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

Chapter 375 "Immeasurable Merit"

Lin Heling smiled, "Zhaozhao is right, that makes sense."

Lin Shisheng curled his lip; to his father, whatever Zhaozhao said was right.

Song Xiwei then said, "You don't need to worry about Xuanxuan and Zhengzheng. Your father and I are taking care of them."

These words were spoken to Lin Zhao.

Chen Yu added, "Yes, and your older brother and I are here too. No matter what, we won't stand by and watch them suffer."

"That's good," Lin Zhao said.

In this lifetime, she will protect everyone in her family.

"Second brother, if I go to join the army, I probably won't be able to attend your wedding."

Lin Shisheng waved his hand, "Let's talk about this later, we don't know what the outcome will be."

Tao Tao is several years younger than him, and she has the mind of a little girl. Who knows if she will change her mind after a while?

“That’s true,” Lin Zhao said.

After having a meal and spending the night at her parents' home, Lin Zhao, her husband, and their child did not return home until the next day.

When we arrived at Fengshou Brigade, the village was bustling with activity.

I randomly asked someone and found out that a pair of siblings, who were new educated youths, had arrived at the brigade.

"I want to go and join in the fun," Lin Zhao said.

"Let's go." Gu Chenghuai carried his daughter on his shoulder, held his youngest son in his arms, and held his wife's hand as they walked towards the bustling educated youth settlement.

"So skinny, like a skeleton, how can she work in the fields?"

"They look quite alike, like siblings. The sister is of normal build, but the brother looks sickly. Why would someone like that be sent to the countryside?"

……

The Nan siblings' expressions remained unchanged despite hearing the surrounding whispers.

Nan Qiao, worried that her younger brother would be upset, comforted him, "Don't be afraid, I'll take care of you."

Nan Yi coughed a few times, unable to contain himself, and then smiled, "I'll take care of you too, sister."

He had fair skin, but was so thin he looked unrecognizable. His handsome face was covered with a layer of flesh, making him appear as a good-looking young man, but also somewhat frightening.

“That older brother is so thin,” Hengbao said.

瘦？
Ribs of a refined intellectual.

Lin Zhao recalled a scene from the original book.

It was around this time that two educated youth siblings arrived at the Fengshou Brigade.

These two siblings came from a respectable family and would teach children cultural knowledge when they weren't busy. When they learned that Yu Bao and Heng Bao were orphans, they even gave them candy.

That's how it's written in the book.

This was a rare treat for Gu Zhiyu and Gu Zhiheng. The two brothers dissolved a piece of candy into water, taking turns sipping it. Tears fell into the bowls, tinging the candy water with bitterness.

The text later mentions that the Nan siblings were the warmth they encountered from the outside world.

Unfortunately, Brother Nan fell into the reservoir and died. Sister Nan stayed at home except when she was working. After the college entrance examination was reinstated, she left the brigade and never came back... These are words from Yu Bao and Heng Bao's memoirs.

The extra chapter mentions what happened to Nan Qiao later on—

The older sister, who loved academic research, took up her younger brother's dream and embarked on an unfamiliar field.

She has mentioned her younger brother on numerous public occasions, saying that he is smarter than her, extremely talented in physics, and a rare genius. She believes that if he were still alive, many of today's problems would likely be solved...

Lin Zhao looked at the thin boy. Was this the legendary genius boy?
The reason why the boy fell into the reservoir was somewhat related to Yu Bao and Heng Bao, but the real culprit was Lu Baozhen.

Hengbao mentioned that Brother Nan was a very nice person, which displeased Lu Baozhen, who wanted to monopolize all of Yubao and Hengbao's attention. She secretly wished that he wouldn't exist... The strange protagonist's wish came true.

An innocent, gifted young boy died far from home before he could even grow up.

Lin Zhao felt waves of disgust.

Lu Baozhen's sins are grave.

Meng Xiaoying sized up the two new siblings, her face showing displeasure, and said loudly, "Another one who can't do any work!"

