135 – Arrival of the Maternal Grandparents

Qin Mian suddenly felt that he had made a mistake. He should buy two cribs; one to put upstairs and one to put downstairs. Afterward, when he and Lei Tie moved upstairs, they didn’t have to move the crib back and forth.

He called over Uncle Fu and ordered him to send someone to buy another crib some other day.

As for the baby stroller, he figured that there was no such thing in this era. Qin Mian decided to design a model and go to the woodcraft shop to have it custom made. However, Yuanyuan and Manman were still small, so they couldn’t use the stroller for the time being. It was not too late to do it later.

The whole Green Mountain Village was boiling over the news that Qin Mian and Lei Tie had a pair of lovely twin sons. People were curious about what the two little babies looked like. However, since the children were not yet a month-old, it was not good to visit them. They could only bear to wait for the little ones’ one-month-old ceremony.

Qin Mian also had people sent the news to Deng Village.

When the Deng family received the news, they were equally shocked. Early the next morning, the old man Deng and old lady Deng rushed to Green Mountain Village, terribly anxious.

Both the old man and old lady accepted the fact that their grandson and a man were together. As for offspring, their original intention was to have the Lei family member or Deng family member to give a child for adoption to Lei Tie and Qin Mian, so that at least there was a continuation of blood relationship. Never had they expected to hear the news that Lei Tie and Qin Mian had children so soon. They speculated that the two children were adopted by Qin Mian and Lei Tie. In the eyes of the older generation, even if the adopted children were not related by blood, a wall stood between them after all.

During this trip, the two old people both had the thought of persuading Lei Tie.

However, when the two old people arrived at Lei Tie’s house and saw the appearance of the two babies with their own eyes, they were astonished. The two children obviously resembled Lei Tie by half, and the other half resembled Qin Mian.

Nearly noon, while Qin Mian went to work in the kitchen, the old lady Deng approached Lei Tie’s ear and whispered, “Tie-ger¹, tell Grandma honestly, is the mother of these two babies Mian-ger’s older sister?”

This conjecture could really solve the doubt that the two children both resembled Lei Tie and Qin Mian. However, Lei Tie loved Qin Mian to the bottom of his heart; he did not want to let Qin Mian suffer a hint of injustice. Therefore, he never allowed himself to have a relationship with any unnecessary woman.

Without hesitation, he shook his head, “Grandma, the two children are my own, and also my wife’s.”

The old lady Deng’s eyes opened wide, “Nonsense! Don’t tell that you two adult men can even give birth to children?”

Lei Tie didn’t explain again and said in a low voice, “Grandma, I won’t lie.”

“Uh…” The old lady Deng was so anxious that she slapped her thigh.

“All right.” It was the old man Deng who restrained her, “You, this old woman, really². No matter who the children’s mother is, as long as the children are Tie-ger’s own, won’t it be enough?”

The old lady Deng thought the same. It was truly her who split hair. Right now, Lei Tie already had offspring and a smooth life with Mian-ger; these were enough. Why dragged in one more person? Besides, that child Mian-ger was a sweet-talker, filial, and attentive. She liked him very much.

“Fine, fine, I won’t ask.” The old lady Deng smiled in relief, leaning on the side of the crib and cheerfully looking at the two babies.

The old man Deng sat on the settee while absorbed in thought. He knew his grandson, Tie-ger, was a person who disdained to lie. Then, White Spot came to his mind. One of the important reasons why he accepted Qin Mian so quickly when he first saw him was that he recognized White Spot was not a dog but rather a wolf. Wolf was considered an intelligent animal. Since it was willing to follow Qin Mian, it showed that there was no problem with Qin Mian’s character. To have such a person at his grandson’s side made him feel at ease. Later, he was sure that White Spot was a wolf king. There must be something if a generation of wolf king would willingly follow two human beings. Therefore, he could not help thinking that the two babies were not really motherless, but were born by Qin Mian and Lei Tie? At the thought, he shook his head again. Anyway, how could two men give birth to children?

He didn’t know that he actually guessed half the truth. After fathoming for a while, his mind was even more confused, and he simply stopped thinking about it. Anyhow, just so long the two babies were his great-grandsons, that would suffice.

He dusted his sleeves and went to the crib to tease the two little ones.

Qin Mian had cultivation. He didn’t mean to eavesdrop on the conversation outside, but neither did he deliberately block it. Therefore, he heard the two old people’s words crystal clear.

The old lady Deng’s words truly made him feel uncomfortable, but Lei Tie’s reply instantly cured him. He had a big arc in the corner of his lips and a joyous smiling look on his face. He just knew that he didn’t misjudge the man.

When making lotus roots with spareribs soup, he added two drops of spiritual spring water into the soup, which could build up the health of the old man and the old lady.

He raised his voice and called out, “A-Tie, come in for a bit.”

Lei Tie quickly came in, “Wife.”

“We have a guest room at home now. Let’s have Grandpa and Grandma stay for a few more days. And–” he reached Lei Tie’s ear and whispered, “you can take time to dig the ginseng in the space. Give it to Grandpa and Grandma when they go back so that they can supplement their bodies better.”

With that, he stole a kiss on the man’s lips, and grinningly said, “That is a reward for you.”

