Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios

  Qiao Nan swallowed her saliva a little awkwardly. The auntie that the Zhai family had hired had superb culinary skills, so much so that Qiao Nan could not control her appetite. Qiao Nan was the kind of person who could never gain weight no matter how much she ate. Besides, she was now eating for three babies inside her!

  Leaving aside how well she ate, she took in the nutrients well too. When she had gone for her fifth-month checkup, the doctor had told her that the triplets were developing so well that they were doing better than even an average singleton at five months! That could be good for the babies but it was not a good thing for the mother, especially since Qiao Nan was pregnant with triplets.

  The more the children grew, the more difficult it would be for Qiao Nan to give birth in the future.

  For the sake of the children and the mother, the doctor advised Qiao Nan to control her appetite a little. She still needed adequate nutrition, but there was also a need to control the growth of the children.

  In Qiao Nan’s case, all they had to do was to ensure that the children developed fully in the mother’s womb without any defects. It was impossible for the triplets to grow to the same size as a singleton before birth. That would be too straining on the mother……

  It should be a good thing for the babies to be doing well, but because of many different factors, it was not as such for Qiao Nan. But Qiao Nan had not let Miao Jing know about this situation yet. “Mom, the doctor told me not to eat too much. The triplets are growing as quickly as normal babies. The doctor said that it isn’t very good.”

  The faster the children grew, the less time they would be able to spend in her womb. No matter what, Qiao Nan was advanced in age for a pregnant woman and had to pay more attention to the small details.

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  “Oh?” Miao Jing was taken aback and her eyes widened. Miao Jing had the urge to get all the delicious things in the entire world for Qiao Nan to eat. How was she to know that a problem would occur all the same if Qiao Nan were to eat too much? Miao Jing was troubled over that. “Alright, I’ll discuss this with the auntie later. When we eat in the future, we’ll try to control our meals. We’ll eat nutritious food. That shouldn’t be a problem.”

  “Okay,” Qiao Nan replied with a smile. “Mom, don’t worry. Once you worry, Dad will worry too. The children and I are still fine.” The doctor said that her life would only get tough after the seventh month of pregnancy.

  Actually, Qiao Nan had already experienced that pain once in her dream. The difference was that she had been well-nourished and had only been in her early twenties when she had been pregnant. Now, she was already forty and it was inevitable that her energy and physical strength could not compare to that in her twenties.

  There were both advantages and disadvantages.

  Since she had already experienced it once, she believed that she would not only succeed but would even be able to do it better this time. As though the babies were responding to Qiao Nan’s thoughts, a little bump appeared on Qiao Nan’s stomach, causing a slight soreness.

  Stroking that little bump, Qiao Nan smiled. She had no idea which baby it had been, but it had been gentle.

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  By the time Qiao Nan reached home, the auntie had already prepared a whole table’s worth of food. “You’re back? How was your exam? You must be hungry. Hurry and wash your hands and sit down.” The auntie wiped her hands dry. “Oh right, Nan Nan. Your dad called today. I told him that you went for an exam and that you would call him back later.”

  “Alright, thanks, auntie.” Having sat for a draining exam, Qiao Nan was obviously hungry. After washing her hands, Qiao Nan sat down for her meal. But because she had remembered the doctor’s words, Qiao Nan tried her best to control her appetite.

  Now that she had learned of the doctor’s instructions, Miao Jing no longer continually put food into Qiao Nan’s bowl. After seeing that Qiao Nan had had enough, Miao Jing stopped putting more food into her bowl. She had not been used to it at first, and after picking up the food, she realized that she could neither eat it nor give it to Qiao Nan. As such, it all went into Zhai Yaohui’s bowl. “Old Zhai, eat up. These are Nan Nan’s favorite dishes.”

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  Old Zhai had better eat more and finish everything up so that Nan Nan would not feel bad.

  “.……” It was rare that his wife was willing to use some of her care and concern on him, even if it was not truly genuine. As such, Zhai Yaohui finished up everything that Miao Jing had given him. Zhai Yaohui had heard the conversation between his wife and his daughter-in-law in the car earlier.

  After thinking it through, Zhai Yaohui had indeed taken Miao Jing’s advice, quietly finishing the dishes that Qiao Nan liked first. Seeing Zhai Yaohui’s behavior, Qiao Nan did not know whether to cry or to laugh. “Dad, don’t force yourself. I’ll just have my fill. If I still want more, I’ll just have some fruits. Having fruits should be fine. I won’t be greedy.”

  She was not a three-year-old child and would not put herself and her children in danger just because she was feeling a little hungry.

  Zhai Yaohui coughed in embarrassment, feeling as though his wife had had too much of an influence on him. “No, it’s because I went out today that I used up a little more energy. That’s why I want to have more. But that’s about it. I’ll let the auntie clean up the rest.”

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  Within an hour after her meal, Qiao Nan received Qiao Dongliang’s second call. Knowing that Qiao Nan could not use her phone, Qiao Dongliang had started to call the Zhai family’s landline from the fourth month of Qiao Nan’s pregnancy. “Hello, Nan Nan, you’re back? I heard that you went for an exam today. What exam did you go for?”

  Thinking about Qiao Nan’s belly, Qiao Dongliang was a little worried. He was afraid that the other candidates were young and insensible and would scare Qiao Nan by bumping into her. That would not be a small matter.

  Upon confirming that Qiao Nan had returned home safely, Qiao Dongliang could finally rest assured. “Why didn’t I hear about you taking an exam?” He had only known that Nan Nan was studying. He had not expected her to sit for an exam so quickly.

  “It’s not that kind of exam. It’s an English test. Don’t you remember that I like English very much and how I often took on translation jobs in the past? I didn’t have the chance to do so in the past, but now that I do, I want to get a Level Six certification in English.”

  “Level Six?” Qiao Dongliang was stunned. When he said that, Qiao Dongliang eyed Qiao Zijin from the side of his eye. Qiao Dongliang knew about English test grades.

  To earn more, Qiao Nan had taken the Level Four certification a long time ago.

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