Chapter 558 | Chapter 559 | Chapter 560
Chapter 558: Professor Zhao’s Childish Temper
“And what can we do? Learn! This answer is undoubtedly our most critical mission.”
“A fish stripped of water means its life will end; a person stripped of learning means their life will lose its cultivation.”
“Every classmate here is a university student who has successfully navigated the national college entrance examination. You must understand better than anyone else that studying is the fastest route to success.”
“The humiliation of history tells us that if you lag behind, you will be beaten. So why should we just accept our fate and take the beating?”
“We live in the greatest era, and we ought to let foreign imperialists take a good look! The youth of Huaxia refuse to resign themselves to fate!”
“There is a saying: If the youth have ambition, the nation has ambition; if the youth are strong, the nation is strong; if the youth excel over Europe, the nation excels over Europe.“
“The ambition of youth is a vow to serve the country to the death, without grievance or regret, never giving up.”
“Studying for the rise of China—this was a sentence spoken by the great Premier Zhou at the age of twelve after witnessing foreigners bullying Chinese people. This sentence was like a clap of spring thunder, shocking thousands upon thousands of Chinese people!”
Sheng Wanyan stared at her classmates with a resolute gaze, articulating her passion for her country in fluent Russian right here in the classroom. In the future, she would stand on the international stage, before the world, and articulate it in Chinese!
“Premier Zhou said: Studying for the rise of China!”
“Premier Zhou’s words serve as the exact title of our group’s presentation today.”
“I hope our children in the future will be able to say: Studying for the revitalization of China!”
After Sheng Wanyan finished speaking, she bowed deeply. The students and instructors below stood up one after another to applaud, their eyes swimming with tears and a lingering fury over the bullying from foreign nations that wouldn’t dissolve for a long time!
Professor Zhao stared at the five individuals on stage, feeling a bit dazed. He seemed to see a reflection of his own youth. He had once stood in international conferences, arguing forcefully to secure benefits for his nation, running around places abroad where the flames of war raged, trading his very life for small chances for his country to rise bit by bit!
This generation of youth had not collapsed…
Once the presentations concluded, the most nerve-wracking moment arrived. In truth, everyone already had a good idea of which group would win. Having experienced it firsthand, they knew in their hearts whose presentation was superior.
Professor Zhao walked up to the podium to announce the first-place group. Wei Lili and the others stared at him anxiously.
“I will directly announce first place.” Professor Zhao didn’t dawdle, delivering the ranking everyone was dying to know. “First-place group: Sheng Wanyan, Liu Xing, Gu Shumin, Wei Lili, Lin Meili.”
The moment the result came out, the classmates looked as though they had long anticipated it. They could only say they were completely and utterly outclassed!
Everyone clapped one after another, though the disappointment in their eyes couldn’t be hidden. After all, such an excellent learning opportunity in March of next year was now gone just like that.
Professor Zhao pressed his hands down to quiet them. “Do not be discouraged, everyone. With our nation developing today, this won’t be the only opportunity.”
Hearing this, the students’ eyes instantly lit up, their faces filled with excitement.
“You are all the future pillars of this nation, and the state will certainly not let you remain in the shadows.”
“This time, let Sheng Wanyan’s group blaze the trail for you, and they can come back so you can learn from each other.”
“Great!” The students cheered up one after another. As long as there were still opportunities, they weren’t afraid!
The roster for those traveling to the exchange conference alongside the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in March of next year was finalized just like that. The members of Sheng Wanyan’s group were so ecstatic they felt like they might faint.
“Wanyan! Thank you so much!!” Wei Lili excitedly hugged her arm. Privately, Sheng Wanyan had helped them revise their drafts and had ungrudgingly taught them some difficult vocabulary words.
In truth, they were only freshmen, and many words and grammatical structures were still unfamiliar to them, requiring constant study. But they possessed a major cheat code in their group—Sheng Wanyan. The moment Sheng Wanyan spotted an issue, she would patiently correct it for them. If it hadn’t been for Sheng Wanyan’s help in polishing the text, their drafts wouldn’t have turned out so thrilling and inspiring.
