Chronicle of the 70s-Chapter 369 - 348: New Year’s Double -

The Spring Festival of ’84 brought especially heavy snow that hadn’t stopped since the 28th. Li Xianglu and the children fixated their gaze, uncertain whether Qin Xi could make it back by the New Year’s Eve.

Xu Wu had been free since the 25th and, together with Da Li, moved to the courtyard across the street.

The courtyard they purchased was simply tidied up to be livable, and by summer, Xu Wu had all the houses there torn down and rebuilt, and even the walls made higher and thicker than usual.

In total, twenty rooms were built—a few more than in Li Xianglu’s courtyard, with a different layout. The four children often played there, and a swimming pool was constructed in the backyard that, come winter, was filled with water and became a makeshift skating rink.

Ever since Xu Wu took the younger ones to play there, the place had become the children’s realm.

Xu Wu had someone make a little sled for the children out of wood, and they were absolutely ecstatic, with the twins clamoring to go skating from the moment they woke up each day.

On the 29th, with the snow still falling, Li Xianglu was already anxious whether Qin Xi could safely return, when, after causing a fuss in the morning, the twins put on their cotton-padded coats right after breakfast; Ba Yi even put on a cap, clearly showing the intent to go out and play.

Li Xianglu was furious. It’s not like they were only allowed to play by themselves; someone needed to accompany them every time. And today being the 29th, she had to fry meatballs, small crispy pork, and butterfish. Sister Xing had come early, so when Li Xianglu saw the children dressed and clamoring to go out, she immediately pulled down their pants and smacked each butt three times. The sound was so startling that the old master, who was still sipping porridge, abruptly stood up.

Initially stunned by the spanking, the twins didn’t react until Li Xianglu yelled, forbidding them from going out and strode away. Only then did they start crying out loud. Their wails were so clear that Hu Zi in the courtyard and Leng Qing, who was heading towards that room, heard it all.

Li Xianglu shook her head disapprovingly at them, then headed for the kitchen. There were still plenty of things to do at home. This year, Xu Wu brought some lotus roots, and she planned to fry some lotus root sandwiches. They’d be delicious, surely, but the task was not a small one.

The old master, feeling sympathetic, wanted to go and comfort the great-grandchildren, but Su Yan was quicker and held him back, not letting him soothe them.

On the other side, the two little ones continued to cry, especially Ba’er, who, seeing no one was paying attention, outright began to wail. After yelling for a long time to no avail, he hugged Ba Yi and continued his loud cries, also calling for his brother in such a pitiful way.

Ba Yi stopped crying after a while, wiping his tears and climbed up on the round couch. Ba’er followed suit, and soon, both of them stopped, realizing their cries were in vain with no one paying attention.

Xu Wu and Da Li slept in and didn’t wake up until ten o’clock. When he walked in, he was met with the two little firecrackers rushing over. Startled at first, he then scooped them up in his arms, and they immediately burst into tears.

Seeing the children cry, Xu Wu’s face darkened instantly. "What’s wrong?" he asked.

Ba Yi sneakily glanced at Su Yan, who was sitting on the rattan chair, and continued to cry silently, refusing to speak. Ba’er, upon hearing his uncle’s question, immediately protested loudly, "Mama hit, mama’s mean!"

Upon hearing this, Xu Wu’s expression softened. He placed the little ones on the couch and wiped their tears before saying, "Mama hit you?"

Ba Yi and Ba’er quickly nodded, seeking sympathy. Xu Wu nodded and said, "You had it coming!"

Saying so, he got up to eat at the dining table. The two children, failing to gain what they wanted, cried a bit more, and then started to play with their building blocks, seeing no one paid them any mind.

At noon, Li Xianglu came in with a basin of stewed dishes and saw the two little ones quietly playing with blocks alongside Xu Wu, while Su Yan and the old master were playing chess.

Seeing lunch was ready, Su Yan quickly got up, took the two little ones to wash their hands, and because the whole day was busy, they just had stewed dishes with steamed rolls and seaweed egg drop soup for lunch.

To Li Xianglu’s surprise, the two little ones, still fuming, refused to let her feed them. Li Xianglu ignored them, continuing with her meal. Xu Wu, not knowing what happened with the two little ones, looked over puzzled.

Su Yan explained the morning’s events with a smile, and everyone burst into laughter. Annoyed, Li Xianglu said, "Busy as a bee, and first thing in the morning, they were ready to go out and play. I told them I was really busy, but after breakfast, they even put on their cotton coats and caps, insisting on going out to play. It made me so mad I just spanked them right there."