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

Chapter 228 "The Active Temporary Worker"

After one operation.

I don't know how long I waited.

Meeting Battalion Commander Gu's expectant gaze, the young operator shook his head regretfully.

"We couldn't get in touch with her. They said... my sister-in-law went back to the brigade!"

Gu Chenghuai was disappointed, but he didn't show it.

"It's the weekend today, so I'll probably take the kids home for their birthdays," he said with a helpless smile.

The operator thought the battalion commander's wife was quite particular, as she even took the children back home to celebrate their birthdays.

He dared to say that very few people in the entire military region celebrate their birthdays.

It wasn't Lin Zhao who was particular, it was her father. When the head of the family has his own preferences, the younger generation in the family only cares about celebrations like holidays and birthdays.

On their grandson's birthday, Lin Heling and Song Xiwei also expressed their gratitude, gifting Yu Bao and Heng Bao a set of matching outfits.

It's a cotton-padded coat.

It was made by Lin Heling himself.

When they saw it, the two kids were so happy that their mouths almost stretched to the back of their heads.

"Grandpa made it! It's so beautiful." Yu Bao touched the clothes. "When it gets colder, I'm going to wear it to school so everyone will know that the clothes my grandpa makes are really beautiful."

Hengbao added: "Xu Juanjuan is showing off his cotton-padded coat, I'm going to show it off back, hahaha!"

"?" Lin Zhao asked suspiciously, "How do you know that Xu Juanjuan has a cotton-padded coat?"

"He wore it to school!" Hengbao exclaimed.

Lin Zhao was speechless. "Wearing a cotton coat now...it's a bit hot, isn't it?"

“It’s hot. His mother said he was making a fuss about wearing it, but she wouldn’t let him… He doesn’t want to go to school,” Yu Bao explained.

Lin Zhao wasn't surprised. Some kids are like that; they always have strange requests and ideas. It's normal.

Lin Shih-chang, who was sent by his family to run errands, said, "You two can't make such strange requests. You have to listen to your mother."

"I know," Yu Bao obediently replied.

When he spoke, Lin Shichang felt reassured, and his eyes softened.

Lin Zhao asked her elder brother, "How is my sister-in-law? Is she feeling alright?"

"Okay," Lin Shichang said with a smile.

Zhao Zhao was thinking about her sister-in-law and would ask her to bring meat back every few days. No one knew where she got the connection.

Remembering what his wife had asked him to bring, he handed it to Lin Zhao, saying, "Zhao Zhao, your sister-in-law asked me to give this to you."

"What is it?" Lin Zhao took it and opened it without any hesitation, revealing a red cardigan sweater.

The knitting is delicate, the buttons are made of ox horn, and the style and colors are beautiful; they will not go out of style even after decades.

"My sister-in-law knitted this for me?" Her eyes lit up with surprise.

“Of course,” Lin Shichang replied.

"Where did you get this yarn? And it's red!" Lin Zhao asked with a bright smile.

Lin Shichang looked at her with a smile in his eyes, "If you want to, you can find a way. Keep the source of the pork you provide a secret, and the source of our yarn must also be kept a secret. That's fair."

"You're so stingy," Lin Zhao complained. "You even act all mysterious with me."

She muttered, "If you won't tell me... I'll go back and ask my sister-in-law."

Lin Shichang let her have her way, "Okay."

Lin Zhao immediately put on her cardigan and smiled at her older brother, "It fits perfectly. Please thank your sister-in-law for me when you get back."

"There's no need for thanks among family." Lin Shichang smiled. "Thanks to you, we eat meat every few days, and your sister-in-law is pregnant and looks great. If anyone should thank someone, it should be us thanking you."

Remembering his purpose, he added, "By the way, your sister-in-law used the leftover yarn to knit gloves for Yu Bao and Heng Bao as a birthday present."

Lin Shichang looked at Qianbao and Yaobao's chubby little faces with affection in his eyes, "We don't have any extra yarn on hand, so Qianbao and Yaobao will have to wait."

He ruffled his nephew's hair, his voice gentle and coaxing, "When it's your birthday... you two will definitely get your share too."

Qianbao stood there, his little face calm and his words childish, which, combined with his stern expression, gave him a strange sense of composure.

He nodded his little head, "Thank you, Uncle."

Yao Bao hugged Lin Shichang's leg and, in her childish voice, tried to coax him into believing, "Big... Uncle is the best."

He spoke each word carefully.

Lin Shichang picked up his little niece, unable to stop smiling, "Good girl."

I opened the snacks I brought and fed them to her.

He gave gifts to the two birthday celebrants, and he didn't forget the twins either, having someone make snacks for the little brother and sister that children could eat.

"Uncle, do you have any snacks for us?" Hengbao put on his new gloves and eagerly came over.

“Yes, you all get a share.” Lin Shichang fed him half and Yu Bao the other half.

The two kids thought that birthdays were the best thing in the world.

