The rain that lasted for several days softened the cracked soil on the road.
The sun shone all day yesterday, which evaporated all the water on the road.
Nowadays, the road surface is neither too soft nor too hard, making it convenient to push a stroller and walk. Zhen Wanwan finds riding in a car too bumpy, so she walks her way in the mornings.
Although the weather is still hot and humid, it is much cooler now when the wind blows compared to the scorching heat of the previous two weeks.
Zhen Wanwan stood guard on either side of the donkey cart, keeping a close eye on the twins inside, so she could comfort them in time if anything happened.
Grandpa Zhen tried his best to avoid stones and shallow pits, making sure his two grandsons didn't get jostled. Grandma Li would occasionally tell Grandpa Zhen where to step on the pits and where to avoid the stones.
The donkey cart moved more steadily than a person, and the two babies, Guabao and Tianbao, didn't cry or fuss. They only whimpered a couple of times when they were hungry, and otherwise lay quietly.
Grandma Li said with a mixture of pride and heartache.
“These two kids are here to repay a debt of gratitude, unlike you siblings who used to cause all sorts of trouble when you were little! Especially the eldest, he cries as soon as you put him down…”
Zhen Fugui's face turned dark red. He secretly glanced at Wang Cuihua, feeling very embarrassed. Why was his mother bringing up his childhood again?
Zhen Wanwan listened with a smile as her mother recounted her brother's foolish deeds, her schadenfreude barely concealed.
Wang Cuihua deeply empathized with what Old Lady Li said, recalling it with lingering fear.
"My son Hu Zi was like that when he was little. After a day of farm work, he would come home and I would have to carry him on my back and hold him. He would cry and fuss all night long, not letting anyone sleep."
She couldn't help but glance at Zhen Fugui and his son, her resentful gaze lingering on Zhen Fugui. She snorted coldly, "So Tiger has taken after his husband's temperament."
God knows that when she was in postpartum confinement, she was tormented by Hu Zi and couldn't sleep all night, while Zhen Fugui fell asleep as soon as she hit the bed and didn't even hear the baby crying.
Thankfully, we finally made it through.
Looking at her sister-in-law's twins, she was filled with envy: "I think our precious babies are here to repay my sister's kindness."
Grandma Li was somewhat surprised that her usually taciturn eldest daughter-in-law could say such sweet things.
My impression of her improved somewhat.
Along the way, everyone chatted and laughed about their daily lives, and the physical fatigue was replaced by laughter.
Siqin looked at the gloomy Madam Fang with a worried expression, her heart burning with anxiety, but she had no way to quell the fire and could only stand by anxiously.
The sounds of villagers' laughter and chatter drifted in from outside. Siqin had a little idea: she planned to invite Zhenniangzi to chat with her wife during the midday break.
She finally realized that the lady had a mental illness!
Siqin didn't have to wait long before it was time for everyone's lunch break.
The Zhen family didn't light a fire to cook; they simply ate two jianbing guozi (Chinese crepes), which contained fresh wild vegetables that Zhen Wanwan had found, along with a wild egg.
Since everything was prepared in advance, they could start eating as soon as they opened it.
Everyone ate to their heart's content and instantly fell in love with the taste of this pancake.
After the children finished eating, they even licked the bowls and chopsticks clean, feeling that they didn't need to be washed and that they could have another meal that night without any problem.
After finishing lunch, Zhen Wanwan anticipated that Guabao and Tianbao would be awake by now, so she prepared two bottles of milk in advance and let them cool down.
Sure enough, after a while, Tianbao woke up and whimpered, wanting her mother to hug her.
"My darling little sweetheart~ Are you hungry?~ Mommy will feed you milk~"
Faced with her sweet, soft-spoken daughter, Zhen Wanwan, who usually disdains using consonant sounds, has already forced herself to use the most consonant possible in her voice.
Sweetie pouted, feeling very wronged. She had dreamt again of being targeted in her past life, but thankfully, when she woke up, she was still her mother's little Sweetie.
