She Only Cares About Cultivation-Chapter 883 - 809: Famine Era 50

After entering the year, the amount of food each person consumed daily began to gradually decrease. By summer harvest, it was all gone. After autumn harvest until the end of the year, the crops were still growing in the fields. But the autumn harvest was reduced to nothing, leaving no follow-up, could anyone not go hungry?

...

Every day in the hospital, there were babies born that the parents couldn’t afford to keep and either abandoned or directly sold or given away. It was a common sight.

Ye Huan didn’t expect that even the obstetrics department at their hospital saw several cases like this. People took back the adults after childbirth but left the babies.

The reason was simple: going back meant certain death. It was better to see if someone could adopt them, at least giving a chance for survival.

If they had known they would be giving birth during a famine, they certainly wouldn’t have conceived.

However, people didn’t know about contraception during that era, so every family had five, six, seven, or eight kids, didn’t they?

When famine hit, weren’t children bound to become a burden?

Ye Huan didn’t expect the head of the obstetrics department would come to her with a pair of twin babies, a boy and a girl.

"Doctor Ye, look, it’s such a pity for this pair of twins; their mother has gone, refusing to take them back, and they said to find a good home for them. They’re siblings by blood, and if separated, won’t they end up worlds apart when they grow up? Your Zhuangzhuang is already grown, so it’s not like you would only have that one child, right? Why don’t you discuss it with your husband, Old Tong?"

The two children were not good-looking, shriveled and with yellow hair. "Are they full-term?"

"Though they were full-term, considering the adults were starving, and with two more in the womb, nutrition must have been insufficient, so they might not look good now. But their mother was quite delicate-looking, though their father was quite coarse, as he was from the outskirts nearby, also considered from Beijing. So, look at this...,"

Truth be told, with Ye Huan’s current capabilities, adopting the twins would not be an issue. The challenge was, just when she felt like she was about to liberate herself, she would revert to her original state. To be honest, she was a bit overwhelmed, especially since she wanted to improve her professional abilities further!

This isn’t just a child; it’s two children. Taking care of two children simultaneously, wouldn’t she collapse?

"Our hospital can help you find someone to look after the children, and offer daycare services. But it costs a lot too. You, eh, I know, it’s difficult for you this way. So, no matter what, first talk it over with your Old Tong, and see what you both decide. If you don’t want to, I’ll ask around elsewhere. I really think it’s best not to separate this pair of siblings. Upon review, your family is the only one barely meeting the conditions. Although there are other suitable families, separation is inevitable."

After all, adopting two children is a big decision. Ye Huan herself couldn’t decide right away, so she nodded and called Old Tong.

Once the situation was explained, Tong Zhan didn’t refuse outright but instead asked her, "What do you think?"

"I think Doctor Tang makes a valid point. As they are siblings, separating them might mean they’ll never see each other again. But leaving the children in our care, I... I honestly can’t handle it myself. Especially since we still have Zhuangzhuang!"

Tong Zhan didn’t say much and hung up, mentioning that he needed to think. Ye Huan also needed to think it over. Making a call during this era was too troublesome and cumbersome, not to mention one couldn’t afford to take up the line for long. Best to consider and then decide.

In fact, Tong Zhan understood that if there were someone to take care of the children, Ye Huan would have likely agreed right away.

Tong Zhan came faster than expected and appeared the next day before dark, directly asking to see the children.

Ye Huan took him immediately to the obstetrics department. The children were still there because Ye Huan hadn’t given any indication, so they hadn’t been sent to anyone yet.

This wasn’t Tong Zhan’s first time adopting a child, but it was his first time seeing fraternal twins. Strangely enough, feeling the connection, the two kids, even with their eyes closed, managed to smile while held by the couple.

Doctor Tang cheerfully said to the couple, "See, they like you! No matter how small they are, they already know how to butter people up."

The nurse caring for them also said, "Exactly. I took care of them for two days, and they haven’t given me a single smile. It’s fate!"

Regardless of whether they were eager to hand over the children and thus said such things, at the very moment Tong Zhan held the children, he made up his mind.

"Let’s do the paperwork. Meeting is also a form of fate, and I can’t bear to see them separated,"

As he spoke, his gaze shifted to the row of children lying in the delivery room, somewhat taken aback.

"Are all these children unwanted?"

"Including them, there are eight in total. Boys can be sent away; no one wants the girls. Ultimately, they might have to be sent to the social welfare home."