"Uncle, my dad sent us birthday presents, guess what they are..." Hengbao sat next to Lin Shichang, his eyes filled with excitement.

"You're so happy, it must be something you really like," Lin Shichang said.

"Mmm-hmm." Hengbao nodded vigorously, spread her arms and drew a big circle, her voice soaring to the heavens, "My brother and I both love it."

He stared wide-eyed at Lin Shichang, asking expectantly, "Uncle, can you guess?"

Lin Shichang pretended to think for a while, then finally shook his head, "I can't guess. You two like too many things, I can't guess at all."

Most importantly, children's temperaments are unpredictable. Yesterday they liked cloth balls, and today they might like iron hoops... Who can figure them out?

Hengbao raised her chin slightly, her expression haughty, "Okay, I knew no one could guess it."

He stood up and proudly announced the answer, "It's big trucks and airplanes!"

His tone was full of smugness and pride.

Lin Shichang looked surprised and said to Hengbao, "I've never seen any kind of big trucks or airplanes before."

The performance was very contrived, but it was genuinely meant to make his nephew happy.

Hengbao's face lit up, and he rushed into the house excitedly, "I'll go get it!!"

She added, "I was afraid of breaking it, so I didn't dare leave it outside. My brother and I hid it inside the house."

Lin Shichang said with a serious expression, "These kinds of valuable items should be hidden away."

Lin Zhao watched her older brother perform, and the corner of her mouth twitched slightly.

Keep coaxing, keep coaxing, or Hengbao's mouth might not stay shut!
Hengbao smiled even more brightly after receiving affirmation, then felt a soreness in her cheeks and reached out to rub them.

He called his brother to go back inside to get the gift his father had given him.

The two babies came out quickly.

Holding a toy car and an airplane in both hands.

She leaned close to her uncle, her eyes sparkling, her meaning quite clear.

I need praise.

Lin Shichang understood. "This is what your father specially sent for you. It looks really nice! Your father misses you very much!"

Every single word is what Yu Bao and Heng Bao want to hear.

The two children smiled so hard their eyes squinted into crescent moons.

“My mom said this is very hard to buy. My dad must have put in a lot of effort,” Yu Bao said.

"Of course!" Lin Shichang could see how much his nephew valued the gift. He didn't touch it, but instead surveyed it with his eyes, expressing his opinion. "This thing is so novel. You can't find it anywhere in the county. It's only available in big cities. How can you get it without putting in the effort? Spending money is secondary. You might even end up owing someone a favor."

Hengbao seemed to understand but not quite. He looked down at the car and said, "My dad told my mom that it's okay to owe favors, he'll pay them back, so we don't need to worry."

Lin Zhao: “?”

Battalion Commander Gu must have said that to her. He didn't seem to mention the four kids at the time. Where did the little one hear that from?

They've even learned to lie about military intelligence.

He's naughty. Let's not scold him now, considering it's his birthday. We'll let it go and deal with it later.

Hearing Hengbao's words, Lin Shichang was speechless. His brother-in-law was teaching his nephews this way, wasn't he afraid of leading them astray...?

He subconsciously looked at Lin Zhao and met his sister's complicated gaze.

I immediately guessed what was going on.

For a moment, I wanted to grab Hengbao around the waist, pull him onto my lap, and slap his buttocks a few times.

What a rambling brat!

Little rascal.

Fortunately, I remembered that this was the birthday boy.

He pinched Hengbao's cheek and said, "It's not good to owe too many favors."

Hengbao looked at his uncle and asked, "Did my dad say something wrong?"

Lin Shichang wasn't wrong; his brother-in-law was capable, and for him, owing a favor might not be a big deal. In fact, for people at that level, it could be considered an exchange of benefits, a mutually advantageous arrangement. But... Yu Bao and Heng Bao were too young to understand, and this kind of thinking could easily plant bad seeds in their young minds.

"...Just remember, some favors can be owed, and some cannot," he said.

Seeing that Yu Bao wanted to ask the reason, Lin Shichang spoke first, stopping him from saying anything.

"As for the reason, you'll know when you grow up."

The two boys moved their lips, but then remained silent.

Because of this little incident, the two kids lost their desire to share and returned their respective treasures to their rooms.

Lin Shichang watched his two nephews' disappearing figures, then hesitated before looking at Lin Zhao, "...Are you angry?"

"No." Lin Zhao shook his head and said confidently, "You underestimate your own nephew. They don't get angry that easily. They're just a little confused. They'll be fine in a bit."

"It's good that they're not angry." Lin Shichang breathed a sigh of relief. "I came here to deliver a gift, not to cause trouble for them. If I had angered those two boys, my parents wouldn't have let me off the hook."

Lin Heling and Song Xiwei taught them the lesson of not provoking the birthday celebrant. On this day, "they" have special privileges and can say whatever they want.

Therefore, the Lin family children especially look forward to their birthdays and have a great fondness for the day they were born.

"Don't worry, don't worry." Lin Zhao waved his hand.