She nervously rubbed against Zhen Wanwan's palm, trying to confirm that what she was seeing was real, a gesture that broke Zhen Wanwan's heart.
Waaaaah... Zhen Wanwan's precious daughter is just too adorable!
When Siqin arrived, she saw Zhen Wanwan looking at Tianbao with a wide smile that made her eyes disappear. She never expected that Zhen's wife would be such a loving mother...
It's a pity that her husband died early, leaving her to raise her two children alone.
"Zhen Niangzi".
Zhen Wanwan looked at Siqin with surprise: "Why did you come? Is Madam Fang feeling better today?"
She knew that Madam Fang was ill. During this time, Chief Fang and Siqin were extremely busy and didn't even have time to go over to distribute the grain.
Despite being under the same roof, Zhen Wanwan felt as if she were isolated from them. The wealthy family had many strict rules, so Zhen Wanwan wisely refrained from disturbing them.
It was quite unexpected that Siqin was not by Madam Fang's side.
Looking at the vibrant Zhen Wanwan, and then thinking of her own wife with a worried expression, Siqin felt an overwhelming urge to confide in her.
She sat opposite Zhen Wanwan, watching her breastfeed her child while talking about her recent troubles.
"Sigh, that's pretty much it. My wife isn't sick, she's just emotionally distressed. I don't know how to persuade her anymore."
Siqin looked earnestly at Zhen Wanwan and pleaded, "I came to see you this time because I wanted you to help me talk to my wife. You'll be riding in the carriage with us in a little while..."
Zhen Wanwan hesitated for a moment: "It's not that I don't want to help, but I still have to take care of two children."
“Hey, what’s so difficult about that? Your kids are very well-behaved. My wife loves children the most. You can bring them with you in the car, and I’ll watch one of them for you.”
Siqin had already made plans and naturally arranged everything properly. In order not to worry Zhen Wanwan, she went to talk to Old Lady Li herself.
Seeing this, Zhen Wanwan couldn't refuse, so she nodded and agreed: "Then I'll have to bother you."
"It won't bother you, I'll hold your baby for you."
Siqin carefully held the soft, cuddly baby and went over with Zhen Wanwan.
Mrs. Fang looked at Zhen Wanwan apologetically and said, "I'm so sorry to have troubled you. Siqin was worried I'd overthink things..."
Zhen Wanwan understood the unspoken words and didn't want to expose them.
She chatted idly with Mrs. Fang, and learned that Mrs. Fang was probably suffering from prenatal anxiety.
"Although I may be exaggerating, I do have some experience. Madam, you don't need to worry so much. As long as you follow the doctor's instructions for training, a smooth delivery is absolutely no problem."
Madam Fang had heard Siqin say these words countless times, and she was already numb to them, but she didn't want to spoil the mood.
She smiled and nodded, unconsciously stroking her stomach with worry, saying, "I've been having nightmares these past few days, either falling into the sea or being chased and bitten by snakes."
Zhen Wanwan laughed and joked, "In my hometown, people say that if you dream about these things before you are born, it means that the child in your womb is going through a tribulation in order to be reborn. Once this tribulation is overcome, the child will be born with great fortune. You shouldn't overthink it. Just relax and wait for the child to be born."
Is this true?
"Of course." This statement has no scientific basis...
Zhen Wanwan, of course, did not say the second half of the sentence.
Siqin looked at Madam Fang with delight: "So that's how it is! I've heard that only immortals undergo tribulations."
This means our future young master is definitely a reincarnated celestial being. Madam, please rest assured, he's on his way to see you!
Seeing that the two men were talking in a logical and coherent manner, Madam Fang still had doubts, but her mood was not as heavy as before.
Seeing this, Zhen Wanwan handed the baby in her arms to Madam Fang: "I was just as anxious as you are before I gave birth, but after seeing these two children, I feel that all the suffering was worth it."
Both children had woken up by then. Hearing their mother's words, they were deeply moved and secretly vowed to be filial to their mother when they grew up.
When Mrs. Fang saw how healthy and adorable the twins were, her heart melted, and her anxiety was dispelled by the baby's milky scent.
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