Chapter 318| Chapter 319| Chapter 320
Chapter 318: 1976
The winter air in Bing City was so bitterly cold that they didn’t dare give little Yi Yi a proper bath, settling instead for a quick, gentle wipe-down with warm water to prevent her from catching a chill.
Once the baby was settled, Gu Tingxiao took over the domestic front, methodically washing the dishes and tidying the living room. Only after the house was spotless did he step into the washroom for a hot shower before finally taking a moment to rest.
Several days passed without a single word from Political Commissar Xie regarding the contract. Sheng Wanyan assumed the senior leadership in the capital was locked in deep, calculated debate over her terms. She wasn’t the least bit anxious. Even if the state ultimately refused her offer, she knew that once the national economy officially opened up in a few years, she could simply launch the product herself and reap the full profit.
Everything was just a matter of patience, and she certainly wasn’t hurting for capital in the meantime. The total cash reserve stored securely in her spatial domain sat at a staggering 255,302 yuan. In this highly restricted era, that figure represented an unimaginable fortune. Once the state lifted the embargo on private property and commercial enterprise, she possessed enough liquid capital to purchase prime real estate, luxury apartments, and commercial storefronts outright, even if she simply let them sit empty. She harbored zero desire to grind as a hands-on merchant in this lifetime; she possessed far different ambitions for her future.
Sheng Wanyan maintained her standard domestic rhythm, seamlessly balancing her translation assignments, cooking, and nursing little Yi Yi. Gu Tingxiao’s mandatory disaster leave officially concluded, and he returned to the active barracks, resuming his punishing daily schedule.
Exactly ten days after the initial briefing, Political Commissar Xie arrived at her front gate. He offered her a deeply complex, indescribable look as she opened the door.
“Comrade Sheng Wanyan,” the Commissar sighed, pulling a thick envelope from his coat. “The central ministry has officially authorized your terms.”
He handed her the finalized document. “Here is the contract. Please review the clauses.”
Sheng Wanyan accepted the paperwork, a radiant smile breaking across her face as her eyes skimmed the bolded print outlining the equity split. “Everything is perfectly in order.”
Political Commissar Xie handed her his fountain pen. They each signed and retained an identical copy of the document, officially sealing the unprecedented partnership.
“The scientific research team from the municipal institute will arrive on base tomorrow morning,” the Commissar informed her, securing his copy in his briefcase. “The administration expects you to provide comprehensive instruction and guide them through the granulation process.”
“Naturally,” Sheng Wanyan agreed smoothly. “Since the state is generously providing the financial backing and the manual labor, I will absolutely ensure the operation runs flawlessly.”
She extended her hand. “Thank you for your tireless advocacy, Political Commissar. It’s a genuine pleasure doing business with you.”
The corner of Political Commissar Xie’s mouth twitched into a rigid, practiced smile. You’re the only one walking away happy in this arrangement, he thought bitterly.
The central ministry had been forced to concede absolute ownership of the medical patent directly into Sheng Wanyan’s name. They knew that if she ever decided to unilaterally revoke their distribution rights, the state would be entirely legally powerless to stop her. To neutralize that risk, the ministry’s legal department had aggressively drafted the contract to span a staggering one hundred years. At the very least, the administration wouldn’t have to worry about renegotiating the terms for an entire century.
Sheng Wanyan didn’t care in the slightest how long the term limits were, provided the monthly dividends flowed steadily into her accounts. She would be dead long before a hundred years passed; why on earth should she stress over centuries of corporate strategy? Her only priority was living a free, wealthy, and comfortable life in the present. Securing generational wealth was a problem her distant descendants could figure out for themselves.
After a firm, entirely cheerful handshake, Sheng Wanyan bid the exhausted Commissar farewell and immediately slipped the priceless contract into the absolute security of her spatial domain.
When Gu Tingxiao returned for his noon meal, he instantly registered his wife’s radiant, exceptionally buoyant mood and easily deduced the outcome of the negotiations.
