Not many people were invited to the full-month party for the twins, not even the factory managers were not notified. It was just a gathering of the two families, and a few other gentlemen were invited.
Relatives came one after another early in the morning. Ling Xiulan and Wang Sufen took the baby out first, and Zhenzhen took a comfortable bath in the bathtub. After drying her hair and standing in front of the mirror, Zhenzhen was surprised to find that her belly, which was swollen due to pregnancy, had returned to its original shape, and her figure did not look much different from before pregnancy. Perhaps because of feeding two children, although Zhenzhen ate a lot at every meal, her consumption was much greater than that of ordinary women.
After drying her hair, Zhen Zhen used her consciousness to scan her large courtyard. Most of the guests were sitting in the garden. It was September, the weather was neither cold nor hot, the sun was just right, and the garden was full of harvest. The old and the young liked to sit here. The children at home were even more happy, climbing trees to pick apples, and fishing in the pond. It was simply a paradise for games. Li Mingzhong was now old. He lay on the softest grass, watching the children playing and fighting with gentle eyes. If a child came to touch his head, he would also rub their palms in a friendly manner.
Zhenzhen opened the closet and tried on several sets of clothes. Because of breastfeeding, the clothes she wore before pregnancy were a little tight. Fortunately, Ling Xiulan had thought of this situation and sent a lot of new clothes in advance. Zhenzhen chose short-sleeved shirts and pants, which were relatively convenient for breastfeeding.
When they got to the garden, the twins in Ling Xiulan and Wang Sufen's arms seemed to sense something and started howling. Ling Xiulan smiled and patted Xigua's little butt: "Does this mean you know your mom is here and you want to eat?"
There was a small Western-style building in the garden, which used to be Ling Xiulan's resting place. Several people carried the children in, changed their diapers and fed them, and the two little babies fell asleep again.
Wang Sufen put the twins on the bed and said softly, "You guys go to the garden to greet the relatives. I'll stay here to watch over them and take a rest."
There was no need to compromise. Ling Xiulan was more suitable for socializing, while Wang Sufen preferred to look after the children. Zhenzhen brought another pillow from the next room and asked Wang Sufen to lie under the twins' feet so that she could take a nap if she felt tired.
After leaving the western-style building, Zhenzhen watched Mingbei's Xiaoxinxin feeding Li Mingzhong an apple. When he was young and strong, Li Mingzhong liked to eat apples, but now his teeth are not good, and he has to stew meat until it is soft before he can eat it. For a dog, Li Mingzhong is already quite long-lived, which is also related to the fact that he has always lived next to Zhenzhen since he was a child. With the nourishment of Zhenzhen's supernatural power, his physique has always been much stronger than other dogs.
"Aunt, Hongzhong doesn't eat apples." Xinxin said in a soft and sticky voice, and she was a little sad because Li Mingzhong couldn't eat apples.
"Because Hongzhong is old, it can't bite it anymore." Zhenzhen squatted down and took out a small cake when no one was paying attention: "Give this to Hongzhong."
Xinxin took the small cake, hesitated for a moment, and took a bite: "Oh, it's delicious!" Xinxin licked her lips, looked at her aunt who was looking at her with a smile, and made excuses for herself with a red face: "I just want to try it first to see if it's soft."
Zhenzhen couldn't help laughing. Even Li Mingzhong's eyes were filled with smiles. Zhenzhen took out another piece of cake and handed it to Xinxin: "Give this piece to Sister Diandian. Delicious food should be shared with family members."
Xinxin nodded. This time she took the cake but didn't eat it secretly. Instead, she stumbled and ran towards Diandian holding the cake: "Sister, sister, eat the cake. Auntie gave it to you."
Zhen Zhen retracted her gaze and sat on the grass next to Li Mingzhong. She touched Li Mingzhong's head and was a little absent-minded: "Mingzhong, do you want to eat or play?"
"I have eaten and played a lot in my life. Tigers are my friends, so I have no regrets." Li Mingzhong put on a proud look and laughed at Zhenzhen. He showed a nostalgic expression again: "But I don't know how Dahuang is doing? Can you take me to see him later?"
Zhenzhen looked at Li Mingzhong suspiciously: "You always piss yourself when you see it. You become more and more masochistic as you get older."
"I don't want to eat, have I seen through life and death?" Li Mingzhong shook his tail. "Besides, I think it's too old. What's there to be afraid of a toothless tiger?"
