Transmigration: Flirted with My Childhood Sweetheart
Chapter 380 - 379: Discerning Vision

Chapter 380: Chapter 379: Discerning Vision

Bai Xiaojun got smacked on his bottom in the seventeenth minute of seeing his mother.

After getting hit, Bai Xiaojun behaved himself, his hands soaked in the hot water basin again as he twisted his little head towards the stove, watching the cremation of the sparrows with eyes full of pity.

Zheng Lirong flicked his forehead, went to the front courtyard, and brought back a box and a burlap sack. There was food in the sack, and clothes she brought for both children in the box.

She took out a set of clothes to warm them on the bed and reached to untie the hemp rope around Bai Xiaojun’s waist.

Lin Nianhe quickly explained, "The village aunties say short jackets let in the wind, so it’s warmer to tie something around. Everyone in the village does this... Actually, I found him a cloth strip originally, but it got torn off by the wind within half a day."

She had only learned about this because she saw the students in her class all had such a hemp rope around their waists; even Principal Wu didn’t know until she asked.

Cotton and cloth were scarce commodities; coats in the Cooperative Society were so expensive that people were deterred, and most couldn’t afford to wear them, only the cotton-padded jackets and pants worn for many years.

The northwest wind was the cure for pretentiousness; in the icy world, no one cared about looking good.

"I know," Zheng Lirong looked up and smiled at Lin Nianhe, "I used to tie it the same way myself... Beijing isn’t so cold, right? Can you withstand it?"

"It’s okay, my room is small, it warms up quickly once the kang is heated. There’s a stove in the classroom, and there are many people; we huddle together so it’s not cold." Lin Nianhe casually mentioned the school’s situation.

Zheng Lirong understood what she meant and smiled with pursed lips, not saying anything more, and undid Bai Xiaojun’s dirty padded jacket.

Seeing the clothes under Bai Xiaojun’s jacket, Zheng Lirong’s heart finally felt unblocked. The shirt and sweater underneath were clean and tidy, with cotton-padded jackets and pants soft and well-fitting.

It really was because he was too mischievous that he could only wear old clothes outside.

Zheng Lirong changed him into a new pair of trousers and jacket, and smacked his bottom twice more, chuckling, "So you start being wild once you’re away from me, huh? You’re just taking advantage of nobody disciplining you!"

Bai Xiaojun, getting a long-missed spanking, blinked his eyes and grinned.

He dived into Zheng Lirong’s embrace, tugging at her, "Mom, the chicks I’m raising have started laying eggs. I ate today’s egg, but tomorrow’s will be for you to eat."

Zheng Lirong’s heart instantly melted, holding her son in one arm and her daughter in another, her eyes reddening.

Lin Nianhe looked at the mother and her two children, turned her head to look at Niuwa.

Niuwa: "Sister Hehe, I don’t know how to do a problem."

"Let’s go to the front yard." Lin Nianhe got up in response, fastening Niuwa’s coat buttons, and said to Zheng Lirong, "Sister Lirong, you guys chat for a bit, I’ll go help Niuwa with a problem."

"Ah, okay!" Zheng Lirong looked gratefully at Lin Nianhe.

She knew very well Lin Nianhe was giving them a private chance to talk; she was just a bit surprised—the excuse was actually raised by the child.

Lin Nianhe put on her coat and left the house holding Niuwa’s hand.

Zheng Lirong watched them leave, turned to Bai Xiaojun, "Xiao Jun, was that your classmate who was playing with you just now?"

"That’s Brother Niuwa, Brother Niuwa is so nice..."

Lin Nianhe didn’t take Niuwa back to the front courtyard. She held his hand and walked away from the Educated Youth Corps, pondering for a moment before she asked him, "Niuwa, do you want to see your grandfather?"

Niuwa paused, stopped walking, and looked up at her.