The Nan siblings were embarrassed as they were rejected for the first time in their lives.

Villagers: ?

Big brother, please don't laugh at second brother.

Lin Zhao laughed, "That sounds familiar, like something Aunt Ye would say."

The team leader's wife, who was watching the drama unfold in the front row, turned around, pulled her aside, and patted her thigh. "No wonder I felt something was off. It's true, isn't this what I said when I was criticizing the educated youth? I didn't expect Meng to repeat it."

She looked at Meng Xiaoying and raised her voice, "Meng, you've forgotten that when you first came here, you couldn't even tell the difference between rice seedlings and weeds. Not only did you not earn any work points, you even lost ten or so work points for the entire brigade. Now what's going on? It's your turn to look down on the new educated youth?"

“Our brigade values ​​harmony and mutual assistance. If you bully any new educated youth, the brigade leader will report it to the educated youth affairs office, and then you…”

Meng Xiaoying's face turned pale.

“I was just saying it casually; I didn’t bully the new educated youth.”

The Fengshou Brigade is well-off, and she doesn't want to be sent to a poor mountain village!
The brigade leader's wife slightly raised her chin and said, "That would be best. If it affects the honor of our brigade, you'd better find a way to explain it to all the members of the brigade."

Meng Xiaoying didn't dare offend the brigade leader's wife, so she withdrew her arrogant attitude, glared at the two new educated youths, and went back to her room indignantly.

"What are you doing? What are you doing! You dare to glare at people right in front of me? You think you're so great?" the brigade leader's wife said unhappily.

From this, the Nan siblings could see that the atmosphere in the brigade they had arrived at was good; at least the villagers had a sense of right and wrong.

The siblings felt a little relieved.

"Thank you, Auntie," Nan Qiao said with a smile.

Aunt Ye waved her hand, "It's just a matter of a word, nothing at all. You've come all this way, it's only right that we take care of you."

Nan Qiao looked at Lin Zhao and thanked her again, "Thank you, comrade."

She could tell that Lin Zhao held an extraordinary position in the brigade.

One sentence from this kind of person is worth ten thousand sentences from someone who is completely useless.

Lin Zhao smiled and said, "It's nothing."

The minor conflict at the educated youth settlement was resolved.

Nan Qiao and her brother nodded to the members of the Fengshou Brigade and went inside to make their beds.

The conditions at the educated youth settlements never changed: male educated youth shared a room, female educated youth shared a room, and they slept in a large communal bed. Those who were able could draw a curtain for themselves to protect their privacy, while those who couldn't only had one bedding.

Before 1970, more educated youth would come to the brigade, so the educated youth settlement needed to be expanded. The more people there were, the more conflicts there would be.

Lin Zhao looked thoughtful.

Gu Chenghuai squeezed her hand. "Do you know that pair of educated youth siblings?"

He stared at his wife inquisitively. "You seem to care a lot about them?!"

Deputy Regiment Commander Gu thought it over and over, but couldn't find anything special about the brother and sister.

It just looks like I've read two more books.

Lin Zhao snapped out of her reverie and casually remarked, "They're good-looking."

Gu Chenghuai was taken aback.

Zhao Zhao complimented another man's good looks?
His heart sank, and he gritted his teeth inwardly.

I couldn't help but say, "What's so interesting about a skinny girl like her?"

The sarcastic tone in his words was impossible to hide.

Lin Zhao: "..."

"I was talking about Comrade Nan Qiao. She has a good temperament and is pleasing to the eye. Why are you attacking her appearance?" Lin Zhao said helplessly. "Comrade Nan looks several years younger than me, you..."

acid.

Too sour.

Gu Chenghuai paused slightly, cleared his throat, and coughed.

Having found a wife who values ​​looks, his nervousness and wariness were understandable. He reassured himself with an excuse and calmly changed the subject, "What were you thinking about? Do you need my help?"

Lin Zhao, not one to back down, grabbed the man's fingers and said, "Don't you think the educated youth settlement in the brigade should be expanded?"

Gu Chenghuai glanced at her in surprise.

