Chapter 733 - 378: It’s Not Easy Being Parents

Chapter 733: Chapter 378: It’s Not Easy Being Parents

Huai Zi saw her jet-black hair spilling over her shoulders as she tightly wrapped Banli in a small jacket, her eyes glued to what his mother was doing. She didn’t look like her usual self in the mornings, languid in a way that tugged at the heart. Right now, she simply looked frazzled. He comforted her, saying, "It’s your first time dressing them. It’s normal to be a bit clumsy. You’ll get the hang of it after a few more tries."

As he spoke, He had already finished dressing Cong in his undergarments and was holding him. Hearing Huai Zi’s words, she glanced at Juhua and chuckled. "You’re still so young, and you’ve never been through this before. Not only did you have twins your first time, but you’ve also been recovering and can’t overexert yourself. How could it possibly be easy to get the hang of it? I think they should stay with me tonight. If this wears you out for a few more days, ruining your health is no small matter."

Juhua managed a slight smile and said to her mother-in-law, "Mother, if I already knew how, I might have truly passed them off to you. But it’s precisely because I don’t know that I need to put my heart into learning. Otherwise, if I keep relying on you, I’ll still be completely clueless with the next baby. People would laugh at me, and you’d be exhausted too. I don’t think this is too difficult. Would you mind coming over in the mornings for the next few days to teach me? Once you show me how, I’ll get it, right? We’re young—we need our elders to teach us so we can learn to handle things. The twins don’t cry much at night anyway, and if they do, I’ll have Huai Zi get up. It won’t wear me out."

She had considered saying something like, ’You’ve eaten more salt than I’ve eaten rice,’ but she felt it was a bit too sappy and decided against it.

He was delighted by her words, her face blooming into a wide smile. She nodded and said, "Alright then, they can stay with you. I’ll come over in the mornings to give you a hand, and you’ll get the hang of it in a few days. Huai Zi, you need to be more alert at night. Just get up, hold them, and let Juhua nurse them once. Once they’re full, they’ll sleep until dawn, and you two can rest soundly. If you ignore them, they’ll probably start crying. You’re the father. Juhua isn’t in the best of health, so you need to be more attentive."

Huai Zi nodded repeatedly. "Got it, Mother! Give Cong to me. You can go cook the dumplings."

He replied, "Don’t be silly. He’s not even wearing his outer jacket yet. How can you take him outside? Wait until Juhua finishes feeding Banli and gets his outer clothes on. Then you can hold him while Juhua feeds Cong. That way, you won’t be in such a fluster. It’s still very cold in the room; they’ll catch a chill if they’re out from under the covers."

Huai Zi quickly agreed, looking as if he had learned his lesson. He stood foolishly by the bed, wanting to help but not knowing how.

Watching him, Juhua pursed her lips to hide a smile. She completely understood his awkward helplessness; she felt the same way. ’Being a father isn’t so easy, it seems. Mmm, but this is mostly my failure as a mother. If it weren’t for me, childcare would be the wife’s responsibility. A man like him wouldn’t need to get involved at all. It’s only because of my poor health that he’s caught up in all this chaos.’

She saw Pu Pao tidying the room, gathering the twins’ used diapers and underclothes. The babies’ chamber pot was also gone, likely taken out to be cleaned and aired out. Juhua quickly said to her, "Pu Pao, just leave those for now. You can wash them tonight. We have clean ones to use anyway. Today is the first day of the New Year. Don’t busy yourself here with me. Go out and make your New Year visits and have some fun."

He quickly agreed, adding that since it was the first day of the New Year, there was no work to be done, only feasting. Pu Pao was still young and should be out playing. "Go on, play with the other little girls. It’s a good chance to meet some new friends."

Pu Pao smiled shyly. "I don’t want to go out and play. I want to play with Banli and Cong. Hulu is coming over later, too. Young Madam, is Banli done feeding? The Second Young Master has been asking since early this morning, but he felt it would be improper for him to come into the room."

He chuckled. "What’s he doing? Eager to hold his nephews this early?"

Pu Pao replied, "The Second Young Master is practicing martial arts with my brother. The Old Master took the ox out for a walk and some water, and my father is feeding the pigs."

Hearing this, Huai Zi also laughed and said to Juhua, "He practices more diligently than I do. Even Heipi is better than me now."

It turned out that Qin Feng had taught him and Qingmu a set of martial arts forms some time ago. But because Huai Zi was busy, his practice was hit-or-miss—sometimes in the morning, sometimes at night, with no fixed schedule. Later, seeing how hard Zhang Yang was studying, he taught the forms to him so he could practice in the mornings to strengthen his body. When Heipi arrived, he taught him as well, and Heipi also became quite good.

Juhua nursed Banli until he was about half-full. Then, following He’s instructions, she dressed him in his small padded jacket, cotton-wadded pants, the little red hat from Grandma Liu, and a pair of red shoes. She handed him to Huai Zi to hold and then said to Pu Pao, "Later, when your mother has a moment, feed Banli again."

With that said, she took Cong and continued nursing. Only then was He freed up to go to the kitchen and cook the dumplings.

Huai Zi carried Banli out of the room, and soon after, the sound of Zhang Yang’s loud, playful voice and Banli’s laughter could be heard.

Juhua smiled at the sound. She finally managed to get Cong settled as well and handed him to Pu Pao to hold. Then she got dressed and tidied the bed, changing both the bedsheet and the padded mattress protector. She took the mattress protector outside to air out, leaving the sheet to be washed the next day.

She put on a new, pale lotus-pink dress, coiled her hair up, and secured it with a wooden hairpin. Her face was still fresh and without makeup. Looking neat and refreshed, she asked Pu Pao if anything was amiss. Pu Pao looked at her with a face full of envy and nodded. "It’s perfect. Young Madam, you look so beautiful like this. Tomorrow, I’ll help you with a new hairstyle Doctor Yun taught me."

Juhua smiled. "She taught me too, I just can’t be bothered to do it. We have so much to do all day, and a hairstyle like that comes undone easily. That’s why I always tie my hair up tightly. It’s more practical for getting work done."

Pu Pao pursed her lips and smiled. "Young Madam, from now on, I will wait on you. You won’t have to do any work."

Juhua took a red envelope she had prepared earlier from a drawer in the cabinet and tucked it into Pu Pao’s hand. She smiled. "Alright, then I’ll be waiting to live a life of leisure. To be honest, I don’t really do any heavy labor anyway. I just enjoy growing vegetables and raising chickens. It would be harder for me to just sit around doing nothing." (To be continued...)