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

Chapter 226 "Entering the Cafeteria"

Lin Zhao was left alone in the kitchen. He felt more at ease by himself and worked faster, with no one asking him all sorts of questions.

For example, why beat the egg whites, how much should they be beaten, what's the difference between beating them and not beating them, and what to do with the leftover egg yolks since they're all for eating...

The person asking the question was completely baffled.

When Gu's mother arrived, Lin Zhao had already finished making the cake. A rich, sweet aroma wafted from the kitchen into the yard, making people's mouths water.

Mother Gu walked into the kitchen. "...Are you making a cake?"

"Mm." Lin Zhao nodded.

The cake was covered in a bamboo basket, so Gu's mother couldn't see it.

She didn't ask any more questions.

He rolled up his sleeves and said, "What do you need me to do?"

"No need now, we can start at noon," Lin Zhao said. It's still early, no rush, we can prepare after lunch.

"Okay, I'll go back first and come back later?" Mrs. Gu asked.

“Why go back? Let’s eat together. There’s enough wonton filling and dough for you and Dad. If you don’t eat it, it’ll just go to waste,” Lin Zhao said.

Having lived through years of famine, Gu's mother couldn't bear to hear the word "waste," so she immediately said, "I'll come down in a bit."

She stepped forward and took the work from Lin Zhao's hands.

Start cleaning up the kitchen.

He urged her to go back to her room, saying, "Go get some sleep, and eat when you wake up?"

Lin Zhao was indeed tired after a busy morning. "Alright, thank you for your trouble, Mother."

Mother Gu waved her hand, "What trouble is there? It's no trouble at all."

What's the trouble if there are wontons to eat?!
After the twins got up, they didn't see their mother, but only their grandmother. The two boys peeked into the kitchen.

"Grandma, where's my mom?" Yu Bao asked softly.

"She got up early this morning to make cakes for you two. She's exhausted and went to catch up on her sleep. Keep your voices down and don't disturb your mother," Gu's mother instructed.

She knew that her third son's wife loved to sleep in, and on her rare day off, she wished she could sleep until the afternoon. But she also had to make cakes for Yu Bao and Heng Bao, so she probably had a lot of pent-up emotions. It was best not to make a fuss.

Yu Bao hummed in agreement, "We won't argue."

Hengbao leaned closer to the stove, his nose twitching as he sniffed the aroma in the air, and asked, "Grandma, what are you making?"

"Your mother made wontons, and I'm about to cook them." Gu's mother didn't mention the cake, only the large wontons.

Hengbao smiled brightly, "We get to eat wontons first thing in the morning! I love big wontons! Are they meat-filled?"

"Yes." Lin Zhao wrapped half of the large wontons, and the rest were wrapped by Gu's mother. She knew what the fillings were—celery and pork and mushroom and pork, both of which smelled delicious.

Hengbao clapped his hands, "I love eating meat!"

"Go wash your faces and brush your teeth first. You can eat right after you're done," Gu's mother urged her two grandsons.

"Hey!" Yu Bao pulled her younger brother to wash up.

Just then, Song Yunjin walked out of the house.

Upon seeing Gu's mother, he greeted her politely.

Then I washed up with the twins.

Mother Gu was cooking wontons in the kitchen. After the water boiled, she put the wontons in.

Crossing a river.

The aroma spread.

Hengbao smelled the aroma, hastily smeared the baby cream on his face, and ran into the kitchen.

"Grandma, my stomach is growling, when can I eat?" He looked up at his grandma.

Mother Gu looked at him lovingly, "Wait a little longer, it will be fine after two more baths. You two go and call Qianbao and Yaobao first."

The twins have started eating solid foods, and it's getting late, so let them get up and eat together to avoid them fussing.

"I asked Big Yellow Amber to go and call them!" Hengbao smiled, her eyes crinkling.

Mother Gu carefully pushed the wontons in the pot with a wooden spoon and said with a smile, "You two go and see, Qianbao and Yaobao can't dress themselves, so they need your two older brothers to help them."