"Yes." Not wanting to sleep in the guest room that night, he nodded in agreement.

"Then why don't you go and mention it to the captain?" Lin Zhao said with a smile.

"...Okay. I'll talk to them this afternoon." Gu Chenghuai was going to visit the brigade leader's family in the afternoon, and he would mention it casually while they were chatting. It wasn't a troublesome matter.

Lin Zhao waved her hand, her eyes crinkling with a smile, "Then I'll have to trouble you."

Gu Chenghuai's brows relaxed: "It's my blessing to be at your beck and call."

……

That afternoon, Gu Chenghuai took some things to the brigade leader's house and told him about what his wife had mentioned.

After a moment's thought, the captain said, "We should build a few more rooms. Living together leads to many conflicts, and people constantly come to me to seek justice, which is a real headache."

The brigade leader's wife, cracking open pumpkin seeds, chimed in, "When the houses are built, how to allocate the rooms will be a problem. Do you believe those educated youth will cause trouble again?"

"Let them make a fuss." The brigade leader wasn't afraid of the educated youth making a fuss. "That's village land. The village paid for it. We won't let them talk nonsense."

Fengshou Brigade became the leader of the entire commune by growing mushrooms. The commune secretary praised him repeatedly for being a good brigade leader. Many educated youth wanted to come to their brigade, and the brigade leader was full of confidence and was not afraid of the educated youth causing trouble.

Gu Chenghuai toasted the captain with a glass of wine, and the matter was settled.

At the same time, after settling into her new life, Nan Qiao inquired with the villagers and went to the Gu family's house.

Lin Zhao was quite surprised to see her.

He personally poured tea for the guests.

"I hope I didn't bother Comrade Lin. I came to thank you, but I was also looking for someone to rely on," Nan Qiao joked.

Lin Zhao was taken aback, then smiled.

"Then you're probably going to be disappointed. I'm going to join the army after the New Year and won't be able to be your support."

Nan Qiao didn't come here to find a backer; she had received help from Lin Zhao and came specifically to thank her.

The higher a person's status, the more impactful their words can be.

She firmly believed this, which is why she remembered Comrade Lin's favor.

"That's such a pity. Comrade Lin and I hit it off immediately, and I'd like to become friends," Nan Qiao said regretfully.

This is a remarkable person who will achieve extraordinary things in the future. Lin Zhao is an ordinary person who is happy to expand his network.

"If you don't find it troublesome, I can write to you later?"

Nan Qiao jumped into the boat of friendship that had come her way and immediately said, "I'll write back to you."

"Okay, can I call you Nan Nan?" Lin Zhao asked familiarly.

Nan Qiao's smile became even more sincere. "Okay, I'll call you Zhao Zhao?"

Being a sent-down youth wasn't all bad, she thought.

"all right."

Lin Zhao told Nan Qiao a lot of survival rules in the countryside: don't go to the deep mountains, don't go to the reservoir, it's best to have someone with you when you go to the river, which snakes are poisonous, and what to do if you get bitten by a snake. She also gave her a book called "The Complete Guide to Barefoot Doctors".

Nan Qiao felt a surge of warmth in her heart and said gratefully, "Thank you, Zhao Zhao. What you said will help me better integrate into group life. It's so good to know you."

"Want to thank me? It's easy! Just tutor my nephews and nieces when you have time." Lin Zhao hoped that after the college entrance examination was reinstated, the Gu family could produce more college students.

The prosperity of a family depends on the next generation.

Nan Qiao stared at her. "Everyone says that studying is the most useless thing in this world, and it's better to have a good job. Why do you still care about... a junior's studies?"

"I believe the college entrance examination will be reinstated," Lin Zhao said casually. "For society to develop, educated people are indispensable."

I am a prophet, so I cannot say "hehe".

Nan Qiao's eyes flashed with admiration; Zhao Zhao's words were exactly the same as what her grandfather had said.

Who says country folk are short-sighted? The one who says that is short-sighted!

“I like you even more now,” she said.

