Dragon-Phoenix Twins’ Birthday Part 2
Lu Zetian didn’t drive fast, so Qin Shi and the children didn’t feel carsick. They chatted and laughed all the way to the county town.
There weren’t many cars in this era, let alone a military-green jeep from the army. As soon as people saw it, they moved far away, letting the vehicle enter the county smoothly.
Lu Zetian found a suitable place to park. Qin Shi got out with the children, tightly holding the twins’ hands. Then she looked at Gu Qinghai beside her and reminded him seriously, “Hold onto my hand tightly and stay close to me, understand?”
The three children nodded together, unable to stop looking around.
Qin Shi was still worried they might get too excited, or that there would be too many people and she wouldn’t be able to watch them all, when Lu Zetian walked over and directly picked up the twins, one in each arm.
“Wow~” The twins’ feet left the ground, and their view immediately widened. They grinned happily.
With Lu Zetian holding them, Qin Shi relaxed. She glanced at how effortlessly he held them and thought, *He’s really strong. Very useful.*
Qin Shi held Gu Qinghai’s hand and followed Lu Zetian. Gu Qinghai felt a little embarrassed. He secretly glanced at Qin Shi and, seeing that she had no particular reaction, felt the warmth from her hand and somehow smiled.
He resisted the urge to swing their hands, not daring to hold too tightly. He only held her hand lightly, looking rather stiff.
Sensing his discomfort, Qin Shi let go and instead placed her arm around his shoulder.
The moment Qin Shi released his hand, Gu Qinghai had just begun to feel disappointed when her arm came around him, making his whole body even stiffer.
After a few steps, Qin Shi stopped and looked at him. “How about you hold onto my clothes instead?”
Gu Qinghai didn’t react for a moment. He looked up at Qin Shi, his eyes a little confused.
Qin Shi looked back at him and said, “There are too many people on the street. Later, when we go to the supply and marketing cooperative and the market, it’ll be even more crowded. You have to hold onto me.”
“Since you don’t want physical contact with me, just hold my sleeve.”
Gu Qinghai pressed his lips together. He wanted to say something, but no words came out. He just stared at Qin Shi, looking extremely stubborn.
Qin Shi said nothing and simply looked at him.
Gu Qinghai was too embarrassed to explain that he was only stiff because he felt shy, not because he disliked touching Qin Shi.
Lu Zetian, walking ahead, noticed that Qin Shi and Gu Qinghai had fallen a few steps behind and called out, “Qin Shi?”
Qin Shi answered, “Coming.”
Gu Qinghai was also looking at Lu Zetian, but his attention was on two people walking past him.
It was a mother holding the hand of a child around his age. The child’s face was filled with carefree joy, while the mother also smiled, her gaze toward the child full of affection.
As Gu Qinghai watched, he suddenly reached out and took Qin Shi’s hand, then pulled her forward to catch up with Lu Zetian.
Qin Shi didn’t resist. She let Gu Qinghai pull her along, looking at the back of his head and his red ears as she laughed softly.
That’s right. She had deliberately teased Gu Qinghai. As expected, this little tsundere’s reaction was very cute.
If that was what he thought, he should just say it. Why be so awkward? Tsk~
Gu Qinghai heard Qin Shi’s soft laugh, and his face turned even redder. He pursed his lips, realizing that Qin Shi had teased him on purpose again. He wanted to turn back and look at her, but he was too embarrassed, so he could only sulk silently.
His brows were furrowed, but his heart felt sweet. He liked the feeling of being held by Qin Shi, being cared for, and being noticed.
Aside from Gu Qinghai, this was the twins’ first time coming to the county town. Mother Lu couldn’t bring two small children onto a crowded bus to buy things in the county—it was too inconvenient. Even bringing the older Gu Qinghai would have been troublesome.
So this time, the children were dazzled by everything. Whatever they saw, they found exciting. They kept exclaiming and asking, “What’s that?” one after another, making Lu Zetian explain things to them the whole way.
Lu Zetian didn’t grow impatient. He only thought that he had been too irresponsible before. In the future, he should bring the children out more often to see the world.
After entering the supply and marketing cooperative, Lu Zetian held the children and stood behind Qin Shi, all of them watching her buy things.
There was no bargaining at the cooperative. You handed over coupons and money with one hand and received the goods with the other. Plus, the sales clerk knew Qin Shi and knew how formidable she was, so she didn’t waste time. She politely got Qin Shi’s items, and the transaction was astonishingly fast.
The twins hadn’t even looked enough before Qin Shi had already finished buying things.