"Okay, I'll take you to see it tomorrow." Zhenzhen put her hand on Li Mingzhong's body and used the "vitality" in her supernatural power to dredge Li Mingzhong's meridians. This is what Zhenzhen does every day after Li Mingzhong came to the imperial capital. It is with the support of this "vitality" that Li Mingzhong can live such a long life.
"Animals' lives are too short. I want to be a human in my next life." Li Mingzhong looked at Zhenzhen with a somewhat sad look in his eyes: "Maybe I can accompany you for the rest of your life."
Zhenzhen's nose was sore and she almost cried. She touched Li Mingzhong's head and said as if making a wish: "In the next life, you must be reborn as a human. The dog I, Li Mingzhen, raise must have this good fortune."
It seemed that Zhenzhen's words gave Li Mingzhong confidence, and he instantly became much more energetic. At this time, the banquet ordered by Ling Xiulan from outside was also delivered, and the bone and meat porridge stewed by Sister Yang for Li Mingzhong was also cold, and a large bowl of it was brought in.
Li Mingzhong looked at the bowl full of meat, and instantly he was revived. He jumped over happily and took a bite of the soft and rotten meat. Li Mingzhong wagged his tail and smiled at Zhenzhen: "Actually, I think being a dog is pretty good. Most people can't compare to this kind of food."
Zhenzhen smiled, washed her hands, and invited the guests to sit down, then hurried to the small building to invite Wang Sufen to come out for dinner. Ling Xiulan bought a baby carriage, and the two put the child in the carriage and pushed it into the garden.
The twins were very easy to take care of since they were born. They slept after eating and played well after waking up. They would not make a fuss unless their diapers got wet. Everyone was eating at this time, and they were sleeping very soundly. Li Mingzhong finished his meat porridge, drank half a basin of water, and then walked to the side of the baby carriage. He stretched his head to look at the twins and then lay on the ground, like a guardian.
The twins grew up day by day, Li Mingzhong aged day by day, and the weather was getting colder and colder. It just lay next to the heater and didn't move easily. Until one morning in December of the lunar year, Zhenzhen went to see Li Mingzhong as usual after getting up, but found that he had fallen asleep.
The dog that had accompanied her for more than 20 years was gone. It was impossible not to feel sad. Even the twins could not make Zhenzhen feel better. According to Li Mingzhong's last wish, Zhenzhen took it back to the mountain in Beicha. Dahuang came over and smelled Li Mingzhong's body, and howled sadly.
After returning home, my family members were very considerate and didn't ask too many questions. I was depressed for two days. Then it was the night of the seventh day of the twelfth lunar month. After midnight it was Zhenzhen's birthday. According to past experience, the supernatural power would have new changes.
Zhenzhen lay down on the bed early and fell asleep quickly. This time, the golden blood essence absorbed the essence of the moonlight for an unusually long time, and Zhenzhen did not wake up until after two o'clock in the middle of the night.
Opening her eyes, Zhen Zhen was startled by the shadow at the foot of the bed: "Oh my god, Li Mingzhong!" Could this new ability be seeing ghosts? This is too weird!
Upon hearing the sound, Li Mingzhong's soul immediately stood up lively, with its agile posture and smooth fur exactly the same as when it was young.
"Oh my god, you can finally see me." Li Mingzhong floated up and stuck out his tongue at Zhenzhen: "I have been following you these days, but I can only stay here for seven days. If you can't see me again, I will have to reincarnate."
Zhenzhen calculated that this was the last day. She saw Li Mingzhong's soul and heard that she could be reincarnated. Zhenzhen's depressed mood instantly improved: "Will I be reincarnated as a human this time?"
"Of course, because of you, Da Huang and I were both reborn as humans this time." Li Mingzhong looked like a man who could benefit all his family members. Seeing Zhen Zhen didn't quite understand, he looked at her in confusion: "Don't you know who you are? I heard from the judge downstairs that you are the mother of the earth, in charge of yin and yang, nurturing all things, and in charge of the mountains, rivers, and seas. It sounds really awesome."
Zhenzhen touched her chin. It sounded amazing. However, apart from the ability to control land, ocean, plants and animals, she didn't have much experience in the other two aspects. They felt very far away from her. Perhaps her consciousness about her past life would not be fully awakened in this life. However, because of her wish, it would be good for Li Mingzhong to be reborn in a good way in the next life. Zhenzhen smiled and reached out to touch Li Mingzhong's figure for the last time: "Go, reincarnate as soon as possible."
