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

Chapter 294 "You're quite cunning"

Meng Jiusi: "..."

Witnessing firsthand how someone with a decent reputation in the family dormitory changed their attitude was a truly effective and direct example of discouraging remarriage.

Lin Zhao looked away, caught a glimpse of the complicated expression on the young man's face, and chuckled to herself.

"What are you laughing at?" Meng Jiusi cleared his throat.

"Nothing, the weather's just nice," Lin Zhao said casually.

Meng Jiusi looked helpless and shifted his gaze to his brother-in-law's face. "Cheng Huai, keep a close eye on Zhao Zhao."

Gu Chenghuai shrugged. "There's nothing I can do, I can't control him."

Lin Zhao leaned back, her eyes and brows radiating smugness.

He patted Gu Chenghuai on the shoulder, "We... are a couple!"

Meng Jiusi had nothing to say and turned away.

"Are you sleepy? Take a nap if you are. I'll look after the child," Gu Chenghuai said gently, holding his wife's hand.

Instead of answering, Lin Zhao asked, "How much longer until departure?"

Gu Chenghuai raised his wrist, glanced at the time, and said in a low voice, "Ten minutes left."

"The cars are all packed..." Lin Zhao muttered.

The car wasn't big, but there were no empty seats, and the aisle was packed. Even if the car started moving or suddenly stopped, the people standing would stand like wooden stakes, completely motionless.

"A few more people can squeeze on," Gu Chenghuai said. "There's no other way; there aren't many buses. If you miss this one, you'll have to walk back."

"Isn't there an oxcart?" Lin Zhao turned to look at him.

“Cattle are precious and valuable. At such a long distance, those brigades with cattle would not be willing to waste them like this.”

Lin Zhao: The "Humans Are Inferior to Cows" Series.

She found a comfortable position, closed her eyes, and said, "I'm going to take a nap. Keep an eye on the children and their belongings, don't let anyone steal them."

Gu Chenghuai said, "I'm here, what are you worried about? Go to sleep, I'll wake you up when we get there."

Lin Zhao squeezed the man's hand, facing the window, and began to drift off to sleep.

She sat comfortably in the driver's seat, while Su Yuxian, whose face was distorted by the squash, revealed resentment in her eyes.

She finally managed to squeeze onto the bus, so why did Lin Zhao get a seat and not even have to look after the child or his belongings, and could sleep comfortably?
The hatred in her heart was like vines, tightly binding her neck, making it almost impossible for her to breathe.

He squeezed Lu Baozhen's hand harder and harder.

Lu Baozhen endured for a long time, but finally couldn't hold back any longer. She raised her pale face and said in a very soft voice, "Mother, my hand hurts..."

Su Yuxian was lost in her emotions and didn't hear.

Most of the people on the bus were from various brigades, and they all spoke loudly, spitting as they went, making the bus noisy.

Lu Baozhen tried to pull her hand back, but she was too weak and failed.

Gradually, her movements startled Su Yuxian.

Su Yuxian tightened her grip and scolded, "Can you stop being naughty? We're in the car, no one's holding you. What if you fly off when the car starts moving? Aren't you annoying, kid?"

Hearing this, the others assumed it was just the little girl being ignorant and offered their advice.

"Your mother is doing this for your own good, so just listen to her!"

"Yes, a child your age doesn't understand anything. They have no idea about danger. Can they stand steadily without an adult holding them? They'll fall flat on their face sooner or later!"

……

Lu Baozhen looked flustered and lowered her head in grievance.

She didn't naughty, but her stepmother pinched her hand so hard it hurt.

Why do adults often have poor eyesight?
No one could see that her stepmother was bullying her.

Lu Baozhen wanted to cry, but she was afraid that Su Yuxian would hold a grudge against her when she got back, so she had to hold back.

"The bus is about to depart. Stop chatting, hold on tight, the road is uneven, don't fall!" the bus conductor shouted.

As soon as she finished speaking, the people who had been spitting everywhere stopped in unison, grabbed whatever they could hold onto, and held on tightly with both hands.

"Ouch, you grabbed my hair!" A passenger with a seat cried out as her hair was pressed down, causing a sharp, needle-like pain in her scalp.

The elderly woman, who was gripping the back of the seat, quickly withdrew her hand and said apologetically, "I'm so sorry, I'm really sorry, I wasn't paying attention."

Noticing that the woman was unusually old, Su Yuxian, during a rare quiet moment in the car, blurted out without thinking, "This lady is quite old. Shouldn't the young comrades put forward the fine tradition of our nation and give her a seat?"

There were many young people on the bus, and they gave up a lot of time to wander around in order to get a seat.

Su Yuxian's words were truly unpleasant.

"The rule is that first come, first served, and latecomers don't get seats. I've been here for ages, why can't I sit!" the hot-tempered woman said unhappily. "If you feel sorry for this old lady because she's elderly, then come earlier and give up the seat you're holding. What kind of ability is it to be so generous to others..."

