Axolotl Translations

Today was the day Wei Jiajia was to report to university.

Once breakfast was finished, the whole family began to get busy.

“Jiajia, these are two new dresses I had them made for you by an experienced tailor from the sewing shop on the back street. Try them on and let me know if they fit. If not, I will have them altered,” Aunt Fen said as she handed new clothes to Wei Jiajia.

Wei Jiajia happily took the clothes from Aunt Fen’s hands, delighted to find they were in a simple, solid color that she liked, with a style that was both elegant and modest.

“I love them, thank you, Aunt Fen. I’ll change into them now and wear them to school today.”

She affectionately hugged Aunt Fen’s arm and rubbed her cheek against Aunt Fen’s shoulder like a contented kitten, before heading to her room with the new clothes.

“This child!” Great-aunt shook her head helplessly as she watched Wei Jiajia.

Then, she turned to Aunt Fen and said, “Don’t spoil her too much. You even went all the way to get these clothes made for her.”

“You’re already showing signs of pregnancy. Be sure to take it easy and don’t overexert yourself!” Great-aunt admonished Aunt Fen.

“I know, Godmother, I’m aware of my body and won’t tire myself. Besides, Jiajia’s going to university, so of course, she needs to look pretty,” Aunt Fen said with a smile, gently patting her belly.

When Nuannuan saw her sister with new clothes, an envious look immediately appeared on her face. She stared longingly at the new clothes in her sister’s hands, and only turned to look at Aunt Fen once Wei Jiajia had gone into her room.

Nuannuan had been staring at Aunt Fen for quite a while, but all she saw was Aunt Fen and Grandaunt engaged in conversation, completely ignoring her eager little gaze. Disappointed, Nuannuan dropped the tin frog she had been playing with and quickly ran over to Aunt Fen, stopping in front of her.

Aunt Fen noticed Nuannuan had come up to her, standing there silently, her wide eyes fixed on her. Smiling, she asked, “What’s the matter, Nuannuan?”

“Does Nuannuan not have a new dress? I want a pretty skirt too,” Nuannuan quickly blurted out as soon as she saw Aunt Fen had noticed her.

Aunt Fen’s heart softened as she saw the little girl’s yearning expression. After knowing about the little baby in Aunt Fen’s belly, Nuannuan didn’t act the way she used to, jumping into Aunt Fen’s lap and throwing a tantrum. Instead, she simply stood there, softly expressing her wish, and Aunt Fen couldn’t help but feel touched.

She bent down and gently patted the little girl’s fluffy head, smiling as she said, “Of course you have one. Aunt Fen has prepared dresses for both of you.”

“Really? Why didn’t I see them?”

Nuannuan’s face lit up with joy upon hearing Aunt Fen’s words, and she skipped up, turning her little head to look around. When she saw nothing, she turned back to Aunt Fen, confused.

Aunt Fen and Great-aunt were both amused by Nuannuan’s actions. couldn’t help but laugh at Nuannuan’s actions. Grandaunt gave Nuannuan a playful tap on the forehead, saying, “This girl is much more vain than Jiajia was at her age.”

Nuannuan raised her chubby little hand and rubbed the spot where Great-aunt had tapped, but didn’t respond, and instead giggled happily.

While playing nearby, Xiangyang heard Aunt Fen’s words and yelled loudly toward the outside, “Brother, brother, new clothes!”

Xiangdong and Xiangxi, who had just finished washing the dishes and were walking out of the kitchen, heard Xiangyang calling them. They entered the main room and looked at their younger brother sitting on the floor, asking, “What new clothes?”

Seeing his brothers enter, little Xiangyang stood up and ran over to grab their hands. He grinned, revealing a row of tiny teeth, and excitedly shared the good news with them: “Aunt Fen made new clothes!”

The twins still didn’t fully understand what Xiangyang meant, so they turned their gaze toward Aunt Fen and Great-aunt, who were sitting on the bench watching them.

“Aunt Fen made new clothes for all of you. That’s why the little ones are so excited,” Grandaunt answered, smiling at the twins.

“Really? We get new clothes even though it’s not New Year?” Upon hearing this, Xiangxi couldn’t help but get excited as well.

“Won’t Aunt Fen get too tired making the clothes? We don’t need new ones. Xiangxi and I have plenty of clothes, and they’re still new with no stains. We can wear them for a long time. Just prepare some for Xiangyang and Nuannuan.”

As the eldest, Xiangdong was happy about the new clothes but was more concerned about Aunt Fen’s well-being.

However, the two of them really didn’t lack for clothes. Compared to other children in school, their conditions were far superior.

Xiangxi, hearing what his older brother said, quickly turned to look at Aunt Fen’s belly and hurriedly added, “Aunt Fen, you don’t have to make clothes for me and big brother. We still have plenty of good clothes.”

After thinking for a moment, Xiangdong turned to his younger brother standing off to the side and said, “You can prepare clothes for Nuannuan and Xiangyang. They’ve been wearing our old clothes since they were little, and they haven’t worn many new ones!”

Great-aunt, seeing how the children in the house were so affectionate and loving, thought to herself, Even such young children know how to be respectful and considerate to each other. With this kind of bond, how could they not grow up to be successful?

Aunt Fen, looking at the children in the room, thought, Which wouldn’t enjoy wearing new clothes? Even I feel happy inside when I wear something new, so imagine how pleased these slightly older children must be.

Yet, the children’s first concern was their her health, expressing that they didn’t want to tire Aunt Fen out too much.

