Chapter 113.2

After Gu Qinghan left, Wen Nuan had stayed in bed for a while, waiting until the kids woke up before getting up herself.

Lele didn’t have to go to school lately, so she could sleep for eleven or twelve hours at a stretch. In the afternoon, she didn’t want to nap, often going out with Zhuzi to shovel snow or playing with Bao Bao and Zhu Zhu, teasing them.

When Lele woke up, she heard Zhao Wuzhu’s voice from the living room. Wen Nuan, seeing her still lazy and sleepy, said, “Lele, Grandma’s here. Remember to call her when you see her, okay?”

Zhao Wuzhu, who favored boys over girls, had long hoped that Wen Nuan and Gu Qinghan would have another son. Now that they had twins, she was even more dismissive of Lele.

However, Lele was still young, and Wen Nuan only expected her to be polite. When she was older and could better understand right from wrong, she would probably be able to sense the adults’ emotions.

Lele didn’t have any impression of Zhao Wuzhu. But upon hearing Wen Nuan’s words, she asked, “Grandma is Dad’s mom, right?”

Lele had heard the children from Sister Juxiang’s family, Xiao Dong and Xiao Mei, call their grandmother “Grandma,” so although she didn’t have any clear memory of Zhao Wuzhu, she understood the relationship.

Wen Nuan smiled and nodded, “Yes, she’s your dad’s mom. Remember to call her when you see her, okay?”

By now, Lele had already climbed down from the kang bed. She smiled and said, “Got it! I’ll ask Auntie to come in and change Bao Bao and Zhu Zhu’s diapers!”

After speaking, Lele quickly put on her coat, hurriedly slipped on her shoes, and ran out into the living room.

Zhao Wuzhu had already heard the sounds and was waiting, but as soon as the door opened, a chubby little figure ran out.

The child had a round, soft, and fair face, with big, sparkling eyes and silky, fine hair. Though a bit messy, it made her look even more adorable.

Lele noticed Zhao Wuzhu but quickly forgot Wen Nuan’s previous words. Instead, she ran straight to the kitchen, found Aunt Chen, and said, “Auntie, Bao Bao and Zhu Zhu are awake.”

Aunt Chen put the lid back on the soup pot, then took off her apron and said, “Alright, Auntie will go check on the little ones.”

Aunt Chen then turned to Lele and introduced, “Lele, this is your Grandma. Say hello to Grandma.”

When Lele heard this, she widened her eyes and stared at Zhao Wuzhu. But as soon as she made eye contact with her, she hid behind Aunt Chen, remaining silent.

Aunt Chen smiled and said, “She probably just woke up and hasn’t fully processed things yet. Don’t mind her, dear mother-in-law. Lele is very well-behaved and smart. Once she’s comfortable, she’ll play with you.”

Zhao Wuzhu watched the little one hiding behind Aunt Chen and huffed, “Forget it. She’s just a child. I can’t expect her to understand. I’m not going to argue with her.”

Zhao Wuzhu was eager to see her grandsons, but even when the children woke up, it seemed like they didn’t have much to do with her.

Aunt Chen took one of the babies to clean him, while Wen Nuan fed the other. Zhao Wuzhu had wanted to help, but the child didn’t recognize her and started crying as soon as she held him, so loudly it felt like the roof would cave in.

Wen Nuan said, “Mom, the baby’s not used to seeing you yet. Wait a bit, and you can hold him later. Just sit for now.”

Aunt Chen smiled at Zhao Wuzhu and added, “Dear mother-in-law, just sit down. Xiao Nuan and I can handle it. The baby just woke up and is still getting used to people. Soon, we’ll let you hold him.”

Zhao Wuzhu, hearing their words, froze for a moment and couldn’t say anything in response.

So, she sat in the living room, watching Aunt Chen and Wen Nuan wash the babies, unable to help with anything.

In fact, she could take care of children herself. Although she didn’t like Wen Nuan, her grandsons were her own flesh and blood, and she was willing to help with them.

Zhao Wuzhu thought that once the children got familiar with her, Aunt Chen wouldn’t need to do everything.

With more people in the household, there would be more mouths to feed. It was better to let her take over!

But not only did the two grandsons ignore her, even Lele, this little one, hadn’t called her yet.

Zhao Wuzhu grew more and more puzzled.

Why, in this place, had she become an outsider?

Zhao Wuzhu aimlessly followed behind her two grandsons, wanting to see if there was anything she could help with.

Aunt Chen and Wen Nuan had taken great care of the two children, and the children were very fond of them. Sometimes, the two children would smile at Lele and not even want her to hold them.

By evening, after the two children had drunk their milk, they fell asleep again.

Gu Qinglan knew that Gu Qinghan had brought Zhao Wuzhu over to the family compound, and after finishing work, she had gone over as well.

As soon as she entered the door, she saw Zhao Wuzhu sitting next to the children’s crib, watching them. When Zhao Wuzhu saw her, she smiled and said, “Qinglan, come and take a look, these two kids really resemble your big brother. They’re so cute.”

Before Gu Qinglan could respond, Lele, who was drawing nearby, heard this and said, “Mom says Bao Bao looks like me, not like Dad!”

Since Bao Bao was well-behaved, Wen Nuan had told Gu Qinghan that the child resembled the old Lele and rarely cried.

But when it reached Lele’s ears, it became that Bao Bao resembled her.

Zhao Wuzhu glanced at Lele and smiled. “Where does he look like you? He’s got the same round face as your dad. He looks just like your older brother when he was young.”

Upon hearing Zhao Wuzhu’s words, Gu Qinglan frowned. “Mom, they’re still so young. I can’t tell who they look like. Aren’t they all about the same?”

