Without another word, Zhai Sheng held Er Bao in one arm and fished San Bao out from Qiao Nan’s embrace. He sat cross-legged to form a circle, placing San Bao’s legs inside the circle, while she sat on his thigh, leaning against his abs.

  San Bao frowned, showing her displeasure.

  She turned around and realized that it was her papa who took her out from her mama’s embrace. San Bao pressed her lips, feeling aggrieved. She sniffed but stopped herself from crying.

  San Bao was close to everyone in the house except for Zhai Sheng, her father.

  Zhai Sheng would always pull a straight face and he seldom smiled. San Bao could tell that he was not to be trifled with.

  San Bao would cry and smile as she wished in front of the old master. She would lose her temper when she was angry and she would pull at the old master’s beard or grab her grandpa’s hat. She could do whatever she wanted, but she became a timid girl when she was with her serious and solemn papa.

  However, San Bao did not give up easily. She sniffed, losing her interest in the teething rusk. She directed her big and sparkling eyes at Qiao Nan, looking pitifully at her. She reached out her hands toward Qiao Nan, wanting her mama to carry her.

  Qiao Nan was amused by San Bao’s behavior. She kissed her on the cheeks. “My dear chubby daughter, I have to give a call to your godmother. I will carry you later, okay?”

  \r \r \r

  San Bao pouted her lips, puffing her cheeks. There was a look of displeasure on her face. They were bullying her as she could not speak!

  Er Bao reached out his hands to pull at San Bao. As the elder brother, he was telling her that he would accompany her. He also disliked the man who was carrying him. The man pulled a long face and did not like to smile. His body was hard and they did not feel comfortable when they leaned against him.

  “Go and make the phone call. I will look after Da Bao.” Miao Jing carried Da Bao in her arms, feeling contented. Hua Hua did not even dare to take the babies from Zhai Sheng.

  “Alright, Mom. It has been hard on you. Brother Zhai has a lot to learn about taking care of the triplets. You and Sister Zhai Hua can make use of this opportunity to teach Brother Zhai.” Qiao Nan felt that it was a good idea for Zhai Sheng to spend more time with the triplets. Zhai Sheng was seldom at home. Now that he was at home, if possible, Qiao Nan would like him to be with the triplets twenty-four hours a day.

  After making sure that the triplets were well-taken care of, Qiao Nan went back to her room and used her cell phone to give Shi Qing a call. “You finally have the time to contact me? Where have you been in the past year?!” Qiao Nan was angry. “Did you know that we would be worried as we could not reach you in the past year? Are you crazy or did you have a fabulous time that you forgot about us?”

  Upon hearing the familiar voice of Qiao Nan, Shi Qing turned teary-eyed and her voice became strained. “Qiao Nan, don’t be angry with me. I have three bullet scars. The doctor said that it will not fade away. The scars are so ugly.” Shi Qing was still reeling from shock at what she had done in the past year.

  She was just a freshman at college when she was assigned the mission.

  It was a special mission. No one else but she was suitable for the mission. Otherwise, she would not have been assigned such a dangerous mission at such a young age. There were several times she almost lost her life.

  Qiao Nan jumped up from the bed when she heard that Shi Qing sustained three bullet wounds. “Where have you been? Why would you sustain such serious injuries? Apart from the bullet scars, are you injured in any other way? The teachers at your school must be crazy! Was there no one else to go on a mission? Why would they have students do it?”

  Qiao Nan kept scolding the teachers.

  Shi Qing was merely a freshman in college. She could not understand why she would have the chance to do such dangerous missions and sustain three bullet shots. She almost lost her life.

  Qiao Nan almost wanted to ask whether all the special forces were dead and Shi Qing was the only one who could go for the mission.

  “Don’t worry. There was no other alternative. The higher-ups had considered it carefully before they came to the decision for me to take up the mission. The candidate for the mission has to be of similar age to me. To be honest, it is not easy to find someone of my age that had been through training. The candidate must be brave and meticulous, and the person must be willing to make sacrifices. I am one in a million, a rare talent. You should be happy and proud of me!”

