After being overly excited, my whole body ached, and even the slightest movement felt like I had no strength left; all I wanted to do was lie there lazily.
While cursing the cat under her breath, Shen Wuqiu struggled to sit up, endured the soreness and moved her body a bit before getting out of bed and going to the bathroom.
Standing in front of the bathroom mirror, she carefully lifted her clothes up to her chest, looked at the bulging mounds, endured the pain, and squeezed them slightly with her hand, instantly turning the tips into little fountains.
"..." Shen Wuqiu took a deep breath, turned around and went to the bedside table drawer to find a breast pump.
At this rate, even if we feed Da Mao and Er Mao now, they'll probably choke; we'll have to squeeze some out first.
After enduring the pain and squeezing for about ten minutes, she quickly washed up and changed her clothes, wanting to find her baby to breastfeed.
Just as she finished tidying up, the door opened from the outside, and a head cautiously peeked in. The moment their eyes met, the face hidden in the crack of the door immediately lit up. "Qiuqiu, you're awake?"
Shen Wuqiu was fuming with anger from her engorged breasts and had nowhere to vent it, so she didn't give her a kind look. "Where are the babies? Perfect timing. Bring Da Mao and Er Mao over. I always feed them. It's been a whole night, they must be starving."
Gu Lingyu said, as if to take credit, "Don't worry, I've fed them both. Let me tell you, don't spoil them. When they're hungry, they'll drink any kind of milk."
"..." Shen Wuqiu felt her little hill start to ache again. She tried to bear it, but couldn't help but ask, "Then who will drink my milk that's been engorged all night? You?"
Gu Lingyu was a little embarrassed, mainly because she felt that her partner's milk really didn't taste very good.
"If you... really... really feel bloated, then I... can do it too..."
"...
Chapter 101
Shen Wuqiu was at her wits' end and felt incredibly frustrated, so she deliberately made a lot of noise while searching for the breast pump.
But then a certain cat added fuel to the fire with a straight face: "Don't take that thing, I can really do it."
In Shen Wuqiu's view, this was a typical case of getting a good deal and then acting innocent.
She gritted her teeth, took the breast pump into the bathroom, and before the cat could follow, she slammed the door shut with a loud "bang".
The cat rubbed its nose, which it had almost bumped into, but didn't leave. It stood at the doorway waiting, muttering, "Qiuqiu, don't be angry. I heard that when Mommy is angry, her milk turns bitter..."
Shen Wuqiu ignored her, treating her like a mosquito buzzing, and focused on milking.
About ten minutes later, she opened the bathroom door and handed the freshly made milk to a cat outside the door.
"..." Gu Lingyu blinked. "Should we save them for Da Mao and Er Mao? Let me tell you, don't spoil them. They're a month old now, it's time to wean them..."
"Yes, I won't spoil them, but I will spoil you."
The sudden favoritism left Gu Lingyu somewhat flattered. "Huh?"
"So, I'll leave it for you to drink."
Shen Wuqiu's lips curved into a small smile, but it also gave off a slightly chilly feeling.
"..." She boasted that she could drink a lot, but that was just because she was greedy for the cherries. She wasn't really like those good-for-nothing brats, eyeing the mountain spring water.
Seeing the troubled look on her face, Shen Wuqiu mocked, "Disgusted?"
Gu Lingyu quickly shook her head, "No."
Shen Wuqiu then moved the milk cup closer to her, "While it's hot?"
Gu Lingyu stared at the milk cup in her hand. The milk cup was a free gift with the purchase of the breast pump. It was one of those transparent measuring cups, and it was filled with a full 100ml.
After hesitating for a while, she slowly reached out and took the milk cup. Noticing Shen Wuqiu's gaze, she brought the milk cup to her lips.
The aroma of milk wafts through the air.
She just couldn't understand it. It smelled so sweet and mouthwatering, so why was it so hard to swallow once it was in her mouth?
Shen Wuqiu stared at her, and seeing that she didn't drink for a long time, she said leisurely, "Do you want me to feed you?"
