Chapter 5: Little Adult

Lin Guodong put on his cotton coat, and with his cotton hat and gloves on, he ventured out into the heavy snow.

Lin Zhen, the fourth child in the Lin family, was Lin Shufen and Chu Minghai’s son.

Today, Lin Zhen had gone to a classmate’s house. He was supposed to return home by himself, but since the weather was bad, Lin Guodong was worried about the danger on the road and decided to personally go pick him up.

Meanwhile, Lin Zhen was also feeling troubled at his classmate Zhuzi’s house.

It was snowing heavily, and it was getting dark early. Lin Zhen estimated that Zhuzi’s house was about four miles from his grandmother’s house. On normal days, he could leisurely walk back, but now the world outside was dark and frightening, with the wind howling.

To a 7-year-old boy, the outside world felt like a giant beast lying in wait to devour anyone who dared to step into it. Just thinking about it made his already small courage shrink even more.

Zhuzi’s mother offered to send him home, but Lin Zhen felt embarrassed to accept.

Zhuzi suggested that Lin Zhen stay the night and leave tomorrow when the snow stopped. His family knew he was there, so it would be fine. But Lin Zhen refused.

His mother was about to give birth, and his father couldn’t be home often, so he had been told to take good care of his mother. If it wasn’t for Zhuzi inviting him to play at his house many times, he wouldn’t have come out at all.

He hadn’t seen his mother for almost a day, and he was anxious. No matter what, he had to go home.

“Lin Zhen, aren’t you afraid? The wind is blowing fiercely outside, and look at the snow, it’s huge!”

Lin Zhen hesitated but still tried to put on a brave face. “I’m not afraid, Auntie, our houses are close. I’ll… I’ll walk faster and get there soon.”

Lin Zhen didn’t want to trouble anyone further. Zhuzi’s mother shook her head. Well, this kid was strong and sensible. She’d just let her husband follow behind without letting Lin Zhen know.

Lin Zhen stood hesitantly, watching the darkening sky. Finally, he gritted his teeth and gave himself a mental boost: what’s there to fear? A real man doesn’t back down from difficulties.

He put on his thick cotton jacket and was ready to go.

Just then, the gate of Zhuzi’s house was knocked on.

“Who is it?” Zhuzi’s mother asked.

“It’s Lin Zhen’s uncle. Is he here? I’ve come to pick him up.”

“Uncle!” Lin Zhen shouted excitedly.

He turned around to quickly say goodbye to Zhuzi’s family and ran out in a flash.

Behind him, Zhuzi was still shouting, “Lin Zhen, come visit me again next time!”

Zhuzi’s mother watched her son leaning on the window, staring motionlessly at Lin Zhen’s back. Curiously, she asked, “Zhuzi, why do you like playing with Lin Zhen so much? Do you know his father is from a poor family?”

Zhuzi frowned, eyes wide. He turned back to his mother and said:

“Mom, don’t talk about Lin Zhen’s dad like that. Lin Zhen is really great—smart and awesome. At school, Cheng Gangzi used to bully me, but Lin Zhen always stood up for me.”

“What? Cheng Gangzi bullied you? Why didn’t you tell me?”

Zhuzi stuck out his tongue, realizing he had let something slip. “Well… it’s all in the past. Anyway, Lin Zhen got revenge for me, and now Cheng Gangzi doesn’t dare to bully me anymore.”

Zhuzi’s mother still felt uneasy and warned him:

“Cheng Gangzi’s grandfather is a former leader at the lumber mill. Lin Zhen’s father doesn’t have a good background. If he helps you and Cheng Gangzi complains at home, won’t his father get into trouble?”

“Don’t worry, Mom, you’re thinking too much. Lin Zhen isn’t the type to use force; he used… what’s it called… a strategy!”

He had made Cheng Gangzi and his little followers fight among themselves. After that, no one in the class listened to Cheng Gangzi anymore, and he never bullied Zhuzi again. Zhuzi really admired Lin Zhen for that.

He rested his chin in his hands, his eyes sparkling. From now on, he was going to be Lin Zhen’s loyal little follower!

Lin Guodong saw his nephew running out in a hurry, his hat crooked. He reached out to help straighten it and checked his clothes to make sure there were no buttons undone.

Lin Zhen was thrilled to see his uncle and, for some reason, felt warm inside. He looked up at him, pressing down his excitement, and called out, “Uncle, how come you’re here?”

Lin Guodong smiled, “Of course I’m here to pick you up. What, are you not happy?”