"Hey!" Yu Bao walked out, and Heng Bao chased after him.

The two boys returned to their room, where Qianbao and Yaobao had already woken up and were sitting on the bed playing with Xiaojin.

Big Yellow squatted not far from the bed, while Amber circled around the bed, wanting to get on but too scared to, glancing at its little owner every now and then and barking.

Ta-la!

The sound of the curtain being lifted and falling came from behind.

Big Yellow looked up and saw Amber rushing towards the twins, straightening her small body, climbing her front paws onto Yu Bao, and rubbing her head against him.

“Amber…!” Yu Bao burst into laughter. “Stop fooling around, I need to dress Qian Bao and Yao Bao, and then I’ll feed you.”

He stroked Amber's chin, and the dog, thinking its little master was playing with it, wagged its tail faster and rubbed against him more forcefully, almost tipping Yu Bao over.

"Amber, slow down, I'm about to lose my footing!" Yu Bao said hurriedly, grabbing the table to avoid falling to the ground.

Amber didn't hesitate; she bit her own little ball and wanted to play with him.

Yu Bao looked at the puppy's excited face and felt troubled.

Look at Big Yellow, pleading for help.

Big Yellow came over and used its right paw to pull Amber away, preventing it from bothering its little master.

Amber, being rather dim-witted, thought her mother was playing with her, and immediately forgot about Yu Bao, leaving the house one after the other with Da Huang.

Hengbao rubbed his face together, his eyes narrowing into crescent moons, "Dahuang is so smart!"

Yu Bao agreed, and even a little proudly, "Our Da Huang is the smartest dog in the world."

After saying this, he patted his clothes, walked to the twins' bed, and called to his younger brother and sister.

"Qianbao, Yaobao, it's time to get up. Grandma is making wontons. Do you remember wontons? They're made with white flour and have meat inside. They smell delicious."

Meat?!
The twins moved their bottoms to the bedside in perfect unison, took the clothes next to the small pillow, and handed them to their older brother.

“Wear it!” Qianbao said.

"Eat meat!!" That sweet, childlike voice belonged to Yaobao.

Yu Bao took Qian Bao's little clothes and helped his younger brother put them on. Without him saying anything, Heng Bao put them on his younger sister.

After getting dressed, the two brothers squatted down, found the little tiger-head shoes, and put them on their younger siblings.

She even imitated her mother, praising in a high-pitched voice.

"So lovely."

Qianbao didn't react much, but Yaobao was extremely smug. She held her chin high, found a red ribbon for her brother, and softly asked, "Use this!"

Yu Bao took it and carefully held it in his palm. "Wash your face first, and then let Grandma tie it for you."

Yao Bao smiled sweetly, "Okay."

While they were talking, Hengbao took a moment to feed Xiaojin, making sure it was full before leaving the house.

After feeding Xiao Jin, he didn't forget Da Huang Hu Po. While his brother was taking his younger siblings to wash their faces and brush their teeth, he fed Da Huang Hu Po.

The three pets at home are twins, and we take turns feeding them. They are fed on time, and even if they don't eat first, they will never forget their playmates.

After Yu Bao helped his younger siblings wash up, Gu's mother had just finished cooking wontons and was putting them into bowls.

"Are you all washed? The wontons are ready." She called to Song Yunjin and the four children.

The children smelled the aroma and rushed to the dining table as fast as they could.

Yao Bao even tried to reach out, but luckily there weren't many wontons in her bowl, and Gu's mother had broken them up, so they weren't hot now.

"Where's my mom? Isn't she eating yet?" Yu Bao asked, looking towards her parents' room with her chopsticks in hand.

Song Yunjin kindly reminded her, "Don't disturb your mother yet, wait for her to wake up on her own."

If his sister doesn't get enough sleep, her temper can't be considered good.

“…Alright.” Yu Bao listened to the advice.

