QTIMP -Chapter 86 Character Persona – Lazy (Part 34)

“Mom, don’t be in such a hurry. Brother’s daughter Xiaohui is going over there, so let’s wait a bit. After all, once Qiuqiu finishes her full-month confinement, she’ll return to Beijing. You’re already getting on in years—going back and forth by train would be too exhausting. Hongjun and the others would worry.”

“That’s right, old lady,” the old man added. “You can take this time to prepare some food and daily necessities. Hongjun’s in-laws are there taking care of things for now. We can just send some extra money and ration coupons. When the children come back, you’ll have plenty of time to dote on them.”

When the old lady heard that no one would let her go, she knew the trip was impossible. She sat down on the sofa and said sulkily to the old man, “You just can’t go yourself, so you’re stopping me from going too.”

The old man rubbed his nose and didn’t argue.

The old lady stood up. “I’ll go look through the things in my room. I heard that girl knows how to enjoy life. Now that she suddenly has three children, we should mail more money and coupons so she can live more comfortably.”

“Just take it easy,” the old man reminded her. “Hongqi’s family only had a child two years ago. If you go overboard, it won’t look good.”

“When Hongqi’s family had their baby, I already said those things were for the child. Their family only had one child, but Hongjun’s has three. What’s wrong with giving them more? How is that favoritism?”

The old man followed her into the room. “We watched Hongqi grow up, so he probably won’t say anything. But his wife is the type who likes to nitpick. Don’t make things too awkward. If you want to give more, just secretly subsidize them.”

Lu’s father, Lu Xianzhong, couldn’t find a place to insert himself into the conversation, so he didn’t even stay for a meal and simply went straight home.

Taking care of three babies was no easy task. Lu Hongjun deliberately spent money to hire Sister Song. She originally refused to accept payment, but Lu Hongjun naturally wouldn’t agree to that.

In the end, Sister Song still accepted the money and came every day to help take care of the children, cook meals, and handle the washing and cleaning. All the heavier chores were done by Si Qiu’s father.

As for Si Qiu, she only watched the children when they were quiet. If they cried, she would call someone. The rest of the time she simply ate and slept.

When she had nothing else to do, she busied herself taking care of her own body, using various things beneficial for physical recovery—even some items she had stored away from the cultivation world.

Because she truly couldn’t stand the sight of her stomach hanging like a torn sack after giving birth. Having children demanded far too much from a woman.

Even though she had been instilling this idea in Lu Hongjun ever since the beginning of her pregnancy—and Lu Hongjun, with his somewhat love-brained nature, could empathize to a certain degree—when she finally recovered enough to see how much her body had changed, that instant breakdown made her almost want to stab someone. Only then did she truly understand the saying: Pitying a man brings a lifetime of bad luck.

So she couldn’t really be blamed for giving Lu Hongjun a sterilization drug. The ingredients she used were high-quality medicinal herbs rewarded by the system, causing minimal harm to the body. One could say she was already being considerate toward him.

Lu Huiya arrived with her son, Chu Changning, and Lu Hongjun personally drove to pick them up.

Lu Huiya was the second child of Lu Hongjun’s eldest uncle, though she was only five years younger than Lu Hongjun’s father. Chu Changning was her youngest son, sixteen this year.

But he was exactly one generation younger than Lu Hongjun.

“Third Uncle, I heard Third Aunt gave you triplet sons. You’re really something!”

The boy had barely finished speaking when his mother smacked him on the back of the head.

“Behave yourself.”

“Hongjun, how is Qiuqiu? Is she recovering well? How are the three babies developing? We didn’t bring much this time. We mainly thought that Qiuqiu would be returning soon, and it would be inconvenient to carry things back and forth.”

Although he was her younger brother, he was practically no different from her own son. When he was little, their grandparents often doted on him, but she had also spent plenty of time taking care of him.

“Second Sister, everything’s fine! Even before she got pregnant, Qiuqiu had already collected quite a lot of medicinal herbs. And she’s skilled at making medicine herself. Her body has recovered very well now—maybe not exactly like before giving birth, but almost. I’m more concerned about Uncle and Aunt. I wonder how their health is these days.” After all, the two of them were much older than his father, and they had lived through the war in their youth. They carried quite a few old injuries and lingering ailments.

“Mm, that puts my mind at ease. Your aunt even called me and repeatedly reminded me to check on her carefully. I didn’t expect that girl to be so capable herself. As for your uncle and aunt, you don’t need to worry. The two of them are still fairly healthy. Especially with the medicinal herbs you mailed over—it has helped their bodies relax quite a bit. They’ll be retiring next year anyway. When that time comes, I’ll give them a proper round of treatment.”

It wasn’t that she couldn’t treat them now—it was simply because they lived too far away. If she prescribed medicine, the moment she left they would toss it aside and stop taking it.

“Then it seems that when Grandpa celebrates his 90th birthday, we should all be able to go back.”

Hearing Lu Hongjun say this, Lu Huiya smiled happily.

When the car stopped at the small courtyard, the babies had just woken up for feeding and diaper changes. The house was lively with the sound of crying babies and adults talking.

Lu Hongjun set down the nearly one-meter-tall package. “Second Sister, the kids are awake. I’ll go check on them first. You and Xiao Ning don’t be shy—just go inside and sit.”

Before he even received a reply, he strode into the house and rushed upstairs. The crying grew even louder.

Mother Si and Sister-in-law Song were preparing milk powder. Si Qiu and Father Si were changing the babies’ diapers. As soon as he came in, he quickly washed his hands, then helped Si Qiu back onto the bed.

Taking the task from her hands, he said, “I’ll do it, I’ll do it. Look at the sweat on your forehead. It’s fine if the babies cry a little—don’t get so anxious with them.”

Si Qiu wiped her sweat with a handkerchief. “Weren’t you going to pick up Second Sister? Why did you come back alone?”

“We came together. The moment this guy heard the babies crying when he got back, he rushed upstairs three steps at a time.”

At that moment, a woman appeared at the doorway. She was dressed neatly in a military uniform and had short hair cut to ear length. She looked to be in her thirties, but Lu Hongjun had said that this second sister of his was already forty-one this year. She was the head of orthopedics at the military hospital in the capital.

The moment Si Qiu saw her, she quickly stood up from the chair. “Second Sister, sorry for the poor reception. These three little ones don’t know what’s gotten into them—they always cry together, and every time it throws everyone into a panic.”

Lu Huiya ignored the formalities, went to wash her hands, and immediately started helping tidy up.

“We’re family—no need to be polite. Hurry and sit down and rest. If you don’t recover well during the confinement period, it’ll be much harder to regulate your health later.”

By then the babies had already begun drinking their formula. Once their mouths were occupied, the crying stopped.

Seeing this, Lu Huiya said directly to Lu Hongjun, “Take me to my room first. I’ll get myself settled, and then I’ll come back to check on the babies.”

Mother Si quickly stepped forward and led her to the prepared room. After she had settled in, she examined the babies. Fortunately, there were no problems, and everyone in the house finally felt relieved.

However, Lu Huiya only stayed for three days before leaving. The only reason she could stay that long was because there happened to be a case in the military district that required a consultation.