Chapter 53 - 19: Sponging off Parents

Chapter 53: Chapter 19: Sponging off Parents

On his end, Gu Chenghuai wired the money to his comrade and then sent a telegram home.

Lin Zhao had no idea that her little outburst would land her a relaxed and respectable job.

By dinnertime, all the Lin family children were home.

After they washed their hands, they found the table already laden with dishes: spicy rabbit, braised pork, scrambled eggs with tomatoes, and mushroom soup. Even the rice was less watery than usual.

The little gluttons’ eyes lit up, and they let out muffled squeals of excitement.

"Meat—"

Lin Zhao pressed a finger to her lips, her voice tinged with laughter. "Shhh! We have to be discreet about eating meat!"

Da Zai and Er Zai immediately clapped their hands over their mouths, their identical eyes crinkling into crescents.

The family sat down. Once they began to eat, the first thing Lin Zhao picked up with her chopsticks was a piece of spicy rabbit. Her mother had been generous with the seasonings; one bite was deliciously numbing and spicy.

"So good!" she said, her eyes curving into a smile. It had been so long since she’d tasted this.

Er Zai wanted to try the spicy dish, but his mother blocked his chopsticks. "Little kids shouldn’t eat things that are too spicy. You and your brother can have the non-spicy dishes." ’Does he really want to get a sore throat?’ she thought.

"But Brother Da Dan and Brother Er Dan are eating it," Er Zai said, looking at his mother with his bright, clear eyes, a wronged expression on his face.

"How old are Da Dan and Er Dan, and how old are you?" Lin Zhao retorted. She didn’t stop eating as she spoke, savoring the numbing spice of the rabbit meat with a look of pure enjoyment.

Er Zai pouted.

"Er Zai, the non-spicy food is good too." Da Zai was an obedient child. He knew their mother’s rule was for their own good, so he helped her coax his little brother.

Er Zai always listened to his older brother, so he stopped making a fuss.

Lin Heling watched this scene unfold, a smile in his eyes.

Seeing her daughter "bullying" her two grandsons, Mrs. Lin shot Lin Zhao a look devoid of any real anger. "You’re a grown woman. Why are you still teasing your own kids?"

She put a piece of the spicy rabbit on both Da Zai’s and Er Zai’s plates, saying, "You’re still little. You can have a taste, but you can’t eat too much."

Da Zai’s little face lit up. "Thank you, Grandma."

"Thank you, Grandma! Your cooking is the best!" Er Zai chimed in, laying the flattery on thick.

Lin Zhao raised an eyebrow and shot him a glance. ’This morning, he was saying *my* cooking was the best. He’s already mastered the art of pleasing everyone at such a young age. I wouldn’t be surprised if he grows up to build a nationwide business empire.’

The Lin family wasn’t strict about table manners. Everyone chatted as they ate, and the atmosphere was lively.

Qiu Lian didn’t say a word, keeping her head down and eating with grim determination. ’Every extra bite I take is one less for that freeloading sister-in-law and her two little brats,’ she thought. ’Worth it.’

Lin Shisheng frowned as he watched her, but he held his tongue, not wanting to spoil the family’s appetite.

Lin Xuan’s face flushed red as she watched her mother stuffing her cheeks with food, her manners even worse than Er Zai’s. She shot Lin Zhao an apologetic look.

Lin Zhao simply smiled back at her, and the little girl’s tense expression slowly relaxed.

’She’s so meek,’ Lin Zhao thought. ’She’s going to get pushed around.’

After dinner, Lin Shisheng walked Lin Zhao and her two sons home.

「On the way.」

Lin Zhao wiped the sweat from her brow with a handkerchief and asked Lin Shisheng, "Second Brother, have you heard from Third Brother? When is he coming home next? I miss him!"

The names of the Lin Family Brothers—Lin Shichang, Lin Shisheng, and Lin Shifan—were taken from a phrase meaning "prosperous and flourishing." Their stolen twin brother was named Lin Shirong.

"The last letter was three months ago," Lin Shisheng said. "Third Brother is stationed far away. A round trip home takes him over half a month. He said he has to go on missions from time to time, so he won’t be able to come back this year either."

’He understood his third younger brother. When you’ve dedicated your life to the country, your time is no longer your own.’

Lin Zhao knew that all too well. Her children’s father was also a soldier; he faced many of the same constraints.

"I see."

Changing the subject, she asked, "Is Third Brother close to any particular female comrades?"

Lin Shisheng chuckled. "You’re just curious about when he’s going to get married, aren’t you?"

"I am a little curious," Lin Zhao said with a beaming smile. "And I can tell Mom is very concerned about it."

"Mom’s just talking. If she were really set on finding a wife for him, do you think he could escape?" Lin Shisheng scoffed at the idea.

"At home, Mom’s word is law. Once she makes a decision, none of us brothers have any room to object. Only Dad and Zhaozhao can ever get through to her."

Lin Zhao said, "Mom just has a soft spot for Third Brother." It was also because their fourth brother had been stolen, so their mother had transferred all her maternal love for him onto their third brother.

Da Zai and Er Zai had rarely seen their third uncle, but they knew that, just like their father, he was a heroic soldier.

For that reason alone, they already held their third uncle in high regard.

"Mom, can you ask Dad to get me and my brother a green hat?" Er Zai asked suddenly, his little tanned face a picture of pure innocence.

Da Zai’s expression flickered, and he too looked at his mother with anticipation.

Lin Shisheng couldn’t hold it in. "PFFT—"

Lin Zhao’s gaze swept over the top of her second brother’s head, her expression unreadable.

’Stop laughing,’ she thought. ’Er Zai was just talking nonsense, but the green hat on your head, Brother, is the real deal.’