“don’t be in a hurry to decline. it’s a gamble. even deities couldn’t tell the number of jade in the stone accurately. i was just buying a small item. perhaps there’s nothing in it and it’s just a piece of rock. don’t mind it so much.”

  if he had lost in the gamble and really gifted a piece of white stone, no matter how much he had spent on it, it could not be constituted as bribery.

  that person’s attitude was very firm and someone had also carried the stone up.

  when he was young, elder lin did not lack money. he also disliked taking advantage of others. in fact, when he heard others introducing the stones, he was optimistic about that stone and thus took a few more glances at it.

  anyway, he was not lacking in money and also did not like to take advantage of others. in the end, elder lin accepted this piece of stone. however, he did not spend a single cent from the other party. elder lin forked out the capital of 50,000 yuan on his own.

  in the 1990s, it was very spectacular to be able to afford 50,000 yuan.

  building two houses would only cost about 20,000 to 30,000 yuan. elder lin simply used the money that typical folks could use to build two houses to buy a piece of stone.

  elder lin’s luck was also good. he casually bought a piece of stone and got someone to open it on the spot. who knows? he actually earned a lot with one gamble. it was the rare glass species.

  if it was the emerald green imperial jade, elder lin’s luck would be defying the heaven then.

  although this piece of jade was not the emerald green imperial jade, elder lin was still the biggest winner among the gamblers on that day.

  after getting this piece of jade, elder lin did not sell it as he did not lack the money. instead, he found ways to hire a master with good engraving skills to carve out various pieces of jade and turned them into finished products.

  besides these three pieces of jade, elder lin also had rings and bracelets made from that jade in his house.

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  the most valuable part of the jade would be the center part of it which was beige in color. the master simply carved out a jade longevity peach from it. that longevity peach was the most valuable piece of item.

  in comparison with the longevity peach, the three pieces of jade and the bracelets and rings were all considered ‘side dishes’.

  due to this jade gamble, elder lin’s wealth grew. those who were aware had publicized this for elder lin. those who were unaware just took it that this was an unfounded rumor and the truth was not as such.

  today was the first time that elder lin showed the jade to outsiders. zhai hua was very sensitive and she confirmed that this was the truth and not a rumor.

  “little girl, are you good at gambling? you have heard of this before?” elder lin did not deny the existence of this matter. he even admitted it graciously.

  zhai hua gave a helpless smile. “i’m a good gambler? aren’t you one who is truly good at gambling? it has been so many years. elder lin, you can really hide things well.” she had initially thought that if elder lin had such good things, he would definitely not be able to endure it during nan nan’s wedding and would insist on giving nan nan something.

  to her surprise, elder lin did not give qiao nan any jade on the day the latter married zhai sheng. on the contrary, elder lin took action when the three babies were four months old and showed the items to others. “the three babies are really fortunate.”

  when she said this, zhai hua was full of gloat as she looked at qiao nan.

  obviously, in elder lin’s heart, the status of the three babies had surpassed that of qiao nan, this little disciple.

  after rubbing er bao’s back, qiao nan discovered that er bao, who had kicked up a fuss for some time, did not perspire much. she then felt more at ease. “sister zhai hua, why do you keep staring at me?” so what if she had been surpassed? before the three babies were born, she was already mentally prepared to be slapped dead on the beach by them.

  “nothing.” since qiao nan was not willing to take the bait, zhai hua did not have a way either. “is it time to feed the three babies solid food now?”

  “yes, it’s almost time.” qiao nan looked at the time and nodded.

  as soon as he heard that it was feeding time for his grand disciples, elder lin was worked up. “let me feed san bao!”

  “sure, no one is fighting with you.” zhai hua nodded. she then went into the kitchen and took out the three babies’ solid food today.

  when the three babies were four months old, they started to grow teeth. little white dots started to appear on their pinkish gums.

  as soon as they saw the three babies teething, the women in the zhai family discussed what kind of solid food to prepare to aid the three babies’ growth.

  the staple food for the three babies was still breast milk. however, this situation was going to change very soon.

  the three babies were growing up gradually and their appetite followed suit. qiao nan could barely fill the tummies of two children, let alone three.

  nowadays, qiao nan’s breast milk was only enough to make them sixty to seventy percent full. she would then get the family to supplement them with formula milk.

  at the rate this was going, qiao nan would most probably not be able to make them half full when they were five months old. she might as well wean them off breast milk when they were six months old and let them drink formula milk.

