Given Qiao Dongliang’s character, if he stayed in the army, his good prospects would be ruined by him.

  A soldier should not have such behavior.

  Zhai Sheng knew vaguely that the Qiao family felt that it was because of Qiao Nan that Qiao Dongliang had to leave the army and gave up his chance of promotion.

  But in Zhai Sheng’s opinion, it was good that Qiao Dongliang left the army because of Qiao Nan.

  Otherwise, given Qiao Dongliang’s situation, if he stayed in the army, sooner or later, he would commit a grave mistake.

  Qiao Dongliang might commit mistakes and make a blunder, but what was serious was that he might implicate his comrades.

  Previously, Zhai Hua committed a grave mistake and her brother was injured because of her.

  “I won’t think too much anymore.” Qiao Nan was in a better mood after talking to Zhai Sheng. She had vented her frustrations and unhappiness. “I have finally understood what kind of person my dad is. He will change from time to time. I did not realize that he wants to play the role of a loving father.”

  Her father’s main objective was for both of his daughters to do well.

  Of course, Qiao Zijin was his main focus.

  Her father would stand by her side and help her when she was down. Now that she led a better life, even if Qiao Zijin was doing fairly well, he still wanted to help her so that she could lead a good life.

  She was not willing to accept that her father kept changing his attitude toward Qiao Zijin.

  After being through all the sufferings in the previous life, Qiao Nan had turned to be cold and indifferent in this life. She had accepted the fact that she did not have any affinity with her mother.

  Since she did not have an affinity with her father as well, there was no need for the two of them to suffer.

  “It’s nine o’clock now. You should go to sleep. I will try to go home on Lunar New Year’s eve.” Zhai Sheng was relieved that Qiao Nan had sorted out her thoughts. But at the same time, he was saddened that Qiao Nan had to go through so much at her young age.

  \r \r \r

  After the Lunar New Year, Nan Nan was only twenty-one years old. Since a young age, her parents never showered her with love. How could she possibly sort out her thoughts easily?

  Her parents were too disappointing. Nan Nan had no other choice but to give up on them.

  Zhai Sheng sneered after ending the call. Since Qiao Dongliang was courting disaster, there was no need for him to do anything else.

  Since Qiao Nan did not say anything, Qiao Dongliang did not think about their recent conflict anymore.

  But the next day, the atmosphere between the father and daughter seemed odd. Although they seemed to be harmonious and happy, both of them knew that they were merely trying hard to maintain the peace in the family.

  If they were truly happy being in each other’s company, they should not feel awkward and stiff.

  After discussing with Qiao Nan regarding what ingredients to buy, Qiao Dongliang headed out to buy them. However, his smile disappeared as soon as he stepped out of the house. “The kids have grown up and they have a bad temper.”

  Nan Nan also knew that Chen Jun was a bad person. Zijin was bound to suffer if she dated Chen Jun.

  Although Qiao Dongliang showed his displeasure to Qiao Zijin and said that he would wash his hands off her, he was, in fact, very worried about her.

  The reason why he ignored her was that Qiao Zijin refused to listen to him.

  If Qiao Zijin was willing to listen to him, break up with Chen Jun, and have another boyfriend, Qiao Dongliang would welcome them into the house. He was willing to accept his future son-in-law and his gifts.

  They were one family. Now that Qiao Zijin was with Chen Jun, if she ended up in serious trouble, she had no one but her family to help her.

  They could not possibly watch by the side as Qiao Zijin was being bullied.

  Once bitten, twice shy. Qiao Nan had no choice but to protect herself. However, Qiao Dongliang was unhappy that Qiao Nan refused to help her sister.

  He used to think that Qiao Zijin and Ding Jiayi had gone way overboard in the past, and that was why the family was torn apart. He always believed that Qiao Nan was a soft-hearted child.

  If Ding Jiayi and Qiao Zijin were desperate for help, Qiao Nan would definitely help them.

  But Qiao Dongliang was displeased that Qiao Nan had said it beforehand that she would not help them if such circumstances arose.

