At the beginning, he took his seven younger siblings to join Yi Zhonghai.

The ward fell silent again, with only the two little ones whimpering and the faint smell of milk filling the room.

Yi Zhongding closed the door, let out a long sigh of relief, turned around, and met Bai Yushu's smiling gaze. The two smiled at the same time.

Yi Zhongding walked to the bedside and sat down, glancing at the two little ones who had quieted down on the small bed again.

Then, looking at his five younger siblings chatting excitedly by the window, he couldn't suppress the smile on his face.

"This is going to be lively. These two little ones are so lucky to have so many 'elders' of similar age playing with them as they grow up."

Yi Zhongding said in a low voice.

"Let them play. The guy in the army has grown taller again. I haven't seen him for more than a month. In another two years, he'll probably be taller than you."

"As for those two little guys, they're really lucky."

Bai Yushu leaned against the headboard, her gaze softly falling on her younger siblings, and then looking at her two sons.

"Boys are at the age where they are growing."

"By the way, are you guys hungry? It's almost noon, I'll go to the cafeteria to get some food."

As Yi Zhongding was speaking, he suddenly remembered something, stood up and said...

"Brother, I'll go! I know where the cafeteria is and I know the way."

Yi Zhongyao was the first to raise his hand and speak.

"You can't carry that much by yourself. I'll go with Miaomiao. You and Junzhong stay here with Yushu."

Yi Zhongding shook his head and said.

"I'll go too! Brother-in-law, I'll help you carry your things, I'm strong! Besides, all three of our meal tickets are in my hands."

Zhang Junzhong immediately stood up and said.

"Okay, let's go. Keep your meal tickets and eat your fill when you get back to school. All three of you are too thin. Your brother-in-law has the receipts here."

Yi Zhongding patted him on the shoulder.

He then turned to Bai Yushu and Tan Xiulian and asked, "What would you like to eat? I'll get you a separate serving. Sister-in-law, what would you like to eat?"

"Anything is fine, something light. Ask your sister-in-law what she wants to eat."

Bai Yushu thought for a moment and then said.

"I'm fine with whatever you buy, I'll eat whatever you buy, don't worry about me."

"I'll go home for a bit and then go to the supply and marketing cooperative to see if I can buy some fresh chicken or something to help Xiaoyu produce milk."

Tan Xiulian, who was hanging up a washed towel by the window, turned around and said this.

"Sister-in-law, you don't need to worry about these things, I can handle it. Yu Shu can go home to recuperate after childbirth, and I'll prepare the nutritious food."

Yi Zhongding waved his hand and said.

"That's fine too."

Tan Xiulian nodded.

Yi Zhongding then led Yi Zhongmiao and Zhang Junzhong out the door.

The three walked along the corridor toward the cafeteria. When they passed the nurses' station, the nurse on duty called out to them.

"Director Yi, your wife's discharge procedures can be completed tomorrow morning. Dean Jin specifically instructed that you can stay for a couple more days, whichever is more convenient for you."

The nurse spoke up.

"Okay, I understand, thank you."

Yi Zhongding responded and then considered the matter in his mind.

Bai Yushu gave birth early yesterday morning. According to the usual procedure, she will be observed for three days after a normal delivery, and she can be discharged tomorrow.

My sister-in-law has already helped with the preparations at home. The kang (heated brick bed) is heated, the bedding has been aired, and most of the things needed for postpartum care have been prepared.

It's more comfortable to go home and recuperate than to stay in the hospital; at least I can get some special treatment without having to hide it from people.

When the three of them returned with their food, they were greeted by a strong aroma of milk as soon as they opened the ward door.

Bai Yushu was feeding Sijin milk while lying on her side. The little guy was happily eating the grain container in his mouth, his little hands tightly clutching his mother's clothes, as if afraid the grain container would fly away.

Erliang lay beside her, her big, dark eyes wide open, her little fist in her mouth, making "smacking" sounds, as if she were nursing in her dreams.

"Oh, you're eating four pounds now?"

Yi Zhongding smiled and placed the lunchbox on the bedside table.

"Yes, they're both hungry. After Sijin finishes eating, I'll feed them Erliang. You take them to eat first, don't wait for me."

Bai Yushu raised her head, her eyes filled with a gentle smile.

Several teenagers, who were already hungry, immediately gathered around upon hearing this.

Yi Zhongding opened the lunchboxes one by one; the food in the cafeteria today looked pretty good.

Braised pork with potatoes, stir-fried greens, a bowl of egg drop soup, and multigrain steamed buns as the staple food.

Although it wasn't a lavish meal, it was quite a respectable one in the winter of 1960.

"Brother-in-law, the food at your hospital is amazing! It's much better than what we get at our nursery!"

Zhang Junzhong grabbed a steamed bun, took a big bite, and mumbled something indistinctly.

"That's right, the nursery serves boiled radish shreds and cabbage shreds every day, and we're all starving."

"But it seems like they've hunted a lot of game somewhere recently, and they've given us some meat."

Zhang Xikang followed up with his own words.

"Then you should eat more. It's the time when you're growing, so don't go hungry. Come to your brother-in-law's house whenever you have time, and he'll try to get you some nutritious food."

"but......."

Yi Zhongding smiled and placed a piece of food on their plate, then revealed a knowing smile.

"But we can't tell anyone, we can't tell anyone."

Zhang Xikang was the first to shout.

"That's right."

Yi Zhongding nodded with a smile.

A group of people sat around the benches by the hospital bed, enjoying a lively lunch in the warm winter sunlight streaming through the window.

After the meal, Yi Zhongyao and Yi Zhongmiao took the initiative to clean up the dishes and take them to the washroom to wash.

Zhang Gaoyuan and Zhang Xikang lay by the bed, whispering something to Erliang.

Erliang had just finished eating and drinking and was in a good mood. He would occasionally hum in response, which made the two little girls giggle.

However, these two little guys don't have much battery life right now, so they can only respond with two sentences. They're already asleep by the third sentence, and they don't have the energy to say another one.

"Brother-in-law, I heard from my second uncle and the others that you're researching a drug to treat malaria? They said it's particularly important?"

Zhang Junzhong then moved a small stool and sat down next to Yi Zhongding, lowering his voice to ask.

"Did your dad tell you that?"

Yi Zhongding was slightly taken aback, glanced at him, and asked.

"He just mentioned it casually during a chat at home, without going into details. I'm just curious, isn't there quinine for malaria? Why do they need to research a new one?"

Zhang Junzhong scratched his head and asked.

"Quinine is a good drug, but firstly, its production is limited, and our country has a large population, so there is not enough medicine. Secondly, the malaria parasites in some areas have begun to develop resistance to quinine."

"If a new, cheaper, and more effective drug can be found, people in many poor areas will be able to access it."

Yi Zhongding remained silent for a moment before speaking carefully.

"Is it difficult?"

Zhang Junzhong nodded as if he understood, and then asked.

"It's difficult, very difficult! But no matter how difficult it is, someone has to do it."

"It's like your parents liberated Tibet and then stayed there for ten years, so they couldn't even take care of you three children."

"And those soldiers in the high-altitude areas, they have it even harder. Their children, just like you, are left behind in the rear."

"But for the sake of the new nation, we must face difficulties head-on, no matter how difficult it may be."

Yi Zhongding thought for a moment, looked into the eyes of his three younger siblings, and said softly but firmly.

Zhang Junzhong lowered his head thoughtfully and didn't ask any more questions.