Counting
As Zhan Aiping prepared to start working at the military hospital, her first priority was arranging childcare for her two little ones. At Yanxin Clinic, she’d had her own office, and friends and colleagues helped look after the kids. But things would be different at the military hospital. Gu Xiangyi had her own job, so she couldn’t help with the kids.
Gu Xiangyi suggested, “You can send them to the hospital’s toddler care class.”
The hospital provided a small childcare program for staff, conveniently located in the staff housing area. Many doctors and nurses, especially in dual-military families, needed support with childcare since they often worked night shifts.
“Don’t worry, I’ve got it all set up for you,” Gu Xiangyi said eagerly. “I know everyone there; I’ll make sure my niece and nephew are well taken care of.”
Zhan Aiping, however, felt conflicted. Her twins were only a year and a half; they should ideally be with family. Now, they’d be spending their days in day-care.
Starting school so young — it seemed so unfair! They’d already have classmates at just a year and a half?
“Alright, let’s send them to day-care,” she told Gu Sheng. “These little ones have it rough.”
Gu Sheng replied, “So did we.”
When they were kids, their parents had been busy too.
“You had older brothers to help out. I was the pitiful one,” Zhan Aiping pointed out.
But she didn’t really feel sorry for herself; growing up in a dual-military family, she was used to having soldiers around and had been fearless as a child, always finding people to carry her and play with her. She was constantly surrounded by “big brothers” in the army, enjoying her playful childhood to the fullest.
Gu Sheng chuckled, “You? Pitiful? You loved every minute.”
He pinched her cheek. As a child, Zhan Aiping had been the first to organize play and was always at the centre of games. She’d gather her friends for pretend banquets, crafting “dishes” with mud, leaves, and broken tiles, making meals more elaborate than anyone’s actual food.
“Our kids aren’t like you or me. They’re such sweet little ones. I just hope they won’t get bullied,” she sighed.
Perhaps it was true that two mischief-makers somehow produced gentle, obedient children.
The two little ones readily agreed to attend day-care.
Seeing her soft little Tangyuan, Zhan Aiping’s heart melted. If she saw her younger self, she’d think she deserved a spanking, but looking at her gentle daughter, her maternal instinct surged.
“Take care of each other,” she told them. “Big brother looks after little sister, and little sister looks after big brother.”
On her first day at the military hospital, also the kids’ first day at day-care, Zhan Aiping prepared a lot for them. The twins, now a year and a half old, wore mini uniforms with hats and little green backpacks, each embroidered with a red cross, and she packed them with toys.
The toys included wooden cars and dolls. “If they break, we’ll make new ones when Dad gets back. Toys are meant to be used.”
Little Tangyuan and Guobaorou nodded.
Zhan Aiping kissed each child on the cheek and set out with them. They were eager, maybe even more enthusiastic about “going to work” than she was.
“Mommy, let’s go!” Dressed in their new outfits, they tugged at her legs, their excitement unstoppable.
Zhan Aiping: “…” At this rate, they’d grow up as little go-getters.
Just as they were leaving, they ran into Sister Zhou from next door, who was with her husband, Deputy Commander Qian, and Dr. Sun. Seeing them, Deputy Commander Qian called out, “Taking the kids to work, Dr. Zhan?”
“So you’re going to the military hospital. I heard you’re sending the little ones to day-care?”
Deputy Commander Qian, full of pride, glanced at Sister Zhou, as if to say: A woman’s place is at home with the kids. Otherwise, it’s the children who suffer.
“Poor things, so young and already off to day-care,” he remarked. “Our own kid, Big Elbow, is still at home playing every day.”
Dr. Sun explained, “It’s just day-care, not school. Kids under three don’t even understand school; day-care is just having some aunties help with meals and such, nothing like classes.”
“I can do math!” Guobaorou chimed in proudly.
“And I can too!” Tangyuan added.
Dr. Sun was surprised. “Dr. Zhan, your kids are only a little over a year old, and they speak so clearly?”
“You know math, little one? Can you count?”
“Yes!” Guobaorou replied happily, “One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten, eleven, twelve… twenty…”
“Alright, alright, that’s enough.” If no one stopped him, he’d go all the way to a hundred.
Dr. Sun stared. His talent didn’t come from nowhere; he’d honed it counting his little toy cars every day.
Dr. Sun: “…”
“My kids love counting,” Zhan Aiping said. “They get it from their dad.”
“Very clever!” Dr. Sun commented, “They might be little prodigies.”
“Not prodigies, just regular kids,” Zhan Aiping replied modestly, leading the children on their way.
Though she did think her children were unusually bright, she knew all too well that many child prodigies fade into the ordinary as they grow up. She didn’t want her kids labelled as “geniuses” right from the start.
As their mother, Zhan Aiping had simple wishes: she didn’t expect them to skip grades or anything extraordinary; she’d just be thrilled if they made the top three in each exam so she could proudly show off a bit.
Back then, she was the “model child” everyone envied. Now, she wanted to be the “mom of that enviable child.”
After she left, Deputy Commander Qian’s face soured. Little geniuses? What nonsense, he thought. What could a one- or two-year-old possibly understand?
His son, Big Elbow, was a few months older than the neighbour’s twins and almost two, but all he did at home was eat and drink without a care.
Deputy Commander Qian had high hopes for his only son, and yet here was the neighbour’s child counting numbers, while his son didn’t even know one, two, three, or four.
“It’s just counting, anyone can do it. My kid will be smarter than theirs; I’ll start teaching him the multiplication table…”
Meanwhile, Zhan Aiping was on her way to catch a bus, stopping to bring a gift to Shen Liqing, who had recently quit her job to stay home with her child.