  Ding Jiayi was Qiao Nan’s mother and Qiao Zijin was her sister. If they really needed help, even if one did not have the means, one must think of ways to help them. Moreover, if Qiao Nan had the ability, all the more she should help them. This was expected of a normal human being.

  Nothing had happened yet, but Nan Nan behaved as if she could not wait to draw a line between them and extricate herself. She behaved as if she had no conscience.

  Qiao Dongliang, who went out to buy the ingredients, was perplexed. Why would Qiao Nan become so cold and indifferent, not giving a care to family ties without an apparent reason?

  She was too cold-blooded.

  Nothing had happened, yet Nan Nan was quick to distance herself from them. If something happened, would she care?

  Qiao Dongliang felt upset. He did not feel like buying the ingredients for the Lunar New Year.

  After Qiao Nan married Zhai Sheng, given the Zhai family’s love toward Qiao Nan, Qiao Dongliang had no need to worry for Qiao Nan.

  If the elder daughter married and was bullied by her in-laws, given the Zhai family’s influence, it only needed a word from Nan Nan and Zijin would be leading a better life.

  However, if Nan Nan really did not bother to help, what would happen to Zijin?

  It seemed that he had to find a chance to speak with Nan Nan.

  He did not ask for much. Nan Nan could ignore all the other ridiculous requests that Zijin made.

  If Zijin was unlucky and she married someone who was not good to her and she was bullied, he hoped that Nan Nan would seek justice for Zijin so that her in-laws would know that Zijin’s family was not to be trifled with.

  He had only this simple request of Qiao Nan.

  Qiao Dongliang felt that he did not ask for too much and he did not request that Qiao Nan helped Qiao Zijin. However, he did not know that in the previous life, Qiao Nan made a lot of sacrifices for Qiao Zijin. When Qiao Zijin was sick, she even schemed to get Qiao Nan’s kidney!

  Qiao Nan knew what was on Qiao Dongliang’s mind and that it was impossible for him to put himself in her shoes.

  She did not intend to tell anyone that she had been through rebirth, especially Qiao Dongliang. She did not want his sympathy.

  Qiao Dongliang could do whatever he wanted. She would not interfere.

  It was the day before Lunar New Year’s eve. Zhai Hua made a call to ask Qiao Nan out early in the morning. “Lunar New Year is coming. Let’s come out to buy some clothes.” Actually, it was Zhai Sheng who made the call personally, ordering her to ask Qiao Nan out.

  Since she was cooped up at home recently, she could take this chance to take a walk outside as well.

  1045 Untitled

  “Sure.” Qiao Nan did not feel like staying at home. She was either reading a book or staring at Qiao Dongliang awkwardly.

  They might not have gone into details, but some words, once said, would change everything and there would be no way to return to its original state.

  Qiao Dongliang could not understand why Qiao Nan was so heartless, while Qiao Nan could not accept Qiao Dongliang’s idea of being helpful to one’s family.

  After all, Qiao Dongliang and Ding Jiayi would require her to help Qiao Zijin, but they did not ask the same of Qiao Zijin.

  “Nan Nan, are you coming back tonight?” Qiao Dongliang knew that she was going shopping with Zhai Hua.

  “I won’t be back. Mom wants me to spend the night at the Zhai family’s residence.”

  “Is it suitable?” She had yet to marry Zhai Sheng. It was too frivolous to stay overnight at the Zhai family’s residence.

  Qiao Nan maintained her composure. “Brother Zhai will only be back earliest by Lunar New Year’s eve. My father-in-law and mother-in-law are supposed to go to the capital to watch the Lunar New Year special program, but they declined the invitation this year.” Both Qiao Nan and her father knew the reason behind it.

  After the Lunar New Year, they would be preparing for Qiao Nan’s and Zhai Sheng’s marriage. There would be a lot of preparations to do.

  “Alright.” Qiao Dongliang relaxed slightly when he knew that Zhai Sheng was not at home. He finally agreed for Qiao Nan to stay over at the Zhai family’s residence.

  Qiao Nan was without any expression when she got onto Zhai Hua’s car.