He was fully aware of the intense political maneuvering occurring behind the scenes in the capital. The Gu family patriarch had personally stepped into the fray, exerting immense pressure against the opposing factions to secure the authorization for her terms. In the current political landscape, the ruling factions were deeply fractured, and there were plenty of powerful rivals absolutely unwilling to let the Gu lineage secure such a massive medical and financial victory. But once the legendary Old Master Gu formally laid his influence on the table, the opposition had no choice but to bite their tongues and sign the paper.
“The Political Commissar paid us a visit?” Gu Tingxiao asked smoothly, setting his cap down.
“He did,” she beamed, enjoying her lunch with far more appetite than usual.
Watching her happily eat a second portion, Gu Tingxiao couldn’t help but let out a quiet sigh. He spent every single day trying to coax his wife into eating larger meals to rebuild her postpartum strength, yet he rarely succeeded. Who knew Political Commissar Xie possessed the magic touch required to stimulate her appetite? Perhaps I should invite the Commissar to the cottage more often, Gu Tingxiao mused dryly.
Had Political Commissar Xie known that the dreaded Captain Gu merely viewed him as an appetite stimulant for his wife, the older man likely would have suffered a rage-induced stroke on the spot.
With the floodwaters successfully drained and the contract officially sealed, the research team from the city finally arrived, and Sheng Wanyan’s schedule became incredibly demanding.
Because little Yi Yi was still heavily dependent on nursing, the research team agreed to conduct the preliminary theoretical sessions directly inside Sheng Wanyan’s cottage. She only stepped foot inside the makeshift military laboratory when absolute, hands-on mechanical demonstrations were required.
The municipal dispatch consisted of five elite researchers: a seasoned senior scientist, two middle-aged technicians, and a brilliant young married couple. The moment they were introduced to Sheng Wanyan, the entire team was rendered utterly speechless.
How could an ordinary, young civilian woman independently engineer such a flawless, revolutionary medical compound? They had been briefed that the creator was female, but they had naturally assumed she was an eccentric, gray-haired scholar in her fifties. Discovering that she was a stunning twenty-two-year-old mother was profoundly intimidating.
However, not a single scientist dared to underestimate her. Though incredibly young, her technical brilliance was undeniable. Their superiors had issued strict, zero-tolerance directives before their deployment: Do not, under any circumstances, disrespect Comrade Sheng Wanyan. You are there to study under her instruction and execute her methodologies flawlessly. You are students, not superiors. Leave your academic egos at the door.
Sheng Wanyan vastly preferred collaborating with intelligent, drama-free professionals who simply focused on executing the work. Whenever the process required her to be physically present at the lab, she entrusted little Yi Yi to Grandma Sheng’s capable hands.
Since the garrison lacked a dedicated, sterilized research facility, the regiment had hurriedly converted an empty administrative office into a makeshift laboratory. It was crude, but functional enough to get the job done.
The greatest technical hurdle the state scientists faced was the long-term stabilization of the medical granules. In this era, preserving active botanicals against moisture degradation was a massive, industry-wide challenge. But for Sheng Wanyan, who possessed an advanced, modern understanding of pharmacology and independent drug synthesis from her previous life, it wasn’t a problem at all. In the future era she hailed from, moisture control was a microscopic, entirely solved issue.
“The packaging matrix is just as critical as the chemical synthesis to prevent moisture contamination,” Sheng Wanyan instructed, detailing the specifications. “The final product must be absolutely, hermetically sealed.”
She systematically outlined the precise storage and vacuum-sealing protocols required for the granules, noting that the heavy industrial packaging would have to be handled by the state manufacturing plants.
“As long as the packets are maintained in a sterile, dry environment, the efficacy will hold for a full twenty-four months?” the senior scientist asked, feverishly taking notes.
“Yes,” she confirmed.
