“Take these candies. Give them to whichever child you like and befriend them. That way, if you ever get bullied, you won’t be without someone to help,” Lin Zhi said.
She had no idea there was anything wrong with what she said. Facing those two pairs of wide, innocent eyes, she even wondered if she hadn’t explained herself clearly enough.
She stuffed a handful of candies into the twins’ little pockets, making them bulge. Afraid the candies would fall out, the twins moved with tiny, careful steps.
Once they went out, Lin Zhi returned to her sewing, calmly continuing the quilt cover.
The twins, instead of following her instructions to find other kids to play with, squatted in a corner and counted the candies from their pockets.
There were twenty-three candies in total. If bought at the supply store, they would cost 23 cents. That Lin Zhi would be so generous—no need to ask, they knew her head must have been bumped again.
He Run blinked his large eyes, following every candy with his gaze. Even when He Ze popped one into his mouth, he didn’t look away.
“Let’s hide these candies. Later, when we go back, we’ll say they’re all gone. Got it?”
He Ze reminded his brother not to tell anyone. When He Run nodded, they carefully put the candies away. Bending low, they tiptoed from the backyard to their room’s window.
After hiding the candies in the room, they came back out and held hands as they walked toward the center of the compound.
After meals, when everyone had little to do, people would usually gather under the big tree in the middle of the compound to chat.
By the time the twins arrived, several adults were already seated under the tree. Some children were playing in a sandbox not far away.
He Ze, who hadn’t wanted to play at first, felt tempted when he saw the sandbox. But then he remembered he was wearing new clothes and immediately decided not to join.
Wen Xiuxiu sat among the adults, a basket on her lap, knitting a sweater with two needles.
Yarn was hard to come by. The red yarn in her hands had been procured through many connections. Displaying it drew plenty of envious and jealous eyes.
She felt secretly proud, then noticed the twins holding hands approaching. She glanced back, and when she didn’t see Lin Zhi, she waved at them.
“He Ze, He Run, why are you out playing today?”
The twins had gotten used to seeing Wen Xiuxiu every time they went out. They walked slowly over, greeting the few elderly ladies around them.
“Mom is making clothes, so we came out to play,” He Ze said. He still couldn’t call Lin Zhi “Mom” at home, but outside, the words came out smoothly.
Wen Xiuxiu was momentarily surprised. It had been a long time since she heard them call Lin Zhi “Mom.”
She smiled and said, “Is that so? Making you new clothes again?”
“Looks like Zhi Zhi has really changed. She wants to live well with you.”
The twins had heard this many times, and again they just nodded without much reaction.
An elderly lady nearby examined the twins from head to toe, then rubbed their clothes.
She exclaimed, “Oh! This fabric is so soft.”
The material was smooth, and the lady could tell it wasn’t cheap. She smacked her lips, eyes glinting with jealousy. “I tell you, in this whole compound, no family lives as comfortably as the Lin family.”
“Not only do they go buy meat every now and then, even the fabric for the clothes is something I’ve never seen before. This outfit alone must have cost five or six yuan at least.”
The elderly lady was Hu Zhengwei’s mother, over seventy, sharp-tongued and cantankerous. But as the oldest in the compound, everyone usually let her have her way.
Because everyone accommodated her, she grew arrogant, looking for excuses to belittle others.
Wen Xiuxiu had often been targeted for wearing nice clothes and living well. Out of concern for her image, she had never confronted Hu mother directly.
Before the twins arrived, Hu mother had been nagging Wen Xiuxiu. Now her ire was turned toward the twins, letting Wen Xiuxiu finally breathe.
Though small, the twins had grown mature for their age due to constant scolding.
Especially He Run, whose innocent face masked his awareness of the malicious intent in Hu mother’s words.
Unsure if Lin Zhi would intervene, He Run held his brother’s hand and ignored her comments.
They were still children. Pretending not to understand spared them from criticism.
But others didn’t mean that Hu mother would let them go easily. Seeing the twins not respond, she thumped her cane and snorted.
“Look at this! This is the He family’s upbringing. I haven’t even finished speaking, and they turn away. No manners at all!”
The twins were only four, yet Hu mother’s words were extreme. Liu Yuxiang waved her daughter over and whispered a few words.
“Hu mother, you’re overdoing it. They’re still very young. They’ll improve in a couple of years.”
Surprised that anyone dared contradict her, Hu mother, spoiled by years of deference, shot back:
“They say three years shows the future. They’re already four and still have no manners, no respect for elders. They’ll amount to nothing as they grow up.”
“Given how they are, they’ll just be second-rate troublemakers as adults.”
Her words were excessive. Some bystanding women, unwilling to provoke her, spoke a few words in defense.
Seeing so many oppose her, Hu mother, used to a smooth life for decades, exploded. She scolded everyone equally, whether helping or mediating.
Her sheer force of will scared everyone nearby, who quickly moved away.
Hu mother looked around, satisfied that no one dared speak, cleared her throat, and lifted her head high.
“Those two little brats! And people actually spoke up for them? They have no gratitude and are still playing in the sand.”
“I tell you, a child mirrors their mother. Their mother is no good; they’ll be nothing when they grow up.”
“And the younger one—he still hasn’t spoken a word. Is he mute? Tsk tsk tsk, he must have done many bad things, or heaven wouldn’t punish him by making him mute!”