Qin Shi bought Pingping crayons, pencils, and a drawing book. The little boy’s eyes lit up, and he couldn’t bear to look away. Qin Shi simply handed him the box of crayons and let him hold it himself.
Pingping hugged the crayon box tightly, as if holding some precious treasure.
The gift An’an wanted couldn’t be bought at the cooperative, but Qin Shi still bought her a pair of small red hair clips.
After receiving them, An’an immediately asked Lu Zetian to open them and put them in her hair. Even though she couldn’t see them herself, she proudly lifted her chin, looking unbearably cute.
Qin Shi also weighed out some White Rabbit milk candy for the children and bought some pastries before carrying a large pile of things back to the car.
After placing the things in the car, Qin Shi took the children to the bookstore. She bought storybooks, the *Xinhua Dictionary* that Gu Qinghai had always wanted, and new extracurricular books. Then she specially took the children around for the whole morning.
At noon, Qin Shi took the children to the state-owned restaurant for lunch and extravagantly ordered braised pork, meat buns, and rice.
The children, who had long heard that food from state-owned restaurants was delicious, were full of anticipation. But after eating, they looked at one another, feeling it was nowhere near as good as Qin Shi’s cooking.
Of course, after the previous lesson, they didn’t dare complain. They only thought it in their hearts and buried their heads in their food.
By the end, after braised pork and big meat buns, the children had finished the buns but left two pieces of meat. It was too greasy to continue, but they were truly full. Since they couldn’t waste food, the children looked toward Qin Shi.
Qin Shi couldn’t eat them either. The remaining two pieces were mostly fatty meat, which was too fatal for her.
For a state-owned restaurant to serve big fatty pieces like this showed they were honest and used real ingredients. But Qin Shi preferred lean meat, and because of her golden finger, her sense of smell and taste had become very sensitive.
For others, this braised pork was top-tier delicacy. But for Qin Shi… the pork wasn’t fresh, the quality of the meat wasn’t great, and the chef had added slightly too much sugar.
Greasy and sweet. It was already impressive that she had managed to eat the pieces she had earlier. These two pieces could be forgotten.
Qin Shi picked up the meat and placed it in Lu Zetian’s bowl, smiling. “Eat up. You worked hard holding the children for so long, and you still have to drive later. Eat enough!”
Lu Zetian had long noticed that Qin Shi didn’t like fatty meat and was picky about ingredients. Seeing her like this now, he knew perfectly well she simply didn’t want to eat it and had given it to him.
But he didn’t say anything. He silently picked up the meat and ate it.
Seeing this, the children breathed a sigh of relief. Gu Qinghai pointed at a tiny bit of meat residue left in his bowl. “Dad, there’s still a little.”
Lu Zetian looked up at him. Gu Qinghai immediately became timid and quickly avoided his gaze.
But An’an feared nothing and said directly, “Don’t waste it, Dad. ‘Hoeing grain under the midday sun, sweat drips into the soil below. Who knows every grain of rice on the plate comes from hard work!’”
Seeing An’an seriously reciting poetry with a solemn little face, Qin Shi couldn’t hold back and burst out laughing.
Lu Zetian didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. He could only eat that tiny bit of meat. He could be strict with his sons, but when it came to his daughter, he couldn’t help softening.
After eating, Lu Zetian wiped his mouth, then touched An’an’s little face and praised her. “You recited it well.”
An’an proudly lifted her little chin. “Mom taught me. Pingping can recite it too!”
Hearing this, Pingping pressed his lips together and smiled obediently.
Lu Zetian also touched Pingping’s little face. “Very good too.”
After saying that, he gently pinched it.
Qin Shi had raised them well. Their cheeks had more flesh now and felt very nice.
Pingping had a good temper and didn’t mind being pinched. Instead, he felt Lu Zetian was being close to him and became very happy.
Qin Shi, however, looked at Lu Zetian with a slight change in her eyes. She hadn’t expected Lu Zetian to be the type who doted on his daughter. He couldn’t bear to pinch An’an, but when it came to Pingping, he did.
Should she pay more attention in the future? If he was too biased toward An’an, should she remind him?
If she reminded him, it seemed a little nosy. After all, he was the children’s father. He could dote on them however he wanted.
But if she didn’t remind him, Pingping was very sensitive. If he noticed, he would definitely feel uncomfortable. Over time, wouldn’t that become a problem?
Lu Zetian should know his limits, right? Or should she later cultivate gentlemanly manners in the two boys so they would let girls have their way and not be too calculative?
But they were all children for the first time. Why should one have to give in to another?
Besides, she liked all of them and didn’t want to see their relationship worsen.