The city researchers were awestruck. Under her expert guidance, they realized the actual stabilization process wasn’t insurmountably difficult; it simply relied on applying advanced thermodynamic principles to the packaging phase—concepts they had never encountered before in domestic manufacturing. It was highly novel, but remarkably effective.
The team studied under Sheng Wanyan’s intensive instruction for an entire month. Once they had thoroughly mastered the crystallization process and successfully produced a flawless batch of stable granules, they packed their equipment to return to the municipal institute to file their findings. Recognizing the immense strategic value of the formula, Political Commissar Xie assigned a heavy armed guard to escort the convoy back to the city to ensure no accidents or ambushes occurred on the mountain roads. In this turbulent era, hostile foreign spies were constantly seeking opportunities to sabotage China’s technological and medical advancements.
With the operation successfully concluded, Sheng Wanyan retreated back to her quiet domestic life, happily shedding her identity as an elite instructor to return to being an ordinary mother.
Observing how intensely busy she had been, Grandpa and Grandma Sheng knew she was engaged in highly classified military business. They wisely refrained from asking a single question, understanding that prying into state secrets only invited danger. They simply suppressed their natural curiosity and devoted their energy to helping her look after little Yi Yi.
By the time Sheng Wanyan’s laboratory duties were entirely wrapped up, it was already early February, marking the eve of the 1976 Lunar New Year.
With the holiday rapidly approaching, the household was buzzing with anticipation. While their branch wouldn’t be traveling down to the capital this year, Mother and Father Sheng had finally secured their leave and were making the long journey up to Bing City.
Gu Tingxiao and Sheng Wanze had driven out to the railway station early that morning to collect them, leaving Sheng Wanyan waiting excitedly at the cottage.
Little Yi Yi was now five months old and developing beautifully. She could sit up entirely unassisted, crawl across the mattress with surprising speed, and entertain herself with her wooden toys. Because she was so vibrant and eager to explore her environment the moment she learned to crawl, Gu Tingxiao had specifically installed a higher wooden guardrail around her heated kang bed, terrified she might tumble over the edge.
Whenever she was held, she was a bundle of endless, restless energy. If Sheng Wanyan hadn’t rigorously recovered her postpartum physical strength, she genuinely wouldn’t have been able to contain the squirming infant.
“Ah~!” Yi Yi babbled loudly. She sat on the mattress clutching a small, stuffed rabbit, her chubby finger pointing insistently toward the front door. She desperately wanted to go outside and play, but in the brutal, sub-zero winter temperatures, even the adults dreaded stepping outside, let alone exposing a fragile infant to the frost.
“Grandpa and Grandma are almost here, darling,” Sheng Wanyan cooed, gently distracting her with the rabbit. “Can we be patient and wait for them right here where it’s warm?”
Chapter 319: Father and Mother Sheng Came to Bing City
Sheng Wanyan was particularly fond of Yi Yi’s chubby little hands. Each of the baby’s tiny fingers had an adorable little dimple at the knuckle. Between her round, pale cheeks and her sweet, milky scent, she was completely irresistible.
Whenever Gu Tingxiao was out of the house, Sheng Wanyan would secretly slip her modern camera out of her spatial domain to snap pictures of the baby. She had already decided that as soon as the spring thaw arrived and the weather warmed up, they would take their very first proper family portrait. Her plan was to take a picture every year to meticulously document Yi Yi’s growth. Then, when her daughter was all grown up, they could look through the album together while Sheng Wanyan shared stories of her childhood.
“Ahhhhh~!”
Yi Yi had never met her maternal grandparents before and had absolutely no memory of them, but she could clearly sense her mother’s vibrant mood. Today, the corners of Sheng Wanyan’s mouth had been turned up in a perpetual smile.
