Chen Lan and her mother finished washing the twins, Chen Lan did not dare to feed Jiahui anything else, only sheep milk powder, and her mother fed Jiayao steamed egg custard.
Jiahui, with her chubby little hands holding the milk bottle, leaned against her mother's arms, gulping down the sheep milk, but her eyes were fixed on the egg custard bowl. Her large, grape-like eyes watched Jiayao eat the fragrant egg custard. Chen Lan knew from Jiahui's expression that she was craving egg custard again and wanted to eat it. Chen Lan dared not let her, fearing that her body had not fully recovered and would cause stomach upset.
Her mother looked at Jiahui's greedy expression and burst into laughter, saying, "Lan'er, look at this child, she doesn't pretend when she's sick at all. Look at Jiahui, not to mention how pitiful she looked last night, she was so listless just now. Now that she's a little better, her stomach is finally empty, and she's already craving again. What a little foodie!" She then poked Jiahui's little nose with her finger.
Jiahui was still young and did not know that her maternal grandmother and mother were laughing at her for being a foodie. She continued to drink milk from the bottle with her chubby little hands, her grape-like eyes staring at Jiayao's egg custard bowl. When her mother finished feeding Jiayao the last bite of egg custard and was about to wipe his mouth, Jiahui suddenly let go of the nipple and blurted out a word, "None," and then stretched out a chubby little hand, palm open.
She had learned this from her two younger uncles. A while ago, when the twins were teething and their gums were itchy, they would bite anything they got their hands on. Her mother had worried at the time that they might damage their newly emerging baby teeth.
When Wen Kai and Wen Qi saw the twins gnawing on things, they would sneakily hide the objects when they weren't looking and then, like Jiahui, stretch out their hands and say, "None left."
Chen Lan and her mother looked at Jiahui's extremely adorable greedy look and couldn't help but laugh heartily.
Her mother's eyes teared up with laughter, and she poked Jiahui's little nose, saying, "You, little Jiahui, you really are a little foodie."
Jiahui and Jiayao watched their mother and grandmother laugh happily. Although they were still young and didn't know why the adults were so happy, they were very involved. The two little ones also started to giggle foolishly.
Immediately, the house was filled with bursts of laughter, lively and cheerful. The laughter carried far, and the house, which had been quiet when Chen Lan returned in the morning, was now filled with warmth.
Chen Lan felt this was what a home should feel like. Her mother was healthy, her children were healthy and lively, and her younger brother was sensible and obedient. Chen Lan felt this was what people in her past life called a "winner in life."
Just then, her mother-in-law's loud voice was heard from outside the main door. Before she even entered, her mother-in-law happily asked, "Seeing how happy you all are, I know Jiahui is much better, right? Xiao Lan?"
Chen Lan happily replied, "Yes! Jiahui is fine now, Mother-in-law, why have you come?"
Her mother-in-law smiled and said, "I am Jiahui's paternal grandmother, of course, I was worried when Jiahui was sick. Right, little Jiahui?"
As she spoke, she touched Jiahui's chubby little hand and whispered to Jiahui, "Jiahui, come, Grandma will hold you." With that, she reached out to pick up Jiahui.
Just like when her maternal grandmother had tried to hold her, Jiahui, with the pacifier in her mouth, turned her head, let go of the milk bottle with both hands, and hugged Chen Lan's neck tightly, hiding in her mother's arms and refusing to let go.
Seeing Jiahui's reaction, her mother-in-law quickly explained with a smile to avoid misunderstanding, "I was just telling Lan'er that Jiahui is an ungrateful child. I've been taking care of her since she was born, and I've held her more than her own mother. Look, now that she's sick, she won't let anyone hold her except her own mother."
Her mother-in-law smiled and waved her hand, unconcerned, "Children are usually closer to their mothers, aren't they, Jiahui?"
Chen Lan casually asked, "Mother-in-law, is the tofu pressed?"
Her mother-in-law happily replied, "It's all pressed. The beans are good this year, so the tofu pudding is delicious, and the tofu is also good, without much bean smell. I asked Cui Qiao and the others to cut the tofu into mahjong-sized pieces and dry them in the sun. After dividing the chores, I came here."
At this moment, the sound of footsteps, "dada dada," was heard from the main entrance. It was Wen Kai, Wen Qi, and Ming Zhe, who had finished breakfast and came running back. Even before they entered, Ming Zhe's voice could be heard, "Wen Kai, Wen Qi, wait for me, I'll go with you?"
Jia Yao, hearing the voices of his uncles and younger uncle outside, turned his head to look at the doorway, pointed at the doorway with his chubby finger, and then suddenly blurted out another word, "Go."
His grandmother was immediately stunned! She happily wiped the corners of her eyes with her finger and said, "My heavens, Grandma's darling, Jiayao, you've finally opened your golden mouth!"
Her mother, seeing her mother-in-law's reaction, quickly comforted her, "It's good that he's started talking! Our Jiayao is very smart. He's just too lazy to speak!"
Her mother-in-law chimed in, "Yes! Yes! There's an old saying, isn't there? It's called (a golden mouth is hard to open)."
Her mother and Chen Lan couldn't help but chuckle at her mother-in-law's words. Chen Lan thought, "Mother-in-law really knows how to twist things."
Her mother-in-law continued with great emotion, "I don't know who this child takes after. Mingxuan spoke very early when he was a child. I remember when Mingxuan was this age, he could already say three words, like (eat, drink tea, sleep). Alas, I don't know where Mingxuan is now? Is he still alive? How can it be that months have passed and there's been no news? A living person just disappeared so mysteriously."
Chen Lan saw that it wouldn't do to let her mother-in-law continue like this. The lively and happy atmosphere that had finally been created couldn't be ruined. She turned to Wen Qi, Wen Kai, and Ming Zhe, who had just entered, and said, "Have you just finished breakfast, and are you going to start studying?"
Ming Zhe, entering last, quickly replied when Chen Lan asked, "Yes! Sister-in-law, we plan to study first, and then later we'll go see the elder sisters make tofu curd."
Jia Yao, upon hearing this, blurted out another word, "Go," while pointing outside with his chubby finger.
Seeing Jiayao pointing outside, his grandmother smiled and said, "Jiayao is used to playing outside, and now he can't stay at home."
Her mother chimed in with a smile, "Indeed, he's used to it. During the busy autumn harvest, they would bring them to the threshing ground every morning after breakfast, spread out two carpets, and let the twins crawl around. Suddenly today, he's not going out, so of course, he's not used to it."
When her mother-in-law heard that her grandson wanted to go out to play, how could she refuse? She immediately got up and said, "Go, go, all of you. Jiayao, come, Grandma will hold you."
With that, she reached out and took Jiayao from her mother's arms. This time, Jiayao did not resist being held by his grandmother like Jiahui had. He reached out his small hands and hugged his grandmother's neck. He didn't mind who held him, as long as he could go out to play.
Here, the family was enjoying themselves harmoniously. Hundreds of miles away, in a military hospital, Xu Mingxuan packed his clean clothes and toiletries. Holding the transfer order that the commander had sent by a guard a few days ago, he prepared to be discharged, return to his original unit to hand over duties, and then immediately depart for his new unit to report.