Li Mingzhong licked Zhenzhen's palm, turned around and disappeared in mid-air. Zhenzhen slept very soundly that night.
After getting rid of her worries, Zhenzhen smiled again. Old Lady Li and Wang Sufen were relieved. Although they felt sorry for Li Mingzhong, birth, aging, illness and death are normal. To die in sleep without any illness or disaster is the most enviable state. In comparison, they felt more sorry for Zhenzhen's depressed and unhappy appearance.
Seeing that Old Lady Li and Wang Sufen were too cautious to mention Li Mingzhong, Zhenzhen spoke out, "I dreamt about Li Mingzhong on my birthday. He told me that he was going to be reincarnated as a human."
"Oh, this is great news." Ever since she saw her granddaughter's miraculous abilities, Old Lady Li has believed in these supernatural things: "Didn't you ask where it went to? We can go find some relatives."
Zhenzhen laughed dumbly and said, "Li Mingzhong must have no memory of his past life after reincarnation. What should we say when we visit him? Congratulations on the birth of your son. Your son was our dog in his previous life. We can visit each other more often and we will be relatives in the future. If he hears this, won't he beat us out with a broom?"
Mrs. Li couldn't help laughing when she thought of that scene: "Zhenzhen is right. Anyway, it's fine as long as Li Mingzhong lives a good life in his next life."
Wang Sufen also nodded and said, "Now that's all my worries, we should prepare for the New Year."
The Xi family celebrated the New Year just like usual. Xi Junjie and Zhenzhen brought their children to the old house early. However, this time they met someone they didn't want to see, Xi Sumei and her daughter Shang Qingran.
In recent years, because of the New Year and birthdays, Mrs. Xi did not invite Xi Sumei's family to come, and even Zhenzhen did not invite them to the full moon celebration of her son. Therefore, Zhenzhen perfectly avoided all occasions where Xi Sumei and her daughter were present. Even Shang Qingran came to the door many times, but Zhenzhen did not let her catch him. However, this time the whole family came together, and even if Zhenzhen saw the mother and daughter sitting inside with her consciousness, it was not easy for her to turn around and leave.
Seeing Xi Changbo's family coming in, Xi Sumei's eyes moved around Xi Changbo's face, and then fell on her handsome nephew, with a somewhat resentful tone: "Junjie, you are really getting more and more capable. You didn't invite me to the two major events of giving birth to your child and holding a full-month banquet. Don't you have me as your aunt in your heart?"
"Yeah!" Xi Junjie responded indifferently, which immediately made Xi Sumei furious. She turned around and complained to Mrs. Xi: "Mom, look at your grandson, how do you talk to me?"
"I told him not to let you go." Old Mrs. Xi waved her hand: "You all go back to the house." Everyone immediately stood up and rushed to the back, even Xi Sumei's sister Xi Suyu.
Ling Xiulan left the room, stretched out her hand to put the corner of the quilt on Xigua's face, and couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief: "Is Xi Sumei's brain okay? Find a psychiatrist to see her. I think she is becoming more and more paranoid."
Xi Suyu recalled her younger sister's behavior over the years and was disgusted: "She has been stupid since she was young. She was determined to marry the person of her choice before she graduated, and even broke up with her family for this. Later, when she was unhappy, she pushed the blame onto her family, as if the whole family owed her something." Thinking of her niece's gloomy and calculating expression, Xi Suyu looked devastated: "Especially Shang Qingran, who has a calculating look on her face, just like her father, and treats others as fools all day long."
Speaking of the mother and daughter, the whole family had a gloomy face and went back to their rooms, looking unhappy.
Xi Changbo's family lives in the fourth courtyard of the house. Ling Xiulan lives in the main courtyard, Zhenzhen and Xi Junjie live in the east wing. Because the family comes back every weekend in the past six months, the wing is equipped with everything from cribs, strollers, diapers and so on, which is very convenient.
Watermelon and Grape were sleeping soundly. After putting the twins in the crib, Zhenzhen couldn't wait to climb onto the bed, close her eyes and use her consciousness to watch the excitement in the main courtyard.
