Now that she discovered that the young mother right before her was a well-respected military wife, the female doctor treated her especially well.

  Tian Dong took on the role of the Zhai family’s chauffeur and was responsible for fetching Zhai Hua and Qiao Nan.

  As soon as they reached the house, Miao Jing, who had been waiting for them, dashed out from the house and walked to stand beside Qiao Nan, assisting her into the house. “Nan Nan, are you hungry or thirsty? The auntie has boiled a pot of chicken soup for you. It is very tasty. Do you want to have a bowl of soup later?”

  Miao Jing sized up Qiao Nan’s tummy while she spoke to her.

  At the thought that she was carrying twins, Miao Jing felt especially emotional.

  As she said, Nan Nan’s tummy was way larger than when she had Zhai Sheng and Zhai Hua. She was only five months pregnant, yet her tummy seemed as if she was six months pregnant.

  Qiao Nan only told her classmates that she was engaged. She did not tell them that she was married.

  Therefore, she did not tell anyone that she was pregnant.

  Xu Shengnan had passed the position of the vice president officially to Qiao Nan in the first month after school reopened. Even though Qiao Nan was the new vice president, the president was responsible for organizing the activities in the club. He knew that Qiao Nan did not stay in school, so there was no need for Qiao Nan to turn up for club activities that were held in the evening.

  Now that it was May, the weather had turned warmer. Even though one needed to wear a jacket in the morning and at night, it was so warm in the afternoon that there was no need to wear a jacket.

  Qiao Nan was slim and she chose to wear loose-fitting clothes in school. Therefore, one could not really tell that she was pregnant.

  Even if one looked at her from the front, one still could not tell any differences. If one looked at her from the back, she definitely looked like a twenty-year-old pretty young girl.

  That was why even though some students noticed something odd about Qiao Nan, they thought that she must have put on some weight. Nobody realized that the junior who had joined the school for less than a year was going to be a mother.

  \r \r \r

  Outsiders might not be able to tell any differences in Qiao Nan, but Miao Jing could tell the changes in Qiao Nan every single day.

  Moreover, Miao Jing had given birth to two children.

  Initially, when she noticed that Qiao Nan’s tummy was larger than normal, she thought that it must be due to the nutritious food that she had. After she received the phone call from her daughter, she then realized that it was because Qiao Nan was carrying twins.

  “How’s the prenatal checkup today? Is it tiring?” Miao Jing assisted Qiao Nan to take a seat, while she asked about Qiao Nan’s condition.

  Strangers who came to the Zhai family’s residence might have thought that Qiao Nan was the mother-in-law while Miao Jing was the daughter-in-law.

  “Mom, don’t worry. I don’t feel tired. But I do feel thirsty.” Ever since she was pregnant, Qiao Nan was used to be taken care of by her mother-in-law. However, she was especially nice to her today.

  Qiao Nan, who was feeling troubled, felt overwhelmed by her concern and attention. But on the other hand, she did not want to hurt her mother-in-law’s feelings. Therefore, she told her that she was thirsty and forced herself to take a few sips of water.

  Thereafter, Qiao Nan, who was feeling flustered, asked to leave the living room. “Mom, dinner will be ready in more than an hour. I would like to take a rest in the bedroom.”

  “Sure. Let me help you.” Miao Jing would not stop Nan Nan from taking a rest. Her grandchildren must be sleepy. They would be able to develop and grow if they had more rest.

  Qiao Nan accepted her help. Ever since her tummy became larger, the Zhai family treated her as if she was brittle and fragile.

  Qiao Nan would only be treated like a normal person when she was at school or the Palace Museum.

  Qiao Nan lay on the bed, but she did not fall asleep. She was troubled but she could not find someone to talk to. Luckily, Zhai Sheng made a phone call right then.

  Before Miao Jing handed the phone to Qiao Nan, she did not forget to remind her son to keep the conversation short. “Zhai Sheng, Qiao Nan is pregnant. Electronic devices will emit radiation and it will not be good for Nan Nan and the children. Remember not to speak on the phone for too long. If there’s anything important, wait until you come back to chat with Qiao Nan.”

  “I understand,” Zhai Sheng replied. He knew that if he did not promise his mother, she would hog the phone and pass the message for him and Qiao Nan.

  After getting Zhai Sheng’s promise, Miao Jing passed the cell phone to Qiao Nan reluctantly. “Nan Nan, don’t tire yourself out. Don’t stay on the phone for too long. He will be back soon. By then, I will make sure that he spends time with you and the children.”

  “Yes, Mom.”

  Qiao Nan held the cell phone and waited until her mother-in-law left the room before the tears that she had been holding in rolled down her cheeks.

  Even though Qiao Nan did not cry out loud, and there were only slight changes in her breathing, Zhai Sheng, who was her husband, could tell that something was amiss. “Are you crying?”

  “Yes.” Qiao Nan would not keep any secrets from Zhai Sheng. She would tell him exactly what she felt.

  “Don’t be afraid.”

  “I can’t do it. I cannot help but be afraid.” Nobody could understand her mixed feelings and dilemma except for Brother Zhai.

  Zhai Sheng’s heart ached for Qiao Nan, especially when he heard her sobs on the other end of the phone.

  He enjoyed working in the army and he was passionate about serving the country. Being a soldier was Zhai Sheng’s greatest honor.

  But Zhai Sheng could not help but feel a twinge of regret at this moment.

  As a soldier, he could not stay by his wife’s side like any other man. He knew that Nan Nan was suffering and was in agony, and he could hear her sobs on the other end of the phone, but he could not stay by her side to comfort her or hug her, wiping her tears off her face.

  Zhai Sheng was enveloped by a sense of helplessness.

  “Brother Zhai?” Qiao Nan could hear Zhai Sheng’s deep sighs on the other end of the phone. She felt bitter inside. “Do you think this is purely groundless worries and I am being too emotional? Mom and Sister Zhai Hua are thrilled. Grandpa and Dad have yet to come back, but they will definitely be overjoyed.”

  She might be the only person who felt gloomy after finding out that she was carrying twins.

  “Nan Nan, I understand your feelings, but you should trust yourself and trust me. You are different from your mom. Both of you are poles apart. Even if something similar really happens, I will remind you. My parents and the old master will remind you. Zhai Hua will also remind you. There are so many people around you who will help you. Will you refuse to listen to them?”

  “No, I will not do that.” Qiao Nan had tears in her eyes as she shook her head. “I will listen to them. I will definitely treat all my children equally. I will make sure that they are the happiest children in this world. I will do it. I will definitely do it!”

  “That’s right. You must have more confidence in yourself. Back then, you wanted to have one child because you were worried that you would be biased.”


  1146 Little Grand Disciples

  “Since we have two children now, what we need to do is to give all our love to them. We will not be biased. You must have confidence in yourself as well as in me. In our family, they will be loved by their grandparents, great-grandpa, their auntie, and us. They will definitely be happy.”

  Zhai Sheng felt touched and emotional that he was going to have two children. He could not describe how he felt.

  But Zhai Sheng calmed himself down. He knew that given Qiao Nan’s personality, she must be worried and flustered. He had to talk to Qiao Nan personally as he knew that Qiao Nan had a knot in her heart.

  As soon as they spoke on the phone, he realized that his wife had indeed worked herself into a dead end.

  She was afraid that she would be biased and she dared not face up to it. She longed for a child, but when she knew that she had twins, she was thrown into confusion and panic. She was worried that she would not be a good mother.

  Qiao Nan felt this way all because of the Qiao family. Zhai Sheng could not help but be furious with the Qiao family. He felt like doing what he should not be thinking of—to push the envelope and teach the Qiao family a lesson.

  Qiao Nan felt much better after talking to Zhai Sheng. She sniffed. Her voice had turned hoarse. “Brother Zhai, I understand. I can’t promise you that I will sort out my thoughts right away, but I will try my best. The doctor at the hospital today mentioned that pregnant ladies would have mood swings, including being angry and feeling like crying. Perhaps I am going through mood swings. I will be better after some time.”

  Zhai Sheng felt more assured at Qiao Nan’s words. “If you have time, do visit Old Master Lin. He has no one in the capital besides his disciples and you are his youngest disciple. He is going to have grand disciples soon. Shouldn’t you visit him?”

  Zhai Sheng knew that pregnant ladies had mood swings. He had to think of ways to distract Qiao Nan so that she would not have the time to think too much.

  “Okay, I understand.” Qiao Nan relaxed at the mention of Lin Yuankang.

  It was uncommon for Qiao Nan to cry and get into panic attacks.

  \r \r \r

  After calming herself down, Qiao Nan told herself that it must be due to her pregnancy that she behaved in such a manner. That was why she amplified her worries and ended up worrying herself over nothing.

  Qiao Nan feared that she might be mentally unstable, so she kept reassuring herself that everything would be alright.

  In the past, she only wanted to have one child as she was worried that she would be biased. But in fact, she might not be biased after she became a mother.

  She would be more conscious than any other mother that she must treat her children equally, giving them the same amount of love.

  Now that she had sorted out her thoughts, she felt that it must be due to her pregnancy that caused her to feel down and upset.

  By the end of May, Qiao Nan took a leave of absence from volunteering at the Palace Museum. Once it was June, she would have to get ready for her exams.

  The staff at the Palace Museum understood that Qiao Nan had to prepare for her exams. Actually, they were willing to allow Qiao Nan to go on leave as early as in the last half month of the semester.

  Furthermore, as the weather was getting warmer, the number of visitors decreased as well. This was so even for famous places of interest like the Palace Museum.

  During summer, people would usually flock to places where there were pools and lakes.

  “Your tummy is so large now!” Lin Yuankang, who did not have any children, was surprised and amazed that Qiao Nan’s tummy was growing larger as the days passed by. He could not wait to see her children.

  They were the children of his disciples, and there were two of them. They were twins!

  He knew that Qiao Nan was carrying twins and her tummy must be larger than that of other pregnant ladies. But it was one thing to know the fact and another thing to see it for himself. It left a bigger impact on him to see it for himself.

  Lin Yuankang, who had been through a lot in life, was stunned when he saw Qiao Nan and her protruding tummy. He did not know how he should react.

  “There is a bulge over there!” Lin Yuankang was still reeling from the shock that Qiao Nan’s tummy had grown larger since the last time he saw her when he saw a small bulge beneath Qiao Nan’s clothes.

  It must be her babies who were moving about in her tummy.

  As a mother, Qiao Nan could feel that her babies were up to mischief. She knitted her eyebrows. “They must be similar in temperament as Brother Zhai. They will always kick and throw punches.” To prove her words, Qiao Nan lifted her blouse to reveal her big and round tummy to Lin Yuankang.

  There was still a bulge on her tummy.

  One could make out the shape of a foot from Qiao Nan’s tummy.

  “A foot, a foot?!” Lin Yuankang widened his eyes in amazement. He almost jumped up from his seat. He looked to be as fascinated as Granny Liu[1] when she was first introduced to the Prospect Garden, which was a large landscaped interior garden in the mansion in the novel. He could not help but shout in amazement.

  “Elder Lin, I know that it is amazing, but this is my nephew’s or niece’s foot. Please be gentle. Your shouts will alarm them. If they are in shock, I will teach you a lesson.” Zhai Hua, who was with Qiao Nan, helped her cover her tummy. “Nan Nan, although the weather is warm and it is not cold at all, you must keep your tummy warm. Do you understand?”

  If Zhai Sheng knew that Nan Nan lifted her clothes in front of other men to reveal her tummy, he would be jealous. “I bought a waist support for you. Why didn’t you wear it to protect your tummy?”

  Ever since Qiao Nan was pregnant, Zhai Hua, who used to be a tomboy, had become naggy. She would nag at Qiao Nan and buy all sorts of stuff for Qiao Nan, saying that they were suitable for pregnant ladies.

  Qiao Nan did not know what to do with such a sister-in-law. “It is too warm to wear the waist support. Sister Zhai Hua, didn’t Tian Dong come looking for you today?” Tian Dong had been hanging out with Zhai Hua for nearly half a year. Tian Dong seemed to be a good man and the two families hoped that they could settle down soon.