He clumsily poked the wonton with his chopsticks, blew on it, and stuffed it into his mouth.

Hengbao had already eaten half of it, his bright black eyes looking at his brother. "Brother, when can we see the things Dad sent?" "I don't know," Yubao replied to his younger brother. "I'm impatient. Let's wait until Mom wakes up."

Hengbao wanted to take it apart himself, but he was afraid his mother would get angry, so he had to suppress his eagerness.

"Oh."

Last time, the twins only ate the wonton wrappers and didn't even taste the flavor. Strictly speaking, this was their first time eating wontons.

The wontons in the two small bowls were broken into small pieces, with the dough and filling mixed together, and the two kids ate them with relish.

Seeing the children eating so heartily, Gu's mother smiled lovingly and started eating as well. One bite, and it was so fresh and fragrant that it could make anyone dizzy with its aroma.

She had hardly ever eaten white flour in her life, and had relied on her third son's wife several times to get some.

Thinking that the old man would also be able to eat later, she ate faster.

Just then, Mr. Gu arrived.

Seeing his wife eating heartily with her bowl in hand, he said, "You've already started eating? You didn't even send a message. I've been waiting for you."

There was a hint of barely perceptible grievance in his words.

He prepared breakfast, waiting for his wife to come home so they could eat together, but she was already eating without telling him.

When Gu's mother met the old man's resentful eyes, a strange feeling flashed through her mind, as if she had done something wrong.

She finished the last wonton and said, "Wait, I'll go make you some more wontons."

The moment he finished speaking, he turned and went into the kitchen.

Father Gu: "?"

Are you being so informal?!

He didn't even have time to acknowledge his grandchildren's greetings and hurried inside.

“No need to bother, I’ve cooked some porridge at home, I’ll go back and eat.” Mr. Gu said hurriedly, “I just came to check on things, since you’ve already eaten, I’ll go back first.”

"Why go back!" The fire in the stove hadn't gone out yet, and Gu's mother stuffed more firewood into it, making the fire grow bigger. "Third son's wife said... there's a share of wontons for us. She was planning to bring them to you later, but since you're already here, you might as well eat here to avoid trouble."

When Gu's father heard that his daughter-in-law had treated them to the meal, he didn't say anything about leaving. He simply nodded and walked towards the courtyard.

Find a stool and sit down.

Yu Bao brought over a bowl, picked up a wonton, and tried to feed it to his grandfather. "Grandpa, eat this. My mom makes wontons. They're so delicious!"

There's no way Mr. Gu would take his grandson's food away.

He pushed Yu Bao's hand away, his face full of a relieved smile, "You eat by yourself, your grandma is down here."

Seeing that his grandfather wasn't eating, Yu Bao didn't force him and said softly, "Grandpa, if you're hungry, just tell me and I'll feed you."

Father Gu felt a warm glow in his heart.

"Okay," he replied with a smile.

Seeing his four children eating so heartily, the grandfather was also happy.

Soon, Gu's mother came out with a bowl of wontons.

"Why did you throw up so much?" Mr. Gu frowned with concern.

He felt that it was enough to just taste it; there was no need to eat so much. It would be better to save it for his grandson in the afternoon.

Hengbao sipped his wonton soup and said, "Master has to work, so he needs to eat more!"

Yu Bao: "My mom says I have to eat a full breakfast."

Mother Gu affectionately rubbed his face and said to the old man, "Listen to what Yu Bao and Heng Bao have to say. They don't mind that you eat too much, so why are you being so formal?"

Yu Bao sat next to his grandfather, and the two ate together. "I don't mind, Grandpa can eat as much as he wants."

Gu's mother asked mischievously, "What if we run out of food?"

"It's okay, Hengbao and I called my dad and asked him to figure something out." Yubao's little face was full of seriousness.

"Daddy, make some food." Yao Bao raised her dirty face and imitated her brother in a babyish voice.

Gu's mother couldn't help but laugh.