Lin Nianhe also stopped, looked down at him with a light smile, and said, "I haven’t taken you there often before because your grandfather’s case was still in the limelight, and it wouldn’t be good for you to go there frequently. Now the whole commune is busy with the match factory and the textile factory; I guess no one is paying attention to your grandfather’s case. I’ll find a place to let you meet each other, okay?"

Niuwa’s eyes gleamed. He thought for a moment and said, "Sister Hehe, I’m not upset that Xiao Jun’s mother came to visit, but if there would be trouble... I can go without seeing grandfather."

Niuwa’s maturity made Lin Nianhe’s heart ache.

She squatted down, pinched Niuwa’s little face, and said, "Don’t think too much at such a young age, Niuwa... We all genuinely like you; you can cry if you want to cry, and you can make a fuss too; whatever upsets you, just say it. No one will dislike you for throwing a tantrum."

"Really?"

"Really."

Niuwa tilted his head, rubbing his face against Lin Nianhe’s palm and smiling so much that his eyes curved into crescents: "I really like Sister Hehe too."

The little fellow’s gaze was clear, one could see right to the bottom.

Lin Nianhe smiled too, pinched his cheek and said: "Today I have to entertain Xiao Jun’s mother and can’t accompany you to town, let’s go visit Grandpa next rest day, okay?"

"Okay!"

Niuwa nodded vigorously, stretching his hand to hug Lin Nianhe’s neck.

Lin Nianhe felt her neck get wet.

She silently sighed, patted Niuwa’s back, and picked him up.

Niuwa cried softly for a while, and after wiping away his tears he asked her: "Sister Hehe, where are we going?"

"To look for your Brother Su."

"What for?"

"To play with sparrows! I haven’t seen Brother Su use a slingshot yet!"

"..."

The small courtyard allocated to Su Yuncheng and mother and son Feng Wei had been refurbished, they had moved in a few days ago, Feng Wei and his mother stayed in one room, Su Yuncheng in another. The furniture was brought over by ox cart, the yard was clean and tidy, and the chicken Aunt Feng brought was raised in the backyard.

When Lin Nianhe and Niuwa arrived, Aunt Feng was pasting matchboxes in the house, the elderly really enjoyed this work, always muttering how she could finally make some money.

Feng Wei was on duty at the warehouse today, and was not at home at that moment, Su Yuncheng was splitting firewood in the courtyard.

Hearing Lin Nianhe’s purpose, he put down his axe and cheerfully agreed: "Alright, I’ll take you."

Because the person who wanted to see him use the slingshot was Lin Nianhe, Su Yuncheng felt that hunting sparrows was no good.

So, he tucked the gun into his pocket, took the slingshot and hemp rope, and said to Lin Nianhe: "Go back and change into a pair of boots, I’ll take you up the mountain to hunt rabbits and pheasants."

Lin Nianhe’s eyes filled with admiration: "Really? Can you really hunt rabbits with a slingshot?"

"Yes." Su Yuncheng quite enjoyed the little girl’s admiring gaze, and added another sentence, "If we catch a white rabbit, I’ll make you a rabbit fur scarf."

Lin Nianhe ran back excitedly: "Okay! Wait for me!"

Niuwa glanced at her retreating figure, took a step forward and grabbed the hem of Su Yuncheng’s jacket, looking up at him with his small face: "Brother-in-law, if we catch a gray rabbit instead, can I have its fur?"

Su Yuncheng: "Yes!"

"Then brother-in-law, you take Sister Hehe up the mountain, I’m going back to do my homework."

Su Yuncheng: "I’ll roast rabbit for you in the evening."

"Okay!"

Lin Nianhe quickly came back with her boots changed. She didn’t see Niuwa and was a bit puzzled: "Did Niuwa go back to change his shoes too?"

"He went back to do his homework." Su Yuncheng replied truthfully.

Lin Nianhe: "..."

The last time she saw someone so tactful was when she looked in the mirror this morning.