The rule I refer to is this:
For numeral + adjective + noun in genitive case structures where the numeral-noun-adjective phrase is serving in a nominative case (e.g., the three little pigs went to the market):
The adjective that is placed between the numeral and the noun is:
in the genitive plural if the singular form of the noun is masculine or neuter
and
in the nominative plural if the singular form of the noun is feminine.
Source: ТРОЙКА, section 15.2, p. 486
Side Note: If you cannot access the link above (where you'll have to click "Next" a few times before you get to the correct page), the following is also from the book (although I added a few personal touches to enhance the learning process):
Here is why I ask the question:
I have tried a number of different combinations with "два" + adjective + noun in genitive singular, both with Google's Ngram and search engine and little to nothing has materialized. I've tried the Russian equivalents of "two" (using both "два" and "две")* + young/old + men/women/girls/boys/soldiers to no avail (with the exception of “два хороших мальчика” where I found a mere 1,050 Google total hits — not thousands of or millions of). When I compare frequencies of various English words to Russian words and then this exact phrase, it leads me to believe that there are other, more common ways of saying things like two good boys, three new cars, four little kittens, et cetera.
*I suppose I could have also attempted combinations with "three" or "four," but assumed that if I was having difficulty with just the numeral "two," that the road to discovery would only roll downhill from there.
As always, thanks in advance for sharing your knowledge on this topic.
