Chapter 271

April 4, 1976, the fifth day of the lunar month, the weekend.

The family took the three little dragon cubs, burned paper money at the courtyard gate, and held a simple memorial.

Grandfather Lu was full of joy, rambling on, "Old woman, look, our great-granddaughter and great-grandsons, they look so spirited, and they're all little dragon cubs. Our family has descendants now, and it'll be no problem to pass down the family line for another hundred years."

As for what happens after a hundred years, he would be long gone by then, so he didn't think about it.

The children didn't understand anything; seeing the burning paper, they thought it was some kind of game, giggling and drooling, wetting their bibs.

After the paper money burned to ashes, a gentle breeze blew, and the incense ash suddenly drifted onto the heads of the little ones, whom the adults were positioning to kowtow, before quickly dissipating.

The adults present were stunned, then acted as if nothing had happened, continuing to kowtow or sprinkle wine.

If science can't explain something, let love explain it.

The immortal strokes my head, I receive longevity through the hair-binding ceremony.

The ancestors have passed, and the incense ash conveys their love.

It is also a way of blessing one's descendants.

"I'm going fishing with Old Pei in a bit, you guys take care of the kids yourselves."

"Sure, thank you for your hard work, Grandpa and Master. You two go relax and have fun, remember to come home for dinner tonight."

Shen Man stood up holding her son, and upon hearing her grandfather's words, she agreed without hesitation.

It was a kindness for the grandfather and master to help with the children; it wasn't their duty.

Besides, it was just a day of rest to pick up their personal hobbies again.

"Mm-hmm, when we catch fresh fish, we'll dry some small fish for Tangyuan to eat."

It was no secret that Grandfather Lu liked Tangyuan.

Almost all the grandfathers would specifically save some finger-length small fish while fishing and bring them to Shen Man.

Sometimes when Shen Man and her husband were at work and not home, they would clean the small fish's innards themselves and dry them on bamboo sieves.

The sun on the sea island was scorching; after drying for two or three days, the dried fish were ready.

Before the three little ones were born, the grandfathers' collective pet was Tangyuan.

Later, after the three little ones were born, the grandfathers still had Tangyuan in their hearts.

Every now and then, they would bring fresh fish for Tangyuan or deliver the raw materials for making dried fish.

The resources on the sea island were truly abundant; fruits were everywhere. As long as you used a very low cost in coupons to trade for them, you'd get a whole basketful.

The locals also liked to trade things with them; both sides felt they were getting a good deal and were happy to trade.

Ahem, getting off track.

In short, the elders' contributions were not a matter-of-course sacrifice.

After preparing for several days, the paper burning was over in less than ten minutes.

The family had a simple breakfast and went about their own business.

Only the three little ones were the most leisurely; if they were hungry, they would howl, and an adult would come to help them mix milk powder.

If they pooped or peed, an adult would come to clean their diapers and pat talcum powder on their bottoms, especially in the creases of their thighs, which were completely free of redness or swelling.

When the three cubs were taken out, they smiled at everyone they saw, though no one knew what they were laughing at.

Their milky scent and cute appearance were so adorable that they made people want to have babies of their own.

And look, an old acquaintance who hadn't been seen for a long time, Li Jiaojiao, had a tall figure by her side.

The two were walking towards them, laughing and talking, and happened to run into Shen Man and her husband, who were each holding a baby.

"Shen Man!"

"Li Jiaojiao!"

The men clearly knew each other; they nodded slightly and didn't speak.

Li Jiaojiao and Shen Man, however, greeted each other in a friendly manner after meeting.

Someone who didn't know better would think they were very close.

In fact, they hadn't run into each other for nearly a year since they had cleared the air at the military spouses' talent show last year.

The military region's family quarters weren't that big, but they weren't small either, and they just hadn't met.

Meeting today was truly fate.

"Let me introduce you, this is my partner, Xie Zhendong, Deputy Regiment Commander of the Navy Fleet."

"Mm, nice to meet you."

"Hello."

After a brief introduction, Li Jiaojiao's gaze stuck to the two infants, her eyes filled with longing; she wanted to hold them.

"This is my son, Jiang Tian Qi, nickname Mantou."

"That is my daughter, Jiang Yinuo, nickname Nuomi."

"Do you want to hold one?"

Shen Man saw the longing in Li Jiaojiao's eyes, and she didn't dislike this girl.

At the very least, the other party dared to love and hate, and her words and actions were straightforward; she hadn't played any tricks behind their backs or stabbed them in the back.

In this regard, wasn't she much better than Ji Xianxian?

For such a frank and straightforward girl, her thoughts were all on her face, so it wasn't hard to guess.

A joyful expression appeared on Li Jiaojiao's pretty face, and then she shyly asked Shen Man for help:

"Can I? Can you teach me how to hold a baby? I don't know how."

"Of course you can. Like this, first gently hold the upper body of my child, and then support his buttocks like this..."

Shen Man and her husband had brought the children out to play, so she signaled for Li Jiaojiao to come under the shade of a tree, pointed to a place where she could sit, and then taught her hand-in-hand how to hold an infant.

Xie Zhendong, who was on the side, listened with his ears pricked up, his fingers moving involuntarily—was it like this?

"Deputy Regiment Commander Xie, would you like to learn in advance too?"

Jiang Ye had worked with him before, and although they hadn't had much contact, he was in a good mood today, and for his wife's sake, he didn't mind teaching him.

"Okay, thank you very much."

Xie Zhendong felt the embarrassment of being caught, but upon hearing the suggestion to learn in advance, his heart stirred; in the end, his longing overcame everything.

"Eeya-ya."

Little Nuomi murmured incoherently; her father had handed her to a strange uncle.

The strange uncle's posture for holding her was uncomfortable, so she subconsciously twisted her body, wanting to change to a more comfortable position.

"Regiment Commander Jiang, your daughter, she—she doesn't seem to like me holding her."

Xie Zhendong looked as if he were facing a great enemy, with sweat even appearing on his forehead.

"It's the way you're holding her that's making her uncomfortable. Do it like this, raise your hand a bit higher to support my daughter's head, and then use your other hand, like this..."

A new dad was indeed more professional than a dad-to-be; look, Jiang Ye could even give instructions.

One dared to teach, and the other dared to learn.

The atmosphere was quite harmonious; someone who didn't know better would think they were old friends of many years.

"Shen Man, I'm really envious of you, having both a son and a daughter, and your figure hasn't changed at all; you've recovered so well."

"Li Jiaojiao, don't talk about me. What about you? It looks like you have good news coming soon?"

"Mm, during National Day last year, my aunt's friend introduced us on a blind date, and we've been seeing each other for half a year. We feel pretty good about each other, and we've gotten to know each other well enough, so we're planning to register our marriage on May Day."

"Oh, that's great! Will you be holding a wedding banquet then?"

"Yes, I'll send you an invitation then. It would be best if you could come to the wedding."

"No problem, I'll definitely clear my schedule to congratulate you on your new marriage."

"Thank you, Shen Man."

"You're welcome."

The two smiled at each other, without the slightest barrier.

Friendship between women is very strange; originally, they were almost rivals in love, and later, after the misunderstanding was cleared up, they didn't have much interaction.

Now, they could chat calmly, hold the babies, and talk about wedding arrangements.