Chapter 150: Naming

When Xu Ning woke up in the morning, Lu Xiaotang had already prepared breakfast.

The old hen that the village chief’s wife had brought yesterday was also slaughtered and was now simmering on the stove.

The yard was filled with washed clothes and diapers hanging on the line.

Xu An was drawing water to water the vegetables. With the weather being hot, the leaves would wilt if they went without water for a while.

During breakfast, Lu Xiaotang said to Xu An, “Xiao An, you don’t need to go to work today. Stay at home and take care of your sister.

I’m going to the city to bring back some coal today. If I have time, I’ll make some coal balls for you to use in the winter.”

Xu Ning also said, “When you go to the city, stop by Grandpa Wang’s place and bring them some vegetables.”

Xu An chimed in, “I picked a lot of green beans and eggplants this morning; let’s take those to them! I’ll pick some cucumbers and tomatoes later; Grandma Wang loves to eat those.”

As Lu Xiaotang was leaving, Xu Ning placed some pig trotters and meat into the basket he was taking, along with some fine grains.

She quietly told him, “Give some of the meat and fine grains to Grandpa Wang, and bring the rest back.”

Lu Xiaotang smiled and said, “Okay. You just lie down on the kang and rest. Make sure to cover yourself with a quilt; don’t be greedy for the cool air right now.”

“I understand. Be careful on the way.”

Xu An put the chicken into the pot to stew, and then washed the diapers that the children had just changed.

Xu Ning asked, “Xiao An, your exam is coming up, right?”

“It’s next Monday. Once I finish the exam, I’ll graduate from high school, and I won’t have to go to school anymore,” Xu An replied.

“Do you have any plans?”

Xu An said, “Fan Sizhe’s dad is the director of the mechanical factory in the county town. He mentioned that they would be hiring soon and asked if I wanted to go.

I think working there as a temporary worker wouldn’t be as good as farming here. The labor points are high, and we get a decent amount of grain. We also receive some money each year.

It’s just that there aren’t many tickets available, but our family isn’t lacking in them. Big brother and brother-in-law send back quite a bit every month, and I can still help you take care of the kids at home.”

Xu Ning smiled and said, “Xiao An, once I finish my confinement and start taking care of the kids, it will be no problem.

Besides, we’ll have Mom and the others in the evening, and Xiao Mo can come over to help out too.”

“Since you have this opportunity, you should give the mechanical factory a try. Even if you work in the city, you can come back every day.

It’s not far from the city; it only takes about twenty minutes by bicycle,” she thought. With more than two years until the college entrance exam, even working as a temporary worker in the factory would be better than farming in the countryside.

Xu An pondered for a moment and said, “Sister, I understand. After I finish my exam, I’ll ask Fan Sizhe about the hiring conditions at the mechanical factory.”

Around noon, several aunts from the village who were close to her came to see her and the babies, praising her for being able to give birth to three at once.

Xu Ning felt quite embarrassed by the compliments, especially when Aunt Xiangyun noticed her discomfort.

She laughed and said, “Can you all not be so blunt with your words? Xu Zhiqing doesn’t have the thick skin like you all do.”

The aunts noticed that Xu Ning’s face had turned red and all laughed kindly.

Lu Xiaotang had Old Chen help him haul back two carts of coal, and in the afternoon, he went to the foot of the mountain to gather a lot of clay to mix together.

Xu An had gone to work, so Lu Xiaotang was home alone, cooking, washing clothes, taking care of the kids, and washing their diapers. He also went up the mountain to chop firewood; in any case, he was never seen idling about.

Xu Ning encouraged him to take a break, but he wouldn’t listen, claiming he wasn’t tired.

The three kids were relatively well-behaved, not causing much trouble at night. The two boys liked to yell during the day, their voices loud enough to be heard from afar.

The girl rarely cried, at most letting out a few whimpers, and was very well-behaved.

Uncle Lu and Father Xu named the three children: the eldest was called Lu Jinghong, the second was named Lu Jingyan, and the girl was named Lu Chenxi.

The nicknames were given by Xu Ning, and they were called Niupitang. The eldest was Niu Niu, the second was Pipi, and the third was Tangtang. ^[1]Niupi Candy (Simplified Chinese: 牛皮糖; Traditional Chinese: 牛皮糖; Pinyin: Niúpí táng;) is one of the traditional snacks of Yangzhou in Jiangsu Province. It is known as “a unique … Continue reading

Lu Xiaotang thought the names sounded quite nice, holding his daughter and calling out several times, “Tangtang, Tangtang.”

Father Xu and Uncle Lu fell silent for a moment after hearing the names. They exchanged glances, both silently critiquing, These nicknames are way too casual.

Who would name their own child after a candy like Niupitang? Thankfully, she didn’t come up with the given names; otherwise, they wouldn’t know what to call them.

However, everyone remained discreet and didn’t say anything, fearing that she might change the given names too.