“Comrade Sheng Wanyan, thank you.” Liu Xing truly hadn’t expected that he would secure this opportunity, especially since the students who ranked third and fourth in their major had missed out. He always felt that aside from doing odd jobs and running errands, he hadn’t contributed much else. It was mainly because there were many areas where he wanted to help, but he simply lacked the capability…
“Don’t get too excited, don’t get too excited.”
“Go back and study hard. You absolute cannot embarrass Peking University when the time comes for the exchange conference.” Seeing that Wei Lili was about to rattle a pregnant Sheng Wanyan to pieces, Professor Zhao quickly stepped forward, pushed Wei Lili away, and lectured them.
True to form, Wei Lili instantly lost her high spirits upon hearing this. She was already this nervous now; when faced with so many leaders and foreigners down the line, wouldn’t she be constantly searching for the restroom?
“Professor, I’m scared…”
“I’m scared too,” Lin Meili said with a slight tremble. Even behind her glasses, Gu Shumin’s eyes were full of anxiety.
Professor Zhao looked at the three of them. “If you’re scared, why aren’t you going back to study more?”
The end-of-class bell rang, and Wei Lili quickly pulled Lin Meili and Gu Shumin along as she bolted. “Right, right, right, study, study.”
Professor Zhao watched the three retreating figures with absolute satisfaction, then pulled Sheng Wanyan along to head home after class.
Stepping out of the school gates, they spotted Gu Tingxiao waiting for them. Professor Zhao and Sheng Wanyan walked over. Professor Zhao eyed the space behind Gu Tingxiao’s back. “Where’s the wine?”
“My mistress is at the general store.”
Upon hearing this, Professor Zhao sheepishly shut his mouth. Before walking away, he turned back to instruct once more, “Don’t forget tomorrow.”
“Understood.” Gu Tingxiao nodded with his usual taciturn demeanor.
Still feeling uneasy after mulling it over, Professor Zhao offered one final instruction, “If your mistress is around, don’t bring it.”
“Understood.”
Professor Zhao: “……” Ten sentences can’t squeeze a single squeak out of him. I really don’t know what my disciple saw in him.
Professor Zhao walked ahead with his hands behind his back, while Gu Tingxiao supported Sheng Wanyan as they followed behind.
Professor Zhao went to the general store to pick up Mistress Zhao to head home. Before they departed, Sheng Wanyan took out some wines suitable for women and handed them to Mistress Zhao.
“Mistress, this is some wine I brewed from grapes previously. Drinking a little occasionally is good for your complexion.”
“And this rose wine—you should drink some as well, it’s excellent for your health.”
Mistress Zhao smiled kindly, accepting the wines from Sheng Wanyan with both hands, while Professor Zhao stared on with longing eyes from the side.
Amused by the sight, Sheng Wanyan fetched two more bottles of peach blossom wine that Professor Zhao loved and handed them to him, calling it a token of filial respect for her teacher.
Mistress Zhao directed a threatening glare at Professor Zhao, but Professor Zhao pretended not to see it, quickly reaching out to take them.
“Hehehe… Good, good, good, my disciple showing her filial respect to me.”
Yi Yi ran out and wrapped her arms around Mistress Zhao and Professor Zhao’s legs, refusing to let them go home.
“Yi Yi, Mistress will come back tomorrow, okay?”
“Eat food~” Yi Yi very enthusiastically invited the elderly couple to stay for dinner.
Seeing the opportunity, Sheng Wanyan followed up, “Professor, Mistress, come stay and have dinner at our house. That way you won’t have to cook when you get back.”
Before Mistress Zhao could decline, Professor Zhao had already marched right into Sheng Wanyan’s house; he simply loved lounging here.
“Alright, then we won’t refuse.” Mistress Zhao was thoroughly exasperated; this man was truly growing more and more shameless in his old age. With no other choice, Mistress Zhao could only follow him inside.
Chapter 559: Giving Birth!!!