  Zhai Hua arched her eyebrows. “What’s up? Who riled you early in the morning?”

  “I just feel that if one is not capable, one should not have two children. Isn’t this a burden to oneself and implicating others?” This was the first time that Qiao Nan stopped behaving like a well-natured child and made such harsh and bitter comments.

  \r \r \r

  Zhai Hua sucked in her breath. “I suppose you are not directing your words at me? Could it be that your dad bullied you because of Qiao Zijin?”

  She had to admit that in comparison to Qiao Nan, her parents were not as biased and she had a good life.

  “More or less.” Qiao Nan leaned against the seat.

  She had been engaged to Brother Zhai for half a year. Her father kept reminding her to have self-respect and to protect herself, not to accept too many gifts from the Zhai family. One must be independent and self-reliant. One must not trouble people with tasks that one was capable of doing.

  Therefore, in the past six months, she never took anything that the Zhai family gave her. Even if she might be hard on cash, unless she earned it by herself, she would cut down on her expenses.

  Her father wanted her to have self-respect. If Ding Jiayi did not agitate her that day, she would not be intimate with Brother Zhai before their wedding.

  After what happened that day, Qiao Nan was very worried about it after she returned to school. She was afraid that she would be pregnant and would not be able to answer to her father.

  Thankfully, she had her menses. Hence, she was able to set her heart at rest.

  That day, it was Qiao Dongliang who told Zhai Sheng to fetch her. She was agitated by Ding Jiayi, so she had some drinks and ended up being intimate with Brother Zhai. Qiao Nan felt upset that she was the only one who was on tenterhooks.

  “You kept telling me to let go and you behave as if you are mature and sensible. But when faced with your family’s matter, you are at a loss as well. You are able to be objective regarding your mom, but you are too soft-hearted with your dad. Your dad’s temperament is different from yours. I am curious. Who do you take after?”

  Zhai Hua sized up Qiao Nan. She was amazing.

  Qiao Nan was very decisive. This was particularly so when dealing with her relationship with Wei De, as well as when Qiao Nan moved out of the Qiao family’s residence. She had to praise her for being swift and resolute.

  Qiao Nan was able to handle all these situations very well. However, Qiao Dongliang was her weakness.

  “One will yearn to have something that one does not have. You should be able to understand this logic.” Qiao Nan turned to look at Zhai Hua.

  Zhai Hua felt that she lacked her parents’ love and the feeling of being cherished and loved. That was why she fell in love with Wei De.

  In the previous life, her mother did not love her, and her father was very quiet at home.

  In this life, she had given up hope on having her mother’s love. She realized that she could still salvage her relationship with her father. That was why she worked hard to earn his love.

  She was able to give up on her mother and give all her love to her father. However, her father could not do the same.

  Her father had two daughters. He hoped that the two daughters could lead a good life. He had never thought of giving up on either of them.

  In normal circumstances, it was perfectly fine. However, Qiao Nan could not accept that her father loved both his daughters.

  If her father was biased toward Zijin—even if he was not extremely biased—she would rather not have her father’s love. She would rather he give all his love to Qiao Zijin alone.

  “You are right.” Zhai Hua laughed at herself. It was indeed the case. “Human beings ask for it. Isn’t it good if we cherish whatever we have? Why must we chase after something that does not belong to us and land ourselves in such a miserable state?”

  Wei De was not the only man who wooed her.

  Wei De had nothing to his name, but she liked him because he made her feel as if she was cherished. She was a fool.

  “Don’t count me in. I have stopped doing that. It’s fine that he doesn’t like me. I have someone who loves me.” Brother Zhai was the man with whom she would spend the rest of her life. “Qiao Zijin is dating Chen Jun, and my dad is worried that Qiao Zijin will not be Chen Jun’s match. Actually, I don’t mind that he reconciles with my mom. Two heads are better than one. Since he is so worried for Qiao Zijin, he and my mom may be able to take better care of Qiao Zijin.”

  She had Brother Zhai. She did not need anyone to take care of her.