  Nevertheless, this was what the two families felt. What mattered was what Zhai Hua and Tian Dong felt for each other.

  After observing them for the past half a year, Qiao Nan concluded two points about them.

  Firstly, there was no way that Sister Zhai Hua could escape from Tian Dong.

  Secondly, Tian Dong might have gained her affection, but it was likely that he was the type of man who listened to his wife. Therefore, if they wanted to get married, they would not be married anytime soon unless Sister Zhai Hua brought it up.

  Lin Yuankang did not take issue with Zhai Hua’s attitude. He was still amazed at the size of Qiao Nan’s tummy. “Qiao Nan, you are so slim. How can you have such a large tummy with two babies inside?” Back when he took her in as his disciple, she was still a child. In the blink of an eye, she was going to be a mother and he would soon have grand disciples!

  [1] Granny Liu was a character in the Chinese novel ‘Dream of the Red Chamber’. She was an elderly country rustic and a distant relative of Lady Wang.

  1147 Take Maternity Leave

  “Little disciple, you should listen to Zhai Hua and wear that on your waist.” She was so petite, yet she had such a big tummy. He was worried that if she did not wear the waist support, her tummy might burst.

  Lin Yuankang felt chills down his back for no reason. He glanced at the cut watermelon that was placed on the table.

  “Little disciple, your tummy is so large. I think you must have taken too much food. Should you control your food intake?”

  Lin Yuankang was serious. Qiao Nan’s tummy was too large. He was worried that her tummy could not withstand the weight of the two babies.

  Zhai Hua, who kept vigil by Qiao Nan’s side, felt conflicted. “The doctor kept saying that the babies are making good progress. All of her data indicated that she is healthy.” The problem was she had the same sentiments as Lin Yuankang. She also felt that Qiao Nan’s tummy was too large.

  Qiao Nan’s tummy looked normal in May, but now that it was June, Qiao Nan seemed to have taken in big gulps of air and her tummy was double the size in May.

  Last week, Qiao Nan took a half-an-hour afternoon nap. By the time she woke up, Zhai Hua was shocked to see that her tummy seemed to have grown larger. She even dragged Miao Jing with her to take a closer look.

  Qiao Nan was not even six months pregnant, but she would not be able to see her toes when she looked downward at her feet.

  Zhai Hua was worried that her tummy would grow even bigger as time passed.

  Lin Yuankang did not have any children, so he was clueless in this respect. Since he started the conversation, he had to be responsible for it. “Don’t worry. Look at my disciple. She has rosy cheeks and she looks healthy. Nothing will go wrong. She is carrying twins. It is alright to have a bigger tummy.”

  “.……”

  “.……”

  Qiao Nan and Zhai Hua were at a loss for words. The tree of them then broke into laughter.

  Lin Yuankang took a box from the house and passed it to Qiao Nan. “This is from Zhu Chengqi to you, or rather, to my grand disciples. Keep it for them for the time being.”

  \r \r \r

  There had not been many changes to Lin Yuankang’s life since he returned to the capital. It was similar to his life in Ping Cheng.

  At times, people would visit him to ask him for advice, but most of the time, he would be staying at home, gardening and spending time playing with the birds.

  After Zhu Chengqi came to the capital, life was totally different for him. He and Zhai Yaohui were busy with work. They seldom had time for their families. They also had to go on many work trips.

  Upon knowing that Qiao Nan was having twins, Zhu Chengqi shouted out in joy, exclaiming that he was going to be a grandfather. He was constantly thinking of buying gifts for Qiao Nan’s babies.

  However, he was too busy. Even if he had bought the gifts, he had no time to give it to Qiao Nan. He could only pass them to Lin Yuankang and ask him to hand them to Qiao Nan.

  Zhu Chengqi bought gold jewelry for the two babies. The small golden bracelets were beautiful.

  The golden bracelets were dazzling. One could imagine how it would look on the chubby hands and legs of the babies, highlighting their fair and tender skin, making them all the more adorable and cute.

  Qiao Nan’s heart melted when she touched the golden bracelets. She then touched her tummy, saying, “My babies, these are from Grandpa Zhu. After you are born, you must be filial to him.”

  Zhu Chengqi had been taking good care of her since ages ago. Qiao Nan was well-aware of it.

  Even though she and Zhu Chengqi did not go through any ceremony to acknowledge their relationship with each other, Zhu Chengqi already treated her as his own daughter.

  It would probably be another two more years before Zhu Baoguo would marry and settle down. Qiao Nan, who married at a young age, had received almost all of Zhu Chengqi’s fatherly love.

  Fortunately, Zhu Baoguo was not the boy he was back then. He was not as small-minded and did not take issue with Qiao Nan.

  In fact, Zhu Baoguo had bought gifts for her children and had already passed them to her. His presents were models made from bullet shells.

  Qiao Nan had a headache with the presents that he gave her.

  Both Zhai Sheng and Zhai Hua already gave similar presents to the babies. Now, Zhu Baoguo gave them the same presents as well.

  If this went on, she would have a lot of model toys that were made from bullet shells.

  “How about me? As the master of their mother, am I not good to them?” Lin Yuankang felt displeased. “After the babies are born, you must tell them to play with me.”

  The older one was, the more one behaved like children.

  Elder Lin was already advanced in years, but he behaved like a child.

  Normally, the adults would play with the children, but in the case of Elder Lin, he wanted Qiao Nan’s children to play with him.

  “Yes, let’s all have fun.” Zhai Hua felt amused by Lin Yuankang’s words. She tried to appease Lin Yuankang by agreeing with him.

  Zhai Hua knew that Lin Yuankang had his influence in the capital.

  If her nephews or nieces could ‘play’ with an important figure like Elder Lin since a young age, it would be very beneficial for them. It was better than spending a bomb to send them to kindergarten.

  She totally approved of such an arrangement.

  Lin Yuankang glanced at Zhai Hua, askance. He was experienced in the workings of the world. He could tell what she was thinking of.

  However, this was what he had in mind as well. Therefore, he did not take issue with Zhai Hua. “It is June. In another half a month, you will be sitting for your exams. Given your current condition, is it convenient to go to school?”

  Lin Yuankang was very worried for Qiao Nan since she had such a big tummy.

  But Zhai Hua had assured him time and again that the doctor had said that the two babies were developing as per normal. If Qiao Nan was pregnant with one child only, it was more likely that the baby would be too large. But in the case of twins, they would usually be lighter than normal.

  Qiao Nan’s tummy might be too large, but the babies were doing well.

  Since Zhai Hua assured him that the babies were healthy, Lin Yuankang felt slightly at ease. Otherwise, Lin Yuankang would feel like accompanying Qiao Nan to the doctor for her prenatal checkup.

  “Master, don’t worry. I usually wear loose-fitting clothes and I rarely spend time at school. Very few students will notice my tummy. Furthermore, now that exams are coming, they will not pay attention to me. It will be alright.” Qiao Nan reassured her master.

  Lin Yuankang reached out his hands to give a slight tap on Qiao Nan’s head. He was about to tap her head when he halted. “On account of my grand disciples, I will teach you a lesson a few months later. Will I be worried that other people might notice your tummy? You should be given extra care since your tummy is so large. Now that you keep your pregnancy a secret and there are so many people at school, what will happen if they bump into you?”

  Most of the youngsters in school were careless and short-tempered.

  His disciple could not afford any bumps or accidents.

  “Elder Lin is right!” Zhai Hua nodded in agreement. “Nan Nan, how about you take a leave of absence for a year? Or perhaps you can revise and prepare for your exams at home? At most, you can give the first-prize scholarship a miss.”


  1148 ‘I Am Going to School’

  “With your ability, passing the exams is not a problem.” There were too many people at school. They might bump or knock into her. Nan Nan could not afford to have any accidents.

  As a pregnant lady, Qiao Nan would be very sensitive at times and she would think too much.

  But she could not be bothered with it. Even Zhai Hua who used to be a tomboy had to hand it to her.

  Everyone who saw how large Qiao Nan’s tummy was could not help but worry for her. They could not imagine how her slim waist was able to withstand the pressure of such a large tummy.

  But Qiao Nan, the party concerned, was the only person who did not have the slightest bit of worry. She would go to school and social practice as usual.

  Now that it was June and the Palace Museum arranged for Qiao Nan to go on leave so that she could have more time for her revision, Qiao Nan, who used to be busy for the entire week, finally had two free days. She made use of her free time to visit her master, Lin Yuankang, with Zhai Hua.

  “Is it necessary to do that?” Qiao Nan was not one who did not listen to reasons. Since everyone around her told her to stay at home, she began to have doubts. “I am only slightly more than five months pregnant. Other pregnant ladies who are in the same trimester as me can sprint and perform their daily tasks as per normal. Do I have to be so uptight and stay at home instead of going to school?”

  It was alright to let other people know that she was engaged, but Qiao Nan had no intention of telling other people that she was pregnant.

  It was unnecessary to share her private life with them. She did not need to go into such details.

  Since Qiao Nan did not tell the school that she was pregnant, the school would not make special arrangements for her.

  Zhai Hua knew Qiao Nan too well. She scratched her head anxiously. “Nan Nan, the school has already covered all the important syllabus. How about I go to school in your stead? I will sit for lessons and take lecture notes for you. You can stay at home to do your revision. Will that do?”

  For Qiao Nan to stay at home with a peace of mind and to have a good rest, Zhai Hua was left with no choice but to go to the extremes.

  Whenever Qiao Nan asked her to study with her, Zhai Hua would get all agitated, saying that she had graduated and would not do any more studies.

  Now, she volunteered to go back to school and experience what it was like to be a student for Qiao Nan’s sake.

  \r \r \r

  To be an auntie and on account of her nephews or nieces, Zhai Hua had taken the plunge.

  Qiao Nan could not help but look at Zhai Hua with a look of surprise. “Sister Zhai Hua, are you serious? Are you going to school in my stead?” Qiao Nan could not believe her ears. She repeated Zhai Hua’s words.

  “Yes, I am serious. I will go in your stead.” Anyway, she would just take notes of everything that the professors said. As long as Qiao Nan did not ask her to sit for her exams, she would do anything to help her.

  Taking notes was an easy task.

  In Zhai Hua’s opinion, studying was far more difficult. One had to memorize all the knowledge and apply it.

  Thankfully, she was only in charge of taking notes. It was Qiao Nan’s responsibility to do the rest.

  Lin Yuankang nodded. “I think this is a good idea. Let’s do this. You have quite a lot of books with you. You can read them at home while Zhai Hua goes to school to take notes of what is taught and you can look through the notes and sort them out at home.” In this case, his grand disciples would be safe.

  Qiao Nan, the party concerned, had yet to give her comments when Zhai Hua and Lin Yuankang had decided for her.

  Zhai Hua sent Qiao Nan home and told Miao Jing of their decision and she had her full support. “This will do. Let me give a call to the principal of Peking University and tell him about our situation, lest it cause any unnecessary trouble.”

  She heard that the university would take attendance.

  “Mom, there is no need for that.” Qiao Nan pulled Miao Jing’s hands to stop her from making the call. “Mom, you don’t have to worry about taking attendance. The professors will usually take attendance during normal school hours, but they will not do so during the revision and exams period. Even if one is slack in their studies, they will buck up when the exams are coming. As the saying goes, one will usually prepare at the last moment, and it is better than not preparing at all. Many students will do last-minute preparation and revision. Therefore, during the revision period, students who like to play truant will come back for lessons. The classroom will be packed with students.”

  As a result, the professors would not go through the trouble of taking attendance.

  If they took attendance in a classroom packed with students, half the time would be wasted.

  Miao Jing had never been to the university, so she did not know what was going on.

  She was surprised when she learned that the college students adopted such a laid-back attitude toward their studies. “Are you serious? Is it okay if Hua Hua goes to school in your stead?”

