Chapter 64

Lin Guodong proved that he wasn’t afraid of ticklish feet. It wasn’t just him; many soldiers weren’t afraid of ticklish feet either. Their training was usually very tough, so compared to that, a little tickle on the feet was nothing.

Therefore, Lin Erbao, the little comrade, was disappointed. Not only were his father’s feet not ticklish, but he also felt like his touch was more like a foot massage… and quite comfortable at that.

“Not ticklish yet, just a little more, Erbao, keep it up,” said Lin Guodong.

Erbao, in his blanket, twitched his little ears. He didn’t believe it; he was sure he had to keep trying. So, Erbao mustered all his strength to scratch his dad’s itch.

Lin Guodong squinted, feeling really comfortable. “Erbao, almost there, you have to try harder.”

Erbao said from under the covers, “Just wait.”

Ning Shu watched Lin Guodong enjoying it with his eyes closed and really wanted to tell Erbao that his dad was just teasing him. But… she was a superficial woman; she also enjoyed watching a man tease his son.

Lin Guodong opened his eyes and met Ning Shu’s gaze, raising an eyebrow.

Ning Shu smiled. “Keep going.”

Lin Guodong also smiled. “Erbao, did you skip a meal? Why are you still so weak?”

Defiantly, Erbao shouted, “I ate, and I ate a lot.”

Lin Guodong said, “Then why aren’t you trying harder? This won’t do; I’m not ticklish at all.”

Erbao didn’t speak, just scratched harder.

Ning Shu thought, This son is so silly. Luckily, Yibao is smart, and Sanbao doesn’t seem stupid either. “Yibao, Sanbao, you should take care of Erbao more in the future.”

Yibao nodded with a smile, “Mom, I know.”

Sanbao didn’t understand what Mom meant; he just grinned and snuggled in Mom’s arms.

After who knows how long, Lin Guodong felt no movement on his feet. He called out softly, “Lin Erbao… Lin Erbao…”

Ning Shu said, “I think Yibao has fallen asleep, and he probably has too.”

The two brother had exercised in the morning, then went to pick firewood in the afternoon. Being young, after a whole day, they were asleep early in the evening.

Top of Form

Lin Guodong got up. “I’ll go check… he really is asleep.” Lin Guodong lifted him up a bit to prevent him from suffocating under the covers.

Ning Shu glanced up. “I wonder how he can sleep smelling your stinky feet.”

Lin Guodong didn’t agree with that. “My feet aren’t stinky. Do you want to smell them?”

“No, no,” Ning Shu said, hugging Sanbao tightly, turning away from him.

Hearing this, Lin Guodong chuckled deeply.

He turned and got off the bed. “I’ll go warm up the blankets next door. I’ll come back later to carry them over.”

Ning Shu was used to them sleeping on this side and felt a bit reluctant. “Forget it, they’re still young.”

“They’re five years old, not that young anymore. Besides, if you get too hot in the middle of the night, what will you do?” Other people’s sons are someone else’s, but a wife is his own.

His wife’s comfort is important.

Ning Shu didn’t say anything more. Mainly because she also wanted to see what Erbao’s reaction would be when he woke up tomorrow morning and found himself back in his own room.

When Ning Shu was almost falling asleep, Lin Guodong came over to carry the child back, letting them sleep more deeply. He was a bit excessive this time, carrying all Sanbao over.

With Sanbao gone, the 1.8-meter bed was empty. Ning Shu shifted over and could stretch comfortably.

“Feels good, doesn’t it?” Lin Guodong came back and saw her stretching, asking smugly.

Ning Shu said, “It does feel good, so much more comfortable.”

Lin Guodong got into bed. “We should let them sleep in their own rooms in the future. It’s not a good idea to carry them over every night.”

Actually, Ning Shu wanted to sleep more with them. After all, in the past few years, she had never slept with them. But thinking that when Lin Guodong went back to the military, she could still sleep with the children, she didn’t argue with him.

“Then you figure it out.”

Lin Guodong smiled in agreement.

The Next Day

When Ning Shu woke up, there was no one beside her as usual. She didn’t rush to check but looked at the time first. It was only five-thirty. She then checked her shopping app:

Sugar Cane: $12 per stalk, about 2 pounds per stalk, 19 stalks remaining.

