Chapter 58 - 20: "Two-Second Enthusiasm

Chapter 58: Chapter 20: "Two-Second Enthusiasm

Er Zai’s attention was diverted, and he asked in surprise, "You’re scared, Mom? What are you scared of?"

Before Lin Zhao could reply, Da Zai tightened his grip on her hand. Even though he was clearly uneasy himself, he tried to comfort her, saying, "I’ll protect you, Mom."

Lin Zhao froze for a moment, her heart completely melting.

"Alright. But with you two here with me, I’m not scared at all anymore."

Hearing this, the two boys felt a surge of energy. They straightened their backs, a sense of responsibility settling on their shoulders.

The timidity in their eyes vanished, and their earlier confidence returned.

"Should we go to the post office to wait for the call or go get something to eat?" Lin Zhao asked.

The little foodie, Er Zai, immediately asked, "Will there be meat?"

"I don’t know about that. We’ll eat whatever they have; we can’t be picky," Lin Zhao said honestly. "Sometimes there’s meat, and sometimes there isn’t. You’ve been eating meat for several days in a row. Haven’t you had enough yet?"

Er Zai gave his mother a look that said, ’You just don’t get it.’ "How could anyone ever get tired of meat? I love meat. I could eat it every day and never get sick of it."

Lin Zhao was speechless. ’Forget meat. You’d get tired of anything if you ate it every day, even the finest delicacies.’

"Alright, then. Let’s go eat first. They might still have meat if we go now."

Er Zai cheered.

Lin Zhao led the two boys to the state-owned restaurant and found a server to order. Just like before, the server didn’t even bother to look at them, listlessly reciting the day’s menu.

There was Stir-fried Pork with Chili, Pork and Vermicelli Stew, Radish and Bone Soup, as well as Shredded Pork Noodles and large steamed buns.

"Da Zai, Er Zai, what do you want to eat?" Lin Zhao gave them an encouraging look, prompting them to speak up.

Er Zai puffed out his chest, held his head high, and said without a hint of shyness, "I want the Pork and Vermicelli Stew."

Da Zai added, "I want the Radish and Bone Soup."

Lin Zhao nodded and told the server, "We’ll have what my two sons asked for, and please add an order of Shredded Pork Noodles."

Er Zai glanced around, found an empty table, sat down, and waved at Lin Zhao and Da Zai.

"Mom, Big Brother, over here!"

Lin Zhao walked over, holding Da Zai’s hand.

It was the two boys’ first time eating at a state-owned restaurant, and they were incredibly excited. They squirmed in their seats, looking all around.

"What are you looking at?" Lin Zhao asked with a smile.

"Tie Chui has never been to the county town, so he doesn’t know what a state-owned restaurant looks like. I’m taking a good look so I can tell him all about it when I get back," Er Zai explained in his bright, clear voice.

"Alright, then. You’d better take a good look," Lin Zhao said.

Er Zai nodded absently, then suddenly sighed for some reason.

"What are you sighing about? I take you to a restaurant and you’re still sighing." Lin Zhao said, ruffling Er Zai’s buzzed hair.

Er Zai’s voice was tinged with regret. "It’s a shame I don’t know how to draw. Otherwise, I could draw a picture of this, and then Tie Chui would know what the county town looks like."

He’d only heard about drawing from Lin Xibao.

Lin Zhao knew Da Zai and Er Zai were good friends with Tie Chui, so she wasn’t surprised. Instead, she asked, "Do you want to learn how to draw?"

"I do!" Er Zai’s eyes lit up.

"Well, that’s a nice thought, but you’d have to get lucky. Art teachers are hard to find. I went to school in this town for years, and I never heard of anyone who knew how to draw," Lin Zhao said offhandedly.

"Why are they so hard to find?" Er Zai asked.

"Because learning to draw is expensive." In a place like theirs, where just filling one’s belly was a struggle, someone who could afford to learn art was a true rarity.

The moment he heard it was expensive, Er Zai immediately declared, "Then I don’t want to learn anymore."

Lin Zhao thought, ’I knew it. This kid’s enthusiasm lasts all of two seconds.’

"Besides, drawing isn’t the only way to capture an image. A camera can do it, too."

Da Zai was particularly curious about this new word his mother had used. His bright eyes were full of confusion. "Mom, what’s a camera?"

"It’s something that takes photographs," Lin Zhao explained patiently.

Er Zai’s eyes widened in surprise. "Is it expensive?" That was what he cared about most.

"Of course it’s expensive. It costs several hundred."

Er Zai wasn’t discouraged. He said, full of confidence, "When I grow up, I’m going to earn lots and lots of money and buy a camera!"

Da Zai asked with a troubled expression, "Why not just make one?"

Er Zai thought his brother had a good point. His little face scrunched up in a difficult expression. "But how do you make one? I don’t know how."

Da Zai didn’t know how, either, so he turned his questioning gaze to Lin Zhao.

Lin Zhao offered a strained smile.

...

’Don’t look at me. I don’t know how, either.’

When Er Zai saw his brother look at their mother, he assumed she knew how. His eyes sparkled with admiration. "You know how, Mom?"

He remembered Mother Gu saying that his mom was an amazing student—a high school graduate, even. Of course, a little kid who hadn’t even started school yet had no idea what a high school graduate was. But the expression on his grandma’s face when she’d said it had left a deep impression on him. To Er Zai, it was one of those things you’re impressed by, even if you don’t understand it.

"Mom’s a high school graduate! She definitely knows how."

Stared at by two pairs of trusting, adoring eyes, Lin Zhao felt a cold sweat begin to form.

’High school graduates don’t know how to build cameras, either!’

"I don’t know how."

Da Zai and Er Zai were dumbfounded. Their mouths fell slightly open as they stared blankly at their mother.