  Qiao Nan gave a reluctant smile. “It will not be a big issue.” Did it mean that her mother-in-law also agreed for Sister Zhai Hua to go to revision classes in her stead?

  Qiao Nan did not know whether she should laugh or cry at her family who was overly protective of her. But at the same time, she felt warm and touched.

  In the Qiao family, everyone neglected her and would bully her. But in the Zhai family, she was the most precious person in the world and she was treated as if she was very delicate and fragile.

  Given that the Zhai family gave her unconditional love and care, Qiao Nan felt that there would definitely be a day where she was being spoilt by them.

  Miao Jing had come to a decision. “Since it would not be a big issue, this is settled. Hua Hua, you must work hard to take down all the important points. You must not miss out on any points.”

  “Don’t worry. I will complete the mission.”

  Zhai Hua patted her chest, assuring everyone that she would accomplish the mission. But she felt nervous after she calmed down and had a serious thought about it.

  It had never been easy for her to memorize the learning points taught in school. She would rather take part in practical learning instead of sitting in the classroom and listening to the teachers as they explained the theories.

  Would she be able to take down all the learning points for Qiao Nan?

  At the thought of her previous performance in school, Zhai Hua wiped the sweat off her palms.

  Everything would be alright. Nothing would go wrong. If she could not do it, she could find someone else to do it.

  Therefore, when it was time for revision, Qiao Nan’s classmates from the same faculty were shocked to see that two strangers were in the same classes as them. They seemed to be more anxious and serious than the other students.

  Fortunately, many students played truant.

  As a result, they were more focused on their learning than figuring out who the strangers were. They cast a few occasional glances at the two strangers before they turned their attention back to the professors and began taking notes.

  Everyone, including the people who were at the school in Qiao Nan’s place, was writing and taking notes.

  Two people came in Qiao Nan’s stead, but one was busy taking down the notes while the other was not.

  Tian Dong, who graduated from an American university with a master’s degree in business administration, did not expect that in order to woo the lady that he liked, he would end up going to school again.

  1149 Good Handwriting

  Although he had a lot of work waiting for him at his company and he had many business deals to clinch, Tian Dong was startled to realize that he was willing to give up his work for the person that he liked.

  He left his business in his father’s hands while he was taking notes at Peking University. Tian Dong sighed helplessly as he stared at the ‘beauty’ who slept soundly by his side.

  Who was the one who agreed to take on this task?

  He might be angry and helpless, but Tian Dong could do nothing to Zhai Hua. From a young age, he was at her beck and call. Tian Dong had no other choice but to continue to take notes.

  “The handwriting…… is quite nice.” Qiao Nan could tell that it was not written by Zhai Hua. She had a crooked smile on her face. “The handwriting has strength and style. It looks like calligraphy. Sister Zhai Hua, I didn’t know that you have such good handwriting.”

  If she remembered correctly, when she went to Brother Zhai’s study room six years ago, she chanced upon a book that was covered with handwritten words. The handwriting was barely legible. She remembered that there was Zhai Hua’s name on the book.

  Could it be that Sister Zhai Hua’s handwriting had improved tremendously in six years?

  “Why do you care whether the handwriting is nice or not? What matters is whether the notes are complete and useful.” Zhai Hua did not feel guilty at all. She stood with her head high and wanted Qiao Nan to check the classroom notes.

  “The notes are well-taken.” It seemed to be slightly better than the notes that she took in the past.

  Miao Jing nodded with a look of satisfaction, but she then exposed Zhai Hua’s lies the next instant. “This is not your handwriting. Your handwriting is worse than the old master’s handwriting. Who took the notes for you?”

  It was not that Miao Jing looked down on her daughter. She could not understand why her only daughter had the worst handwriting in the family.

  It was only when she saw Old Master Zhai’s handwriting did the family realize that it was Old Master Zhai who taught Zhai Hua how to write.

  The pupil would usually surpass the master.

  Zhai Hua indeed surpassed Old Master Zhai, but not in a good way.

  Old Master Zhai was knowledgeable, but his handwriting had room for improvement, and it turned out that Zhai Hua’s handwriting was worse than Old Master Zhai’s.

  \r \r \r

  Zhai Hua was fuming in anger. “Why do you have so many questions? Isn’t it good that I completed the task?”

  Qiao Nan put the notes away. “Sister Zhai Hua, thank you and say thank you to Tian Dong. Let’s invite Tian Dong for dinner this weekend, shall we?”

  “Did Dongzi help you take the notes?” Miao Jing’s eyes lit up as if she had discovered Zhai Hua’s secret!

  Zhai Hua was flustered and exasperated. “What do you mean by he helped me take the notes! Are the notes for me? Dongzi took the notes for Nan Nan!”

  “But he did not do it on my account.” Qiao Nan knew her limitations. “Nevertheless, I have to thank Sister Zhai Hua. Let’s invite Tian Dong for dinner this weekend.” Her mind was set.

  In order to woo Zhai Hua, Tian Dong had run many errands for Qiao Nan for the past four to five months. Qiao Nan felt embarrassed about it.

  Tian Dong had his own business and he was doing well in his business. At least, he was doing better than the Feng family.

  Tian Dong had lots of business deals that made lots of money, yet he was willing to run errands for her. Qiao Nan knew that he did that on account of Sister Zhai Hua.

  The lady that he liked treated Qiao Nan very well, and as a result, he was willing to take good care of Qiao Nan. He that loved the tree loved the branch.

  Since Tian Dong was willing to take off his suit and tie and put on casual clothes to sit in the classroom to take notes all for the sake of Zhai Hua, Qiao Nan believed that Tian Dong would be much better than Wei De.

  At least, Tian Dong was sincere toward Zhai Hua.

  Since she was sure of this, Qiao Nan was willing to be their matchmaker and create opportunities for Tian Dong to come more often to the Zhai family’s residence.

  “Yes, we should invite him for dinner.” Miao Jing was surprised as well. He was highly educated and his business was doing well and he was single. He was deemed a highly eligible bachelor.

  Miao Jing was touched that a man with a successful career was willing to accompany her daughter to ‘mess around’, going to school to take revision notes.

  Previously, Miao Jing was already thinking of creating opportunities for Zhai Hua to spend more time with Tian Dong. Now, Miao Jing was all the more pleased with Tian Dong.

  Zhai Hua could not help but blush, yet she refused to admit it. “It is just dinner. This is not his first time here. There is nothing to be fascinated about. Since he has done me a favor, I should treat him to dinner. Anyway, we can afford to have one more person to join us for dinner.”

  When there was a comparison, one would then be able to see the truth.

  Zhai Hua used to think that Wei De treated her very well and was sincere to her.

  But after spending time with Tian Dong, she realized that Wei De was not being sincere to her at all.

  When Wei De was with her, he would always say that he felt unworthy to be her boyfriend and he had to work hard to become successful so that her family would accept him.

  His words were touching. She felt proud that Wei De wanted to be successful so that he could be worthy of her.

  It was only when she spent time with Tian Dong did Zhai Hua realize that there were different kinds of men in this world.

  Perhaps he had plans and ideas in mind, but he would not speak of them. He would wait until he turned his ideas into reality before he told her and made her pleased with the outcome.

  Zhai Hua felt moved by his actions.

  Otherwise, Tian Dong would not be the first person that Zhai Hua thought of whenever anything cropped up.

  Miao Jing and Qiao Nan smiled knowingly at each other. They looked as if they had discovered a secret and had a sly smile on their faces.

  They had never seen Zhai Hua blushed when she spoke of Wei De. Now, Zhai Hua was blushing.

  Miao Jing and Qiao Nan were women. If a woman blushed at the mention of a certain man, they knew that something must be going on between them. It was just that Zhai Hua refused to admit it.

  “What are you laughing at?” Zhai Hua became angry from embarrassment. She threw a disdainful glance at her mother and sister-in-law before turning to go back to her room.

  It had been ages since Zhai Hua read any books or studied in school. It was too tiring for her to go back to school to study. Furthermore, she had to pay attention and she could not play truant. She had to sleep for an hour to recharge.

  Otherwise, she might not be able to go to school tomorrow.

  With Tian Dong’s help, they had decided that Qiao Nan would stay at home to do her revision.

  Tian Dong was resourceful to be able to get a copy of the revision materials prepared by Qiao Nan’s professor.

  In that case, unless it was important revision classes, there was no need for Tian Dong and Zhai Hua to go to school.

  1150 Only the Tummy Grows

  Although Tian Dong was willing to do everything for Zhai Hua, he had to plan and utilize his time properly so that it would not be wasted on unnecessary matters.

  Fortunately, Zhai Hua was also not the type who was willing to sit in the classroom abidingly. She was elated when she heard from Tian Dong that they could occasionally slack during the lessons.

  The two of them had discussed—wrong, Tian Dong was the one who did the talking and Zhai Hua just nodded continuously by his side. After confirming that the professor was not touching on revision, Zhai Hua would take care of Qiao Nan at home while Tian Dong managed his company matters.

  He was a boss and could not skip his work every day.

  During the times whereby the revision content was important, Tian Dong and Zhai Hua would then turn into ‘good students’. One would do the copying at every second while the other one slept. After dividing the labor and cooperating with each other, work was not so tiring then!

  Clearly, this was Qiao Nan’s college life. Nevertheless, it improved the relationship between Tian Dong and Zhai Hua and made them closer to each other.

  Privately, Tian Dong’s mother called Miao Jing. “These two children are on quite good terms. Tell me. When are our families going to settle their wedding matters?”

  Fortunately, her son did not like men. She was someone who was going to have a daughter-in-law soon.

  Miao Jing had the same intention too. “I also wish to do so. I am going to be a grandmother soon. I also hope that it will be the same for you. While I care very much about my paternal grandchild, I will love my maternal grandchild too. The problem is that these two children of ours are stubborn ones. Otherwise, they wouldn’t have dragged their feet until now. Does your family’s Dongzi have any thoughts on this matter?”

  Although Zhai Hua was very easy-going, she was a lady after all.

  Regarding a topic such as weddings, Miao Jing, who had a traditional mindset, still felt that the lady’s side should not be the one taking too much initiative. If the male’s family could propose or say something, the two families could sit down and discuss the matter together then.

  Miao Jing sighed. “These two young ones are torturing us, their elders. They have feelings for each other but have never made themselves clear. Not to mention marriage, the two children have not even admitted that they are boyfriend and girlfriend. Tell me. What should we do?”

  They had not even clarified their relationship. In her heart, Miao Jing blamed Tian Dong a little for not being direct enough, that he was not forthright in expressing himself.

  Having encountered the pestering and shameless Wei De, Miao Jing felt extremely anxious looking at the quiet Tian Dong, who only knew how to stay by her daughter’s side without uttering a word.

  \r \r \r

  Was it so difficult to make himself clear and clarify the relationship?

  Could it be that Dongzi only wanted to maintain this kind of relationship—as good friends—with Hua Hua?

  This might be enough for Dongzi but not her and her family. She wanted to let her daughter get married and be a mother-in-law. She still wanted to be a maternal grandmother!

  Miao Jing had made herself clear. She was only short of adding a sentence: How exactly did Dongzi feel toward Hua Hua? If they had misunderstood Dongzi’s feelings toward Hua Hua, the two should quickly go their separate ways. Her family still wanted to continue in their search for a son-in-law.

  Miao Jing was anxious. Mother Tian was even more so.

  It was a pity that her son was very opinionated about this. In America, he never dated nor had any girlfriend. After returning to their home country, besides having some reaction when Zhai Hua from the Zhai family was mentioned, he had been keeping mum and not expressing his stand at other times. He rejected everything with thorough silence.

  Just as she thought that there would be a show when her son saw Zhai Hua, hey, her son only cared about being good to the other party but did not talk about it.

  As the mother, she very much wanted to punch her son and hoped that something would come out of it so that they could quickly confirm the relationship between the two families.

  “Don’t worry. I will definitely get Dongzi to give Hua Hua an explanation.” Zhai Hua was not the ideal type of daughter-in-law of Mother Tian. However, it was terrifying that her son had dragged his feet so much. He had delayed for so long that Mother Tian dared not nitpick anymore.

