Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios

  What was awkward was that Qiao Dongliang had been caught red-handed at once by the triplets. Their grandpa was bullying their mom!

  “Mom, I haven’t seen you for just a few days, but you’ve lost weight! You’re so skinny now that you’re practically just bones!” Er Bao walked toward Qiao Nan while smiling. His tone was much warmer, but he did not even bother to greet Qiao Dongliang. It was as if he had not seen his grandfather at all. “That won’t do. I’ll call grandma now and get grandma to buy an old hen to make some stew for you for nourishment. Mom, don’t worry. Dad is dead set for you. In his eyes, there are only two kinds of women in the world. The first kind is his only wife, who is also my mother. The second kind is any other woman apart from you. Don’t try to lose weight like those young ladies for the sake of beauty.”

  His mom was not even fat to begin with. If she were to lose even more weight, there would be no fats left for her to lose!

  “Learn from those young ladies?” Qiao Nan was amused by Er Bao’s words. She tugged gently on Er Bao’s ear. “That’s right. I’m already a mother of three. In a few days, I’ll be turning forty. I’m indeed not young anymore. Are you despising me for being old?”

  Her three children were already in junior high school and would then go on to high school and university. Once her children established their own families, she would soon become a grandmother.

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  Er Bao deliberately feigned that he was in pain and cried out. “Mom! Mom! This is your own son’s ear! Be gentle! In my eyes and heart, you’re not old at all! You’re just like a flower that has just bloomed. Forever eighteen!” San Bao had grown old, but his mother had not.

  “What an act!” San Bao’s face was full of disdain. “Mom, how could you give birth to a son like Er Bao? He’s such a tease. When I’m outside, I don’t even want to admit that Er Bao is older than me and that he came out before me. Wouldn’t it have been much better if you gave birth to me second and let me be Er Bao? Then, it wouldn’t even matter if he got out of line since he would be the youngest brother anyway.”

  “Nonsense. Why is it my fault for giving birth to him in this way? It’s his fault for growing up into what he is now.” Qiao Nan refused to take on the responsibility. “If you want someone to blame, you can only blame Er Bao himself. It’s got nothing to do with me. Just think about it. Are your dad and I like that? Your dad and I have no genetic responsibility at all.” Er Bao had inherited this from his grandfather.

  But so as to not ruin Zhai Yaohui’s image as a mighty grandpa in front of the three children, Qiao Nan kept that last part to herself. Who would have known that Zhai Yaohui, who was typically more solemn than Zhai Sheng, would have such a side to him when he was younger?

  Perhaps he was afraid that he would reminisce about his past when seeing Er Bao, but every time Er Bao acted like that, her father-in-law would either turn around or hide in a corner, refusing to give so much as a glance toward Er Bao. As such, before Er Bao went to junior high school, her father-in-law tried to minimize his interactions with the bold and daring Er Bao.

  This almost made Er Bao misunderstand that his grandpa only liked Da Bao and San Bao and disliked him. Thankfully, every time Zhai Yaohui prepared gifts for the three children, Er Bao was never shortchanged. In fact, Er Bao often found that his grandpa’s gift was exactly what he wanted.

  Er Bao could not help but think that his grandpa cared very deeply about him to be able to know what he was thinking and to give him gifts that suited him so well! All right, he had misunderstood his grandpa. His grandpa not only favored Da Bao and San Bao, but his grandpa also liked him very much.

  Bringing this up, San Bao felt a twinge of regret all over. “Ah, if only I was Er Bao. How nice would that be. Compared to Er Bao, I’m much more like an elder sister.” Er Bao was always going out of line. He was nowhere as reliable as Da Bao.

  Caressing San Bao’s head, Qiao Nan laughed but did not utter a word. While the three children were still in her stomach, she had no control over who was born first. Even if she had undergone a cesarean section, it would all depend on which baby the doctor brought out first.

  The three children chatted so eagerly with Qiao Nan, and the mother and children were all in good moods. Just looking at this scene was enough to warm one’s heart, except for one person’s. Qiao Dongliang realized that apart from the first few sentences when Da Bao had been talking to him, Er Bao and San Bao had never once called him ‘grandpa’ up until now.

  The way the three children gathered around Qiao Nan made Qiao Dongliang realize that the three children must have overheard the conversation between him and Qiao Nan. They must be angry that he was counting on Qiao Nan and even taking advantage of Qiao Nan to get justice for Qiao Zijin.

  If he had any other choice, he would certainly do it himself and get justice for Zijin from the Zhou family. However, he was incapable of doing so. What he did have was a capable daughter. Other than getting Nan Nan to settle this matter, what other choice did he have?

  Knowing that the triplets were angry at him, Qiao Dongliang felt that his life was miserable as a grown man. His relationship with his grandchildren had been fine to begin with, but he was truly worried that today’s incident would cause the children to distance themselves from him.

  When Old Lin was still alive, Qiao Dongliang envied the intimacy the three children shared with Old Lin. When Old Lin passed away, Qiao Dongliang had seen how heartbroken the children had been. He could not help but think that he would die with no regrets if the three children would be as heartbroken as they had once been when he passed away.

  Later, Qiao Dongliang found an advantage of Old Lin being gone. Gradually, he had grown closer to the three children. Qiao Dongliang had always hoped that he could be like Old Lin, or perhaps, even surpass Old Lin’s position in the children’s hearts. But with today’s uproar, Qiao Dongliang knew that his wish would never be realized.

  Qiao Dongliang’s expression became increasingly stiff. “You three are here. Who sent you here?” His house was rather far from the Zhai family’s house. It would be too unsafe for the three children to have come here on their own.

  After Qiao Zijin passed away in a car accident, every time Qiao Dongliang saw a car, it was as though he was seeing a monster. He was almost psychologically scarred. Other than Nan Nan, the whole family of four had all been pinned under cars before. As such, Qiao Dongliang had reminded Qiao Nan to be careful when driving so that she would not encounter the same thing that they had.

  “Dad sent us here,” Da Bao replied coldly. He no longer liked his grandpa, but he could not ignore his grandpa. His mother had taught him to be polite. He could not act badly just because the other person was a villain. That would break his mother’s heart.

  “Yes, I sent them here.” Because Zhai Sheng had to park his car, he arrived later than the triplets and had missed the conversation between the father and daughter. But the moment he entered the house, Zhai Sheng sensed that the atmosphere was a little strange. Zhai Sheng looked at Qiao Nan. His father-in-law had always adored the three children immensely, so why were the children upset at his father-in-law?