards the twins, his eyes filled with infinite tenderness.

"Don't you recognize me?" he laughed.

Qianbao stepped forward and grabbed his father's sweater with his little hand, "Daddy."

Gu Chenghuai hugged his youngest son and bounced him around, saying, "He's gotten so heavy! Qianbao has grown up too."

Qianbao's fair and tender little face rested on her father's shoulder, her long eyelashes fluttering, looking well-behaved and adorable.

"Daddy, I, I..." Yao Bao hugged Gu Chenghuai's leg when she saw that her father was ignoring her. Her little voice was cute and a little aggrieved.

"Dad, I want to go downstairs. You hold my little sister," Qianbao said to Gu Chenghuai.

Gu Chenghuai gently stroked his youngest son's soft hair, his voice full of affection, "Qianbao is such a good older brother."

Qianbao had a solemn face, a face that was clearly a miniature version of his father's.

Lin Zhao caught a glimpse of this scene through the kitchen window, a smile playing on her lips.

Even with Dad at home, little Qianbao still has a touch of childishness.

Cute.

Gu Chenghuai adores his wife's miniature daughter the most; once he picks up Yaobao, he can't put her down for a while.

"Daddy, look at my new clothes!" Yao Bao tugged at her burgundy cotton coat, her big, adorable eyes wide open.

The front of this cotton-padded jacket features a Chinese-style frog button design, with two red ropes tied into a bow-shaped frog button. The waist is gathered and fitted, and the hem naturally flares out into a slightly puffy skirt shape. The collar and cuffs are trimmed with a circle of fluffy off-white fur, which is light and soft. The little girl looks cute and pretty in it, like a New Year's picture doll in a magazine.

Gu Chenghuai gently pinched the fur collar of Yaobao's cotton-padded jacket, his voice low and soft, "It's pretty. Did your mother make it?"

Lin Zhao: Sure enough, anyone who looks at the twins' adorable faces will become a deadly trap.

Yu Bao adores his father, but he hasn't forgotten his mother either. He ran into the kitchen, snatched the firewood from her hand, and frowned, "Mom, I'll start the fire. You rest. I'll massage your shoulders when I'm done. My hands are rough, so I'm not afraid of rough firewood."

“Who said our Yu Bao’s hands are rough? They’re clearly smooth and delicate.” Lin Zhao squeezed her son’s little hand.

His hands resembled his parents', with long, straight fingers. Lin Zhao would always bring her children along when applying hand cream, and she took good care of them.

Yu Bao smiled sweetly and said, "Mom raised me well."

That is.

She really takes good care of her.

Lin Zhao was pleased with herself.

She raised her timid eldest son into a cheerful, lively, loving, and filial child. Everyone who saw her would say that she knew how to raise a child.

Embracing Yu Bao's little body, Lin Zhao smiled warmly, "Yu Bao is truly Mommy's sweetheart, Mommy loves you so much."

Even though he often heard his mother say that she liked him, Yu Bao still got shy. He scratched his face, pretending to be calm, and said in a slightly trembling voice, "I like Mommy very much too."

He tilted his body slightly and rubbed his face against Lin Zhao's.

Lin Zhao kissed Yu Bao's cheek, "Good boy."

Yu Bao blushed.

"My darling is too shy," Lin Zhao coaxed her son with sweet words.

How am I going to find a partner in the future?

baby?

Upon hearing this address, Yu Bao's face turned even redder. He pretended to be calm as he shook off the slag from the firewood and stuffed it into the stove with a straight face.

My son is so funny!
"Are you happy that Dad is back?" Lin Zhao pinched Yu Bao's serious face.

"So happy!" The child's eyes shone like stars. "I'm super happy!"

The fire burning under the stove reflected on his face, and his joy was impossible to hide.

“Dad is back, Mom is happy. Mom is happy, and I am happy too,” Yu Bao said earnestly.

"I'm too young to help Mom with many things, but Dad can."

Compared to their father, the children are closer to Lin Zhao, their mother who takes care of them.

"Our Yubao is such a sweet little man." Lin Zhao hugged her son's thin shoulders and smiled happily. "Even though it's the middle of winter, with Yubao around, I feel like I'm carrying a little sun."

"Is it warm?" Yu Bao's eyes were clear, and the corners of her mouth were turned up.

"It's warm, even warmer than hugging a stove," Lin Zhao nodded affirmatively.

Yu Bao's smile is even wider.

“Your dad and I have already discussed it. After the New Year, we’ll go with him to his military base. It’s not a family visit, it’s a military relocation. You’ll be studying there, and we’ll be staying at the military region for the time being. We might only be able to come back once or twice a year. If you have any good friends you want to say goodbye to, do it properly this New Year. Can you also tell your younger siblings about this?” Lin Zhao said gently.

Yu Bao was taken aback and his smile faded.

"Hmm." He lowered his head, a mixture of joy and disappointment in his expression.

"Mom, I can't bear to part with Li Bao." He sniffed.