Seeing such thoughtful children, how could she not love them even more? After all these years together, even without blood relations, they had become even closer than family.

Aunt Fen smiled gently and reassured the children, “Don’t worry, I didn’t make them myself. A few days ago, I had Uncle Zhuzi buy the fabric, and then we took it to a tailor. It won’t tire me out.”

“However, your new clothes aren’t ready yet. They’ll be finished soon, and you can wear them when school begins.” She then turned to Nuannuan and Xiangyang and said, “You two will get to wear your new clothes and go to school with your brothers. Are you happy about that?”

“Happy!” Both of them replied in unison.

Hearing this, Xiangdong and Xiangxi finally felt relieved.

When Wei Jiajia changed into her new clothes and came out of her room, she saw everyone gathered together and spun around in front of them, asking, “Do I look good?”

Everyone praised her appearance. Xiangxi, however, took it a step further, dramatically declaring that his sister was so beautiful that Brother Haoyu should be worried, and that he would have to keep an eye on his sister for him.

This remark infuriated Wei Jiajia, who swatted him angrily. She couldn’t understand how such a little head could come up with all these nonsensical ideas.

Why couldn’t he be more like Xiangdong, who was always calm and composed? Look at Xiangdong, he never spouted nonsense like this.

However, what Wei Jiajia didn’t know was that, although Xiangdong didn’t speak up, he too was quietly worried about Brother Haoyu. His elder sister was just too beautiful, and with Brother Haoyu not around, there would definitely be many male classmates at university interested in her. He had already decided that if any man came within a meter of his sister, he would immediately write to Brother Haoyu . After all, he only recognized Brother Haoyu as his sister’s fiancé.

If Haoyu were to hear the twins’ thoughts, he would definitely be pleased, as it meant his strategy to build connections was working, with two loyal allies on his side.

Only the older twins went to send Wei Jiajia off to school.

Aunt Fen was pregnant, and Nuannuan and Xiangyang were still young. Great-aunt didn’t feel comfortable leaving them alone at home, and Uncle Zhuzi had to work, so the only ones who could go with Wei Jiajia were Xiangdong and Xiangxi.

She originally planned to go to the registration alone, but the twins refused to agree, insisting on accompanying her. They claimed that, since they would also be taking the college entrance examination in the future, it would be good for them to get a glimpse of university life.

Hearing this, she agreed. She had originally planned to drop off her bedding at the school, then return to pick up her clothes and toiletries. But since the twins wanted to come along, it was more convenient to move everything at once to avoid the hassle of multiple trips.

The three of them took two bus rides before arriving at Shencheng University, where Wei Jiajia would study.

Carrying their things, they reached the school gate. Seeing the bustling crowd at the entrance, Wei Jiajia finally felt that her dream was becoming a reality.

It wasn’t long before people started noticing the three of them standing at the gate, especially Wei Jiajia. In a crowd filled with other beautiful girls, she stood out like a swan among ducks.

Not to mention, the two identical, handsome boys standing beside her—obviously the twins—only made the scene more eye-catching.

“Hello, are you a new student registering this year?”

As Wei Jiajia and the twins were about to ask for directions, a girl with shoulder-length hair, a delicate appearance, and about 1.6 meters tall walked out of the crowd and approached them.

“Hello, I’m Wei Jiajia, a new student in the Chinese Department this year. May I ask your name?”

When Wei Jiajia saw the girl come over to ask, she quickly introduced herself.

“My name is Li Wenxiu, and I’m also a new student this year, majoring in the Chinese Department, just like you,” she introduced herself, then continued to explain.

“My home is far away, so I came to the school a few days ago to register. A lot of upperclassmen haven’t returned yet, so I decided to participate in the welcome event on my own.”

After finishing, Li Wenxiu looked at the twins standing beside Wei Jiajia and asked, “Are these your two younger brothers? They really look alike!”

“Yes, they’re twins. The one on the left is called Xiangdong, and the one on the right is called Xiangxi,” Wei Jiajia replied, then turned to the twins and instructed, “Xiangdong, Xiangxi, greet Sister Li.”

“Hello, Sister Li!” “Hello, Beautiful Sister!” The twins followed their sister’s cue and greeted politely.

Especially Xiang Xi, whose direct and earnest “Sister Li” made Li Wenxiu’s heart bloom, her smile becoming more sincere.

“Your two little brothers are so cute, and they’re handsome too. It makes me want a younger brother myself,” Li Wenxiu said. When she noticed a senior from the orientation committee walking over, she quickly added, “Let’s go. I’ll take you to register. Today’s the last day to sign up, and if we’re late, there won’t be any good spots left in the dormitory.”

Hearing this, Wei Jiajia picked up her bedding and followed Li Wenxiu into the campus. It was because of her inexperience that she assumed, just like in later years, dormitory beds would be pre-assigned, not realizing that she had to choose one herself.

The senior who had been about to approach sighed regretfully when he saw the three of them walking into the campus.

With Li Wenxiu’s assistance, Wei Jiajia had the twins sit on a bench by the campus road to wait for her, then went to the registration office to complete her paperwork. Afterward, she received the dormitory assignment from the teacher.

Next, she went to the school’s logistics department, sorted out her food-related matters, and received the school’s subsidy—11.5 yuan per month per person, along with some food stamps and other tickets.

After collecting all these, she found the twins, gathered her belongings, and followed Li Wenxiu to the girls’ dormitory building.

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