Every time Xi Sumei came to the old house, she either asked for money or wanted her brothers and sisters to get some benefits for her, but she was rejected without exception. I don’t know what Xi Sumei was thinking. She kept trying despite repeated failures and was still confident when she made her requests.
"Mom, Qingran didn't get into high school. She has been working as a factory worker since she graduated from junior high school. It's too hard. Who would let a child do this?" Xi Sumei looked a little angry: "Look at Ling Xiulan, she can actually be the manager of a beauty salon. Didn't she just rely on that face to hook up with our Changbo? What ability does she have? I think we should just let her go home and let Qingran be the manager."
"Xiu Lan is a college student after all, and your daughter is only a junior high school graduate. No matter what, she is definitely not as good as her aunt." Old Lady Xi took a sip of tea and retorted: "Besides, they opened the store with their own money. If they want to be the store manager, they can be the store manager. If you don't agree, you can open one yourself."
Xi Sumei didn't even have the money to do beauty treatments, let alone open a beauty salon. This sentence hit Xi Sumei right in the heart. She stood up angrily, walked up to Old Lady Xi and asked, "Are you my biological mother? How can you help outsiders?"
"You are not my biological child. I picked you up." Old Lady Xi followed up on Xi Sumei's words and immediately said, "I regret picking you up. So go find your biological mother."
Xi Sumei was speechless. In fact, she knew that she was her biological daughter just by looking at her appearance, but she didn't expect the old lady to be so reckless and actually pretended not to recognize her. Shang Qingran was a little anxious when he saw that his biological mother lost again after two rounds. He quickly changed his appearance and squatted beside the old lady Xi: "Grandma, actually my mother did it for me..."
"I know." Old Lady Xi interrupted her, "I also know that your mother's brain is usually incapable of thinking of complicated ideas. It's usually you who instigates it."
Shang Qingran's face flashed with embarrassment, and he stood up in anger: "It's not like my family can't help us. We can live a good life if we just raise our hands. Why are you so disrespectful to family affection?"
Old Lady Xi has said this countless times: "Your parents are both working, and now you are working too. You already make more money than most people. As long as you don't envy others all day long, you can live a good life."
Shang Qingran looked at Old Lady Xi wearing a jade bracelet and pearl necklace with an unwilling look on her face. Old Lady Xi saw through her greedy look clearly and sneered, "I'll make it clear today. The old man and I have agreed that from now on, my property, jewelry, and things at home will be divided equally among Changshan, Changhe, Changbo, and Suyu. You have no share."
"Why?" Xi Sumei stood up suddenly and shouted at the top of her lungs, "Why does my sister have it but I don't? Why?"
"When you left home to marry the boy from the Shang family, you took the initiative to sever ties with us. Even if that incident is in the past, your father and I must cancel your inheritance rights based on your actions of reporting Zhenzhen everywhere." Old Lady Xi said calmly, "Since Zhenzhen came back from abroad, you have reported her four times, sent them to the newspaper, the city, and the higher-ups respectively. Now the higher-ups have verified the matter with us and confirmed your handwriting."
Xi Sumei took a few steps back, her throat seemed to be blocked by something. Shang Qingran quickly supported her, a trace of discomfort flashed across his face: "Well, we didn't report my sister-in-law. How could we report her when we are all family members? I think it's a misunderstanding. Maybe someone imitated our handwriting to sow discord among our family!"
"Yes, yes, it's a misunderstanding!" Xi Sumei nodded repeatedly. It was indeed done by her and her daughter, but the letters were all sent anonymously. She never thought that the matter would be traced back to her, nor did she expect her parents to know about it.
"Zhenzhen has reported her business since she graduated, and she has made a lot of contributions to the return of Chinese cultural relics over the years. She is a meritorious official. This time, from the newspaper to the higher-ups, they all took this report very seriously. The first letter was true, but the following three letters fabricated a lot of facts, which is already considered defamation." Old Lady Xi said calmly, "I'm telling you this for the sake of our mother. Go and turn yourself in."
"Even if my report was wrong, what does this have to do with turning myself in?" Xi Sumei was really panicked this time: "Does the Public Security Bureau still care about people's reports?"
"It's right to report the truth, but what did you write in your report? U.S. spy? You figured it out." Old Mrs. Xi leaned on her crutches: "You two should reflect on your actions after you go in, and live your lives well when you get out, and don't come here again." Old Mrs. Xi stood up and handed Xi Sumei the newspaper that had been beside her: "Your father has already published an announcement in the newspaper to sever the father-daughter relationship with you. From now on, you are no longer a member of our Xi family."
