Chapter 35: The Twins’ Midnight Cries

The wind in the dead of night whistled through the window cracks, sounding like a mournful wail. Su Yao had only just closed her eyes when she was jolted awake by the crying of Lu Qingmiao. Almost immediately, Lu Suisui joined in. The cries of the two infants, wrapped in the darkness, were so piercing they seemed to shatter the eardrums, filling her with a sense of frantic alarm.

She fumbled in the dark for her coat, threw it over her shoulders, and scrambled up in a flurry. She first checked Lu Qingmiao’s forehead—it was cool, no fever. She then checked his diaper—dry. "Are you hungry?" she whispered, cradling the baby while her other hand reached for the powdered milk tin on the bedside table. Lu Zhanye was also awake; his long arm reached out to scoop Lu Suisui into his embrace, his palm gently patting her back. "There, there, don’t cry. Daddy is here."

The milk was prepared, and the nipple was pressed to Lu Qingmiao’s lips, but the little one turned his head back and forth like a rattle. Not only did he refuse to suck, but his crying grew even more urgent. Lu Suisui wasn't settling down in Lu Zhanye’s arms either; her little hands flailed, her face turned beet red, and tears and snot smeared her cheeks. Su Yao’s forehead broke out in a cold sweat. She recalled what Old Aunt Zhou in the village used to say: "When a child cries at night, they’ve been frightened; you need to call their soul back with millet." She rummaged through the dark, found a coarse porcelain bowl, grabbed a handful of millet, wrapped it in a piece of red cloth, and circled it over the babies' heads while chanting, "Qingmiao, Suisui, don't be afraid. Mommy is here, we are home now."

After chanting for a long time, the babies continued to wail. Lu Zhanye sat up, brow furrowed. "Should I go call Dr. Wang?"

"Don't go through the trouble," Su Yao shook her head. "Dr. Wang lives on the other side of the mountain. With the mountain paths slippery at this hour, it would take half the night to get there." She suddenly remembered a folk remedy—wiping the body with water boiled with mugwort could soothe the spirit. Ignoring the cold, she threw on a thick cotton-padded jacket and ran to the kitchen. She pulled out some mugwort dried the previous year and tossed a handful into the pot. It took several strikes of the fire-striker to get it lit, and as she watched the flames lick the bottom of the pot, she felt as anxious as if a cat were clawing at her heart, terrified that the babies might cry themselves sick.

When the mugwort water cooled to a lukewarm temperature, Su Yao carried the basin back. Lu Zhanye held Lu Suisui, and she held Lu Qingmiao, each wiping the babies' faces and hands. But the moment they were placed back into the cradle, the crying exploded, louder than before. Seeing the two babies crying so heart-wrenchingly, Su Yao’s eyes instantly reddened—she was already exhausted from the work at the pharmaceutical factory and hadn't slept enough, and now, to have the children be so difficult was simply overwhelming.

"Mom..." Lu Shihan rubbed her eyes and pushed the door open, her little jacket disheveled with one sleeve hanging loose. "Why do the little brother and sister keep crying? Are they in pain?"

"Mommy doesn't know either," Su Yao touched her daughter's head, her voice raspy. "I've tried several methods, but none of them work."

Lu Shihan walked to the cradle and crouched down. She gently touched Lu Qingmiao’s cheek and whispered, "Don't cry, little brother. Should I sing you a song?" She cleared her throat and began a lullaby she had learned at the military base: "The moon is bright, the wind is still, the leaves shade the lattice window..."

The singing was soft, drifting through the night. Lu Qingmiao’s crying actually quieted a little, but it didn't last half a minute before he started again. Su Yao stared at the bottle of spiritual spring water on the table. She suddenly remembered using it to dress little Wang’s burn—the pain had eased instantly. Perhaps it would work for the babies' night crying? She didn't have high hopes, as the water was meant for external injuries, but she was at her wits' end. She decided to try it as a last resort.

She poured a little of the spiritual spring water into a small bowl and diluted it with warm water, stirring it with a small spoon. "Shihan, help Mommy lift your brother up. Let's give him some water."

Lu Shihan quickly reached out, her two arms carefully circling Lu Qingmiao, her little hands still trembling. "Mom, I'll be gentle, I promise not to spill."

Su Yao dipped a small spoon into the water and held it to Lu Qingmiao’s lips. The little one dodged at first, but once his tongue touched the water, he suddenly opened his mouth and gulped it down. After three or four spoonfuls, his crying slowly faded, his eyes became heavy, and he leaned into Lu Shihan’s arms, breathing rhythmically. Before long, he was fast asleep.

"Mom! The little brother is asleep!" Lu Shihan’s voice trembled with surprise, terrified that even a slight noise would wake him.

A weight lifted from Su Yao’s heart. She quickly mixed another bowl of diluted spiritual spring water and fed it to Lu Suisui. The little one stopped crying after drinking, nuzzled into Lu Zhanye’s chest to find a comfortable position, and closed her eyes to sleep.

Lu Zhanye looked at the two finally quiet babies and let out a sigh of relief. "This water is truly effective. Why didn't we think of using it sooner?"

"I was just guessing," Su Yao smiled, though she couldn't help but wonder—this spiritual spring water couldn't just heal wounds; it could also soothe babies to sleep. Perhaps it had other uses, too.

