Chapter 69

Chapter 69

Before having children, Rong Yuan felt that time didn’t pass quickly. But ever since they had kids, aside from the excruciating wait to bring them out of the incubator, he felt that life had been put on fast-forward—always busy from the moment he opened his eyes in the morning, and before he knew it, night had fallen.

Gu Shenhan always worried that he might be overworking himself, but he felt that this kind of life was just right.

He always felt fulfilled and full of energy.

When the babies were two months old, he gradually began to resume work. Although he didn’t invest as much time as before, at least he wasn’t stuck at home all day.

Gu Shenhan was unexpectedly supportive of this. The difference was that he still spent most of his time in Cuixi Garden rather than in Bishui Bay.

When the children were asleep, he might be sketching ancient costumes or doing embroidery. When they were playing, he didn’t need to watch over them constantly because there were others to help.

He just had to make sure he stayed within their line of sight as much as possible.

Sometimes Lin Xiaotang and Yan Yu would come over to help, or maybe just to gossip with him, so they’d bring their work along, chatting and having lunch together.

Times like these really highlighted the benefits of running your own studio instead of being employed.

“Ah, it’s really comfortable,” Yan Yu said, spinning around in an ergonomic chair a couple of times. “Lately, I feel like I’ve gotten lazy.”

“Yeah, and there’s no sense of urgency either. We really have Xiao An and Han Ge to thank for that,” Lin Xiaotang said. “I’m basically riding on Xiao An’s coattails; otherwise, I couldn’t have lived this kind of life even if I worked hard for three lifetimes.”

Three days ago, Gu Shenhan helped them register a company, then contributed a portion of Tianque shares as a non-monetary asset investment, holding only one percent of the shares.

The remaining ninety-nine percent was split among the three friends, each holding thirty-three percent.

This way, they could still enjoy the equity benefits of Tianque shares while reasonably bearing the tax burden.

Gu Shenhan also gifted each of them a gold bar—one that could last thirty years. So the urgency to strive was gone, replaced only by the desire to pursue what they loved.

They could do whatever they liked at will, waking up each day to their dreams rather than being called by life.

Rong Yuan said, “It’s my whole family who should be thanking you. Otherwise, back then when it was so urgent, how could he have managed alone? We would have been panicking.”

Yan Yu said, “It was really thoughtful of Han Ge to prepare the constant-temperature bathtub in advance; otherwise, it would have been a real hassle.”

Rong Yuan thought about how risky it had been back then. He hadn’t expected to go into labor suddenly in the middle of the night.

But looking back, everything had gone smoothly.

Yan Yu circled the two cribs, looking from one to the other, wanting to play, but the kids just wouldn’t wake up, so all he could do was hover nearby in frustration.

Lin Xiaotang couldn’t help but lean in: “Xiao Yu, have you noticed that they seem to have swapped features as they’ve grown? I remember at first, Xuan Jin looked more like Han Ge, and Xuan Yu looked more like Xiao An, but now it seems reversed.”

Yan Yu took a closer look: “Yeah, that seems to be the case. But maybe when they open their eyes, they’ll look different again?”

Rong Yuan also came over for a careful look. He might have been watching them every day, so he didn’t think the change was that drastic; overall, they still resembled Gu Shenhan more. Probably because the eyebrows and nose were too similar.

The two little ones, as if sensing something, whimpered as they opened their eyes. When they woke up, they looked like they were about to cry, but upon seeing familiar faces, they just pouted, their eyes glistening.

Lin Xiaotang and Yan Yu each took one, opened the diaper to check, and skillfully changed it.

Rong Yuan was mixing formula on the side. By the time Aunt Lu and the baby nurse arrived, the milk was almost ready.

“Would you like us to carry them out to feed?” Lu Yi asked.

“No need. We'll look after them ourselves until dinner. You'll be taking care of them at night, so get more rest during the day.”

“Alright, call us if you need anything.”

Aunt Lu took the others out, and soon came back with some snacks and drinks for Rong Yuan and everyone.

Rong Yuan and Yan Yu finished feeding the babies, then held them upright and walked around a bit before putting them in the stroller and wheeling them to the balcony to soak up some sun.

Now that the little ones were bigger, they stayed awake longer and no longer fell asleep right after feeding.

Yan Yu dangled toys in front of the kids to entertain them, and their eyes would track the toys.

Sometimes when they smiled, they’d show their bare gums, looking adorably innocent.

Lin Xiaotang shelled some pistachios and shared them. He asked Rong Yuan, “How can we help with the hundred-day celebration?”

Rong Yuan said, “Just help me watch them. A lot of people will be coming that day, and I’m afraid I might not be able to attend to them in time if I get busy. I can only feel relaxed if you two are here.”

“That’s simple,” Yan Yu said. “I don’t want to be in a crowd anyway. They shouldn’t be in the crowd the whole time, right?”

“No. Han Ge said we’ll just bring them out briefly; otherwise, too many people might upset them.”

“Good. My brother will definitely be there that day. I’m guessing this time he’ll bring his boyfriend.”

“Still not ready to face it?”

“Maybe a little awkward. It’s fine if we don’t meet, but thinking about meeting makes me really uncomfortable.”

Yan Yu felt he was trying hard to control it, but he still had this feeling of a loved one being snatched away. Logically, he knew Yan Que was still his brother, but emotionally, he couldn’t get past it.