  It was fine as long as the other party was a woman and her background was chaste.

  Zhai Hua was not very good-looking but she came from a good family.

  As expected, this was a lady from the Zhai family and Mother Tian was not as insistent on her previous criteria. More than ten years ago, she said that she had to pick a daughter-in-law with a good temper, like women from the water town of Jiangnan. This daughter-in-law had to be able to take good care of the family and her son.

  It could be said that ten years ago, besides the gender, the other criteria Mother Tian had for her daughter-in-law were the exact opposite of Zhai Hua.

  After Qiao Nan could tell that Tian Dong was true to Zhai Hua, she had put the matter aside in her mind.

  After all, she was a student who had to take examinations.

  It was humid and hot in June. When the rainy season arrived, besides being humid, it was always raining. The Zhai family was jittery about having a pregnant woman who wanted to leave the house. They were extremely worried for Qiao Nan.

  Fortunately, there was only this examination. When Qiao Nan was having her college entrance examination, the Zhai family did not even take care of Qiao Nan in this way. It was only the ordinary final semester examination but Zhai Hua drove Qiao Nan to school.

  When Qiao Nan completed her examination, Zhai Hua’s car was already waiting for Qiao Nan for a long time.

  Inevitably, this scene attracted the attention of many busybodies.

  Due to the spouting of nonsense previously, someone had already suffered greatly and had not recovered from the ‘serious injuries’. She had been leading the life of a mouse, hiding in dark places and not daring to interact with others.

  Regardless of how busybody the other people were, they knew that they could not provoke some people. It was better to avoid them.

  Furthermore, although the person who came to pick Qiao Nan also drove a Land Rover which was beyond the reach of students like them, the driver was a grown-up lady. Like Qiao Nan, she was also a woman.

  If they were to spout any nonsense, they would be embarrassing themselves instead of Qiao Nan.

  “Finally, the exams are over. Nan Nan, in the next two months, you have to stay at home to nourish your fetus in peace. Don’t go to other places if it is not necessary. If you want to go out, you must tell me. I will keep you company.” Zhai Hua did not mind the trouble of reminding Qiao Nan when she was driving and glancing at Qiao Nan’s tummy, which was almost six months old.

  They were extremely grateful for the summer vacation. To students, every vacation was a blessing!

  Previously, Qiao Nan wore loose and big clothing to conceal her tummy. However, there were still many people in the school spreading that Qiao Nan had been putting on a lot of weight and her tummy had grown fatter.

  Fortunately, these students were not very experienced in this area. They also did not think so much due to the impact of the examination.

  Otherwise, they would discover a loophole. What kind of weight-gaining method would only cause meat to only grow on the tummy? If one were to really put on weight, shouldn’t every part of the body grow fatter at the same time?

  Fortunately, at this time, all the students had to face two months of summer vacation after the examination.

  It was just nice. Qiao Nan’s growing tummy that could not be concealed any further wouldn’t be exposed at school.

  Having just finished the examination, Qiao Nan felt quite tired. She leaned on the seat and said, “Okay.”

  Zhai Hua felt disheartened as she looked at Qiao Nan’s slim arms and legs. In her heart, she exclaimed her puzzlement that meat only grew on Qiao Nan’s tummy and not her other body parts although the auntie prepared so much good stuff for Qiao Nan.

  Each time Zhai Hua had such doubts, the auntie would tell Zhai Hua that it could only mean that Qiao Nan’s body took in the nutrients well. In addition, all the nutrients had been taken in by the children.

  1151 Take Care a Little

  Most probably, Qiao Nan would be able to revert to her pre-pregnancy figure without much effort after giving birth.

  The auntie knew that young ladies nowadays liked to look pretty and wanted to slim down.

  As such, the auntie had done some research before she prepared the nourishment food for Qiao Nan.

  Qiao Nan’s tummy was almost six months old. She was easily tired and sleepy, and other pregnancy symptoms also followed.

  It was most probably because she was carrying twins. Usually, other pregnant women would display symptoms of swollen legs after being pregnant for six months, especially from the eighth month onward.

  There were still a few days left before Qiao Nan’s tummy turned six months old but her legs had already begun to swell.

  Fortunately, it was not too swollen. Otherwise, Qiao Nan would not be able to wear her shoes.

  “Mom, Nan Nan seems to be falling asleep more easily.” After helping Qiao Nan upstairs and lay on the bed, Zhai Hua asked worriedly when she came downstairs. “Is this really okay?”

  “Of course it is fine. The more she sleeps, the faster the fetuses in her womb grow.” Miao Jing was happily smiling. “However, Nan Nan is still very young. She’s pregnant with two children at the same time. It’s really tough on her.” Unfortunately, when Nan Nan was painstakingly carrying the children, her son, the initiator, was not by Nan Nan’s side to take care of her.

  This was an extremely sad issue for a military wife.

  The men of the Zhai family were always like that. They did not let down their country and the citizens. However, they always let their family, especially their wives, down.

  “Nan Nan’s temper is good. She has never behaved like a spoiled child. It’s so tough but she has never derided Zhai Sheng before. It’s Zhai Sheng’s good fortune to have married Nan Nan.” Even when she was younger, she could not be as big-hearted as Nan Nan.

  When she was just pregnant with Hua Hua, she suffered from severe morning sickness, yet Zhai Yaohui was not by her side. She had cried a few times because of this.

  Zhai Hua smiled too. “Yes, Nan Nan is different from the typical young ladies. Ladies who do not have a temperament like that of Nan Nan really can’t be part of our Zhai family.”

  Looking at Zhai Hua, who was feeling happy for Zhai Sheng and Qiao Nan, Miao Jing’s mood changed and she glared at Zhai Hua unhappily. That glare made Zhai Hua feel baffled. “Mom, what’s wrong with you? Who has annoyed you?” Weren’t they chatting happily earlier? If other people had provoked her mother, the latter should vent her frustration on others. She was so aggrieved.

  \r \r \r

  Miao Jing snorted twice. “Besides you, who else?”

  “Me?” Zhai Hua pointed at her own nose in disbelief. “When did I anger you?” Even though she was her biological mother, she could not malign her either.

  “I wish to be a maternal grandmother. I also wish to pamper you and treat you like a queen. When are you going to give me the chance to treat you like my ancestor?” Miao Jing slanted her eyes and looked at Zhai Hua.

  Qiao Nan’s treatment at the Zhai family had been improving in a rectilinear way. Although Zhai Hua treated Qiao Nan better than she did everyone else, she would occasionally sound sour in front of Miao Jing on purpose.

  Miao Jing remembered all those words.

  After the phone call with Tian Dong’s mother today, Miao Jing might as well dig up past scores and demand an explanation from her daughter. “Dongzi and you have been dawdling for half a year. What do you mean by this? If it’s not possible between Dongzi and you, we can forget about the past six months. We should not waste another six months. Mom will arrange blind dates for you. If the two of you have feelings for each other, quickly express yourself clearly. Both of you are not young anymore. I don’t understand why you are always dawdling.”

  When Miao Jing started to berate Zhai Hua, her tone was full of disdain.

  Zhai Hua’s face swelled in red after her mother gave her a scolding. “Mom, will anyone talk to their own daughter in this way? Isn’t it quite good for me to maintain the status quo with Dongzi? I am not young anymore but I have to observe him too. Nan Nan has said that I cannot be anxious when it comes to marriage. Spending more time to observe is always better. It’s better to make a late decision than to divorce quickly next time.”

  There was also another issue. All this while, Tian Dong had never made himself clear.

  Zhai Hua had her own pride and dignity. If Tian Dong were to reveal some feelings, Zhai Hua would not dawdle so much either.

  There was no hurry in getting married but they could date first.

  Since Tian Dong did not say anything, Zhai Hua might as well play dumb.

  If the day came whereby they could not continue acting foolish, Zhai Hua had the same thought as Miao Jing. If Tian Dong was gone, they could find another man.

  Anyway, Qiao Nan had two children in her womb now. At most, she could treat her niece and nephew as daughter and son respectively, no?

  At this moment, men only had one use to Zhai Hua, which was to have a child.

  Zhai Hua had put away Wei De’s matter in her heart. However, some repercussions were arising from the matter. Zhai Hua lost the kind of trust that she previously had for men.

  Now, Tian Dong was quite good to her. He even fawned on her family for her sake.

  However, who could guarantee that Tian Dong would remain like that forever? When a man changed, it was faster than flipping a book.

  Anyway, Zhai Hua knew in her heart that she was no longer willing to focus all her feelings on a man. Only her family would not betray or give up on her.

  After having such thoughts, both Zhai Hua and Tian Dong got along very naturally. Tian Dong did not speak about it. Zhai Hua was neither anxious nor angry. She really went along with Tian Dong in the ‘game’.

  Since it was hard to tell the eventual outcome, they would let nature take its course.

  Looking at Zhai Hua, who did not seem to be bothered, Miao Jing did not have a way. Anyway, no matter what she said, her daughter would not listen. She was very sick of saying the same things repeatedly.

  Qiao Nan, who was pregnant, was also quite curious about Tian Dong and Zhai Hua’s relationship. She wanted to ask how much longer these two wished to dawdle.

  However, Qiao Nan received a phone call before she could ask Zhai Hua. “Hello, Dad…… Yes, it’s me. Is there any matter? Oh, my child and I are doing quite well.”

  Qiao Dongliang, who was at the other end of the phone, sounded a little hesitant. “Nan Nan……”

  “.……”

  At the sound of Qiao Dongliang’s tone, Qiao Nan pursed her lips. After acquiescing once, she refused to speak further or ask Qiao Dongliang what he wanted to tell her.

  “.……”

  Qiao Dongliang could not bring himself to say it, but Ding Jiayi, who was standing behind him and stretching her neck, tugged at Qiao Dongliang’s clothes to urge him to continue.

  Wouldn’t a phone call to the capital cost money?

  Furthermore, this was a trans-provincial call.

  Qiao Dongliang’s brows stiffened as he pushed Ding Jiayi away from him. “Isn’t this the summer vacation period? Your sister wishes to go to the capital for a holiday. Your sister is not familiar with the people and places in the capital. Can you take care of her a little?”

  “What do you mean by there is only Zijin? Our family of three is going!” Ding Jiayi was not pleased. She raised her voice, hoping Qiao Nan could hear her words directly.

  Her daughter was considered to have ‘married over’ to the capital. By right, as the in-laws, they should not even need to make this call. The Zhai family did not even know such courtesy? Shouldn’t they extend an invitation?

  1152 Apply Leave to Come Here for a Holiday

  Not to mention the Zhai family, that wretched girl should have some self-awareness to invite them on her own initiative long ago. “Qiao Nan, your dad and I have not been to the capital, so our family of three wishes to go there together to have fun. You will welcome us, won’t you? Also, remember to purchase the flight tickets for us. I heard that it’s faster to take the plane there and the duration of travel is three to four hours. It will take a long time if we take the train. My waist has not been good recently. I won’t be able to endure such a long train ride.”

  The younger daughter had been married to the capital and the family wanted to go to the capital for a holiday. Certainly, the younger daughter had to take care of their food, accommodation, and entertainment. She should also conveniently take care of their transport costs.

  Anyway, she was not the one forking out the money. She was aware that taking the plane was fast and enjoyable. As expected, Ding Jiayi asked for the sky and requested Qiao Nan to pay for the airfare. She had to pay for all three of them.

  Ding Jiayi had the shame to make the request but Qiao Nan would not listen to any of it. “Dad, you know my situation too. I’m almost six months pregnant. As my tummy is bigger, my mother-in-law won’t even allow me to walk about. She’s afraid that my tummy will bump into something. If I did not insist, my mother-in-law would rather that I stop school for one year and stay at home to rest until I give birth. Dad, given my situation, do you think I can still take care of Qiao Zijin?”

  Take care?

  They could forget about asking her to take any care of Qiao Zijin in this lifetime.

