AYLS -Chapter 173

Because of some small changes, Lin Qiao felt much more at ease. Like Gu Huayuan, she had great confidence in these revolutionary seniors. They had already done everything they could; since there was nothing more she could do now, she simply focused on doing her own work well.

She continued sending knowledge and materials over there.

She also listened to Gu Huayuan’s stories regularly, providing Fat Cat with a bit of energy.

The rest of her time was spent on livestock raising.

What made her happy was that the two pigs she raised were growing very well.

Because she started raising them late, they still couldn’t be slaughtered by the end of the year, but she wasn’t raising them for meat anyway—it was an experiment. There was no rush.

But the two kids were craving them badly, asking when the pigs at home would finally be big enough.

Because they hadn’t done well in their final exams, they had now decided to study like their lives depended on it. They even stayed up late at night. With all that hard work, they were running low on “fuel.” And with both Gu Huayuan and Lin Qiao being busy and having no time to get meat, their eyes naturally drifted toward the pigs at home.

Lin Qiao said, “You want to eat meat? I have a way—one that’ll let you eat as much as you want in the future.”

If they raised the pigs themselves, wouldn’t they be able to eat as much as they wanted?

The two immediately swallowed hard. Gu Huarui said, “Sister-in-law, don’t trick me.”

“Why would I trick you? Have you heard this saying: Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; teach him to fish and you feed him for a lifetime. If I just give you meat to eat, how long can that last? So, I’ve decided—I’m going to teach you how to raise livestock. This is the knowledge I told you before that I’d teach you.”

Gu Huarui and Gu Huayin: “…”

Lin Qiao took the two of them to the livestock farm. Zhang Lanlan and Li Xiaojun were working there as well. During the day, they finished their homework while there was still daylight, and after everyone else finished work, the two of them came over to help with miscellaneous tasks.

When they saw Lin Qiao and the others arrive, Zhang Lanlan and the rest ran over. “Are student Gu Huarui and student Gu Huayin coming to work too?”

Lin Qiao said, “They’re not qualified yet, but I’m planning to let them come and learn. It’s preparation for the future. For now, they’re doing volunteer labor.”

Meaning: they were working for free.

In this regard, she was absolutely fair—no back-door privileges allowed.

Zhang Lanlan and the others cheered, “Then we can work together from now on!”

Gu Huarui and Gu Huayin looked at them, then glanced at each other before finally looking at Lin Qiao. “Sister-in-law, are we going to work here?”

“Of course,” she said. “You’re both grown up now—you need to learn to support yourselves. Once you have skills, you won’t have to worry about going hungry, no matter what happens.”

Sheng Wen, who had finally gotten a chance to work, teased, “Hey, you don’t want to come, do you? I knew it—kids from the big city just can’t handle hardship.”

Being the son of Chief Sheng, Sheng Wen and Sheng Wu had always been the little kings in their small circle.

And since they shared meals with Zhang Lanlan and Li Xiaojun, despite some initial misunderstandings, they had grown quite close.

But when these two siblings arrived, Zhang Lanlan and the others went to help them. Sheng Wen felt a pang of jealousy. What was worse, in the end-of-term exams, even though he scored higher than the siblings, nobody looked down on them—they even went to comfort them… That wasn’t fair!

Seeing Gu Huarui and Gu Huayin acting reluctant to work, he immediately felt superior.

His words provoked Gu Huarui. Gritting his teeth, he said, “Who said we can’t do it? I want to work!”

Gu Huayin hesitated but nodded too.

Lin Qiao wasn’t surprised at all by this outcome. After all, the kids in the courtyard all loved raising animals.

She immediately assigned tasks to the two, letting them help Zhang Lanlan and the others with basic chores.

At night, she would give them some extra lessons.

On their first day of work, as it neared dinner time, the siblings were still unaccustomed. Normally, at this hour, they would be indoors, warming themselves by the fire and reading.

Meanwhile, Zhang Lanlan and the others—including the troublesome Sheng Wen and Sheng Wu—were energetically cleaning the chicken coop.

Gu Huayin whispered to Zhang Lanlan, “How come you all like working so much?”

Sheng Wen replied, “Who likes working? This is about supporting ourselves.”

Zhang Lanlan shot him a warning glare and then said to Gu Huayin, “It’s great to learn skills and support yourself. We’re already teenagers; it’s time to take care of ourselves. That way, we won’t hold anyone back in a pinch.”

Gu Huarui and Gu Huayin exchanged glances, their emotions complicated.

So, sister-in-law made them work because she thought they were holding others back?