Gu Qinglan worked at a hospital and honestly didn’t think a few-month-old baby could resemble anyone yet, especially Bao Bao and Zhou Zhou, who, because of breast milk, had grown chubby and strong. Their faces were even bigger than Lele’s.

“You don’t understand.” Zhao Wuzhu glanced towards the kitchen, where Aunt Chen and Wen Nuan were talking about something, then lowered her voice and asked, “By the way, Qinglan, do you know what kind of relative Aunt Chen is to your sister-in-law?”

“Why does Qinghan call her Aunt Chen, but Lele calls her ‘Auntie’?”

As soon as Gu Qinglan heard this, she immediately knew her mother probably had no good reason to bring it up and said, “She’s a relative of the Lu family. Don’t offend her. Just stay here quietly for a few days and don’t cause trouble for Big Brother and sister-in-law!”

Zhao Wuzhu straightened up, then frowned, giving Gu Qinglan a stern look. “Alright, alright, I was just asking. Where would I dare to cause trouble for your sister-in-law?”

She had spent the whole day here, and that Wen Nuan hadn’t even looked her in the eye. She had gotten up at 10 a.m. and then, by 2 p.m., was saying she was putting the children to bed.

She had just woken up, gone out for a bit, but hadn’t said where she was going.

When she came back, she went straight into the kitchen to chat with Aunt Chen about this and that, and Zhao Wuzhu hadn’t been able to get a word in edgewise.

Now, she finally had a chance to see the children, so how could she dare to cause trouble for them?

Gu Qinglan, worried that Zhao Wuzhu might cause more issues, reminded her, “The military is very strict now. You’d better not wander around too much, or else Big Brother will be worried about you again.”

“I’ve already sent a telegram to Gu Qingsong. Let’s see what that guy wants to do.” 

Mentioning Gu Qingsong made Zhao Wuzhu angry, and she quickly added, “Don’t mention him. Right now, I just want to look at my grandson.”

Although the North was rather desolate, at least Gu Qinghan was a regimental officer, so life here should be fine for her.

Zhao Wuzhu gritted her teeth and said, “And besides, if Gu Qingsong dares to treat me like this, I definitely won’t forgive him easily. I’ll let him see if he can still get by without me in the house!”

Since childhood, Gu Qingsong had always relied on her, his mother. Now, he had sent her here for a woman.

Zhao Wuzhu said it didn’t hurt her, but it was a lie. Her heart ached for her son, the one she loved most. Right now, she was just waiting for Gu Qingsong to apologize. She didn’t want to stay in this freezing cold place any longer.

What was good about this place?

Her oldest son was rarely around, and Wen Nuan didn’t even give her the time of day.

At least Gu Qingsong was still sweet-talking her. Her oldest son, though, always talked about Wen Nuan this and Wen Nuan that. She, as his mother, felt like she didn’t even exist.

Gu Qinglan, hearing this, glanced at the peacefully sleeping child, then scoffed. “That’s probably not going to happen. Your precious son probably sent you here on purpose, just to get you out of the way.”

Gu Qinglan couldn’t understand what Zhao Wuzhu liked about Gu Qingsong. She always favored that good-for-nothing.

Clearly, her Big Brother was the best. If Zhao Wuzhu were fair, her Big Brother would treat her mother very well too.

Zhao Wuzhu immediately became displeased upon hearing this and muttered, “Alright, alright, enough about that idiot.”

Then, she thought for a moment and asked, “By the way, have they been given names yet? I’ve been hearing them being called Zhou and Bao Bao all day. Could it be that they don’t have names yet?”

Gu Qinglan was slightly stunned, then muttered softly, “Their names haven’t been decided yet. Big Brother hasn’t had the time.”

In fact, Gu Qinglan knew that the names of the two children were supposed to be chosen by General Lu, but she wasn’t sure whether that had happened yet.

However, she did know that the children might not end up with the Gu surname, but with her sister-in-law’s surname instead…

She wondered how her mother would react when she found out.

It was probably better not to say anything about it.

“True,” Zhao Wuzhu replied. “After all, they’re the firstborn grandsons of the Gu family, they can’t just have any random name. It needs to be carefully thought out.” Zhao Wuzhu then lowered her head and looked at the two grandsons. “Why are this child’s legs so bent? Qinglan, bring me a pair of adult pants, and I’ll bind the child’s feet. When he grows up, they’ll be straight.”

Gu Qinglan frowned slightly and said, “Mom, don’t mess with the children. You need to ask Sister-in-law first before doing anything.”

“Do I really need to ask?” Zhao Wuzhu was immediately irritated by Wen Nuan’s words and replied quickly, “What’s wrong with binding their legs? What if they grow up with bowlegs? You’re young, so it’s normal you don’t understand. But the child has to have his legs bound from a young age.”

Seeing that Zhao Wuzhu was about to explode, Gu Qinglan quickly said, “Mom, I haven’t heard anything about binding legs at the hospital. Please don’t make trouble.”

Gu Qinglan had just warned her mother not to cause problems, and now she was talking about binding legs. She was really going to get herself into trouble!

Her sister-in-law had been taking care of the children for so long, and she had never mentioned binding their legs. Yet, Zhao Wuzhu still wanted to act on her own?

“What do you mean I’m making trouble? What kind of hospital is that?” Zhao Wuzhu put her hands on her hips, pointing at Gu Qinglan and scolding, “I’ve eaten more salt than you’ve eaten rice! What do you know? It’s a shame you’re a nurse!”

“Quick, bring me a rope or a pair of pants! I’ll bind the child’s legs right now. How can you take care of a child like this?”

Gu Qinglan quickly stopped her, “No, I’m not getting anything!”

Wen Nuan, who had come out at some point, frowned when she heard Zhao Wuzhu’s words.

She then looked at her, not holding back, and said, “These are my children. I’ve said they shouldn’t have their legs bound.”