While infants in this era were supposed to be vaccinated, the military base clinic only provided a single basic inoculation at birth. The advanced, multi-phase vaccines of later generations hadn’t been developed yet, so Sheng Wanyan quietly administered the shots herself from her spatial stores. To guarantee her daughter’s health, she made sure the baby received her scheduled immunizations every single month before her first birthday. At moments like this, she was incredibly grateful that she had studied medicine and possessed a spatial domain packed with modern pharmaceuticals. Whenever a child faced health issues in an era where local medical care was inadequate, she could step in and make a difference.
Pfft—!
Yi Yi suddenly began blowing bubbles, blowing a spray of fine saliva foam all over her tiny chin. Sheng Wanyan didn’t mind at all. She carefully wiped the baby’s face clean with a soft cloth and let her continue playing. Infants at this stage simply operated on instinct; adults couldn’t expect perfect manners from them. She would wait until the child developed proper self-awareness and the capacity to understand instructions before she began teaching her.
Sheng Wanyan also noticed that Yi Yi had started biting her fingers constantly, a sure sign that her first teeth were preparing to erupt. While most infants began teething between six and eight months, some started much earlier. I’ll have to ask Tingxiao to carve a smooth wooden teething ring the moment he gets back, Sheng Wanyan noted silently, so she stops chewing on her fingers all day.
Once she successfully lulled Yi Yi into her afternoon nap, Sheng Wanyan stepped into the kitchen to prepare her contribution for the evening feast. The entire family was gathering across the lane for dinner tonight, and she wanted to make sure they added a special dish to support Pan Yue. She prepared a rich, savory plate of braised pork with preserved mustard greens, leaving it to keep warm on the back of the stove.
As the clock neared six in the evening, the distinct rumble of an automobile engine echoed through the snow-packed lane. Sheng Wanyan threw on her coat and hurried out into the courtyard.
The moment she cleared the gate, she spotted Father and Mother Sheng climbing out of the transport vehicle. Across the street, Pan Yue, alongside Grandpa and Grandma Sheng, came rushing out of their cottage to greet the arrivals.
“Dad! Mom!”
Father and Mother Sheng beamed at the sight of her, their eyes shining with joy. They had been worrying about her non-stop throughout the grueling journey north. When Sheng Wanyan had gone into labor, their demanding work schedules in the capital had prevented them from traveling. Even though her letters had assured them she was perfectly healthy, a parent’s heart could never truly rest until they saw it for themselves.
“Wanyan!”
The literal second her boots touched the snow, Mother Sheng hurried forward, her eyes anxiously scanning her daughter’s face and frame to verify she was fully recovered from childbirth.
“Let me look at you, sweetheart,” Mother Sheng murmured, her voice tight with emotion. “Oh, my heart was breaking when I couldn’t be by your side during the delivery. I’ve been sick with worry for months. Let me get a proper look at you.”
Sheng Wanyan smiled warmly, turning gracefully so her mother could inspect her. Mother Sheng checked her from left to right, relaxing only when she confirmed her daughter was entirely intact, her complexion radiant and full of health.
“It’s clear Xiao Gu has been taking excellent care of you,” Mother Sheng breathed, a massive weight lifting from her chest. “You look absolutely wonderful.”
Once her anxiety for Sheng Wanyan was laid to rest, Mother Sheng immediately turned her attention to Pan Yue, greeting her daughter-in-law with equal warmth and affection. The two elderly grandparents stepped forward as well, and the courtyard filled with joyful chatter as everyone verified that the family was thriving.
“Dad, Mom, the northern wind is brutal out here. Let’s get you inside first,” Sheng Wanyan urged, guiding them toward her brother’s porch. “I’ll run back across the lane and bring Yi Yi over.”
Hearing her granddaughter’s name, Mother Sheng’s excitement spiked. She hadn’t laid eyes on the newborn yet. “I’m coming with you. I haven’t even been introduced to our little Yi Yi.”
