When the three siblings arrived at the compartment, Ming Wei and Ming Zhe had already divided the candies and pastries. Seeing Chen Lan and her two younger siblings approach, the two younger siblings called out, "Eldest sister-in-law!" and then greeted Wen Kai and Wen Qi.
Ming Zhe waved his little hand proudly and said, "I supervised my sister's distribution, and every portion is the same. I've packed up the extra ones separately for Little Stone and will keep them with Big Sister-in-law until he gets home." With that, he picked up a portion for Wen Kai, then another for Wen Qi, picked up one for himself, and quickly peeled the wrapper off a white rabbit candy, popped it into his mouth, and savored its sweet creaminess, closing his eyes in bliss. "It's so delicious!" Ming Wei picked up her own portion, took Ming Zhe's hand, and said goodbye to Chen Lan and her siblings.
The three siblings entered the inner bedroom. Chen Lan saw that the twins were fast asleep on the bed. She went over to cover them with the quilt and then sat down at the table in the room. She asked the two brothers, "What gifts do you two want the most?"
"Ah! There are really gifts?" Wen Kai and Wen Qi asked in unison.
"We thought Eldest Sister was just saying that? Hehe!"
"You don't believe Eldest Sister that much?"
Wen Kai said, "Eldest Sister, I want a Nine-Link Puzzle. We used to have one at home in the capital."
Wen Qi said, "I want a pull-string puppet."
Chen Lan was stunned for a moment, then understood. They must mean marionettes, just called by a different name.
"What does Mother want? Do any of you know?"
Wen Qi shook his head. Wen Kai thought for a moment and said, "Mother said it's only possible to tell time by the sun in the countryside. It's very inconvenient for us to go to school without a clock to tell time."
"Mm, I see! What about Grandma Liu?"
Wen Qi said, "When Grandma Liu makes shoes for me, she always says her eyes are blurry, and her legs ache when it rains."
Chen Lan reached out and stroked Wen Qi's soft hair. "Mm! Good child, Grandma Liu didn't dote on you in vain!"
"Do either of you know what anyone else wants?"
Wen Kai said, "Ming Zhe wants a hoop."
Wen Qi said, "Sister Ming Wei wants a pair of leather shoes."
"Aunt Xu (mother-in-law) wants Brother-in-law to return home safely." As soon as he said it, Wen Qi immediately shut his mouth, his eyes nervously darting away from Chen Lan, not daring to look at her.
Chen Lan gently stroked his head and comforted him, "It's okay, sister isn't unhappy. Sister believes your brother-in-law will return home safely sooner or later!" Alright, tell me about everyone else's wishes. Finally, Chen Lan wrote down the list of gifts to prepare on a piece of paper and then arranged for the two brothers to take a nap in the compartment.
Chen Lan leaned gently against the bed and let out a long sigh. She hadn't stopped being busy since she woke up this morning and had been working until now. She really wanted to sleep for a while; she was so tired! She was tired but couldn't stop! She had to buy the gifts quickly.
Gentle Mother: A Swiss Mido watch
Grandma Liu: Reading glasses, liniment for rheumatism, aspirin
Wen Kai: Nine-Link Puzzle
Wen Qi: Marionette
Grandmother: Tremella, lotus seeds, rock sugar, brown sugar, bird's nest, a pair of large gold bracelets
Ming Wei: A pair of size 35 cowhide shoes
Ming Zhe: Hoop, wooden toy gun (Chen Lan felt a hoop was a bit perfunctory and added the gun temporarily).
Er Hu: He has always wanted to give his new bride jewelry, gold cloves (cannot be worn now, can be kept for descendants).
San Shuan Zi: Fountain pen and ink, size 41 black leather shoes.
Steward Uncle De: Fountain pen and ink, size 43 black leather shoes.
Mama Cui: Tremella, lotus seeds, rock sugar, brown sugar, a pair of silver bracelets.
Sister Cui Hua: A pair of gold cloves.
Little Stone: Milk powder, milk candy, small cakes, a pair of silver bracelets.
Buy, buy, buy! Chen Lan didn't dare to look at her account balance; it hurt her heart! To successfully trick them all into farming with her, Chen Lan went all out. The items were stored in the system's warehouse first and would be taken out later. Now she had to get some sleep.
Chen Lan closed her eyes and quickly fell asleep, still sweeping and buying in her dreams! She didn't know how long she slept before Chen Lan suddenly woke up, her heart pounding. She felt even more tired. She quickly checked the system time; it was already 1:30 PM. She had to wake up the two younger brothers for school. After waking them and tidying them up, she sent them to the entrance of the main hall. Ming Zhe was waiting for them. After seeing the three off, Chen Lan hurried back to her room for another nap.