Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios

  Er Bao provoked San Bao. San Bao deliberately screamed and stomped her leg, then ran after Er Bao like a tigress.

  One of them was running and the other was chasing. The quiet courtyard became lively with these two children alone.

  The children’s vigorous laughter was very attractive. Furthermore, Elder Lin treasured the triplets. He had already noticed them when they appeared in the Lin family’s courtyard.

  Seeing that Qiao Nan and the triplets seemed to be here to visit him, Elder Lin was both happy and sad. He hurriedly got the auntie to push him toward the hall. He quietly lifted a corner of the curtain of the glass windows and looked out. He was especially worried. If the four of them wanted to enter and visit him, his refusal would cause the triplets to reveal extremely sad expressions.

  What was strange was that this time around, his disciple didn’t knock on the door. Instead, she brought her three children to play in his courtyard. Elder Lin noticed that they were dressed differently from usual, as if celebrating the festive period. When San Bao ran around, the corners of her dress were raised. To Elder Lin, she looked good.

  As Elder Lin looked at the triplets’ happy looks when they were playing, he used his hand to rub the corners of his eyes. He didn’t know how many more times he could look at such a beautiful scene. It was best to look at them more now.

  As such, Elder Lin couldn’t bear to blink. He tried his best to open his eyes wide and kept staring at the warm smiling faces of Qiao Nan and the triplets.

  Qiao Nan let the three children go back to their home hand-in-hand after the auntie from the Zhai family told them that dinner was ready. From the start to the end, Qiao Nan didn’t knock on the Lin family’s door and call for her master to open the door to see the four of them.

  “Uncle Lin, Qiao Nan and the rest have headed back. Do you want to take a break?” The auntie knew that as long as Qiao Nan and the triplets were still in the Lin family compound where he could still see them, Elder Lin would definitely not move.

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  Seeing that Elder Lin had hung in there for so long, the auntie was worried that he would be tired. As such, she wanted to push him back to rest.

  Perhaps it was because Elder Lin had seen how happy the triplets were while playing that he seemed to be in a particularly good mood tonight. Upon thinking that it was the triplets’ birthday tomorrow, not only did Elder Lin drink the soup that the auntie had specially brewed for him, but he even hummed a folk song happily.

  Regardless of whether the tune Elder Lin hummed was nice or not, the auntie could tell that he was in a particularly good mood.

  It was good that he was in a good mood. The auntie couldn’t care about the rest.

  “Uncle Lin, do you want to sleep early tonight?” She pushed Elder Lin back to the room on the first floor, helped him to bed, and helped him lie down.

  “Yes, I’ll rest early today. It’s the triplets’ birthday tomorrow. I must rest well today so that I accompany them for a great birthday tomorrow.” It was also the last birthday he would be celebrating with the triplets.

  Elder Lin didn’t say this clearly. However, the auntie had already understood the hidden meaning in Elder Lin’s words.

  The atmosphere of the Lin family improved as Elder Lin was in a good mood. However, the situation wasn’t as good in the Zhai family.

  Once Miao Jing and Zhai Sheng came out from the ‘warehouse’, they heard the auntie in their home mention that Qiao Nan and the triplets had dressed up and gone to the Lin family.

  Upon hearing this news, Miao Jing felt panicked. She looked at Zhai Sheng and said, “Why do you think Nan Nan brought the triplets to next door?” Regardless of the reason, Miao Jing couldn’t calm down.

  If the mother and sons insisted on seeing Elder Lin, he would feel terrible in his heart for having rejected them. Having suffered such a serious illness and to be tormented psychologically as well, Miao Jing had the urge to pull the four of them back. If it was another possibility, Miao Jing didn’t dare imagine what Qiao Nan would say or do after visiting him. The second ‘possibility’ was really full of many other possibilities.

  Zhai Sheng knew his wife well. He sighed. “Elder Lin’s situation is already very clear. Otherwise, Nan Nan wouldn’t have gotten me to visit him specially. Perhaps she had already sensed that something is wrong with him. He wouldn’t see her and the children but might be willing to see me.” That was because once Elder Lin was ‘gone’, he would become the only one who could replace and include Elder Lin’s share of love and protection for Nan Nan and the triplets.

  As such, Elder Lin wouldn’t see anyone else. However, he would definitely be willing to see him.

  From this point alone, Zhai Sheng could feel that although Elder Lin wanted to hide it from Qiao Nan, it might not be that Qiao Nan didn’t know anything. “Nan Nan felt something.”

  “.……” Miao Jing’s expression froze. “Then, Nan Nan……”

  “Don’t worry. Nan Nan wouldn’t do anything that worries others.”

  After Qiao Nan brought the children home, the expressions on their faces were still alright. Er Bao and San Bao smiled brightly. Miao Jing secretly heaved a sigh of relief. “It’s almost time for dinner. Why did the four of you head next door?”

  “To play in master grandpa’s courtyard.” San Bao exhaled and gulped down water. “It’s so hot.” It was still hot at the end of September. Coupled with the fact that Er Bao and San Bao were full of energy, sweat started to form on their faces and bodies within a minute.

  Miao Jing looked at Qiao Nan carefully. Nan Nan brought the three children next door just to let them play in the courtyard? Were things really that simple?

  Zhai Sheng hinted Miao Jing with his eyes. “Er Bao, San Bao, look at how sweaty both of you are. Go to the washroom and wash your face. Wipe away the sweat on your body. Don’t catch a cold. Remember to wash your hands clean.”

  “Here, grandma will bring you there.” Miao Jing couldn’t gauge Qiao Nan’s reaction and was afraid she would ruin things. Once she heard her son’s words, she brought the three children to the washroom to wash their faces. Among the three grandchildren, apart from Da Bao, who had completely inherited the genes from his parents, even if Er Bao and San Bao were smart enough, their performance would, at most, be better than an average child’s and wouldn’t be as overboard as Da Bao’s.

  As such, Miao Jing would rather face the three grandchildren than Qiao Nan. She was afraid that her words or even an action of hers would let the cat out of the bag.

  After Miao Jing led the three children away, Qiao Nan’s slightly curved lips couldn’t help but lower. Her spring-like temperament immediately became cold, and people couldn’t help but feel heartache for her. Zhai Sheng hugged Qiao Nan. “Don’t think too much. There are some matters we can’t control no matter how unwilling we are.”

  He had already said before that his Nan Nan was the smartest girl in this world.

  Elder Lin’s attitude was so abnormal and strong. How could Nan Nan not feel anything at all and not guess the truth? It was Elder Lin who had thought things too simply. This master-disciple pair always thought for each other, making people feel the heartache more.

  Qiao Nan buried her face in Zhai Sheng’s arms and cried silently.