Chapter 42
The park is rather simple these days and the management is not very good, but it is a rare summer vacation and Sunday, so there are quite a few tourists visiting today, either families or young couples.
Jiang Yao chose a lawn with shade from trees, and then instructed Lu Che to spread out the mat, then put the small mat on it, and finally let the brother and sister lie on it.
The two little guys were lying on a cool bamboo mat, with the sunlight from overhead shining through the gaps between the leaves onto them, allowing them to enjoy the cool breeze and bask in the sun at the same time.
This was their first time going out for a trip and they were full of curiosity about this new world. Their two pairs of eyes were so busy that they were overwhelmed and would occasionally turn over in excitement when they saw something.
Jiang Yao took the opportunity to give the brother and sister "early education" by pointing to the scenery and things near and far, and patiently telling them what this was and what that was.
Lu Che was not idle either. He fanned the mother and her two daughters with one hand, while keeping an eye out for mosquitoes and ants approaching them. Once he found any, he would immediately drive them away.
As for Zhu Xia and Zhang Dong, they sat on the other side, with a distance of at least fifty centimeters between them.
Zhu Xia was shy to begin with, and she was "forced" to hug Zhang Dong several times on the road just now, so she absolutely dared not look him in the eye. She could only occasionally look at the scenery, and occasionally look at the brother and sister "ya ya ya" talking bird language.
Zhang Dong was a bit bolder, but he had never been in a relationship before and was still a pure boy. He wanted to look at Zhu Xia but didn't dare to look at her openly, so he could only peek at her. He wanted to say something, but because Lu Che and Jiang Yao were there, he was afraid of making a fool of himself, so he remained silent after sitting down.
However, things soon found a breakthrough because the little deer was hungry and started to become restless lying on the mat, making a fuss just because it wanted to drink milk.
It was impossible for Jiang Yao to breastfeed in public, and there were no facilities like mother-and-child rooms in this era. Lu Che walked around the area and came back and said, "There is a more private place behind the rockery. I'll take you and Xiaolu there."
"Okay." Jiang Yao picked up Xiaolu. Just as Lu Che was about to pick up Changchang, he heard Zhu Xia say, "How about I take Changchang with me first? If he sees that his sister has food but he doesn't, he will make a fuss and that will be troublesome."
In fact, she was not good at taking care of children. Her only experience came from taking care of twins several times before. But when she thought about the four of them running away and only her and Zhang Dong being left, she felt nervous and had to let her godson stay to ease the awkward atmosphere.
"Okay." Jiang Yao agreed with a smile, "Then I'll trouble you two to help look after Changchang, and practice taking care of a baby in advance, so that you don't have to rush when you take care of yourself."
"..." Zhu Xia's face turned red instantly, and Zhang Dong turned his face to the side and secretly raised the corners of his lips.
The secret place that Lu Che found was not far away, just a few steps away, but it was too deep and basically no tourists would come in, so it was indeed very suitable for breastfeeding.
Jiang Yao adjusted the position of holding the little deer, then lifted up her clothes, and the little guy quickly and happily began to drink milk.
There was nothing to block the sun above his head, but fortunately Lu Che was prepared and opened the umbrella over his head, bringing instant shade and coolness.
"You are so smart. You even know to bring an umbrella to protect the sun." Jiang Yao said.
Lu Che: "No, I brought an umbrella to protect you, in case someone up there saw you."
"...Where is the person up there?" Jiang Yao asked in confusion.
Lu Che: "Maybe there will be a plane flying by."
“……”How can a plane fly so low?
Jiang Yao patted the little deer gently, and when she was full, she fell asleep.
"Let me hold it." Lu Che put down the umbrella temporarily and took the little deer from Jiang Yao's arms.
Xiaolu usually sleeps very soundly, so Jiang Yao is not afraid of waking her up by moving. After successfully "shaking her hands", she moved her wrists and said, "This little girl is getting fatter and fatter. I can hardly hold her."
"Where is he fat?" Lu Che disagreed, "Our little deer is skinny."
"..." Jiang Yao looked at her daughter's exposed hands and feet, which were as white and tender as lotus roots, and couldn't help but twitch her lips. If this is considered thin, then who can be considered fat?