They met when they were still drinking milk, learned to walk together, picked wheat together, licked the same piece of candy, went to school hand in hand... They did everything together, so it was naturally hard to be apart.

Lin Zhao hugged Yu Bao's small body.

"Does Yu Bao want to cry?"

Yu Bao nodded honestly, "Mm."

"Cry, it's okay. You can lean on Mom's shoulder," Lin Zhao comforted gently.

Yu Bao: "..." I'm almost too upset to cry anymore.

"Mom!" The child's voice was hoarse with sobs.

"What's wrong?" Lin Zhao asked, feigning ignorance.

Yu Bao whispered, "Stop teasing me."

"Okay, I'll stop teasing you." Lin Zhao suppressed a laugh and reassured him, "Once we get to the military, if you miss Li Bao, we can bring him over during winter and summer vacations. You can still play together, right?"

“…Hmm,” Yu Bao replied.

He pressed his hand to his chest, still looking dejected. "But I still feel sullen, and I feel like crying."

"That's normal." Lin Zhao patted Yu Bao's shoulder and said softly, "There's Mao Dan'er in the military region, as well as Jing Mo and Guang Bai. You can play with them."

“I send a letter back to my hometown every month. You can also write to Li Bao, and I'll mail it for you. Even though we can't hang out together, you haven't lost touch, have you? Doesn't thinking about it that way make you feel a little happier?”

Yu Bao knew that his decision to accompany the army was a done deal and there was no possibility of change.

"Ah."

Water vapor squeezed out from the gaps in the pot lid.

The water has boiled.

"Ah Huai, the water's boiled. Go wash up first, don't you mind the stickiness?" Lin Zhao called out to the courtyard.

The next moment, Gu Chenghuai appeared, holding his daughter.

"Your daughter doesn't mind that you smell?" Lin Zhao said sourly.

Gu Chenghuai laughed, "My wife doesn't mind me at all!"

"Get lost, go wash up now, or I'll start to dislike you." Lin Zhao smiled and rolled her eyes at him.

Gu Chenghuai put down Yaobao and gently coaxed his daughter, saying he would play with her again later. He then took the hot water to the bathroom and quickly took a refreshing shower.

By the time he came out, Lin Zhao had already prepared dinner.

The man had a long and tiring journey, and this is only his first day back. He'll start cooking tomorrow.

"Didn't you say I'd cook?" Gu Chenghuai's hair was short, and he dried it quickly with a towel. When he saw the food prepared on the table, his gaze fell on Lin Zhao's face with tenderness and affection.

"I feel sorry for you being tired. I'll cook for you today, and you can start cooking tomorrow." Lin Zhao set out the chopsticks.

"Okay." Gu Chenghuai agreed without hesitation, hung up the towel, and sat down next to his wife. Zhao Zhao felt sorry for him; her hands and feet, which were icy cold from the wind, were burning hot!
"Sit down and eat." Lin Zhao gave the order, and the man and child began to eat.

She cooked pork and scallion dumplings, stir-fried a plate of mushrooms, stir-fried lotus root with pork slices, stir-fried pork with shredded pork, and stewed the half chicken that was left over.

Lin Zhao wasn't worried about not being able to finish the food; with Gu Chenghuai around, she wasn't afraid of having too much.

"It smells so good! I've been craving this for so long. My wife, you've worked so hard." Gu Chenghuai ate the dumplings one after another, feeling that this was the kind of life a person should live.

A wife, children, and a warm bed—that's the pinnacle of life.

Lin Zhao was pleased with the compliment and gave him a look, "Weren't you always in the capital? Didn't you get any good food?"

"We're in a closed-off learning environment, so there's no time to go out. We eat in the cafeteria, and you know how bad the food is—it's good enough if it fills our stomachs," Gu Chenghuai said, trying to sound pitiful to his wife.

He just wanted Zhao Zhao to feel sorry for him.

Lin Zhao's eyes softened as she picked up a slice of meat from her chopsticks and put it on the man's plate. "No wonder I felt you looked thinner. It's because you were hungry. It's alright, you should be able to make up for it during the New Year holidays."

"My wife is so wonderful." Gu Chenghuai felt happy again.

Seeing that Lin Zhao's attention had been stolen by her father, Hengbao shouted, "My mom is the best!"

He listed them off on his fingers, "She's the prettiest, has a good job, is a high school student, knows how to make beautiful clothes, cooks delicious food... and is the best, best mom ever, no one can compare!"

After saying that, he looked at his father with a smug expression.

He wrote more words than his father, so his mother must be able to sense his sincerity.

Gu Chenghuai: "..."

This kid changes his tune so quickly. He was all over him a moment ago, saying how nice it was that his dad was back, but now he's starting to go against him again!
Sure enough, the second child was a major obstacle to his and his wife's relationship.

Hengbao imitated his father, eating dumplings one after another with a hearty manner. His skin was delicate, and he accidentally bit into one, causing water to seep out. The hot soup burst out, scalding him and bringing tears to his eyes.