During her pregnancy, Shen Liqing had been working, but after the baby was born, she and her husband suspected that their younger son might have health issues. She lost her appetite, couldn’t work, and decided to resign to focus on childcare.
After two or three months, though, she deeply regretted it. She found that the most exhausting job wasn’t working; it was staying home to care for a child.
Household chores might seem easy, but the tedious, repetitive nature of them slowly drained her time. It felt like wiping dust that never fully disappeared, turning each day into an endless cycle of meaningless repetition.
The thought of spending the rest of her life like this nearly drove Shen Liqing mad.
“Why are your kids dressed like that?” Shen Liqing’s heart skipped a beat when she saw the two little ones in their mini military uniforms. She wanted something similar for her own kids.
“I’m sending them to the day-care,” Zhan Aiping replied.
“Really? You can send them to day-care? I thought that was only for kids over three,” Shen Liqing’s eyes brightened.
“I… I… I’m sending my child to day-care too!” she said with sudden resolve.
Seeing her reaction, Zhan Aiping couldn’t help but laugh, “People already call me a heartless mom, but you’re even more heartless.”
Shen Liqing sighed, “I’m only now realizing that kids are easiest to manage when they’re just a few months old. My oldest daughter is almost one now, active and crawling everywhere, full of energy. Just turn away for a second, and who knows what trouble she’ll get into… like a stray dog outside.”
Zhan Aiping smiled, “At least your son is low-maintenance.”
Shen Liqing’s face twitched, “Not really. I have to spend extra time encouraging him to roll over… He barely wants to move. I’m practically a nanny.”
“And he’s sneaky too. Lazy all day, yet at night, he’s more awake than anyone.”
“Unlike his sister, who, after a whole day of mischief, sleeps soundly like a log at night. My husband and I get woken up by the younger one, while she sleeps right through it all.”
“My little Sour Fish even tries to wake his sister, calling out ‘sis, sis,’ but she sleeps like a rock. My husband and I are the ones left sleep-deprived.” Shen Liqing rubbed her forehead in exasperation. Managing her “black-and-white” siblings left her thoroughly drained.
“Are they like Yin and Yang?” she joked. “One on day shift, the other on night shift.”
“Try resetting their body clocks,” Zhan Aiping suggested. “Wear out his energy during the day.”
“I’ll try,” Shen Liqing sighed. “Taking care of kids is harder than working. I’d like to send mine to day-care too, but Director Li would judge me for not working and still sending my kids away. I’d better find a job first…”
Before having kids, Shen Liqing didn’t want to work. After having them, she couldn’t wait to go back to work.
When Zhan Aiping arrived at the military hospital, it was still early, but the entrance was bustling with soldiers in uniform seeking treatment. Even in the 1970s, a referral system was in place where patients started with local clinics and worked up to higher-level hospitals if necessary.
Military healthcare worked similarly. Soldiers with health issues were first checked by the military medics in their units. Only if the case was serious would they be referred to the military hospital for treatment.
A military doctor’s daily life was monotonous: diagnosing minor ailments, sending severe cases to the military hospital, standing by for emergencies, or accompanying patients on the way there.
“Hey, sis! Youyou and Yuanyuan! So cute! Let Auntie give them a kiss.” Gu Xiangyi ran over when she spotted her sister-in-law and the twins, hugging them and kissing their cheeks.
The twins, ever polite, greeted her, “Hello, Auntie.”
Gu Xiangyi beamed, “Say it again! Auntie loves hearing it!”
“Oh, I wish I had kids like them!” she sighed, though she hadn’t even found a partner yet.
Zhan Aiping and Gu Xiangyi escorted the twins to their day-care class. Though called a “class,” it was really a small nursery on the first floor with two caregivers looking after a mix of one- and two-year-olds, with some three-year-olds as well.
They peered through the windows to check things out. Gu Xiangyi whispered, “There’s a kindergarten farther away, but most doctors prefer the day-care here. It’s easier to check in on the kids during breaks.”
“The environment is nice and very clean. Don’t worry, sis.”
Doctors liked having their children close by for safety reasons; if a child got hurt, fell ill, or even choked, medical help was right on hand, and the caregivers were trained in first aid.
Parents didn’t emphasize academics as much back then; society was more focused on ensuring kids learned a skill, like ballet, violin, dentistry, film projection, or driving. A stable government job was seen as the best path.
Being a factory worker was a badge of honour too.
“Be good, and Mom will come pick you up after work.”
After dropping the kids off, Zhan Aiping felt a pang of nostalgia but still went to her orientation, ready to rotate through various departments. Though it was called “advanced training,” it was practically like today’s residency program.
Zhan Aiping’s first day went smoothly.
After work, she went to pick up her children, feeling a bit anxious, afraid she might hear some bad news about her two little ones. But when she arrived at daycare, both kids were perfectly fine, and their clothes weren’t even damaged. Relieved, Zhan Aiping relaxed.
Guobaorou and Tangyuan were thrilled to see her, happily calling, “Mommy!”
Smiling, Zhan Aiping hugged them both. “Did you have fun today? Let’s pack up and head home.”
The siblings nodded excitedly, sticking close to their mom like two well-behaved little angels.
They carried their little backpacks home, which seemed stuffed full. Zhan Aiping didn’t look too closely, assuming they were just filled with toys. Toys weren’t that important; they could be broken or forgotten, no big deal.
But once they got home, she noticed something strange. Tangyuan’s toy collection seemed to have increased!?
The backpack she’d packed that morning was almost completely filled.
Zhan Aiping: “?”
Although she’d let the kids bring a few toys to day-care, she hadn’t packed nearly this many. How had their stash grown?
And that wasn’t all—her son Guobaorou’s wooden car had somehow turned into a tin toy car?
Zhan Aiping: “?!”
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