Gu Lingyu hesitated and asked, "Really?
What do you think?
Seeing the silly cat's troubled expression, Shen Wuqiu felt much better.
Gu Lingyu lowered her head and sipped from the rim of her cup, hesitating to take a sip.
Shen Wuqiu didn't urge her, just watched her, as if she wouldn't stop until she finished drinking.
It's better to have a short, sharp pain than a long, drawn-out one!
Gu Lingyu took a deep breath, tilted her head back, and gulped it down in one go, so fast that Shen Wuqiu didn't even have time to react.
"..." Although it's a bit of hindsight to say this, Shen Wuqiu was really just annoyed and deliberately made things difficult for that silly cat. She didn't expect to actually make him drink it, after all, she was actually quite embarrassed herself.
"I've finished drinking."
With mixed feelings, Shen Wuqiu took the milk cup. "Is it...bitter?"
Gu Lingyu paused for a moment before saying, "I don't know, I drank too fast."
Shen Wuqiu suddenly didn't know what to say.
The atmosphere suddenly became awkward.
After a moment, Shen Wuqiu casually brushed her hair aside, feigning composure. "Are the children all downstairs right now? I'll go check..."
Gu Lingyu grabbed her wrist.
"Hmm?" Shen Wuqiu looked at her.
"Does Qiuqiu want to know what her milk tastes like?"
"ah?"
Gu Lingyu bent down, and following Shen Wuqiu's posture, stuck out her tongue and licked around the rim of the milk cup. Before Shen Wuqiu could react, Gu Lingyu quickly stood up and put the little bit of milk on her tongue into Shen Wuqiu's mouth.
Completed in one go.
Shen Wuqiu couldn't dodge in time, and it took several seconds before she pushed the person away.
Gu Lingyu couldn't help but chuckle as she watched Qiuqiu's embarrassed yet unconscious lip-licking gesture: "Qiuqiu, is it bitter?"
In the end, this silly cat was still the better one.
Shen Wuqiu angrily wiped her lips and strode out of the room.
Gu Lingyu shamelessly clung to him, "Okay, okay, it's not bitter. If you're still angry, why don't you feed me like this again?"
"..." Shen Wuqiu's lips twitched, he forcefully pried her hand away, and quickly went downstairs.
*****
There is a set of customary procedures for banquets in the village. Neighbors usually come in advance to give gifts and money, have a drink or tea at the house, and then come to the banquet together on time.
Perhaps because the weather was nice today, around nine o'clock, quite a few neighbors came to give their gifts.
When Shen Wuqiu came downstairs, Shen Wujun was already sitting in the hall registering the gift money.
The family that came to give gifts this time were her cousin Shen Xiangrong and his entire family.
Seeing them, Shen Wuqiu was quite surprised and took the initiative to greet them, "Uncle and Aunt, you're back?"
Shen Xiangrong and Shen Xianghua are brothers. In her memory, the relationship between the two families soured after their joint venture to run a shuttle bus business fell through. Later, when she was in high school, her cousin Shen Xiangrong somehow made a fortune, and her cousin Shen Zhibin found a job in the provincial capital after graduating from university. So the whole family moved to the provincial capital and rarely returned to the village throughout the year, except for the Qingming Festival for ancestor worship and tomb sweeping.
“She came back last night.” Aunt Zhong Yuzhen looked her up and down warmly. “You’ve grown more and more beautiful. I still remember how you used to lean against the door of my house when you were little, longing for your brother’s popsicle. I never imagined that time would pass so quickly. So many years have gone by, and you’re a mother now.”
When asked about the embarrassing incident from her childhood, Shen Wuqiu chuckled, "Your aunt still remembers those things."
This uncle was the wealthiest among her father's generation. Her aunt, Jiang Yuzhen, didn't look very approachable, but she was always generous, especially to her niece, because she and her aunt both had two sons and really wanted a daughter.
When she was little, her parents were busy from dawn till dusk and sometimes couldn't take care of her. Her aunt would take her to her house for a meal. Back then, she would often joke with her mother that she wanted to adopt her as her goddaughter.
