"How is your sister?" Gao Jiaxing walked over and sat down by the bed.
"Grandma said it’s nothing serious, my sister is just exhausted and fainted. After getting enough sleep, she’ll naturally wake up," Xia Jing said, leaving Gao Jaxing in the room to keep Xia Xiao company before she left.
Gao Jiaxing looked at Xia Xiao, whose face was pale and hair was sticky. He took a cloth and gently wiped her face.
This was not the first ti Gao Jiaxing had seen Xia Xiao like this; when she had been bitten by a snake years ago, she had been unconscious like this, but it hadn’t felt the sa as now.
Now, seeing Xia Xiao lying in such a disheveled state on the bed, pale and bloodless, Gao Jiaxing’s heart tightened, and he began to tremble faintly.
He held Xia Xiao’s hand tightly and rubbed it gently, feeling sowhat panicked. He wanted to wake her but was afraid of disturbing her sleep.
He kissed Xia Xiao’s forehead, her lips. Even though she didn’t look as neat and beautiful as usual, and there was a sll of sweat and a fishy scent on her, Gao Jiaxing felt deeply moved. He longed to hold Xia Xiao in his arms and ld her into his heart.
Outside, Zheng Xianghong was bustling around, exceptionally busy. Not only had she beco a grandmother to twin boys, but Gao Jiaxing had brought a few comrades ho, and Zheng Xianghong prepared breakfast for everyone.
Sun Yuhua and Xia Jing both went into the kitchen to help, while Gao Guoqiang and Gao Jiazhi looked after the children. Right after the twins were born, Zheng Xianghong had fed them water, and they too had fallen asleep.
By the ti Zheng Xianghong, Sun Yuhua, and Xia Jing had finished making breakfast, Xia Xiao still hadn’t woken up. Zheng Xianghong first brought one grandson into Xia Xiao’s room and saw Gao Jiaxing kissing Xia Xiao’s lips; she hurriedly ca over and glared, "Don’t wake Xia Xiao."
Gao Jiaxing was speechless. What did that vigilant look in his mother’s eyes an? He wasn’t so beastly. Zheng Xianghong put the grandchild beside Xia Xiao and then went to bring in the other one.
"You don’t need to stay here any longer, hurry up and go eat breakfast," Zheng Xianghong urged Gao Jiaxing to leave.
Gao Jiaxing couldn’t help but feel as though he had fallen out of favor after having a son. Looking at his mother’s attitude and tone towards him and the love in her eyes for her grandsons, Gao Jiaxing’s mouth twitched. This was all too realistic.
After glancing at Xia Xiao and their sons on the bed, Gao Jiaxing touched his nose and went out.
After breakfast, Gao Guoqiang left for work, and Gao Jiazhi hurried off to school.
Zheng Xianghong asked Sun Yuhua and Xia Jing to clean up the old house, so Gao Jiaxing’s comrades could rest there, as their ho was too small to accommodate everyone.
Early that morning, the news of Xia Xiao giving birth to twin boys had spread, and everyone congratulated Gao Guoqiang upon seeing him. Gao Guoqiang, who rarely smiled, responded one by one with a smile, to everyone’s surprise; indeed, the joy of having two grandsons couldn’t be hidden on his face.
Li Shengi, however, had a dark expression on her face. She had just argued with Zheng Xianghong last ti and didn’t expect to be slapped in the face this early morning, especially since Xia Xiao had given birth to twin boys.
Now, wasn’t Li Shengi’s face taphorically swollen? She had said back then that Xia Xiao had no blessing and a small fra not good for childbirth, while Dong ihua was blessed and good for childbearing.
So she chose Dong ihua as her daughter-in-law, and Zheng Xianghong chose Xia Xiao. But now, her "blessed" daughter-in-law hadn’t shown any sign of pregnancy for many years, while the "unblessed" Xia Xiao had given birth to two sons.
Having held back all morning, Li Shengi had another row with Dong ihua once they were ho, accusing Dong ihua of disgracing her, saying that her womb was no good and even calling her a hen that couldn’t lay eggs.
