Seeing the triplets run to the large window to play, Chen Lan started chatting with her mother-in-law, her own mother, and the aunt. Noticing the aunt seemed to be in good spirits today, Chen Lan smiled and asked, "Aunt, are you and Uncle accustomed to staying at home?"
The aunt replied with a smile, "Accustomed, why wouldn't we be? I even told your Uncle that it feels like we've fallen into a nest of good fortune. There aren't so many disputes and scheming here. This place is practically a paradise, though we've caused trouble for your family."
Upon hearing this, the mother-in-law immediately said heartily, "What trouble? We need to eat and drink ourselves, it's just adding an extra pot of rice. Aunt, please don't say 'inconvenience' or 'trouble' anymore. We don't like to hear it."
Chen Lan's mother chimed in, "Exactly. Auntie, what's your relationship with Mingxuan? It's thanks to his uncle's care and guidance over the years that Mingxuan has achieved what he has today. To speak of trouble now would be too distant."
The aunt smiled and said, "Two elder sisters, I won't say it anymore, I won't. Living like this is like a dream. Your Uncle and I will just enjoy a life of ease with you."
Just then, a fierce wind howled outside, and snow flew in sheets, surging towards the large window in a swirling mist. The triplets playing were startled and ran into Chen Lan's arms.
In the Northeast, this kind of storm is also called "Bai Mao Feng" (White Hair Wind). The wind carrying snow felt like sand hitting one's face, stinging sharply. The outside was a vast expanse of white, and the wind and snow, like a sandstorm, swallowed the trees on the mountain.
Chen Lan secretly felt fortunate that she had brought the children back in time. Otherwise, they would have had quite an ordeal. Thinking back to how she couldn't straighten her back, couldn't open her eyes, her hands and feet frozen stiff, and the biting cold wind feeling like thousands of needles pricking her face, she felt a sense of lingering fear.
Chen Lan, holding the triplets, looked out the large window of their home. The wind blew in gusts, lifting snow from the ground and rooftops, making it dance in the air. The rising snow mist then spread like dust, filling the entire sky. The sharp, whistling gale seemed to sweep away everything. Now, the sky and the earth were indistinguishable. The distant mountains and trees had vanished, and even the nearby houses were invisible, as if the world had been cut off.
If the houses built in the valley weren't two stories high, they too would likely have been buried by the wind and snow. This "Bai Mao Feng" raged for three days, completely obscuring human vision. It truly blew with such intensity that the heavens and earth were in a blur, and the land was shrouded in mist.
Uncle and Aunt had officially settled down in the valley. Although Wen Kai, Wen Qi, and Jia Yao had taken their pulses and prescribed medicine, and both Aunt and Uncle claimed it was effective, Chen Lan was still a little uneasy. After all, despite their extensive medical studies, her two younger brothers and her son had very limited practical experience.
Therefore, Chen Lan chose a clear and calm day and took a sled to visit Dr. Guo's home, inviting him to come and examine Uncle and Aunt properly.
Accompanied by his four apprentices, Dr. Guo arrived at Chen Lan's home by sled. The examination process was the same as before: the four apprentices would take turns feeling Uncle and Aunt's pulses, then present their findings and theories on medication. Finally, Dr. Guo himself would take their pulses, analyze the cases and medical principles with his apprentices, and then review the prescriptions written by Wen Kai, Wen Qi, and Jia Yao, offering his comments.
After Dr. Guo wrote his prescriptions, Chen Lan personally escorted him home and took the opportunity to present him with a root of five-tailed ginseng as a token of her gratitude. Given Dr. Guo's age, this was something he could benefit from. Normally, if she offered him anything valuable, the old man would stubbornly refuse.
However, this time, the old man accepted with a smile, saying only, "My dear daughter, this old man won't stand on ceremony with you. I'll accept it, though I've caused you to spend more money."
Chen Lan immediately replied with a smile, "What are you saying about spending money? I just casually picked this up in the mountains in the fall while mushroom hunting. It's not of much use to me. Only you know how to use it properly to heal people. It's like giving a fine sword to a hero!"
Life in the valley was peaceful and leisurely. The children were gradually growing up, and many household matters no longer required Chen Lan, her mother-in-law, or her mother to handle. Chen Lan had essentially handed over the management of the household to Chunni, who was now twenty years old, with Chunfang, Chunhua, and Jiahui assisting their elder sister.
After Uncle and Aunt's grandchildren were sent back to the valley by Er Zhuang and Qingsong, arranged by Xu Mingxuan, their spirits gradually lifted. Their health was also almost fully restored under Dr. Guo's care. Only the lingering ailment Uncle had from the battlefield required slow and steady treatment. Their faces often bore contented smiles.
In June 1968, the Northeast Land Reclamation Bureau began preparations to establish the Shenyang Military Region Production and Construction Corps. Xu Mingxuan and Er Zhuang, who had spent five years at the grassroots farms, were commended and praised by their superiors for their outstanding performance. Both were transferred to work in Jiamusi.
Before reporting to their new posts, Xu Mingxuan and Er Zhuang returned to the valley. Upon their arrival, they greeted their family. They hadn't even had a chance to exchange intimate greetings with the triplets before Uncle called them to the small study. The two men talked for a long time in the study, and when they emerged, their faces were solemn.
Although Chen Lan knew what was happening, she felt helpless and could only sigh inwardly.
Xu Mingxuan and Er Zhuang stayed at home for only three days before reluctantly bidding farewell to their family and leaving, causing the triplets to cry for a whole day.
In the winter of 1970, Xu Mingxuan and Er Zhuang took leave to return to the valley for the Lunar New Year. To their surprise, they brought back two men and four women, a total of six people. The six were in a sorry state. The two men were older, likely wearing Xu Mingxuan's clothes, which didn't fit them well. Both wore thick glasses.
Among the four women, one was older, while the other three were in their twenties. It was unclear what their previous occupations were, but Chen Lan heard Er Zhuang address them as Zhiqing Song, Zhiqing Zhao, and Zhiqing Chen.
Chen Lan warmly welcomed them in, though she was somewhat perplexed. Yet, she had a vague feeling that these individuals had extraordinary stories to tell.
Seeing visitors, the daughters assumed they hadn't eaten yet. After informing their father and uncle, they went into the kitchen to prepare food. Jia Xing and Jia He, the two brothers, also promptly brought washbasins of water to the washroom so their guests could clean the dust off their faces.