  “Dad, I know. This is the first time that your daughter is married. You don’t have any prior experience. That’s fine. I will analyze the situation for you. In normal circumstances, when the daughter is pregnant, the biological mother will definitely come over and take care of her. Let’s not talk about other times. During the confinement period, most of the time, it is better for the biological mother rather than the mother-in-law to take care of the daughter. However, given my mom’s character, I would rather that she doesn’t come and take care of me. Even the auntie at home will take better care of me. Dad, I’m already six months pregnant. I can’t even see my toes when I look down at my feet. Given my situation, I don’t expect all of you to take care of me. You can’t do the reverse and expect me to take care of Qiao Zijin. Does this make sense?”

  Qiao Nan felt very disheartened.

  True enough, once her father returned to the small courtyard of the Qiao family and lived together with Ding Jiayi and Qiao Zijin, he had reverted to his old self. He was muddleheaded and brainless now. He did not even have the basic ability to analyze the situation.

  He would agree to whatever Ding Jiayi and Qiao Zijin said.

  Her father was thinking that since she was already married, he would not be of any hindrance to her even if he were to listen fully to Ding Jiayi and Qiao Zijin. That was why her father simply adopted a laissez-faire attitude.

  If the trio continued to stay in Ping Cheng, Qiao Nan did not care who they listened to.

  \r \r \r

  However, she was already married, yet the trio had to come and create trouble for her. This made Qiao Nan feel very helpless. She could not accept this.

  The maternal family was coming over to let a pregnant lady take care of them. If you were to ask the world, no one would do such a thing.

  Ding Jiayi was very unhappy when she heard this. “If we ask you to take care of us, you have to. Zijin is your biological sister. Even if we don’t tell you, you should also take good care of Zijin. Why are you talking so much nonsense? Even if you are pampered and precious, you made it sound as if I have never been pregnant or have never given birth to children. Fine. If it is really not convenient for you, simply pay for someone to take care of your sister. Won’t that do? Moreover, it’s not just your sister who is going. Your dad and I are going too!”

  Ding Jiayi, who had snatched over the phone, scolded into it. She sounded so bold and righteous.

  “Stop messing around!” Qiao Dongliang’s face turned stiff. “Have you forgotten what you have promised me? If you do that again, don’t blame me for being unruly. The capital? If you have the capability, you can go on your own. If not, don’t give me such crap!”

  One Zijin was enough to give Nan Nan trouble. Old Ding had truly gone crazy to want all the three of them to go there.

  Qiao Dongliang placed the phone by his ear and said, “Nan Nan, don’t listen to your mom. The weather is too hot recently and your mom is suffering from heatstroke and thus spouted nonsense. She’s not clear of and doesn’t know what she is saying.” It was already too much to have one person going.

  As the elder sister, Zijin had never taken care of Nan Nan. Now, the situation even had to be reversed such that Nan Nan had to take care of Zijin. They would become a laughingstock if words were to get out.

  Qiao Dongliang was most concerned about Qiao Nan’s pregnancy.

  When he first heard that Qiao Zijin wished to holiday in the capital, Qiao Dongliang objected to it.

  Nan Nan disliked Zijin. Hence, she certainly did not wish to see Zijin. Wouldn’t Zijin be creating trouble for Nan Nan if she were to go to the capital?

  Thereafter, Qiao Zijin was the one who analyzed the situation for him. She told him that a woman’s temperament would change during pregnancy.

  Qiao Nan did not have any real next-of-kin in the capital. When she, the elder sister, went over, she would definitely console Qiao Nan properly lest Qiao Nan become too nervous.

  As such, Qiao Zijin told Qiao Dongliang that she was going to the capital not only for a holiday but also to take care of the pregnant Qiao Nan.

  Qiao Dongliang wanted to tell Qiao Nan that Qiao Zijin was new to the capital. Hence, he hoped that Qiao Nan could spend a little effort on Qiao Zijin.

  If it was not convenient for Qiao Nan to do so personally, she could find someone to be a guide for Qiao Zijin.

  Since Qiao Zijin could not stay at the house of the Zhai family, Qiao Zijin’s safety would only be ensured if Qiao Nan could hire someone to make sure that Qiao Zijin returned to her hotel or place of accommodation every day.

  Who would have known that once Ding Jiayi spoke, everything had changed? It completely deviated from the original discussion.

  Ding Jiayi certainly wanted to follow Qiao Zijin to the capital for a holiday. Perhaps she had already set her mind to let Qiao Nan pay for everything so that they could enjoy themselves madly for once.

  As long as she was not the one paying, she could spend more of Qiao Nan’s money as more people were going.

  As such, if the family of three were to go on a trip together, Ding Jiayi would not feel any pinch about the loss of income or expenses during this period of absence in Ping Cheng. She would do whatever she was happy with.

  “Dad, I remember that both you and Mom are working, no? Mom said that all three of you want to come to the capital for a holiday, but for how long? What about your jobs?”

  Qiao Nan’s face was numb. When she heard the shrieking voice of Ding Jiayi, she already lost her ability to respond.

  Certainly, the idea of the family of three going on a trip together did not come from Ding Jiayi spontaneously. Most likely, the trio had long discussed it.

  When they spoke at the eleventh hour, her father wanted face and changed his words. He said that Qiao Zijin was the only one coming and did not mention about him and Ding Jiayi.

  If it were others, the daughter would definitely invite her parents to come as well since Qiao Zijin was already coming.

  Ding Jiayi knew her better than her father regarding this. She would definitely not open her mouth to invite them. Hence, Ding Jiayi could only request it personally.

  “Zijin has two months of vacation. We’re not in a hurry to come back. As for our salaries, it doesn’t matter.” Ding Jiayi was afraid that Qiao Dongliang would relent and wreck Qiao Zijin’s and her great plans. When she heard Qiao Nan’s words, she replied directly and straightforwardly. She did not care whether Qiao Nan was implying something else. This straightforwardness made people furious.

  Qiao Nan sneered continuously. “Dad, is the phone still with you?”


  1153 Take It That I Have Never Said This Before

  “I’m here.” Upon hearing Qiao Nan’s voice, Qiao Dongliang suddenly felt guilty-conscious.

  Qiao Nan tugged the corners of her lips, her eyes looking cold. “So, do you mean that both you and Mom are not going to work and earn money in these two months? You’re all coming to the capital for a ‘holiday’ and to spend money? Does the family have a sum of money that can cover the costs of this holiday? It’s not cheap to stay even for one night in the capital, not to mention the cost of other things. You’re coming to stay in the hotel for two months and then going home after having fun in a carefree manner. Dad, did you buy the lottery and strike three million yuan?”

  “I……” Qiao Dongliang almost could not answer. “Don’t listen to your mom. Zijin is the only one who is going. Your mom and I are not going. It’s not as if you don’t know our family’s situation. How will we have so much money? I don’t have the habit of buying the lottery either. It won’t be my turn to strike it anyway. Your mom likes to talk nonsense. Don’t take her words for real or to heart.”

  Qiao Dongliang did not know how to answer the question. If he did not do it in this way……

  If he had a choice, Qiao Dongliang could not wait to hang up the phone immediately.

  All the neighbors in the quad had seen the shrewish behavior of Ding Jiayi.

  He was still a reasonable and civilized person. He would not be as thick-skinned and shameless as Ding Jiayi to do such embarrassing stuff.

  “What? Don’t take my words to heart? She must take my word to heart!” Ding Jiayi could not help flaring up and kicking up a fuss.

  As soon as Qiao Nan left Ping Cheng, Qiao Dongliang moved back to the small courtyard of the Qiao family and lived together with Ding Jiayi.

  Despite that, two of them had not slept in the same room. They also did not do the most intimate thing between a couple.

  The problem was that Ding Jiayi’s confidence came back after this period of six months.

  When he heard that Qiao Dongliang dared not speak to Qiao Nan according to her wish, she was so furious that she snatched over the phone. “Qiao Nan, listen properly. Don’t think that I can’t control you anymore after you are married and went to the capital. Don’t forget that your dad and I gave birth to you. You have to support us financially in this whole lifetime and obey our words. I will give you a bank account number. Quickly transfer 10,000 yuan to it. You have married into a good family. Your dad and I are already so old. Shouldn’t you let us enjoy life? As a human, you need to have a conscience!”

  “If you really have so much conscience, Mom, why haven’t I seen my maternal grandmother before? Your life in the past was not bad either. Why didn’t I see you fetching my maternal grandmother over and be filial to her? Mom, you’re also someone who has a mother. Why don’t you set an example for me first and I will follow accordingly?” Qiao Nan was both angry and amused by Ding Jiayi’s words.

  \r \r \r

  Fortunately, Ding Jiayi had done things that were more absurd and cold-blooded. Since Ding Jiayi got married, she had severed interactions with her maternal family for more than twenty years.

  Her mother did not even send a single cent back to the Ding family, let alone transfer 10,000 yuan to the maternal family for her parents to go on a holiday.

  “Mom, a crooked stick will have a crooked shadow. With you as the crooked stick, don’t expect me, the shadow, to perform too well. This is not realistic. As a human, you should be more realistic.” Qiao Nan’s tone was neither hurried nor slow, yet she very firmly rejected all of Ding Jiayi’s requests.

  “Dad, regardless of whether you can hear me, I will be frank in my words. First, I am already six months pregnant and my tummy is extremely big. Besides the necessary pregnancy exercises, my mother-in-law is not willing to let me step out of the door. The air in the capital is not that good. Second, it is all of your business where you want to go on holiday and have fun. Whether one person or the whole family is setting out on this trip, you can decide it for yourself. I am just a poor student. All the money for my studies is given to me by my generous in-law family. I already need my in-law family’s help to support me financially. I really don’t have the shame to ask them to support my maternal family financially too.”

  Who would take leave from work to go on a two months’ holiday?

  This was such a ‘heroic’ move and they still needed to take money from her pocket?

  It was ludicrous!

  However, no matter what, regardless of what the Qiao family said, she would not agree. This was her attitude and it would not change.

  “You!” As soon as Qiao Nan disagreed, Ding Jiayi was so enraged that she nearly jumped onto the roof to settle scores with Qiao Nan. “What kind of tone is this!”

  “Shut up!” Qiao Dongliang pushed Ding Jiayi’s face away with one slap. Upon hearing Qiao Nan’s words, Qiao Dongliang felt so embarrassed that he could not wait to dig a hole and bury himself in it.

  It was right that children had to be good to their parents. However, this situation could not be applied to Qiao Nan.

  It was not because of other reasons. It was because Qiao Nan was just a student.

  Qiao Nan had to rely on others to support her financially, yet Ding Jiayi had to ask for the sky. She greedily requested Qiao Nan to buy three flight tickets and even ordered her to transfer 10,000 yuan to sponsor their holiday.

  When it was the beginning of 2000, traveling was not so costly. It was not as if the family was going to an overseas country.

  Hence, Ding Jiayi was extremely unreasonable to have said that.

  Qiao Dongliang was easily cajoled by others but he would not be cajoled to this extent.

  Next, Qiao Nan could no longer hear any complete sentence. On the other side of the phone, Qiao Dongliang and Ding Jiayi seemed to have different opinions. They started to argue before they even hung up the phone.

  Qiao Nan held her forehead in agony. She really could not understand. Her father had already divorced his mother and climbed out of this huge pit, which was her mother. How badly could he not sort out his thoughts that he had to jump back into it?

  Without her mother’s influence, her father’s worldviews and values were quite upright.

  As long as no one had a conflict with her father’s worldviews and values, her father seldom argued with people.

  Was it because her father had led too much of a peaceful life during the past four years? Hence, he felt that there would be more passion and excitement if he were to live with her mother and argue and fight with her from time to time?

  When they argued until the situation was unresolvable, Qiao Dongliang finally seemed to have realized that he had not hung up the phone. He pushed Ding Jiayi away and said to Qiao Nan while panting heavily, “Nan Nan, take it that I did not make this call today. Take care of yourself at home.”

  After saying that, he hung up the phone with a bang.

  Qiao Nan placed the phone back and gave a huge sigh.