Dong ihua, mortified to the point of wishing death upon herself, threatened to hang herself. Having argued with Li Shengi on their way back from the hospital, Dong ihua was no longer the silent daughter-in-law she once was. When Li Shengi kicked up a fuss, Dong ihua did too, making it impossible for the neighbors to remain unaware.
He Xuewu had slipped away early. He Hongjun, shaking with anger, bellowed that if they kept fighting, they should just leave. Only then did they quiet down, but their attitudes were still hostile, sharp as needlepoints against sword edges.
Dong ihua harbored a fire in her heart; not to ntion how the situation with Xia Xiao troubled her, but now Li Shengi had complained, and He Xuegang had written her a letter scolding her, saying that no matter what, she shouldn’t argue with her mother-in-law and shouldn’t have silently run off to the Red Star Production Team, as the family would worry if they couldn’t find her.
If He Xuegang had been around, Dong ihua might have even quarreled with him. She had no health issues, so how could she be blad for not conceiving? She was treated like a criminal for her failure to beco pregnant.
Before, Dong ihua wasn’t without temper, but as an educated youth from elsewhere, she had no backing here and had to restrain herself sowhat. Seeing Li Shengi beco even more unbridled, Dong ihua no longer kept her silence.
So, after quarreling with Li Shengi, Dong ihua ran off to the Red Star Production Team, and Feng Ying too felt a sourness in her heart upon hearing that Xia Xiao had birthed a pair of twins.
Dong ihua fretted, "Why is fate so unfair? Everything good goes to Xia Xiao."
What could Feng Ying say? She glanced at Dong ihua and sighed faintly, "It’s destiny, I suppose, and also our choices."
If they hadn’t made a scene back then and ruined their reputations, perhaps things wouldn’t be as they were now.
"It’s heaven’s injustice," Dong ihua said.
"But it’s also our choice to have stood by Li Shengi." Feng Ying thought to herself that maybe if she hadn’t sided with Li Shengi back in the production team days but had chosen Zheng Xianghong or continued to be friends with Xia Xiao, things might have been different.
Dong ihua’s thoughts paused. Wasn’t that the truth? Back then she had set her heart on He Xuebing, investing her emotions in the He Family. If she had married He Xuebing, perhaps it would have been all right, but she ended up with He Xuegang.
And the difference between the two brothers was vast; He Xuebing would argue with Li Shengi to stand up for Xia Xiao, while He Xuegang would only scold her through letters for his mother’s sake.
Soon, the Red Star Production Team also learned that the Guangming Production Team leader, Gao Guoqiang, had been blessed with a pair of twin grandsons, and both Wang Xueyong and Gao Guihua found out without having to inquire.
Although twins might not have the sa ring to them as dragon-phoenix twins, these were two real sons, and besides, Gao Guihua’s dragon-phoenix twins had their own issues; the son was healthy, but the daughter was frail and always unwell, which caused Gao Guihua great worry.
With dragon-phoenix twins, the auspiciousness ca with having both dragon and phoenix; losing one would be considered unlucky. Therefore, Wang Xueyong and Gao Guihua took great care of them. Now that they’d heard separating dragon-phoenix twins was better for their health, Gao Guihua wanted to send her son back to her family and keep the frail daughter with her.
But Wang Xueyong wanted to send the son to be raised by his parents, and when Liu Haiguo heard this news, he was tempted to have Wang Xueyong’s son raised by The Lius and enter into a sworn kinship.
Since Gao Guihua’s daughter was weak and Gao Guihua herself wasn’t in good health after the birth, Wang Xueyong’s attitude towards The Lius softened because of the son.
So, there he was, negotiating with The Lius. Once the child reached one month, they would recognize Liu Haiguo as the godparent and have the child temporarily raised in The Lius’ ho. He could see the boy nearby, as bringing the child to his parents’ would an he couldn’t see the boy if any illness occurred.
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