Chapter 85 - 29: How Arrogant

Chapter 85: Chapter 29: How Arrogant

’If he didn’t ask, it must mean they still have enough.’

Mother Gu felt relieved. She glanced at the bony Dahuang and reminded him, "If it’s not enough, come find me."

"That’s a given," Er Zai said precociously.

Mother Gu ruffled his little shaved head.

Er Zai pulled a comb from his pocket and handed it to her. "Grandma, here’s your comb back..."

He paused, glancing sideways to gauge Mother Gu’s reaction before admitting, "Grandma... I used your comb to brush Amber’s fur."

"Amber?" Mother Gu asked, confused.

"It’s Little Huang! Amber is the name my mom gave him!" Seeing that his grandma wasn’t mad, Er Zai perked right back up.

"Oh, that’s fine. I’ll just wash it later," Mother Gu said, unconcerned.

"Thanks, Grandma." Er Zai grinned. He knew how much his grandma doted on him, and he wanted to make her happy too. "Grandma, I can recite a poem for you. Do you want to hear it?"

Mother Gu looked at him in surprise. "Oh, you can recite poetry?"

Er Zai lifted his chin proudly and began to recite.

He recited as they walked:

"Moonlight before my bed, I mistake for frost on the ground. I raise my head to gaze at the bright moon, then lower it, thinking of my hometown."

When he finished, he looked up at Mother Gu with wide, bright eyes, his expression openly fishing for a compliment.

"Wonderful! That was wonderful!" Mother Gu exclaimed, happily squishing Er Zai’s cheeks, her face filled with adoration. "Oh my goodness, my precious grandson, how are you so smart? You’re barely five and you can already recite poetry! You’re so much smarter than your father was!"

Gu Chenghuai’s nose suddenly tickled for no reason.

’Someone is thinking about me.’

’Zhaozhao?’

’Could it be that she received the things I sent home?!’

The normally stern-faced young officer broke into a faint smile at the thought of his wife and children.

"Gu Camp Commander, the regimental commander is looking for you," a young soldier announced, running over with the message.

Gu Chenghuai’s smile vanished. He snapped his heels together, his spine ramrod straight like a pine tree, and raised his arm in a salute.

His figure retreated into the distance, cast in the slanting afternoon sun.

At the Gu residence, Er Zai’s cheeks were flushed from his grandmother’s praise, and his eyes crinkled with a wide smile. "Grandma, I can also recognize five characters!" he exclaimed, holding up a hand and spreading his fingers.

"Five characters? That’s more than I know! Did your uncle teach you?" Mother Gu asked.

"No! It was Mom! Mom taught me and my brother how to recognize characters and how to count last night." ’I’m not going to tell Grandma about Mom not finding a wife for me. If I tell her, she’ll say something to Mom, and I don’t want Mom to be upset.’

Mother Gu was even more shocked, her voice rising in pitch. "Your mother taught you two how to recognize characters? And how to count?"

’She’d thought it was their uncle who had taught them.’

"Yep," Er Zai said, nodding.

"Your mother is really starting to take good care of you two," Mother Gu remarked, her voice filled with emotion.

Er Zai said, "My mom is the best to us."

’Even if she won’t find us wives, she’s still the best mom ever!’

Da Zai finally found an opportunity to speak. "Grandma, where’s Grandpa?"

"What do you need your grandpa for?"

"I want to ask Grandpa to build a doghouse for Dahuang and Amber," Da Zai said.

Mother Gu thought it wasn’t a big deal and could be done quickly. She pointed to the house. "Your grandpa is resting inside. Go get him."

"Okay." Da Zai ran off to pester his grandpa.

Father Gu knew a bit about carpentry. While he wasn’t a master craftsman, he was more than skilled enough to build a doghouse.

After hearing his grandson’s request, he found a few planks and got to work.

"Grandpa, it has to be pretty," Er Zai demanded, squatting beside his grandpa to watch.

’Mom doesn’t like ugly things.’

Father Gu chuckled in agreement.

-

In the afternoon, Lin Zhao decided to visit her parents. When she told Da Zai and Er Zai, they immediately insisted on coming along.

Finding the prospect of taking two kids with her exhausting and time-consuming, Lin Zhao dangled a tempting offer: she would make them sweet and sour watermelon lemonade when she got back. The two little ones were torn for a few seconds before deciding they would wait at home for their mother’s return.

’Nailed it.’

A sly smile flashed in Lin Zhao’s eyes. With an empty basket looped over her arm, she set off for her parents’ house with a spring in her step.

Free from childcare duties, she felt light as air.

Just as she neared her parents’ home, Lin Zhao took a watermelon, a canister of green tea, and about two pounds of white flour from her Storage Ring, then entered the Dongfeng Team.

The usually bustling village entrance was eerily quiet, with almost no one around.

She found it a bit strange.

She hadn’t taken more than a few steps when...

She saw her mother fighting with someone.

No, correction: her mother was the one doing all the beating.

The scene was a chaotic mess of cursing, crying, and jeering...

...making it difficult to tell what was going on.

Spotting Lin Zhao, one of the people trying to break up the fight shouted, "Zhaozhao? Is that you? You’re back! Zhaozhao, hurry and stop your mother! Good heavens, she can’t be fighting with that strength of hers, she’ll kill someone! This is the new era, not like the old days. Murder will land you in the slammer..."

Lin Zhao pushed through the crowd to her mother’s side. "Mom, what’s going on?" she asked.