  The person who would have such an idea was certainly not her father.

  Ding Jiayi might not have the brains to think of this either.

  After Brother Zhai found someone to cut Qiao Zijin’s hair, Ding Jiayi had been quite abiding for a long time.

  In that case, Qiao Zijin was the one who wanted to come to the capital for a holiday and even wanted to stay at the house of the Zhai family so that she could take care of her?

  Qiao Nan rubbed her temple. She did not say a word. She also did not tell the Zhai family about this and quietly hid this matter.

  Anyway, her father had already said it. She would take it that her father had never made this call.

  “Tsk……” The child in her womb seemed to have been affected by Qiao Nan. It was so angry that it formed a little fist.

  Rubbing the round and tiny bun that was bulging on her tummy, Qiao Nan smiled gently. “Baby, don’t be angry. Mom is not angry anymore.”


  1154 Glutton

  “I just don’t know when your dad will be back and whether he will be able to rush back in time to see you at the moment of your births.”

  After coming to the capital, Zhai Sheng was busier than when he was in Ping Cheng.

  Besides the day that the pair collected their wedding certificate, Qiao Nan had not heard any further news of when Zhai Sheng would be coming back. She also did not receive many of Zhai Sheng’s phone calls.

  When she called Zhai Sheng’s office nowadays, no one answered the calls.

  Facing such a situation, Qiao Nan certainly had feelings of panic and worry.

  Upon hearing their mother’s gentle voice, the babies who were kicking up a fuss in the womb quieted down very quickly. They were no longer kicking up a fuss, lest their mother become as upset as them.

  The hearts of the mother and children were together. When looking at her tummy, Qiao Nan’s eyes were so gentle that tears were almost dripping.

  The babies distracted her. Also, Qiao Nan did not wish to tell anyone about the phone call just now. Before half a day was over, she had completely forgotten about this matter.

  However, although one would never go looking for trouble, trouble would come knocking on the door most of the time.

  She had forgotten about the phone call, but some people would not change their minds so easily. They were so persistent that they thought of a solution to fulfill their wishes.

  “This is the capital? It’s certainly different.” Looking at the capital, which was completely different from Ping Cheng, Qiao Zijin’s eyes were filled with vanity and envy.

  This was such a great city. She, too, hoped that she could live, grow, settle down here, and become part of the population.

  “Now is not the most beautiful time. When night time arrives, the red lights and green wine look even better. Of course, speaking of this, I’ll bring you to Mo Du to widen your horizons if there is an opportunity in the future. It’s even better over there.” In contrast to Qiao Zijin’s zealous reaction, Chen Jun was only mildly excited.

  One had to know that he had completed four years of college studies in this city.

  Unexpectedly, he came back again today although he had graduated.

  \r \r \r

  People of the same family had similar personalities and temper.

  Qiao Zijin had made up her mind to have a home of her own in the capital, and Chen Jun also had the same thought.

  There was no place better than the capital in China.

  If he and his father could become an official in the central government, it would mean that the ancestors of the Chen family had been blessing them.

  In the past, Chen Jun dared not be so ambitious. However, Chen Jun felt that this target was not that far-fetched now.

  As long as he could do two things, this was actually a very easy matter.

  The capital, here I come!

  After cheering for himself, Chen Jun smiled. “Zijin, do you still remember what I taught you in the past?”

  “Re-remember.” Qiao Zijin’s expression changed. She bowed her head docilely as she softly replied.

  At this moment, Qiao Zijin looked like an introverted, shy, and even a young lady who was a little timid. What arrogance, evil, heartless—all these were gone.

  Chen Jun was very satisfied with Qiao Zijin’s change.

  Chen Jun reached out his hands and touched Qiao Zijin’s hair. “Very good. You have to always remember this. Don’t be like your mom and become a shrew that no one likes. Girls have to be gentle and refined. It’s not good to be too competitive. If anyone bullies you, just cry. If you feel that your requests have not been met, or if you are not satisfied, just continue crying. Too much of a woman’s tears are not valuable. Nevertheless, it is fine as long as they are useful. When a woman cries, it looks much better than attacking people with her mouth. If you behave like your mom, who only knows how to make noise, that will be too ugly and unsightly. Understand?”

  Qiao Zijin was not smart enough. She did not have Qiao Nan’s brains and achievements. Unfortunately, she was so full of herself and liked to act smart.

  At this moment, Chen Jun would rather Qiao Zijin not speak and be a young lady who only knew how to cry.

  Well, men. When they saw a young lady who was not bad-looking cry, their hearts would definitely go out to her regardless of the right or wrong of the matter.

  As a man, Chen Jun was well aware of this.

  Qiao Zijin’s intelligence could not make it. As such, Qiao Zijin could only rely on acting in her life.

  Qiao Zijin said ‘okay’ with a voice as soft as that of a mosquito. Thereafter, she did not dare to leave Chen Jun’s side as she walked step-by-step with him. That obedient demeanor was as if she had autism and had just been discharged from the mental hospital.

  Of course, if she were to change the purple dress on her to an all-white dress, the resemblance would be more striking.

  “Nan Nan, have some fruits.” In the house of the Zhai family, Zhai Hua brought the fruits that had been cut into bite-sized pieces by the auntie to Qiao Nan. “This is the toothpick. Use it to eat. It’s more convenient, in case the fruit juice drips all over. By right, it’s best to eat watermelons during this season. However, watermelons are too cooling. You are pregnant. It’s fine. Let’s not eat them. After you have given birth, I will buy them for you if you want, regardless of whether it’s summertime.”

  Zhai Hua loved to eat watermelons during summer. At the thought of Qiao Nan’s situation, she was not willing to let Qiao Nan eat the watermelons.

  Qiao Nan could not eat them but she could. Zhai Hua could not help feeling a little guilty about it.

  Qiao Nan did not know whether to laugh or cry. “I am pregnant. I have not become a child. If I can’t eat watermelons this summer, so be it. Do you take me for a glutton?” She just had to avoid watermelons for a summer. That was not a big deal.

  Zhai Hua was not convinced. “That day, when it was half past ten at night, who was the one who kicked up a fuss, craving for stinky tofu, durians, and stuff? Who cried until the eyes were red when I returned a little later? My mom’s heart ached for so long because of that. She kept blaming me for taking too much time just to buy a few things.”

  Zhai Hua was extremely sullen at the mention of this.

  Qiao Nan’s tummy was huge. Hence, when the family was giving her nourishment food, they paid careful attention to control Qiao Nan’s appetite. Coupled with appropriate exercise that could aid in giving birth, they hoped that Qiao Nan would feel more relaxed on the day that she was giving birth.

  They did not expect that Qiao Nan’s change would be so great after getting pregnant.

  Before pregnancy, anyone who had met Qiao Nan would say that Qiao Nan was truly a very good child.

  However, after pregnancy, Qiao Nan had become very spoiled. She thought of one thing followed by another endlessly, especially in the area of food.

  If Qiao Nan suddenly had a craving for a certain food, they had to get it. If they did not do so, Qiao Nan would change her clothes, put on her shoes, and run out to buy on her own.

  If she were to help run the errands but returned home a little later, Qiao Nan would cry. She cried so miserably as if the whole family had abandoned her and her children.

  Oh, my goodness. Zhai Hua felt that she was dying of torture.

  It was no wonder that people said that a pregnant woman was the queen of the house. Damn, she was the slave by the side of her majesty!

  Zhai Hua took a deep breath. She could not say all these. If she did, there would be tears.

  Qiao Nan’s face was full of embarrassment. She could not deny that she had done all these. “Sister Zhai Hua, I wish to say that I cried previously not because I wanted to. It was the babies who wanted to cry. Do you believe me?”


  1155 Change of Strategy

  “I was not the one who wanted to eat those things. It’s the babies who wanted to eat them. Do you believe me?”

  “Hahaha.” Zhai Hua smiled dryly. She glanced sideways at Qiao Nan and nearly engraved three words on her face: I don’t believe you!

  Qiao Nan felt wronged and aggrieved. “Before pregnancy, I don’t eat those things. I dislike them for their strong taste.” Stinky tofu and durians were all food with strong flavors and smell.

  Durians were so costly. Before she was pregnant, she had neither eaten nor thought of eating such food in her two lifetimes.

  Stinky tofu was cheap but she did not touch it when her father bought it home in the past.

  “Have you forgotten? The doctor reminded you before that a woman’s taste will go through great changes after they become pregnant. I am very unfortunate. The babies in my womb are those who love food with strong flavors. They can’t take the food on their own, so they can only torture me.”

  Qiao Nan’s eyes turned red and her tiny lips pouted. She felt extremely aggrieved.

  To her, all those items were very smelly.

  Before she was pregnant, she was not willing to take more glances at them.

  She did not expect that the babies in her womb did not resemble her at all. They liked strong-flavored food.

  Fortunately, she did not overeat. Otherwise, Qiao Nan would feel worried for her children and herself.

  At the thought that she craved for these food because of the babies’ needs, Qiao Nan felt nervous again. “Sister Zhai Hua, after I give birth to the babies, when they grow up and can eat things on their own, will our house be filled with the smells of stinky tofu or durians?”

  Zhai Hua was imagining a house that would be filled with ‘smells’ in the future. At the thought of it, she could not help shivering. “Will…… will it that bad? Maybe the babies only like to eat them when they are in your womb. They will change after they are born.”

  Zhai Hua and Qiao Nan glanced at each other and laughed helplessly.

  “Hello?” The phone rang and broke the awkwardness between the two that arose due to this frightening imagination. “Yes, I am. Wait…… Who did you say came? Who is here?”

  After listening to the names clearly, Zhai Hua pulled a long face. She covered the phone receiver. “Nan Nan, there’s a man and a woman outside at the entrance. They said that they are your sister and brother-in-law. Are you going to see them?”

  As for the two people’s names, Zhai Hua did not wish to mention them. She was afraid that it would hurt her mouth.

  However, why did these two people come to the capital?

  \r \r \r

  “.……” Qiao Nan was silent.

  Last time, she did not hear any ‘follow up’ after her father hung up the phone.

  Unexpectedly, despite not receiving any more phone calls, Qiao Zijin actually appeared at her doorstep directly.

  Looking at Qiao Nan’s reaction, Zhai Hua raised her eyebrows. “You already know about it?”

  “My dad gave me a call on this but I rejected him. Given my situation, he still asked me to take care of her. Would I have agreed? My dad also told me to take it that he did not make that call. Who would have known that someone still came regardless.” Qiao Nan’s lips were pursed tightly. She was also trying to restrain her tone.

  “Are you going to see them?”

  “I don’t wish to.”

  Zhai Hua sighed. She understood that Qiao Nan did not wish to see them but had to. “Fine. I’ll let them come in first.”

  After a while, Qiao Zijin and Chen Jun had been led in by someone until they arrived at the front door of the Zhai family’s house.

  The guards at the door were even stricter than the security guards of the quad in Ping Cheng. Seeing that the Zhai family was staying in a western-style bungalow instead of the quad now, Qiao Zijin’s heart was filled with envy and jealousy. No one else could understand how she felt.

  Qiao Nan was different now after this marriage. Qiao Nan was now living a life that she had been dreaming of.

  This style…… This display of splendor……

  At the thought of Chen Jun, who was standing beside her, Qiao Zijin’s heart felt so sour as if it was immersed in a sea of jealousy.

  No matter how much she consoled herself that Chen Jun was a lot more outstanding than other men, she could not hide the fact that Chen Jun could not be compared to Zhai Sheng.

  If she were to rely on Chen Jun, she dared not even hope for the day in her lifetime whereby she could live such a good life.

  This was something unknown to her, yet Qiao Nan was already enjoying it so much. Qiao Zijin, who had been competitive since a young age and liked to subdue Qiao Nan, definitely could not accept such a gap.

  “Cough……” Qiao Zijin’s eyes and expression were looking increasingly odd. Chen Jun narrowed his eyes and reminded her by coughing twice.

