"Dad, Mom, we're back."
Chen Juan and Li Zhengpeng, carrying bags of gifts, called out before even entering the house.
"Oh, my darlings, you two little ones are here."
"Yanyan, Haohao, come, Auntie brought lots of goodies, I finally made it in time."
As soon as Chen Juan entered, before even seeing her parents, she spotted two little ones playing inside. Looking at the two chubby, milky-faced bundles of joy, she quickly took out the gifts she was carrying.
"Auntie, Uncle, Happy New Year."
The two little ones had stayed in Jinling for so long last time that they naturally recognized Chen Juan, their big aunt, and Li Zhengpeng, their uncle.
Originally, they had called Li Zhengpeng 'guyē' (father-in-law's brother, a respectful term for an older male relative) along with Chen Yang. Li Zhengpeng found it inappropriate, as calling him 'guyē' would unneccessarily elevate his generation. He didn't want to gain an extra generation just because of his brother-in-law.
Jinling and Hushi were different from Anhui Province. In Shenjiaba, 'aye' also meant father, and 'guyē' was the same as 'gūfu' (aunt's husband). Chen Yang himself, being from Jinling, called the husbands of his two aunts 'gūfu'. However, when in Anhui Province, he had to follow local customs. He called them 'gūfu', and his eldest aunt's husband, Zhao Donglai, might have found it awkward.
It was the same for Li Zhengpeng. He had to be comfortable, so the two little ones called him 'gūfu'.
"Wow, what delicious food did Mom and Dad make for you? You're so plump."
"I must learn a trick from Yangyang and Xue'er, so our baby will grow up as good as Yanyan and Haohao."
Li Zhengpeng put down his things and picked up the two little ones. He was also a man who loved children.
"Eldest Sister, Brother-in-law, they don't eat much, it's mainly these two little ones who are gluttons and not picky eaters. They stuff their little bellies round every day."
"Come down quickly. Your Aunt and Uncle are tired from the journey. Let them rest, and you go play."
Hearing the voices, Shen Xue came out and saw that Chen Juan's belly was even a bit bigger than hers, as Chen Juan had conceived a little earlier. Shen Xue already had some pregnancy bulge, and Chen Juan was nearly four months along, so hers was definitely larger.
"Tired? Not at all. Seeing my little nephew and niece makes me very happy."
"Mom, where's Maomao? Li Zhengpeng at his parents' house talks about the cat at home every day. The way he talks, he likes Maomao more than me."
Chen Juan pouted, making Li Zhengpeng open his mouth somewhat sheepishly. He ultimately said nothing.
It was his wife who was actually talking about the cat. He merely echoed her few words, and now it turned into him liking the cat more than her.
Men were too difficult.
"That lazy cat of yours is lying on your dad's rocking chair."
"Now, that rocking chair is exclusively hers. Your Dad and I don't even get to use it."
Mentioning the lazy cat, Qin Lifen had nothing more to say. The last time a mouse appeared in the kitchen, she thought, since her daughter's cat was here, they could get rid of this pest. To her surprise, the cat acted as if it were blind when it saw the mouse. It didn't even move its hindquarters, just basked in the sun by the door, watching the mouse run past it.
Qin Lifen was furious. What kind of cat was this? As lazy as a pig, it only ate and slept, or just lounged around sunbathing.
"Maomao, Maomao, come out."
Chen Juan didn't respond to her mother's remark. Her big orange cat was indeed very lazy.
"Meow."
As if recognizing its owner, Chen Juan, a ginger cat hesitantly poked its head out of the room. But before it could reach Chen Juan's legs, a little hand had already grabbed its tail.
"Kitty, good kitty."
The toddler held the ginger cat's tail, and the cat froze instantly. Seeing the fearless little one, Shen Xue was almost startled.
Cats were different from dogs. Most dogs were quite tolerant of their owner's guests and family members, and even had high obedience towards the owner's children. Cats were different; most cats ignored even their owners. If a stranger provoked them, the possibility of them scratching was very high.
"Yanyan, quickly let go of the kitty. If you grab its tail, the kitty will be uncomfortable."
Seeing that the lazy cat hadn't scratched, but only bared its teeth, Shen Xue quickly loosened the little one's hand that was holding the cat's tail.
"Mommy, the kitty is so cute. Yanyan wants to play with the kitty."
The toddler looked a little wronged, pouting her little lips, which made Chen Juan's heart ache.
"Sister-in-law, Maomao is well-behaved. It doesn't scratch people, it's just a bit lazy."
"Yanyan, you can pet its head, just don't grab its tail. If you grab its tail, it will be uncomfortable."
Chen Juan stroked Maomao's head, then gently guided the toddler's little hand to touch it. Feeling the cat's soft fur, the toddler's face immediately broke into a smile.
Chen Hao glanced at the cat on the ground, completely uninterested. He was happily eating the brown sugar sticky rice given to him by Li Zhengpeng. What was the point of petting a cat when brown sugar sticky rice was so delicious?
"Where's Yangyang? I don't see him."
After petting the cat with her little niece for a while, Chen Juan finally remembered not seeing Chen Yang.
"He went out to visit an elder of a friend's family. He'll probably be back soon. Mom and Dad already told him that you and Brother-in-law would be back."
"Let's not stand in the yard. Come inside and rest. You must be tired from the journey."
Shen Xue linked her arm with Chen Juan's. Both of them were pregnant, and naturally felt closer. As someone who had experienced it before, she had some pregnancy experience and could share it with Chen Juan.
"Sister-in-law, your belly, goodness gracious, it's almost as big as mine. Could it be twins again?"
Chen Juan glanced at Shen Xue's slightly bulging belly, then looked back at the two little ones trotting behind them, and a bold idea struck her.
"I don't know yet. The doctor didn't say during the last check-up."
Shen Xue touched her belly. Whether it was a boy or a girl, one baby or twins, she would love them all and take care of them wholeheartedly.
"Have you checked yours?"
Shen Xue glanced at Chen Juan. Nowadays, if you gave doctors some benefits during hospital visits, some would tell parents the baby's gender.
"I didn't ask. Whether it's a boy or a girl, they're both our children. Let's keep it a surprise and anticipate the arrival of this little one."
Chen Juan smiled slightly. Compared to when Shen Xue first met her, she now had a touch more maternal radiance.
"Brother-in-law, what about you? Do you want a boy or a girl?"
Shen Xue glanced at Li Zhengpeng, who was following behind with the bags of gifts, and teased him.
"I want a son. He can come with me to the northwest to look for oil fields. A boy can endure hardship. He can follow me in my career. The prospecting teams are all rough men. Even if I were willing to bring my daughter, they wouldn't agree."
Li Zhengpeng had always dreamed of going to Karamay and Yumenguan. He dreamt of joining the prospecting team and discovering another large oil field for the country. If their own energy could be self-sufficient, then foreigners wouldn't be able to use energy to restrict them.