Sure enough, there is a kind of thinness called "my dad thinks I'm very thin."
"Wife, open the umbrella and come closer." Lu Che said.
"Are you still sitting here?" Jiang Yao was thinking about Changchang, and thought he must be hungry too.
"It's okay for a boy to be hungry." Lu Che held the girl in one hand, and with his free hand he hooked Jiang Yao's shoulders and hugged her into his arms. "It's a rare opportunity to go out, and there's someone to help take care of the baby, so let's just spend some time alone together."
Jiang Yao also enjoyed this peaceful moment, but she still wanted to interrupt him, "This is not a world for two of us, you are definitely hugging each other."
"Look at you, you're jealous of your daughter again." Lu Che said, "My daughter is my daughter, and my wife is my wife. How can my love for my child be the same as my love for you? Okay, I'll give you a kiss, don't be angry."
"I'm not angry..."
Before Jiang Yao could finish her words, her lips were blocked.
They kissed a lot on a regular basis, but most of the time it was confined to the room, and occasionally they would seek some excitement in the kitchen.
It was the first time we kissed in the park. Although the location was very private, I could still hear the sound of children playing in the distance. This sneaky feeling really made me feel... unable to stop.
Soon, the two of them were kissing passionately. If it weren't for the little deer in his arms, Lu Che would have pressed Jiang Yao down on the stone slab.
The sound of Xiaolu's sleeping breathing flowed softly, but was soon drowned out by the sound of passionate kissing. Jiang Yao was really worried that she would wake her daughter up.
"cough……"
A light cough suddenly came from behind, instantly breaking the affection in the air, and Jiang Yao pushed Lu Che away reflexively.
Before she could turn around, she heard Zhang Dong say, "I don't want to interrupt you, but Changchang is making a lot of noise. He must be very hungry. No matter how Zhu Xia tries to comfort him, it's useless."
"You guys get ready, I'll go and bring Changchang over." After saying that, he ran away quickly.
Because of this episode, when Changchang finished drinking milk and returned to the base camp, everyone was so awkward that they didn't know what to say. Coincidentally, the brother and sister fell asleep at this time, so Lu Che used the excuse of taking them back first and asked Zhang Dong and Zhu Xia to go to the county town for a stroll.
Zhang Dong was a little embarrassed in the morning, but now he was stimulated by the kiss between Lu Che and Jiang Yao.
He desperately wanted to have a wife, so that he could hold her in his arms and kiss her like Lu Che did. That must be a great feeling.
After packing up their things, everyone rode away on their bikes, and when they reached the park entrance, they waved and said goodbye.
After that day, Jiang Yao did not specifically ask Zhu Xia how she and Zhang Dong were getting along. After all, a relationship that had just begun needed more time and space to develop, and it was not convenient for outsiders to interfere.
Soon, September arrived and the brother and sister were five months old. They were very keen on sitting recently and I guess they will be able to sit steadily soon.
Jiang Yao leads a quiet life at home with her two children, while outside in the fields, the work of transplanting rice seedlings is in full swing.
Lu Che finally didn't have to work so hard this year. To be exact, the entire Lu family didn't have to suffer this hardship. Ever since Jiang Yao gave birth to twins, she stopped doing farm work and even the handicrafts she used to do.
Since they no longer rely on the production team for food, Lu Dazhou naturally would not assign farm work to the Lu family anymore.
In fact, the food Lu Che distributed every month was not enough for the family's food rations, but if it was not enough, he could just go and buy some. Anyway, it was impossible to let the old lady and Jiang Yao go to the fields.
That day, when Lu Che came home from work, Jiang Yao was playing with the brother and sister in the living room. She heard some noise, so she stuck her head out and saw two bicycles parked at home.
"Whose bicycle is that?" Jiang Yao asked, pointing at the bicycle by the wall.
Lu Che: "Zhang Dong said there was something wrong with the bearings and asked me to help take a look."
"Zhang Dong?" Jiang Yao asked in confusion, "How did you get his bicycle back?"