  “be good, san bao. master grandpa will feed you something nice.” elder lin was a refined and cultured old man. he shrank his body and squatted in front of san bao. while holding a pink flowery bowl, he drew imaginary butterflies with a little spoon in his other hand in an interesting and childlike manner. spoon by spoon, he was very meticulous and patient as he fed san bao.

  san bao’s appetite was good and she was not picky.

  qiao nan’s breast milk could not completely satisfy the three babies. when they were first fed formula milk, they kicked up a little fuss and refused to cooperate. besides that, they were very receptive when solid foods were introduced to them.

  “ah.” san bao could recognize that this was the little bowl that belonged to her. when the little spoon came before her face, she opened her tiny mouth widely and even made ‘ah’ sounds like a bird as she waited to eat.

  when the little spoon entered her mouth, san bao closed her mouth tightly to push all the food in the spoon into her mouth. she was deliciously enjoying her meal.“so obedient.” san bao was very enthusiastic about taking solids. she did not need anyone to coax her. elder lin was afraid that he was feeding her too quickly and would choke her. he wanted to wait for san bao to finish swallowing the food in her mouth before feeding her again. however, the impatient san bao opened her mouth a step earlier and patted elder lin’s palms to urge the latter to increase his speed.

  it was not just san bao. it was the same for da bao and er bao. their appetites were too good. they would eat whatever was given to them and seemed to enjoy the food very much. they were also hungry often and could take a few meals a day.

  when they pushed the three babies out the last time, the neighbors exclaimed that it was strange. when they saw the triplets during their full-month celebration, it was obvious that they were much thinner than other babies who were one month old.

  only three months had passed and the triplets had grown so big. that fleshy and chubby look was no different from four-month-old children of other families. they were growing very well.

  their round eyes were swirling and their little arms and legs were kicking hard. they looked so adorable.

  it was all because of their great appetites that the three babies grew so well.

  “be good, da bao. when you are full, you’ve eaten enough.”


  1196 Move into the House Next Door

  da bao was the elder brother and the heaviest among the triplets. he was the first baby to finish the food. he had emptied the bowl, but he opened his mouth and looked toward his grandmother, wanting to have more food.

  miao jing patted da bao’s protruding belly. “da bao, be good. you are full. you should not stuff yourself with food. if you are hungry later, i will make more food for you.” she noticed that other children were not as well-behaved and obedient as her grandchildren.

  miao jing told the auntie to put aside da bao’s bowl so that he would not throw tantrums as he was refused food.

  it was easy to discipline babies under one year old. as long as they did not see the food, they would not pester the adults to give them more food.

  true enough, once his bowl was put aside, da bao quieted down. he held a toy in his hands and twisted it about.

  “the triplets’ arms and grips are getting stronger. they have strong backs as well. they are able to straighten their backs when we carry them. i noticed that da bao has been turning over in bed these past few days.” miao jing stopped da bao from destroying the toy while she told elder lin about the triplets’ recent developments with all smiles.

  as the days passed, the triplets had tremendous developments.

  “is that so?” elder lin’s curiosity was piqued. after qiao nan wiped san bao’s mouth, elder lin placed her on the sofa. “san bao, show me how you turn over on the sofa.”

  san bao, who was well-fed, yawned and blinked her eyes. she stared at elder lin, who was all smiles. instead of turning over, she stretched her legs and grabbed them, bringing her legs to her mouth as she licked at them.

  elder lin felt perplexed. “didn’t you just have your meal?” why did she lick her legs?

  qiao nan smiled, feeling amused. “san bao, be good. show elder lin how you turn over on the sofa.” qiao nan walked to san bao, who was lying on her back on the sofa. she lifted her and laid her on her stomach.

  san bao lay prone on the sofa like a tortoise. she did not feel uncomfortable in that position, but she was unable to lick her legs.

  san bao did not throw a tantrum. instead, she flailed her arms and legs and turned over to lie on her back.

  san bao was happy that she could raise her legs and she could see what was in front of her. she smiled and drooled happily. her saliva dripped down her cheeks and her chubby neck. she took her legs and started licking again.

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  “babies who are teething tend to drool a lot.” qiao nan did not know whether to smile or cry. she took out a cotton handkerchief and dabbed san bao’s cheeks and neck lightly with it.

  apart from san bao, da bao and er bao had the same problem as well.

  nowadays, instead of soiling their clothes, they had to change the triplets’ clothing as the clothes were wet from their saliva!

  elder lin was slow to react. he took a while before he applauded san bao for turning over on the sofa. “san bao, that was brilliant! marvelous!”

  san bao was too swift in her action. elder lin, who had no experience in taking care of babies, was surprised by her nimble movements and he was slow to react. “the triplets have made tremendous developments.” they seemed to be able to turn over in no time. he was indeed getting older.