Mother Sheng was entirely focused on the baby now, and Father Sheng was just as eager to see his granddaughter, quickly falling into step right behind his wife. Sheng Wanyan smiled and shook her head affectionately. The two elders had been anticipating this introduction for five solid months; it was only natural they were bursting with excitement.
Sheng Wanyan led the way back to her cottage, leaving Gu Tingxiao and Sheng Wanze to manage the heavy luggage in the courtyard.
Pan Yue didn’t harbor a single shred of resentment over the fact that her parents-in-law hadn’t demanded to see little Huzi first. She understood completely that Father and Mother Sheng had been yearning to meet Yi Yi for months, and their focus was entirely justified.
Grandma Sheng took in the scene with a wise, quiet gaze, then gently guided Pan Yue back into the kitchen to finish the dinner preparations. “Your parents have never laid eyes on Yi Yi, so their curiosity is naturally overwhelming,” Grandma Sheng murmured, offering a few gentle words of comfort to ensure her daughter-in-law didn’t feel slighted.
“Grandma, I understand completely,” Pan Yue replied with a bright, genuine smile. “They are both cherished children of this family; it makes absolutely no difference who they greet first.”
Pan Yue was far too secure and sensible a woman to indulge in petty jealousy. Besides, her son was the undisputed eldest grandson of the Sheng lineage—his place in their hearts was unshakeable. She wasn’t foolish; one baby carried the Sheng surname, while the other belonged to the Gu family line, meaning the family dynamics were inherently different. She was a deeply reasonable person, and she truly didn’t take the matter to heart.
“I’m glad you see it that way,” Grandma Sheng smiled, her mind set at ease. She had simply been terrified that Pan Yue might mistakenly assume her parents-in-law were displaying favoritism.
Across the lane, the exact millisecond Father and Mother Sheng laid eyes on the fair, plump little infant, their hearts melted into pure liquid tenderness.
“Let me hold her,” Mother Sheng pleaded, reaching out.
Yi Yi had only just opened her eyes from her nap, and finding herself suddenly transferred into the arms of a total stranger left her completely bewildered. Her tiny lips puckered, her eyes welling with imminent tears. Sheng Wanyan stepped closer to soothe her.
“This is Grandma and Grandpa, my darling. Be good.”
Recognizing her mother’s familiar, comforting cadence right beside her, Yi Yi’s panic vanished. She stopped fussing entirely, content to observe the new faces as long as Sheng Wanyan remained within arm’s reach.
“The little thing is beautifully raised,” Mother Sheng marveled, her eyes tracing the baby’s features. “She is absolutely stunning.” The longer she stared at the infant, the more she felt she was looking at a perfect, miniature mirror of Sheng Wanyan as a child.
Standing beside them, Father Sheng was practically vibrating with envy. Mother Sheng cradled the baby for several long minutes, flatly refusing to relinquish her grip, which drove her husband to the brink of impatience.
“Let me have a turn holding her,” he pressed.
“Step back,” Mother Sheng ignored him completely. There was absolutely no way she was going to cut her precious snuggle time short; she hadn’t even finished admiring her long-awaited granddaughter yet.
Sheng Wanyan found her father’s eager, desperate expression highly amusing. She stepped forward to intervene on his behalf. “Mom, let Dad hold her for a bit. Yi Yi needs to officially greet her Grandpa.”
Hearing her daughter’s defense, Mother Sheng reluctantly surrendered the baby. Father Sheng received the infant with absolute, rigid care, holding his breath as if he were handling priceless porcelain.
“Brilliant, absolutely brilliant,” he whispered, his eyes overflowing with an intense, protective dote. “She looks exactly like you did as a infant, Wanyan. Perfectly behaved.”
Cradling the plump, healthy baby against his chest, Father Sheng felt an immense sense of pride. It was screamingly obvious that Gu Tingxiao was not a traditional, self-absorbed husband; he clearly poured an immense amount of care into his daughter’s well-being, otherwise the little thing wouldn’t be this beautifully chubby and content.