"He rode here by himself, and now he's helping Zhu Xia plant rice."
"..." Lu Che's calm words were like a stone thrown into the lake. Jiang Yao was surprised and happy, and asked, "Are they together?"
“I don’t know.”
Compared to other people's love gossip, Lu Che was obviously more interested in repairing bicycles.
"It must be." Jiang Yao said firmly.
They dared to help Zhu Xia with farm work without any scruples. Wasn't that indirectly announcing their relationship?
Although Jiang Yao really wanted to find Zhu Xia to ask, she thought about the busy farming season and that everyone else was so tired after work that they just wanted to sleep, so she decided not to disturb her for the time being.
However, Zhu Xia was even more impatient than Jiang Yao. A few days after the busy farming season was over, she couldn't wait to come to the door to explain the situation.
"Zhang Dong and I went back to meet his parents yesterday. His parents are quite satisfied with me." Zhu Xia smiled shyly, "Next month he will go back to the provincial capital with me to meet my parents. If they have no objection, then we will be settled."
After saying that, she became a little nervous again, "Do you think it's too fast?"
"Do you think I have the right to say you are fast?" Jiang Yao asked with a smile.
"That's right. With the speed you and Lu Che are running at, Zhang Dong and I can't catch up with you." Zhu Xia said, thinking of Du Yuejia's disappointed look when she met her this morning, and said with emotion: "It's a bit fast, but isn't this a sign that a man wants to be responsible for you?"
"Wow, now that you're in a relationship, you can say such meaningful words?" Jiang Yao joked.
"I didn't say that." Zhu Xia said, "Du Yuejia said that. I actually feel sorry for her, especially when compared with you, her former 'rival in love'. She's just too miserable!"
"...What does it have to do with me?" Jiang Yao snorted, "What happened to Du Yuejia?"
"What can we do at this age? Of course we want to get married." Zhu Xia said as a matter of course.
It turned out that Zhao Pengfei's parents still hadn't accepted Du Yuejia. They were 19 when they first started dating, but time flies by, and in a few months, they will be 21.
21 years old may not be a big deal for men, but for women of this era, it is the beginning of becoming a leftover woman.
If Du Yuejia didn't have a partner, her family could introduce her to someone, but she already has one and has been dragging her feet on getting married.
Let her break up with Zhao Pengfei and find someone else, but her stepmother, Du Yuejiao's biological mother, often boasted in front of outsiders that she was dating Zhao Pengfei, the son of the director of a state-owned factory. It is impossible for her to secretly find a partner now as if she has no emotional experience.
Because of this, no matter whether Zhao Pengfei and Du Yuejia had developed into a real husband and wife relationship, others would definitely think that they had already reached that stage. After all, they had been together in the countryside for almost two years, and it was hard to believe that there was nothing going on.
Of course, Du Yuejiao's marriage to the director of the Revolutionary Committee put her under a lot of pressure. No matter how old this brother-in-law was, he held an official position and arranged jobs for Du Yuejiao and her brother. She was now the most useless person in the entire Du family.
"Then she should go and fight with Zhao Pengfei. It's not a good idea to sulk all day like this."
Jiang Yao always felt that Zhao Pengfei was a bit of a mama's boy. It was true that he liked Du Yuejia, but it was also true that he didn't want to make his parents angry. Moreover, he was raised by a family and was very proud. Of course, he didn't want his marriage to be laughed at by outsiders, which was why he kept dragging it out.
He wanted to wait until his parents fully accepted Du Yuejia, and then get married happily, so that everyone would be happy.
"I guess she has tried to do it, but we are women after all, and it is not a big deal to keep asking for it." Zhu Xia sighed and said, "Fortunately, Zhang Dong's parents like me very much, otherwise I would have become the second Du Yuejia. To be honest, I may not have the courage to wait like her."
"Stop sighing all the time." Jiang Yao said, "If you didn't know, you would have thought it was you who was opposed by your parents."
"That's right." Zhu Xia stood up and said, "I'm going to the county town to send a letter to my parents. Do you have anything for me to bring... Forget it, just pretend I didn't ask. I almost forgot that your Lu Che goes to the county town to work every day."