Black Chicken: $25 per portion, half a chicken per portion, 38 portions remaining.

Radish Bun: $10 per portion, 10 buns per portion, 46 portions remaining.

Pork Ribs: $15 per portion, 1 pound per portion, 23 portions remaining.

Crispy Pork: $35 per portion, 1 pound per portion, 41 portions remaining.

It was another day when she wanted everything. Especially in winter, enjoying the sun while nibbling on sugar cane would be perfect, especially if she could watch some shows.

As for the radish buns, she might be able to arrange that in the next couple of days. Pork ribs would be great, perfect for stewing, but she would have to wait a few days to cook them.

Crispy pork was also delicious, whether as a snack or a dish, it was excellent.

Ning Shu looked at what she had bought and then got out of bed.

The sky was still dark at five-thirty, and the house was quiet. Had Lin Guodong taken the two brothers out?

“Yibao… Erbao…” Ning Shu called out a few times with no response.

She went to the children’s room and found that not only Yibao and Erbao were not there, but Sanbao was also missing. Could all three of them have gone out?

Then, she went to the kitchen.

There was still steam in the kitchen, and the rice soup in the pot was just heating up, with the fire still burning strongly.

Not wanting to eat plain congee today, Ning Shu took out some sweet potatoes from the pantry, peeled them, cut them into small pieces, and added them to the rice.

She then added some sugar. Breakfast would be sweet potato congee.

She also cracked some eggs that weren’t cooked yet. She would fry an egg later; eating boiled eggs every day wasn’t appetizing.

Oh no, there was no flour at home; otherwise, she could make an egg pancake.

By the time Ning Shu finished preparing breakfast and freshened up, the sky outside was already bright.

“Mom…” Erbao yelled as he ran in, followed by Yibao, and finally Lin Guodong carrying Sanbao on his back.

“Why did you take Sanbao with you to exercise?” Ning Shu was speechless.

“He woke up, and leaving him would disturb you,” Lin Guodong explained.

“Mom… Did I walk to the wrong room again today?” Erbao cried out when he saw his mother, not believing he had walked into the wrong room again.

Yibao sighed.

How had his foolish brother not figured it out yet? If Erbao had walked into the wrong room, what about himself? And Sanbao? They were really clueless.

It must be that Dad had carried them over.

But Yibao accepted it.

He knew other parents slept together.

His uncles and aunts each shared a room, so his parents must share a room too.

However, he didn’t tell Erbao because he wanted to make a fuss, so he could sleep with Mom.

“I don’t know either. What should we do?” Ning Shu looked helpless. “Didn’t you say you wouldn’t sleep last night? How did you fall asleep again? If you didn’t sleep, you might not have gone to your room.” As she spoke, she served everyone their meal.

Erbao didn’t know what to do either.

Just then, Lin Guodong asked, “Erbao, do you want to hear a story tonight?”

He took the pot off the stove and asked his son, who was covered in sweat from exercising.

In fact, Lin Guodong hadn’t really exercised them. They were still young, so he just taught them a few warm-up exercises and then slowly jogged with them.

Erbao, who had been feeling down, brightened up. “Can you tell a story?”

Even Yibao looked eagerly at his dad.

“Of course, I can,” Lin Guodong said as he ate, beginning his story, “Once upon a time, in a very faraway place, there was a little boy named Xiaolin. He had always wanted to be a great hero, and one day, he finally encountered an opportunity…”

Ning Shu: “…” Did the roles just switch? Lin Guodong was telling the kids a story? But why was she also enjoying it so much?

“What happened next? Did Xiaolin escape? Did the bad guys catch him?” Erbao asked nervously.

Lin Guodong replied, “It’s getting late. Finish your breakfast. I have to go to work. We’ll continue the story after dinner.” He quickly finished his porridge and took the bowl to the stove.

“Why do we have to wait until after dinner? Can’t we finish after lunch?” Erbao asked.

“I can’t. After lunch, I have to go pick firewood,” Lin Guodong explained.

“Can I go with you to pick firewood? Can you tell the story while we’re picking?” Erbao asked.

“We’ll see,” Lin Guodong said.

After breakfast, Lin Guodong went to work, Yibao and Erbao went to pick firewood, and Sanbao stayed home with Ning Shu, occasionally being secretly fed by her. Ning Shu was, of course, sewing vests.