  Her father could focus all his attention on Qiao Zijin. In that case, he would not look at her as if she was the bad guy who separated his family.

  “Okay!” Zhai Hua nodded. She and Qiao Nan did not need the kind of love that had to be shared with someone else. “You are as resolute and vicious as me. Even if the other party has given us most of his love, we don’t need it if it is shared with someone else.”

  Qiao Nan smiled. “That’s right.” Even though Zhai Hua was talking about love and she was talking about family ties, the same logic applied. “Let’s go. Aren’t we going to shop for clothes? Let’s hurry. By the way, you should know that I don’t have a single cent with me.”

  She had used all her money on her school fees.

  Furthermore, she would read up on many books outside of the school syllabus. Some of the books could not be found in the library and she had to order them online.

  Sometimes, Qiao Nan would spend all the money that she had in order to buy a book. She would then have to cut down on her expenses.

  1046 Ambitious Plan to Have a Child

  Qiao Nan decided that she would change her way of living. “I contacted my master before I went out this morning. I want to continue to work as a translator and earn extra money. I will also ask my master to help me with the books that I want to buy in the future.”

  Qiao Nan sorted out her thoughts after what had happened yesterday. She was no longer hopeful that Qiao Dongliang would change. She decided to rid herself of the shackles that she had given herself and do as she had planned.

  “That’s good. It is not easy to find someone sincere in helping you.” Zhai Hua drove the car while patting Qiao Nan, who sat on the passenger seat. “Perhaps you owe it to Qiao Zijin for sorting out your thoughts. In the past, you were too stubborn because of your dad and I could tell that it was very tiring on you.”

  Since she was engaged to Zhai Sheng, they were one family.

  There was no need to be so calculative among family members.

  Besides, Qiao Nan was a college student and she did not have any job. She had no means of earning money. Qiao Nan should not stand on ceremony with the money that her elders gave her. She should go ahead and use them, spending on whatever she needed. It was wrong of her to reject their kind intentions.

  It was too tiring!

  “One has to go through sufferings to be able to sort out one’s thoughts.” Qiao Nan had no qualms about saying that. “Have you brought enough money today?” Since she had sorted out her thoughts, Zhai Hua must be prepared to spend a bomb today.

  Zhai Hua was amused. “My goodness. My family may not be very rich, but we can still support you. Besides, I made a small fortune recently. You can buy whatever you want.”

  Zhai Hua’s childhood friends helped Wei De along in his business and made a small fortune from it.

  Wei De’s company declared bankruptcy and he was left with nothing but an empty shell. But it was not the same for Zhai Hua.

  Zhai Hua was finally rid of Wei De. Back then, Zhai Hua was the one who came up with the capital for Wei De to start his company.

  Zhai Hua’s childhood friends were true friends indeed. They helped Zhai Hua teach Wei De a lesson and returned all the money that they made through Wei De to Zhai Hua.

  \r \r \r

  The amount of money that Zhai Hua had was much more than the amount that she gave Wei De in the first place.

  Zhai Hua did not refuse the money. She treated this as a successful investment. She would take it that she had earned the extra money.

  In the past, Zhai Hua would reject the offer when her childhood friends invited her to join them in their businesses.

  Right now, Zhai Hua felt that it was a good idea for women to earn some money. Anyway, she was just dabbling in it and her childhood friends would guide her along. It would not be a big problem.

  Zhai Hua learned two things from Wei De’s incident. Firstly, she had authority. Secondly, she had money.

  She had the two most important things that Wei De and most of the people in the world coveted. Therefore, she must grab hold of them.

  Men were unreliable. She would rely on herself!

  “I will pay for whatever that you want today. But Qiao Nan, should you not repay the favor?” Zhai Hua played with her hair that had been cut short.

  There was a sparkle in Qiao Nan’s eyes. “How do you want me to return the favor?”

  “Phew……” Zhai Hua let out a breath. She looked serious. “I am not young anymore. I will be turning thirty soon. My mom said that there is a golden period for having children. Besides, I am sick and I suffered from a lot of injuries. I suppose my golden period of having children will be shorter than the average woman. Don’t laugh at me. I am not being timid. I am not afraid of looking for another man despite the bad experience with Wei De. I am too picky. Otherwise, I would not have met Wei De.”