“She only looks angelic when she’s asleep,” Sheng Wanyan teased. “When she’s awake, she’s an absolute little terror.”
“How can a mother speak about her own daughter that way?” Mother Sheng countered instantly, fiercely leaping to her granddaughter’s defense. In her eyes, Yi Yi was the absolute definition of a perfect child—infinitely more obedient than Sheng Wanyan had ever been at that age.
Within a span of ten minutes, little Yi Yi had officially been crowned the absolute apple of the Sheng family eye, and any lighthearted critique Sheng Wanyan offered was immediately shut down by the grandparents. Recognizing she stood zero chance against her daughter’s new guard detail, Sheng Wanyan wisely stepped back, content to blend into the background.
“Mom, Dad, you still haven’t greeted little Huzi yet,” Sheng Wanyan reminded them gently.
The reminder struck Mother and Father Sheng with a sudden wave of administrative panic. “Oh, goodness, you’re entirely right! We must go greet Huzi this instant,” Mother Sheng gasped. “We can’t have your sister-in-law drawing anxious conclusions in the kitchen.”
Mother Sheng hurriedly bundled herself up and scrambled back across the lane to the main cottage to dote on her grandson. Now that his wife had vacated the field, Father Sheng remained behind, completely unopposed as he held little Yi Yi close, utterly unwilling to surrender his turn.
When the dinner bells finally signaled that the feast was served, Sheng Wanyan carried the baby back across the lane. She settled Yi Yi into a wide wooden crib in the main living room, allowing the two little cousins to sit side-by-side and play with their toys while the family gathered around the roaring table.
Chapter 320: End of the Year
Little Huzi was already a year old and could call out to people in his sweet baby voice. Although his speech was still a jumble of incoherent, slurred syllables, Father and Mother Sheng were absolutely thrilled whenever he spoke.
The last time they had seen Huzi, he was a tiny, fragile newborn. Now, he was already a bustling one-year-old. Time truly flew, and Sheng’s parents constantly felt they couldn’t spend enough time with their grandchildren.
Father Sheng was only forty-eight this year and wouldn’t reach retirement age until sixty. Mother Sheng was forty-six, with four years left before she could officially retire. They both deeply wished they could retire early to help raise the grandchildren, but in this day and age, no one walked away from a stable career willingly. Moreover, they held excellent positions that they were naturally reluctant to give up.
The two elders stared at the children, feeling as though they could look at them forever without ever getting tired of the sight.
“Come on, come on, Xiaoyue, Yan’er, eat more,” Mother Sheng urged, piling food onto their plates. Then, her tone shifted. “I read in the newspapers about the severe flooding in Bing City a while back. Are you all completely alright?”
The moment the topic was raised, Grandma Sheng couldn’t keep quiet. She had been harboring an anxious knot in her chest ever since Sheng Wanyan and Pan Yue had charged down to the flume to deliver supplies.
“Don’t even get me started,” Grandma Sheng sighed. “These two reckless girls actually plunged straight into the waist-deep freezing water in the dead of winter just to haul that fabric barrier to the drain. Their clothes were thoroughly soaked for hours, truly…”
Father and Mother Sheng sat frozen. They had been kept entirely in the dark about this. They had no idea that Sheng Wanyan and Pan Yue had been so incredibly daring—and foolish—as to wade into sub-zero currents!
“You… you two truly have a death wish?!” Mother Sheng’s voice cracked, her heart hammering against her ribs.
Wading into freezing water in the middle of a northern winter was a massive threat to anyone’s health, but she was especially terrified for her own daughter. Sheng Wanyan was barely two months postpartum when she did this! If she contracted a deep, chronic chill, the long-term physical repercussions would haunt her for the rest of her life.
“Mom, sister-in-law and I are perfectly fine,” Sheng Wanyan reassured her quickly. “The family took us straight to the military hospital for a comprehensive checkup right afterward to ensure the frost hadn’t settled into our bones.”
