Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios

  San Bao lay prone in Qiao Nan’s arms. She clung to her mother’s neck and nodded with closed eyes. When her buttocks touched the cool toilet bowl, she slowly opened her eyes and greeted her mother. “Mom.”

  “Good girl.” Qiao Nan kissed her daughter on her chubby cheeks. “I will take you to the bed. Your clothes have been put on the bed.”

  “Okay.”

  After putting San Bao back on the bed, Qiao Nan wanted to take her two sons to the restroom.

  However, after they went to school upon turning three years old, Da Bao and Er Bao were more aware of the different genders. In the past, Da Bao and Er Bao would allow their mother to bring them to pee and help them bathe. But now, the two children were starting to feel uncomfortable doing that. They insisted on going to the restroom by themselves. As for bathing, unless the male elders helped them, they would be very shy and tried to cover themselves.

  Qiao Nan approved of their behavior.

  It was better for the child to be aware of gender issues early in their development. It would be helpful to their growth. At the very least, they would be conscious of it and learn to protect themselves.

  Qiao Nan carried a half-awake Da Bao to the restroom. Da Bao was slow to react, but then, he saw himself in the big mirror in the house and turned awkward. “Mom, I-I can go to the restroom by myself. I don’t want you to help me. I want a small stool.”

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  “Are you sure?” Luckily, due to having three children at home, they had equipped the house in the capital and Ping Cheng with necessary household items. Even if they lacked any necessary items, Qiao Nan and Miao Jing had already bought them yesterday.

  “Yes!” Da Bao nodded. “Mom, you can help Er Bao. San Bao has yet to wear her clothes.” Da Bao distracted his mother with his younger brother and sister. He really needed to go to the restroom. He could no longer hold it in.

  Seeing that Da Bao’s face had turned red, Qiao Nan held back from laughing at him. She came out to help Er Bao and San Bao. San Bao had gone to the restroom and only needed to put on her clothes. Er Bao still had to wait for Da Bao before he could use the restroom. “Mom, you can help San Bao get dressed. I have to wait for Da Bao to come out so that I can pee.”

  The three kids had a mind of their own. Instead of Qiao Nan making the arrangements for them, they were telling Qiao Nan what she should do next.

  Since Er Bao had said so, Qiao Nan draped a small piece of clothing on Er Bao as he waited for Da Bao outside the restroom. She then helped San Bao, who had undressed and was struggling with her dress, put on the dress. She arranged the collar of the dress and put it above San Bao’s head so that she could pull the dress down and pull the collar over her head.

  “My goodness.” San Bao finally managed to pull the collar over her head. She exhaled a long breath. It was no easy feat. “Mom, d-don’t help me. I will wear it by m-myself.”

  With Qiao Nan’s help, San Bao had almost finished putting on her clothes. But now, San Bao was telling Qiao Nan not to help her. Qiao Nan smiled and retracted her hands. “Alright, I won’t help you. You can wear it by y-yourself. Will that do?”

  San Bao, who tried hard to put on the dress, did not notice that her mother was laughing at her, mimicking the way she spoke. She was busy putting on her dress. She smiled lovingly, reaching out her hands to Qiao Nan after she had put on the dress nicely. “Mom, brush teeth, wash face, smells nice.”

  Qiao Nan took her daughter from the bed and helped her put on her slippers. By then, her elder brothers had come out from the restroom. Da Bao and Er Bao brushed their teeth in their pajamas. It took her more than half an hour to help the three children dress neatly and smartly.

  “Grandma, I’m hungry.” The three children could smell the fragrance of the porridge as they came downstairs.

  Miao Jing melted at San Bao’s embrace. She caressed her tiny face. “My San Bao is hungry. You should eat now. My heart will ache if you go hungry.”

  “Grandma, you have to eat together. If grandma is hungry, San Bao’s heart will ache.” San Bao had a sweet tongue. She made Miao Jing happy with her words. Miao Jing personally helped San Bao sit on the children’s high chair and placed her small bowl of porridge in front of her.

  San Bao grabbed the small spoon with her chubby fingers. She had a serious look on her face as she stirred the porridge so that it would cool down. Then, she scooped the porridge into her mouth.

  Qiao Nan had also put Da Bao and Er Bao on their seats. Da Bao and Er Bao had a steadier grip on the spoon than San Bao. The auntie who stood by the side to take care of them was amazed. Usually, three-year-old children would need the adults to feed them. Some of them would not sit down properly to have the food. The adults had to chase them around the entire house to feed them.

  The three children in the Zhai family were too sensible. Were they really three years old?

  After breakfast, the auntie could not help but praise the triplets while brewing the tea. She was serious, but at the same time, trying to flatter Miao Jing. “Madam Zhai, the three children are very sensible. You have taught them well. I have never seen children who are as well-behaved as them. They are so young, but they can have meals by themselves. They are very capable. My previous employer’s child was four years old then. The grandma adored the child and insisted on feeding the child. If the child refused to eat and wanted to play, she would have to chase the child around the house. The child only finished half a bowl of rice in more than half an hour’s time.”

  Although the child had yet to finish the food, the grandma was already exhausted. She returned the bowl to her daughter-in-law so that she could take over.

  Miao Jing would not be modest when it was about the triplets. “Well, the three children are good-looking and have good temperament. The most important thing is that their mother taught them well. Nan Nan might be young and she is a young mother, but she has been doing a good job as their mother. She is responsible for teaching the three children. She raised them up by herself. You should have seen for yourself how Nan Nan brought out six bowls of soup yesterday and insisted that the children served the elders first. The children are so young, but she insisted that they served the elders.”

  Speaking of which, Miao Jing had a brighter smile on her face.

  Her grandchildren were sensible and caring. They were sweet and adorable like heartwarming little jackets.

  In the past, she used to think that Zhai Hua did not seem like a daughter at all. She was full of regrets that she was not sweet and caring toward her. Now that she had the triplets, they had fulfilled her dream of yearning for a sweet and caring daughter, and she was given so much more love.

  “Wow, I see.” The auntie was surprised. “How old was the mother of the three children when she got married? She seems to be younger than my child who is in college.” It was impossible that the Zhai family who had two chiefs serving in the army would have low requirements of their daughter-in-law.

  She was so young. Could it be that she quitted school as she had found a good man and decided to get married and settle down?

  “Oh, my daughter-in-law just graduated from college this year.”