The Sea Queen of 1985

Chapter 432: Chapter 432: The Clingy Child

Uncle Liu smiled. ”It’s the least we could do. The villagers know what’s right; they’re not stupid or blind. Seeing that lapdog Cao Xuewen fawning all over them reminds me of what his ancestors did.”

”We thought he might actually do a good job, but I guess a leopard can’t change its spots. The village is now thinking about ousting him. We don’t think he’s fit for the job. It doesn’t matter if he has someone higher up protecting him.”

Han Xiaorui was slightly taken aback when she heard this. Then, she lowered her voice and said, ”Uncle Liu, there’s no rush. I already have people investigating Cao Xuewen. Once we have evidence, we can remove him fair and square.”

Uncle Liu was stunned. ”You can really find something on him?”

”Yes!” Han Xiaorui replied. ”Don’t worry. Let him have his fun for a few more days.”

Uncle Liu smiled. ”Alright! I’ll wait for news from you.”

Han Xiaorui heard babies crying before she even stepped through the door and quickly hurried inside.

Sister Lian and Wu Yao were each holding a baby, trying to feed them, but the two little ones absolutely refused to drink the formula.

They were just wailing at the top of their lungs!

Han Xiaorui’s heart ached, but she was also exasperated. ’This formula is so good, yet they won’t drink it. It looks like I’ll never be able to leave the house.’

”Xiao Rui, you’re finally back! Hurry, the babies are starving.” Sister Lian looked as if she’d seen her savior when Han Xiaorui arrived.

They were clearly hungry but just wouldn’t eat. Their little faces were red from crying.

Han Xiaorui quickly took off her outdoor clothes, tossed them aside, and washed her hands. ”You two little masters, so demanding.”

”Sister Xiao Rui, don’t feed them one after the other. Lift up your shirt. You hold one, and I’ll hold the other for you. They can eat at the same time,” Wu Yao suggested.

Han Xiaorui shook her head and chuckled. ”That’ll be very tiring for you.”

”I’d rather be tired than see the babies cry,” Wu Yao said. She bent over, holding one of the babies, and the two of them started nursing together.

The moment they got their milk, the babies stopped crying instantly. The fat teardrops in their eyes no longer looked so pitiful.

”This formula is all top-quality. Why won’t they drink it?” Han Xiaorui reached out and poked a baby’s cheek. ”You two... does this mean I can’t go out anymore?”

Sister Lian laughed. ”They know breast milk is better, so they won’t drink formula. The two little ones are very smart.”

Wu Yao chimed in, ”Sister Xiao Rui, if anything comes up, I’ll run the errands. You shouldn’t go out. The babies can’t be without you. You can’t leave them, at least not before they’re six months old.”

Han Xiaorui grit her teeth. ”Sigh, I guess there’s no helping it. Who else but their mother? I’ll just have to wait until they’re a bit older before I go out to sea again.”

Sister Lian advised, ”Just go on a cruise for fun. Don’t go fishing anymore. It’s exhausting and difficult. You have a professional team now, so there’s no need to wear yourself out.”

Han Xiaorui could only agree. ”Mm, I can’t let the babies go hungry. But right now they’re small, and my milk supply is still enough. When they get bigger and their appetites grow, it probably won’t be enough. They’ll have to drink formula then.”

Sister Lian chuckled lightly. ”We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it. It’s like Ye Feng—I heard when he was little, he refused to drink formula. He drank a mix of powdered egg yolk in the congee water from cooking rice porridge. Maybe these two little ones will like that too.”

Han Xiaorui pinched the flesh on her belly. ”Well, I’ll try to eat more anyway. Maybe I can produce more milk.”

Wu Yao praised her, ”Sister Xiao Rui, don’t worry. Even if you gain a little weight, you’re tall, so you look especially good.”

Sister Lian also nodded. ”You might feel like you’re chubby now, but you won’t gain any weight nursing two babies. Eat more to replenish your body.”

After eating their fill and getting their diapers changed, the two babies lay comfortably in their little beds, fast asleep.

They had cried for a while just now, so they were very tired. As they slept, their little hands and feet would sometimes twitch.

Sister Lian’s eyes were filled with adoration. She had never married or had children of her own, and she treated her employer’s children as if they were her own.

Nannies like her, though called servants, had actually become like family to the Xu family.

Both Xu Yingying and Ye Zheng treated servants like Uncle Xu and Sister Lian with great respect.

Not only did they receive a regular salary, but when they reached an age where they no longer wanted to work, the Xu family would provide for their retirement.

When night fell, Ye Feng came home from work.

He took off his overcoat, changed into comfortable loungewear and slippers, and after washing his hands, stood by the bed watching the two sleeping babies.

Pingping and An’an were watching cartoons. They greeted Ye Feng, and then their eyes went right back to the television.

By the time Ye Feng got home today, Han Xiaorui and the children had already eaten.

Sister Lian quickly made a bowl of seafood noodles for Ye Feng. The hot, brothy noodles were delicious.

Sister Lian, Wu Jiao, and Wu Yao were watching the children, leaving only Han Xiaorui and Ye Feng in the dining room.

”Ye Feng, Director Zhao from the district’s investment promotion office came today. He wanted to ask for the leasing rights to those islands on behalf of those Japanese men,” Han Xiaorui said in a low voice.

”Did you agree?” Ye Feng asked.

Han Xiaorui quickly shook her head. ”How could I? Those are islands I leased, and they’re extremely important to my investment company. I won’t let them go. The Japanese saw that the grassroots approach wasn’t working, so they started pulling strings with the higher-ups.”

”However, I told Director Zhao everything the Japanese have been doing, from start to finish. I also told him they have ulterior motives—that they’re trying to collect hydrological data on Shencheng. Of course, that’s just an inference I made based on their reactions.”

”But today I’m certain they came prepared. I don’t think they’re just after the water park and aquarium, and not just to collect hydrological data. They have another purpose.”

Ye Feng was skeptical. ”What, is there some kind of treasure on the island?”

”You guessed it. There is treasure,” Han Xiaorui said with a smile. ”Sister Lian once said that during the war of resistance, a Japanese ship was blown up. The soldiers on it died, but their cargo disappeared.”

”Of course, this was all passed down by word of mouth, so who knows if it’s true. I was very suspicious, so I went to check it out. You know me, I have good luck. And I actually found a cave with a lot of chests inside.”

”When you finish eating, I’ll show you. I even brought back a piece of blue-and-white porcelain from inside. I don’t know anything about antiques, so I have no idea what dynasty it’s from.”

Ye Feng immediately put down his bowl and chopsticks and stood up. ”What’s there to eat? Let’s go, show me.”

Han Xiaorui remained seated. ”No. You have to eat to keep your strength up. You’re always busy with work, so you probably don’t eat properly. Now that you’re home, how can you not eat a decent meal?”

”Your body is your own, but it’s also ours. If your health suffers, how will we—your wife and kids—get by?”

Ye Feng smiled happily. It felt so good to be cared for. ”You’re right. It’s not like that stuff is going to run away. I’ll finish eating, then we’ll go look.”

Although he said that, Ye Feng was clearly eating much faster than before. He was dying to see what kind of treasure it was.

’If it’s Yuan blue-and-white porcelain, it would be incredibly valuable.’