  Shi Qing put her bullet wounds aside. She was very proud of her performance this time. “I heard that you have given birth to triplets. Not only will I have godsons, but I will have a goddaughter as well. It’s just nice that I can give them my medal!” This was the most meaningful present.

  Perhaps it was because she was a mother, but Qiao Nan’s temper had changed. She had been worried sick for Shi Qing. She had not been keeping in touch with them for the past year, and Qiao Nan feared that something serious had happened to her.

  Apart from sounding hoarse in the beginning, Shi Qing was not sorry at all. Instead, she boasted about her dangerous achievements. Qiao Nan had the impulse to hold her by the neck and give her a smack on her bottom. “Are you foolish? Is the medal as important as your life? When you said that you have bullet wounds, for a moment, I thought that the triplets will be without their godmother!”

  Qiao Nan was shouting into the phone, and she only had harsh words for her. But Shi Qing knew that Qiao Nan was concerned and worried for her. “Don’t do this to me. Didn’t I come back safe and sound? If I had notified you beforehand, I would want to go all the way to the capital to take a look at my godsons and goddaughter. I assure you that my limbs and arms are still attached and I am as healthy as before. There is nothing wrong with me. I have returned safely.”

  There were several times when Shi Qing felt that she could not persist any longer, particularly when she was injured and drowsy. She thought that she would die before her parents.

  She did not know how she managed to survive until the end. Nevertheless, it turned out well. She returned alive and she had achieved military achievements.

  “Hehehe……” Shi Qing seemed to become more and more foolish. Apart from sneering at her, Qiao Nan did not know what else to say. “Let me tell you. The triplets do not have a good temper. They are four months old. We shall see if they want to acknowledge you as their godmother. Don’t worry. If they ignore you, I will definitely not help you.”

  Qiao Nan had no hold over Shi Qing except for the triplets. She knew that Shi Qing would be anxious at the mention of the triplets.

  Although Shi Qing had never seen them since they were born, they were the only people that she feared.

  1215 Be Ready to Receive Punches

  Qiao Nan was certain that Shi Qing treasured the triplets as much as Zhai Hua did.

  True enough, Shi Qing cried out in agony. “Don’t do this to me. They are only four months old. How is it possible that they can recognize faces but not their godmother? I am so nice to them. I gave the first medal in my life to them. No other godmother is better than me. I am a role model for the godmothers!”

  Initially, she wanted to give the medal to her father.

  Now that the triplets were born, she could only banish the thought of giving it to her father. She had decided to give the medal as a present to her godchildren.

  “Hehehe. I have triplets but you only have one medal. Who do you intend to give the medal to?” Qiao Nan rebuked Shi Qing. It was impossible to divide the medal into three and give them to the triplets.

  Shi Qing was very young and still in school, but she was awarded a medal from her mission. It proved that her mission in the past year must be very dangerous and risky.

  Qiao Nan knew that many people who were older than Shi Qing and had participated in far more missions than Shi Qing might not be awarded any medals in their military life. It was due to the danger of the mission that she was awarded a medal.

  Such a present was indeed an honor and had a huge significance. It was hard to come by. But if given a choice, she would rather the triplets never have such a present from Shi Qing. The medal was not as important as her being alive!

  Shi Qing could tell from Qiao Nan’s sneer that she was still angry with her. It was such a serious matter and she did not tell them about it. It was no wonder that Qiao Nan was angry. If Qiao Nan was not upset, Shi Qing would wonder if something was wrong with her. She had finally made it back from the mission, but she did not call anyone else except Qiao Nan. She dared not contact her parents to tell them that she had returned safely. “Don’t be angry. I didn’t do it on purpose. It happened all of a sudden. There was no time to react. The higher-ups said that it was a top-secret mission and we must not divulge any information. I have to obey the orders of the party and the organization.”

  “.……” Qiao Nan rolled her eyes. “You can say as you please. Did your parents know that you are back? Where are you? Are you at my master’s house that we used to stay at previously?”

  \r \r \r

  After Shi Qing transferred schools and moved out of the house, Qiao Nan never asked her to return the keys.

  If Shi Qing came back to the capital and had no place to stay, she could stay in the house even when Qiao Nan was not around.