  Because of what happened with Wei De, Zhai Hua was worried that she would be choosier in the future.

  When she was not being very choosy, Wei De was the only man that she liked. She did not find other men pleasing to the eye.

  If she was even choosier in the future, Zhai Hua was worried that when she reached forty or fifty years old, she might still be single. What should she do then?

  She might finally find someone she liked, but she would be too old to have children.

  “Do you…… want a child?”

  “Yes.” To avoid that situation, Zhai Hua felt that it would be better for her to have a child first. “I have thought about it. I really like children. My parents will be more assured if I have a child.”

  Her parents could be assured if she had a child that belonged to herself. It was the best of both worlds.

  “So?” Qiao Nan turned quiet. She had thought about this in her previous life.

  She was close to forty years old when she died.

  Qiao Nan’s eyes turned red at the thought of her age.

  She had the same idea as ​​Sister Zhai Hua. Unfortunately, she did not do anything about it. She did not have the money to do it. There was no way for her to have her own child.

  “You should know that I don’t have many ideas and I always stay in the camp. I don’t know much about this. I would like you to help me come up with a way. It is alright to be without a man, but I don’t want to be without a child.” Zhai Hua seemed to be weary.

  Qiao Nan pursed her lips. “Sister Zhai Hua, I am not in a hurry to buy clothes. You can drive the car to a quiet place, like somewhere near the park. We can have a good chat about this.”

  “Sure.” Zhai Hua was determined to do that. Since Qiao Nan did not disapprove of her idea, she stopped the car near a park. “I am all ears.”

  “The first method is to find someone to have a fake marriage. After you have a child, you can file for divorce. This is the safest way.” The child will be recognized under the law. “Of course, you have to choose the man carefully. After all, it is your child. Although you are merely marrying him to have a child, you must check thoroughly. There may be genetic issues. And your ultimate goal is the child, not the man. You have to make sure that after having the child, he won’t pester you and will agree to a divorce.”

  “It seems that this is a good method. But it will not be easy to execute.” Zhai Hua felt that it would not be easy to find a man who was willing to donate his sperms, was healthy, and would agree to part ways with her.

  If the man met all the conditions, he must be an outstanding man and he would have high self-esteem.

  If the man would come and go as long as he was paid a sum of money, Zhai Hua felt that he must not have good genes. She did not want to take the risk with her future child.

  “The second method is to wait for your turn at the sperm bank. However, they would only accept certain kinds of cases. In general, one has to have fertility problems to be able to qualify for it. If one is chosen and manages to be pregnant and gives birth to a child, they still have to deal with the legitimacy issue of the child.”

  “I feel that this problem could be easily solved and I don’t need to have a fake marriage!” Initially, Zhai Hua had a headache over this issue, but a thought crossed her mind. She had set her designs on Qiao Nan. “Do you think it will work if I arrange for the child to become Zhai Sheng and your child? Since the child belongs to me, there is no problem for the child to take the surname of Zhai.”


  1047 Splurging Like A Baller

  “What a fool.” Qiao Nan rolled her eyes. “Don’t you know of the policy in our country? If the child is mine and Brother Zhai, and we have our own child, I will not be able to give birth to the child. If the two children are born at the same time, we can claim that they are twins.”

  “How about adoption?” She could not stop her brother from having a child. Zhai Hua was thinking hard of ways such that it would work for everyone. “The child will be Zhai Sheng and your child. By the time the child is registered under your household, I can adopt the child.”

  Once she adopted the child, Qiao Nan would then be allowed to have children with Zhai Sheng.

  “Are you sure that by then, you are suitable to adopt a child?” Qiao Nan was not from the law faculty. She was not familiar with the related laws.

  Anyway, in the previous life, when she gave up the idea of having her own child and decided to adopt someone else’s child, she discovered that it was not that easy to adopt a child. As soon as she realized that she did not meet the requirements, she closed the website and did not read the details.