Lin Zhen laughed, “Hehe, I’m happy! I’m really happy! I knew you would come pick me up!”

Lin Guodong gave Lin Zhen’s round little head a gentle rub. “Hurry up, we’re having dumplings tonight at your grandmother’s place.”

“Why are we having dumplings when it’s not the New Year or a holiday?” Lin Zhen was puzzled.

“You’ll know when you get home,” Lin Guodong said.

He wrapped his arm around Lin Zhen’s small shoulders, pulling him closer to himself to shield him from the wind. The uncle and nephew trudged through the snow together, their feet sinking with each step.

It took them almost half an hour to cover the four-mile distance and reach home.

When they arrived, the dumplings were already in the pot.

Lin Feng had been waiting for Lin Zhen to come back. The little brat, though young, was sharp and full of tricks. He was quite full of himself.

At home, unlike his older brothers who had endured plenty of hardship, Lin Feng had been hoping to have a brother to look out for him. But his younger brother turned out to be a smart-mouthed little rascal.

Seeing Lin Zhen come back, he hurried up to him.

“Little Four, you left at the wrong time today. You’ve been cooped up at home for so many days, and as soon as you leave, your aunt goes into labor. Heh heh, looks like luck has shifted to me today. I was the first one to witness the event. You better get your bow ready, and don’t back out of your bet!”

Lin Zhen was stunned. His mother had given birth!

Since the holiday, he had been staying close to his mom, so he knew it wasn’t quite the due date yet. Realizing this, he immediately rushed off, forgetting everything else.

His thick coat was only half on his shoulders as he rushed toward the east room, nearly tripping over a stool in his haste. In that short space between the main room and the east room, he was already sweating.

“Mom, you—”

Lin Zhen pushed open the door and froze in place.

His mother was lying on the kang (heated platform), wearing a cloth band on her forehead, looking lovingly at the baby wrapped in a bright red swaddling blanket in his father’s arms. His father was sitting beside her, lovingly playing with the baby, occasionally glancing up at his wife and smiling in a goofy manner. Wasn’t this the usually calm and wise father?

However, when his gaze shifted, he realized that his father was holding his little brother.

Lin Shufen noticed her son and waved him over. “Zhen Zhen, come see your sister. You’ve been looking forward to this, haven’t you? Come take a look.”

Lin Zhen was still dazed when the bombshell hit him again—a sister? He stumbled towards the kang, still in disbelief.

Lin Feng also tried to go into the room to see the new baby, but Cai Honglian grabbed his arm.

“Ouch! Mom, that hurts!”

“Don’t you have any sense? What are you going in there for? Go peel some garlic. We all know you’re the one who eats the most garlic!”

Lin Feng glanced longingly at the east room. “Little sis, I’ll peel the garlic and then come back to see you!”

Lin Shufen watched her usually mature son acting like a silly child and couldn’t help but laugh. “Zhen Zhen, come look at your sister. Isn’t she pretty? You’ve imagined what your little brother would look like for so long—now you’ve got a little sister. Do you think she looks like your brother?”

Chu Minghai carefully held the baby up for his son to see.

Little Chu Linyu, now awake, let out a few soft coos. The blurry figure in front of her was her big brother—she seemed to be greeting him. “Hello, big brother. I’ll take care of you in the future, and you take care of me too!”

For a moment, Lin Zhen forgot about his guilt for not caring for his mom enough, completely captivated by his little sister.

The moment his eyes landed on the small, soft baby in his father’s arms, his eyes reddened.

She was small, soft, and looked so delicate. Was she greeting him? She was so cute!

Instinctively, he reached out to touch her little face but stopped halfway, realizing his hands were too cold. He awkwardly pulled his hand back, unsure of what to do.

Seeing Lin Zhen’s action, Chu Minghai passed the baby to him, encouraging, “Zhen Zhen, you’re such a good big brother. Go ahead, kiss your sister. It’s okay.”

Lin Zhen’s eyes sparkled with excitement, and a smile appeared on his face.

He puckered his lips and gently kissed his sister on the cheek, then quickly pulled back.

She was really soft! He had kissed his sister! He finally had a sister!

Chu Linyu, feeling his closeness and affection, cooed happily.

At that moment, Lin Zhen finally came to his senses—his sister liked him! He grinned silently, his eyes turning into crescent moons.

Gone was the mature and serious “little adult.” He was now a silly older brother completely captured by his little sister.

Suddenly, he seemed to remember something and quickly ran off.