Chapter 259: Compare whose fist is bigger?

"Red umbrella, white stem, eat it and lie down on the board together."

Ji Xianxian's hometown was in a place with beautiful scenery in Yunnan Province.

To accompany his wife and help her resolve her inner knots, Zhou Yan specifically asked for leave to take his wife back to her hometown to visit her relatives.

After several days and nights of train travel, they finally arrived at the county town where his wife's hometown was located.

Once they arrived, the previously muddled Ji Xianxian suddenly shifted from confusion to clarity.

She hugged her husband's arm tightly and asked cautiously:

"Brother Zhou Yan, is this my hometown?"

"Yes, this is your hometown. We're going home to visit your parents and siblings to relax, okay?"

"Okay."

Ji Xianxian leaned against her husband like a little bird. Although the couple didn't match well in terms of size and appearance, their invisible tacit understanding made people inexplicably believe they were a pair.

When they rushed back to the Ji family before noon, they were met with the scene of white-haired parents burying their child...

Time flew, and soon it was the full-month banquet for Ye Qinghong's son.

There were two tables in total, one for men and one for women. Since the room couldn't fit them, they squeezed into the corridor.

No one cared about pomp; those invited were either relatives or friends.

Some would put down their things, hold the child, and leave.

"Iya-ya."

Liu Da Gang had originally wanted to name his son Aiguo or Heping, but after asking around, he found that over a dozen military wives in the Jiashuyuan had already given their children those names!

So he discussed it with his wife and named the child Liu Qingzhou, with the nickname Jiaozi (Dumpling).

Nicknames like Erdan, Tiedan, Ergou, and Huzi were also everywhere.

He didn't want to call out "Erdan" in the future and have the whole Jiashuyuan answer him.

Jiaozi was good; you could only eat dumplings during the New Year, and they were delicious!

He hoped that when his son grew up, he would be like a "light boat passing ten thousand mountains," living in a peaceful and prosperous country, with a wealthy life, never having to worry about survival.

After the full-month banquet, the men hadn't dispersed yet, and naturally, the women hadn't left either; they were all chatting and taking care of the children in the room.

"Jiaozi, Jiaozi, hello. This is your brother Mantou, sister Lian Lian, and sister Nuomi. In the future, you will all go to school together and play together..."

Whether it was the friendship between her brother and Liu Da Gang, or her friendship with Sister Qinghong, she and her sister-in-law had to attend Jiaozi's full-month banquet.

Seeing the four little milk babies wriggling on the bed like silkworm chrysalises, each one cuter than the last, her maternal instincts were about to overflow.

Before, she didn't understand why some female friends would have their social media feeds filled with food, travel, and nail art photos before having children.

But after marriage and having children, everything revolved around the kids.

Just like several roommates she was close with in college; after they married one by one, the topics in their social media feeds and gatherings were all about children.

Now, she seemed to fully understand.

Pregnancy causes the body to secrete a type of estrogen that affects one's dopamine source of happiness.

Now, seeing the two children eating and sleeping well, she felt a strange sense of satisfaction in her heart.

She wanted to save everything good for the children.

She thought about everything half a beat slower, not like before when she thought, "If one person is full, the whole family is not hungry."

Toward the children, she felt a sense of "giving her heart and lungs," that it was all what she should do...

When she first realized this, she felt a lingering fear and couldn't help but let her imagination run wild.

Her heart was also sensitive and suspicious, especially during her postpartum confinement, when it would intensify.

Later, she calmed down and carefully reviewed it, discovering that her thinking seemed to be controlled by something.

It was too terrifying!

No wonder some new mothers suffer from postpartum depression; it turned out everything had traces to follow.

Whether during pregnancy or postpartum, a woman actually needs the companionship and encouragement of her lover and family...

"Manman, what are you daydreaming about? Tell me, you and your sister-in-law recovered so quickly. Unlike me, my belly is still a big lump of skin and flesh..."

Ye Qinghong sat on the edge of the bed. She had just finished her confinement. It was clear that she hadn't eaten poorly during that time; she had a visible double chin and was plump and round—that was the kind of figure she had.

"It's nothing, Sister Qinghong. You had a natural birth. Did you communicate with the surgeon to make an incision below the navel to remove some fat?"

"No, how would I know that? Once my water broke, I arrived at the hospital and gave birth in about ten minutes. I didn't suffer at all..."

After hearing this, Ye Qinghong immediately beat her chest and stomped her feet, crying out that she had missed out!

If she had known earlier, she would have rather taken a knife to have the surgeon remove some fat!

It had been a month, and her belly hadn't slimmed down at all; it was wrinkled like dried-out pickled vegetables, not aesthetically pleasing, and quite...

Pei Yan Ting, while watching the children to make sure they didn't fall, took up the conversation:

"There's no way now. After the child is weaned, just pay attention to your diet and eat lighter; maybe you can slowly slim down..."

"Sigh, that's all I can do."

Women, when it comes to the topic of becoming beautiful, it's always the easiest bond to bring each other closer.

And so, as they chatted, Ye Qinghong and Pei Yan Ting became inseparable.

Shen Man smiled gently, quietly watching her sister-in-law and Sister Qinghong chat, her own attention entirely on the four children.

Her own son was like her husband; at a young age, he already knew how to keep a straight face.

Her own daughter was like her; she knew how to wail and use the adults' doting to achieve her goals.

Her own niece was like her brother; truly fierce, afraid of nothing. Daring to snatch things from her?

Compare whose fist is bigger?

The tiny little person hadn't even learned to stand yet, but her speed at wriggling and turning over was super fast.

Just like that, the four children were all wiggling together, but Lian Lian was the fastest to roll over; she proudly held the ball, sitting and waiting for her younger brother and sister to roll over to her.

Sister Qinghong's Jiaozi, facing the brother and sister blocking his way, dared not speak despite his anger—a total punching bag.

Sigh, watching the children's interactions, her mood was melted by their cuteness.

Sure enough, the smiles of children are pure and flawless, capable of purifying many of an adult's troubles.

"I heard from Wangjie that this summer, in June, the military region is going to build a 'Red Education Garden.' By then, we military wives can directly entrust our children there."

"If Wangjie said it, then it must be a done deal. But don't spread it around, lest something goes wrong later and it's not built, and then they blame your big mouth."

"Sigh, I've noted it. I only told you two sisters-in-law; I haven't told anyone else."

"That's good."

"Sister Qinghong, I remember you finished junior high, right? When the time comes, the Red Education Garden will definitely recruit teachers. Do you want to strive for it?"

"I'd like to, but I'm afraid that when the news gets out, other military wives who finished high school will apply, and I'm afraid I won't be able to compete with them."

"What's there to be afraid of? I worked hard for over half a year last year before I was admitted as a military doctor. You're still so young, and you've already had a child; you have experience in raising kids. It would be a pity not to try."

"That's right, just listen to Manman. When the time comes, give it a try and sign up. Whether you pass or not, if you work hard, you won't have any regrets, right?"

"That makes sense. Thank you both for your guidance. When the time comes, I will definitely give it my all!"

Friendship between women isn't always about tearing hair out or snatching husbands.

It's about pointing out a clear path for each other when encountering troubles and confusion, comforting each other, and encouraging each other...