There was plenty of food cooked at home, so Gu Tingxiao only needed to stir-fry two more meat dishes before they could eat. Professor Zhao seized the opportunity to share a drink with him, drinking the wine from Sheng Wanyan’s cellar instead of the two bottles she had just gifted him. Seeing this, Mistress Zhao let out a cold snort—so this was the scheme he had been plotting all along.
Time flashed past as the excitement of the group competition settled, and it was soon time for Gu Tingxiao to report for duty at the Capital Military Region.
Gu Tingxiao’s transfer back to the Capital was a monumental event for the Gu family. His return signified that the Gu family would continue to climb higher. Amidst the current grand state of the country, it could be said that the Gu family was flourishing and thriving with each passing day.
Father Gu placed Gu Tingxiao directly within his own faction’s army corps, positioning him as a direct subordinate under Eldest Brother Gu. No matter how outsiders tried to twist their words and block the transfer, Father Gu went ahead and got it done without a second thought. If anyone was unsatisfied and wanted to complain, they could come pick a fight with him and see who won!
Father Gu’s fiercely authoritative attitude successfully shut everyone else’s mouths. After that, he officially began the gradual process of transferring the Gu family’s primary core powers over to Eldest Brother Gu.
Naturally, the Gu family’s influence wasn’t merely confined to the military region; they also possessed substantial influence within government departments and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The government departments were anchored by Mother Gu’s maternal family, so the Gu family didn’t need to stress over them too heavily. As long as the relationship between the Gu family and the Wen family remained unbroken, they would always be securely bound together.
As for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Grandma Gu had nurtured quite a few talents over the years, though she simply lacked a perfectly legitimate excuse to step in directly. However, the Gu family had already tacitly agreed that the sphere of influence Grandma Gu held within the Ministry of Foreign Affairs would eventually be handed over to Sheng Wanyan. She was the most qualified and the most suited for it.
The vast majority of the Gu family’s power resided in the military region, which was the very core of their foundations. Eldest Brother Gu could not let go of it, nor could the Gu family as a whole ever abandon it.
After Eldest Sister-in-law Gu finished her post-partum recovery month, Mother Gu also came over to look after Sheng Wanyan. Watching her belly grow larger by the day, Mother Gu’s heart was constantly filled with a lingering dread. Just walking was becoming an issue for Sheng Wanyan, so she could only remain lying down.
In December, Sheng Wanyan processed a temporary leave of absence with the university. She was a student highly valued by the institution, and the specialized professors well knew her exceptional learning capability, so the university approved it very quickly. However, her learning progress could not fall behind; this was the university’s single condition. With Professor Zhao personally heading to the principal’s office to talk and offer his guarantee, the school also felt at ease.
Sheng Wanyan and her family moved back to live in the courtyard house in the city. Yi Yi’s dance classes were currently at a critical phase, and it wasn’t recommended to pause them. Following a brief discussion, Grandfather and Grandma Sheng took Yi Yi over to stay at their house; when Sheng Wanyan was close to giving birth, they would bring her to the city proper and visit Sheng Wanyan at the same time.
There was no helping it, as Pan Yue was also pregnant now, and her due date fell right around New Year’s Day. Father and Mother Sheng simply couldn’t divide their attention. Furthermore, Pan Yue needed to go to the city a few days early to prepare for delivery, so Mother Sheng and her daughter-in-law tidied up the courtyard house on the south side of the city and moved in ahead of time. Father Sheng helped Grandfather and Grandma Sheng at the general store during the day and returned to the south side of the city at night, running ragged between both locations.
With Sheng Wanyan and Gu Tingxiao settling down in the city, it became far more convenient for Gu Tingxiao to commute to work. This man had previously spent a continuous period commuting six hours back and forth every single day. No matter how much anyone advised him otherwise, as long as there were no pressing duties at work, he would relentlessly make the grueling daily trek to arrive home right on time.
Since they were staying in the city, Mother Gu would also drop by when she had free time during the day to help Eldest Sister-in-law Gu look after the baby, taking a massive burden off the household. Eldest Brother Gu frequently sent supplies over—mostly baby clothes and nutritional supplements for pregnant women—which were clearly prepared under Eldest Sister-in-law Gu’s instructions.
