05 The King of Bragging

"Do you have industrial coupons for the blanket?" the salesperson asked.

"I do." Lin Zhao took a few industrial coupons from her satchel.

After purchasing what she needed, she left under the envious gazes of the shop assistants. Older people might think she was a spendthrift, but what young woman wouldn't envy her having so much money to burn?

After leaving the supply and marketing cooperative, Lin Zhao went to the state-run restaurant to buy meat buns. She was in luck; there were twelve left, and she bought them all.

She had come light-handed but was leaving weighed down by bags and parcels. Looking at the long road ahead, Lin Zhao felt a bit disheartened, though fortunately, she was naturally strong, so carrying all these things wasn't really a problem.

Halfway home, she heard someone calling her name from behind.

Lin Zhao turned to see a woman in her early twenties approaching on a bicycle. "Lin Zhao!" she called out.

This was the first time Lin Zhao had seen the heroine's stepmother from the book since she had awakened to the truth of her situation.

Su Yuxian.

In the narrative, she was Lin Zhao's foil. Although she knew she couldn't blame Su Yuxian, Lin Zhao always felt a strange unease upon seeing her. The plot of the book flashed through her mind; it was hard to act as if nothing had happened.

She was the foil—the foil who, even after death, would be dragged out to be "flogged" by the author!

How unjust!

Lin Zhao shouted internally: *Please, don't come over here.*

Unfortunately, she couldn't stop Su Yuxian from approaching.

"Lin Zhao, you came to the county seat too? Get on, I'll give you a ride." Su Yuxian jumped off the bicycle, the net bag hanging from the handlebars swaying back and forth.

Lin Zhao only wanted to stay as far away from the book's protagonist as possible. "No need, I have too many things. I'll just walk slowly."

Hearing this, Su Yuxian glanced nonchalantly at the bags in Lin Zhao's hands, the smile in her eyes dimming slightly.

In the entire production brigade, everyone envied Lin Zhao’s lifestyle, and she was no exception. Seeing Lin Zhao heading home with so many bags, she felt an indescribable bitterness. Still, this woman was a fool who didn't even care for her own sons; she would surely end up in a sorry state when she grew old, perhaps even wandering the streets.

"Alright then, I'll head off first. Walk carefully."

Lin Zhao replied, "Okay."

Su Yuxian flashed her a smile, stepped onto the pedal, pushed off with her other foot, and soon disappeared from Lin Zhao's sight.

Lin Zhao felt that when Su Yuxian had looked at her earlier, there had been a flash of pity in her eyes. Pity? Given their current circumstances, that made no sense. She must have seen it wrong.

Lin Zhao didn't dwell on it. She didn't care about the plot of the original book; she only wanted to raise her children well and ensure their family lived in peace.

At the entrance of the Harvest Production Brigade, the younger boy was looking longingly down the path. "Big Brother, why isn't Mom here yet? She's so slow."

"Mom has things in her hands, so she must be walking slowly." The older boy kept his eyes on the road leading to the county town. He had never been to the county seat in his life; he wondered if Mom would take him along next time.

The younger boy agreed with his brother and let out a sigh, squatting down to play with a wooden stick. He hadn't been playing for long when he heard his brother shout, "Mom!" Before the younger boy could even look up, his brother had already taken off, running toward the figure in the distance.

"Brother, wait for me!" The younger boy jumped up, his feet moving as if he had wind-fire wheels, running as fast as he could.

Seeing the two children running toward her, Lin Zhao recognized them as her own and shouted, "Slow down! Don't trip!"

The older boy slowed down at his mother's command, but the younger one, driven by an unstoppable determination to reach the meat buns, overtook his brother in the blink of an eye. Seeing this, the older boy accelerated again.

Watching the whole scene, Lin Zhao thought, *...*

The younger boy reached Lin Zhao, looked up, and asked expectantly, "Mom, are there meat buns?" At the mention of meat, his mouth nearly watered.

*This little rascal only has eyes for meat,* she thought.

"Yes, there are." Lin Zhao rolled her eyes at him. She was hot and exhausted, yet this boy didn't even think to ask how she was, only about his meat buns.

The older boy reached out to take the things from her. "Mom, I'll help you carry them."

A smile softened Lin Zhao's eyes, and her heart felt as sweet as honey. "No need, they're heavy. I'll do it."

The older boy wouldn't let go, his little face stubborn. "I can help you, Mom."

"I can help too!" The younger boy, never missing a chance to show his presence, insisted on helping just like his brother.

Seeing the two brothers’ persistence, Lin Zhao relented and gave them the lighter items. "At least you two have hearts. It wasn't in vain that I bought you new shoes."

The younger boy's eyes lit up. "New shoes? For us?"

The older boy looked at her with equal anticipation.