Qin Shi sighed silently, feeling like she was about to become depressed first. Teaching children well was truly difficult. Treating everyone equally was also truly difficult…
After leaving the state-owned restaurant, Qin Shi was hit by the cold wind and suddenly came back to herself.
Why had she suddenly become so strange? What were all these messy thoughts?
She had only stayed with the children for just over two months, and her thinking had completely changed? Why was she like a full-time wife now, with her mind full of children and education?
This was too terrifying!
Qin Shi pressed a hand to her chest and leaned back against the seat in shock. Could the plot have controlled her thoughts?
Qin Shi was still thinking wildly when the car started on the way home. Halfway through, she suddenly froze.
A familiar feeling from below made Qin Shi stiffen. Her period seemed to have come early…
Qin Shi didn’t dare move and simply sat there.
The original owner’s periods were indeed irregular and often came a few days late, but this was the first time it had come early. Qin Shi was caught completely off guard.
No wonder she had been thinking strangely all day, her thoughts wandering so much. It turned out her period had arrived.
Qin Shi thought about the things they had bought and realized there was no toilet paper. She instantly didn’t know what to do.
This was too embarrassing. Even Qin Shi was unbearably embarrassed and had no idea what to do.
Outside, the road was full of mountain dips and woods. There wasn’t a single person or household along the way. Inside the car, the children were dozing against their seats.
Qin Shi found all the toilet paper in her bag and asked Lu Zetian to stop the car.
“I suddenly need the toilet.” Qin Shi appeared calm on the surface, but she was so embarrassed her toes curled.
Lu Zetian was considerate and gentlemanly. He didn’t say a word, and there was no expression on his face. He simply stopped the car by the roadside.
Qin Shi also said nothing. She grabbed her bag, opened the car door, and ran. Lu Zetian looked at her back, chuckled softly, and shifted his gaze away.
After Qin Shi found a hidden place and squatted down in shame, she saw blood had seeped onto her trousers and immediately felt grief and indignation.
This was deadly. Could it get any more embarrassing? Someone save her!
Qin Shi temporarily dealt with it and used her bag to cover the back of her trousers before returning and getting into the car.
When they reached the army gate and Qin Shi saw they were getting closer and closer to home, she finally breathed a sigh of relief.
But before she could be happy for even a few seconds, the soldier at the gate saluted Lu Zetian and said, “Regiment Commander Lu, the political commissar said that once you return, you should report to the army immediately. There’s an urgent matter.”
Lu Zetian nodded, then turned to Qin Shi. “Take the children home first. I’ll have someone send the things back later.”
The army and the family compound were in opposite directions, so it wasn’t on the way.
Qin Shi felt terrible all over, but she couldn’t refuse because of this. She could only agree, then take off her coat and prepare to tie it around her waist.
“Mom, are you hot?” An’an, who had already gotten out of the car, asked curiously when she saw Qin Shi’s movements.
Qin Shi said, “Yes.”
Pingping scratched his head and looked at the gloomy sky, unable to understand why Qin Shi was hot. Were adults different from children?
Lu Zetian, however, saw Qin Shi tie the coat around her waist and suddenly realized something.
His ears turned red. He looked at the three children who had gotten out of the car. “Get back in. Dad will send you home first.”
The soldier on guard froze, not knowing why Lu Zetian had suddenly changed his mind, but he didn’t say anything. He had already delivered the message anyway.
Although the children didn’t know what was going on, not having to walk was great, so they climbed back into the car excitedly.
Qin Shi looked in the rear-view mirror and happened to meet Lu Zetian’s eyes. The two looked at each other for one second before moving their gazes away at the same time, both extremely embarrassed.
When they reached home, the children got out first. Lu Zetian quickly got out, carried the things into the house, and avoided Qin Shi, who had just climbed down.
After putting everything down, Lu Zetian left one sentence—“All of you behave. Don’t make your mom angry. Help your mom with chores.”—then strode away.
“Okay!” the children answered his back, then began moving the large pile of things at the door onto the table bit by bit.
Qin Shi told them to be careful, then went into her room to get what she needed and rushed straight to the toilet.
As she changed out of and washed her trousers, Qin Shi thought that Lu Zetian had reacted quite quickly. He had actually understood what was going on. Love it, love it.
Tonight, she’d make him his favourite stir-fried pork with chilli as thanks.
—
**Author’s Note:**
Real “love it”: So warm and considerate.
(Favourability +10, heart flutter +5)
Fake “love it”: Fast reaction.
(Favourability +2, dish +1)
Qin Shi: Heart flutter? Impossible. I can barely add two favourability points and make a dish to thank you for being considerate.
Another emotionless day!
There are so many warm men in modern times that Qin Shi is already immune and used to it.
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