Well… maybe they were.

With that realization, the siblings’ mood shifted, and they buried themselves in work.

That evening at home, Lin Qiao and Gu Huayuan had already prepared dinner. Simple dishes, but plentiful portions.

Both of them were still growing, so they usually ate a lot—Gu Huarui even ate as much as Gu Huayuan.

But seeing the food on the table now, they ate cautiously.

Lin Qiao urged them to eat more. Gu Huayin said, “Sister-in-law, I won’t eat much.”

Gu Huarui added, “I’m not hungry either.”

Eating less? Half-grown boys consuming too much would bankrupt their father.

Gu Huayuan, who had remained silent, gave them a glance.

Lin Qiao said, “How could you not be hungry? I saw you working today—you even said you did a bit extra.”

“I really’m not hungry,” Gu Huayin said, her eyes suddenly welling up.

Although she knew she had been holding them back, being disliked by her sister-in-law made her feel awful.

When girls’ eyes fill with emotion, tears are quick to follow, and hers dripped into the bowl.

Lin Qiao’s eyes widened. “What’s wrong? Why are you crying all of a sudden, Gu Huarui? Did you bully your sister?”

Gu Huarui felt wronged too.

He was embarrassed—at his age, still eating at his brother’s and sister-in-law’s table, it was shameful.

And to think they had been disliked to the point that only working would make them understand…

He kept his head down, silent.

Gu Huayuan slammed his chopsticks on the table. “Gu Huarui! Sister-in-law is asking you something. Why aren’t you answering?”

Gu Huarui’s heart shook. “Nothing.”

“Gu Huayin, you speak,” Gu Huayuan said sternly.

Lin Qiao said, “Don’t be harsh. Communicate properly.”

Hearing her defend her, Gu Huayin couldn’t hold back and burst into tears. “Sister-in-law, we’ll work hard. Don’t dislike us. We won’t hold anyone back!”

Lin Qiao blinked. She looked at Gu Huayuan—what did this mean? When had she ever disliked them?

Gu Huayuan ignored the crying Gu Huayin and looked seriously at his younger brother, Gu Huarui. “A grown man should act properly. If something’s wrong, say it—don’t bottle it up inside.”

Gu Huarui sniffled, pressed his lips tight, and then explained their feelings.

Lin Qiao was so surprised she could’ve stuffed a chicken egg in her mouth.

She had been about to comfort them when Gu Huayuan stood up. “Neither of you eat. Go outside and clean the pigpen, then fetch some water.”

Lin Qiao said, “It’s so late—let’s do it tomorrow.”

“No. Today you work. Who chooses a time to work?”

Gu Huayuan was truly angry. Unlike Lin Qiao, he wasn’t soft-hearted.

When it came to teaching children, he was strict.

He knew these two too well—they were the kind to push boundaries if left unchecked.

“Gu Huayuan, everyone’s eating. You can’t do this,” Lin Qiao said, raising her voice. She couldn’t argue with him in front of the kids, or he’d lose face.

Gu Huayuan said seriously, “What? Still not going to work? Weren’t you going to stop holding people back? Finish your chores first, then eat.”

Gu Huarui immediately stood up, stomping out angrily. Gu Huayin wiped her tears and followed.

Everything had changed so suddenly.

“What are you doing, Gu Huayuan? We can reason with them,” Lin Qiao raised her voice.

Gu Huayuan’s attitude softened instantly. “You’re right. I’ll go talk to them. Don’t come—you’ll embarrass them if you do.”

With that, he walked out.

Lin Qiao: “…”

Outside, the siblings actually crawled into the pigsty under the dark. Gu Huayin stayed outside, crying—she didn’t dare go in.

Gu Huarui, on the other hand, went in, pinching his nose as he worked. This place was really dirtier than the chicken coop. Even after being cleaned in the morning, it would get filthy again after a day.

Seeing Gu Huayuan arrive, Gu Huarui said nothing. He just buried his head into the work, holding the shovel and mimicking what Gu Huayuan had done before.

Gu Huayuan asked, “What’s wrong? Still unhappy? Resentful?”

“No,” Gu Huarui replied.

“Feeling the hardship? Tired?”

“…”

“You’re heartless. Your sister-in-law treats you so sincerely, and you think of her like that? Do you feel ashamed for saying that in front of her just now?”

Gu Huarui sniffled and said, “You told me to say it.”

“So if I hadn’t told you, you would’ve blamed your sister-in-law in your heart?”