“But a lot of people will be there that day; maybe you’ll have a chance to meet other good people?” Rong Yuan said. “Don’t shut yourself off.”

“I’ll think about it. Speaking of which, the hundred-day celebration is a big happy occasion for the Gu family. Will that flaky eldest cousin come back?”

“Probably not. But he did send red envelopes for the kids.”

“Really? He actually thought of that?”

“Really, and it was an uneven amount. Han Ge said it might be due to the exchange rate.”

After Gu Chengzhi went abroad, he rarely contacted his family, let alone them. But this time, Grandpa had notified a lot of people, so Gu Chengzhi must have gotten the news immediately.

Yesterday, while they were having breakfast, Gu Shenhan received a transfer of about 610,000 RMB.

Gu Shenhan asked what it was for, and Gu Chengzhi said it was a one-month celebration red envelope for his nephews.

Gu Shenhan thanked him and accepted it, then asked how Gu Chengzhi was doing over there. Gu Chengzhi said he had met a local friend and was doing appliance recycling.

He had completely left the family's nest to venture into an entirely new field. Rong Yuan didn't get it, but Gu Shenhan seemed in a good mood after the call.

They chatted for quite a while, and in the end, Gu Shenhan confirmed that Gu Chengzhi wouldn't be coming back to China anytime soon. Maybe he’d come back during the Mid-Autumn Festival.

Yan Yu was quite surprised: “He’s actually doing appliance recycling? Gu Chengzhi? Are you sure you didn’t mishear, Xiao An Gege?”

“No, Han Ge really told me that. I was surprised too.”

“I’ve heard that business is pretty lucrative, but

After nearly two hours of fussing, they changed the children’s clothes and headed to Yulongtai.

The venue had already been set up. Before they even arrived, Rong Yuan could see many large balloons floating in the sky—stars, moons, little suns, and various cartoon animals.

Entering the gates of Yulongtai, both sides of the road were decorated with flowers of different colors, arranged to spell out the children’s birthday and welcome messages.

This flower-lined path stretched a full sixty-one meters, filling the air with fragrance all along the way.

Yan Yu remarked, “Great-grandfather is really generous.”

Rong Yuan was also secretly amazed. He hadn’t expected it to be so grand. In the garden, many guests had already arrived, chatting and catching up in small groups.

The eldest son's family and the youngest aunt's family were all present, along with the third son's family.

They, on the other hand, were a bit late.

When many people spotted their car, conversations paused, and hands waved in their direction. Xiao Ke slowly pulled up, and Gu Shenhan and Rong Yuan each carried one child.

There were clearly quite a few curious onlookers.

Rong Yuan felt a bit nervous and took a deep breath.

Gu Shenhan noticed, holding a child with one arm while putting his other arm around Rong Yuan: “Don’t worry, just say hello and then we’ll go rest.”

Rong Yuan nodded, and after getting out of the car with Gu Shenhan, they headed toward Elder Qin and Grandma Zheng.

Elder Qin was chatting with someone but smiled and said something to his friend beside him as he saw them approach.

As they got closer, Gu Shenhan greeted, “Elder Qin, Grandma Zheng, thank you both for coming to the children’s hundred-day banquet.”

Rong Yuan followed, “Hello, Grandpa Qin, Grandma Zheng.”

Grandma Zheng said, “We're family, Xiao An, so no need to be formal. Come, look at these two little ones—they’ve grown so much. Lao Qin, take a look, they’re so adorable.”

Elder Qin said, “Aren’t they the spitting image of Shenhan when he was little? Which one’s the eldest?”

“The one in blue is the eldest. He eats more than the younger one and is a bit sturdier,” Gu Shenhan said. “The younger one is more delicate.”

“They both look great. I always said you’d go far in life. Successful career, happy family—you're at a great point in life.”

“Thanks to Grandma Zheng’s help. I’ll definitely have to raise a toast to both of you a few times later.”

“Alright, then, go greet the others. I'll chat with your grandpa, and we’ll talk later.”

Gu Shenhan and Rong Yuan took the children to greet everyone, paid respects to several important elders and friends. Afterward, Rong Yuan went into the hotel with Yan Yu and Lin Xiaotang.

The invitations explicitly stated no gifts, but some people still privately brought plenty of things for the two little ones.

Fei Wendong’s family also came. Fei’s wife, curious about how the children came to be, was a bit worried for Rong Yuan.

She asked him privately, “Does Mr. Gu still keep in touch with the children’s mother? Don’t let yourself be taken advantage of.”

Rong Yuan smiled and said, “Well, they’re still in touch, but don’t worry, sister-in-law. I'll be just fine.”

Fei Wendong’s wife replied, “That’s good. In any case, no matter what, our Fei family will always stand behind you. So if anything happens, don't bottle things up.”

Rong Yuan agreed. Fei’s wife then brought out a pair of small gold lockets: “We thought long and hard about what to give, so we decided on these two small gold lockets, wishing the children peace and health.”

Rong Yuan thanked her and took them, put them on the children right away. The two little ones were awake, curiously grabbing them, babbling adorably.

Just then, a middle-aged woman whom Rong Yuan had never seen before appeared.

As soon as she showed up, Rong Yuan thought of Gu Shenhan. It wasn’t for any other reason—they just looked too similar in some ways.