Gu Chenghuai, who had just returned, overheard these words.

He frowned.

"!!!"

what's the situation?
He entered the room, glanced at the person who had spoken, and his brows furrowed even more.

"Wife, I'm back." Although Gu Chenghuai's tone was indifferent, Lin Zhao could still hear the emphasis in his words.

Seeing that the male homeowner had returned, Nan Qiao didn't linger and gracefully stood up, saying, "I should go now."

"Wait a minute, it's the New Year, how can I let you go back empty-handed?" Lin Zhao followed her out the door, quickly went into the kitchen, found a can of malted milk powder, put a strengthening pill in it, then took out a packet of red dates, returned to the yard, and stuffed the things into Nan Qiao's hands.

May this gifted young man live a long and healthy life, win international awards, lead a team, and contribute to the nation's rise!

"If you consider me a friend, then accept me." Lin Zhao cut off Nan Qiao's refusal.

"After the New Year, it's all heavy and tiring work. Take advantage of the New Year to nourish your body so that you won't be unable to keep up later."

Nan Qiao hesitated for a moment, then took it and said gratefully, "Thank you, Zhao Zhao."

She is a college graduate who will diligently tutor family-oriented children and help them prepare for college entrance exams.

"Let's go, I'll see you to the door." Lin Zhao escorted Nan Qiao to the door, watched her leave, and then turned back into the house.

Just as I closed the courtyard gate, I heard someone say, "How did you two become so familiar so quickly?"

Lin Zhao glanced at Gu Chenghuai, "We hit it off immediately, is there a problem?"

"……without."

Lin Zhao hummed a song as she returned to her room and looked through the things Nan Qiao had brought. It was a pair of hand-knitted gloves, with half a finger showing so as not to affect her work. They were exquisite and understated, perfectly matching Nan Qiao's aesthetic.

……

When Nan Qiao returned to the educated youth settlement, she first made a cup of malted milk powder for her younger brother.

When a sudden accident happened at home, she and her younger brother rushed to the countryside. They didn't have time to prepare many things, and Nan Yi's medicine had run out. Nan Qiao was on edge, afraid that her brother wouldn't be able to handle it.

"Sister, you should drink too." Nan Yi didn't want to eat alone.

He coughed a few times, his lips turning pale.

"You drink it." Nan Qiao put the bowl in her younger brother's hands to warm them, her expression gentle and patient. "I drank tea at Comrade Lin's house, and my stomach is bloated. You drink it yourself, and then eat two dates after you finish."

Nan Yi saw her sister's insistence and, not wanting to upset her, didn't say anything more to be modest.

It's all his fault for being so weak; otherwise, my sister wouldn't have had to come to the countryside with him to suffer.

Nan Yi's heart sank to the bottom; the door was completely closed.

"Drink it while it's hot," Nan Qiao urged.

Nan Yi snapped out of her daze, took a sip of malted milk powder, and slowly swallowed it. For some reason, her cold body felt a long-lost warmth.

He didn't think much of it, assuming that he hadn't drunk malted milk powder for a while, and that the weather here was cold... and so on, which led to this misconception.

Song Qian stepped out of the room and was stunned by the heartwarming scene in the courtyard.

“Song Zhiqing,” Nan Qiao greeted him.

"Brother Song," Nan Yi called out.

Song Qian wasn't a selfless person, but he possessed a gentleness unique to people of this era. Seeing that Nan Yi was unwell, he and Wen Huaiyuan took the initiative to help him pack his things and fetch hot water...

Nan Yi changed his address to "Brother Song" and to "Brother Wen" for Wen Huaiyuan.

Nan Qiao was unaware of these things.

Hearing the way she addressed him as her younger brother, she looked at Nan Yi with surprise, guessed what was going on, and thanked Song Qian, "Thank you for taking care of my younger brother, Song Qian."

When Nan Qiao planned to go to the county to buy some things, she would go to the state-run restaurant to buy a meat dish or steamed buns to thank the people who had helped her and her brother.

(End of this chapter)