Faced with the pressure of the impending delivery, Sheng Wanyan went to the hospital to wait for her labor over half a month ahead of time. Pan Yue was also slated to give birth in this exact same hospital, and Sheng Wanze had rushed back the night before, staying in a separate ward.
On the very day Sheng Wanyan was admitted, Pan Yue happened to go into labor. The baby arrived around ten o’clock in the evening; Pan Yue gave birth to a baby boy, who was perfectly healthy. Grandfather and Grandma Sheng were ecstatic beyond words; with another addition to the family, how could they not overflow with joy? The baby was given the nickname Little Huzi, and his official name was Sheng Jieming.
Sheng Wanyan went to visit them when she felt well enough, having prepared a pair of silver bracelets as a welcome gift for her little nephew.
Since twins could arrive at any moment, the family members were even more anxious and tense than she was. Fearing she wouldn’t be able to rest well, Mother Gu contacted the hospital director to arrange a private room for her. Pan Yue returned home after a few days of hospitalization; Mother Sheng needed to look after Pan Yue during her recovery month, so she couldn’t leave her side.
Father Sheng brought Yi Yi to the city proper, and Yi Yi returned to stay at the military compound. She could sense the underlying tension in the air at home. Every single day, Yi Yi insisted on tagging along with Mother Gu to visit Sheng Wanyan before her heart could rest. Seeing her mother confined to the hospital bed made Yi Yi a bit frightened; she was terrified that Sheng Wanyan might leave her.
“Yi Yi, everything is fine. It’s just that your little brother or sister is about to come out.” Sheng Wanyan didn’t actually know if they were boys or girls; she had ways to find out, but she preferred the surprise of letting nature take its course.
“Mama~ Are you going to die?” Yi Yi stood beside the hospital bed clutching her hand, her eyes rimmed with red.
“Of course not. Mama has to watch our Yi Yi grow up, after all.” Hearing this, Yi Yi stopped crying, wiped her tears away cleanly, and sat obediently on the side to watch over her.
Fearing she would start overthinking things, Mother Gu took her out for a stroll around the vicinity. By the time they returned from the walk, she was skipping about and full of life again; her emotions truly came fast and vanished just as quickly.
Sheng Wanyan’s due date was originally January 15th, but she went into labor two days early. The two babies had initially been fighting inside her belly, kicking back and forth, until her water suddenly broke.
Seeing her water break, Mother Gu and Mother Sheng were instantly startled out of their wits. They hurriedly called for the doctor and notified Gu Tingxiao and the rest of the family.
Sheng Wanyan’s water broke in the morning. The moment Gu Tingxiao received the phone call, he rushed over from the military region. Thank goodness the military hospital was located close by, allowing him to arrive very quickly, but Sheng Wanyan was visibly in far greater pain during this labor than the last one.
Grandfather and Grandma Gu hurried over immediately upon receiving the call. Once Grandfather and Grandma Sheng found out, they quickly shut the doors of the general store and headed to the city together.
Father Sheng had originally been entertaining Yi Yi nearby, but walking in and seeing the chaotic situation, he quickly led Yi Yi away from the ward.
“Mama…”
“Mama is fine. Grandfather will take you to wash your hands.” Fearing she would develop a psychological shadow from seeing how grueling Sheng Wanyan’s labor was, Father Sheng quickly scooped her up and took her to the restroom to wash her hands.
By the time Grandfather and Grandma Sheng arrived at the hospital, Sheng Wanyan had already been wheeled into the delivery room.
“Who is the husband?” A nurse stepped out to find the family. Gu Tingxiao immediately rushed forward, anxiously asking about Sheng Wanyan’s condition.
“I am.”
“How is my wife?” Gu Tingxiao’s voice was shaking violently.
The nurse quickly explained the situation: “It’s like this—the patient is carrying twins, so the risk is relatively high. It’s best if the husband goes inside to accompany her. The patient has agreed, so go change your clothes and come in.”
