Cooking porridge and boiling eggs is a task that could be described as simple beyond simplicity, so as soon as Mu Xueqing agreed, Wang An immediately sprang into action.
The small iron pot Wang An had bought in the afternoon was specifically designed for use with a stove, so he didn't even need to leave the ward; he could cook the porridge and eggs right there using the stove in the room.
In about half an hour, the porridge and eggs were done.
Wang An poured the porridge into an enamel mug, added two large spoonfuls of white sugar, and placed the mug on the bedside table, saying caringly
"Let it cool down first, eat it in a bit, okay?"
After speaking, Wang An turned around to peel the eggs.
Watching Wang An bustle about, Mu Xueqing suddenly felt sentimental and said
"Xiao An, actually, you could barely be considered a good man, huh?"
Wang An didn't know why Mu Xueqing had suddenly come out with such a sentence, so he said with a chuckle
"Not barely, not barely at all. I am absolutely a good man in every sense of the word."
Mu Xueqing gave Wang An a charmingly coquettish roll of her eyes and said in a disdainful tone
"Hmph, you get a couple of compliments and you're already *shang ting*. Aren't you afraid of being struck by lightning for saying that?"
The term *shang ting* in the local dialect refers to being one tile away from winning in Mahjong.
When one's hand is *shang ting*, they must inform their fellow players; otherwise, even if they win the hand, it doesn't count.
However, in the context of Mu Xueqing's sentence, it was a way of scolding someone, describing a person who had become arrogant or "swollen."
After Mu Xueqing finished, Wang An gave a hehe laugh and argued
"Then look at how thoughtfully I'm serving you. I'm even peeling the eggs for you. How great is a man like me?"
As he spoke, Wang An stood up and handed over the peeled eggs.
Mu Xueqing wanted to say something more, but seeing Wang An being so solicitous, she simply let out another soft "hmph."
After serving Mu Xueqing her eggs and millet porridge, Wang An finally lay down on the bed closest to the window, intending to get some sleep.
Looking at the bright moonlight and the sky full of stars outside the window, then turning his head to look at his wife, son, and daughter on the nearby beds, Wang An felt so happy at this moment.
All of this happiness was something the Wang An of his previous life could only see in dreams.
Under the moonlight, Wang An looked at his sleeping son and daughter, and the corners of his mouth unconsciously curled upward. Living a happy and joyful life like this was truly wonderful.
If an old saying were used to describe Wang An at this moment, it would be: "Life is thus; what more could one ask for?"
Suddenly, Wang An had an inspiration and whispered to Mu Xueqing nearby
"Wife, I've thought of two nice names for our daughter and son. Listen and see if they work, okay?"
Having just finished her eggs and porridge, Mu Xueqing wasn't very sleepy yet. Hearing Wang An's voice, she immediately opened her eyes and asked with a face full of curiosity
"Tell me, I'm listening."
Wang An thought for a moment, then said with a very solemn expression
"Our son shall be called Wang Kuaile, and our daughter shall be called Wang Xingfu."
The reason Wang An thought of these two names was that while looking at his wife, son, and daughter just now, these four characters came to mind. Although using these four characters as names was a bit tacky, these four words were the lifelong aspiration of everyone in the world.
Of course, at the very least, this was what Wang An pursued in this life, and what he hoped for his son, daughter, and all his relatives!
If a person could remain happy and joyful throughout their entire life, how perfect would that life be!
After Wang An finished, Mu Xueqing was momentarily stunned. She then turned her head to look at the son and daughter on the bed, murmuring
"Xingfu, Kuaile, Xingfu, Kuaile..."
After muttering it several times, Mu Xueqing nodded with a smile
"Mm, these two names are quite good. The son is Kuaile, and the daughter is Xingfu."
Seeing that Mu Xueqing agreed, Wang An immediately burst out laughing, saying with a face full of satisfaction
"I have to say, your man is pretty good at naming, huh? These names are so spirited, hahahaha..."
And so, the names of this pair of fraternal twins were decided in the middle of the night by this couple who didn't have much education.
Late at night, Mu Xueqing got up twice more to feed the two children. However, every time she fed them, the little siblings would cry for a while, which really exhausted Wang An and Mu Xueqing. Only Huang Li slept soundly, possessing absolutely no awareness that she should wake up and help take care of the children.
Of course, regarding this point, Wang An and Mu Xueqing didn't intend to blame her; mainly because the two children were only crying due to untimely feeding, so waking Huang Li up wouldn't have been of much use.
By morning, Mu Xueqing's body had basically recovered.
The reason it was so fast was primarily because Mu Xueqing usually had a very good constitution and her nutrition was sufficient; furthermore, she was only 22 this year, which could be said to be the prime of her strength.
Logically speaking, there would be no problem with being discharged from the hospital today.
However, Wang An planned to stay in the hospital for one more day to observe the health of Mu Xueqing and the two children before leaving. After all, staying at home was the same as staying in the hospital.
Now that her body had recovered, Mu Xueqing could no longer stay lying down. As soon as she woke up in the morning, she began strolling in circles around the ward.
Occasionally, Mu Xueqing would say happily
"Oh my, it's so great after giving birth; my body feels so light."
It must be said that without the big belly, although Mu Xueqing's body still looked a bit plump, the word "beautiful" had returned to her once again.
Her small face was white and tender, looking like something one would want to take a bite of.
After breakfast, Wang An lay on the bed, drifting in and out of sleep with his eyes squinted, while Mu Xueqing strolled in circles on the floor. Only Huang Li stayed diligently by the bedside, watching the soundly sleeping siblings.
Near 10 AM, Mu Xueli arrived at the hospital, travel-worn, driving a horse-drawn sledge.
Mainly, in the snow-covered season, the speed of a horse-drawn sledge was much faster than a walk-behind tractor; one could say it wasn't much slower than riding a horse.
Sitting on the sledge were Mu Xueqing's biological mother, Liu Ruxin, and Mu Xueqing's mother-in-law, Liu Guilan.
Upon learning that Mu Xueqing had given birth to a pair of fraternal twins, these two mothers, along with Mu Xueli, Mu Xueqing's brother, were absolutely beaming with joy.
The three of them took off their cotton coats, which were frozen cold, and warmed themselves by the stove for a long while before anxiously walking toward the two children.
The cold of the Northeast was truly no ordinary cold; if the chill clinging to one's body were brought to an infant, the infant absolutely could not withstand it.
(End of Chapter)