  “master, our neighbor seems to be moving away.” seeing that lin yuankang seemed to be in a melancholic mood, qiao nan had a bright idea. she shared a piece of information with lin yuankang.

  “moving away?” they had been working in the central government. if they moved out now, it would mean that they were transferred away.

  qiao nan smiled. “they seem to have committed some mistakes and they can no longer stay in the capital. they have encountered some financial difficulties and they intend to sell the house.”

  lin yuankang was interested. “is that so?”

  “of course. it’s a pity that i do not have any money. otherwise, one will definitely make money if one buys a house in the capital. i wonder who our future neighbors will be. hopefully, they are good-tempered and won’t be too noisy. the triplets are still young. they will not be able to sleep well if the neighbors are very noisy. they will be frightened.”

  qiao nan touched san bao’s feet. she felt that time had passed by in the blink of an eye. as a mother, she almost could not tell that the triplets were born one month before their delivery dates.

  they were growing very well.

  qiao nan felt embarrassed that her daughter’s thigh would soon be as thick as her thigh.

  however, miao jing consoled her that it was normal that the triplets were chubby. babies would normally be chubby from drinking the milk. once they were weaned off the milk, they would lose their weight very quickly.

  zhai sheng was handsome and she was not ugly. qiao nan hoped fervently that her babies would not turn out to be overweight.

  a fair complexion was good enough to cover one’s faults, but nothing was worse than being fat.

  speaking of genes, the triplets should be handsome and beautiful.

  elder lin began making plans for himself upon hearing qiao nan’s words. “disciple, i have something on today. i will make a move first. i will visit the triplets next time.”

  his disciple was right. the triplets were still young. they could not afford to suffer from any shocks.

  if their new neighbor had a bad temper, the triplets might be bullied by them in the future.

  as their grand master, he would not allow anyone to bully his grand disciples. he had to come up with a solution.

  the zhai family smiled as elder lin left.

  zhai hua held san bao in her arms. “when elder lin comes back to his senses, he will definitely be angry at you.”

  qiao nan, who held er bao in her arms, looked helpless. she pinched er bao’s lightly on his chubby arms. “i was left with no choice. i am just using the way that will work for him.”

  before zhai sheng went back to the army, qiao nan had a talk with him regarding elder lin.

  she felt that it was time for him to enjoy life and she wanted to take care of him. however, elder lin was well-to-do and did not need her help. besides, she had yet to graduate and she did not earn any money. she could not use the money from the zhai family to support her master.

  another problem was elder lin stayed too far away from the zhai family. qiao nan could not bear it that elder lin had to spend the rest of his life by himself.

  it was a coincidence that their neighbors encountered some problems and had to move. it was the solution to qiao nan’s problem.

  the neighbors intended to move out and they wanted to sell the house to raise some money.

  one would definitely benefit in the long term if one bought a house in the capital. but not everyone was able to afford this kind of private housing. it would cost a lot of money to buy a house in the capital.

  however, elder lin had no problem buying such houses.

  at times, qiao nan wondered what her master was working as.

  she heard that he was once the leader in the ministry of foreign affairs.

  the ministry of foreign affairs would not be able to offer their employers with an astoundingly high salary. why was it that her master did not lack any money and he behaved as if he was a baller?

  1197 Grooming Talents

  since qiao nan had doubts about her master, zhai sheng told her everything about lin yuankang.

  lin yuankang was very smart from a young age. he was the smartest child among his generation in the lin family. back then, the lin family was an illustrious family. since he was intelligent and was the son of the first wife, the elders gave him all valuables at home. he was seen as a rich second-generation heir.

  it was chaotic in the 70s. lin yuankang was barely ten years old then, but he managed to hide all the valuables that were the cause of the lin family’s downfall. he then brought enough money with him and fled out of the country for his overseas studies. after he finished his studies, he was already in his twenties. peace had once again returned to the country and the country was in need of talents. as a result, lin yuankang came back to his country in glory.

  even if lin yuankang was incapable, the valuables that his family passed down to him were sufficient for him to lead a well-to-do life until he passed away.

  as it happened, lin yuankang was very capable and he was lucky with money.

  people usually complained that they did not have enough money. however, it was the opposite for lin yuankang. he was able to make lots and lots of money and he bought several houses in the capital as well as in ping cheng.

  he gifted the triplets with jade pendants that cost more than one million yuan.

  therefore, it would not be a problem for him to buy the house next to the zhai family’s residence.

  qiao nan wanted to take care of elder lin, but it was unsuitable for her to ask him to stay in the zhai family’s residence with them. elder lin was proud. he would not want to live with the zhai family and be under someone else’s roof. moreover, he had no lack of houses to live in.

  zhai sheng learned that their neighbor intended to sell the house and told qiao nan to bring this matter up to elder lin.