Hearing this, Gu Tingxiao hurriedly went to change his clothes. Mother Gu quickly held him back to deliver a few anxious instructions: “Old Third, there are ginseng slices inside the delivery bundle. Remember to place two slices under Wanyan’s tongue!”
Chapter 560: Twin Sons!
“Also, keep a close watch.”
Gu Tingxiao nodded blankly, changed his clothes, and followed the nurse inside. The moment he saw Sheng Wanyan on the delivery table, tears began welling in his eyes.
“Wanyan…”
Gu Tingxiao quickly stepped forward and grasped her hand. Sheng Wanyan turned her head to look at him; she was truly frightened… Frightened of death. Someone who had died once before was even more terrified of death.
“I’m fine, just a little nervous.” Sheng Wanyan smiled. Seeing that she was still trying to comfort him, Gu Tingxiao’s heart filled with absolute ache.
“I know.”
“You and the babies will both be safe.”
Gu Tingxiao spoke the words, but his usually expressionless face was entirely consumed by worry and distress at this moment.
“Once the babies are born, I’ll take care of them, and you can take Yi Yi out to play.”
“You mother and daughter will enjoy your lives, and I’ll look after the two little ones.”
“When the kids are older, we’ll go travel the world.”
Gu Tingxiao’s voice trembled. This was the first time he was witnessing Sheng Wanyan give birth with his own eyes, and it was ten thousand times more grueling than he had ever imagined. He shouldn’t have… he shouldn’t have let his wife get pregnant with a second term.
“Alright…” Sheng Wanyan’s voice was a bit weak, but her spirit remained highly alert.
The doctor performed an examination, and after confirming that she was ready for delivery, nodded to the nurse. The nurse fetched the delivery tools, offered Sheng Wanyan a few soothing words, and they began.
“Save your strength, mother. Carrying twins is no easy task.” Fearing she would run out of energy after delivering the first one, the doctor relentlessly repeated this single sentence.
Sheng Wanyan nodded, gripping Gu Tingxiao’s hand tightly.
“Inhale… Exhale…”
Sheng Wanyan followed the doctor’s instructions. Outside the delivery room, Mother Gu and the others waited anxiously, and after a little over an hour, they finally heard Sheng Wanyan’s cries.
The two babies both seemed eager to be born first, competing fiercely for the chance to come out first. Sheng Wanyan’s labor this time was even faster than her first; within three hours, both babies were racing to emerge.
“I see the baby’s head, push hard!”
Sheng Wanyan gritted her teeth and pushed with all her might. Gu Tingxiao quickly wiped the sweat from her forehead, cheering her on and giving her strength.
Sheng Wanyan only felt something slip out of her body. After the first baby emerged, the nurse had Gu Tingxiao cut the umbilical cord. Moving closer and seeing the blood the doctor was clearing away, Gu Tingxiao’s eyes instantly turned completely bloodshot.
“Father, hurry.”
Gu Tingxiao held the scissors steadily and snipped downward. The nurse took the baby to the side to clean him, flicking the sole of his foot a few times. The first baby stubbornly refused to cry, so the nurse gave his bottom a hard pat, and he finally let out a wail.
“Wah wah wah~”
The baby’s crying sounded like a spell resonating in Gu Tingxiao’s ears, and his heart was filled with an indescribable emotion.
“There’s one more, push hard, mother.”
Sheng Wanyan had already run completely out of strength. Seeing this, Gu Tingxiao quickly placed the ginseng slices into her mouth.
“Push, the baby will suffocate if he stays inside too long.”
“Ahhhhhhhhhh…”
Outside the room, Mother Sheng paced back and forth anxiously upon hearing her screams. Was everything truly alright in there! It wasn’t until two minutes later when another infant’s wail echoed from inside that everyone finally snapped out of their trance.
“Are they both born?” Mother Sheng looked at Father Sheng. Father Sheng wasn’t entirely certain either, pressing his ear flat against the delivery room door to listen.
