After feeding Xiaobao, Lu Wanwan returned to the room to take care of Tuantuan and Yuanyuan. From the children, she learned that the White Rabbit milk candies were gifts from Zhou Yushen, given to welcome them to his home.
Yuanyuan didn’t want to finish all the candies and saved a few. She sniffed them deeply, her face full of delight, saying, “Susu is so sweet.”
“It’s sweet because Uncle gave it to you,” Tuantuan corrected his sister. He had only eaten one candy and gave the rest to Lu Wanwan. “Mom, this is for you.”
“Mom won’t eat it. Tuantuan, keep it for yourself,” she said.
Lu Wanwan stroked the two children’s hair. Then she heard a knock at the door. Thinking it was Aunt Zhang, she got up to open it—but immediately saw a man’s broad chest. She looked up to meet Zhou Yushen’s faintly smiling, teasing gaze.
She quickly stepped back and spoke politely, “Comrade Zhou, is there something you need?”
“I came to call you all for dinner,” Zhou Yushen said.
The twins immediately scrambled over with their little legs, looking up at him.
“Hello, Uncle.”
“Hello, Susu.”
Lu Wanwan stepped back as the children crowded around, watching them interact warmly with Zhou Yushen.
“I’ll take you to eat. There’s delicious egg custard tonight,” he said.
“Comrade Zhou, we…”
Before Lu Wanwan could finish, Zhou Yushen had already lifted Tuantuan and Yuanyuan into his arms, raising his eyebrows at her with a deep, unreadable gaze, leaving her no chance to refuse.
“Come eat together,” he said.
With that, he strode off with the twins toward the dining room.
Lu Wanwan, frustrated, could only follow his long strides.
In the dining room, Fang Anqian glanced several times toward Zhou Yushen’s direction. When she saw him carrying the two children and holding them on his lap, her hands clenched into fists. Despite her jealousy, her face still carried a warm, cordial smile as she spoke to Zhou Yushen:
“So these are Nanny Lu’s two children? How adorable! Come sit next to Auntie and eat. Oh, there’s mud on their shoes—they’re dirtying Brother Shen’s clothes. Brother Shen, put them down. They have dust on them; I’ll take them to wash their hands and face.”
Although her words sounded reasonable, Tuantuan and Yuanyuan nervously looked at Zhou Yushen, struggling to get down from his arms. Yuanyuan held back tears and looked toward Lu Wanwan.
Tuantuan quickly explained, “We’re not dirty. Mom washes us every day and gives us baths every three days, changing our clothes and socks. Uncle, sorry.”
Their shoes had dirt on the soles from walking, and Tuantuan anxiously tried to wipe the dust off Zhou Yushen’s clothes with his little hands.
“It’s nothing. When I train outside, I roll in the mud. Not just my clothes—even my face and hair get muddy. It’s much worse than you two. So don’t mind Uncle,” Zhou Yushen gently reassured the twins. From the moment he saw them, he could tell Lu Wanwan took very good care of the children.
Lu Shu looked at the adorable, well-behaved twins, her heart melting. She checked their faces and clothes—clean and tidy. It was clear that Lu Wanwan was diligent and cared for cleanliness, which pleased her even more.
She warmly invited Lu Wanwan: “Wanwan, come eat with us. Consider it the first meal welcoming you here. Aunt Zhang, come sit too.”
Aunt Zhang usually ate in the kitchen, only joining the table on holidays. She smiled and brought two extra sets of dishes: “Thank you, Comrade Lu. The soup is very good today, everyone drink plenty.”
Lu Wanwan felt embarrassed to refuse and sat down next to Aunt Zhang.
Zhou Yushen placed Tuantuan and Yuanyuan on either side of him, leaving no room for Fang Anqian to sit close. She reluctantly took a distant seat.
During the meal, Chen Shu spoke to Lu Wanwan about something:
“Wanwan, I’ll be busy over the next few days. Would you mind helping me look after Xiaobao? I can increase your pay—one hundred and ten a month.”
An extra thirty a month, one more a day.
Fang Anqian’s eyes widened in surprise. That was a lot—many workers didn’t even earn a hundred. Even as a Cultural Youth League instructor with allowances, she didn’t make that much. She quickly warned Chen Shu:
“Sister Shu, she’s just a country girl. That’s too much pay.”
Originally, Lu Wanwan had been hesitant. Taking care of Tuantuan and Yuanyuan was already troublesome. Just feeding milk was manageable, but watching Xiaobao during the day would be exhausting. But hearing Fang Anqian’s words made her uncomfortable.
So what if she was a village woman? When she worked as a translator, Lu Wanwan’s monthly income already exceeded six figures. A hundred and ten was nothing.
Chen Shu waved off Fang Anqian: “If Wanwan can take care of Xiaobao well, it’s not too much. I haven’t been sleeping well lately, and Xiaobao’s fussy during the day. Wanwan, even helping half a day is fine—it’ll give me a chance to rest.”
Tuantuan, knowing his mother was trying to earn money for Yuanyuan’s medical care, spoke obediently: “Mom, I’ll take care of Yuanyuan. You can take care of Xiaobao.”
Lu Wanwan’s heart softened. She wanted to earn more to pay for Yuanyuan’s treatment. She stroked her son’s hair and smiled at Chen Shu, agreeing:
“Don’t worry, Sister Shu. I’ll try to take care of Xiaobao as much as I can.”
An extra thirty a month wasn’t much for Chen Shu, and having half a day of free time was already precious.
Fang Anqian, suppressing her irritation, saw Yuanyuan spill some egg custard on the table. With a hint of disdain, she teased: “Is this Yuanyuan’s first time eating egg custard? Eat slowly, no one’s going to snatch it from you.”
Lu Wanwan saw Yuanyuan nervously put down the spoon and used a handkerchief to wipe her daughter’s mouth. Calmly, she shot back at Fang Anqian:
“They used to drink more milk, so I fed them most of their meals. Now they have to wean off milk and learn to eat with spoons themselves. Everyone is clumsy when learning to walk, so spilling a little food is normal. Since you haven’t had children, Comrade Fang, it’s understandable that you wouldn’t know.”
After her remark, Lu Wanwan, still curious, added: “After all, I come from a small town and haven’t heard of any babies born walking perfectly and using chopsticks or spoons on their own. Comrade Fang, you grew up in the big city—have you seen that?”
Fang Anqian’s fingers gripping the chopsticks turned white with force. She wanted to smash the food onto Lu Wanwan’s face, but noticing everyone’s eyes on her, she forced out a stifled, embarrassed smile:
“Comrade Lu, you do joke well.”
Tuantuan seemed to understand, or maybe he didn’t fully, but he knew how to express himself:
“Mom, Yuanyuan and I will quickly learn to eat, dress ourselves, and walk properly.”
Yuanyuan immediately nodded vigorously. To prove it, she used a handkerchief to wrap up the little spilled egg custard and said in her small, crisp voice:
“Yuanyuan will clean it up.”