"Mom, are the little brother and sister better?" Lu Yuxuan had also been awakened. He held a small ledger he usually used to help keep accounts for the pharmaceutical factory. "I heard the crying all the way from my room."

"They're fine, they fell asleep after drinking some water," Su Yao said. "Yuxuan, help Mommy keep a record. Each time we feed them 5ml of spiritual spring water diluted with 10ml of warm water. Let’s see if it continues to work."

Lu Yuxuan nodded, leaned over the table, opened the ledger, and wrote with a pencil: "Lu Qingmiao and Lu Suisui crying at night; fed 5ml spiritual spring water + 10ml warm water. Effective; fell asleep immediately after drinking." He even drew a small smiley face next to it and circled the word "effective" to ensure he wouldn't forget.

Over the next few days, the two babies cried every night, and Su Yao fed them the diluted spiritual spring water each time, with consistent success. Moreover, she discovered that after drinking the water, their appetites increased—previously, they would only drink half a bottle, but now they could finish a whole one, and their cheeks looked rounder than before.

Su Yao found a new notebook specifically for recording the usage of the spiritual spring water, labeling the cover "Spiritual Spring Water Parenting Log." She wrote inside: "Feeding infants with spiritual spring water: 5ml diluted with 10ml warm water stops night crying, leads to sleep within 10 minutes. Fed for five consecutive days; infant appetite improved, milk intake increased, no adverse effects observed."

Lu Yuxuan helped her update the record every day, drawing a small table on the side, marking "effective" in red ink and the "daily milk intake" in blue. He said, "Mom, if we record it this way, we'll know exactly how effective the spiritual spring water is for them and see if there are any other benefits."

Su Yao agreed, feeling more and more that this spiritual spring water was extraordinary. Professor Zhang had previously mentioned aerospace breeding; perhaps using this water to irrigate seeds would help them grow better? She would have to try that once she finished her current tasks.

That evening, Su Yao fed the babies the diluted spiritual spring water again. Lu Qingmiao didn't fall asleep immediately but opened his eyes, reached out his little hand, and grabbed Su Yao’s finger, babbling as if he were trying to talk. Su Yao felt a warmth in her heart and held his little hand, saying, "Is Qingmiao trying to talk to Mommy?"

Lu Zhanye leaned over to look and smiled, "These two, they'll definitely be closest to you when they grow up."

"They'll be close to you too," Su Yao gave him a look. "You're their father, who else would they be close to?"

Lu Zhanye laughed and reached out to pick up Lu Suisui. The little one happened to wake up, saw him, and suddenly grinned, revealing her toothless gums—a comical sight. "See? Suisui is close to me, too."

Lu Shihan and Lu Yuxuan sat nearby, watching their younger siblings with smiles on their faces. Lu Shihan said, "When they grow up, I'll teach them to sing the 'Penicillin Song'; brother Yuxuan can teach them accounting; brother Xingchen can teach them to do little experiments."

"That sounds wonderful," Su Yao nodded. "Our whole family will watch them grow up together."

The night grew deeper, and the two babies slept soundly, their little noses fluttering. Su Yao sat at the table flipping through the "Spiritual Spring Water Parenting Log," full of hope. She didn't know how many more secrets the spiritual spring water held, nor what difficulties she might face in the future, but she knew that with this water and the support of her family, she could overcome any obstacle. Life would surely get better and better; the pharmaceutical factory would be a success, and the children would grow up healthy and strong.

Lu Zhanye walked over and gently hugged her from behind. "Stop thinking so much and get some sleep. With a mother as devoted as you, the children will surely live to be a hundred."

Su Yao leaned into his embrace, smelling the scent of his military coat, feeling completely at peace. She knew that no matter what storms lay ahead, as long as this family remained, she had nothing to fear.

The next morning, Su Yao brought the "Spiritual Spring Water Parenting Log" to show Professor Zhang. Professor Zhang flipped through the book, his eyes lighting up. "This water is truly magical. It doesn't just heal wounds; it can soothe infants and promote appetite. Perhaps it contains some special minerals that are beneficial to the human body. Keep observing and record more data; it might be of great use for scientific research in the future."

"That's exactly what I was thinking," Su Yao nodded. "I'll keep recording it to see if it has any other uses."

Returning from Professor Zhang’s, Su Yao was even more determined to study the spiritual spring water. She felt that this water could not only make her family’s life better but might also help many others—like babies who cry at night or people in need of nutritional support.

That evening, Su Yao fed the babies the diluted spiritual spring water again. After drinking, Lu Qingmiao and Lu Suisui fell into a quiet sleep, small smiles lingering on their faces. Su Yao sat by the cradle, watching them, her heart full of happiness. She knew this was the life she wanted—simple, warm, and full of promise.

Lu Zhanye walked over and sat beside her. "Thinking about the spiritual spring water again?"

"Yes," Su Yao nodded. "Perhaps this water can help even more people."

"It will," Lu Zhanye took her hand. "Whatever you want to do, I will support you. Whether it's researching this water or running the pharmaceutical factory, I'll be by your side."

Su Yao leaned on his shoulder and smiled. The night was gentle, the house was quiet, and the children slept soundly. She knew that as long as she had the support of her family and the help of this spiritual spring water, the days to come would surely get better and brighter.