The babies were cleaned up and carried over to Sheng Wanyan for a brief moment of bonding.
“Congratulations, it’s two boys, and they are both healthy.”
Hearing this, Sheng Wanyan turned her head to look at her two babies. They were a bit raw red, their eyes tightly closed, their little fingers wriggling.
“Thank you.” Sheng Wanyan felt a complex mix of emotions in her heart. She had actually given birth to twins—two identical sons.
Gu Tingxiao couldn’t hear a thing clearly, still completely frozen by the sight of the blood Sheng Wanyan had lost.
The babies were carried out, and Mother Gu and the others swarmed forward to ask about the situation.
“How is the mother?”
“Are the babies healthy?”
With the crowd chiming in one after another, the two nurses holding the babies retreated a step in alarm.
“Quiet!”
“Everyone shut up!” Grandfather Gu bellowed, and the crowd fell instantly silent, finally granting the nurses a chance to speak.
“Congratulations, it’s a pair of twin boys.”
“This is the older brother, weighing five and a half catties.”
“This is the younger brother, weighing five catties.”
Upon hearing it was twin boys, everyone was completely stunned. They had thought it might be a boy and a girl, but it turned out to be two identical twin boys.
“Brother! Let me look~” Yi Yi tugged at the nurse’s pants. The two nurses looked down, and seeing a chubby little thing, they smiled.
“Yes, yes, yes, let our Yi Yi take a look.”
“Let Big Sister look. They will have to listen to Big Sister in the future.”
The two nurses squatted down to let her see. The moment Yi Yi saw the two raw red babies, she was completely dumbfounded. What on earth are these two things…
Out of proper upbringing and politeness, Yi Yi still took each little brother’s hand in hers to offer a greeting.
“Hello, little brothers~ I am your big sister.”
“If you don’t listen to me, I’ll beat you to death~” Yi Yi balled her two hands into fists, launching into a childish threat.
Yet, she was incredibly ecstatic in her heart. Because Papa had said that once her little brothers came out, she would be their boss, and her word would be law! She had always been the younger sister, and now she could finally act like a little adult and hold authority in the house, which she deeply anticipated.
Hearing her words, the elders couldn’t help but burst into laughter. Mother Sheng affectionately pulled her into her embrace.
“Alright, alright, alright. If your little brothers don’t listen, Big Sister Yi Yi can beat them.”
Grandfather Gu’s eyes lit up at Yi Yi’s words. As expected of the Gu family line—this martial spirit was top-tier. “Our Gu family values martial virtue over literary virtue. As expected of my Gu family bloodline.”
Mother Gu stepped forward to cradle the older brother, while Father Gu held the younger brother. Although the two babies were newborns and looked like little monkeys, their facial features were completely identical. It was still impossible to tell whom they resembled more, but the sheer novelty of twins was more than enough to satisfy the curiosity in their hearts.
“You can’t hit your little brothers~”
Hearing Mother Gu’s words, Yi Yi felt a bit bewildered. Why did everyone in the family say something different? Whose word was she actually supposed to follow???
“Ahem.” Father Gu cleared his throat to warn Mother Gu not to speak carelessly.
Mother Gu was holding the older brother and refused to let go, only snapping out of it when she heard Father Gu’s cough. Looking down and seeing Yi Yi’s bewildered and somewhat disappointed face, she quickly handed the baby to Mother Sheng, squatted down, and scooped Yi Yi into her arms.
“Your little brothers are still very small right now, and their bodies aren’t very strong.”
“Once they grow up healthy and become as big as Yi Yi is now, then you can beat them.”
“Grandma~ Yi Yi is three.” Yi Yi held up three chubby little fingers.
Mother Gu nodded repeatedly. “Yes, once your little brothers turn three, you can discipline them.”
Yi Yi nodded, slipped out of Mother Gu’s embrace, and ran over to take another look at her two little brothers. “I’ll beat you when you’re three~”
After the two babies were shown to everyone, the nurses carried them back into the delivery room, where Gu Tingxiao finally snapped back to reality.