When Xi Sumei saw the notice in the newspaper, she was really panicked this time: "Mom, I was wrong. I really know I was wrong. Please tell my dad not to do this. I don't want to go in."
"Why didn't you think of today when you did this disgusting thing?" Old Lady Xi sneered, her eyes falling on Shang Qingran's face with sarcasm: "Your mother was just stupid before, but now she is not only stupid but also vicious. I think you have contributed a lot to this. You have called me grandma for a few years, so I will give you a word of advice. Don't always treat others as fools. We can see through your little tricks clearly. In the past, I was just trying to save face for you and your daughter. If you want to live a better life, you have to rely on your own efforts. Don't always think about calculating others. People who calculate others will not have a good end."
Shang Qingran had even her last layer of veil torn off by the old lady, so she had nothing to worry about. She picked up Xi Sumei, who was lying on the ground, and walked out without any reluctance. Xi Sumei was frightened by the old lady, and she had no strength left in her body. She hugged Shang Qingran and cried and shouted, "You said you would write a letter of denunciation to retaliate against Li Mingzhen for looking down on others. Now she is fine, but we are in trouble. What should we do? Will the police arrest us?"
Shang Qingran had no idea about this matter. After all, two years ago, someone was shot for forcibly touching a girl's buttocks. She didn't know whether her slander was serious or not. She really didn't expect that the higher-ups would trust Li Mingzhen so much.
Shang Qingran bit her lip and looked at Xi Sumei pleadingly: "Mom, why don't you just take the responsibility for this? I'm still young. If I go in, my whole life will be ruined. You can get out in less than two years, and I'll support you when you're old."
Xi Sumei felt a chill in her heart. She had been working so hard for so many years just for her daughter to have a better life, and it would be best if she could marry a capable man who could take care of her and lead a good life in the future. She didn't expect that her plans for her would lead to her being deserted by her friends and relatives, and that she wanted to take the blame when something happened.
Looking at his mother's eyes, Shang Qingran dodged guiltily, thinking that he might as well send Xi Sumei home first, steal the money from home, and sneak into Shenzhen or Hong Kong. Nowadays, there are more opportunities to make money there than in the capital.
With strange thoughts in mind, the mother and daughter stumbled to the door of their home. As soon as they entered the door, they were caught by the police who had been hiding in the house: "Xi Sumei and Shang Qingran, right? You are arrested for malicious defamation. Come with us."
Shang Qingran's face turned pale when she heard this. She didn't expect that she would be caught without even a chance to escape. She hadn't even gotten married yet, and if she went in, her life would be ruined. Her eyes moved quickly, and she ran to the door quickly while the police didn't take action, but she was pushed to the ground before she took two steps.
The news that Xi Sumei and her daughter were arrested reached the Xi family on the same day. Grandpa Xi was quite calm, but Mrs. Xi still shed a few tears: "I really gave birth to a bastard." However, everyone in the family was there. The sons and grandsons did not want the old lady to feel sad for Xi Sumei during the New Year, so the family tried every way to make her happy. Seeing the children and grandchildren, the family was happy, and Mrs. Xi also put Xi Sumei behind her mind.
It was only then that Zhenzhen found out that Xi Sumei and her daughter had reported her privately. According to Chinese regulations, one cannot be involved in business while working in a state-owned unit. When Zhenzhen graduated, she was admitted as an exception because the country lacked professional journalists. In addition, Zhenzhen later made outstanding contributions to China, so no one mentioned this matter publicly. Zhenzhen really didn't expect that this matter would become a handle for others to report her.
Zhenzhen didn't plan to stay in the newspaper for her whole life. She originally worked in Huaguo Press to gain work experience and connections. Now that she has accumulated a lot of connections and a high enough social status because of her donations of cultural relics, there is actually no need for her to stay in the newspaper. Zhenzhen thought, maybe it's time to do what she likes.
After the Spring Festival holiday, Zhenzhen handed in her resignation on the first day of work.
The author has something to say: As for this perfect mother and daughter, let them get killed right away.
Today is 520, I’m sending one hundred red envelopes to everyone. I love you forever, muah!
Also, don’t forget to pre-collect new articles. I will write "Returning to the 1980s with the Treasure Bowl" as soon as this one is finished!