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The little girl pouted angrily, rubbing her face against his: "You bad guy, how could you not tell the difference between me and Anna?"
"Really? Hahaha!" Xu Li chuckled, pulling her back into the room. Although it was a bit stuffy inside, the electric fan provided a refreshing breeze. After locking the door, he rubbed his hands together.
When Andrei and Natasha returned in the evening, the table was filled with dishes. Xu Li had picked up some skills in making home-style Chinese stir-fries from the chefs in the hotel kitchen during his spare time.
He poured a drink for his father-in-law and noticed the sisters nodding their heads while eating. He grinned and asked, "Is it good?"
Both sisters perked up, and Natasha gave Xu Li a thumbs-up. His father-in-law raised an eyebrow and tilted his head slightly: "Not bad."
"Hehehe." After getting the answer he wanted, he chuckled and dug into his food. "Dad, how old are Anna and Eva now? I feel like they must be at least seven or eight years older than me."
Natasha couldn't help but laugh: "Silly child, people here mature earlier. Anna and Eva don’t have to work; all they do is eat, sleep, and play all day. It's normal for them to be a bit more developed."
Andrei took a sip of vodka: "I told you they're just like you. It's strange though; ever since they recovered from their fever, their appetites have increased significantly. Your mother and I didn’t pay much attention to it at first. After summer break, Lao San took them to Bratsk for school."
At this point, he sighed: "The first two years were fine; we were all kids after all, and our academic abilities were similar. But as time went on, it became odd. Other kids could fill out their test papers well enough, but our two little treasures would hand in blank sheets. It infuriated the teachers so much that they called your Brother Three to school."
"When asked about it, they would just cry. In the end, it was the teacher who suggested taking them to the hospital for an examination. The doctor said it was likely due to that high fever that had damaged their brains; their intelligence level would only be maintained at around that of a child their age. They might improve a bit later on, but it would be limited."
Coincidentally, that year Lao Si was interning at a large hospital in Moscow. He used connections to have specialists examine them again, and the conclusion was the same. Our family discussed it and decided to take the two girls back to live in the countryside. There’s no urban chaos here or ill-intentioned people; they can live carefree lives.
Xu Li lit a cigarette for his father-in-law, who exhaled a puff of smoke while watching his daughter eat heartily with affection in his eyes: "Originally, your mother and I planned to take care of them for life; there’s nothing wrong with being an old maid after all—there are plenty of old maids around here in Da Mao."
"But then I thought about how your mother and I will eventually grow old one day. By then, all your brothers will have their own families. Taking care of one is manageable, but two at once? Even if they’re willing, what about their wives and children?"
"People here are very practical; while family ties are important, we also need to consider reality. Last year when I went to Irkutsk to see Old Comrade, he had three sons and one daughter. That daughter isn’t particularly beautiful—she's chubby—but she has a loving Chinese husband."
"I stayed at Old Comrade's house for four days; he has trouble walking, so every day his son-in-law was busy running around. He had to work during the day and come home at night to cook. That young man didn’t show any impatience at all. I couldn’t help but ask him if living like that wasn’t tiring."
At this point, Andrei smiled with some sentimentality: "He said it's what he should do; his wife didn’t mind marrying him when he was poor and even gave him a son and a daughter. This is his home—it's only right that he works hard for it!"
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