Chapter 132

This winter didn’t bring snow and ice, but it was cold enough. By six or seven in the evening, the sky had already turned completely dark.

Su Xiaoxiao’s family returned to Su Family Village by 8 o’clock in the evening. Han Cheng took a detour to the backyard and parked the car, closing the door behind him. Han Cheng quietly placed bags of rice, flour, oil, meat, sugar, and some local specialties on the table. Then he drove back to the front courtyard of Old Su’s house.

Yang Nanhuai came out and saw the yard filled with supplies. Han Cheng and his group had already left, and as he looked at the taillights ahead, he guessed that Han Cheng had been there.

Dong Mingyue and Yang Lin also came out, seeing the items in the yard and understanding what had happened.

Dong Mingyue looked ahead and said, “Han Cheng and the children are back, right? It seems a bit early this year.”

Yang Nanhuai nodded. “Yes, a bit early. Yang Lin, help move the stuff inside.”

Dong Mingyue frowned, expressing concern. “Why so many things? Han Cheng added a pair of twins to their family, and all the good things for the year have been given to us. With so many children at home, is it enough to eat? There’s too much meat, I don’t know why Xiaoxiao didn’t stop him.”

They were all former university professors and received their annual gifts, so they knew where these supplies came from. A quick glance at these items confirmed that they were their annual gifts.

Yang Nanhuai smiled. “We’ve accumulated good karma over several lifetimes and happened to meet the Su family. Look at Captain Su and Aunt Li, as well as Da Bao and Xiao Bao. Their character tells you everything. Xiaoxiao won’t stop him. Let Han Cheng give us a bit more.”

Yang Lin first picked up the rice and oil in his hands and said, “Mom and Dad, it’s cold outside. Let’s take the things back to the house before we talk, so as not to be seen and gossip.”

Yang Lin lifted the bags of rice and oil and said, “Mom, Dad, it’s cold outside. Let’s bring the stuff inside first to avoid gossip.”

Dong Mingyue became more worried as she moved, “Han Cheng didn’t receive much for himself. Why did he give everything to us? We have to return it to them.”

Yang Lin said, “Let’s not discuss this here. We’ll talk to Han Cheng when we see him.”

The Yang family of three then worked together to move the supplies into the house.

……….

Before coming, they had already explained everything to the two children. The two clever kids didn’t ask anything. Plus, the joy of seeing their relatives quickly clouded their minds. All they could think about now was seeing Grandpa, Grandma, Uncles, and Aunts, and Da Bao and Xiao Bao.

After getting out of the car, Xiao Doubao led Xiao Roubao, while Xiao Fantuan carried his sister on his back and shouted at the door, “Grandpa, grandma, aunt, Da Bap, Xiao Bao, we’re back!”

At this time, the entire small mountain village was quiet. Every household had already had dinner, closed their doors, and was getting ready for bed. When Fantuan shouted, it startled even the village’s gatekeeping dog, making it bark loudly.

The Su family had already finished dinner, and the youngest, Yao Bao, was already asleep. The adults gathered around the fire, chatting and warming themselves up. The elder and younger brothers were still doing their homework when they heard the shout. The brothers exchanged glances, and seeing the shock in each other’s eyes, they threw their pens and rushed out the door.

Xiao Bao: “Grandma, is that Fantuan’s voice?”

After being shocked, Li Yufeng quickly ran to open the door and said, “Quick, go out and see.”

The elder and younger brothers dashed out like arrows released from a bow.

Li Yufeng and Su Weimin followed closely, and Su Zhenhua and his wife also came out.

When the elder and younger brothers opened the door, they were stunned. Xiao Doubao was holding a chubby little child with a tiger-headed hat on his head. Behind Fantuan, there is a pretty little head with two messy ponytails peeking out. 

The little girl’s lips were red and her teeth were white, resembling Su Xiaoxiao, with beautiful big eyes like black grapes, curiously observing them.

No need to ask, these two beautiful children must be Xiao Roubao and Xiao Tangyuan.

Li Yufeng and Su Weimin, who had followed Da Bao and Xiao Bao, came to a halt for a moment. When Li Yufeng departed Qingfeng Town, the two little darlings were still cradled in her arms. In the blink of an eye, they had grown considerably. This was especially true for Su Weimin, who hadn’t seen his daughter in two years. Suddenly, there were two beautiful grandchildren standing before him, evoking a mix of emotions he couldn’t help but feel.

