The following days, Chen Lan didn't go hunting again, focusing on watching the children in the car and observing the physical reactions of the dragon and phoenix twins after their vaccinations. Seeing that the two little ones ate and slept as usual, Chen Lan was relieved.
She gave the two babies another dose of Hepatitis B vaccine. After observing them in the car for a few more days, the twins were doing well with no adverse reactions. She planned to observe them for a few more days before giving them the oral attenuated polio vaccine.
While Chen Lan was playing the role of children's supervisor in the car, Wen Rou Niang and Xiao Shan Niang went to the mountains with their mother-in-law to dig wild herbs and collect mushrooms and firewood a few times. Both women found it quite interesting.
Chen Lan felt that her mother should go out with her mother-in-law and the others, not always stay in the car to watch the children. Her mother deserved her own life and hobbies, and shouldn't waste time for others. Sudannovel.com
One day, Wen Rou Niang went with her mother-in-law and the others to water the vegetable patch in the mountain valley. After weeding, they returned from the hot springs.
As soon as Wen Rou Niang entered the car, she saw Chen Lan teaching the twins, Jia Hui and Jia Yao, to crawl. The babies' little faces were flushed with exertion. Her mother's heart ached, and she stepped forward, picking up one child in each arm. Chen Lan quickly took Jia Yao, as the little chubby boy was heavier than Jia Hui.
Wen Rou Niang began to complain, "You are a mother, yet you don't pity the children at all. Look at their little faces, they're all red from exhaustion, and their little noses are sweating."
Chen Lan remained silent, listening to her mother's nagging, maintaining a good attitude and nodding occasionally to show she was listening attentively.
As she was speaking, her mother suddenly changed the subject, "Lan'er, today your mother-in-law and I went to see our new house. It's not built yet, and it's not decorated, so we can't see much now. But I noticed the front and back yards are quite large. What do you plan to plant in such big yards?"
Chen Lan replied, "In the backyard, I plan to plant a ring of roses to form a hedge. Their branches and stems have thorns that can prevent small animals, snakes, and the like, from the mountains from entering the yard and harming the children.
I'll also plant a few prickly ash trees. The prickly ash trees also have sharp thorns that can prevent animals from entering the yard. In the fall, we can also harvest the fruits for cooking."
"In the front yard, on both sides of the main gate, I'll plant a large area of wolfberry to form a hedge. Wolfberry is quite drought-tolerant and cold-resistant. It flowers and fruits at the same time, with a long flowering period from May to October. The fruits, wolfberries, are also very famous medicinal ingredients for health and beauty."
"Mom, what do you think of this arrangement?"
Wen Rou Niang said, "I don't know much about these things, but what you've said sounds very sensible. As long as it's good for the children! Then, we'll do as you say! However, Lan'er, it's already May. Shouldn't these roses and wolfberry bushes be planted now?"
Chen Lan quickly replied, "I'll take Ming Wei, Zhao Xiaoyue, and Hu Yuzhen to the mountains tomorrow to find them."
Wen Rou Niang muttered softly, "I really don't understand what you young people think. There are so many beautiful flowers, why do you only like roses?"
Chen Lan explained, "Mom, you don't know? Actually, rose flowers have many interesting flower meanings. Different colors of roses represent different meanings!"
When Wen Rou Niang heard Chen Lan say this, she immediately became interested!
She quickly asked, "Lan'er, what's the story behind this? Tell me quickly?"
Chen Lan didn't keep her in suspense and quickly said,
"Actually, the overall flower meaning of roses is beautiful love, longing for love, and virtue.
But there are many colors of roses, and people have given different meanings to roses of different colors.
Red roses represent passionate love;
White roses represent pure love;
Purple roses represent vows of love;
Yellow roses represent eternal smiles;
Dark red roses represent I only want to be with you;
Pink roses represent I want to spend my life with you;
Black roses represent magnificent love, despairing love;
Blue roses represent despair;
I only like another meaning of roses, which is: even if the world is occasionally cold, the heart should still be full of flowers. A deep understanding, a light letting go. When roses bloom, the world is full of flowers, gentle, and romantic.
After listening to Chen Lan's words, Wen Rou Niang pondered for a long time and nodded, "I also like another meaning of roses: no matter how indifferent the world may be, the heart should still be full of splendor."
Now it is May, the season for rose propagation by cuttings. Chen Lan decided to take Ming Wei, Zhao Xiaoyue, and Hu Yuzhen with her to the mountains tomorrow to find the tender branches of the most blooming and vibrant roses for cuttings.
Roses are relatively drought-tolerant and not demanding in terms of soil. Generally, loose, fertile sandy soil mixed with some rotten leaves and grass from the mountains will increase fertility.
Roses are also relatively cold-resistant, able to survive in temperatures as low as minus twenty degrees Celsius and can overwinter outdoors in the cold winter.
The next day, after breakfast, Chen Lan said goodbye to Wen Rou Niang and her mother-in-law. She then took Ming Wei, Zhao Xiaoyue, and Hu Yuzhen, each with a pair of pruning shears, a machete, and a basket on their backs, and headed into the mountains towards the forest.
Chen Lan remembered that there were many varieties of rose bushes along the road to the hot springs, so she decided to take them there to search. They quickly found a patch of rose bushes with deep red flowers. Chen Lan told everyone that the meaning of deep red roses is "I only want to be with you!" She asked if they wanted to plant them in their yards. The three women blushed.
Seeing that they were a bit shy, Chen Lan didn't say much more. She changed the subject and demonstrated how to prune the rose branches.
"Look, for rose cuttings, you need to select tender branches about 13 centimeters long, leaving three to four small leaves at the tip; use pruning shears to cut the top flat and the bottom cut slanted downwards. This is very easy to learn."
After she finished, she looked at the rose branches the three of them had cut, and they were all good. They quickly grasped the essentials.
Then the four of them moved to several other locations and found red roses. Ming Wei asked, "Sister-in-law, what does the meaning of red roses represent?"
Chen Lan looked at her and smiled, "Red roses represent passionate love!"
Ming Wei's small face instantly turned red! Chen Lan felt a bit puzzled.
Then the four of them found pink roses, white roses, and yellow roses. Seeing that they wanted to know the meanings of these colors but were too shy to ask, Chen Lan said without them asking, "White roses represent pure love; yellow roses represent eternal smiles; pink roses represent I want to spend my life with you."
As the four walked back, they chatted idly and soon arrived at the site where the house was being built.
Chen Lan explained to the three of them while demonstrating,
"Before inserting rose cuttings, sterilize them with potassium permanganate solution, then rinse them with clean water; insert them about five centimeters deep. After planting, be careful not to water them too much. Roses are relatively drought-tolerant, so don't water them too much, as too much water can cause root rot. They should root and sprout in about twenty days."