“You two are going to be the absolute death of me!” Mother Sheng erupted, her anger flaring from pure, unadulterated terror. The mere thought of her daughter and daughter-in-law placing themselves in such a lethal situation made her blood run cold. “The base is overflowing with able-bodied soldiers! Did a couple of young mothers truly need to charge onto the front lines of a disaster?!”
She was so incredibly furious that she felt dizzy. Setting her chopsticks down with a sharp clatter, she leveled a fierce, burning gaze at the two young women.
Pan Yue and Sheng Wanyan knew they were completely indefensible. They simultaneously lowered their heads, staring silently at their rice bowls, not daring to utter a single word.
“Now, don’t scold the children too harshly. It was an extreme emergency,” Grandpa Sheng interjected gently, trying to defuse the tension. He knew that if the military wives hadn’t unified to buy those critical hours, the entire compound might have been submerged before the city convoy arrived. Their tactical intervention had saved lives; it was a monumental achievement.
“Mom, Dad, we are genuinely fine,” Sheng Wanyan whispered, taking the initiative to confess her error. “I promise we will never act on impulse like that again.”
“Yes, Mom, please don’t worry,” Pan Yue chimed in instantly, eager to soothe her parents-in-law’s anxiety.
Mother Sheng let out a long, shuddering breath. She understood the desperate circumstances her children had faced, but the sheer terror of what could have happened still gripped her tightly.
“There will absolutely not be a next time,” she declared sternly.
“Did you honestly want a next time?” she snapped when Sheng Wanyan tried to nod.
Sheng Wanyan snapped her mouth shut, not daring to provoke her mother any further. “I give you my absolute word, Mom. There won’t be a next time.”
Seeing the genuine contrition on their faces, Mother Sheng finally let the matter drop. “If I ever catch you placing yourselves in danger like that again, I will personally teach you a lesson you won’t forget.”
Sheng Wanyan and Pan Yue let out a collective, silent sigh of relief, thoroughly relieved to have pacified her. They could see that the two elders had been frightened out of their wits, and Sheng Wanyan felt a pang of guilt for causing them such distress.
“If you ever repeat a stunt like that, just wait and see how I deal with you!” Mother Sheng added one final, stern warning. The young women nodded like clockwork, making endless promises until the topic was officially buried, never to be raised at the dinner table again.
Once the tension dissolved, the rest of the dinner passed in a much warmer atmosphere. Father and Mother Sheng had traveled with an immense bounty of gifts from the capital. Everyone received a thoughtful share, but the absolute bulk of the treasures was reserved for the two grandchildren.
“I had these winter clothes custom-made for Yi Yi, and I brought several tins of premium imported milk powder,” Mother Sheng said, handing the bundles to Sheng Wanyan. “Take them back to her room.”
Sheng Wanyan accepted the gifts gracefully. “Quick, Yi Yi, thank your Grandma and Grandpa.”
“Ah~!” Yi Yi cooed right on cue.
The baby’s vocal response delighted Mother Sheng, who leaned over to press a big, adoring kiss against her chubby cheek. “Oh, grandma loves you so much! Next time, I’ll bring even more beautiful things for you and your brother.”
“Wow~!” Huzi chimed in, waving his arms as if he entirely approved of the arrangement.
Mother Sheng scooped up his little hand, gently shaking it. “Huzi loves the plan too, don’t you? You want Grandma to bring you lots of toys next time?”
“Duoduo!” Huzi babbled, trying to say more.
“Yes, plenty of them!” Mother Sheng laughed, communicating with the two infants with such fluid ease it seemed as though she genuinely understood their baby talk.
“Mom, Dad, I think we should carry Yi Yi back across the lane now,” Sheng Wanyan noted softly after a while. The infant’s eyelids were growing incredibly heavy, and she was already nodding off against Gu Tingxiao’s shoulder.