Su Xiaoxiao went forward and took her daughter from Fantuan’s back. Han Cheng also lifted Xiao Roubao and walked to Su Weimin and Li Yufeng.

Su Xiaoxiao pointed at each family member, introducing the twins, “Xiao Roubao, Xiao Tangyuan, this is grandpa, this is grandma, this is second uncle, this is second aunt, this is Da Bao, this is Xiao Bao, these are all our family members, remember them, come on, say hello quickly.”

The two little babies were just over a year old and not very talkative yet. Xiao Roubao tilted his head and crisply said, “Hello~”

Xiao Tangyuan bit her finger, blinked her big eyes a few times, and shouted along with her brother, “Hello~”

This made the whole family laugh. Su Xiaoxiao couldn’t help but smile. “Are you two being lazy?”

Li Yufeng looked at Xiao Tangyuan, who looked more and more like her daughter when she was a child. She couldn’t even move her gaze away from her. “Xiao Tangyuan, come and let grandma hold you.” 

Su Xiaoxiao said softly to her daughter, “Does Xiao Tangyuan still remember grandma? Grandma used to take care of you and your brother when you were little. Mommy is going to move the baggage, let grandma hold you, okay?”

Blood relations are sometimes truly magical. Xiao Tangyuan was not shy, but perhaps because her brothers were protective, she rarely let strangers hold her. However, this time, she obediently agreed with an “okay” and reached out her hands to Li Yufeng.

Li Yufeng’s eyes gleamed with warmth, and she couldn’t contain her smile as she took Xiao Tangyuan and exclaimed, “Grandma’s good girl, you’ve grown so much in the blink of an eye.”

Li Yufeng didn’t forget her grandsons. While holding Xiao Tangyuan with one hand, she embraced each grandson. Su Weimin also hugged Fantuan and Doubao. Despite his desire to carry Xiao Tangyuan, the sight of his delicate granddaughter made him worried; he feared that he might make her cry and hesitated for a moment.

Han Cheng handed Xiao Roubao over, saying, “Let Grandpa hold you. Dad will go to the car to get things.”

Xiao Roubao has never been afraid of strangers since he was young. He is a typical child who can be easily won over with just a piece of candy. He joyfully embraced his grandfather’s neck and even reached out to playfully grab his beard.

Seeing Xiao Roubao getting along with him, Su Weimin naturally grew fond of his grandson and smiled broadly, revealing his teeth.

Da Bao and Xiao Bao both approached, touching his little shoes and grasping the small, chubby hands, asking the twins if they remembered them. 

The twins were only six months old when they met Da Bao and Xiao Bao; how could they remember? However, Xiao Tangyuan and Xiao Roubao appeared to take a liking to these two older brothers.

Da Bao and Xiao Bao were hugged by their aunt and uncle. Han Cheng lifted them up and weighed them. “You’ve grown taller and heavier.” Time flew by, and in another two years, he might not be able to lift the growing children.

Xiao Bao said, “Uncle, we exercise every day and eat a lot of food!”

Han Cheng smiled and rubbed the heads of two well-grown children.

It had been a long time since the four little cubs had seen each other, and now they were all excited and running around.

Xiao Bao held onto the adorable Xiao Doubao and wouldn’t let go. “Xiao Doubao, you’ve grown so tall. Big brother can hardly recognize you.”

Xiao Doubao squinted his beautiful big eyes. “Big Brother Xiao Bao and Big Brother Da Bao have also grown taller.”

In fact, Xiao Fantuan, Xiao Zhuzi, Da Bao, Xiao Bao, and even Xiao Yu, all children of similar ages, were almost the same height, with only a centimeter or two difference.

Da Bao whispered, “Xiao Roubao is so round, huh? Does he eat a lot every day? Xiao Tangyuan has become so pretty; I can hardly recognize her.”

When the twins were mentioned, they couldn’t help but be very proud, although Xiao Fantuan couldn’t help but complain: “Indeed, Xiao Roubao probably eats a lot. He ate almost half a bowl of wontons at noon, then halfway through the journey, he said he was hungry and had a boiled egg and egg cake. In the evening, he can still eat half a bowl of dumplings. His appetite is almost catching up with Xiao Doubao, while Xiao Tangyuan eats only half of what he eats.”