  “I don’t remember very well, but according to the adoption law, it seems to say that the adopted family must provide the child with a complete family.” In other words, if Zhai Hua was without a man, she did not fulfill the requirement to adopt a child.

  Zhai Hua pulled her hair in frustration. “Is there a third method?”

  She only wanted to have a child. Why was it such a difficult task? Why was it that if she did not have a boyfriend, none of the methods worked for her?

  “The third method is more expensive, and you have to read up on this technology. This is only hearsay, and I don’t know the details. You should have heard about test tube baby. The technology is called in vitro fertilization. It means that an egg is combined with a sperm outside the body, in vitro. Then, it is implanted in the woman’s uterus. If the surrogate pregnancy is successful, then the baby will be given birth after ten months of pregnancy.”

  “Hmm……” Zhai Hua was clueless about the technical aspects of this technology.

  \r \r \r

  Qiao Nan sounded very serious and convincing as she was explaining to her. Zhai Hua felt incredible and at the same time, she took Qiao Nan’s words for real. “What happens next?” Until now, she had heard about in vitro fertilization, test tube baby, and surrogate mother. But all these did not seem relevant to her situation.

  “The reason why a woman can have a baby is that the ovaries can produce eggs. After a certain period, the ovarian function cannot be maintained. Right now, you are still young and can ovulate normally. You can go to a specialized department for them to take out the healthy eggs in your body and to freeze and store them for later use. In that case, you can take your time to look for the man that you like. By then, even if you are too old to have a child, you can get the man to provide the sperms and arrange for a surrogate mother. The doctor can perform the in vitro fertilization and it might work.”

  Qiao Nan had provided many solutions to her problem. “But you have to know that among the three methods, this last method would cost a lot of money.”

  Zhai Hua was dumbstruck. “Nan Nan, how do you know all these complicated technologies and details?!”

  Before having a conversation with Qiao Nan, she had never heard of these methods. “Regarding the third method that you mentioned, does our country have this technology?”

  “Our country does not, but you can check out other countries.” Qiao Nan pressed her lips tightly, pain evident in her eyes.

  She knew all these because she was driven to nuts by her mother in the previous life. She had no other choice but to use all means and methods to find out the related information on how she could have a child of her own.

  These three methods had something in common—it required a lot of money!

  Qiao Nan did not have money. If she really had the child, the child would not have legal citizenship in the country.

  In the end, Qiao Nan had no other choice but to give up on her plan.

  “The fourth method is to go overseas. The child is not legally accepted in China. Therefore, you can go overseas to apply for a United States permanent resident card. You can try your luck at the foreign sperm bank. However, your surname is Zhai and you are a soldier. I don’t think the Zhai family will allow its descendants to be a non-Chinese citizen of Chinese ancestry.”

  Once they applied for the United States permanent resident card, the child’s nationality would no longer be China.

  Given the temper of the Zhai family, Qiao Nan felt that this method would not be feasible.

  “The fifth method is to find a man. You have yet to reach thirty years old. You are still in your prime. You still have ten years to try your luck at having a child. Why don’t you put a hold on your career progression? You can set aside your job at the army and focus all your energy on blind dating. You should try hard to find a man that you like with whom you can spend the rest of your life. Once you find a suitable man, you will have your child eventually.”

  The first three methods were based on the research that Qiao Nan did in her previous life. The remaining two methods were meant to encourage Zhai Hua.

  No matter what, Zhai Hua had yet to reach thirty years old. She was still in her prime. Unlike her, she was already close to forty years old in the previous life. Even if she came up with five methods of having a child, none of the methods worked for her.

  Although Qiao Nan was very clear in her explanation, Zhai Hua was getting all confused. “I-I will consider it carefully. Do I need to read up on this?”

  “Of course.”

  “Alright. I will do some reading.” Qiao Nan had provided her with five methods. There had to be one that worked for her!

  Zhai Hua gritted her teeth. Even though all the five methods seemed complicated, she had to decide on one and worked on it.