Once someone takes the lead, there will be no shortage of people to defend him.

"Exactly, exactly. Why should we? We spent half an hour or an hour less shopping, and finally managed to get a seat. We just want to get home comfortably, but you can just talk your way out of it and expect us to give up our seats. It's easy for you to say that when you're not the one suffering."

"funny."

It's not that people with seats are unwilling to give up their seats to the elderly; it's just that the train is extremely crowded.

They can't even get out, how can we let them?

Many disapproving, amused, or accusatory gazes fell on Su Yuxian. She awkwardly gripped her toes, wishing she could dig a hole under the car and disappear from the spot.

"I...I didn't mean that," she struggled to explain.

"Then what do you mean?" The girl who had initially retorted glared angrily and pressed on, "Are you saying that all of us have hearing problems?"

Su Yuxian felt herself getting lower and lower, as this person pressed closer and closer.

She wasn't one to reflect on her actions; instead, she began to resent Lin Zhao.

“I’m not targeting you.” Su Yuxian glanced at Lin Zhao and the others, seemingly casually. “I just feel that some people with families are taking up too many spots.”

Yu Bao and the others listened intently to the gossip, never expecting to become the ones who started it all.

“Stepmother Lu Baozhen, are you talking about us?” Hengbao knelt on the seat, staring intently at Su Yuxian, and shouted loudly.

The sound was so loud it was like it was coming from an amplifier.

Su Yuxian choked, caught in a dilemma, and no matter what she said, things would not end well.

Before she could react, Yu Bao said, "Silence means Heng Bao has hit the nail on the head."

The car was noisy, so Yu Bao spoke louder than usual so that Su Yuxian could hear him clearly.

“You mean my family,” Yu Bao emphasized again.

“I asked my dad and my uncle, and they both said… there’s no limit to the number of passengers on a bus. You can ask the ticket seller if you don’t believe me.”

The child's voice was clear and bright, and he was very polite. The ticket seller was confused when he called her "sister".

"There is no limit to the number of people." She said with a smile.

"Thank you for answering my question, sister." Yu Bao nodded to the ticket seller and thanked her politely.

He looked at Su Yuxian again.

"Aunt Su, did you hear that? There's no limit to the number of people, so we can have seats."

Yu Bao's expression was serious, like a needle pricking Su Yuxian's heart, "Don't envy us for having seats. Next time, come earlier, and you can have one too."

Su Yuxian suffered repeated defeats.

"What do I envy?" she abruptly changed the subject. "I'm not like your mother, who has tons of time to go out and about all the time..."

Hearing that she wanted to smear Lin Zhao, Mao Dan'er suddenly stood up. "Aunt Su, you have a lot of malice towards Aunt Lin!"

Su Yuxian's face froze instantly.

He said dryly, "What are you saying, kid? How could I? We're from the same place, we grew up together, how could I have any ill intentions towards her?"

Jingmo stood next to Maodan'er and said, "Yes, of course we felt it. Everyone in this car felt it. You said you'd give up your seat, but that's just to target my aunt. You can't fool us, and you can't fool smart adults."

Who wouldn't want to admit they're not smart?
The fiery girl who had previously given Su Yuxian a thorough dressing-down looked admiringly at the back row, supporting them, "You really can't fool them! I knew why they were offering seats out of the blue. The bus is so crowded, you can't even squeeze a piece of paper through, let alone a person..."

Realizing he had gone off-topic, he quickly steered the conversation back on track.

"No wonder you suddenly brought up the issue of giving up seats; you were trying to use us as pawns." She looked at Su Yuxian. "You're quite cunning."

Su Yuxian: “…”

"You've misunderstood... I just said it offhand, without thinking," she explained curtly.

Unfortunately, nobody believed it.

Gu Chenghuai looked at his two sons with satisfaction in his eyes.

"Good job, you know how to protect your mother." He patted each of his sons' heads as a reward, "You should do the same in the future."

After praising her son, she then praised Maodan'er and Jingmo, saying, "You two are very thoughtful."

Jingmo waved his hand, "That's my aunt, of course I have to protect my aunt."

His father always said that he only had one younger sister, and they all had to protect her.

Cat Egg also said, "I am my father's son, a pillar of strength, and I will definitely stand up for what is right when I encounter injustice."

Moreover, he liked Aunt Lin as an elder, so of course he couldn't just stand by and watch her be bullied.

Gu Chenghuai ruffled the boy's short hair, saw the little irritable expression on his face, and laughed out loud.

The car drove onto a dirt road and suddenly started to bump. People standing couldn't stand steadily, and their bodies were blown about like saplings in a strong wind.

Su Yuxian was leaning against an elderly woman, barely able to breathe.

"Auntie, could you move over a little?" she couldn't help but ask.

The old woman glared at her, "The road is so bumpy, you have to come back anyway, why bother?"

