Chapter 209 Division of Labor and Cooperation

Chapter 209 Teamwork

"Ugh, hospitals are just too risky. Let's hurry home!" Song Xilan said.

Though she was in a private room, the hospital was bustling with people, and who knew if there might be child traffickers lurking around? Being a new mom, she was a little paranoid.

Although Jiang Chengxiao thought she was overreacting, he went along with it and went to ask the doctor.

Her recovery was going well, and the twins were in excellent health. Despite being born almost three weeks early, they had no developmental issues requiring an incubator, nor did they show any signs of newborn jaundice.

They were cleared to go home.

So they went through the discharge procedures, and Jiang Chengxiao borrowed his brother's car to drive them home safely.

They had left home as a couple but were now returning as a family of four. Jiang Chengxiao felt a deep, fulfilling sense of responsibility—from now on, he wasn’t just a husband but also a father to two children.

Talk about responsibility!

But he didn’t have time to dwell on it—his mother-in-law was about to arrive, and he had to rush to the train station to pick her up.

Tan Aizhi was equally anxious. She had originally taken leave to come early and calmly await the birth.

But the babies arrived ahead of schedule, forcing her to hastily board a train upon hearing the news. She’d been a nervous wreck the whole trip!

Only when she saw her daughter safe and sound before her, along with the two adorable grandchildren, did she finally relax.

Her daughter’s cheeks were rosy-cheeked and bright-eyed, clearly well cared for and spared any hardship.

In contrast, her son-in-law had visibly lost weight, with dark circles under his eyes, looking dead on his feet—proof of how hard he had worked these past few days.

As for the twins, the first thing Tan Aizhi said was, "These two are the spitting image of Lan Lan as a baby!"

Song Xilan laughed happily. "When they were first born, they were wrinkled like little raisins! Everyone said they looked just like Chengxiao as a baby. But now that they’ve filled out and gotten cuter, they take after me!"

"Don’t say that—kids pick up on these things!"

Since the in-laws had traveled so far to help, the Jiangs couldn’t just sit back without chipping in.

No one expected Xiao Xinlan to help with childcare, so the Jiangs hired a nanny instead.

The elder Mr. Jiang vouched for someone reliable.

Thus, the household duties were divided as follows:

Song Xilan was responsible for eating well, recovering, and handling the one job only she could do—nursing the babies.

Tan Aizhi focused on taking care of Song Xilan, making her nutrient-rich recovery meals.

Ji Guiying was in charge of caring for the twins.

The new nanny, Auntie Lin, handled cleaning, shopping, laundry, and cooking for the whole family.

As for Jiang Chengxiao, he was the go-to guy—wherever needed, he helped. When there was nothing urgent, his main job was simply playing with the babies.

After a few days of adjustment, everyone settled into their roles, and life fell into a cozy, happy rhythm.

Song Xilan and Jiang Chengxiao burned the midnight oil trying to choose names for the twins—something pleasant-sounding yet clearly matching. But after many attempts, nothing clicked.

Finally, fed up, Song Xilan said, "These two almost given up on by their own parents before they were even conceived. They had a close call before they were even born and been through enough already. I don’t have grand expectations for them—I just hope they grow up healthy, live joyful lives."

Jiang Chengxiao said, "How about Anning and Xile? The older sister can be Jiang Anning, and the younger brother Song Xile."

They'd agreed while she was pregnant that once the children were born, each kid would take one of their last names.

Song Xilan said, "But I want the older sister to have my surname."

Jiang Chengxiao didn’t mind either way: "Sure, that works. Then it’ll be Song Anning and Jiang Xile."

And so, the names of the two babies were settled—the older sister would be Song Anning, and the younger brother Jiang Xile.

When they got around to it, they would need to register their birth certificates and hukou registrations.

As for where to register their hukou, it was kind of funny.

Originally, Jiang Chengxiao had a Beijing hukou, but he had transferred it to Nanyang City to marry Song Xilan. Now, however, since both of them had gotten into college, their hukou followed their academic records and were transferred to the university’s collective registration—putting them back on Beijing hukou.

So, should the children register under their parents’ current Beijing hukou, or wait until after graduation when they returned to Nanyang for work?

Song Xilan hadn’t cared much about such matters before, but the mental chatter told her that a Beijing hukou was a must—because years later, it would become extremely valuable, especially in the location of their courtyard house, where just the hukou alone would be worth big bucks.

So hukou could be valuable too?

Song Xilan didn’t fully understand, but she decided to follow the advice and register the children under the courtyard house’s address.

As for how to handle the process, she let Jiang Chengxiao handle that—she wasn’t going to worry about it.

Her month of lying-in turned out to be far less stifling than Song Xilan had imagined.

Tan Aizhi wasn't some old-school stickler—she believed in science.

Keeping the room sealed all day with stale air was just asking to get sick, so she made sure to air out the room every day. Even in the summer heat, she didn’t force Song Xilan to bundle up and sweat—just made sure she wasn’t directly exposed to drafts.

As for the question of bathing, Song Xilan had long stopped fretting over it because Tan Aizhi had brought a large bundle of dried medicinal herbs. Every day, she would boil a big pot of herbal water, let it cool to a comfortable temperature, and use it to wipe Song Xilan down from head to toe.

This left her feeling fresh and clean, with no worry of becoming stuffy or smelly.

The food was excellent too—daily servings of nourishing soups and broths, all to her liking, never got old. The lactation-boosting effects were remarkable, keeping both babies chubby and thriving.

Jiang Chengxiao got a bright idea and designed two stands for her. When breastfeeding, she could simply sit while placing a stand on either side, then lay each baby on them—allowing her to nurse both simultaneously without breaking a sweat. No need to hold them herself, just a light touch for support.

The only real downside during the month of lying-in was the daily abdominal massage Tan Aizhi insisted on giving her.

During pregnancy, her belly had stretched so much that even after giving birth, her skin hadn’t fully retracted—still looking as if she were five or six months along.

Tan Aizhi told Song Xilan that she had specifically learned a massage technique to help postpartum bellies shrink back faster, getting her back to her pre-baby shape.