Chapter 716 - 369: The Two Little Brothers (Part 2)

Chapter 716: Chapter 369: The Two Little Brothers (Part 2)

Life with children was busy and fulfilling. This winter, Juhua was no longer as idle as she used to be. In the past, she could tuck her feet into a foot warmer and do needlework with some snacks by her side. Now, however, there was hardly a moment of peace. She was either changing Banli and Cong’s diapers or nursing them. She could only steal moments to do some needlework and teach Pu Pao some chores and her own way of doing things.

In the eleventh month, both the Zhang family and the Zheng Family bought dozens of mu of wasteland. They took advantage of the newly cold weather to hire people to clear it, tilling the soil so the freezing cold would kill the insects deep within the earth. Come next spring, they would till it again, add some fertilizer, and then they could plant a season of Shanyu or corn.

Juhua followed suit and also bought fifty mu of wasteland. After a deep tilling, it was left to freeze for over a month. During this time, she continuously bought rice husks from the hulling mill at the market, slowly accumulating them. She piled them into several small mounds, preparing to plant bamboo in the spring.

Huai Zi was extremely curious. He saw that Juhua was being mysterious and didn’t tell him what she was up to, so he didn’t ask, but simply helped her manage things. When Zhang Dashuan and his wife saw Juhua acquiring her own property, they were very happy. ’Anyway, no matter how much money Juhua earns, won’t it be left to our grandson and granddaughter in the future?’ Therefore, not only were they not jealous, Zhang Dashuan even happily tagged along with Huai Zi to help.

With these new fields, Huai Zi chose two honest families from among the tenants to work alongside Liu Heizi. One family was surnamed Wu, with a father and his two sons making three strong laborers. The other was surnamed Wang, with a father and his four sons making five strong laborers. This way, by employing these two families permanently, they wouldn’t need to hire extra help during the busy farming season. Since they were all from nearby villages, he felt at ease employing them.

In the twelfth lunar month, on a day when the cold wind howled outside and splashed water froze instantly on the ground, the two plum trees in the courtyard had budded and were about to blossom. The Zhang family invited a butcher over and slaughtered five pigs. They kept the heads, tails, and offal, along with several dozen jin of meat. The rest was all sold to the Fang Family Workshop.

On the day of the pig slaughter, it was customary to invite the wife’s family over for "pig-slaughter soup." Since they lived right next door and their children were married to each other, the Zheng Family didn’t stand on ceremony. They didn’t make lunch and the whole family came over to the Zhang family’s house to eat.

Outside, the mournful squeals of the pigs were incessant. Huai Zi, Qingmu, and the others bustled about, helping out and dividing the pork. Inside, Juhua and Pu Pao looked after the babies while doing some needlework. He and Aunt Liu were in the kitchen cooking, and after a while, the Yang Family came to help too.

"Juhua—"

A clear, childish voice came from the courtyard. Hearing it, Pu Pao lowered her head and pressed her lips together to hide a smile. Juhua also found it amusing. This was her little nephew Hulu’s characteristic way of calling her; he would follow it up by calling her "Auntie."

Sure enough, little Hulu, dressed like a round ball with a small red hat on his head and brand-new black cotton shoes on his feet, came toddling into the room. As he crossed the threshold, he held onto the doorframe, swung one leg over, shuffled his bottom around to bring the other leg in, and only then let go with both hands. He turned to Juhua and cried, "Auntie!"

Juhua smiled at the belated "Auntie." Seeing him flying towards her, wobbling precariously, she called out in concern, "Slow down, be careful you don’t fall."

The words were barely out of her mouth when his legs gave way, and he fell to his knees. Country kids are tough, and he was wearing many layers for the winter, so little Hulu didn’t mind the fall at all. He pushed himself up with both hands, butt in the air, and scrambled over to the twins’ small bed, calling out, "Little sister, little brother!"

Juhua said quickly, "Hulu, your little brother and sister are still sleeping. You can play with them when they wake up. Don’t disturb them for now. Come here, come to Auntie. Why aren’t Great-Grandma and Mommy here yet? Where’s Grandma?"

Hulu fell silent, ran to her side, and turned to look outside.

Juhua looked up and saw Mrs. Wang and Liu Yunlan coming in from outside. Each was carrying a small basket containing needlework. She stood up and invited them to sit.

Liu Yunlan wasn’t very sensitive to the cold and just sat on a small wooden stool with a cotton cushion on it. Mrs. Wang, however, sat on a long bench and put both her legs into the foot warmer. Juhua then covered her lap with a small cotton quilt.

After Mrs. Wang had settled in, she looked at Hulu, who was leaning against Juhua’s side, and said with a smile, "Hulu has been chattering on and on at home, asking for his little sister. So his grandma brought him over first."

Juhua asked, "Where’s my mother?"

Liu Yunlan laughed. "She’s in the kitchen helping Aunt He. I wanted to help, but they wouldn’t let me. They said the kitchen was too crowded to move around in and shooed me out."

Pu Pao was very sharp. She had already gotten up to pour two cups of warm water, which she handed to Mrs. Wang and Liu Yunlan. ’The Young Madam said chrysanthemum tea isn’t good to drink in the winter, and that plain boiled water is perfectly fine,’ she thought, ’so I didn’t brew any tea.’

Mrs. Wang took the cup and praised her, "Pu Pao is becoming more and more capable. She’s starting to look like a young lady."

Pu Pao smiled shyly, then suddenly turned and ran to the small bed. "Cong is awake! Oh! Banli is awake too. My younger brother is still asleep. No wonder my mom says he’s like a little piglet—all he does is eat and sleep."

Hearing this, Hulu scrambled over, shouting, "Little brother, little sister!"

He was greeted by the sound of Banli’s laughter.

Juhua shook her head and chuckled. ’I wonder if these two little guys inherited the friendship gene from Qingmu and Huai Zi,’ she thought. Ever since Banli had learned to laugh, he would break into a wide, toothless grin and flash a huge smile at Hulu the moment he stood near, even before being teased. And if Hulu reached out a small hand to poke his cheeks or trace his lips, it was all over—the whole room would fill with his laughter.

Cong, on the other hand, was much quieter. But she clearly liked playing with Hulu too, as she always smiled at him, just not as loudly as her brother did.

Pu Pao skillfully changed the two little ones’ diapers. After getting them cleaned up, she first brought Cong to Juhua to be nursed. ’She’d also noticed,’ she thought, ’that the Young Madam doted on her daughter a little more, always feeding Cong first, and then Banli. If Banli was still hungry, he’d be taken to my mother to be nursed.’

’Originally, my mother was the one who fed Banli directly, since she had enough milk for two babies anyway. But the Young Madam said that if she never nursed Banli, her son wouldn’t feel close to her later on. So she had to feed him at least a little. Still, she always fed her daughter first and then her son. If that isn’t favoritism, what is?’

Juhua took Cong and waited for Pu Pao to bring the warm water that had been prepared in the kitchen. Only then did she undo her lapels, clean her nipple with a soft cotton cloth, and begin to nurse her little daughter. (To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to come to Qidian.com to vote for recommendations and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation.)