  Seeing that Zhai Hua seemed very determined, although Qiao Nan said that she would make Zhai Hua pay for all her spending today, she did not buy any clothes. She only chose a camel-colored coat today.

  On the contrary, Zhai Hua seemed to be dealt with some heavy blows. Whenever she saw any clothes that were suitable for Qiao Nan, she would ask the salespersons for Qiao Nan’s size and for her to try it on.

  Seeing that Qiao Nan looked nice on it, Zhai Hua would pay for them without another word. It was as if she was spending money to buy clothes for her daughter.

  What made Qiao Nan speechless was that the clothes that Zhai Hua wanted her to try on were all pastel and sweet colors.

  Qiao Nan was pretty-looking and she had a pleasing and comforting aura. She looked as if she was sixteen or seventeen years old in those clothes.

  Zhai Hua had yet to recover from her break up with Wei De. Some people even mistook Zhai Hua and Qiao Nan for mother and daughter.

  “Sister Zhai Hua, that is enough!” Qiao Nan felt like crying at all the bags of clothes that were placed on the floor. The number of clothes that she bought in the two lifetimes was not as many as the clothes that she bought today.

  1048 Act Quickly, Mercilessly, Accurately!

  Did Sister Zhai Hua intend to use all her savings to buy clothes for her?

  “It is not enough. You will not grow any taller. If the clothes are of high quality, you can wear them for many years. You may not be willing to spend this money, but some people are trying hard to spend it.” Zhai Hua sneered.

  Qiao Nan pursed her lips. Sister Zhai Hua must be talking about Wei De. Wei De was thinking of making use of Sister Zhau Hua to make lots of money and save up all the money for Wei Wei.

  “If I don’t spend it on my family, don’t tell me that I have to save it for outsiders? I am not that foolish!”

  “Sister Zhai Hua, since you are determined to spend as much as you wish, why don’t you buy some clothes for your parents and the old master? They will be ecstatic to receive gifts from you.” They would be even more thrilled to know that the money was taken from Wei De.

  If Zhai Hua spent money on her family, she would not feel the pinch that she had wasted her efforts on Wei De. The Zhai family would be all the more happy to know that.

  “You are right. Let’s buy something for all of them.” Zhai Hua waved her arms. She was determined to spend as much money as she liked.

  In the end, it took them a lot of effort to bring all the clothes onto the car. “Alright, this is a rewarding shopping trip. Let’s go back.”

  Zhai Hua was especially thrilled when staring at the back seat which was filled with shopping bags. It was no wonder that women liked to go shopping. The feeling was great.

  “Let’s go home for the Lunar New Year.” Qiao Nan slumped on the passenger seat, feeling exhausted.

  The two of them finally reached home. The helper saw that they carried many shopping bags with them and rushed out to help them.

  Zhai Hua was not stingy. The helper had been working at the Zhai family’s residence for many years and she was a hardworking and responsible worker. She also bought a sweater for her. “Happy Lunar New Year, auntie.”

  “Oh, thank you.” The auntie blushed. She never expected that among all the clothes that they bought, there would be one that was for her. She was so happy that she was at a loss for words.

  “Happy Lunar New Year, old master.” Zhai Hua greeted the old master and passed him a few shopping bags. They contained a full set of clothes, from the inner wear to the outer wear.

  The old master was stunned by the shopping bags. Was Lunar New Year coming or was it the Christmas Day that foreigners used to celebrate?

  “Happy Lunar New Year, Dad.”

  \r \r \r

  “Happy Lunar New Year, Mom.”

  “Zhai Sheng, well, you can keep his for him. Everyone, have a happy Lunar New Year. Me too!” All the dresses in her wardrobe were given to her by Wei De, but she had returned everything to Wei De.

  Today, Zhai Hua spent her own money to buy clothes for herself and it was rare that she bought a few winter dresses for herself.

  From now onward, if she wore a dress, it had nothing to do with Wei De.

  The Zhai family was stunned at receiving new clothes from Zhai Hua. Miao Jing opened the shopping bags to take a look. “Has hell frozen over?”

