QTIMP -Chapter 87 Character Persona – Lazy (Part 35)

“Third Brother, I’m leaving Xiao Ning here. When the time comes, he can escort his Third Aunt back to Beijing. During this period, you can also teach him how to take care of children.”

Lu Huiya always acted decisively. What she said was more of a notice than a discussion—there was no room for negotiation.

Lu Hongjun originally felt uneasy about letting her return alone and didn’t want Xiao Ning to stay behind, but her words left him with no chance to object.

Only a few days after Lu Huiya left, Si Qiu’s admission letter arrived. She had been accepted into the Chinese Department of Peking University, and her confinement period after childbirth was almost over.

So the whole family began packing and preparing to return to Beijing.

Lu Hongjun had already made arrangements. He would escort them back first—maybe even spend the New Year at home—before returning here to deal with work matters.

Traveling by train with three babies who had just turned one month old was exhausting, even though they were in a soft sleeper compartment.

They went straight back to the three-courtyard siheyuan they had purchased. A couple whose spouses had both been martyrs had already been arranged to help watch over the place.

Because of the weather and construction schedule, only part of the compound had been renovated so far. Still, it was more than enough for the family to gather together.

Grandpa and Grandma Lu, along with Mother Lu, were already waiting there. Meanwhile, Father Lu had driven over personally with a guard and three cars to pick them up—after all, Lu Hongqi’s family of three had returned with them as well.

From the moment they stepped into the courtyard they had bought, Si Lai’s expression didn’t look very good.

“Qiuqiu, did you buy this courtyard yourselves?”

“Of course. I started arranging the purchase when I was pregnant, and then had it renovated. It’s not too far from the university, so it’s perfect for me and the children to live here.”

Si Qiu actually didn’t want to respond to him, but with people coming and going—including Grandpa Lu’s guards and Father Lu’s guards—she couldn’t make herself appear too harsh.

“Who gave you the money? It couldn’t be that Mom, Dad, Grandpa, and Grandma subsidized you, right?”

The moment Si Lai thought of that possibility, his expression twisted uncontrollably.

Si Qiu tugged down the scarf wrapped around her neck.

“That’s really unnecessary. After all, Brother Lu’s salary isn’t low. And my translation work earns a little more than his each year. Saving up for a house really isn’t that difficult.”

When they entered the main hall of the principal house, Si Qiu hurried over and took Old Madam Lu’s hand.

“Grandma, why did you and Grandpa come here in person? I had already planned to bring the children to visit you tomorrow. It’s so cold today—I feel bad just seeing you out here.”

The old lady stretched out her wrinkled hand and pinched Si Qiu’s cheek.

“Listen to that sweet little mouth of yours. You missed us, and we missed you too, so we came early to wait for you. Hurry and take off those clothes and warm up.”

After speaking, the old lady looked behind her. Si Qiu quickly introduced them.

“Grandpa, Grandma—this is my dad, and this is my mom.”

“Dear in-laws, you’ve worked hard these days.”

“What hard work? They’re all our own children.”

While they were talking, the layers of wrappings around the babies—three inside and three outside—were gradually removed.

They hadn’t heard a sound from them this whole time and thought the babies were sleeping.

But the moment the blankets were lifted, all three of them had their eyes wide open.

“Oh my, my little darling—what an adorable child,” the old lady exclaimed, unable to resist reaching out to gently touch the baby’s face and tiny hands with her fingers.

“Isn’t that so? After being raised for more than a month, the baby finally looks like a proper little person. When they were just born, they looked like a little monkey.”

Old Madam Lu lightly smacked her arm. “You girl, even you complain about the child you gave birth to! Alright, alright—hurry and take the baby into that room. It’s warmer there. Change the diaper and feed the baby some milk.”

Mother Lu and Lu Huiya followed Si’s mother to the east room. Lu Hongjun carried the bag containing the baby’s things and went in as well.

“Didn’t Yaoyang come back too? Come over here to your great-grandmother,” the old lady said. She pulled the old man, whose gaze had followed them, and quickly asked about Lu Yaoyang again.

Usually the boy was as wild as a little bull, but at this moment he hid behind his mother, clutching her leg and refusing to show his face.

No matter how Si Lai tried to coax him, he refused to come out, and in the end he was almost in tears. Si Qiu quickly picked him up.

“Yaoyang, be good. Auntie will take you to eat something delicious. We’re brave men, right? No need to be shy like a little kitten, okay?”

The chubby little boy, even while crying, still wanted to be held by his mother. Si Lai took the child from her arms, and Si Qiu pulled her toward the room next door.

The old lady sighed and stood up. “Alright, I’ll go check on the children.”

Grandpa Lu patted her hand to comfort her. At this point, only the men were basically left in the room. The old man looked at his two grandsons with satisfaction.

“You’re both married now and have children. Cultivate yourself, regulate the family, govern the country, and bring peace to the world. Great things are built from small matters. The glory of the Lu family depends on your struggles outside, but the rear must also remain stable and firm.”

Lu Hongqi felt that the old man was hinting at him. But there was nothing he could do—Si Lai hadn’t studied much and tended to overthink things.

She always tried to compare herself with her sister-in-law. Ever since she learned that her sister-in-law had been admitted to Peking University and that her elder brother was being transferred back to Beijing, it was as if she had been stimulated by it. No matter how much he tried to persuade her, it didn’t help.

But since he had chosen her in the first place, he had to take responsibility as her husband. So he quickly put on a smile.

“Grandpa, Dad, this is all because I haven’t worked hard enough over the years. Lai Lai has been managing the household and taking care of the child—it’s inevitable that she feels a bit depressed. When there’s no one around, I’ll talk things through with her properly.”

Lu Hongjun saw the bitterness hidden in his smile. After all, they were twin brothers who had grown up together, so he quickly added,

“Grandpa, don’t worry. Fourth Brother isn’t someone who can’t tell right from wrong. He’ll handle it properly.”

Old Master Lu nodded, then glanced around the room again. Today Lu Huiya’s husband had also come, bringing their eldest son. There was also Xiao Ning, who had returned together with Si Qiu and the others.

And there was Lu Hongyan’s second son—the son of Uncle Lu’s eldest son. The young man had been admitted to Tsinghua University this year at the age of twenty-two, so he had returned to Beijing early to spend the New Year with the old master.

The old man’s gaze swept across everyone in the room one by one, and finally he nodded with satisfaction.

“You’re all doing well. You’ve all taken my previous words to heart. But now the situation is clearly improving, so you should start adjusting your way of thinking…”

The old master’s lecture continued until someone called out that the meal was ready. Only then did the whole family gather together again, laughing and chatting. Just in time, the three babies had all woken up.

When they were carried out and saw so many people, the babies grew excited.

Lu Xianzhong, as the children’s paternal grandfather, immediately reached out to hold one of them.

Lu Huiya quickly stepped aside. “Uncle, have you ever held such a small baby before? They’re so tiny—what if you hurt them?”

“That’s right. If you don’t know how, just stand to the side and admire them,” the old lady said. The old master had just stretched out his hand when she slapped the back of it.

Seeing his son being scolded, he immediately retorted as well.

Si Qiu supported the old lady’s arm while she and the younger generation covered their mouths and laughed quietly. Lu Yaoyang had already calmed down and was now running all over the room again.

This lively, bustling big family gathering was actually only about two-thirds of the entire clan. Si Qiu couldn’t help sighing—fortunately her house was large.

That was also the reason Father Lu hadn’t insisted that Si Qiu bring the children back to the family compound.