Only after Song Wei fell asleep did Lin Zhen go to see the two children.
Initially, he was worried about telling them apart, so he had wrapped them in swaddling clothes of different colors: one in dark blue and the other in light blue.
The one in dark blue was the older brother, while the one in light blue was the younger brother.
But the two infants didn’t look identical.
The older brother had thick eyebrows and big eyes, resembling a miniature version of Lin Zhen. He was also strong—right after birth, he wailed loudly with an exceptionally powerful voice.
The baby cried, but the adults laughed joyfully.
“This little one has such a robust voice! He’s sure to grow up tall and strong, just like his father!”
The younger brother was more delicate, with long eyelashes, and his eyes and small mouth looked more like Song Wei’s.
He was also quieter than his brother, not prone to crying. After just a few initial cries, he fell asleep.
Lin Zhen looked at the two children, listening to the elders’ discussions but feeling utterly confused.
Why couldn’t he see any differences between them? They looked exactly the same to him.
The elders were doting on the children, and no one noticed his puzzlement.
“Why is he crying so much?”
After all, it was his first time being a father, and seeing his older son cry like this made his heart ache.
Lin Ping’an nodded vigorously—this was exactly what he wanted to ask.
“He might be hungry.”
“Song Wei is still asleep. How do we feed the child?”
Lin Zhen quickly said, “We have formula at home.”
He hurriedly went to prepare the formula. Once the two bottles were ready, feeding became the next challenge.
Lin Zhen didn’t know how to do it.
Moreover, the babies were so small he was afraid he couldn’t hold them properly with one hand.
When Aunt Xinghua handed the older brother to him, Lin Zhen stiffened, too afraid to move.
In the end, Aunt Xinghua couldn’t bear to watch and took the baby back to feed him the formula herself.
The younger brother was held by Great-Auntie and fed formula. The little one, who had been asleep, woke up at the smell of the milk and eagerly latched onto the bottle, drinking greedily.
After eating and drinking his fill, he also wet himself. Aunt Xinghua called Lin Zhen over to teach him how to change a diaper.
Lin Ping’an also watched and learned.
He felt it was his duty to take care of his little nephews.
His sister-in-law had always taken such good care of him, so it was only natural for him to help her with the children.
The two brothers learned together. After demonstrating with the older brother, Lin Zhen tried changing the younger brother’s diaper. It was his first time, and he was still flustered, but he managed to succeed in the end.
Lin Ping’an was eager to try as well, but there were no more babies for him to practice on at the moment.
Song Wei had given birth in the morning and slept until evening.
She woke up only when hunger pangs struck.
Lin Zhen had already prepared porridge for her. Seeing her awake and hungry, he hurriedly brought it over.
It was cabbage and lean meat porridge, perfectly seasoned.
Song Wei ate it with relish, finishing the entire large bowl.
“Do you want more?”
Song Wei shook her head. “Where are the children?”
Lin Zhen stood up with the empty bowl. “They’re in the other room. I’ll go bring them over.”
Song Wei shook her head again. “No, moving them around might make them catch a cold. Help me clean up and carry me to the other room instead.”
Song Wei was sitting on the warm kang bed. Lin Zhen had already wiped her clean with a warm towel earlier.
After changing into clean clothes, Lin Zhen wrapped her snugly in a clean quilt and carried the large bundle to their bedroom.
This room had been specially prepared for her childbirth.
After giving birth, the room inevitably had blood and a lingering smell, so Song Wei needed to be moved to the main bedroom.
The children were already in the main bedroom.
The kang bed in the room was warm, and there was a brazier nearby. The window was slightly ajar, and the door was open.
The elders were all cooing over the children. When they saw Lin Zhen carrying Song Wei over, they quickly stepped forward to help.
Song Wei lay down on the kang bed, feeling not the slightest chill but instead sweating a little from the heat.
“Come take a look at the children! These two are so good-looking. One is like a miniature version of Lin Zhen, and the other looks like both you and Lin Zhen.”
Song Wei had been eager to see the children. As soon as they were brought over, she gazed at them intently.
“Why do they look so similar to me?”
Lin Zhen thought to himself, So it’s not just my eyesight! See, even my wife thinks the same.
“They haven’t fully developed yet. Once their skin smooths out, you’ll be able to tell them apart.”
It really was difficult to distinguish between babies when they were this young.
But Song Wei adored these two little ones, even if they looked a bit odd now.
Several female elders shooed Lin Zhen and Lin Ping’an out of the room, then sat by the bed to discuss breastfeeding with Song Wei.
Song Wei didn’t have any reservations about it.
Formula was hard to come by these days, and it wasn’t feasible to rely on it entirely—that would be too extravagant.
With two children, a combination of breastfeeding and formula would help them grow plump and healthy.
Song Wei herself ate well and hadn’t overexerted herself, so she had enough breast milk. At the very least, it would be sufficient while the two little ones still had small appetites.
Aunt Xinghua and the others shared their breastfeeding experiences with Song Wei but didn’t overstay their welcome or insist on watching her nurse.
After finishing their advice, they left.
“Just give it a try for now. When the children are hungry, hold them and feed them. It might hurt a bit at first if the milk hasn’t fully come in, but it’ll get better once it does.”
Song Wei nodded to show she understood.
“If you have any questions, just let us know.”
It was getting late, and it was time for them to leave.
Song Wei had given birth to two sons—such joyous news couldn’t be kept secret. Many people had been curious about whether she’d had boys or girls.
In less than a day, the news would likely spread throughout the entire Ping’an Brigade.
Lin Zhen kept busy late into the night. He sent Lin Ping’an to watch the stove where chicken soup was simmering—he had even added slices of ginseng to it.
Meanwhile, he cleaned up the room where Song Wei had given birth.
He soaked the clothes and bedding in warm water and scrubbed them clean with soapberries. He also swept and mopped the room, opening the window to let fresh air in.
After finishing these tasks, he checked on the simmering chicken soup and warmed himself by the fire.
Only when he was thoroughly warm did he enter the room to see his wife and two sons.
When he walked in, both children were awake, and Song Wei was trying to breastfeed them.
The older one, in particular, started crying the moment he woke up.
Lin Zhen’s face flushed red at the sight, but he didn’t leave. Instead, blushing, he picked up the younger son.
“Ouch…”
“What’s wrong?” Lin Zhen asked urgently.
Song Wei shook her head. “It’s fine now.”
The older son, finally getting breast milk, stopped crying. Tears still clung to his little face, but he suckled with surprising strength.
Song Wei hadn’t been able to attend to the younger one yet, but he didn’t cry or fuss.
Lin Zhen’s hold on the child was still somewhat stiff, but he refused to put him down.
He had to learn—after all, he would be the one taking care of the children in the future.
His wife was still in her confinement period and shouldn’t be overworked.
The younger brother was very well-behaved. Even when uncomfortable in Lin Zhen’s arms, he didn’t cry like his brother but instead whimpered softly, his tiny brow furrowed.
Lin Zhen carefully adjusted his hold.
Only when the little one’s brow relaxed did he let out a sigh of relief.
“Give him to me.”
Song Wei had finished feeding the older son and exchanged children with Lin Zhen to feed the younger one.
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