Lin Zhen held Song Wei tightly, his heart beating erratically.
During the time he was away, not only had Song Wei missed him, but he had missed her even more.
“Are you cold?”
He cupped her ears with his hands, slightly lowering his head until their foreheads touched.
She was smiling, her eyes sparkling like stars.
So beautiful.
“Not cold. It’s much warmer now than before.”
As the two embraced and talked, Song Wei suddenly felt something cling to her leg.
Looking down, she saw it was the little bear cub.
It had a woven bamboo ball in its mouth and was clumsily trying to climb up her legs using both its paws and feet.
After just a couple of grunting attempts to climb, it was scooped up by a sun-tanned hand.
The little woven bamboo ball fell from the cub’s mouth, and it let out a soft, milky cry.
“Bear? Where did it come from?”
Song Wei walked side by side with him toward the village.
“Found it in the mountains. I came across a bear and a tiger fighting…”
Song Wei calmly recounted what had happened in the mountains.
As they carried the bear cub to the village entrance, the elderly women there exchanged knowing glances and teasing looks.
“You two are so attached. These past few days, you’ve been coming to the village entrance to chat with us old ladies. I bet chatting was just an excuse—waiting for someone was the real reason.”
“And Lin Zhen, you just got married. How could you go away so soon?”
Both of them were a bit embarrassed by the teasing.
“Alright, alright, we won’t bother you two lovebirds anymore. Hurry on home.”
“Song Wei, when you have time, bring the bear cub to play with us.”
Song Wei agreed with a smile.
Along the way, everyone they met greeted them warmly and played with the bear cub.
Lin Zhen glanced at the cub. “This little guy is quite popular.”
“Absolutely.”
Song Wei pinched the bear cub’s ears.
“Aunt Xinghua even altered some clothes that Fuwazi had outgrown for the bear cub to wear. Yesterday, when it went out to play with Lin Ping’an and Shuanzi, it got the clothes dirty, so I took them off to wash.”
When they returned home, Lin Zhen indeed saw three small garments hanging on the clothesline in the yard.
Two of them were even little dresses.
Actually, it was Song Wei who had started making clothes for the bear cub.
Now that she had more new clothes, she dug out some of her old ones. She had no intention of wearing the patched-up ones anymore, but when she saw the little bear, she had a sudden idea and made a small dress out of an old garment.
The little dress caused quite a stir among Lin Ping’an and the other children. They even took the bear cub to school to show off that very day.
After others saw it, Bai, the educated youth, also made a pretty little dress for the cub.
The little bear occasionally followed Lin Ping’an and the others to class. It didn’t like to make noise, and its cries were soft. With toys to keep itself occupied, it didn’t cause any disturbance, so the teachers quite liked it.
Later, a small backpack was also made for it.
However, while the other children’s backpacks were filled with textbooks, the bear cub’s little backpack was stocked with all kinds of snacks—sweet potatoes, carrots, tomatoes, and more.
Eventually, Aunt Xinghua also took some clothes the children had outgrown and made a small outfit for the cub.
But the clothes got dirty quickly since it loved rolling around on the ground.
At first, it was novel and fun, but later, Song Wei became less willing to dress the bear cub—it was too much trouble!
Upon returning home, the little bear cub scampered off to play with Wolf One and the others.
On his way back from school, Lin Ping’an heard that his brother had returned and immediately raced home as fast as he could.
“Brother, brother… you’re finally back! Did you bring me a gift?”
Lin Zhen handed him a fountain pen, which instantly calmed the excited and energetic Lin Ping’an.
“Wow, such a beautiful pen!!!”
Lin Ping’an was overjoyed.
The Lin household suddenly became lively and bustling.
“Are you hungry?”
Lin Zhen nodded. “I’ll make noodles.”
Song Wei felt a bit embarrassed and hurried to light the fire.
In the kitchen, the two chatted while cooking the noodles.
Lin Zhen prepared three bowls of noodles, and the family sat together to enjoy a warm, lively meal.
Lin Ping’an chattered away, sharing amusing stories from school.
After finishing the noodles, Song Wei noticed that Lin Zhen looked tired and urged him to rest while she washed the dishes.
Lin Zhen didn’t argue—he truly was exhausted.
He already knew how to drive and had gradually gotten the hang of long-distance trips while accompanying others. Later, he took turns driving with his companions.
Driving long distances was far more exhausting than taking the train.
Fortunately, everything had gone smoothly.
After Lin Zhen went to sleep, Song Wei also headed out to work and earn work points.
In the fields, everyone asked her if Lin Zhen had returned and what he had been doing.
During the winter, most people had stayed indoors and rarely visited each other, so very few knew that Lin Zhen had left.
Now that spring had arrived and everyone was out and about, they noticed that Song Wei was often out alone without Lin Zhen, realizing he must have been away.
But whenever they asked, Song Wei had always brushed it off.
This time was no different—Song Wei played dumb and said she didn’t know either.
When Lin Zhen left, he wasn’t yet an official truck driver, and she wasn’t sure if he had been formally hired now.
Until things were confirmed, Song Wei didn’t want to draw attention.
After finishing work and returning home, she found that Lin Zhen had cleaned the entire house inside and out, even dressing the little bear cub in a small dress, and had prepared a meal.
“It smells amazing! While you were away, I missed your cooking so much!”
Song Wei was thrilled.
She washed her hands, sat down at the table, and couldn’t resist digging in right away.
Lin Zhen served her more dishes, and upon hearing her words, his lips curled into a smile, feeling immensely satisfied.
“If you like it, eat more.”
“Absolutely! If you hadn’t come back soon, I would’ve finished all the mushroom sauce.”
Her own cooking was practically inedible—it was like poison. Lin Ping’an was still young and had to go to school, so Song Wei couldn’t burden him with cooking. Most of the time, she had survived on steamed buns, mantou, and mushroom sauce.
She wasn’t picky, but after tasting such delicious food, her palate had become more refined. Every time she ate, she missed Lin Zhen’s cooking intensely.
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