This was an issue that always gave Qiao Nan headaches. “Are you sure that you want to hand the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to me? I’m a female, and female diplomats are rare. Why are you still acting like our master?” Female diplomats did exist. If she were the only one, other countries would call them out for sexism.

  However, females were still not commonly seen.

  Right now, master and her senior both wanted her to take charge, and Qiao Nan didn’t think that it was a great idea.

  “Why not? It can be the norm in the future, and you will be the first one. I’m sure you’ve heard of female emperors in the past. We are not asking you to be the president. It’s just the minister. You are overthinking it.”

  He Yi had to admit that it would be challenging to push Qiao Nan to that position.

  However, anything was possible.

  Everyone knew the capabilities of her. Although she didn’t have the confidence due to her gender, He Yi knew that the leaders had a good impression of her. When their master was still alive, he had paved the path for her.

  She had nothing to worry about. In fact, she would step up with poise.

  \r \r \r

  “Qiao Nan, do I need to remind you of our master’s final wish? Don’t let his efforts go to waste. Just think of it as completing our master’s unfulfilled dream. When he took me in, he said that he wanted his daughter to be the first female minister if he were to be married.”

  In their master’s eyes, Qian Nan was more than just a disciple. She was like a daughter, maybe even a granddaughter.

  It was evident that he had expected great things from her.

  “Enough.” Qiao Nan felt her heart clench whenever their master was mentioned.

  It’s been over two months, but Qiao Nan’s grief didn’t ease a bit. All she could do was control her emotions to a certain extent. When He Yi talked about him, Qiao Nan’s voice sank.

  “Fine, I’ll stop talking about it.” He Yi gave in. Girls were more sentimental beings, after all. He was sad to hear about their master as well, but to cry like Qiao Nan was not something he could do. “Anyway, you have to think this through.”

  He Yi felt that there wouldn’t be any rumors as long as she was capable.

  Qiao Nan did what it took, so why would he give the opportunity away to others just because he was her senior? If he did, he would have to remind that person to take care of his little junior.

  Just like their master, He Yi thought that it was best to have Qiao Nan take care of herself. This would avoid plenty of unnecessary problems in the future.

  Qiao Nan sniffed. “I will consider it.”

  “Mom.” Qiao Nan picked up the kids, who were waiting in line before the school gate. The moment Qiao Nan arrived, the teacher let the kids dash to their mother. San Bao grabbed onto Qiao Nan’s hand. “Mom, are your hands cold? Let me warm your hands.”

  Qiao Nan pecked San Bao on her forehead. “I’m not cold. You should put on your gloves first. Da Bao, Er Bao, hop on. We are heading home.”

  On the way home, Qiao Nan drove cautiously. She wouldn’t talk to the kids on the road, but she wouldn’t stop the kids from chatting. “Kids, it seems like we have a guest today” Qiao Nan saw a Jeep parked in the garage.

  “Guest? Who is it?” Er Bao was curious. His tiny legs shuffled into the room to reveal the answer. “Godmother!”

  Er Bao’s yell kept Qiao Nan informed. “Da Bao, San Bao, your godmother is here. She must have brought gifts for you. Quick, don’t let Er Bao snatch everything.”

  Da Bao was not moved by Qiao Nan’s words at all. He knew very well that Er Bao wouldn’t dare to touch his portion of the gifts. San Bao was different. She loved to mess around with Er Bao, so she picked up the pace for the sake of quarreling with him.

  Watching San Bao disappear, Qiao Nan was comforted by Da Bao’s presence. After Old Master Zhai and Lin Yuankang left, Qiao Nan began to like Da Bao’s similarities to his father. Whenever she looked at Da Bao, it was as if Zhai Sheng was right there with her. That gave her the confidence to overcome anything.

  “Where did you find the time to visit me?” It was surprising to see Shi Qing at their home. “Aren’t you guys addicted to military life?”

  Qiao Nan had accepted her fate. Her husband, her sister-in-law, her childhood friend, and her best buddy were all the same. When a pal like Xu Shengnan finally came by, she ended up a workaholic.

  It was fortunate for Xu Shengnan that her husband was a caring man who would spend more time on the family in her place. Since Xu Shengnan was so capable, he didn’t have many complaints either. However, Qiao Nan always thought that Xu Shengnan should pay more attention to her family.

  In the end, those around Qiao Nan were a bunch of hard workers. Was it true that birds of the same feathers flock together?

  In comparison, Qiao Nan was the one who became the model mother.

  “Don’t say that.” Shi Qing grinned with a blush. “My godsons are almost eight, and I am hitting twenty-nine.”