Lin Zhao caught up on her sleep, and when she came out again, the children had already finished eating.

Upon seeing her, Gu's mother immediately went to make wontons for her daughter-in-law.

Knowing what Lin Zhao was going to cook for lunch, she made preparations in advance.

The pot was hot, sparks were flying in the stove, and the water was boiling quickly.

After cooking the wontons, Gu's mother found Lin Zhao's bowl, rinsed it with clean water, and then scooped out the wontons.

The third son's wife was particular; she disliked bowls that had been wiped with a cloth for being dirty and insisted on rinsing them with water before serving rice. After a few times, Gu's mother also developed this habit.

She brought out a bowl and said to Lin Zhao with a smile, "Are you hungry? Eat up."

Lin Zhao smiled and said, "Thank you for your hard work, Mother."

"What's so hard about this?" Gu's mother said nonchalantly, and went to tidy up the kitchen.

When she left the courtyard again, Lin Zhao had eaten most of the food.

Seeing that she had rested, Gu's mother asked about Gu Chan, "...Since you said she would get a job soon, has Chan come to see you again? Has she said when she will get a job?"

She was still uneasy until things were settled.

Lin Zhao: "My eldest sister has to take care of her brother-in-law and doesn't have time to come over, but I went to the hospital to see her. That family paid for the medical expenses. My eldest sister said she would go back to her parents' home when she has time and pay back the money she owes to her sister-in-law and second sister-in-law."

Hearing this, Gu's mother was relieved. "It's good that they've paid for the medical expenses!"

She laughed and said, "So much money... It doesn't feel good to owe people money. It's okay if I lose the money, as for whether I can work or not... It's not a big deal if I can't get the job."

Of course, Gu's mother also hoped that her daughter would be lucky and get a good job.

Lin Zhao gave her a definite answer: "The job has been arranged. That family has helped my older sister transfer her employment. She just needs to wait for her brother-in-law to recover for a while longer before she can go to work."

Mother Gu was so happy she didn't know what to say.

"What kind of job is it?" she asked excitedly.

"The canteen at the cotton mill is a pretty good job," Lin Zhao said.

The cotton mill was a large factory with good profits. Places like the canteen, like their supply and marketing cooperative, were really one person per position, and even temporary workers were in high demand.

If Wei Xiangdong hadn't saved a capable person, and if that family hadn't been so grateful, such a good thing... wouldn't have been even a possibility.

"The cafeteria is great! The cafeteria is great!" Mother Gu said twice, each time louder than the last, and her back straightened considerably.

"I can finally relax."

She slapped her thigh and said, "It's a pity your father isn't here, otherwise he would have been happy too."

"Everything's fine here for now. Mother can go back to the old house first... and share the good news with Father," Lin Zhao said with a smile.

Gu's mother was very agitated and needed to vent.

"Okay, I'll come back later."

After saying that, he rushed back to the old house.

The four kids didn't follow. Hengbao clung to Lin Zhao, tilting his head and acting cute, "...Can I see the gifts Daddy sent back?"

Yu Bao was also very curious, but he... saw Lin Zhao's unwashed bowl after she finished eating wontons, and he picked up the bowl to wash it.

Lin Zhao stopped her, "You and Hengbao are the birthday stars, just be happy today. The chores like washing clothes and dishes..."

Before she could finish speaking, Song Yunjin raised her hand, "I'll do it!"

He took the bowl and happily went into the kitchen.

Lin Zhao: "..."

Lin Zhaochong shrugged at the twins, "See? Someone's eager to wash them. Come on, let's open our presents!"

The two children skipped and hopped after them.

Afraid of being left behind, Yao Bao clung to her older brother's arm and let him lead her.

Lin Zhao told the children to stand aside, then dragged out the box that Gu Chenghuai had sent back, and took out the scissors as well.

Use tools to untie the ropes binding the box.

Yu Bao and Heng Bao frantically unpacked the box.

(End of this chapter)