Chen Lan woke up after a short nap due to her unsettled mind. Seeing the two babies sleeping soundly, she covered them with their blankets.
She then placed an order with the system for gifts for Uncle Fu's family that evening.
Uncle Fu: a fountain pen, ink, and size 42 leather shoes, similar to Uncle De.
Uncle Fu's eldest son, Xiang Dong: size 43 leather shoes, a fountain pen, and ink.
Uncle Fu's younger son, Xiang Xi: size 42 leather shoes, a fountain pen, and ink.
Eldest daughter-in-law, Hu Yuzhen: a pair of golden lilacs.
Youngest grandson, Hutou: milk powder, milk candy, small cakes, and a pair of silver bracelets.
After packing the gifts, Chen Lan began to examine the original owner's bedroom. The first thing she saw was a carved bed with four carved bedposts. Pink bed curtains hung on three sides, with a layer of crimson drapes outside. The drapes were embroidered with green flowers, grass, and insects.
At an angle to the carved bed was a carved dressing table, with a glass mirror standing on top.
As Chen Lan was admiring the original owner's carved bed, she heard loud wails. She guessed that the two babies were crying intensely because of the new environment and the absence of familiar faces.
Chen Lan quickly comforted them, saying "Oh! Oh!" and coaxing them. She took out milk powder and a bottle from the system's warehouse. Suddenly, she realized there was no hot water and was about to go out to ask for help when Gentle Mother rushed in.
Just then, Mother Liu also brought hot water.
All three were swift and efficient, and soon had the two babies settled. Once the babies started eating, the world became quiet.
The three women carried the children to the outer room. There was a wooden couch in the outer room, which made it less tiring to breastfeed the children while leaning on it.
Chen Lan handed Jia Hui to Mother Liu, then got up and went into the inner bedroom. From the bedroom, she took out a bundle and a small cloth bag. The bundle contained the gifts she had just bought from the system.
Chen Lan handed the bundle to Gentle Mother, who accepted it understandingly and placed it on a low table nearby.
Chen Lan then gave a small cloth bag to Mother Liu, who looked at Chen Lan with confusion.
Chen Lan said, "Mother Liu, could you ask Sister Yuzhen to buy some meat dishes later? Firstly, to celebrate our family's reunion. Secondly, you and your family have been working hard these past few months, and this family owes a lot to you all. Moreover, for the past two months, you have been taking care of me and the children, with no rest. I truly appreciate your hard work! Now that I'm back, I will treat everyone to a good meal!"
Mother Liu's eyes welled up with emotion.
Chen Lan then asked, "By the way, are you using the medicated plaster and anti-inflammatory medicine? Is it effective?"
Mother Liu replied, "It is effective. Although I haven't fully recovered, I feel much better than before. I've only been using the medicine for a few days, and I believe it will be even more effective with continued use."
Gentle Mother consoled her, "It's okay, take it. She grew up drinking your milk, so it's only right for her to repay you. Besides, she was quite mischievous when she was little, and you always protected her tightly." Gentle Mother said dramatically, "Sometimes I'm even jealous of you two."
Chen Lan walked over and took Jia Hui from Mother Liu's arms, casually tucking the small cloth bag containing thirty silver dollars into Mother Liu's hand.
Mother Liu gratefully accepted the cloth bag and quickly got up, saying, "I'll go call Yuzhen right away and ask her to buy some. It's already afternoon, so she might only be able to get roasted meat."
Upon hearing this, Chen Lan quickly said to Mother Liu, "Mother Liu, please ask Sister Yuzhen to buy two roast ducks from Quanjude as well. I haven't had them in a long time, and I really miss them!"
Gentle Mother chimed in, "It has been more than half a year since we last had them. Let's buy two today to satisfy our cravings!"
Mother Liu bustled out to take care of the errands.
Seeing that it was just her and Chen Lan, Gentle Mother directly asked, "Lan'er, how should we donate our shops? Do you have a plan?"
Chen Lan thought for a moment and said, "The cloth shop is easy. Tomorrow, I'll go with Mother Liu and Uncle Fu to take inventory. We'll set aside enough for everyone in the family to wear and use for the next two years, and also reserve some good fabrics for future gifts or personal use. The rest will be organized, inventoried, registered, and submitted."
"The jewelry store is a bit trickier. How about this? Mom, tomorrow you, Mother Liu, and I will go with Uncle Fu. Take whatever you and Mother Liu like from the shop first. The rest will be donated."
"That sounds good," Gentle Mother replied.
"Mom, don't take too much. Silver items tend to tarnish if left for too long. Father-in-law said that silver will be less valuable in the future, but antique items will always be precious," Chen Lan reminded her.
"Our main focus tomorrow will be the pawnshop. Don't underestimate those seemingly insignificant rusty items; they are incredibly valuable to my father-in-law."
"Really!" Gentle Mother exclaimed in surprise.
"Yes! Mom, really. Would I lie to you?"
Gentle Mother's spirits immediately lifted, and she said energetically, "Great! We'll all go together tomorrow, and let's bring Yuzhen along. It's the last time we'll be visiting our own shops, and if we don't go now, we won't get the chance later."
Before dinner, Uncle Fu, Xiang Dong, and Xiang Xi, father and sons, returned home one after another. All three were pleasantly surprised. After greeting everyone, they all took their seats.
Little Xi playfully said, "Hey! Little Lan, you seem to have lost a lot of weight?"
"Little Watermelon, you haven't gained much weight either!" Chen Lan retorted naturally, then froze in surprise.
Gentle Mother and Mother Liu exchanged smiles. Mother Liu said, "These two are bickering again."
Gentle Mother said, "We're used to these two bickering since they were little."
"Don't let Little Xi's teasing of Lan'er fool you; they fight like cats and dogs at home. But at school, Little Xi is very protective of Lan'er. He's gotten into countless fights for her over the years. Let's not interfere; they'll be as good as new in a while."