She looked displeased. "You mentioned giving up your seat before, and I thought you were someone who respected the elderly and cared for the young. But this... you're not even willing to let an old person lean on you. You really are a cunning person."

Su Yuxian's face instantly turned dark.

"I'm a scoundrel... If you've got the guts, don't get close to me, or you'll be corrupted by my influence. Go away!" she said irritably, wishing she could kick the man off the bus. It was only after a while that the people on the bus forgot about the incident!
The old woman got angry too, "You girl, how can you talk like that! You look unfamiliar, you must be from out of town, right? Are you here with your husband? I need to see your superior..."

"I'm not," Su Yuxian quickly denied.

Because she wrote a letter to Meng Jiusi's former work unit, the military region leaders' impression of her and Lu Yizhou plummeted. Her husband said that if she caused any more trouble, they would send her back to her hometown.

Can not be done.

How could she go back to her hometown!

Not daring to provoke the formidable old woman any further, Su Yuxian turned her back, enduring whatever the old woman said or did, no matter how she leaned against her.

Su Yuxian gritted her teeth, her expression one of suppressed resentment.

……

Lin Zhao witnessed this scene, but her expression remained indifferent.

Without the protection of the female lead's halo, Su Yuxian seems to be possessed by a jinx, with luck worse than that of ordinary people.

"Why aren't you sleeping?" Gu Chenghuai massaged Lin Zhao's neck.

"How can I sleep with this much shaking?" Lin Zhao could tolerate noise, but not shaking.

"Just bear with it a little longer, we're almost there." Gu Chenghuai had no choice; unless the road was under construction, this was how it was all the time. "Are you dizzy? Shall I peel an orange for you?"

"Okay." Lin Zhao responded.

She quietly opened the cloth bag she carried with her to see the gift that Juan'er's mother had given her.

It was an extremely exquisite ornament, about half an arm's length long, with beautiful patterns on both sides of the square. It felt uneven to the touch, as if it were embroidered.

"Is this embroidered?" she whispered, her lips close to Gu Chenghuai's ear.

"Mmm." Gu Chenghuai tightened his grip on Lin Zhao's hand slightly. "You like it?"

"It's even prettier than the embroidery by that guy in the brigade. I'm going to keep it." Lin Zhao loves collecting such exquisite works of art.

Gu Chenghuai knew who she was talking about: the wife of Zhang Yongqiang, the captain of the brigade's security committee.

"Keep it if you want," Gu Chenghuai said, "but hide it well."

Lin Zhao blinked. "You know I'm good at hiding things."

Gu Chenghuai praised him politely, "Impressive."

His wife is amazing no matter what.

After eating the sour orange, Lin Zhao felt better and more energetic.

"Mommy, are you awake?" The clingy Yu Bao turned his head vigorously, wishing he could hang his little body on the back of the seat.

"Sit still." Lin Zhao poked her son's little hand. "You have to sit still in the car. You've forgotten what I taught you."

“I haven’t forgotten, I wanted to see you,” Yu Bao said.

"...I'll look at it again when I get back."

The car stopped and started, some people got off, some people got on, and it swayed along. Lin Zhao and the others got off the car.

Su Yuxian and the others had the same destination, so they got off here as well.

Having suffered a setback in the car, she didn't want to stay in the same place as Lin Zhao for a while, so she quickly left with Lu Baozhen.

"Why are you walking so fast? Are you feeling guilty, or do you want to spread rumors about our family?" Hengbao stared at Su Yuxian's back, her little brows furrowed.

"He definitely wasn't holding back a good fart!" Jingmo snorted.

Lin Zhao looked at him, "Did she offend you? I feel like you're holding a lot of resentment."

Jingmo smiled.

That smile looks really weird.

How could it not be serious? Lu Baozhen's stepmother sent a letter to his mother, making his father the subject of gossip and causing his family to be the butt of the gossip. It was all her fault. If his father hadn't told him not to act rashly, Su Yuxian would have fallen into the latrine at least!

Fearing his sister would press him further, Meng Jiusi said, "Let's go, we can talk at home."

Distracted like this, Lin Zhao forgot what she was going to ask.

"Walk."

The family returned to the military region and arrived at the family compound.

Several people were talking under the lush, thick trees.

Upon seeing Lin Zhao and the others, they suddenly fell silent.

Lin Zhao's expression remained unchanged as she said bluntly, "What are you chatting about? Why did you stop as soon as we arrived?"

She said jokingly, "You're not talking about me, are you?"

Adults don't speak so directly; Lin Zhao's words have completely blew everyone's minds away.

"No...we were just chatting, we weren't talking about you." Aunt Zhang, who had spoken to Lin Zhao yesterday, had a big smile on her face.

Sister Wang glanced at someone in the crowd who was putting on makeup, and a look of excitement, like watching a good show, flashed in her eyes.

They've matched up! They've matched up! Shouldn't they fight?!
(End of this chapter)