  Zhai Hua did give them gifts in the past, but she would give them bullets or tank models. Her gifts seemed more suitable for children to play with.

  It was news that she gave them proper presents today!

  “The clothes are pretty nice. This pair of shoes looks good as well.” Miao Jing was quite satisfied with her presents. “Did you pick them by yourself?” Miao Jing had a look of disbelief on her face. Her daughter did not know what kind of clothes and shoes to buy.

  Zhai Hua was unhappy. “I paid for them!”

  The person who paid for it was the boss!

  “It is no use if you have the money but do not have the taste.” Miao Jing made a dig at her daughter. “Given all those presents that you gave me in the past, even if you are willing to spend money to buy me clothes, I will not dare to wear them.”

  She was not a soldier or a tough lady. It was pointless for her to dress up in that way.

  “Good, very good.” Old Master Zhai sided with Zhai Hua. “I am very happy. I am already at this age, and my granddaughter is being filial to me.” It was good to smile and joke with the family.

  Hua Hua had finally recovered from her break up.

  Qiao Nan, who was too tired, slumped in her chair, embarrassed. “Sister Zhai Hua, you have bought so many clothes for me. There is no way for me to bring them home.”

  “What is the……” Zhai Hua wanted to say that she could keep them in Zhai Sheng’s room. They would be married next year, so there was no need to bring the clothes back home only to bring them here again.

  Qiao Nan rushed in to say, “Since you bought the clothes, I will bring them to your room. I will also sleep in your room tonight.”

  “If you sleep in my room, where do I sleep then?” Zhai Hua arched her eyebrows. She was taking what used to belong to her.

  Qiao Nan yawned. “There are so many rooms. You can stay in whichever room that you like.” Qiao Nan felt more at ease at the Zhai family’s residence than at her house.

  “Hahaha. Both of you are girls. You can share a room. It will not be a problem.” Miao Jing welcomed the idea that Qiao Nan shared the room with her daughter.

  It was really important to have the right daughter-in-law. She would bring luck to their family and she could advise her daughter.

  After finding out the kind of person that Wei De was, Miao Jing would have nightmares from time to time. She dreamed that if Qiao Nan was not around, Zhai Hua would refuse to listen to them and insist on being with Wei De.

  In the end, they had to give in and agreed to their marriage. Zhai Hua would become Wei Wei’s stepmother and everything that she worked hard for would be given to Wei Wei.

  What was most terrifying was that there was a woman in her dream and Wei Wei greeted her as his mother.

  Wei De carried Wei Wei in his arms and the woman stood by their side. Zhai Hua stood by herself opposite the three of them. The dream was so terrifying that Miao Jing jolted up from the nightmare.

  Wei De kept saying that he was true to Zhai Hua, and that he did not love the wife that he held the wedding banquet with. But he had to be responsible for her.

  However, no one could guarantee that Wei De’s words could be trusted.

  If Wei De intended to marry Zhai Hua while maintaining his marriage with his wife in the countryside, to have the best of both worlds, what could Hua Hua do about it? Hua Hua worked hard to earn the money. How could she allow the woman in the countryside to enjoy the fruits of her labor?

  At the thought of her recent nightmare, Miao Jing had nothing but hatred for them. It was similar to her hatred for Qi Minlan in the past.

  Fortunately, those were just nightmares.

  Her son was very perceptive and he was engaged to Nan Nan, who was perfect in all aspects. It was indeed their luck to have Nan Nan as their daughter-in-law.

  Miao Jing felt that the best decision that Zhai Sheng had made in this life was to insist on being with Qiao Nan, and he became her boyfriend even when she was still very young.

  Miao Jing was perceptive of the things that were happening around her.

  She knew that a few years ago, the son from the Zhu family was on very good terms with Qiao Nan.

  All of them were still very young. Nan Nan was pretty-looking, had a good temper, and did well in her studies. She believed that the son from the Zhu family was interested in Nan Nan.

  One had to act quickly, mercilessly, and accurately, like her son, in matters of the heart. If one was too slow, one would have to live in regrets for the rest of their life!