When Shen Lu woke up again, it was completely dark outside.
She looked at the unfamiliar scene before her, feeling a dull ache in the back of her head. It took her a while to realize she had transmigrated into a book.
Right, where were her two children?
Shen Lu moved lightly and arrived at the door of Gu Xingze's hospital room.
Gu Xingze lay quietly on the hospital bed. His complexion suggested he had no more fever.
Gu Xingyu scrunched up his little face, feeling extremely insecure, and squeezed in next to his older brother.
The two little ones slept soundly on the narrow single bed.
After a short rest, Shen Lu felt much better.
She figured the two children hadn't eaten much all day and must be hungry.
So, she asked the nurse to take good care of the children and went home to cook.
This was a military hospital, so she didn't have to worry about the children being in danger.
She would be back soon.
Shen Lu hurried home and, passing by the supply and marketing cooperative, saw they were about to close.
Shen Lu quickly used her grain coupons to buy some rice and her meat tickets to buy some lean meat.
In her previous life, Shen Lu, who had a successful career, had cooking as a hobby. She had even spent a lot of money and learned from many famous chefs.
Although many seasonings were unavailable in this era, the ingredients were genuine. She figured the food would taste good.
Shen Lu cleared a space in the kitchen and then efficiently washed the rice and vegetables, minced the ginger, sliced the meat, and prepared to make a pot of meat and rice porridge.
Shen Lu couldn't stand the messy and dirty state of her home any longer.
So, while the porridge was simmering, she began to tidy up the rooms.
Dirty bowls and plates were piled everywhere, their leftover food residue having turned sour and moldy. Worn clothes were stacked into a small mountain.
The bed sheets and quilt covers were stained with food spills.
Everything was unbearable for the germaphobic Shen Lu; she just wanted to throw it all away.
However, in this era of scarce resources, it was difficult to come up with a large sum of money to repurchase household necessities.
Shen Lu understood her current situation and genuinely wanted to live a good life, so she could only wash the household items and use them again.
Only those that were truly unacceptable would be thrown away.
After more than an hour of sweeping and cleaning, Shen Lu was covered in sweat from exhaustion.
Shen Lu's back ached, and she gathered all the trash, disposed of it, leaving only the dirty clothes and bedding.
She decided to wash these labor-intensive items after delivering the food.
Shen Lu took a quick shower and changed her clothes. Since the back of her head was bandaged due to her injury, she didn't wash her hair.
By then, the porridge was ready. Shen Lu opened the lid to add seasonings.
The porridge bubbled and simmered, its aroma of sweet vegetables and savory meat making one's mouth water.
Shen Lu took a taste. The flavor was no less than that of the five-star chefs from her previous life.
Although her stomach rumbled with hunger, Shen Lu only had a small taste. The most important things right now, besides taking care of her two children, were to lose weight.
When she passed the bathroom earlier, she had looked in the mirror. Although this body was a bit plump, its foundation was good. Even at 180 jin, she was still pretty and delicate.
Her skin was fair, her face not too full, her apricot eyes clear and bright, her nose bridge had a slight hump, her lips were full, and her face shape had a high degree of folding.
With these features and a height of 1.68 meters, she would be stunning once she lost weight.
Shen Lu felt a flicker of anticipation, and her motivation to lose weight surged.
So, despite her hunger, Shen Lu did not eat.
After packing the porridge into two portions, Shen Lu hurried to the hospital.
As soon as she reached the hospital entrance, she ran into a nurse coming out.
It was the same nurse who had come out of the emergency room to notify Shen Lu earlier.
Shen Lu thought of something and quickly walked forward.
"Hello, comrade. I'm the mother of the little boy who had a high fever. Could I trouble you with something?"
The nurse sized up Shen Lu, noticing she had changed into clean clothes and was carrying a lunchbox.
Seeing that she cared about her child, the nurse's expression softened slightly.
"What is it?"
Shen Lu heard her and gestured to the lunchbox in her hand.
"This is the porridge I just made. Could you please trouble yourself to deliver it? The children are still upset with me, and they definitely won't eat if I bring it in. You see..."
Shen Lu's voice grew softer as she spoke, a hint of embarrassment on her face.
The nurse didn't ask many questions, took the porridge, and turned to walk towards Gu Xingze's room.
"Don't say I made it," Shen Lu instructed.
Shen Lu deliberately waited a few minutes. After the nurse's figure had completely disappeared from the hospital entrance, she followed.
Shen Lu peeked cautiously at the door of Gu Xingze's hospital room.
This was the first time she had cooked for her children. She wondered if they would like it.
When the children heard the nurse say that their mother had made them porridge, their faces showed a shy expression.
Although embarrassed, they were too hungry to refuse and shyly accepted it.
Gu Xingze had woken up, but his face was pale and lacked color. The nurse kindly opened the lunchbox and fed him spoonful by spoonful.
Gu Xingyu, however, held the lunchbox himself and ate the porridge with gusto, his whole face almost buried in it.
His previously wrinkled little face finally relaxed as he savored the soft, fragrant meat and rice porridge.
After finishing the entire lunchbox of porridge, Gu Xingyu patted his round belly and said contentedly.
"Nurse sister, the porridge you made is delicious."
The nurse, with her back to Shen Lu at the door, scooped porridge and fed Gu Xingze. Upon hearing this, she subtly glanced towards the main door behind her.
Seeing that the twins had finished all the porridge in their lunchboxes, Shen Lu finally felt relieved.
She quietly left the hospital and returned home.
While sorting through the complex information in her mind, she washed all the dirty clothes and bedding that had been put in the bathroom.
By the time she finished all this, it was already late at night.
She was too tired today. Shen Lu returned to the bedroom, almost collapsing, and fell asleep immediately.
✦✦✦
The next day, she was awakened by a loud knocking at the door.
"Shen Lu, open the door! I know you're home, don't pretend to be dead."
Since taking charge of the company, Shen Lu had been busy every day, but no one had ever dared to disturb her sleep, as no one could withstand her wrath.
Annoyed by being woken up, Shen Lu put on her clothes and went to the door, pulling it open forcefully.
Her face was as dark as ink, her eyes shot out like arrows, and her large body completely blocked the doorway.
Fan Cuiying's arrogant demeanor instantly diminished by half.
Mother Gu, standing beside her, rolled her eyes and pointed at Shen Lu, accusingly.
"Director of the Women's Federation, I was right, wasn't I? Look at this woman, she looks like a vengeful ghost. How can I trust her with my two precious grandsons!"
Fan Cuiying, standing beside her, immediately felt a connection with Mother Gu and chimed in.
"Exactly! Yesterday, Mother and I went to the hospital to visit our two nephews. Unexpectedly, my elderly mother was pushed to the ground by her. My mother's tailbone still hurts."
Mother Gu immediately followed suit, revealing the true purpose of their visit.
"The entire house is also made by Shen Lu to be like an outhouse. The children suffer with her. Director of the Women's Federation, you must help these two children escape this hellish den!"
Shen Lu heard this and let out a cold laugh.
She finally understood what they were scheming.
So, they not only wanted money, but they also wanted her two sons!
✦✦✦