“I remember everything.” Zhong Yuzhen beckoned to her, inviting her to sit down, and then introduced her to her two daughters-in-law.
Shen Wuqiu stood there and greeted her two sisters-in-law one by one. After hesitating for a moment, she tugged at Gu Lingyu behind her and took the initiative to introduce her to others: "Auntie, this is the other mother of my children, Gu Lingyu. You can just call her Lingyu."
As soon as she finished speaking, Gu Lingyu peeked out from behind her. Without needing any further introduction, he greeted everyone in a simple and straightforward manner: "Hello, Uncle and Aunt, Hello, Eldest Brother and Sister-in-law, Hello, Second Brother and Sister-in-law."
"..." Although they had heard some rumors, Shen Xiangrong's family was still stunned for a moment. After a while, Zhong Yuzhen smiled again, "No wonder the child is so beautiful. It turns out that both mothers are great beauties."
Gu Lingyu, however, was not modest at all: "It's mainly Qiuqiu who deserves the most credit."
Jiang Li, the eldest sister-in-law, couldn't help but chuckle at her lively demeanor, but inwardly she was amazed. She thought to herself that her younger sister seemed like a mature and steady woman, but her tastes were so unique. It was one thing for her not to like men, but she actually preferred this kind of younger sister.
Thinking this, I couldn't help but tease you, "You guys are really bold. What a risk it is to have four children! But you're also really amazing. Although IVF technology is mature now, I don't think the survival rate of twins is high. You guys managed to have four at once."
Gu Lingyu blinked. "Test tube" was a new word to her. "Test tube?"
Jiang Li: "Huh? You didn't do test tubes?"
Shen Wuqiu quickly chimed in, "Perhaps we're just lucky."
Zhong Yuzhen: "You are indeed lucky. Your elder brother and sister-in-law have been married for several years without having children. They have been trying various methods over the years. Your little nephew underwent in vitro fertilization. They wanted to have twins, but only one survived. The first attempt failed, and they succeeded on the second try."
Gu Lingyu was completely confused and couldn't get a word in edgewise, but she was still curious.
Shen Wuqiu was afraid that she would speak recklessly, so he simply sent her upstairs to carry Da Mao and San Mao down.
When the topic of IVF came up, Jiang Li became very talkative, chatting enthusiastically with Shen Wuqiu.
Fortunately, Shen Wuqiu had done her homework in advance, fearing that someone would ask about the child's origins and she would be exposed.
After chatting with Shen Xiangrong and his family for a while, many more people came to deliver gifts.
Shen Wuqiu didn't go upstairs again. She stayed downstairs with the children, taking care of the baby while greeting and chatting with everyone.
The kids probably knew they were the stars of the day, so they were all very well-behaved. Except for Si Mao, the lazy pig, who ate and slept as usual, the other kids slept less today and kept their eyes wide open, looking around. They would respond to anyone who tried to amuse them.
This made everyone very excited.
"I don't know how they raise their child. Look at him, he doesn't look like a baby who is only a month old. He seems more lively than my fourth grandmother's four-month-old grandson."
"So... Wuqiu was born prematurely. My nephew's wife was born seven months prematurely, and the baby stayed in the incubator for half a month. I heard that only the eldest child stayed in the incubator for a few days, while the other children were perfectly healthy."
"Sigh, it's true what they say, comparisons are odious... Tsk, this kid's eyes are so bright and clear, so innocent, what's his name again?"
"The one with the big, round eyes is the third brother, the one next to him who looks a bit simple-minded is the second brother, the one over there who's always sleeping is the fourth brother, and the one with the big, watery eyes is the eldest brother."
"You're quite good at distinguishing them."
“What’s there to not be able to tell them apart? It’s actually quite strange. I think most twins look alike, and sometimes even the mothers can’t tell them apart. But Wuqiu’s four children look completely different.”
"Oh, you don't know this... Other people's twins are from the same parents, but these four might not be..."