Da Bao and Xiao Bao were astonished. “No wonder he’s chubby.”

Xiao Doubao also worried, “He asks me for candy and biscuits every day. Mom doesn’t let him eat, Mom’s worried that it’ll ruin his teeth.”

………….

After a year of not seeing each other, the four kids had endless topics to discuss. When the adults began moving things, they all ran over to help.

As the items were unloaded, filling a corner, Li Yufeng was surprised. “What are you doing? Did you empty all of the supplies at home? Oh, is this lamb? Did you buy this much pork too?”

Li Yufeng felt a pang as she watched, tapping her daughter’s forehead. “Are you bringing the market and the meat factory home? With so many children at home, you should learn to save money.”

Su Xiaoxiao shook her head and said, “Mom, Han Cheng, and I just bought some meat, cooking oil, rice, noodles, cured meat, and sweet pastries. Also, powdered milk and malted milk were earned by Xiao Fantuan and Xiao Doubao from their annual benefits. They wanted to bring them back to their Grandma and Grandpa to eat.”

Li Yufeng took a sharp breath, looking incredulously at Xiao Fantuan and Xiao Doubao. “You earned your own annual benefits?”

The two kids squinted their eyes and nodded. Fantuan said, “We each earned ten yuan, and Xiao Zhuzi earned some too.”

Su Xiaoxiao briefly explained the matter, which surprised the whole family.

Su Zhenhua said, “My nephews are too powerful. My second uncle can’t earn this much provision in a year of working in the fields.”

Fantuan said, “Big and small treasures can also be earned if they are there.”

Everyone didn’t know how to respond to Fantuan’s statement. The importance of one’s background is evident in this era. The Su family has been living in Su Village for generations, and their status as poor middle-class peasants is well-known. In the past, they could hope for a chance to break out of farming through the college entrance exam. However, now, writing and drawing are only useful during the Chinese New Year when creating couplets. At other times, physical strength for farming is more valuable. Da Bao and Xiao Bao are both intelligent kids, but for now, this is their reality.

Su Xiaoxiao said, “Da Bao and Xiao Bao, you have to trust Aunt Su, okay? Study well, and it will be useful in the future.”

Da Bao and Xiao Bao nodded. “We understand.”

Su Weimin changed the topic to “Have you all eaten? Let your second sister-in-law make you a bowl of noodles.”

Upon hearing about food, Xiao Roubao, with his chubby little hands, immediately touched his own little belly. “Hungry, I want noodles~”

Zhang Chunying looked at the chubby Xiao Roubao and was also amused: “Then second aunt will go and get you a bowl of noodles to eat, okay?”

Su Xiaoxiao couldn’t help but say so to Xiao Roubao. “You just had dinner less than two hours ago. Why are you hungry again? Second sister-in-law, you don’t need to bother. Just give him some warm water to wash his hands and feet and a glass of milk before bedtime.”

Not getting any food, Xiao Roubao touched his belly with regret, but he could still have some milk.

The twins usually go to bed before 9 o’clock. Zhang Chunying went to get water for the kids, Li Yufeng washed Xiao Tangyuan’s face and feet, and Su Weimin took care of Xiao Roubao.

Xiao Tangyuan was truly beautiful, delicate like a doll. As Li Yufeng stared at Xiao Tangyuan, she would occasionally reminisce about her daughter when she was little. Seeing the safety buckle on Xiao Tangyuan’s neck, Li Yufeng felt grateful that her daughter had good fortune and gave birth to such a well-behaved and beautiful granddaughter. The safety buckle has been passed down from generation to generation in their family.

Xiao Roubao, with his chubby flesh, feels so soft and fluffy to touch, and the little one always smiles and gives kisses to everyone, making Su Weimin fond of this beautiful and cheerful grandson.

Su Xiaoxiao didn’t mention in advance that she would come back for the Chinese New Year this year, but Li Yufeng has always been diligent, keeping everything in the house ready. She regularly took out and washed the quilts, even preparing an extra bed in Da Bao and Xiao Bao’s room, so even if Xiao Zhu came back, there would be enough space to sleep.

Xiao Tangyuan slept with her parents at night, and the brothers slept in separate rooms. Xiao Doubao and Xiao Roubao shared a bed, while the three older brothers shared beds. The two younger ones fell asleep, and the three older ones chatted about what happened in the past year until late at night before going to sleep.