Chapter 104

Days passed by, and for most people, a month might feel like the blink of an eye. However, for Su Xiaoxiao, who was going through postpartum confinement, it was the most excruciating month of her life.

Li Yufeng wouldn’t let her do this, wouldn’t let her do that. She could only bathe once a month, using a concoction made of mugwort, ginger, and medicinal herbs to clean herself. Despite the scorching weather, she only washed her hair once, and that was when she was almost done with her postpartum confinement. She picked the time of day when the sun was at its peak, immediately drying off afterward. She smelled so bad during this time, and she couldn’t fathom how Han Cheng could stand it, yet he refused to sleep with Fantuan and Doubao.

The chicken at home is also consumed extremely well, with only Zhou, Fen, Mian, Fan, and Hua Hua remaining. The traditional postpartum meal in Su’s village was chicken cooked in old yellow wine, and those who could afford it would make a large pot that would last for a day or two. In between, they’d have other foods like warm and milk-boosting dishes like crucian carp soup.

Since there is no refrigerator and things are not easy to store in the summer, Su Xiaoxiao could only eat a small bowl of these dishes during each meal, with the rest of the family sharing. Their remaining chickens were just enough. Li Yufeng even jokingly said that the whole family was going through postpartum confinement with Su Xiaoxiao.

At this time, most people don’t have enough money for a full-moon banquet. On the day of the twins’ full moon, Li Yufeng cooked a pot of ginger pig’s feet and a pot of red eggs, which was considered quite decent.

Yali, Zhou Yuhua, Dun Dun’s grandmother, and the children all came to see the twins. The adults brought gifts. Zhou Yuhua probably visited the weaving workshop again and brought back a piece of high-quality cotton cloth, which was soft and perfect for making inner garments for the children.

Yali made two small pillows for the twins, each containing some harmless insect-repellent herbs. Grandma Dundun made two bibs for the twins, and everyone gave them very practical gifts.

Su Xiaoxiao didn’t have much milk, barely enough for the two little ones. Xiao Roubao was especially greedy, eating as much as Xiao Tangyuan in two meals. On the other hand, Xiao Tangyuan had a smaller appetite. The brother ate a little more, and the sister ate a little less. For now, it was enough, but as they grew a bit more, they might need to supplement with milk powder.
Xiao Tangyuan and Xiao Roubao, at one-month-old, truly resembled plump, fair buns. Their almond-shaped eyes were as bright and sparkling as freshly washed grapes. Xiao Roubao’s chubby bun face was noticeably larger than Xiao Tangyuan’s, and Xiao Tangyuan looked delicate with tiny features and a smaller face, making her eyes appear even larger. It was evident that she would grow up to be a beautiful young lady.

Zhou Yuhua had a particular fondness for her niece and couldn’t stop holding Xiao Tangyuan. She playfully said to Su Xiaoxiao, “Xiaoxiao, let’s arrange a marriage for my Xiao Yu and Xiao Tangyuan. Your beautiful little girl can be matched with our Xiao Yu in the future to become his wife.”

Zhou Yuhua’s words met with opposition from every one, with Fantuan, Zhuzi, and Xiao Doubao disagreeing.

Fantuan stood on tiptoe and tugged on Zhou Yuhua’s clothes. “Aunt Zhou, give our little sister back to us. Our little sister isn’t going to be anyone’s wife; she’ll be just our little sister!”

Zhuzi also nodded and said, “Our little sister can’t be Xiao Yu’s wife!”

Su Xiaoxiao smiled and shook her head. “Aunt Zhou is just joking with you. We’re not arranging marriages for the children. Let our little sister grow up and choose for herself.”

Zhou Yuhua regretfully placed Xiao Tangyuan back on the small bamboo bed. She was, in fact, serious; Su Xiaoxiao had raised the child to be intelligent and sensible, and the little girl would surely turn out well. It would be nice if she could be their wife, but she was only thinking about it. The children were still so young; they wouldn’t be arranging marriages for them at such a young age.

“Don’t worry, Auntie is just joking. Xiao Tangyuan is also Xiao Yu’s little sister, right, Xiao Tangyuan?”

Xiao Tangyuan pursed her lips, her large grape-like eyes looking at Zhou Yuhua, who was teasing her. The dimples on her cheeks were faintly visible, making her look even more adorable. Zhou Yuhua couldn’t help but be charmed by her.

Dundun’s grandmother teased her, “Xiao Zhou, since you are fond of Xiao Tangyuan, why not consider having another child?”

Dundun’s grandmother had a girl in her family, but she wasn’t obsessed with her.

