Chang Ningjing only wanted to shift the topic away from herself. So she mentioned that it had been a long time since she had seen Xue Jingrui.
"Jingrui is at home taking care of the children. They suddenly got two babies, twins - a boy and a girl," Chang Zhiyuan said.
"That's wonderful. The probability of boy-girl twins is very low," Chang Ningjing's tone still carried a hint of envy.
"Yes, Jingrui is now a stay-at-home dad," Chang Zhiyuan added.
Shen Yin and Xu Xiuhe now felt that the food at Qingfan Tower didn't taste as good anymore. The two couples in love were sitting right across from them, clearly in love with each other but hiding and concealing it. One couple was even more frustrating than the other, and the two of them had no appetite for their meal.
For some reason, during these gatherings, Xu Yunzheng was always the only one at the table eating contentedly without a care in the world.
"What are the two babies called?" Chang Ningjing asked.
"Suisui Niannian," the little one mumbled while nibbling on a piece of chicken.
"What do you mean by Suisui Niannian?" Chang Ningjing, who naturally loved children, started chatting with Zhengzheng upon hearing his words.
"The little brother and sister are called Suisui Niannian."
Shen Yin couldn't bear it anymore and said with a laugh, "The two babies are named Sui Sui and Nian Nian. Their formal names are Xue Le'an for the boy and Xue Leyu for the girl."
"Those names sound so nice. Jingrui is indeed more cultured than Zhiyuan."
"Sis, is that how you talk about your own brother? Besides, haven't you noticed that your name and mine are also cultured?"
Ningjing yizhiyuan (tranquility leads to far-reaching goals) was indeed quite cultured, Chang Ningjing thought. At least they hadn't named her something like Zhaodi or Laidi.
"Yes, yes, they are. But it's not like you came up with them. What's wrong with me saying Jingrui is more cultured than you?"
"When I have children in the future, I'll definitely give them names that are no worse than Jingrui's."
"Ahem, you're just talking big. You're not even married yet, where are you going to get children to name?"
The siblings' daily banter continued, neither giving an inch. Chang Zhiyuan suddenly deflated again.
He wanted to get married too.
"It's nice to have siblings. You always have someone to bicker with. Unlike me, I've been alone since childhood, with no one to talk to when I wanted to," Tan Xiao said, taking a sip of his Macallan whisky.
"You only say that because you don't have siblings. If you did, you wouldn't think that way," Shen Yin remarked.
"Yin Yin, don't you have an older brother too?"
"Yes, my brother has always thought I was ugly. Even now that I'm married, he still bickers with me."
"That's nice. If possible, it's best for a family to have two children," Tan Xiao said.
Hearing this, Chang Ningjing felt another pang of sadness. Tan Xiao was probably like her, fond of children, but...
"How's this whisky?"
"It's alright, quite mellow and fragrant," Xu Xiuhe said.
The topic had dampened Chang Ningjing's mood considerably, so she stood up and said, "I'm going to the restroom."
Shen Yin watched Chang Ningjing leave the private room, her retreating figure seemingly revealing her loneliness. She tapped Xu Xiuhe on the arm.
Xu Xiuhe naturally knew what Shen Yin wanted to do, so he nodded.
"I feel like going to the restroom too. I'll go now," Shen Yin said as she stood up and left the room.
The restroom at Qingfan Tower was quite secluded, located in the farthest corner. When Shen Yin arrived, Chang Ningjing was already washing her hands at the sink.
"Shen Yin, why did you come out?"
"It was too stuffy in there. I came out for some fresh air," Shen Yin said.
She actually had no intention of using the restroom, so she just went to the sink next to Chang Ningjing and washed her hands.
While washing, she glanced at Chang Ningjing's hands and said, "Sister Ningjing, your hands are so beautiful, both fair and long."
Chang Ningjing stretched out her hand, looked at it, and said, "Really? You're just good with words. Look at your own hands, they're beautiful too."
Shen Yin also extended her hand. Her fingers were long and slender, like spring onions, indeed beautiful. But the issue at hand wasn't whose hands were more attractive.
"They're fine, but I feel like your fingers are longer than mine. Why don't we dry our hands and compare?"
"Sure."
The two dried their hands but didn't leave. They stood in front of the sink outside the restroom and held out their hands.
Both hands were beautiful, each with its own characteristics. As they placed them side by side, Shen Yin said, "See, your fingers are indeed a bit longer than mine."
"But your hands are fairer than mine."
"No way, I think your wrists are more slender than mine," Shen Yin said, taking the opportunity to grasp Chang Ningjing's wrist.
"Is that so? From my perspective, I think your wrists are more slender."
"Let me measure," Shen Yin grasped again, this time placing her index and middle fingers on Chang Ningjing's pulse point.
There was indeed an issue with the pulse. Shen Yin put down Chang Ningjing's left hand and then held her right hand.
Not only was there cold energy in her body, but also a lot of dampness. It was probably the root cause of her illness. With such a body, how could she bear children?
"Sister Ningjing, do you experience a lot of pain during your period?" Shen Yin asked.
"How did you know? The pain is unbearable. I can't even go to work for those few days each month."
"Would you believe me if I said I could tell just by taking your pulse just now?"
"Really? Is pulse diagnosis that magical?" Chang Ningjing was surprised. She had seen many traditional Chinese medicine doctors throughout her life, mainly because of the severe pain. The doctors' answers were always that she had a cold constitution, and they prescribed Chinese herbal medicine for treatment. But even after drinking so much, there was no effect. The doctors could only say that it had been too long and couldn't be cured. So she didn't have much faith in traditional Chinese medicine.
"It really is. Why else do you think the country is promoting traditional Chinese medicine and culture so vigorously now? There must be some illnesses that are better treated with traditional Chinese medicine. Pulse diagnosis has been well-established since the Jin Dynasty."
"Have you studied it?"
"I suppose you could say that. I've been interested in it since I was young, so I researched it and read all kinds of traditional Chinese medicine books. I know a little bit about it."
Shen Yin was being modest. In fact, when she was in the Dasheng Dynasty, she did study it out of interest, reading books and asking imperial doctors. She only had a superficial understanding then, but who knew that after coming here, her skills would be amplified? On top of her basic knowledge, she learned a billion more little things.
"Why is the cold energy so severe?" Shen Yin asked, already knowing the answer.
"When I was young, I fell into a pond during my period," Chang Ningjing didn't try to hide it.
"Oh no, did it leave any lasting effects?"
"It did. I can't have children," Chang Ningjing said in a small voice, as if she had shed her outer shell.
"Have you sought treatment? I feel like your pulse doesn't indicate complete infertility."
