She had never felt nauseous eating whatever her mother-in-law cooked. She stroked her belly as she ate. Both she and her triplets were truly pampered.

  “Alright, it’s fine if you can’t think of anything now. If you think of anything, just get Zhai Sheng to call me even if it’s in the middle of the night. I’ll get the auntie to visit the market bright and early to get the freshest vegetables so that you’ll be able to eat whatever you want!” Miao Jing could not be of any use anywhere else, but at the very least, she could take charge of Qiao Nan’s meals.

  “Thanks, Mom.” Qiao Nan’s appetite had increased significantly because of her pregnancy. Although she ate a fair bit, she did not seem to have gained weight anywhere else but her belly. Because of that, the doctor remarked that the children had probably absorbed most of the nutrition.

  As a mother of triplets, it was a delightful thing that the children were able to absorb nutrition so well.

  “Are you sleepy?” Even a normal person got sleepy after eating and it was only natural for someone like Qiao Nan to feel that to a greater extent. After clearing the air about Qiao Nan’s situation, Zhai Sheng immediately supported Qiao Nan to lie down the moment he saw Qiao Nan squint. “Why don’t you take a nap?”

  “Yes, I’ll rest my eyes for a while. Remember to call me. It’s uncomfortable to sleep for a long period of time. It’ll make me even more exhausted.” Qiao Nan had already learned that exercise was good for childbirth when she had just been admitted.

  \r \r \r

  In her dream, Qiao Nan had gritted her teeth and had given birth to all three children naturally. But this time, even though the doctor had only mentioned it to Zhai Sheng, Qiao Nan knew that she would probably have to undergo a cesarean section.

  Although she knew that a natural birth would be better for her children, Qiao Nan dared not be willful about this matter. She would listen to the doctor and cooperate. Being stubborn in this matter would only put her life and those of the children at risk.

  When Qiao Nan fell asleep, Zhai Sheng followed Miao Jing out of the ward. “Mom, did something happen?” Zhai Sheng knew immediately that his mom wanted to speak to him based on her expression when she had entered the room. But of course, it had not been convenient to talk with Qiao Nan around.

  “Qiao Zijin is in the capital. I was late today because I was stopped by her. But I’ve already made my calls and they won’t let her meet Nan Nan. You’re the one spending time with Nan Nan nowadays, so I thought that it would be better for you to know about it. With Nan Nan in this condition, she definitely can’t be provoked. Just in case, do you want to tell Nan Nan about this?”

  Qiao Zijin was clearly one who would not stop until she achieved her goal. If she really got in the way of Qiao Nan and the three children, something terrible might happen. It was better to find a suitable occasion to let Qiao Nan know about the matter so that she would not bump into Qiao Zijin and be caught off guard.

  “I’ll tell Nan Nan about this.” Zhai Sheng felt that his mom underestimated the Qiao family. It was not that Qiao Nan was extremely strong and rational when it came to the Qiao family, but she was not completely irrational and foolish either. The news had only told one side of the story. What Zhai Sheng knew was that Qiao Nan’s attitude toward the Qiao family ever since they met was one that he approved of. He felt that it was entirely alright for Qiao Nan to treat the Qiao family in that manner.

  Qiao Nan would probably already have known that the Qiao family would never let the Zhai family get away because of their high status. There was no way Qiao Zijin would have come to the capital out of concern for Qiao Nan. One would never be disappointed if one had no expectations in the first place. “Mom, if she continues to bother you, just pretend that you’re not feeling well and refuse to meet her.”

  Miao Jing had not been in the best of health in the first place and it was common for her to feel ill sometimes. But this year, Zhai Sheng had married Qiao Nan and Qiao Nan had gotten pregnant not long after. It was this endless stream of good news that had caused Miao Jing to be on a high and ‘forget’ all about her pains. So, there was absolutely no problem with rejecting Qiao Zijin due to her health issues.

  “Alright.” She had no intention of dealing with the Qiao family anyway.

  Miao Jing had never once forgotten what had happened on the day of Qiao Nan and Zhai Sheng’s wedding. She had never expected the Qiao family to do anything for Qiao Nan, but wasn’t it a little too much for them to make trouble when they were not even helping out? But that was exactly what Ding Jiayi and Qiao Zijin had done!

  Apart from the Zhai family, Qiao Nan was the person whom Miao Jing cared most about. Because Qiao Zijin and Ding Jiayi had bullied Qiao Nan so badly, Miao Jing was at ends with them. The moment she heard Qiao Zijin and Ding Jiayi’s names, she felt her blood boiling. Relatives? Nonsense! “I’ll go home first. Stay here and take care of Nan Nan. Don’t worry about the military. Your dad has already asked and there will be someone taking care of your matters for you. Nothing will happen. Besides, you’re already going to be a father. There are some things you should let go of and let others take over. Learn from your dad and let go of them early.”

  Once the triplets were born, she did not want Zhai Sheng to be like Zhai Yaohui of the past and be missing from his children’s childhoods. Her children had already gone through that pain. Miao Jing did not want her grandchildren to suffer in the same way.

  What was an intergenerational relationship?

  It referred to how grandparents would usually dote on their grandchildren more than their own children.

  “I know.” Zhai Sheng had become the youngest ever chief in history because of his hard work in his younger days. To be honest, Zhai Sheng was still relatively young. But he had already given his all in his younger days and Zhai Sheng had experienced everything he should have.

  Now that he was past that stage of vigor, Zhai Sheng was as silent and calm as a mountain. The atmosphere was solemn and it was hard to guess what was on his mind.

  Without that youthful impulse, Zhai Sheng’s ideas had changed drastically from his youth. That was probably what people meant when they said that people would tone down over time. Zhai Sheng was more than happy to stay by his wife and children’s side at this moment and support Qiao Nan when she needed him or educate his children when they acted out.

  Indeed, he had grown old. But thankfully, he was going to be a father. If fathers were not old, who was?

  After saying that he knew what to do, Miao Jing naturally stopped nagging. Before Zhai Sheng had gotten married, Zhai Sheng had been the most perfect son whom she was proud of, apart from the fact that he refused to get married. Now that Zhai Sheng had both a wife and children, there was nothing Miao Jing could nitpick anymore.