"Who said there are no more?" Jiang Yao said, "Can you help me check if there are any letters or packages? My brother and sister Qing's letters should have arrived soon. When Lu Che gets off work, the post office is also closed."
"Okay, no problem. I'll make sure to bring it back to you if I have it."
At noon, Zhu Xia came back from the county town and brought two large packages and two letters to Jiang Yao.
These packages and letters were sent by Lu Qing and Jiang Zhen. The packages contained some local specialties. Jiang Yao put them away and opened the letters only after the brother and sister fell asleep.
Jiang Zhen's letter was just as usual, covering two large pages. Jiang Yao read to the end, but she didn't see what she wanted to see. For example, he was dating someone, or he liked a girl, nothing.
In her previous life, her grandparents worried about her personal problems. Now she finally experienced that feeling and was worried about her brother's personal problems.
There is no good news from Jiang Zhen, but there is good news from Lu Qing.
In September this year, she successfully joined the military camp's children's school and became a primary school mathematics teacher. She entered the school with Zhou Yang and Zhou Xin, and the two little guys have been promoted to primary school students.
But what surprised and delighted her was the last paragraph of the letter. Lu Qing was pregnant, and it was unexpected. She said that she had taken all the precautions, but she didn't know why she got pregnant again.
At first Zhou Jin didn't want her to suffer, so he didn't plan to have another child. But now that she's pregnant, it's impossible not to have the baby. He should just treat it as a gift from God.
Jiang Yao told the old lady the good news. The old lady was very happy. She looked at the photo of the old man and kept muttering that she was going to be a grandmother again.
In the evening, when Lu Che came back and heard the news, his first reaction was to say, "My brother-in-law must have been reluctant to buy a condom and reused it without even noticing it broke. I must be more careful in the future and never let such an accident happen again."
Jiang Yao: “…” I have to say, someone really keeps in mind the famous adage “Better safe than sorry” in this regard.
In this age of material scarcity, condoms can be reused after cleaning, but in order to avoid accidents, Mr. Lu would rather spend a little more money and insist on using it only once.
Since Lu Qing is pregnant now and it is inconvenient to purchase from the military camp, Jiang Yao asked Lu Che to get a few more cans of malted milk when he goes to the provincial capital next time to buy goods and send them to her to replenish her body.
"No problem, I'll go to a few more stores and bring back some more. Xiaolu and Changchang are also going to stop breastfeeding." Lu Che said, glancing at a certain part of Jiang Yao's body and announcing, "From now on, that place will only be mine. They are my children and no one can take it away from them."
"..." Haha... What's going on about breast milk not being enough nutritionally for over six months old? That's all just nonsense driven by one's own selfish desires.
As soon as Changchang and Xiaolu turned half a year old, Big Brother Lu began to strictly implement the plan to stop breastfeeding. I don’t know if it was because the malted milk was too fragrant, or the siblings understood their father’s thoughts too well, anyway, the transition from breast milk to malted milk plus complementary food was very smooth.
On the other hand, Zhang Dong and Zhu Xia's trip to the provincial capital to meet their future father-in-law and mother-in-law went smoothly.
The Zhu family is just an ordinary family in the provincial capital without any background. It is impossible to bring Zhu Xia back to the provincial capital. Instead of letting her waste her time and become an old maid, it is better to marry her off early.
What's more, Zhang Dong's conditions were beyond their expectations. After all, they had already made the worst-case scenario plan for their daughter to marry into the countryside.
Now that both parents agree, the couple is in love and not young anymore, marriage is naturally put on the agenda.
As soon as the date was set, Zhu Xia came over to tell Jiang Yao, "Go get the marriage certificate on November 9th, and have a drink on the 12th."
"There's still half a month left, is it enough time to prepare?" Jiang Yao asked and then felt that she had said something nonsense. From the time she decided to get married to the time she held the wedding banquet, it took about three days.
"It's a bit rushed." Zhu Xia said, "But Zhang Dong said that he wanted to transfer my household registration to his place before the busy farming season in December, so I don't have to participate in the rush to harvest. You also know how hard it is to rush to harvest."
