"They're so young—can they even understand?" Huo Tingzhou had little memory of his own life before the age of three.
"They probably can." Jiang Si was also a first-time mother and didn’t have much experience in this area.
But in later generations, there were plenty of educational picture books for toddlers.
She’d heard that at three months old, babies’ vision was still quite blurry.
They couldn’t distinguish complex colors yet, only simple black and white.
During this period, frequently showing them high-contrast black-and-white patterns—like zebras, penguins, or pandas—could help develop their visual tracking skills.
As they grew older, they could gradually transition to black-and-red combinations and eventually full color.
Jiang Si had no intention of being a "tiger mom." She just wanted her children to grow up happy and carefree. The rest? Well… that could be left to their father.
She simply didn’t have the energy—or the desire—to push them relentlessly.
Still, within her means, she’d give them everything she could.
Drawing a few picture books wasn’t difficult for her. She considered it her first gift to them after their birth.
Since Jiang Si was set on the idea, Huo Tingzhou naturally didn’t object.
She was only a few months pregnant now, so there was plenty of time before the babies arrived.
After a moment’s thought, Huo Tingzhou said, "How about waiting a couple more days? I’ll go with you this weekend."
The drive from the military base to the county town took about an hour, and the supply trucks usually sped along.
If they were late, they might even have to stand the whole way.
There was no way he’d let her go alone.
Jiang Si thought it over and agreed.
She wasn’t familiar with the county town anyway, and having Huo Tingzhou along would make things much easier.
So early on the weekend, the two set off for a shopping spree in town.
They found oil pastels, crayons, and watercolors after visiting a few stores. The only trouble was heavyweight cardstock—Jiang Si searched every stationery shop in the county but couldn’t find any.
In the end, she settled for thick sketch paper instead.
With all the supplies ready, Jiang Si returned home and began her creative work.
Time passed steadily, and by late May, she finally finished.
She’d drawn over a hundred illustrations, featuring animals, geometric shapes, simple household items, and more.
As for the binding, hole-punching, and paper smoothing, she left all that to Huo Tingzhou.
Meanwhile, she busied herself making fabric books for the babies.
She chose only the softest materials—pure cotton and corduroy.
The only issue was the limited fabric colors available in this era, but that didn’t stump Jiang Si.
After two days of dyeing and mixing shades, she finally had all the colors she wanted.
Unexpectedly, before the babies could even see the fabric books, their father was the first to flip through them—with great interest, no less.
Jiang Si couldn’t help but laugh.
It was hard to reconcile this gentle, soft-spoken man with the strict drill instructor He Ping and the others often described.
Still, she suddenly gave him a scrutinizing look. "With you like this, how are you going to be a stern father later?"
Huo Tingzhou hesitated. "Do I have to be stern?"
"Of course! Look at Teacher Hu’s family—when it comes to raising kids, one parent plays the good cop, the other the bad cop."
Jiang Si knew herself well. She’d been pampered growing up.
At best, she could avoid spoiling their children or enabling them. But being a strict mother? Impossible.
So the tough job would have to fall to him.
Huo Tingzhou seemed to wrestle with the idea. Once, he’d assumed his rigid personality would naturally make him a no-nonsense, authoritative father.
But ever since his wife became pregnant, he realized he might not be able to do it.
Because no matter whether they were boys or girls, he already loved them—simply because they were hers.
Loved them so much he couldn’t bear to frown at them even once.
"I might struggle with being strict," he admitted honestly, "but I’ll do my best to be a father they love and can always rely on."
Jiang Si understood his reluctance, but sometimes, it was better not to make absolute promises.
So she deliberately set a trap for him. "Mm, I believe in you. You’ll be a wonderful dad—the kind everyone adores."
Then, with a mischievous glint in her eyes, she added, "Which means you’ll also be in charge of helping them with homework later."
Huo Tingzhou wasn’t blind to his wife’s teasing—especially with Old Xiao’s big mouth around—but he agreed without hesitation.
For one simple reason:
They were her children.
And because of that, he could never bring himself to be harsh with them.
Just as Jiang Si was about to say more, she suddenly felt something glide lightly across her belly.
She froze.
"Sweetheart, what’s wrong?" Huo Tingzhou noticed her reaction immediately and dropped the fabric book in alarm.
Jiang Si wanted to smack him. "I’m fine—pick that up right now—"
Before she could finish, the tiny bump, no larger than a ping-pong ball, shifted again.
"Wait—look!" Her voice trembled with excitement, as if she’d never seen the sky before. "Is this what Doctor Jiang meant by fetal movement?"
Jiang Si’s pregnancy had been positioned farther back, something Doctor Jiang had explained was normal—a posterior placenta.
It wasn’t a problem, just meant she’d show later and feel less movement.
At last month’s checkup, Doctor Jiang had reminded them to pay close attention for any signs of movement.
But after weeks of waiting, Jiang Si still hadn’t experienced the "little fish bubbles" or "butterfly flutters" other mothers described.
She’d even been muttering earlier about when her babies would finally make themselves known.
And now—this sudden, wonderful surprise!
Though her twins seemed content with just these two gentle nudges before settling back into their quiet "underwater" world.
Still, Jiang Si was overjoyed.
Huo Tingzhou’s eyes even reddened with emotion.
The topic of fetal movement reminded him of something else—during their last visit, Doctor Jiang had mentioned that at five months, they could do an ultrasound to check for umbilical cord issues.
They could also listen to the babies’ heartbeats.
Glancing at his watch—it was barely past ten—he suggested, "Sweetheart, should we go to the hospital now for the ultrasound?"
Jiang Si’s heart raced with anticipation.
She nodded immediately. "Let’s go—right now."
After a quick preparation, they hurried to the military hospital.
Doctor Jiang was still performing an ultrasound for another patient, so the two waited in the hallway.
After waiting for about ten minutes, a burst of crying came from inside. "Doctor Jiang, I beg you, just tell me whether this baby is a boy or a girl, please?"
Faced with the expectant mother's desperate plea, Doctor Jiang frowned. "Comrade Li Mei, the hospital has its regulations. We cannot disclose the gender of the fetus."
"I know, but could you make an exception for me?"
After some rustling sounds, Li Mei's crying resumed. "This is just a small token of my gratitude..."
Before she could finish, Doctor Jiang cut her off sharply. "Comrade Li Mei, please leave immediately."
"Doctor Jiang..."
Without even glancing at her, Doctor Jiang called out toward the door, "Next."
Seeing Doctor Jiang's attitude, Li Mei's face twisted with resentment.
Whether it's a boy or a girl—it's just a simple answer, yet she had to act all high and mighty.
See? These days, if you don’t give birth to a son, even doctors look down on you.
With these bitter thoughts, Li Mei stepped out, her expression dark.
Especially when she saw Jiang Si being helped into the examination room by Huo Tingzhou—the fire in her heart burned even fiercer.
Both pregnant, yet her fate was so much harder.
In the end, it all came down to her useless belly.
If she hadn’t given birth to three daughters in a row, her husband would’ve definitely come with her.
Jiang Si paid no mind to others' self-pity. By now, she was already lying on the examination bed with Huo Tingzhou’s support.
"How have you been feeling lately?" Doctor Jiang squeezed some gel onto her belly while sliding the ultrasound probe.
"Not bad. The baby moved twice this morning—pretty noticeable." Jiang Si gestured to indicate the size.
Doctor Jiang smiled. "That size is normal. Just make sure to take it easy when you get back."
Then, she turned her attention to the ultrasound screen.
Suddenly, Doctor Jiang leaned forward, her eyes lighting up—
[Orange is so torn—should we let Old Huo get his wish?]
