With this idea in mind, Chen Lan decided to visit the valley where she hunted wild boars last year tomorrow, to see if she could hunt a few more wild boars to improve everyone's diet.
Chen Lan also wanted to take advantage of this period of rest to search for more valuable items in the mountains to sell to the system for more money to supplement the household expenses.
After all, there were over two hundred people in the valley who needed food and drink every day. Although the current crops could satisfy the basic need of everyone in the valley to eat their fill;
However, it was not yet autumn harvest. Apart from corn and potatoes, which were planted by herself last year, other grains like rice and white flour were purchased from the system. In addition, building materials for the houses where so many people lived, furniture, various household appliances, kitchen supplies, toiletries, and other items all needed to be purchased from the system.
Not to mention the vaccines, toys, diapers used daily, goat milk drunk daily, rice cereal, and various pastries and other fine foods for all the children in the kindergarten. These things, though seemingly small, were consumables. The children used and ate them every day, and these things could not be scrimped on!
As the saying goes, "No matter how hard it is, we cannot let the children suffer!"
Chen Lan had a habit of planning ahead in everything she did, or one could say she was always prepared for the worst. After all, this era was not as convenient as modern times. Although Chen Lan had the system, she could not always rely on it and live a life of idleness. It was her past experiences that gave her the habit of thinking three steps ahead, planning more for everything, lest she be caught off guard by any sudden situation and not know how to cope.
Chen Lan calculated carefully that these items incurred a considerable daily fixed expense, and most of them had to be purchased from the system, as they could not be obtained in this era.
If she didn't work harder now and increase her income from the system more often, she might truly run out of resources. Would she eventually have to rely solely on selling antiques to the system to get by? The answer was definitely: "No!"
Chen Lan was always decisive. Since she had decided to go to the mountains tomorrow, she decided not to go anywhere else today. She would stay at home and spend time with her twins. She had been out early and returned late for over a month and hadn't had time to properly accompany the children for walks and playtime.
She couldn't always miss her children's growth. Now, the twins could walk like the wind, both fast and steady.
The twins were also very sharp. Seeing that their mother was not busy rushing out as usual after putting down her chopsticks, but was leaning on the sofa without moving, the twins immediately stopped playing on the seesaw in the yard and ran over. They climbed onto the sofa, snuggling into Chen Lan's arms on either side, behaving exceptionally well.
Chen Lan smiled and held the twins quietly, wanting to see how long they could last without going out to play.
So Chen Lan remained silent, embracing the twins with her eyes closed, leaning on the sofa. With her mind, she opened the system and prepared to select some educational toys for the twins. To ordinary people, toys might be seen as a distraction, but Chen Lan, from modern life, knew very well that children of this age were full of great enthusiasm and curiosity for everything, and curiosity was precisely the child's best teacher. Children would invest tremendous enthusiasm and concentration in things that interested them, which was why educational toys were developed.
Through different toys, building blocks, or puzzles, children's practical operational skills would be greatly amplified. This ability would gradually transform into a good quality of the child's personality as they grew older. Chen Lan deeply understood that educating children could never be superficial. Although she had never been a preschool teacher, this was a principle that applied universally, and Chen Lan was very clear about it.
Chen Lan browsed the system mall for a long time, and after much deliberation, she finally selected two items: one was a set of colorful building blocks for children, and the other was a children's smiling face puzzle.
The building blocks could be assembled into anything the children imagined, tapping into their creativity and imagination.
The puzzle could train the children's hand-eye coordination.
Chen Lan felt these two toys were suitable for the twins' current age, so she immediately placed an order.
The twins seemed to be determined to stay with their mother, snuggling quietly in Chen Lan's arms without moving around.
When Old Mother, who had finished her work with the kindergarten children, walked into the living room and saw the warm scene of the three of them snuggled together, she couldn't help but chuckle. She pretended to be jealous and said, "They really are mother and son. Look how clingy you two are! You see your mother every day, don't you? It's as if you haven't seen her in ages! So clingy? You can't be a moment without your mother now."
When Chen Lan saw her mother come in, she immediately patted the space next to her and said, "Mother, you've been busy all morning. Come and sit down and rest."
Old Mother waved her hand and said, "No, I just came in to see if the twins were being good today. I didn't expect them to be so obedient with you, when they're usually like little monkeys."
Chen Lan immediately said to the twins, "Jia Yao, Jia Hui, why aren't you greeting Grandma? Quickly say hello to Grandma! You two must be obedient and polite children."
The twins called out in their childish voices, "Hello Grandma! Sit, sit!"
Old Mother smiled happily and waved her hands repeatedly, "Grandma won't sit. Grandma has to take care of the little sister and the little brothers."
As soon as she finished speaking, Aunt Xiao Shan hurried in from outside. The moment she entered, she shouted loudly, "Xiao Lan's mother, hurry and come with me to see. Xiao Yue is crying with stomach pain, it seems she's going into labor."
Aunt Xiao Shan was probably flustered by the morning's emergency. As soon as she finished speaking, she saw Chen Lan at home and became happy, smiling and saying, "Xiao Lan, you're home! That's great! It's good you're home! It's really good!"
This left Chen Lan utterly confused! What did her being home have to do with Xiao Yue giving birth?
Now was not the time to dwell on it. Just as she was about to say she would go, she saw her mother immediately turn and follow Aunt Xiao Shan out of the living room. In a short while, she, along with Mother Cui, helped Zhao Xiao Yue, who was sweating profusely from the pain, into the room.
Chen Lan quickly prepared to get up and help, but the twins buried their heads tightly in Chen Lan's arms and stubbornly held onto her arm, not letting go. It was probably the loud commotion Aunt Xiao Shan had made, and then seeing Zhao Xiao Yue's miserable state, that had frightened the twins.