Lin Zhao looked down at the cloth shoes on her sons' feet. Their big toes were poking out, black with dirt; clearly, Mother Gu had been too busy lately to patch them.

"Would I lie to you?"

The younger boy bluntly exposed her. "Mom used to lie to me and Brother all the time."

Lin Zhao denied it. "No, I didn't."

The younger boy insisted, "Mom used to sneak cookies and then lie to us, saying she didn't eat any."

"..." Thinking back, she felt quite ashamed. Lin Zhao cleared her throat and said softly, "I did it for your own good. Children shouldn't eat too many cookies, and Mom was afraid you'd get greedy, so I had to eat them in secret."

The younger boy laughed loudly. "Mom is lying! Brother and I aren't little kids anymore; we don't believe you."

Lin Zhao felt her face heat up and laughed lightly. "Oh? If you're not little kids, then you can't wear the new shoes I bought. Should I give them to the third and fourth children instead?"

Hearing this, the younger boy immediately lost his bravado. "Mom, Mom, I am a little kid! I am a little kid!"

The older boy thought his brother was foolish; the shoes were bought for them, and the third and fourth children wouldn't be able to wear them anyway—Mom was just teasing him.

Lin Zhao wiped the sweat from her face and started walking. "Hurry up, let's go home. It's boiling."

The two boys followed, energized by the thought of their new shoes.

Back home, the three of them set down their things. The older boy ran into the kitchen and quickly brought out a bowl of cool boiled water. "Mom, drink some water."

Having walked the whole way, Lin Zhao was indeed thirsty, her throat feeling like it was on fire. She gulped down several mouthfuls before she felt better. She then patted the older boy's flushed cheeks, her expression gentle. "Thank you, Big Brother."

Just then, the younger boy brought over a basin. "Mom, wash your face."

The twins knew their mother well; they knew the first thing she did upon returning home was to wash up. The two children, eager to get to the meat buns, served Lin Zhao like she was the lady of the manor.

Lin Zhao accepted their care with a sense of peace. After washing her face, she finally felt refreshed.

"Finally, I feel comfortable. That was exhausting." *I need to buy a bicycle. Next time I write a letter, I'll have to make Gu Cheng-huai find a way to get a coupon!*

The older boy hesitated and asked, "Mom, is the county town fun?"

"It's okay once you get used to it. For a child, it should be fun," Lin Zhao replied with a smile.

The older boy wanted to ask if she could take him to the county town in the future, but the words stayed on his lips.

"Mom, can you take me and Brother to the county town?" the younger boy asked with a grin.

"If you're both well-behaved, that's not impossible." Lin Zhao pinched the younger boy's cheek. The little guy was skinny, with not much meat on his face, but it was soft and fun to pinch.

The younger boy, a generous child, let her pinch him, flashing a grin that showed off his white teeth. "I'll be good. Both Brother and I will be good, right Brother?" He looked at his brother, seeking reinforcements.

The older boy nodded, looking at Lin Zhao with admiration.

The younger boy pressed further. "It's a promise then! If you break your word, you're a puppy." The clever little boy didn't forget to set a formal agreement with conditions.

"Fine," Lin Zhao agreed with a smile.

The older boy pursed his lips and smiled too.

Lin Zhao said beamingly, "In the future, if you help me with housework, I'll reward you two little men with good things."

The two boys were used to doing chores and were very willing to trade their labor for rewards. However...

"What kind of reward, Mom?" the younger boy asked eagerly.

"Food or things you can use—you can choose when the time comes," Lin Zhao said. She knew she wasn't cut out for suffering, so she might as well train her children.

The younger boy thought that was fair, but he didn't forget his brother. "Brother, what do you think?"

The older boy nodded. "I think that's fine." He and the younger boy already did chores, and he knew that by offering rewards, their mother was trying to be kind to them.

And just like that, the two preschool-aged boys completed their own internal negotiations.

The younger boy stared at the bag Lin Zhao had brought back, his voice firm. "Mom, where are the meat buns? I'm hungry."

Lin Zhao reached into the bag, pulled out two buns, and handed them to her sons.

"Meat buns!" the younger boy shouted. The older boy was happy too, though he was a more reserved child and didn't show his excitement, except for the way his eyes—which looked eight parts like Lin Zhao's—curved into crescents.

The younger boy had never eaten a meat bun before; the fact that his mother had bought them for him made them even more special. Remembering how everyone in the village said their mother didn't like them, his eyes darted around. He called out to his brother, "Brother, let's go out and play."

As his twin, the older boy knew exactly what his brother was thinking. He also wanted to prove to everyone that their mother loved them.

With that, they said goodbye to Lin Zhao and ran out of the house. They ran straight to the big banyan tree in the village. This tree was over two hundred years old, with thick roots and lush branches, standing tall and sturdy.