“I’m not blaming her,” Gu Huarui said through his sniffles, “I’m blaming myself. I’m already grown up, yet I’m still dragging others down like a fool. It bothers me.”

“You should feel bothered. Your sister-in-law treats you so well, thinking of you wholeheartedly, and you think like that of her?”

Gu Huayuan’s voice grew even sterner. “You think me sending you to work is because I despise you? If I really despised you, I would’ve abandoned you at the train station long ago.”

“…”

“Have you ever thought, with Dad and Aunt Zhang in trouble this time, you can still rely on me? What if I weren’t here?”

“…How could you not be here?”

“As a soldier, who can say for sure? If I weren’t here, who would you turn to? Starve to death?”

The two immediately fell silent.

“Right now you have me and your sister-in-law, but who knows what the future holds? If I’m gone, can your sister-in-law support both of you?”

“We definitely won’t let her. We’ll support ourselves.”

“What skills do you have? What can you do?” Gu Huayuan said. “To put it bluntly, if you just go to work on a farm with no skills or experience, no one would hire you!”

“…”

Gu Huayuan continued, “Now do you understand why your sister-in-law sent you to the farm? It’s to ensure that no matter what happens in the future, you won’t starve!”

He pointed at the pigs in the pen. “Look, aren’t you like these pigs right now? You can only rely on someone to feed you. What if one day there’s no one to feed you? You’d go hungry. Your sister-in-law has thought so far ahead for you, and yet you think like that of her? How do you think that makes her feel?”

“Brother, don’t say that—we were wrong,” Gu Huayin said, her voice trembling with tears. “We shouldn’t have thought that way about sister-in-law.”

The two were not ungrateful. Hearing their eldest brother, they immediately understood.

And then thinking about the sudden trouble at home, being sent to their brother and sister-in-law…

When their parents were well, they relied on them. When their parents got into trouble, they relied on their brother and sister-in-law.

They had always felt insecure, which is why after hearing Zhang Lanlan, they automatically projected themselves into that role, feeling like burdens.

It was also because they had relied too much on others. They were afraid of being despised.

Their sister-in-law was acting in their best interest, teaching them skills, so they could be self-reliant and live confidently in the future.

Gu Huayuan clasped his hands behind his back. “Apologizing to me won’t help. Go apologize to your sister-in-law. And eat properly. Tomorrow, clean up the pigsty.”

“Yes,” the two nodded in unison.

Lin Qiao peeked from inside, unsure whether she should go out.

She had heard what Gu Huayuan said but didn’t feel upset. She understood their feelings. When she first arrived, she too felt insecure. But she always had hope of going back, so her situation was better than theirs.

It was Gu Huayuan who had guided her step by step, changing her mindset, teaching her skills, and helping her adapt to this era so she could live well.

Now she was following Gu Huayuan’s example, teaching others how to live well.

When the siblings came in, Lin Qiao felt a bit awkward and wanted to explain, but the two immediately apologized together: “Sorry, sister-in-law. We overthought. You’re only thinking of us, and we didn’t understand.”

“Oh, it’s nothing. Actually, I didn’t properly talk to you either. I didn’t consider your thoughts,” Lin Qiao reflected, realizing she had assumed too much.

“No, sister-in-law, it’s still our fault,” Gu Huayin said firmly. “You treat us well. We understand that.”

Gu Huarui added, “We care about you even more than our brother.”

Gu Huayuan shot him a glance, silently saying, “We don’t need that.”

Lin Qiao said, “We’re all one family, no need for distinctions. Now that you understand my intentions, let’s be clear—work must be done.”

The two were momentarily stunned.

Lin Qiao continued, “What, you thought I’d say you don’t want to work, so you don’t have to?”

“Cough, cough…”

Both siblings coughed awkwardly.

Lin Qiao laughed. “Stop thinking that. Your brother and I are the same—we don’t spoil kids. Whatever needs to be done, gets done.”

The two smiled sheepishly. Gu Huarui said, “We’ll listen to sister-in-law.”

Gu Huayin nodded, “Mm.”

The next morning, Lin Qiao just got up and heard movement outside.

Looking through the window, she saw the siblings working in the yard.

They had scarves wrapped around their faces, seemingly to avoid the smell. Despite their distaste, they worked.

Seeing this, Lin Qiao couldn’t help but recall her former self and smiled.

Gu Huayuan returned from early training, hands clasped behind his back, checked the work, and nodded in approval.

Of course, he was satisfied. He would leave for the New Year soon, and Old Xu’s Wife was about to give birth, so she couldn’t help clean the pigsty. These two youngsters were just the right replacements.