frightfiction Chapter 29 confirms it's turtle eggs, you didn't trick this old woman, did you?
Chapter 29 confirms it's turtle eggs, you didn't trick this old woman, did you?
Lin Chang'er paused, then shook her head, "No need."
The little goldfish had already taken off its little basket. "Mom, you know how capable I am. I can carry it."
Lin Chang'er: "..." No, I can carry this little guy too.
Lin Chang'er smiled at him awkwardly but politely, "Mother knows you are capable, but I can't exploit or oppress you just because you are capable."
And if people saw this, they would gossip about me behind my back, saying that I, your stepmother, am mean-spirited, you know that?
The little goldfish paused for a moment, clearly not having considered this. He said "Oh," and then, with a quick thought, added, "Then I'll carry you on the way, and we'll switch with Mom when we're almost in town, so no one will see us."
He had come along to help, but the small basket was too light; the heavy things were with his mother, and he couldn't just watch her suffer.
His father will blame him; his spirit in heaven will not rest in peace.
Lin Chang'er frowned slightly. This kid! He's certainly thoughtful.
But she said sternly, "Do you know that carrying heavy objects will stunt a child's growth? Do you want to grow up to be a short, stocky person?"
The little goldfish was taken aback. That wouldn't do. He wanted to grow tall and strong, like his father, so that he could help with more chores at home and prevent his family from being bullied.
Lin Chang'er noticed his hesitation and continued, "That's why children carry small baskets and adults carry big baskets. When you grow up a bit more, there will be plenty of opportunities for you to help me. Why worry about not having a chance?"
When her little scheme was exposed, the little goldfish's eyes flickered, and her little face instantly turned as red as a cherry tomato.
"You're quite easily amused," Lin Chang'er chuckled. "Alright, from now on, just do whatever I tell you. Don't worry, your mother knows herself and will never try to be a hero."
The little goldfish nodded and put its little basket back on its back.
Lin Chang'er secretly breathed a sigh of relief. That stubborn young man, he really had it tough on her.
Fortunately, he's still young and easy to fool now; wait until he's older...
Forget it, let's deal with the future later.
Lin Chang'er was too lazy to waste time on internal conflicts, so she continued on her way with the little goldfish.
After walking a short distance, Lin Chang'er asked him, "Should we learn the Three Character Classic first?" (The Three Character Classic, the Thousand Character Classic, and the Hundred Family Surnames are collectively known as the Three Character Classic and the Hundred Family Surnames, which are the most widely circulated primers in ancient times.)
The little goldfish opened its eyes wide, then nodded vigorously, as if pounding garlic, "Thank you, Mother!"
Lin Chang'er generously replied, "You're welcome. Just study hard."
As he spoke, he stamped his foot, broke off a twig from the roadside, and wrote two lines on the ground: "We can't afford paper and pen right now, so I'll teach you to read and recognize first. Repeat after me..."
After reading the poem to the little goldfish several times, Lin Chang'er tried to randomly check the order, but to her surprise, he was able to recognize them all.
I immediately wrote two more lines and read them aloud several times, and the little guy recognized them all.
They were still looking at her expectantly, as if hoping she would continue.
Lin Chang'er secretly wondered if this child had a photographic memory. But everything has its limits; too much of anything is as bad as too little.
He patted his head approvingly. "Reading and recognizing characters is a gradual process. I'll teach you on the way back. As for arithmetic, you can watch me collect the accounts for now, and then you can learn it with everyone when we get home."
Finally, the goldfish can learn to read and do arithmetic. Although it can't go to school, it's already good that its mother is willing to teach it, so the little goldfish has no objections.
Although teaching the little goldfish the Three Character Classic on the way took some time, Lin Chang'er didn't carry any weight today, and arrived at the town market a little earlier than yesterday.
Having learned from yesterday's experience, Lin Chang'er didn't look for another empty spot and went straight to the old lady's stall from yesterday.
As I walked along, I would greet the vendors who were setting up their stalls, and they would respond warmly.
Some people, seeing that the goldfish was young, generously gave it some small snacks.
Lin Chang'er thanked them one by one, but refused to accept any gifts.
The little goldfish wasn't greedy, but curious, "Mom, are you familiar with all these uncles and aunts?"
Lin Chang'er shook her head. She had only been here for two days and couldn't really call herself familiar with them, but, "These uncles and aunts spoke up for my mother yesterday, and since my mother is going to do business here, she naturally has to build good relationships with them, even if it's just on the surface."
"Harmony brings wealth, you know? It's also a form of social interaction."
The little goldfish nodded, "I will learn from my mother."
Lin Chang'er tilted her head and smiled at him, and the little guy also grinned, which was rare for him.
The mother and son smiled at each other. When they arrived at the place, the old lady had already arranged the scallions. Seeing Lin Chang'er, she smiled and said, "You've arrived?"
Lin Chang'er smiled at her, "Grandma, shall we stick to the old rules?"
The old lady looked at her without saying a word.
Lin Chang'er then asked, "Didn't the salted duck eggs from yesterday taste good?"
The old lady instinctively said, "Okay!" Even her picky son said it was delicious!
Lin Chang'er saw that the amount of scallions was about the same as yesterday, so she immediately counted out 6 copper coins from her purse and stuffed them into her hand.
The old lady looked at her: "..."
Just as I was about to say that I hadn't agreed, how could I possibly pay for her every day? Doesn't she have any shame?
But after carefully recalling the conversation, I realized that I had been tricked.
This girl!
The old lady tapped her, her gaze falling on the little goldfish. "Did you bring your little brother to help out today?"
When the little goldfish realized that he was being talked about, he suddenly clenched his fists. Would his mother admit that he was her son?
Then she comforted herself, saying that a younger brother would be fine too, as long as he was willing to acknowledge her.
Unexpectedly, the next second, he heard his mother say loudly, "My parents are not so lucky, it's my son!" If the original owner had such a cunning younger brother, how could the Lin family have wiped out his lineage?
The old woman asked incredulously, "How old are you?"
Lin Chang'er smiled, "Sixteen!"
The old lady was even more shocked, "How old is he?"
Just as Lin Chang'er was about to reply, the little goldfish spoke first: "Hello, Grandma, I am five years old this year, and I also have a younger sister."
We are not my mother's biological children. My father died on his way to the battlefield. Now my mother is raising us as a family.
"My mother works very hard, that's why I came along to help..."
His voice was low, as if he hadn't said anything, but he had said everything. He also created a strong and inspiring persona for Lin Chang'er, who was a widow but didn't distance herself from the situation and worked hard to live her life.
Lin Chang'er looked at her adopted son, thinking that the little boy had a bright future ahead of him.
The old lady looked at Lin Chang'er with more pity in her eyes. "It's still early today, and I'm not in a hurry to go back. How about I help you watch the stall for a while?"
Lin Chang'er certainly wouldn't refuse her kindness, especially since she had something to ask her. "Sure! Then I must thank you, sir."
After a pause, he said, "We have something nice for you today, but not much. We can only offer you two."
As she spoke, Lin Chang'er had already transferred the sea duck eggs and turtle eggs to her backpack and bamboo basket. Because they were all covered with dark blue floral cotton cloth, no one noticed this magical change.
The old lady chuckled, "What good stuff?"
Lin Chang'er lifted the cotton cloth covering the bamboo basket and took out two turtle eggs from it. "Here, turtle eggs!"
The old lady's eyes lit up when she saw it, and Lin Chang'er smiled and asked, "Is it a good thing?"
The old lady nodded eagerly, "How much do you have?"
After a pause, he added, "Are you sure they're turtle eggs? You're not lying to this old woman, are you?"