Chapter 182: Niu Pi Tang Enters the City

When Lu Xiaotang returned from the cowshed, the children were already asleep, and Xu Ning and Xu An were sitting together, reading and waiting for him. Since taking his sister’s advice, Xu An had been diligently reviewing his high school textbooks every night.

As soon as he saw his brother-in-law, Xu An greeted him briefly and prepared to head back to his room. But before he could leave, Lu Xiaotang reached into his bag and pulled out a brand-new military uniform. Smiling, he handed it to Xu An and said, “I brought this back for you. Go ahead and try it on. If it doesn’t fit, have your sister make a few adjustments.”

Xu An’s face lit up as he took the uniform in his hands. “Thank you, brother-in-law! I really like it. I’ll take it back now. You two should rest early, too.”

As they watched him walk away, holding the new uniform like a prized treasure, Xu Ning and Lu Xiaotang couldn’t help but laugh, amused by how excited he was.

A while later, Xu Ning turned to Lu Xiaotang and said, “Didn’t you mention writing a letter to Sister Xiaoran? I’ve already set out the pen and paper for you. Hurry and get it done so we can send it off tomorrow. That way, she can start reviewing earlier.”

“Alright, I’ll write it now,” Lu Xiaotang replied. Without wasting any time, he picked up the pen from the table and, in just a few minutes, had completed the letter.

Xu Ning took out a few pieces of cloth, intending to send them along with the letter to Lu Xiaoran.

This year, Lu Xiaoran had already sent clothes to Niu Pi Tang two or three times. She had two children of her own at home, plus elders to take care of. Xu Ning worried that if she kept sending things back to her natal family, others might develop an opinion about it.

In the past, Aunt Lu and Mother Xu would often make small clothes to send to her children, but ever since Niu Pi Tang came along, everyone had been too busy to keep up with it.

Xu Ning folded the pieces of cloth neatly, placed them in a bag, and added two pounds of rock sugar and two cans of milk powder, planning to send everything together tomorrow.

After packing it all, Lu Xiaotang had already finished writing his letter. Xu Ning picked it up to take a look. It only had a few sentences, asking about Lu Xiaoran’s in-laws and the children.

He also briefly mentioned how things were on their side and ended with a note suggesting she review her middle and high school textbooks when she had free time. The letter didn’t even fill half a page.

Just as Xu Ning was about to make a remark, she saw that Lu Xiaotang had written another letter, this one addressed to Mingyu. It was about the same length, also asking about how things were going on his end, and similarly ending with a suggestion to review his middle and high school textbooks.

Xu Ning looked at him, speechless, and said, “That’s it? You’re done?”

“It’s done. Didn’t I say everything that needed to be said? There’s no need to go into detail about this. They’ll understand when they read it,” Lu Xiaotang explained.

“Let’s get some rest early. Don’t we have to take the kids to the city tomorrow to visit Grandpa Wang?”

With that, he opened the kang cabinet and took out the bag he had brought back.

Xu Ning…

The two embraced each other, and Xu Ning, gasping for breath, asked, “Where did you buy all these things? How do you have such a big bag?”

“I bought them at the hospital,” Lu Xiaotang replied with a smile. “I originally wanted to buy a lot at once, but they said you can only get four each month. As long as they don’t tear, you can wash and reuse them. I figured you wouldn’t like that, so I went to the hospital every month and saved them up throughout the year. That’s how I ended up with so many.”

Xu Ning chuckled. “You’re so thick-skinned! Going every month to buy them—do the hospital staff all recognize you by now?”

“So what? We’re married. Isn’t it normal to buy these things?” he responded cheekily. “The two we just tried didn’t feel quite right. Let me grab another pack, and we can try again, okay?”

Xu Ning pushed him away. “How can there be any difference with these things? Go to sleep already. We have to go into the city tomorrow.”

“There really is a difference! I didn’t buy them all from the same hospital, and they weren’t made by the same manufacturer. It’s still early—let’s give it a try!” As he spoke, he was already opening another pack and pulling one out.

The next day, the five of them sat on the ox cart, with Xu Ning still glaring at him.

It was Niu Pi Tang’s first time riding on an ox cart, and they were incredibly excited. Grandpa Chen, while driving the cart, cheerfully chatted with the three children.

When they arrived in the city, Xu Ning and Lu Xiaotang first went to mail the letters. Then, they took some grain and meat out from their storage, added the malted milk essence and snacks Lu Xiaotang had brought back, and headed to visit Grandpa Wang and Grandma Wang.

The elderly couple was home. When they opened the door and saw the family with the three children, they were overjoyed, hugging Niu Niu and Pi Pi with great affection.

The two boys weren’t shy at all and clung to Grandpa Wang and Grandma Wang’s necks. Meanwhile, Tang Tang, not as bold as her two older brothers, stayed nestled in her mother’s arms, watching the others.

Lu Xiaotang took Tang Tang from Xu Ning’s arms, and this time the little girl didn’t refuse. She continued to watch the others from Lu Xiaotang’s embrace.

Grandpa Wang and Grandma Wang held the two children and invited Xu Ning and the others inside to sit down.

Grandma Wang took out a small bundle, which contained several sets of clothes and little shoes.

“These are the clothes I made for them. Xu Ning, take them back and see if they fit.”

When Xu Ning saw the fabric of the clothes, she immediately recognized it as the same material she had brought over last time to make outfits for the elderly couple.

“Grandma Wang, these fabrics are the ones I brought for you and Grandpa Wang to make clothes. Why did you use them all for them?” she asked.

Grandma Wang smiled and replied, “We have clothes to wear. Besides, at our age, what do we need new clothes for? It’s better to save the fabric and make a few more pieces for the little ones.”

Xu Ning knew she couldn’t change their minds, so she decided to go home and ask her mom and mother-in-law to help make an outfit, planning to bring it over for the elderly couple next time.