Reward? Lei Tie didn’t understand. After a moment’s thinking, he understood that his wife had heard his words. Lei Tie put his arms around his shoulder and kissed him back. Then, he sat down in front of the stove hearth to add firewood.

“Ginseng is too conspicuous, not proper [to give].”

Qin Mian pondered and then thought so. The ginseng in the space was a good thing. He didn’t want to leave any trouble because of one carelessness.

“Then don’t give it. There are many prescriptions ‘inside’. When we have time, we can study it carefully and try to refine some pills that can nourish the body. And then, give them to the two old people.”

He and Lei Tie did not have time to take a close look at the alchemy room, the refining workshop, and the spiritual grass garden in the space. The only thing that was confirmed was that there were many good things inside. Any one of them might cause a sensation.

“Alright.”

Qin Mian stir-fried the spicy diced chicken in the wok, “Enough, don’t add firewood. Can serve the table.”

Lei Tie carried the cooked dishes out. The old lady Deng looked at the dishes, which were complete in all aspects, and secretly nodded. Mian-ger was a person who knew how to make a living. Perhaps, it was Tie-ger’s luck to be able to get together with him.

After six dishes were put on the table, Lei Tie still continued to serve.

The old lady Deng hastily came over and said, “It’s just the four of us, why cook so many dishes? Mian-ger, don’t be busy. Come out and take a rest.”

Qin Mian came out carrying a dish of braised tofu. “It’s rare for Grandma and Grandpa to come here. I make more dishes to make you two addicted to eating so that you two can accompany us for a few more days.”

When the old lady and old man Deng heard that, they both beamed with delight.

“You child, you don’t need to do so much for that.” The old lady Deng affectionately patted Qin Mian’s hand.

Qin Mian glanced at Lei Tie and teased, “It’s alright, Grandma. Don’t you know? A-Tie is a rice bucket³. Let him eat what we can’t finish.”

Lei Tie didn’t mind and nodded, “I’ll eat.”

The old man Deng and old lady Deng looked at each other with emotion. Perhaps, these two children were truly a couple who were made for each other.

There was a total of nine dishes of meat, vegetables, and soup; most of the dishes were soft, very suitable for the elderly to eat. Both old man and old lady Deng were so pleased that they were even more fond of Qin Mian.

Lei Tie brought out a jar of wine from the kitchen.

The old lady Deng hastily said, “The old man is not in good health, so he can’t drink.”

Qin Mian explained, “Grandma, don’t worry. This wine is a medicinal wine, not strong. Not only can it resist aging, but also prolong life.”

The old man Deng was eager to have a try. “Then, I must have a few drinks.”

Lei Tie said, “My wife specially brewed it.”

“Grandma, if you are interested, you can have a drink. You won’t get drunk,” said Qin Mian with a smile.

The old lady Deng waved her hand in refusal and said, “I don’t like the taste, so I won’t drink it. You two drink with your grandpa.”

Qin Mian looked at Yuanyuan and Manman in the crib first. The two babies were playing by themselves.

Lei Tie, old man Deng, and old lady Deng waited for him to return before they started to eat.

The old man Deng took a sip of wine, and his eyes brightened, “Not bad! It’s mellow and not pungent. It’s suitable for people of our age to drink it.”

He was unable to hold himself back and took a big gulp.

Lei Tie accompanied him.

Qin Mian and the old lady Deng didn’t drink wine. From time to time, they gave Lei Tie and the old man Deng dishes, so that they would not just drink.

After the meal, the guests thoroughly enjoyed themselves.

In the afternoon, he fed the two babies with milk. After the babies fell asleep, Qin Mian asked Aunt Quan to come over and look after them. He and Lei Tie accompanied the old man Deng and old lady Deng in the garden.

The garden had changed a lot compared to last year.

Walking beside the vineyard, they talked about grapes. Qin Mian and Lei Tie then knew that the old man Deng had planted grapes before. With an open mind, they asked for advice, and it was quite worthwhile. Although the spiritual spring was very strong, one could not go wrong to learn more.

As the sun set in the west, the old man Deng proposed to leave. Qin Mian warmly asked the two old people to stay for a few more days and said that he would send a letter to Deng Village.

The two old people remembered that they would start farming in the fifth lunar month and there wouldn’t have a chance to stay longer later, so they agreed.

The old lady told Qin Mian a lot of her experiences in taking care of children. Although some bits of knowledge conflicted with the modern concept of child-rearing, it was the old lady’s good intention. Still, Qin Mian listened with earnest.

Lei Tie sat at the side with his scorching eyes staring at Qin Mian all the time.

Qin Mian tried to pretend that he wasn’t aware and secretly glared at him with burning cheeks.

Lei Tie withdrew his gaze uneasily; his ears were red.

The old lady Deng noticed it out of the corner of her eyes and was utterly gratified.

“By the way, why don’t I see White Spot?” asked old man Deng, leaning on the settee.

Qin Mian said, “It’s been several days since I last saw it. It’s probably on the mountain.”

He felt a little strange in his heart. This time, White Spot left for a long time. However, perhaps because of the indescribable fate between him and White Spot, he could feel that White Spot was safe. Golden Fur should be with it.

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Footnotes