  Shi Qing cradled the cell phone and gave Qiao Nan a kiss through the phone. “You are the only one who understands me the best. My parents do not know me as well as you do.” She was indeed staying at the small quad that Qiao Nan and her used to live in.

  She knew that her father had been transferred to the capital. She dared not visit him without notifying him in advance. As for the Feng family, she did not think of visiting them.

  Shi Qing knew that after she came back from her mission, Qiao Nan would definitely give her a scolding as she was genuinely worried for her. She had to ask for her forgiveness. On the contrary, the Feng family would probably be happy that she was lucky to be able to go on a mission at such a young age. They would be proud that she had completed the mission and had done the Feng family proud.

  Shi Qing could envision such a scene and she had no wish to face it right now.

  She wanted to talk to Qiao Nan. Qiao Nan was the only person who had genuine concern and love for her. Qiao Nan treated her like her closest kin and did not hide her concern for her.

  Qiao Nan smiled heartily at Shi Qing’s words. “Not only do I understand you, but I understand your dad as well. You’d better pray that he doesn’t have the habit of beating people to a pulp during the Lunar New Year. Otherwise, given what you had done this time, you’d better get ready to receive his punches.”

  He would be happy that his daughter returned safely, but Shi Qing was too daring to go on such a mission without saying a word. She was such a fool.

  Qiao Nan, who was now a mother, could understand Shi Peng’s feelings. She was certain that Shi Peng would be very infuriated with Shi Qing.

  Right then, Zhai Sheng walked into the room with Er Bao and San Bao in his arms. As for Da Bao, he was in Zhai Hua’s arms.

  Shi Qing could hear sounds made by the triplets over the phone. She felt invigorated instantly. “Are they my godchildren?” Their sounds were very pleasing to the ear. They were indeed her godchildren.

  Qiao Nan took San Bao from Zhai Sheng. A chubby San Bao nestled in her mama’s embrace. She tugged at her mama’s clothes, making unintelligible sounds.

  Qiao Nan caressed San Bao’s cheeks. “San Bao, your godmother is on the phone. Do you want to talk to her?” The cell phones nowadays had blue screens and they were very dim. It would not irritate the babies’ eyes.

  San Bao was intrigued by the cell phone. She reached her hand toward the cell phone and opened her mouth, wanting to taste it.

  Qiao Nan stopped her from eating the cell phone. She widened the distance between the cell phone and San Bao. “San Bao? Is she my goddaughter? Goddaughter, I am your godmother. I will visit you tomorrow. You must let me hold you in my arms. You must give me a good kiss.”

  Although Shi Qing could barely make out San Bao’s sounds through the cell phone, she was very excited. This was her goddaughter. Her goddaughter!! “Qiao Nan, Zhu Baoguo and I will pay you a visit. No matter what, he is their uncle.”

  Zhu Baoguo was there when Qiao Nan married Zhai Sheng. He was finally able to put aside his feelings for Qiao Nan and treat her like his family.

  With the birth of the triplets, Zhu Baoguo, who had yet to graduate, had become their uncle.

  “Sure, you can pay a visit with him. The triplets can get to know the two of you.” One of them was their godmother, while the other was their uncle. If Zhu Baoguo married Shi Qing in the future, should the triplets address Shi Qing as their auntie or address Zhu Baoguo as their godfather?

  If they married, the triplets would have one less source of red packets.

  Shi Qing sent kisses to San Bao over the phone. “I am dying to have a good look at the triplets. Do you think it is possible if I go to the Zhai family’s residence right now?” Shi Qing could not be bothered with Qiao Nan’s teasing.

  At this moment, men were nothing to her. Nothing was more important than her godchildren.

  “Yucks. There’s so much saliva.” Qiao Nan ended the call so that San Bao would not bug her to play with the phone.

  Qiao Nan was not worried that Shi Qing would come to the Zhai family’s residence tonight.

  If Shi Qing would visit them without Zhu Baoguo, she would not have left her phone number with Old Master Zhai. Instead, she would have arrived at the Zhai family’s residence straight away.

  Now that she knew that Shi Qing was safe and sound, Qiao Nan, who felt upset by the Qiao family, was in a better mood.