  Qiao Zijin’s body turned stiff. She quickly restrained the emotions underneath her eyes and gave a hard blink to try to make her eyes watery. Thereafter, the expression on her face also became gentler.

  “.……” Qiao Nan was instantly speechless.

  On the other hand, Zhai Hua seemed to have been struck by thunder upon seeing Qiao Zijin’s blink. Was this considered casting sheep’s eye or what? Was there a name for this?

  Qiao Nan shook her head at Zhai Hua. Qiao Zijin had a new trick up her sleeves. Anyway, she had not seen this before.

  Obviously, Chen Jun was also surprised that Qiao Zijin would be so stupid to come up with such a tactic eventually.

  If she was not able to cry now, so be it. Nevertheless, it was fine as long as she did not distort that not-so-beautiful face of hers until it looked like that of a jealous old witch.

  Would blinking her eyes hard evoke feelings of wanting to cry? Damn, who taught Qiao Zijin this?

  Facing such a girlfriend like Qiao Zijin who would commit foolish acts from time to time, be easily jealous, and behave willfully, no one else could understand the misery in Chen Jun’s heart.

  It was true. If he had another path to take or managed to woo Qiu Chenxi successfully in the past, Qiao Zijin would not be involved today.

  The biological sister had been married to and became the daughter-in-law of the Zhai family. She had a capable ‘tummy’ and was now pregnant with two children. However, Qiao Zijin did not bask this glory at all. Instead, her life seemed to be deteriorating.

  How stupid could the Qiao family get to end up in such a ludicrous situation?

  Unfortunately, there was no ‘what if’ in life.

  After Qiu Chenxi went to Mo Du, Chen Jun heard some news about her. Qiu Chenxi was doing very well now.

  A starving camel is still bigger than a horse. This was a saying that could withstand the test of time.

  Regardless of how useless the Shi family was, they were still better than his own family who did not have any foundation.

  Furthermore, Shi Peng was doing so well now. It was a matter of time before he would be deployed to the central government.

  It was extremely hard for a typical person to enter the central government. If they did, it would be akin to great happiness befalling the family. On the other hand, someone like Shi Peng who was only in his early forties was already seeing the light at the end of the tunnel.

  Nothing was fair in this world.

  If that was not the situation, he would not always need to make use of women. He just wanted the political path of his biological father to become smoother, longer, and farther.

  However, he refused to bow to destiny.

  The Chen family did not have any foundation. His father could become a small government official because he was capable.

  If they were willing to work hard and engineer things, the Chen family would be the next prominent and influential family one day.

  When Qiao Zijin felt that she had adjusted her mindset, she gave Qiao Nan a weak smile. “Nan Nan, Chen Jun and I happened to come to the capital for a holiday. I thus came to visit you. Please don’t take Mom’s previous words to heart. You should know Mom’s temper.”


  1156 Take Your Time to Leave. I Am Not Sending You Off

  “Both Dad and I completely could not persuade Mom. Mom’s ‘monologue’ has caused you a lot of trouble again, right? Did she make you worried?”

  There was a vague flash in Qiao Nan’s eyes. These words did not seem like the usual speaking style of Qiao Zijin. “Certainly, there is some trouble. You have also seen it yourself. I have to rely on others to take care of me now, yet Mom called me and insisted that I take care of you. However, Mom’s bias is not something new. You don’t need to persuade me. I have never taken Mom’s words to heart.”

  Qiao Nan said this to let Qiao Zijin understand one situation. In the past, regardless of how much Qiao Zijin wanted to make use of Ding Jiayi to derive benefit from her, just like today, the outcome would always be the same—she would not get anything.

  Listen to her mother’s words?

  Sorry. She could not do that since six years ago.

  Qiao Zijin’s expression changed. “It’s also good that you can sort out your thoughts. I won’t persuade you then. If Mom’s words are unreasonable, you can ignore them. Don’t argue with her. It’s meaningless. In this lifetime, Mom only has the two of us, her children. Actually, it’s not easy for her too.”

  She could choose not to listen to her mother if the latter was wrong in her words. However, Qiao Nan had to listen to her mother if the latter was right!

  No matter how stubborn Qiao Nan was, she could not change the fact that her mother gave birth to her.

  How could it be so easy to have a clean break?

  Chen Jun narrowed his eyes and gave Qiao Zijin a nudge.

  He had just reminded Qiao Zijin a few minutes ago, yet Qiao Zijin had obviously turned defensive in front of Qiao Nan and Zhai Hua. It was true that one could not make a silk purse out of a sow’s ear.

  Qiao Zijin was long used to having conflicts with Qiao Nan during their interactions. As soon as she heard Qiao Nan say something she was not pleased or satisfied with, she would let the cat out of the bag despite having put up a good pretense earlier on.

  After receiving Chen Jun’s reminder, tears welled up in Qiao Zijin’s eyes. “Nan Nan, don’t take my words to heart too. Mom is biased and good to me, so it is only right that I support and repay her. I always hope that Mom’s life can be better and smoother. As such, my words most probably did not make more sense than those of Mom. Don’t be angry. I apologize to you.”

  \r \r \r

  Qiao Zijin made it sound as if her unreasonable words resulted from her loss of temper out of filial piety for Ding Jiayi.

  Although her words were not pleasing to the ears, there was a valid reason for it.

  “Ha”. Qiao Nan laughed. “Thank you for coming to visit me.”

  Chen Jun tightened his fist that was holding on to a present. After adjusting his mindset, he put down the present. “We only know that you are pregnant but don’t know the gender of your babies. Hence, we just bought a little children’s stuff.”

  “Thank you.” Zhai Hua took a glance at those items. They were neither pricey nor extraordinarily costly, so it was not a problem to accept them.

  Zhai Hua looked at Qiao Nan. Qiao Zijin wasn’t that smart but she had found herself a boyfriend that seemed capable. At the very least, he was much more intelligent than Qiao Zijin and seemed to be someone difficult to deal with.

  She had Wei De as an example. Hence, when she saw Chen Jun’s behavior, Zhai Hua did not feel positive about Chen Jun just because of his good performance.

  He had already come to this place. This boyfriend of Qiao Zijin was definitely aware of what kind of family Qiao Nan had married into.

  Given this point alone, Zhai Hua had a reason to believe that this boyfriend of Qiao Zijin was willing to date a foolish thing like Qiao Zijin not because of love. It should be for the sake of his interest.

  “Do you want a cup of tea?” Qiao Nan did not respond to Zhai Hua. Of course, she was aware of how smart Chen Jun was.

  If he was not smart, how could he have cajoled her so well in her previous lifetime? After he gained something from Wang Yang successfully and completed his mission, he even two-timed her and made Qiao Zijin pregnant.

  Qiao Nan knew in her heart that if she did not have a second chance, given that head of hers, she would not be able to see through Chen Jun’s true colors that were akin to a wolf in a sheep’s clothing.

  “Sure……” Qiao Zijin wanted to agree. Didn’t Chen Jun ask her to come to the capital for a holiday because of Qiao Nan?

  It was rare that Qiao Nan still had some shame. She knew that she could not lose all of her maternal family members. There was no reason for Qiao Zijin to decline. She bent her knee and wanted to land her bum on the seat so that she could bond with Qiao Nan and Zhai Hua.

  Besides, didn’t they say that the chief’s wife was also at home?

  Everyone was one family. They should get the chief’s wife to come out and acknowledge them, lest the family members fail to recognize one another and a friendly fire occur in the future.

  Qiao Zijin wanted to take a seat but Chen Jun swiftly grabbed Qiao Zijin’s arms. As such, she could not sit down. She lost her footing but did not fall as Chen Jun was holding on to her. “No, thank you. Zijin and I will be in the capital for a few days. We just came to pay a short visit today. As for having tea, we can talk about it again when we have the chance.”

  As long as he retained the tea session, he and Qiao Zijin would have another opportunity to come again.

  Most importantly, Chen Jun noticed that Qiao Nan had been yawning.

  Qiao Nan was pregnant. Most probably, it was normal for her to feel sleepy.

  In the Zhai family, Qiao Nan was the only one who was Qiao Zijin’s sister. Qiao Zijin did not know Zhai Hua well. He was even less familiar with Zhai Hua.

  They came to pay a visit and not to trouble others.

  If they were to insist on holding on to Qiao Nan, this sleepy pregnant woman, for a chat, the gossip from others would drown him and Qiao Zijin.

  On the contrary, he was willing to let Qiao Nan return to her room to rest. They did not seem to have any common topic of conversation with Zhai Hua anyway. They would only sit down and face each other awkwardly.

  If that was truly the case, the so-called relatives’ visit today would seem too imposing. It would make people feel unhappy.

  Rome was not built in one day. In particular, Qiao Zijin and Qiao Nan’s relationship was so poor. It was not easy to become relatives with the Zhai family. This could not be rushed and they had to take their time.

  Chen Jun took a breath and revealed a polite smile to Qiao Nan and Zhai Hua. “Zijin and I will be leaving. Let’s meet again another time when we have the chance.”

  “Take your time.” Zhai Hua was very surprised. Once Chen Jun spoke, he had already fixed the subsequent date. He was quite a capable individual.

  Ouch. Although Qiao Zijin was much lousier than her, the boyfriend that she found was also better than Wei De.

  Could it be that she was too outstanding in all other aspects? Hence, her judgment of character was much worse than others?

  “Why did we leave just like that? It’s not easy to get in. I don’t know how to meet up with Qiao Nan again.” After leaving, at the sight of vehicles coming to and fro and the endless flow of traffic, Qiao Zijin was so furious that she felt like vomiting blood. “Haven’t you already seen how bad Qiao Nan’s temper is? It’s stinky and stubborn. We can’t always pin our hopes on next time. Instead, we should try our best to resolve the matter once and for all.”

  Next time? She very much doubted when Qiao Nan would be willing to bother about the Qiao family again. Would it happen only when one of her parents died?

  1157 Prepare to Go Home

  Qiao Nan had become a Cinderella and her life was becoming better. Why would she be willing to bother about poor relatives like her? She would definitely avoid them as much as possible.

  Of course, she would do that too if she was Qiao Nan. She would be fearful that her hopeless and incompetent maternal family would drag her down.

  It was with much difficulty that they found this chance. She was not pleased that Chen Jun had wasted it.

  “Do you still want to borrow Qiao Nan’s glory and receive help from the Zhai family? Qiao Nan is not so easy to talk to. Anything related to Qiao Nan, don’t expect to settle it ‘next time’. If this matter is not successful eventually, don’t blame it on me. I won’t take the blame.”

  He wanted her to fake a cry in front of Qiao Nan, but she had never done such an embarrassing thing in her life.

  Qiao Zijin did not perform well at all on the grounds today. She really could not bring herself to cry.

  She was not an actress. How could she cry so easily? Chen Jun was making things difficult for her with this request.

  Chen Jun took a deep breath. “We can’t rush in this matter. You should have heard the saying ‘more haste, less speed’ before. If it is so easy to appease Qiao Nan……” Would he and Qiao Zijin be in a boyfriend-girlfriend relationship today?

  In the past, if his ploy of ‘the hero saving the beauty’ had succeeded according to plan, he would not need to work so hard now. Wang Yang would have asked the Wang family to make arrangements for his father. His father would not have been demoted and kicked to a small town. Until now, he could not return to Ping Cheng.

  “Qiao Nan is not someone who will yield easily.”

  His plan had failed in the past. Now, Qiao Nan definitely would not change her mind and bother about the Qiao family just because of a few words from Qiao Zijin.

  The relationship between Qiao Nan and the Qiao family seemed to be coming to a standstill, one that could not be changed.

  Previously, he allowed Qiao Zijin to be his girlfriend all because of Qiao Nan.

  If Qiao Nan, this target, could not be achieved forever, was there still a need for him to continue his relationship with Qiao Zijin?

  \r \r \r

  Undoubtedly, without Qiao Nan, this layer of glow, given Qiao Zijin’s personal qualities and capability, he would not pay special attention to her. He would also not request his parents to agree to let him marry Qiao Zijin.