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  if elder lin bought the house next to the zhai family’s residence, he would become their neighbor. elder lin could come over to their house frequently to play with the triplets. when it was late, he could just go back to his house next door to rest.

  if elder lin could not bear to part with the triplets and wanted to stay with them, the zhai family would agree to his request as he lived next door.

  as someone who had been through rebirth, qiao nan knew better than anyone else that instead of depositing money in the bank, it was better to use the money to buy a house to defend against risk before the government set a limit to the number of properties that one could have.

  it was obvious what qiao nan was up to when she brought up the neighboring house to elder lin.

  “hahaha. it has been difficult on you. the people that you know seem to have a bad temper.” zhai hua was full of sympathy for qiao nan. if qiao nan did not handle the matter properly, elder lin would not agree to it. qiao nan had to be considerate of his feelings and take extra care not to hurt his pride. it was a tough job.

  qiao nan placed er bao, who was asleep in the baby crib. she then coaxed da bao in her arms. “da bao, you have a temper like your grand master. you must keep him company in the future.” her master needed people to appease and coax him.

  da bao nestled himself in qiao nan’s embrace. there was a satisfied and comfortable look on his face. he moved his round, chubby face about qiao nan’s soft and comfy chest before he yawned once again, leaning against her arms and drifting to sleep. qiao nan managed to get him to sleep in no time.

  “should we bring them upstairs?” they would most likely sleep for more than an hour. miao jing touched her granddaughter’s tiny hands to check whether she was cold. ever since it was winter, miao jing was worried that the babies would catch a cold.

  “sure.” qiao nan nodded. they each carried a baby with them and went upstairs. “da bao and er bao are getting heavier. my hands will become numb after carrying them for a while. i am not sure if i will be able to carry them when they turn one year old.”

  qiao nan loved children and she liked to hold them in her arms. her babies liked it when she carried them.

  however, qiao nan was not as physically strong as zhai sheng, who was able to carry three of them at one go. she felt strenuous even when she was only carrying one baby in her arms.

  she wondered if she should get her babies to lose weight so that she could continue to carry them, or if she should train herself to become a muscle babe.

  “hahaha. don’t worry. they are indeed growing very fast now. it will be better in the future. er bao, don’t worry. i will carry you in my arms until you grow up. i dote on you and will be able to carry you no matter what. er bao, you must be close to me.” miao jing kissed er bao on the cheeks he was sleeping soundly in her arms.

  zhai hua refused to lose out to her. she bent down to kiss san bao. “san bao, you must be close to your aunt. i am stronger than your mom. don’t worry about gaining weight and growing up. i will be able to carry you no matter how heavy you are. “zhai hua was the proudest of her physical strength. this was her only advantage over qiao nan.

  qiao nan, who had lost to the two other women, felt upset. she gave a kiss to da bao’s smooth fragrant cheeks.

  since the triplets were sleeping, qiao nan had all the time to herself. every student was busy revising at this time of the year. the lunar new year was coming, and that meant exams were around the corner as well.

  qiao nan had been looking through and studying the syllabus for the next semester. like gao yan, she wanted to work hard to graduate in less than four years. she no longer dreamed of getting a double degree.

  elder lin understood that ever since qiao nan gave birth to her babies, she had to spend more time at home. it was unlikely that she would be able to do spectacularly well in her exams like how she did in the past.

  therefore, elder lin had changed the learning schedule that he had designed for qiao nan.

  elder lin knew that qiao nan did not have as much time as other students and she would not be able to score a perfect score in her exams. therefore, elder lin hoped that she would at least have a decent score and put her focus on knowledge learned outside of class as well as interpersonal relations and ways to network and socialize with other people.

  diplomats from all over the world were cunning and crafty.

  if qiao nan was not as diplomatic and tactful with words, and her attitude was not as firm, she might say the wrong words and be devoured by the other party. the other party would not go lenient on her just because she looked innocent and simple-minded.

  elder lin felt worried that qiao nan was not firm enough. given her personality, if he insisted that she join the ministry of foreign affairs, would she bring trouble to herself and implicate the country?

  he hoped that his disciple would stretch her limits and achieve success, but he had no wish to bring her harm.

  with elder lin around, qiao nan was particularly busy in her second year of college.

  as a student from the foreign language faculty, qiao nan had to work extra hard on her english. however, unlike other students, qiao nan had to go through her english exams long before other students in her batch.

  qiao nan was already revising for her final term exams.