At the base of the tree, a group of children were bent over, digging for cicadas.

The younger boy walked over triumphantly, holding a meat bun in one hand and imitating his grandfather by putting his other hand behind his back. He didn't rush into the crowd of children; instead, he took a small bite of his bun and said loudly to his brother, "Brother, this meat bun is so delicious!"

The older boy chimed in, "It really is. Every bite is full of meat juices."

*Meat buns...!?*

Upon hearing those words, the other children began to drool. They turned in unison, their eyes widening at the sight of the white flour buns in the twins' hands.

"Twins, where did you get meat buns?" Tie-niu, the production team leader's grandson, scurried over, his face full of envy. He had eaten meat buns during the New Year and knew how good they were.

The older boy’s face glowed as he spoke, his voice louder than usual. "My mom bought them for us!"

The younger boy added, "My mom also bought us Double Coin sneakers!"

The children had never heard of Double Coin sneakers; the older ones had, but they didn't believe their mother would actually buy them for the twins.

Chang-sheng, the leader of the children, sneered, "Liar! My mom said a pair of Double Coin sneakers costs three or four yuan. With three or four yuan, you could buy a lot of meat! Your mom doesn't care about you; she wouldn't buy you sneakers. You're big fat liars!"

The younger boy was furious. He took a vicious bite of his meat bun, as if he were biting the person who had insulted him. "I'm not a liar! My mom said she bought them for us!"

"And my mom doesn't ignore us!" the older boy added angrily.

"Who believes that? My mom said your mother is a lazy woman who does nothing but eat. When she gets old, she'll fall into a sewer and drown." The seven- or eight-year-old bully stuck his tongue out at them, trying to provoke them, all the while eyeing their buns and swallowing his saliva. He refused to admit he was even a little bit envious.

The younger boy had a short temper. Hearing Chang-sheng's words, he shoved his bun into his brother's hands and lunged at the boy, who wasn't prepared and fell straight to the ground.

That wasn't the end of it. The younger boy raised his small, sandbag-sized fist and started pummeling him. "How dare you curse my mom! How dare you curse my mom!" He shouted with every punch, full of fury.

A young man passing by saw the children fighting and found it amusing, so he stood there to watch. For children this age, the fighting was "milk-fierce"—they put all their effort into it, grimacing and baring their teeth as if they wanted to tear each other apart, but in reality, they didn't have much strength. After a long time, there wasn't even a red mark on their faces.

When the two boys started to bite, the man stepped forward, grabbed each by the collar, and forcefully separated them.

"That's enough, that's enough. If you bite someone's face, be careful you won't be able to get a wife later."

"Especially you," the young man said, looking at Chang-sheng. "You're not good-looking to begin with. If a piece of your face gets bitten off, you'll be a real bachelor for life."

Chang-sheng was so angry he wanted to bite him, stomping his foot in rage. "Uncle!"

The man ignored him and was about to leave when he saw Lin Zhao walking toward them.

Noticing the odd atmosphere—the older boy was tense, and the younger one was still fuming with rage—Lin Zhao asked with surprise, "What's going on here?" They were fine when they left.

The younger boy, having just fought with another kid, felt guilty upon seeing his mother. He grabbed his brother's arm, giving him a pitiful look, hoping his brother wouldn't tell her about the fight. The older boy didn't want to say anything either, as fighting wasn't a good thing.

But the other children were right there.

Tie-niu, with his loose lips, said, "The younger twin and Chang-sheng were fighting!"

The younger boy was furious and glared at him. "Tie-niu, why are you a snitch!"

Tie-niu looked bewildered and innocent. "I'm not. Your mom asked."

"Why were you fighting?" Lin Zhao asked out of curiosity. She didn't think children fighting was a rare occurrence. It was better to let children resolve their own disputes; if adults stepped in, the nature of the conflict changed.

The younger boy lowered his head, clenching his small fists, his expression fierce. The older boy looked anxious, wanting to explain but not knowing how, his lips turning pale.

Seeing that neither would speak, Lin Zhao didn't press them. She simply said, "Fine, don't tell me. I'm going to the old house to talk about building the new one. Are you coming?"

The older boy was stunned. "Mom, you're not angry at us?"

"Why would I be angry?" Lin Zhao said calmly. "What child doesn't fight? I know you're good boys. As long as others don't provoke you, you won't start a fight."

*Mom said we are good boys.*

The gloom in the brothers' hearts dissipated, and light sparkled in their eyes, their little faces brightening like the morning sun.

"I'm coming!" The younger boy took the half-eaten bun from his brother's hand, grinned, and scurried up to Lin Zhao to take her hand. When she didn't pull away, he beamed with joy.

"Let's go! Back to the old house!" The younger boy's voice was filled with deep, bubbling happiness.