Family
"Mom, Mom!" Su Le toddled over to Gu Zi, calling her mother.
Lin Miao's gaze also shifted towards the child, her pupils dilating.
Wasn't this the little girl from her previous life, the one who couldn't speak even when she was older? She only made noises and was a source of frustration for her. Lin Miao had even contemplated getting rid of her.
Now, she was calling someone, and it was Gu Zi!
These changes were undoubtedly caused by her rebirth. Lin Miao knew she had to revise her plan accordingly.
She walked back to Gu Shan and Zhang Mei, who were still there. Seeing that lunchtime was approaching and that they had no intention of eating in such an environment, Gu Shan bid farewell.
"It's getting late. We need to hurry back to the city, so we'll take our leave." After the Gu family departed, Lin Cheng and his wife, who had been hiding behind, came forward.
When the Gu family had asked for money earlier, they thought that having more people present would only make the situation more chaotic. Additionally, Li Hua was somewhat reserved, so they decided to stay in the background.
"Our sister is quite impressive. She's remarkable," Lin Cheng commented. "But I guess Miaomiao, on the other hand, won't acknowledge us anymore now."
Recalling the days when he used to carry his sister to school, Lin Cheng couldn't help but feel like it had just happened yesterday.
Back then, his sister was still a child of their family. However, during their recent encounter, she didn't even acknowledge the Lin couple whom she used to call 'parents'.
Li Hua suggested, "Let's not dwell on that. It's time to eat."
In truth, Li Hua had already anticipated that Lin Miao wouldn't approach them.
When they were at home, their younger sister had been disdainful of the family's poverty. In her eyes, Gu Zi seemed more like a family member than Lin Miao.
With a spacious area in front of the house, they sat down at the stone table for their meal.
There were dishes already prepared on the table, despite having to scrape together what they could. They had three vegetarian dishes and three meat dishes.
The spread included a bowl of chicken soup, a plate of stir-fried meat with chili, a large bowl of egg-stirred cucumbers, another large bowl of stir-fried vegetables, a generous bowl of stir-fried lettuce, and a side of pickled vegetables.
While the Lin family was less tense compared to their earlier encounter, they still felt a bit awkward.
Lin Cheng scratched the back of his head and said, "Mr. Su, Sister, we didn't know you were coming, so we didn't prepare much. Please bear with us for today."
Su Shen replied, "That's perfectly fine."
Gu Zi added, "We're family now, so there's no need for formality. Don't treat him as an outsider either."
With this understanding, Gu Zi and Su Shen had their first meal at the Lin family's home.
After the meal, Lin Cheng headed to the fields with his hoe, while Su Shen and Mr. Lin made their way to the river. They had some discussions they wanted to have.
Gu Zi offered to help her sister-in-law with the dishes, and Li Hua watched in amazement as Gil Zi efficiently managed the housework
It turned out that Gu Zi really knew how to do housework, and she did it very well.
After tidying up the straw shed, Gu Zi noticed that Su Shen and Mr. Lin hadn't returned yet. She decided to spend the time chatting with her sister-in-law, returned yet. She decided to spend the time chatting with her sister-in-law, teaching her about the gifts Su Shen had given, and explaining which box of supplements was suitable for each family member.
Li Hua was pleased with Gu Zi, as it was clear that she was treating her kindly. This was a stark contrast to the way Lin Miao had treated them in the past.
In those days, Lin Miao had never engaged in conversations with someone as "uneducated" as Li Hua. She had always treated them like servants rather than family.
Li Hua suggested to Gu Zi, "Sister, you and Mr. Su can stay here for the night. Not this house, but my family lives just up the hill. I can take you there."
Li Hua thought it would be too tiring for her sister to bring Su Le back and forth twice a day, so she offered the suggestion.
Gu Zi, however, declined the offer, saying, "Thank you, Sister-in-law, but we can't stay tonight. Su Shen needs to go to the pig farm this afternoon."
She had made a commitment to take care of the children, and she needed to fulfill that responsibility. She couldn't simply accept Su Shen's money and not do her part.
Moreover, she was concerned about leaving the two brothers at home. No matter how much Su Bing acted mature, he was still just a child.
Su Shen and Mr. Lin returned from their conversation at the river, and after bidding farewell to the Lin family, Gu Zi and Su Shen began their journey back.
When they reached the entrance of Daqing Village, Gu Zi and Su Shen went their separate ways.
Gu Zi and Su Le headed home, while Su Shen headed to the pig farm.
Gu Zi carried Su Le and walked slowly. They arrived home as the sun was about to set. Near the door, they overheard the conversation between the two brothers.
"Brother, do you think she won't come back tonight?" Su Li asked.
Su Bing replied, "It's possible. Now, focus on your homework. Later, we'll cook some sweet potatoes."
Su Li said, "I don't want to eat plain boiled sweet potatoes. I want to eat the braised pork she makes!"
Su Bing responded, "Su Li, you need to be more sensible. After all, she's just our stepmother. Don't be like this."
Both of them were children without a mother, but Su Bing was older than Su Li.
He had quickly come to understand that they had no right to act spoiled. He felt that it was time to tell his brother the cruel truth..