Chapter 54 - 19: "Sponging

Chapter 54: Chapter 19: "Sponging

Lin Shisheng rubbed his itchy nose and looked at Er Zai. "Er Zai, you can’t just ask for a green hat."

Er Zai blinked in confusion.

"Does asking for a green hat violate discipline?"

He had heard the phrase "violate discipline" from Father Gu.

Lin Shisheng was speechless.

"Not really," he said.

Er Zai’s eyes filled with confusion. "Then why can’t I ask for one?"

He stared at his uncle, his little face scrunched up, a look of disappointment in his eyes. "My dad has lots of green hats. I want one."

Lin Zhao nearly tripped over her own feet and stumbled.

’...’ ’You’re really asking for it, Er Zai.’

"Those are military caps!" she corrected him with a stern face.

It wasn’t strange for a child to describe something by its color, but if the villagers heard him say that, it would become a huge joke!

"They’re military caps. From now on, you call them military caps, understand?" Lin Zhao emphasized.

Er Zai didn’t understand why, but he nodded obediently. "Uh-huh, military caps."

"Good boy." A light smile graced Lin Zhao’s features as she said, "If you two keep being good, Mommy will get each of you your own little military cap after the New Year."

Upon hearing this, Da Zai and Er Zai’s eyes lit up in a flash, completely taken in by their mother’s bait.

"Thanks, Mommy!"

The two little brothers pressed their heads together, whispering and occasionally breaking into cheerful laughter.

Seeing how well Da Zai and Er Zai listened to Zhaozhao, Lin Shisheng’s expression softened. ’The kids are so sensible. That’ll save my sister a lot of trouble.’

Lin Shisheng walked his sister and two nephews to the entrance of Fengshou Team’s village, planning to leave without going inside.

Seeing his sister was unhappy, the young man explained gently, "I have things to do back home. I’ll come see you again after this busy period is over."

When Lin Zhao heard him say that, she didn’t try to persuade him further and took her two boys home.

Just as they reached their front gate and Lin Zhao was getting out her key, Er Zai tilted his head up and tried to negotiate with his mother. "Mommy, can my brother and I go play for a while?"

"Come inside and have some water first, then you can play." Lin Zhao knew the children hadn’t had anything to drink on the way, and with the dry weather, she was worried the two little guys would get sick.

"Okay," Da Zai replied.

Back home, the two boys rushed into the kitchen. There was cooled boiled water, which they drank down in big gulps. After drinking, they wiped their little mouths.

Er Zai looked up at Lin Zhao. "We drank, Mommy. Can we go out and play now?"

He said "play," but what he really wanted was to go show off.

"Go on." Lin Zhao, who was also drinking water, heard Er Zai and waved her hand, shooing the two little rascals away.

Da Zai was pulled along by his younger brother. As he was leaving, he shouted, "Mommy, I’ll be back later to help you light the fire."

"No rush," Lin Zhao replied.

After the two boys went out to play, she returned to her room and took out the item her father had insisted on giving her.

Her father had been very mysterious about it, telling her to wait until she was alone to look at it.

Lin Shisheng had been carrying it the whole way, and only when Lin Zhao took it did she realize how surprisingly heavy it was. Inside, there seemed to be a square box wrapped in a piece of black cloth, casually stuffed into a net bag.

Lin Zhao opened the net bag and then untied the black cloth.

Just as she’d suspected, there was a wooden box inside. But it wasn’t an ordinary wooden box; it was a gilded enamel jewelry box inlaid with garnets.

Lin Zhao held the jewelry box and examined it carefully. It was exquisite. The lid was carved with stunningly beautiful patterns.

’How could my father have something like this?’

She was filled with questions.

Opening the jewelry box, the contents were almost blinding.

Five gold bars, an emerald necklace, a bright red bracelet, two exquisitely translucent jade bangles, a pair of jadeite earrings, a pair of pure gold floral-patterned earrings, and a pair of chased-gold rings with a design of two dragons playing with a pearl.

’No wonder it was so heavy. It’s all such valuable stuff.’

’I could buy a courtyard house with this!’ That was the first thought that flashed through Lin Zhao’s mind.

’I can’t believe it. Even after getting married and having kids, I still get to live off my parents.’

Lin Zhao was bubbling with happiness. It felt so good to be spoiled by her parents.

*Hee hee.*

’I must properly honor my parents in this life.’

She wrapped the jewelry box back up, hid it at the very bottom of a cabinet, added a large lock, and then went to the old family house to pick up the twins.

When the twins saw their mother, their two identical, fair little faces froze for a moment. Then, Fourth Child burst into loud sobs.

She waddled unsteadily toward Lin Zhao.

Crying, she called out in a tiny, milky voice, "Mommy—"

When her sister started crying, Third Child also let out a wail and started crying at the top of his lungs.

Lin Zhao was stunned by the siblings’ crying.

Previously, when she went to the county town, the twins wouldn’t cry even if they didn’t see her for a whole day. Today, it had only been half a day, and the two little dumplings were crying so hard that snot bubbles were forming.

"Why are you crying?" Lin Zhao quickly tried to soothe the children.

Just as Fourth Child was about to hug her mother, she twisted her little body, went past her to sit on the threshold, turned her back to Lin Zhao, and cried with her little head tilted back. While sobbing, she said in an aggrieved tone, "Mommy... didn’t... take... baby... WAHHH—"