"Mom, we're back!" The little guy, carrying a small army green backpack, skipped into the courtyard before she even arrived.
"Zheng Wanyi, hurry up! You're always so slow!" the little girl urged her older sister, who was still stepping over the threshold.
Zheng Wanyi, who looked like a little dumpling, acted as if she hadn't heard anything and continued at her own pace. Looking at her younger sister, who was a dozen minutes younger than her, she looked at her sister with an expression as serious as an adult on her rosy and round face.
“Zheng Wanxing, don’t panic. Watch where you’re going. Look at your clothes, they’re dirty again. Mom is already tired from work every day. Can’t you just behave yourself and give Mom less trouble?”
Zheng Wanxing looked unhappily at the dust on her little clothes, while her older sister's clothes were clean. She pouted and wanted to cry: "I didn't do it on purpose. I just can't sit still. I'll wait for Daddy to come back and let him wash the clothes, not Mommy."
Zheng Yang had just stepped across the threshold when he heard what his little darling said. Suddenly, he felt that his little darling wasn't warm anymore and was letting in some drafts.
Zheng Wanyi looked at her younger sister disapprovingly: "Dad is also very tired from driving. We should be sensible and not cause trouble for the adults."
Zheng Wanxing pouted, about to say something, when she looked up and saw her father returning with his bag. Her doe eyes immediately widened with a smile, and she ran towards her father with outstretched arms.
"Dad, you're finally back. Huanhuan missed you so much."
The little girl, whose real name is Zheng Wanyi and nickname is Tiantian, also turned around and saw her father. She ran over with her arms outstretched, but instead of calling out like her sister, she just looked at Zheng Yang with her round eyes.
Zheng Yang felt a warmth in his heart as he looked at the two girls. He put down his handbag and picked up both of his daughters one by one, saying, "Sweetie, Huanhuan, did you miss your dad?"
"Yes!" the two children shouted in unison.
"Dad misses you all so much. Dad brought you some delicious food and floral dresses."
Zheng Yang was having a father-daughter talk with his daughter when Jiang Ruyu, heavily pregnant, came out and asked, "Why aren't you inside? What are you doing in the yard?"
"Here you are, here you are. Honey, how are you feeling? Did the kids bother you?" Zheng Yang put down his daughter, picked up his bag and walked home, with the two little girls following behind him hand in hand.
Jiang Ruyu is twenty-seven years old this year. Four years have passed in the blink of an eye. She looks no different from four years ago. The difference is that she has another little life in her belly, and she is currently seven months pregnant.
It's July 1977 now, and she'll be giving birth in two months. This time, she's only carrying one child, so her pregnancy isn't too difficult.
"I'm fine, but Xiaoyue wrote to say she's pregnant again, and she's already four months along. I don't know how it will go this time. Our eldest son, Wenming, is not even two years old yet, and she's already pregnant again. I don't know if her body can handle it."
Zheng Xiaoyue married Jiang Tao at the beginning of 1974 and went to join his army. She also sold her job to her cousin Xiangqiao, who was from her uncle's family. A year after the marriage, she gave birth to her son Jiang Wenming. Now, her child is not even two years old and she is pregnant again.
Zheng Yang frowned: "What's wrong with Jiang Tao? Xiaoyue suffered so much when she gave birth to her first child, and now she's pregnant again. I'll call him later and ask him. If he takes advantage of the fact that we live far away to bully Xiaoyue, I won't stand for it."
Jiang Ruyu rolled her eyes at him: "You can make a phone call, but you should speak properly. Maybe it was something the couple planned."
Then Jiang Ruyu's gaze fell on her two daughters. She looked at her younger daughter's clothes, and the veins on her forehead throbbed: "Zheng Wanxing, when will you ever dress a little cleaner? Look at yourself, the same clothes, yours are so worn that you can't even tell the color anymore."
Zheng Wanxing took a step back in fear, and Zheng Yang quickly stepped in to mediate: "Don't be angry, honey, I'll wash it later. Oh, the baby is still so young."
“Little? She’s almost five years old.” Jiang Ruyu glared at Zheng Yang. “Don’t say anything. It’s all your fault for spoiling her. Zheng Wanxing, Zheng Wanyi, from today onwards, you two will wash your own clothes. Do you hear me?”
Zheng Wanyi looked up at the sky speechlessly: "Why take your anger out on her?"
"Yes, I understand."
The two girls knew that their mother was the absolute boss at home, and even their grandfather had to listen to her.
"Zheng Yang, I want to eat cold noodles tonight." Jiang Ruyu is pregnant and very sensitive to heat. It's July now, and it's the hottest time of the month. She doesn't want to cook at all. If it weren't for the fact that she can't let her father-in-law take care of her, she wouldn't want to cook at all. Now that Zheng Yang is back, she'll leave the cooking to him.
"Okay, okay, I'll do it. You go inside and rest. Go stand far away from the fan, or your head will start to hurt again."
Electric fans existed a few years ago, but they were too expensive to buy. This year, Jiang Ruyu became pregnant and was very sensitive to heat. Zheng Yang secretly bought one for her, which cost 340 yuan. Jiang Ruyu was heartbroken. Now that she no longer has the system to earn extra money, she doesn't dare to spend money recklessly anymore.
Time flows like water, silently passing by.
Four years have passed, and many things have changed drastically. Three years ago, Grandpa died suddenly from a cerebral hemorrhage before he could hear the news of Jiang Lin's marriage and children.
The only thing that comforted Grandpa was that Jiang Hui had given birth to twin sons, Jiang Chen and Jiang Yu. He could finally see his daughter's next generation and feel less regretful.
Jiang Linyuan was in the army and couldn't make it back in time. By the time he returned, it was already the 49th day after his grandfather's passing.
Perhaps fearing that his grandmother would also leave with regrets, Jiang Lin and Guan Jin got their marriage certificate that year. Instead of holding a banquet in the compound, they went back to the military base and set up two tables. The following year, they had twin sons, named Jiang Chuan and Jiang Zhou.
Jiang Lin and Jiang Hui are identical twins and look very alike. After they got married, they had twins. These two pairs of cousins look remarkably alike. If you didn't know better, you would think they were quadruplets born of the same mother.
After having a son, Jiang Lin worked even harder. With the help of the system and his own excellent military skills, he is now a battalion-level officer.
As long as he's not on a mission, he sends things back every month, mostly food, household items, and medicine. Some of these are things he gets from signing in, and some he buys himself. Guan Jin only asked once, and Jiang Lin said that sending things to his sister is something he'll probably do for the rest of his life; it's something he has to do.
Guan Jin didn't know why Jiang Lin hadn't told her. Although she had a knot in her heart, she didn't say anything. Although her family background was better than Jiang Lin's, Jiang Lin's abilities were obvious to everyone. Marrying him wouldn't be considered marrying down. There were many other women in the military region who wanted to marry Jiang Lin.
Grandma also passed away three months after Jiang Lin's son was born. She passed away peacefully, without pain, in her sleep.
Jiang Ruyu saw off her maternal grandparents one after the other. During that time, the sky was gray. If it weren't for her two little daughters trying to cheer her up every day, she really wouldn't know how to face life after the death of her loved ones.
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