Besides caring for his wife, Lianshan also had to juggle the needs of the two children, and manage all the big and small tasks at the hospital. A pile of trivial matters kept him busy throughout the day and night. Fortunately, when Shuzhen gave birth to Lian En, he also took care of things bit by bit, like an expert. Plus, Lin Jianguo, who was eager to befriend them, helped with errands like fetching water and buying meals.
If it weren’t for this, Lianshan would really have struggled to keep up.
The sons and daughters may not look anything like twins, but they truly came from the same womb, didn’t they?
Crying together, hungry together, fussing endlessly together—these two were no exception!
By the next morning, after a whole night of chaos, Lianshan prepared breakfast for everyone in the ward as an apology for disrupting everyone’s rest.
Er Niu, a big fan of Shuzhen, and Lin Jianguo, who was grateful and keen on bonding with Lianshan and his wife, of course said nothing serious, smiling as they enjoyed breakfast and promised to treat them to lunch. Even the formidable duo, known for their apparent aloofness, brushed it off lightly, saying that kids being noisy is to be expected, surprising both Lianshan and Shuzhen with their reactions.
While chatting after the meal, the mother-daughter duo subtly inquired about the "Worm Cultivation Handbook," high-yield cabbage and radish seeds, and ways to grow cotton in the Northeast. That’s when the couple realized: their indifference stemmed from having something they wanted to ask for.
According to them, theirs was a military family; generations have served the nation. Even the unborn baby was a reserve for the Republic.
Now that the young wife’s husband reached the level where he could apply for family accompaniment, she was just waiting for the baby to be a hundred days old before traveling far to find her husband!
She wasn’t very well-educated either, destined to be a housewife once there, looking after the child.
One earner with three mouths to feed, even the best situations can get tight.
Especially since their foundation wasn’t particularly wealthy to begin with.
They heard their place was similar to here, a bungalow with a small garden for growing vegetables and raising chickens, hence their interest in worm cultivation for feeding, high-yield cabbage, radish, and cotton farming. But being accustomed to being a cadre’s family, they couldn’t just open up, even if they wanted to desperately. With Lianshan laying a ladder before them, why would they pass it up?
Hesitant, they inquired, stating they were willing to pay and that the price could be set by Lianshan’s couple. After all, cabbage, radish seeds, all these could yield a big crop; even if it cost ten yuan per pound, so what? A fair trade also spared them from being reprimanded with discipline and caution by the father-son duo back home.
Since they spoke up, Shuzhen couldn’t really refuse outright. Supporting the military was fashionable now, with emphasis on the harmonious relationship between soldiers and civilians. Promoting ecological farming and high-yield produce, after all, was beneficial!
Since experiencing miraculous events, rebirths, and otherworldly powers, Shuzhen became proactive about doing good and accumulating virtue. She never turned down a chance to help a family or many benefit from her contribution.
She smiled, saying, "Auntie, why mention money? Being in the same ward, we’re like sisters. Even the smallest matters, bringing up money would be uncalled for. Soldiers and civilians are one family; they help each other like fish and water! When my brothers visit, I’ll have them bring some seeds over. As for worm farming and cotton methods, I can start explaining now!"
The supportive duo, or rather the Wang family aunt and the Wang family’s daughter-in-law Liu Ye’er, thanked her repeatedly and paid close attention to her talk.
Getting into the details of worm bed setups, feeding, precautions for feeding chickens, poultry disease prevention, and management, as well as cotton seedling care, transplanting, and pinching tips—there was so much to cover. The Wang family aunt even stepped out to buy writing supplies for her daughter-in-law, who had at least basic literacy, to jot down what Shuzhen said.
When their brother-in-law, Liu Shouren and Liu Shouyi, who worried about their sister not returning overnight, arrived on the first bus, they found her eloquently advising both families’ pregnant women and their kin, who listened intently, raising hands like school children whenever they had a question. Anything requiring careful attention was duly noted.
"Whoa, impressive, sis! You’re even conducting lectures right in the hospital! But talking about worm farming nowadays, you’re a bit behind the times, eh? Everyone, from nearby places to the city and province, has booklets and raises chickens! You should focus more on selling chicken, duck, and goose eggs rapidly," Liu Shouyi jested, his voice full of playful banter.
The Wang family women felt embarrassed, living in the city with no space or conditions for side hustles, naturally overlooking livestock matters, making them feel guilty for having a newly-delivered mom give them extensive teachings.
Before Shuzhen could respond, Liu Shouren exclaimed upon spotting the sleeping twins on the neighboring bed, "What, they were born yesterday? I left home early with no signs of labor, and now they’re here?"
"Wrong, it was yesterday! Congratulations, elder brother, you’ve got a new nephew and niece!" Shuzhen laughed, correcting him. "How was that? Born on the sixteenth of the first month, a proper date for your nephew and niece’s birthdays, right?"
Upon hearing their sister had successfully delivered a pair of auspicious dragon-phoenix twins the day before, the two "sisters’ protector" brothers were overjoyed. They promptly moved closer to have a good look at their new niece and nephew. But upon unveiling the swaddle, here lay a plump one and a wrinkly one, strikingly contrasting, with no trace of similarity—the Liu brothers were shocked!
Where’s that identical match they promised?
Liu Shouyi, the impatient one who could never hold his tongue, looked at the plump nephew, then at the wrinkly niece and widened his suspecting eyes, "The contrast is so obvious, are these two kids really twins? Elder brother’s vision is bad; sis, don’t trick me!"