"Big brother, I made a cake. Take some back with you later."

She spoke whatever came to mind.

Lin Shichang was braiding Yaobao's hair with his fingers when he heard this and looked up.

What kind of cake?

Lin Zhao smiled and said, "You ate this when you were little."

When her brother was a child, the city was very lively, with all kinds of shops: restaurants, tailor shops, teahouses, watch shops, barbershops... you name it.

The Lin couple were not short of money, and they were happy to buy their son any new gadgets.

The Lin brothers have eaten many good things, and cake is one of them.

"Zhaozhao, you can do this?" Lin Shichang asked, his tone full of surprise.

"Hmm." Lin Zhao was particularly proud.

“Dad told me about it before, and I tried it and I made it.”

Lin Shichang had no doubt and gave a thumbs up, "Impressive. No wonder Dad always says you take after him, it's true."

The brothers inherited their strength and hobbies from their mother, while Zhao Zhao inherited his skill and dexterity from his father.

Anything becomes easy for them once it's in their hands.

"I haven't had cake in years, I'm in for a treat today." Lin Shichang was somewhat dazed as he recalled the past.

If the world hadn't changed, Zhao Zhao would definitely be more comfortable than she is now.

Thinking about this, I felt very sorry for my younger sister.

He needs to work harder and treat Zhaozhao even better.

Lin Zhao said with a smile, "I made a big one, I'll cut you a third of it later, you can take it back for your parents and Xibao to try."

"Okay." Lin Shichang nodded with a smile.

The twins, who had just stepped out of the room, vaguely heard familiar words and walked over with light steps.

"Can we eat cake now?" Hengbao's eyes lit up.

Lin Zhao touched his belly, "Your belly is so big, no rush. Go take care of something for a while, we'll talk after midnight."

Hengbao was easy to please and said, "Okay, let's go find Libao and the others to play."

"Go!"

The two kids rushed out of the house, their backs radiating energy.

Yao Bao wanted to be her brother's little shadow, so she hurriedly tried to leave her uncle's embrace, her little face full of eagerness.

At this moment, Lin Zhao said softly, "Yaobao, come here, Mommy will braid your hair into pretty braids with new hair ties."

Upon hearing this, the little girl immediately forgot about her brothers and stumbled into Lin Zhao's arms with a sweet smile.

"So tiny, yet so vain." Lin Zhao held her daughter, who was so soft and fragrant, it made one want to take a few bites.

A smile of reminiscence appeared in Lin Shichang's eyes, "Like you."

"..."

Lin Zhao pretended not to hear.

Changing the subject, he asked, "Haven't we heard from my second brother yet?"

"No." Lin Shichang's eyes flashed with worry as he comforted his sister, "That's just how the transport team is. They always lose contact a few times a year. Xiao Er is clever; he'll be fine."

Lin Zhao said, "My second brother is just a temporary worker, how could he get involved in something like going out?"

She was genuinely puzzled; she was completely stunned when she first heard the news.

I've never seen such an active temporary worker.

As expected of her second brother, he's got it all figured out; he can have fun anywhere.

Lin Shichang: "Let him do whatever he wants. It's also good that Xiao Er doesn't stay in the village, so that all sorts of weirdos won't come to his door."

"Huh?" Lin Zhao exclaimed in surprise.

"Huh?" Lin Shichang chuckled. "Ever since Xiao Er joined the transport team, plenty of people have been trying to find him a wife."

Lin Zhao asked, "Who are these people? What's Second Brother's attitude?"

“There are all kinds of people here, including young wives who have just lost their husbands, widows with daughters, and even girls who have just turned eighteen…” Lin Shichang said patiently.

Lin Zhao: "!!"

So amazing!

She hasn't been back to her parents' home for just a few days.

"My second brother has suddenly become a hot commodity!"

Lin Shichang was very clear-headed: "It's not that he smells good, it's the work of the transport team that smells good!"

Lin Zhao remained silent for a moment, then asked, "What's your second brother's attitude?"

“Xiao Er isn’t interested,” Lin Shichang said. “He said marriage is too painful and too depressing, and he never wants to get married in his life. Anyway, he has two daughters, so he has fulfilled his duty of carrying on the family line. Whether he gets married or not is fine with him; he chooses not to get married.”

He was somewhat worried. He had a happy family, and he hoped his younger brother would have the same. He was afraid his brother would be lonely in the future.

"What is your parents' attitude?" Lin Zhao asked again.

“Father said to let him have his way, as long as Xiao Er is comfortable,” Lin Shichang said. “Mother and Father share the same opinion.”

Lin Zhao finished braiding her daughter's hair, her smile bright. "My parents are so kind. I want to be such an enlightened parent too."

She gently rubbed her nose against Yaobao's little face, her voice soft: "Our Yaobao is the same, she can do whatever she wants, as long as you're happy."

Yao Bao raised her chubby little hand to touch her braids, her smile sweet, "I'm happy, baby."

(End of this chapter)