Wenli looked at her two well-behaved and adorable grandchildren with great joy, her love for them growing stronger with each glance. She kept saying, "Oh my, Grandma's two little darlings are so obedient! Here, this is a special third-day celebration that Grandma prepared for you."
As she spoke, she carefully took out two crystal-clear jade pendants of dragons and phoenixes from her bosom.
Seeing this, Ma Aning hurriedly reached out to stop her, anxiously calling out, "Mother, what are you doing? These two jade pendants are no ordinary items; they were passed down to you by my grandmother!"
"It's really good for the two children, but they can't take it with them right now. You need to keep it safe for them and make sure no one finds out," Wenli instructed.
Ma Aning wanted to say more, but was interrupted by the joyful voice of her daughter in her mind.
"Thank you, Grandma," Shen Xiaoxiao said silently, clutching her small hand tightly.
Wenli heard her niece's heartfelt words once again and was so excited that she wanted to reply, "You're welcome," but she held back.
"My dear grandson is always closer to his grandma. Grandma knows what you're thinking. You like this jade pendant, don't you? Grandma will put it around your neck, but don't let anyone else see it!"
Wenli immediately helped the child get dressed and hid the jade pendant around her neck inside her clothes.
Shen Xiaoxiao excitedly exclaimed, "Wow, this is top-quality jade! I love it!"
Ma Aning looked at the greedy little darling with amusement.
Shen Zishan resumed his normal routine, spending his days digging a cellar in the kitchen. Since the kitchen door was closed, no one would know, and the soil was piled up in a corner of the kitchen.
Ma Aning can rest easy now! Wenli is taking care of the children.
Aside from breastfeeding, she did everything perfectly, not letting Ma Aning touch the two little ones at all, only letting her lie in bed and properly recover after childbirth.
And so, the days passed one by one. In the blink of an eye, many days had gone by.
After all this hard work, the cellar in the kitchen is finally finished!
The original cellar in the backyard was also completely filled in, leaving not a trace.
That day, Shen Zishan looked at his feet and said thoughtfully, "Wife, it's been almost two months in the blink of an eye. I reckon my feet should be healed by now."
“Starting tomorrow, I plan to go to work with everyone. However, I'll have to trouble you, Mom, to help take care of you during your postpartum period.” After saying that, he looked at Ma Aning and Wenli expectantly.
Wenli replied readily, "Hey, why are you being so formal with me? Just go to work without worry, I'll take care of things at home!"
Hearing this, Shen Xiaoxiao quickly chimed in, "Dad, don't worry! My brother and I will definitely behave well and be good. We absolutely won't be naughty and cause Grandma any trouble!"
Shen Xiaoxiao's heart was filled with an irrepressible joy.
"Then let's get some rest early tonight. I'll take care of the kids tonight," Wenli said, carrying one child in each arm as she walked out.
Shen Xiaoxiao giggled in her arms, "Dad, Mom, you should get some rest. My brother and I will stay with Grandma."
The next day, Shen Zishan arrived at the threshing ground before the work bell rang, waiting to be assigned tasks. There were already many people standing in twos and threes at the threshing ground.
When Shen Yiyan and the others saw Shen Zishan, they quickly came over to greet him, "Shanzi, your leg is all better! Are you here to work today?"
Shen Zishan also stepped forward with a smile, "Brother Yiyan, you've arrived so early. Your leg is almost fully healed. After all, I still have to support my family, so I came to work to earn work points."
Shen Zishan and his former brothers have become close again and have been assigned to the same tasks. Although they saw the people at the old house, they ignored them and acted as if they didn't know them.
Shen Xiaoxiao was very well-behaved at home. Her grandmother would go out to wash clothes or pick vegetables and she would become friends with all the old ladies in the village, hearing all the gossip.
Back home, while chatting with Ma Aning, Shen Xiaoxiao listened with great interest, occasionally giggling out.
Ma Aning looked at her daughter helplessly, "You're so young, and you're already so gossipy. What will you be like when you grow up?"
"Mom, don't you think this gossip is interesting?" Shen Xiaoxiao's excited little voice rang in the ears of the three of them.
Shen Xiaochuan was almost asleep when her voice startled him awake.
Wenli had only been here for a few days when she discovered a magical thing about the house—the whole family could hear her niece's innocent voice!
"It's alright. Let her listen more. It will help her be more careful in the future and learn to guard against others. She must never become someone people talk about and laugh at."
"Whether it's good or bad, there will always be people who will comment, but if you get some unpleasant things said about you, it's never a pleasant feeling, right?"
Shen Xiaoxiao nodded her little head obediently and replied in her childish voice, "Grandma is absolutely right! I need to listen more so that I'll know how to talk back to those gossipy people in the future!"
In stark contrast to Shen Xiaoxiao's leisurely and carefree life, Shen Zishan was suffering unspeakably.
Having not participated in fieldwork for a long time, he found it very difficult to start working again.
After the first day, he had only earned a paltry seven work points. Seeing this, everyone came forward to comfort him with concern.
However, despite being so exhausted that he could barely move a finger, Shen Zishan forced a smile and explained to everyone.
"Don't worry, everyone. I really don't take this setback to heart. I've been working in the factory the whole time. It's understandable that I'm a little rusty when I suddenly go back to the fields. Give me a few more days, and I'll definitely get back into the swing of things!"
Shen Zishan, on the contrary, advised those who were comforting him.
Shen Zishan worked hard every day, and after a few days, he was able to complete the full work points every day.
The two children grew up day by day, their faces blossoming into adorable little babies.
"Wife, I'm back." Shen Zishan drew a bucket of water from the well and poured it directly over himself.
When Shen Xiaoxiao heard her father's voice in bed, her eyes lit up.
"Mom, Dad's back! Hurry up and take me outside. I want to sit at the table and eat with you all!" Shen Xiaoxiao was practically rolling around on the bed.
"Alright, you two can sit at the table today," Ma Aning said, doting on her daughter and wanting her to have a carefree life.
Shen Zishan took a cold shower, went back to his room to change his clothes, and then went to the dining table. "Wife, where's your mother?"
“After my mother finished making dinner for us, she left in a hurry. Before she left, she specifically told me that my father and the others would come over to deliver food to us that night, and that I should keep a close eye on them,” Ma Aning explained.
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