Chapter 419 The Ten-Year Agreement
The news was rebroadcast at 9 a.m., but just after 8 a.m., the children from the kindergarten started arriving one after another.
I don’t know if they had discussed it beforehand, but each child brought some food with them when they came.
Before long, the coffee table was filled with all sorts of food, almost like a small tea party.
Fearing that the children might not feel comfortable playing, Jiang Si and Huo Tingzhou gave them some food and drinks.
After instructing Sui Sui and Zhao Zhao to take good care of the children, the two made an excuse and went to the study on the second floor together.
Even through the thick door, you could hear the children's startled exclamations.
When the television news officially started airing, the two little ones even acted as temporary narrators.
"Look, these are the drawings my mother made!"
"Look, look! This is an elevator! My sister and I have both ridden it. It went upstairs in a flash!"
"Isn't my mom amazing!"
Clearly, all the children present took these words to heart and told their families about them when they got home.
As a result, for a long time afterward, discussions about Jiang Si were endless in the family compound.
But most of the discussion focused on the two children.
Because the day after the tea party ended, Sui Sui and Zhao Zhao started going to kindergarten on their own with their little backpacks.
At first, everyone in the compound thought that Jiang Si and her husband were too busy to take their child to school.
Later I found out that wasn't the case.
For the first two days, Jiang Si followed him at a distance, neither too close nor too far.
Later, a familiar sister-in-law couldn't help but ask, and that's when she learned that the two children themselves insisted on not letting her send them.
Jiang Si couldn't persuade them otherwise, but she was still worried, so she had no choice but to follow them around every day to check on the situation.
After following the children for several days and finding that they were adapting well, Jiang Si gradually let go.
After the news spread, everyone was incredibly envious.
They're all about the same age, so why is there such a huge difference between them?
Even with my own child, I have to urge them three or four times to get them out of bed in the morning.
I wish someone could carry me to and from school.
And look at Chief of Staff Huo's two children—they're good-looking! They're good at studying! They're well-behaved, considerate, and sensible! They even know how to care for their mother!
They would be willing to have ten or eight children like that, let alone two!
When the topic of having children came up, some overly enthusiastic sisters-in-law started focusing their attention on Jiang Si's belly.
Logically speaking, Chief of Staff Huo's two children are already over five years old (by Chinese reckoning).
They have a good relationship and are in good financial condition, so it's time for them to have another child.
As a result, whenever Jiang Si goes out, she encounters the women in the family compound.
They are either pressured to have children by enthusiasm, or they are pulled aside to ask for parenting advice.
Jiang Si responded with a smile a few times, but after a while, she really couldn't handle it anymore.
Fortunately, there is never a shortage of fresh topics and things to talk about in the family compound.
Before long, the winds of change in the compound began to shift again.
Jiang Si was utterly stunned when she heard the news that the Ling family had divorced yet again!
At this rate, it might not be long before this person actually gets the title of "Eight-Fold Family" and goes home with it.
However, this news was a timely help for Jiang Si.
At least now when she goes out, people's attention is no longer focused on her alone.
Jiang Si immediately felt relieved.
...
Days passed by, and at the end of April, Sister Xu and her family arrived in Beijing.
Just like Jiang Si and her family before, all the large pieces of furniture and luggage in the house were packed up in advance and sent back to Beijing.
Commander Lei's transfer this time is at the same level, and with his current rank, he cannot be assigned a detached villa.
However, the house itself is also quite nice, being a two-story building as well.
The apartment has a rather unusual layout, with the staircase leading to the second floor located outdoors.
There is one household upstairs and one downstairs, and one household in the front and back yards, so they do not interfere with each other.
Because he has children at home and was worried that they would run around at night and disturb the downstairs neighbors, Commander Lei specifically chose a first-floor apartment when selecting a house.
On the day the furniture and luggage arrived, Huo Tingzhou and several of his close comrades-in-arms, including Lao Xiao, took half a day off to help.
Jiang Si also went to see it. The house was a standard two-bedroom, one-living room layout, with an area of over eighty square meters.
There was no concept of shared area back then, and this size was enough for their family of four to live in.
After all, the child is still young. When it's time for them to live in separate rooms, Commander Lei—oh no, I should call him Director Lei now—maybe his rank will rise even higher.
After looking around, Jiang Si brought the children out.
While they were busy moving furniture and assembling beds and cabinets, Jiang Si, Teacher Hu, and the Wei Dong and Wei Min brothers worked together to tidy up the vegetable garden in the yard.
The two little ones were also busy, carrying water bottles and working like little bees.
After rushing around, by the time Sister Xu and her family arrived in Beijing, the house was almost ready and the vegetable seeds had been sown.
Saying it's "move-in ready" is a bit of an exaggeration, but it certainly saved them a lot of trouble.
Perhaps because of her pregnancy, Mrs. Xu became particularly sentimental.
That day was filled with both tears and laughter, which brought tears to Jiang Si's eyes several times as well.
In the evening, several families had a housewarming dinner together at Lei's house, and Teacher Hu even made a special seaweed jelly.
This stuff tastes good, but it's too troublesome to prepare; you have to scrub and wash it repeatedly.
Coconuts were unavailable in Beijing, and brown sugar was believed to improve blood circulation, but since Mrs. Xu was pregnant, she didn't dare to use it.
"I added a little milk powder to it," Teacher Hu said, serving each of them a bowl. "Try it and see if it tastes the same as before."
Upon hearing this, Jiang Si scooped up a piece with a spoon and put it in her mouth.
The familiar taste—cool, crisp, and with a subtle milky aroma—instantly brought her back to a few years ago.
She had just arrived on Qiongzhou Island and was unfamiliar with the place and its people.
Just like today, the men were busy moving things and tidying up their new home, so Teacher Hu took her and Aunt Xu to his own home.
That was also the first time she had ever tasted agar jelly.
Unexpectedly, four years have passed in the blink of an eye.
Now, all three families have undergone significant changes.
Some got promoted, and some had children.
Fortunately, fate seemed to have drawn a circle, bringing these families together again in the same residential compound.
While eating seaweed jelly and chatting about the past and present, Jiang Si couldn't help but feel emotional.
The other two sisters-in-law shared the same idea.
Finally, when Jiang Si said that in 1978, her family of four would return to Qiongzhou Island to revisit the place.
Sister Hu and Sister Xu smiled at each other, their eyes both revealing the same longing.
"That would be wonderful!" Sister Xu said with a smile, supporting her slightly protruding belly. "We'll go together then."
"Yes, let's bring the kids along, see the place we used to live, and go beachcombing together again."
“Okay, it’s a deal!” Jiang Si nodded with a smile.
And so, a ten-year agreement was reached!
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