  Chen Jun was also worried that he would gain nothing eventually. After marrying Qiao Zijin, he might not derive any benefit. On the other hand, Qiao Zijin might attract trouble for the Chen family because of her family background and incapability.

  Chen Jun really could not help looking down on Qiao Zijin.

  If he had a younger sister like Qiao Nan, he dared to guarantee that his relationship with Qiao Nan would definitely be so good such that Qiao Nan would try all ways and means to give him many benefits and ensure his bright future. This was even so if he did not open his mouth to ask for it.

  Others were troubled that they did not have the resources. However, Qiao Zijin wasted the best resources.

  Qiao Zijin would never be able to understand the pain and distress in Chen Jun’s heart.

  “There is no rush?” Qiao Zijin looked at Chen Jun. “Are you really sure that you are not anxious?” If Chen Jun was not anxious, she was even less anxious than him.

  If it was possible, she was not willing to bow to Qiao Nan.

  Regarding the words that Qiao Nan had just told her, sorry, she did not believe any of them.

  There was also another thing. Qiao Nan did not say that she would not support her parents financially in the future.

  Qiao Nan was still willing to support her parents financially. As such, the money that Qiao Nan gave her parents would eventually end up in her pockets. She could spend and use them as she wished.

  No matter what, Qiao Nan had married well. As her sister, she would definitely benefit from it and bask in some of the glory.

  “You say that there’s no hurry at Qiao Nan’s end. Since we are already in the capital, we shouldn’t waste the flight and accommodation. Let’s have fun together. You have studied for four years in college here. It shouldn’t be difficult for you to be my tour guide.” Qiao Zijin had other plans too. She knew that she did not have to act pitiful and fawn on Qiao Nan anymore. Hence, she hoped to tour the capital happily.

  Chen Jun was angry and sullen. “Sure.” Although he said that there was no rush, he did not say that they could completely cast this matter aside or ignore it for the time being.

  Chen Jun was again apprehensive about whether Qiao Zijin was his best option.

  If the Chen family could become associated with the Zhai family, undoubtedly, they would be in great luck.

  It would be troublesome if there was no hope in becoming related to the Zhai family, yet he married such a brainless and penniless woman without a good family background like Qiao Zijin. He would suffer a huge loss then.

  Chen Jun had never given up his plan to make the Chen family progress and become better.

  If Chen Jun could give up on the Zhai family that he could no longer pine any hopes on, Qiao Zijin would lose all her usefulness then.

  A waste material that was worthless. If he did not dump it now, was he going to wait until the Lunar New Year?

  When he was keeping Qiao Zijin company in touring the capital, Chen Jun started to quietly retreat from the existence of this girlfriend, Qiao Zijin.

  The two of them were only dating now, yet Qiao Zijin had no reservation about spending the money of the Chen family at all. The cost of living in the capital was high. Not to mention other things, just food and entertainment alone were enough to cost Chen Jun a bomb.

  Between Chen Jun and Qiao Zijin, only one party was giving but not receiving anything.

  Gradually, Chen Jun’s attitude toward Qiao Zijin became distant. They had only been in the capital for five days and Chen Jun expressed that he had to return to Ping Cheng. “My dad called me today and asked me to go back. Prepare to go home.”

  This was an investment that had only cost and no return. He did not wish to continue with it anymore. This was the same concept as buying shares and having your capital being locked up.

  When you are trapped with plunging stocks and could not get rid of them, you would only die.

  Qiao Zijin was a stock that had potential at this point. Hence, he could still get rid of it.

  “What? We’re going back? We’ve only enjoyed ourselves for four days. I’ve not had enough fun. We have not gone to many nice places yet.” Qiao Zijin was reluctant.

  The capital lived up to its name. It was truly different.

  There were many beautiful things in the capital but they were too expensive.

  When she had money next time, she would definitely buy, buy, and buy. Even if she could not buy all of the items that she fancied, she would buy at least one or two of them. She would not tempt her heart by just looking at them.

  “It’s fine if you don’t want to go back now. I will go back first. You can stay here to have fun. Take your time.” Chen Jun’s attitude toward the Zhai family had changed. Naturally, his attitude toward Qiao Zijin also followed suit.

  If Qiao Zijin knew what she was doing and joined forces with him to help him fulfill his wish to pull the Chen family uphill, it was fine if she was a little stupid and foolish. He could still persist and continue to guide Qiao Zijin.

  However, now, Chen Jun realized that besides being stupid and foolish, Qiao Zijin was also very scheming. The worst thing was that she was not clear-minded and could not figure out the current situation.

  He could tell that Qiao Zijin was quite obedient in front of him. She had never retorted his words and would definitely nod and listen to him.

  The funny thing was that Qiao Zijin would change greatly and turn into a ‘master’ once she faced Qiao Nan. She felt that Qiao Nan was beneath her, that Qiao Nan was the Great Sage, Heaven’s Equal, who could not escape from Wuzhi Hill of Gautama Buddha.

  1158 Going Home or No Rebirth to a

  He dared not even be so confident in front of Qiao Nan. Where did Qiao Zijin’s confidence come from?

  Could he pine his hopes on that couple of the Qiao family to have Qiao Nan eating out of their hands?

  Ludicrous!

  It was true that like parents, like daughter. Qiao Nan was the odd one out and the only exotic one in the Qiao family.

  “How am I going to have fun after you leave?” Qiao Zijin wanted to agree but her reaction was also quick. She could not have fun just because she wanted to. She needed money.

  Chen Jun was the one who paid for all the expenses in the past four days. Qiao Zijin came ‘naked’.

  Once Chen Jun left, what could Qiao Zijin use to have fun?

  It would be different if Chen Jun could leave her some money before he left.

  Qiao Zijin did not know how much money Chen Jun brought with him on this trip. She was very curious.

  If Chen Jun was willing to give her the money, and with one headcount down, perhaps she could save up Chen Jun’s share of costs and buy a few pieces of new and beautiful dresses for herself to wear.

  Chen Jun knew what Qiao Zijin was up to but he played dumb. “You can continue having fun the same way that we did previously. You can have fun as you wish. You don’t need me to teach you. I have already purchased the train ticket for tomorrow. As for the accommodation, I am only paying until tonight. You just have to check out and return the access card to the hotel before noon tomorrow.”

  Chen Jun would not be deceived. He was better at Mathematics than anyone.

  God’s plans supersede our own.

  With Chen Jun letting go today, the Chen family would suffer a huge loss on Qiao Zijin.

  “Chen Jun, what do you mean? You’re going to leave me behind?” Qiao Zijin panicked. If he was only paying for the accommodation until tonight, where was she going to sleep tomorrow then?

  \r \r \r

  “Don’t tell me you are making use of this opportunity to make me stay in the Zhai family’s house?” Qiao Zijin’s eyes swirled, thinking that Chen Jun had some other tricks up his sleeves. “However, Qiao Nan’s temper is very bad. It is a problem whether I can stay in the Zhai family’s house. It is a greater problem whether I will be able to gain the favor of the Zhai family and Qiao Nan after I move in. The tempers of the Zhai family members are not quite good either.”

  A few years ago, she had wanted to curry favor with the chief’s wife. However, the chief’s wife had never given her any face.

  People of the same family had similar personalities and temper.

  It was no wonder the chief’s wife was so blind to accept Qiao Nan. That was because their tempers were alike and eccentric.

  There was a spurious smile on Chen Jun’s face as he looked at Qiao Zijin. “You…… you’re so smart.” So smart that he did not know how to respond to her.

  Previously, he felt the pinch when he decided to give up on Qiao Zijin.

  For his sake, his family had spent a lot of money on Qiao Zijin. They did not take back or gain any single cent. They could not tread on this path anymore despite having dumped in so much money. He had to possess the determination of a brave man who cut off a venom-poisoned hand to save his own life.

  However, at this moment, Chen Jun’s heart did not ache anymore. He was only glad.

  Everyone in the quad in Ping Cheng knew the terrible relationship between Qiao Zijin and Qiao Nan.

  Ding Jiayi was biased. However, Ding Jiayi’s favoritism was due to Qiao Zijin’s influence.

  If Qiao Zijin and Qiao Nan were on good terms and the only issue was the unfair treatment of the mother, Ding Jiayi, Qiao Zijin could just casually put in some good words for Qiao Nan. Ding Jiayi would restrain greatly then and Qiao Nan would not have suffered so much.

  Ding Jiayi stole Qiao Nan’s money for Qiao Zijin’s sake, maligned Qiao Nan, and smeared her name because she wanted Qiao Nan to take the blame for the troubles created by Qiao Zijin.

  Hence, in the Qiao family, Ding Jiayi was not the only one who was on bad terms with Qiao Nan. Most likely, Qiao Zijin, this biological sister, was on the worst terms with Qiao Nan.

  After Qiao Nan was pregnant, she was the precious golden goose that could not be touched.

  The Zhai family would rather pay money to let Qiao Zijin stay in the hotel. They would never allow Qiao Zijin to step into their compound.

  Wouldn’t they be afraid that Qiao Zijin would suddenly go crazy and insist on being at odds with Qiao Nan? That she would bump into Qiao Nan and cause a miscarriage?

  Only a true ‘genius’ would come up with such a plan.

  Qiao Zijin did not manage to make an inference from Chen Jun’s words. She really believed that she had guessed it right. “Don’t worry. I know what I should do. I definitely won’t disappoint you.”

  As long as she did not need to act pitiful and fake a cry before Qiao Nan, she would definitely act according to Chen Jun’s other plans and would not put him in a difficult position anymore.

  “However, Chen Jun, when Qiao Nan is heartless, it’s hard to say what will happen. Why don’t we do this? Give me some money so that I will have something to fall back on. If Qiao Nan is really so hard-hearted to stop the Zhai family from helping me, I can’t possibly sleep in the streets, right?”

  It was a good thing that the capital was prosperous.

  The problem was that it was much easier for a penniless person to run into problems in such a prosperous place.

  Furthermore, Qiao Zijin was a young lady. Hence, she had more worries than others.

  “Give you money?” Chen Jun had already finished packing his clothes. “Sorry, I don’t have money for you. If you really lack money, simply call your parents and ask them to send you some.” He had already suffered a huge loss due to Qiao Zijin. If he were to continue throwing away his money, wouldn’t he be more stupid than Qiao Zijin?

  Regardless of how much his heart ached for the money spent previously, Chen Jun gritted his teeth and abandoned Qiao Zijin. He was no longer willing to waste any more cents on her.

  After packing his belongings, Chen Jun was calmer. “It’s late. I will be catching the seven o’clock train in the morning tomorrow. I need to sleep early today and wake up early tomorrow. You should go back to your room and rest too. It’s up to you whether you want to stay or leave. If you’re not leaving and you don’t have money, ask your parents for help.”

  “D-don’t.” Qiao Zijin was nervous that Chen Jun wanted to push her away now. She held on to Chen Jun’s arms and refused to let go. “Are you angry? Why did you get angry without an apparent reason? Wasn’t everything fine when we were having fun during the day? Can you make yourself clear? If I am in the wrong, I will change. Won’t that do?”

  If she did not receive any money, she would certainly not let Chen Jun leave her behind alone in the capital.

  Her mother was right. Qiao Nan was a heartless wretched girl. She could not place all the stakes of her safety on that wretched girl.

  Chen Jun stood by his guns. He did not wriggle his arm out of Qiao Zijin’s clutch either.

  The two had been dating for over a year. The truth was that, at most, Chen Jun only kissed her a few times and did not take a huge advantage of her. Until now, Qiao Zijin was still a chaste woman.

  His arm was in Qiao Zijin’s arms now. Although Qiao Zijin’s boobs were not big, they were also soft and better than nothing.

  This kind of advantage was free anyway. Furthermore, it was not entirely free for him. He had already paid for it.

  The money that he spent on Qiao Zijin could allow him to sleep with many top-grade beautiful ladies.

  After Chen Jun pushed Qiao Zijin to the bedroom door, he took out the other train ticket in his pocket.