"Oh... Zhang Dong is really kind-hearted, isn't he?" Jiang Yao teased, "It looks like he found the right person. We need to get married quickly, or else he'll be snatched away."
"Okay, stop teasing me. When it comes to loving your wife, your Lu Che is second to none. I don't dare to expect too much from Zhang Dong. It's enough if he can be half as good as Lu Che." Zhu Xia said, and suddenly sighed, "Yaoyao, I'm actually quite uncertain right now."
"Why?" Jiang Yao asked.
Zhu Xia: "After my household registration was transferred out, I no longer had to do farm work, but that meant I had no work to do. Mr. Zhang was okay, but he wasn't particularly good. It was too difficult for him to find a job for me in the city. Besides, there were several daughters-in-law in the Zhang family, so if they could find a job for me, they had to find someone else. He said he would support me, but I didn't make any money, so I always felt uneasy."
Jiang Yao could understand her feelings very well, but now that she was busy taking care of the children, she felt that she was not worthless, and she felt at ease.
"You can't force work, just take it one step at a time." Jiang Yao didn't have any good ideas, so she could only say, "If it doesn't work out, learn from me and give birth to and raise children. When the children grow up and opportunities come, it will be easier for us to grab them."
"That's all we can do."
"Don't think too far ahead. Prepare for the wedding, especially the new clothes. It's the only time in a lifetime, so you have to make them beautiful."
"I almost forgot if you hadn't mentioned it." Zhu Xia said, "The dress you wore at your wedding was very beautiful. Can you help me see what kind of dress I want to make would be more beautiful?"
"You..." Jiang Yao looked Zhu Xia up and down and said, "Your figure is similar to mine. Let's make a slim-fitting dress for you."
"Okay, but unfortunately I don't know how to do it. Can you help me do it?" Zhu Xia said flatteringly.
"Of course." Jiang Yao said, "Be a good person to the end. I have introduced a man to you, so how can I not make a skirt for you?"
"That's right. I'm going to buy fabric with Zhang Dong tomorrow. I'll come find you after I get it."
In the next few days, Jiang Yao was busy not only helping Zhu Xia make her wedding dress, but also making a new set of clothes for Changchang and Xiaolu.
Zhang Dong invited many leaders and workers from the electromechanical factory to attend the wedding banquet. This was the first time for her and her brother and sister to participate in an event at the electromechanical factory as Lu Che's family members. Apart from anything else, their clothing and appearance must not embarrass him.
That night, after the child fell asleep, Jiang Yao got up from the bed, sat in front of the sewing machine, and started making clothes.
Lu Che came in after taking a shower and frowned as he looked at his wife's busy back.
He sat on the bed, wiped his hair and said, "Wife, stop working, let's do it tomorrow."
"No." Jiang Yao said without looking back, "I'm going to a wedding the day after tomorrow. I have to make it tonight and try it on tomorrow. If it doesn't fit, I'll change it immediately."
"How can the little baby's clothes be inappropriate?" Lu Che continued to shout, "Wife, come here quickly."
"Keep your voice down. If you wake the child up, how will I be able to make clothes?" Jiang Yao turned her head and spoke in a low voice, but her eyes were wide open, full of warning.
"Sure enough, my child is more important than me now." Lu Che said resentfully, "Your relative stayed away for a few days, and finally left today. Why don't you come over and hug me?"
"..." Jiang Yao knew exactly what that person meant. She also knew that he had been holding it in for several days, so she said in the name of negotiation: "Give me another half an hour, it will definitely be better in half an hour."
"That's fine." Lu Che said indifferently, "Then I'll tell you the good news in half an hour."
"What good news?" Jiang Yao's addiction was instantly aroused by him.
"Come here, I'll tell you if you come over." Lu Che hooked his finger at her.
"Wait for me..." Before she could finish her sentence, he began to take off his shirt, revealing his muscular chest and abdominal muscles. "Forget it, I'm going to sleep first."
As he spoke, he seriously did two chest expansion exercises.
Jiang Yao couldn't help swallowing. She knew she was spineless, but she still went over obediently.
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Guess what the good news is?
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