“Go on, then. The poor little thing is exhausted. Get her tucked into bed,” Mother Sheng urged gently. She didn’t insist on keeping them late; after all, they had plenty of time ahead. Father and Mother Sheng had been granted a full two-month vacation. Even after subtracting the days spent on the railway, they would remain in Bing City for a solid month and a half—more than enough time to deeply bond with the grandchildren.
Gu Tingxiao carried the sleeping infant back to their cottage, carefully settling her onto her miniature heated kang bed and pulling a soft quilt over her shoulders. He then slipped out to boil a massive kettle of water for their evening baths. Sheng Wanyan, whose physical reserves had been running low from the month of non-stop laboratory instruction, finally relaxed. The moment her head hit the pillow, she fell into a deep, restorative sleep.
Before sliding under the covers himself, Gu Tingxiao carefully adjusted the blankets around his wife and daughter, then wrapped his arms around Sheng Wanyan, pulling her close as he drifted off to sleep beside her.
The following morning, Father and Mother Sheng woke early. Directly after breakfast, they walked back across the lane to visit Yi Yi, bringing little Huzi along with them.
Having just completed the baby’s morning feeding, Sheng Wanyan happily handed the infant over to her mother so she could slip into the dining room to enjoy her own breakfast in peace.
Little Huzi was absolutely fascinated by his infant cousin. The exact millisecond he was set down on the mattress, he scrambled over to clasp Yi Yi’s tiny hand, stubbornly refusing to release his grip.
“Look at that, Huzi is absolutely smitten with his little sister,” Grandma Sheng chuckled, watching them play.
“Beautiful~!” Huzi babbled, pointing a chubby finger at the baby.
Hearing him praise Yi Yi’s looks, Mother Sheng’s heart swelled. Watching him dote on the infant, she couldn’t help but wonder out loud when Sheng Wanze and Pan Yue would bless the family with a second granddaughter.
However, she quickly caught herself. Huzi was only a year old; expanding the household so soon would put an immense physical and emotional strain on the young couple. It was far wiser to wait until Huzi was four or five years old and possessed a modicum of independence before introducing a newborn to the family dynamics. Besides, she knew her son and daughter-in-law were currently running on empty; managing a high-energy toddler already tested their limits. Adding a second infant to the nursery right now would likely collapse their schedules entirely.
Mother Sheng wasn’t in a frantic rush anyway. Now that she had Huzi to anchor her maternal instincts, her old, desperate longing for a grandson had been fully satisfied.
The elders spent the morning doting on Yi Yi, only gathering their things to return across the lane when the noon hour neared.
“Mom, Dad, please stay and eat lunch with us,” Sheng Wanyan offered, stepping out of the bedroom.
“No, no, sweetheart,” Mother Sheng declined warmly. “We need to head back and share the noon meal with your grandparents. It’s the dead of winter; we must be mindful of the household rations.”
Moreover, the New Year’s Eve feast was just two days away, which would provide the perfect setting for a massive, unified family celebration. Seeing how resolute they were, Sheng Wanyan didn’t press the matter. Since Gu Tingxiao was pinned down at the barracks for the afternoon drill, she simply retrieved a quick, ready-made meal from her spatial domain to sustain herself.
“Attention, all residential personnel! Please assemble at the central compound gates immediately!”
The sudden blared directive from the base loudspeakers echoed through the quiet cottage. Sheng Wanyan set her teacup down, a spark of realization hitting her. The requisitioned bedding supplies had finally arrived. Political Commissar Xie had calculated the timeline flawlessly, intentionally organizing the distribution on the eve of the Lunar New Year to guarantee every volunteer family would begin the holiday with a warm, pristine household.
Hearing the announcement, Father and Mother Sheng hurried back across the lane to assume watch over the sleeping Yi Yi, urging Sheng Wanyan to sprint down to the security gates to collect her family’s due.