Zhou Yuhua lightly touched Xiao Tangyuan’s small face and said, “Do you think everyone is as lucky as Xiaoxiao? If I have another naughty brat like Xiao Yu, the house will be chaotic every day.”

Xiao Yu and Xiao Doubao were teasing Xiao Roubao, and Xiao Yu turned to Zhou Yuhua, saying, “Mom, please give birth to a little brother like Xiao Roubao for me. I like Xiao Roubao. I want a little brother, not a little sister!”

It wasn’t that Xiao Yu disliked this little sister; he just preferred the strong and playful Xiao Roubao over the soft and delicate Xiao Tangyuan. He could poke Xiao Roubao’s chubby cheeks, and he wouldn’t cry, unlike his little sister, who looked like she would cry if he poked him just a bit.

Xiao Doubao believes that everyone likes his younger sister more, so he decides to like his little brother. When no one was playing with his little brother, he would keep him company. He believes that his younger brother was chosen by himself, and he still likes the younger brother he chose very much.

So when everyone was focused on their little sister, the two of them stuck by Xiao Roubao’s side.

Zhou Yuhua playfully ruffled her son’s head. “No, I won’t. Having you, the little troublemaker, is already enough for me to worry about. I don’t want to give myself more trouble.”

It must be said that in this era that values having more children for more happiness, Zhou Yuhua and Yali’s ideas are quite progressive. Yali wanted to compensate for the love that little Zhuzi had missed, while Zhou Yuhua simply didn’t want to have more children. In the past, they couldn’t afford to have more children because of their elderly family members’ illnesses and the need to take care of them. Now that their elderly family members have passed away, there is no one to take care of the children, so Zhou Yuhua is even less inclined to have more children, especially since she is a workaholic. On the other hand, Zhao Xianfeng wants to have another child.

Xiao Yu said angrily, “I’m not a troublemaker! I want to teach Xiao Roubao martial arts!”

Zhou Yuhua chuckled. “Don’t corrupt your little brother.”

Xiao Yu turned her head and said, “I won’t!”

He playfully tapped Xiao Roubao’s belly with her head and said, “Xiao Roubao, you have to believe in your big brother. I can take on three bad guys with a single punch!”

Xiao Doubao disagreed, gently touching his younger brother’s hand, and said, “Big brother Xiao Yu, we don’t fight. Mommy doesn’t allow it. We should teach Xiao Doubao how to write and draw!”

Xiao Yu was quick-witted: “Fighting bad guys isn’t fighting; it’s fighting for a good cause!”

Xiao Doubao still disagreed: “We can’t fight, whether it’s a good fight or a bad fight!”

Xiao Yu changed tactics and began to rub Xiao Doubao’s face. “Besides, you won’t be Xiao Yu’s favorite little brother if you keep saying that!”

Xiao Fantuan rescued his brother from Xiao Yu’s grip. “Xiao Yu, you can’t bully Xiao Doubao. He’s right, none of us in our family fight!”

Xiao Zhuzi grabbed the small bell in Xiao Tangyuan’s hand and gently shook it. “Xiao Tangyuan and Xiao Roubao are both good babies. They won’t fight.”

When the little bell rang, Xiao Tangyuan squinted and smiled, and Xiao Zhuzi lightly touched her sister’s face. “Do you like the little bell so much? How about I give you a nickname: Little Bell?”

Xiao Tangyuan, who didn’t understand, continued to smile with her eyes half-closed, looking at her brother.

Xiao Zhuzi also smiled. “That means you agree, okay?”

Xiao Roubao, on the other hand, reacted differently. Touching his little bell, he started to move his hands and feet, making the bell ring louder, seemingly wanting to challenge Xiao Yu.

They stayed until lunchtime, and Xiao Yu wanted to stay for lunch, but Zhou Yuhua dragged her away, saying, “Haven’t you seen how busy your aunt and grandmother are? They don’t have time to prepare your meal. Come on, let’s go home!”

Li Yufeng gave their family a small bowl of ginger pig’s feet and two red eggs to take with them, and she also gave each of the kids an egg to eat.

She had given a small box of these to the people in Han Cheng’s department earlier in the morning, asking them to share, and also prepared a basket of red eggs for him to take back to his colleagues.

Everyone repeatedly declined, saying that Su Xiaoxiao needed these to recover from childbirth and that they should keep them for her.

Su Xiaoxiao said, “You’ve given so much to Xiao Roubao and Xiao Tangyuan, and I haven’t been polite with you. So, don’t be polite to us. Take some and enjoy it. It’s a rare treat.”

So, everyone accepted without further insistence.

As Xiao Zhuzi walked away with Yali, he looked back multiple times, clearly not wanting to go home.