Chapter 44 - 16: "What a Good Life

Chapter 44: Chapter 16: "What a Good Life

With Gu Xing’er gone, the atmosphere at the dinner table improved considerably.

Huang Xiulan took the initiative to break the heavy silence. "I never thought fish with pickled greens could be so fragrant. Third Sister-in-law, you really know how to eat."

"It is good," Mother Gu said. "Next time we catch some fish, we’ll ask Third Brother’s wife for the recipe and make it ourselves."

As soon as the matriarch spoke, the young boys howled with excitement.

"Grandma, I’ll go catch fish!" the little rascal Tie Dan piped up.

Mother Gu immediately scolded him. "Go where? How old are you? You dare go down to the river? I’ll give you a beating!"

She brandished her cattail-fan-sized palm, threatening the troublesome little brat.

Tie Dan was so scared he nearly choked on a fish bone. He spat out the tiny bone and said sensibly, "I won’t go."

Bangbang patted his chest. ’Good thing I didn’t say anything,’ he thought, ’or I’d be the one getting yelled at. Grandma doesn’t care if I’m the eldest grandson; if I make a mistake, she’ll scold me all the same.’

Worried the boys might actually go try to catch fish, Mother Gu said to her two sons, "Yuan Shan, Yu Cheng, you two go when you have time."

Gu Yuanshan and Gu Yucheng agreed.

"Da Zai and Er Zai must be eating their fill of pickled fish," Tie Dan said, his voice full of envy.

’Sigh, why couldn’t I have been born into the third branch of the family?’

Laimei took a delicious bite of the pickled greens. He used to hate this dish, but now it was perfectly to his taste. "Of course they are! I heard Da Zai and Er Zai’s maternal uncle brought them a huge fish. And Third Aunt is so generous, they’re definitely eating until they’re stuffed."

Zhao Liuniang shot her son an annoyed look. "What, you think I’m not generous?"

Laimei said bluntly, "You’re not. Mom, you’re super stingy!"

Zhao Liuniang ignored her son, who was just asking for a smack.

’What a brat.’

The Gu Family hadn’t had meat in over a month. Although the fish Lin Zhao sent over wasn’t a lot, it was rich and oily, and it was just enough to satisfy the family’s cravings. Not a single drop of the fish broth was wasted. That night, they lay in their beds, still savoring the taste of the pickled fish.

「In the old couple’s room.」

Mother Gu was mending the frayed cuff of her husband’s sleeve. "Third Brother’s wife has changed a lot these past few days," she said. "I don’t hope for much else, just that she’ll be a little kinder to Da Zai and the others. I don’t even mind if she’s a big spender. What do you think?"

Father Gu, lying in bed on the verge of snoring himself to sleep, said nothing.

’What could he say?’

"Mmm," he mumbled.

Mother Gu wasn’t satisfied with this answer. "Just go to sleep."

Father Gu rolled over, and within seconds, snores filled the room.

「That night.」

Lin Zhao resumed her lottery draws.

She had completed several tasks today—

Including hosting her family: 10 points.

Making new clothes for the children: 10 points.

Sharing the pickled fish with her in-laws and receiving praise: 10 points.

Tidying up the backyard: 50 points.

With draws costing 10 points each, she could draw eight times. The prizes from this tier were mostly daily necessities.

To draw for high-tier rewards, like various skills, she would need at least 500 points.

Lin Zhao thought for a moment and decided to stick with the 10-point draws.

It seemed her luck had run out after the first two draws; she didn’t get any more huge prize bundles tonight.

The things she got weren’t big, but they were very practical.

[Corduroy Fabric × 10 feet]

[Medical-Grade Sanitary Napkins × 5 packs]

[Fine Wool Yarn × 5 pounds]

[Soda Pop × 10 bottles]

[High-Elasticity Hair Ties × 3]

[Salted Duck Egg × 1]

[Premium Grade 1 White Sugar × 1 kg]

[Rice Cakes × 3]

Though it wasn’t as good as the last two times, Lin Zhao was still very satisfied. ’It’s all free stuff, after all.’

After finishing the lottery, Lin Zhao pulled her sweet, soft little daughter close and closed her eyes to sleep.

「The next day.」

When Lin Heling learned his daughter was coming back, he looked at his wife and said gently, "Why are you only telling me now?"

Song Xiwei, who was also Mrs. Lin, said, "If I’d told you, you wouldn’t have slept all night. It was better not to say anything. Telling you now is just the same."

Mrs. Lin’s original name was Song Meihua. When she was young, after getting together with her husband, she felt her name wasn’t very pleasant to the ear. She pestered Lin Heling to give her a new one, and he eventually changed it to Song Xiwei.

Don’t be fooled by her age. In her youth, she was a real spitfire. She could crack a black whip with menacing grace, fierce and stunning all at once.

Lin Heling didn’t look his age. He had been handsome in his youth, and now he was a dapper old man. He never had any unpleasant odor, always smelling fresh and clean. Combined with his height and ramrod-straight posture, his bearing completely outshone others his age. If it weren’t for the patches on his clothes, people would have easily believed he was a high-ranking official from the city.

He smiled. "We need to tidy up Zhaozhao’s room. She’s lazy—the first thing she wants to do when she gets home is lie down."

"It’s already tidy. I clean it every few days. When I heard she was coming back yesterday, I cleaned it all over again. She can lie down the moment she arrives." Mrs. Lin smiled as she looked at her husband. Her man was so handsome that just looking at his face made her want to eat an extra half-bowl of rice.

Lin Heling, used to her admiring gaze, said, "How long will Zhaozhao be staying? It’s rare for her to come back, so it would be good if she could stay for a few more days."