If you don't consummate the marriage for three years and then marry a successful educated youth

The others laughed along, "That's right, it's all thanks to the brigade leader's daughter-in-law. That cooling tea is really effective; it makes people feel comfortable and gives them energy."

"I used to feel dizzy during the day and didn't have much energy to work. When I got home at night, my head would throb and hurt. It was so painful. But in the last ten days or so, I've felt much better than before."

"Now I can finally rest for a few days, I'm exhausted."

The brigade leader laughed heartily: "My eldest daughter-in-law is kind-hearted and capable, and the two children get along well. We parents are very happy to see that."

Others joked, "Yeah, we thought the city educated youth's daughters were hard to please, but we didn't expect her to be so nice and able to settle down and live a peaceful life."

"Your Jiang family is so lucky. It's just a pity that they don't have any children yet. It's a little unsettling not to have any children."

"I heard from my relatives in the city that the college entrance examination may be reinstated soon. I don't know if they will let the educated youth go back then. I feel a little uneasy not having children."

The team leader smiled and brushed it off: "It's the children's business to handle themselves. As elders, we shouldn't interfere too much."

After exchanging a few polite words, he returned home. Before he could even look up, the two little ones ran over, hugged his legs, and cried, "Grandpa, we're back! Did you miss us?"

"Oh, you're back safe and sound. I should have told you beforehand so Grandpa could have come to pick you up."

"Is it hot on the road? Have your parents come back yet?"

Pingping, the eldest, looked up and giggled, "Grandpa, Dad brought us back. Mom went to Uncle's house and hasn't come back yet. My cousin is sick, so Mom went to take care of him."

The captain's smile froze for a moment. He slowly squatted down to look at his two grandsons. Their heads were unusually large, their cheeks were sunken, and their eyes were big. He touched their bodies and found they were all bones with little flesh.

She said with concern, "Ping An, how come you've gotten so thin? I asked your uncle to send you chickens and ducks to help you recover."

"Since she was born prematurely, if she suffers from health problems after taking supplements, she won't grow tall and her body will become weak."

Pingping's eyes darted away, and she lowered her head without saying a word.

The captain sensed something was wrong and gently patted his head: "Pingping, what's wrong? Is there something you can't tell Grandpa? Tell me the truth, did you really eat meat?"

An'an answered honestly, "Grandpa, we haven't eaten meat for many days. Mom said... my cousin isn't feeling well and needs to eat meat."

"Mom forbids us from telling Dad, Grandpa, please don't tell Dad either, or Mom and Dad will fight."

The two children looked at each other, their faces exactly alike; the only difference between the twins was that the younger one had a red mole between its eyebrows.

The captain took a deep breath, not wanting to frighten the two children, and said softly, "Okay, Grandpa won't tell your father. How about we take you to your aunt's house to play now?"

"They have little rabbits to watch and candy to eat. When you go there, you have to call them 'Auntie,' okay? Be good and don't make a fuss, okay?"

The two little ones nodded repeatedly: "Yes, yes, we like the bride, Auntie, she's so beautiful."

The brigade leader sent the two children to his eldest son's house and told them to come home for lunch. He said he would keep an eye on the children while he went home to ask his younger son what had happened.

Jiang Lie frowned slightly as he looked at his two thin nephews: "Are these two children so thin because they were born prematurely? They're much thinner than before."

"How did the second child take care of the child? Didn't he notice the child was abnormally thin?"

My stomach is rumbling.

The two little ones tilted their heads back and blinked, their eyes filled with fear as they looked at Jiang Lie. They were terrified of this uncle; they were always scared whenever they saw him.

When Wen Yao came out of the house, she was somewhat surprised to learn that the two children were her brother-in-law's twins. Baozhu had said that her brother-in-law worked at the supply and marketing cooperative and earned a decent monthly salary.

As for her sister-in-law, she also works in the factory; they are both employed. Surely they can afford to raise two children, so why are they so thin?

She beckoned: "Come on, come to the kitchen with your aunt. I'll steam some eggs for you. They're soft and delicious."

The two little ones swallowed hard, glanced at their stern-faced uncle, then at their grandfather, and promptly ran over, smiling sweetly: "Great job, beautiful auntie! Can we really have steamed eggs?"

Wen Yao said softly, "Of course you can. Steamed eggs are easy for children to digest. I'll steam some for you. You can sit under the eaves to keep it cool."

Looking towards the door, he said, "Dad, if my brother-in-law comes back, why don't we have him come over for dinner? I'll cook."

The captain waved his hand: "It's alright, you two can have lunch at home. Your mother has cooked. Keep an eye on the kids here. I'm going back to have a chat with the second son."

Jiang Lie said, "Wife, you watch the children. I'm going to ask the second son something. After they finish eating, take their pulses and see if they're not absorbing nutrients well and need some treatment."

"My second child has always been in poor health, and his parents were worried that both of them would be like that, so they took extra care of him from a young age, bringing him meat and vegetables two or three times a month. How could he be so thin?"

"Okay, I understand. You guys go ahead and get back to work."

Wen Yao closed the courtyard gate and went to the kitchen to start steaming eggs. After more than ten minutes, the golden steamed eggs were ready. She sprinkled some sesame oil, chopped green onions, and soy sauce on top, and they tasted even better.

When the temperature was right, I prepared a bowl for each of them and handed it over, watching them eat.

The two little ones sniffed, unable to resist any longer, and swallowed hard as they looked at her: "Auntie, would you like some? We can eat after you finish."

"Haha, no need, I'm not hungry. This is for you guys, eat up."

"Yes, Auntie, you're such a kind person."

Wen Yao watched them eat happily, then touched her head and felt a bit of a bone; they were all skin and bones with hardly any meat on them, they were too thin.

"Da Bao and Xiao Bao, how long has it been since you two ate meat?"

The two little ones ate without looking up: "Hmm, I don't remember. Auntie, can we stay at home for a few days? Do we not want to go back?"

"Okay, then you can stay at your aunt's house. I'll tell you stories and cook you delicious food tonight. How about we make chicken soup and chicken legs for dinner?"

Wow, really?

Wen Yao smiled and nodded: "Of course, aren't you happy?"

Ping An smiled and said, "Auntie, we're so happy! What kind of work do you need us to do? Do you have any matchboxes to paste? We can do that really fast."

"Hmm? Why are you doing that? You're only three years old, right? Children this young should sleep more and eat well. Just go out and play with other children."

"But Auntie, we have to paste matchboxes at home, otherwise we can't eat."

"...Who gave you permission to paste matchboxes?"

"Mom, Mom said we have to paste this, and she also said we can't be lazy kids, no one likes lazy kids."