When the twin sisters were four years old, Song Wei’s brother, Song Jing, who was already a regiment commander in the military camp, welcomed his second child.
Song Jing called her directly to share the news.
He was still stationed on the island. His first child after marriage was a chubby boy, and this time, he and his wife had a daughter.
Song Wei wanted to visit them.
When she gave birth to her children, her brother and sister-in-law had taken time off to visit her.
Now that the twin sisters were four years old, they could be taken along for the trip.
She decided to act on her idea.
That evening, Song Wei shared her thoughts with Lin Zhen.
“It’s the off-season for tea right now, and the goji berries haven’t ripened yet. This year, let’s go to the seaside. Actually, I’d also like to visit the grasslands.”
“We can take the children to see different landscapes and broaden their horizons.”
Lin Zhen had no objections. “Let’s wait two more days. I’ll hand over my work responsibilities, and once Xiao Nan and Xiao Bei are on summer break, we can all go together.”
If they were taking the twin sisters, they naturally had to consider the older two children as well.
“Let Ping’an know and see if he can join us. If not, it’s fine.”
Lin Ping’an had tested into Peking University on his own merits. When he left for school, the entire village set off firecrackers to see him off and held a three-day feast in his honor.
Now, it seemed he was working on some project with his mentor and might not have time.
Song Wei nodded. “Alright. If he doesn’t have time, we can stop by Beijing to see him after our trip south.”
Once the decision was made, Song Wei began preparing.
Yueyue and Xiaoxiao were thrilled to learn they were going south to visit their uncle and new little cousin. They asked every day when they would leave.
Song Wei said, “Once your brothers are on summer break, we’ll all go together.”
Xiaoxiao cheered, “Yay! Mommy, I love you the most!”
Song Wei smiled.
Although the children’s mischievousness sometimes made her want to scold them, most of the time, they brought her joy and happiness.
Xiao Nan and Xiao Bei were picked up by Lin Zhen as soon as their exams ended.
The four siblings hugged each other as if they hadn’t seen one another for years, sticking together like glue.
“Brothers, I missed you so much!”
“Sisters, I missed you so much!”
Song Wei resisted the urge to roll her eyes.
“Are you going to eat or not?”
The four children replied in unison, “Yes!”
Then, hand in hand, they walked inside.
At the dinner table, Lin Zhen told the two brothers about the plan to visit Song Jing. He hadn’t mentioned it earlier to avoid affecting their studies and exams.
The two brothers were naturally excited and wished they could leave immediately.
Xiao Nan said, “I’ve always wanted to go to the seaside! I’ve worn out our family photo album. Mom, do you think we’ll run into the orcas that gave you and Dad big fish back then?”
“I also want to go to the grasslands to see wolves, yaks, snow leopards, and Pallas’s cats.”
Song Wei and Lin Zhen’s past adventures at the sea and grasslands were so thrilling that Xiao Nan, who loved adventure, grew up listening to Song Wei’s stories accompanied by photos.
As a result, he had always yearned to see the sea and grasslands for himself.
Now that he finally had the chance, he couldn’t contain his excitement.
Xiao Nan asked, “When are we leaving? I’ll go pack my clothes now!”
Lin Zhen replied, “Tomorrow afternoon.”
Xiao Bei asked, “Are we bringing Bai Ying and Xiao Xue?”
Xiao Bei was referring to Xiao Xue, the snow-white wolf from that litter of grassland wolves back in the day.
Song Wei replied, “No, we’re going to the seaside this time. If we ever go to the grasslands, we’ll consider whether to bring them or not.”
After all, they were born on the grasslands, and Song Wei actually quite wanted to let them return for a visit.
Now that they had their own car, and Lin Zhen had a truck as well, it would be no problem at all to take a road trip to the northwest with a truckload of wolves.
While they were away, the animals at home could roam freely—they could go into the mountains or stay on the estate.
Their estate was now spacious enough, with plenty of fruit trees planted, and the animals could go wherever they pleased.
However, during their absence, they needed to find someone to manage and look after the estate.
Naturally, it was best to entrust this task to someone they knew well.
Lin Zhen went to Jiang Wenwu and hired an honest villager to feed the animals on the estate daily, paying a monthly wage for the job.
Someone from the brigade leader’s family would check in every day to ensure everything was in order.
Once everything was settled, Song Wei and Lin Zhen set off on a journey south with their sons and daughters.
This time, they didn’t take the train but traveled by plane.
With the country’s economic development, people had more transportation options for travel.
It was the first long-distance trip for the four siblings, and they were all very excited.
Lin Zhen had booked their flight seats together so the family could sit side by side.
Despite their excitement, the four siblings were well-behaved and didn’t cause any noisy disturbances on the plane.
“Wow… Mommy, look at the pretty clouds!”
“We’re above the clouds, just like Sun Wukong!”
“Brother, look at that cloud over there—it looks like a little dog.”
The two little girls chatted softly with their family, their sweet, gentle voices melting the hearts of those around them.
Many passengers nearby couldn’t help but glance at the two identical, exquisitely dressed little girls.
“Bro, are those two your daughters?”
A burly man who looked rather intimidating struck up a conversation with Lin Zhen.
Lin Zhen nodded. “Yes, they’re my daughters—twins.”
His tone carried a hint of unconscious pride.
The burly man’s eyes filled with envy.
“You’re living the dream, brother. You have such a beautiful wife, both sons and daughters, and twin girls at that. If I had two daughters like that, I’d wake up laughing in my sleep.”
He had heard the two little girls softly calling Lin Zhen “Daddy.”
It was utterly adorable.
Lin Zhen naturally fell into conversation with the man.
The speed of the plane made the journey much faster. After an overnight and morning flight, they arrived at their destination the following afternoon.
Lin Zhen and Song Wei didn’t even need to worry about managing the children—Xiao Nan and Xiao Bei each held one of their little sisters’ hands and led them out of the airport.
The four children showed no signs of discomfort in the unfamiliar city. Instead, their eyes sparkled with energy and excitement.
“Uncle, here we come!”
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