"Did you burn yourself?" Gu Chenghuai put down his chopsticks, pinched his cheek, and asked, "Let me see your tongue sticking out?"

“Sigh~~” Hengbao obediently stuck out his tongue.

"It's nothing, it's just a little red," Gu Chenghuai said.

Lin Zhao handed him her water glass, saying, "Take a sip of ice water and hold it in your mouth."

Hengbao did as instructed.

"Silly boy, Old Gu is tough and thick-skinned, what are you comparing yourself to him for? It'll hurt, won't it?" Lin Zhao said helplessly.

This kid, just like that cross-eyed guy in front of his own father, always tries to outdo Old Gu.

Gu Chenghuai nearly dropped his chopsticks. Old Gu?!
He's still several years away from thirty!

"Ouch." Hengbao nodded, hissing in pain.

After being burned once, Hengbao learned his lesson. From then on, he would always bite open the dumpling skin very carefully when eating dumplings, for fear of burning his tongue again.

After finishing his meal, Gu Chenghuai washed the pots and pans.

After cleaning the kitchen, he washed his hands with soap.

Lin Zhao nodded in satisfaction.

She likes men who are clean and neat.

"Do you want to take a nap or go to the old house?"

Without thinking, Gu Chenghuai said, "Let's go to the old house and see Father and my two older brothers."

He's still young and at his peak physical condition; he can easily last a few days.

"Okay, you go ahead, I won't go with you." Lin Zhao had been working all day and wanted to lie down.

"You stay home and rest, I'll be back in a bit." Gu Chenghuai pulled his wife back into the house, followed by four little ones.

The man opened the large bag he had brought back; it contained only a few clothes, mostly gifts for his wife and children.

A red camellia knitted shawl for my wife.

A model of a bullet casing transport plane for Yu Bao.

A bullet casing car model for Hengbao.

I bought nutritional supplements, candy, and biscuits for the twins.

"Wow!!"

Two shouts of "Wow!" rang out in unison.

These are Yu Bao and Heng Bao who received the gift.

"Dad, I love this gift!" Yu Bao looked up, his eyes bright and clear.

"I like it too." Hengbao was afraid of breaking it, so he didn't dare to touch it. Without looking up, he asked, "Dad, did you make this?"

"Yes." Gu Chenghuai nodded.

Lin Zhao was very pleased with his thoughtfulness.

She put on the shawl that the man had given her over her sweater.

Turned in a circle.

"Does it look good?"

Gu Chenghuai's eyes burned with fervor, "It's absolutely beautiful..."

He's so lucky to have married Zhaozhao!
Yao Bao hugged Lin Zhao's leg and said in a cute, childlike voice, "Mommy is a flower fairy."

The little girl likes bright colors, and her chubby little hands reached out to pick at the little camellias on the shawl.

"It looks beautiful," she said emphatically.

Lin Zhao wrapped her shawl around her daughter and said in a light, cheerful voice, "Wow, our Yaobao is a flower fairy too!"

Yao Bao covered her face with a laugh.

Gu Chenghuai looked at his wife and daughter, his eyes filled with tenderness.

He took the gifts he had prepared for the old house and went there. Yu Bao and Heng Bao asked Lin Zhao to put away their bullet casing gifts for them and hurriedly caught up with him.

"Aren't Qianbao and Yaobao going?" Lin Zhao asked the twins who were clinging to her side with a smile.

Qianbao's expression was calm, and he said in a measured tone, "Stay with Mom."

Yao Bao rubbed her eyes and snuggled into Lin Zhao's arms, saying, "Sleepy."

I'm really confused; I'm even using reduplicated words.

"Then let's take a nap." Lin Zhao carried Yao Bao in one arm and held Qian Bao's hand in the other, leading them both to bed.

Qianbao didn't need her to interfere. With a serious little face, he took off his shoes, coat, and pants. After taking them off, he folded the clothes neatly and placed them on the stool next to the bed, then lay down flat.

"Qianbao is so great," Lin Zhao praised, kissing her son's forehead.

She lay down, with the twins on either side of her.

They were warm, like two small stoves.

"It's so warm," Lin Zhao exclaimed.

Qianbao moved closer to her, his meaning quite clear: he wanted to transfer his body heat to his mother.

As for Yaobao, she fell asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow.

……

Gu Qingzhou was overjoyed to see her third brother.

He sat down next to Gu Chenghuai with a stool in his hand, listening attentively to whatever Gu Chenghuai said, just like a little fanboy.

Gu Chenghuai felt a little awkward. "Are you alright?"

"...It's nothing." Gu Qingzhou was bewildered, unaware that his excessive enthusiasm had frightened his older brother. "I'm happy that Third Brother is back."

“You’ve become strange,” Gu Chenghuai said bluntly.

"What's wrong?" Qingzhou looked at the other family members.

"Became more lively?" Gu Chenghuai found this adjective.

"Hehehe." Gu Qingzhou chuckled foolishly.

"..."

(End of this chapter)