Even when it comes to adoption, girls remain unwanted, showing how deeply ingrained the preference for boys over girls is.

Tong Zhan turned to his wife and saw she was still teasing the little girl in her arms, seemingly genuinely fond of her. He promptly nodded to proceed with the paperwork.

With the hospital’s help, the certification was quickly finalized. After the couple took the children back to their dorm, they named them.

"The boy will be named Tong Chaoyang, and the girl Ye Danfeng. Danfeng pertains to a divine bird from ancient mythology, signifying auspiciousness. The name embodies connections, liveliness, all things going smoothly and happily, a complete sense of joy. Chaoyang refers to the rising sun, describing a young boy full of energy, spirit, vigor, and ambition. What do you think?"

"My wife is more educated than I am. The names of our three kids are more pleasant one after another. Alright, let’s settle it this way. Tomorrow, let’s go register the children."

Ye Huan grabbed his hand, "Actually, you don’t have to make yourself uncomfortable because of me, just for my sake."

"Silly girl, compared to my discomfort, haven’t you suffered more grievances? And aren’t you doing all this for me? We’ve tried for two or three years now without any success. Given my situation, it might stay this way for life. This isn’t something that waits around for us forever; it’s a one-time opportunity. Whatever hardship there is, we can get through it. Plus, I believe we will raise them well. But we should probably find two nannies to help with the children, right?"

Currently, it’s a disaster year, which might stabilize during the latter half of the year or into the next year. However, just as stability begins, it will start again in the following year.

Clearly, after the year, it’s unsuitable for adopting children. Though difficult now, once the children grow up, they’ll be easier to handle no matter where they end up.

Being separated by distance is unavoidable now. Ye Huan feels guilty towards Tong Zhan, and Tong Zhan, in turn, feels for his wife.

He proactively suggested, "I’ll take Zhuangzhuang with me to the preschool. After school, I’ll pick him up. If I leave, I can have the wives in the residential area help out. Handling all three kids alone may drive you to a breaking point. Your shifts are alternating. It’s better to hire two nannies, assisting each other. While one cares for the child, the other can cook and wash diapers. It eases the burden on both them and us. Don’t worry about the cost; I can afford it,"

After setting everything with this arrangement, they went to register the children the next day, placing Tong Chaoyang and Ye Danfeng, born on May 9th of the year, under Tong Zhan’s name. That afternoon, two nannies recommended by the hospital reportedly joined them; they were relatives of colleagues, earning ten yuan a month each. If they performed well later, they might receive a raise. The reduced charge mirrored empathy towards their tight finances; it’s the famine year, is anyone faring well?

It’s not unexpected for people to call them foolish for adopting two children during such times. Yet, securing a ten yuan monthly income job wasn’t easy either. If they couldn’t do it, find someone who could. After all, Ye Huan transparently shared their real cash flow status. Though they were colleagues, she wasn’t shy to state the facts unkindly.

After settling them all in, Tong Zhan left.

The preschool alone costs ten yuan a month now. Even with slight discounts at their factory area, it still required expenditures of around five to eight yuan.

Their father-son monthly living expenses amounted to about ten to twenty yuan, approximately equivalent to Ye Huan’s salary.

Tong Zhan’s salary pays the two nannies’ wages, milk powder bills, and Ye Huan’s room and board, leaving only so much left each month.

Zhuangzhuang had stopped needing formula long ago, but over the past two years, Ye Huan hadn’t stopped stockpiling formula. Therefore, the current storage was sufficient to feed the two children until they reached one hundred days. But beyond that, she’d have to figure out a new source for milk powder.

Initially, she thought the milk powder ran out quickly because both kids drank it, which was inevitable. However, after spending a weekend taking care of them herself, she realized the daily consumption was similar to when Zhuangzhuang needed it, only doubled. When Zhuangzhuang drank 3000 grams in his first month, yet these two little ones consumed formula even faster than Zhuangzhuang, the little glutton. Sensing unusual circumstances, she began suspecting the nannies. 𝕗𝚛𝚎𝚎𝐰𝗲𝗯𝗻𝚘𝚟𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝕞

To confirm, she asked around to learn about the nannies’ situations, unexpectedly finding out that one of them, Aunt Zhang, had a grandson only three months old. Despite not attending to her own grandson, she came to care for her children. Wasn’t the reason evident?

But without evidence, she couldn’t bring herself to trouble the other nanny by asking for surveillance. She figured she’d conduct a surprise inspection someday, catching them in the act. However, before taking action, Aunt Wen approached her...