“In my case, I have a son. But my parents-in-law have been helping take care of my son. My husband is very supportive of me furthering my studies too. That’s why I’ve become the most relaxed one in my family. At times, I feel a little bad when I think about it.”
Qiao Nan would probably have something to say since she was a daughter-in-law too.
Initially, she had wanted to raise her son herself, but her parents-in-law had refused to allow her son to even be by her side. On the other hand, Qiao Nan had almost given her life to give birth to the triplets for the Zhai family. She had become a heroine in the Zhai family. Hadn’t Qiao Nan already established a foothold in the Zhai family? Why did she have to do these things herself? Did Qiao Nan’s parents-in-law not help out?
In the beginning, Li Yayan had been rather upset that her son was not with her. When she missed her son, she couldn’t do anything more than call him or look through his photos. Her parents-in-law refused to allow them to have video calls, saying that the light from the phone was bad for her son’s eyes. While they were at home, they never allowed her son to play on the mobile phone. As such, it was better if they did away with something as troublesome as video calls.
Li Yayan had been full of resentment because of that. She had already thought it through. Once she helped Wang Yang get back all of the Zhu family’s assets, she would have to demand her son back. She believed that Wang Yang would definitely agree to it, even if her parents-in-law didn’t.
Once they owned the Zhu family’s assets, both she and Wang Yang would remain in the capital to develop their careers and would probably not return to Ping Cheng. As their son, it was only right for him to stay by their side. It was impossible that she was the only one who missed their son. She was sure Wang Yang did too.
If he didn’t miss him, Wang Yang wouldn’t have spent all his time with their son when they went back to Ping Cheng for the new year. Li Yayan understood Wang Yang in that aspect. Because she knew that Wang Yang felt the same way, Li Yayan was confident about bringing her son over. As compared to Ping Cheng, the educational standards were definitely higher in the capital.
Once they moved their son’s household registry to the capital, their son might even have a higher chance of getting into Peking University! For their son’s sake, her parents-in-law couldn’t afford to refuse her request.
Li Yayan gathered her drifting thoughts. Although she was resentful, Li Yayan knew that not needing to raise her child had made her life much easier. Especially before a child turned one, all he knew was to cry no matter what the situation was. It was hardest to take care of children of that age.
She had never experienced that period, but Qiao Nan was right in the midst of it. It wasn’t easy taking care of just one child, let alone three in Qiao Nan’s family. Qiao Nan probably suffered three times that of normal mothers! “Oh right, how old are your children? If you have the ability, you can simply hire a nanny to take care of them. That way, you won’t have it so tough. You’ll even have more time for yourself. Besides, you won’t have that much time to spend with your children now that you’re studying.”
Leaving aside the Zhu family’s money, the Zhai family was already well-to-do initially. They wouldn’t be so stingy that they refused to hire a nanny, right? If that was the case, it was useless being the daughter-in-law of the Zhai family.
After all, she had always had an auntie taking care of all the household chores, whether it was in Ping Cheng or the capital. She had never needed to wash a single piece of clothing or make a meal. Didn’t all women want to marry well so that their lives after marriage would be easier?
Qiao Nan was stunned. “You can’t say that…” She didn’t think that taking care of her children was troublesome at all. It might have taken a toll on her body, but that was incomparable to the joy she felt. “My children are still young, so it’s natural that my parents-in-law and the auntie help take care of them too. It’s just that I feel that I can’t leave my children. Personal time? Isn’t studying my personal time? Thank you for your kind intentions but I have to go.”
What was Li Yayan driving at? Why did she ask her out for this meal? And why was she always beating around the bush?
It was not as though she was an important figure. Even if Li Yayan had a meal with her, she wouldn’t be able to gain much from it. As such, Qiao Nan was not suspicious of Li Yayan. She simply thought that Li Yayan was an eccentric and excessively enthusiastic classmate.
As soon as she said that, Qiao Nan caught sight of her car.
After bidding Li Yayan goodbye, she got into the car and headed home.
“Why did you get back so late today?” Miao Jing looked at Qiao Nan while carrying Da Bao. “Our triplets have been kicking up such a fuss. How are our children so smart? They can recognize people around them! They’re closest to their mom!” Miao Jing had felt rather helpless when the three children had refused to finish their milk earlier.
Not only had the three children’s statures grown, but so had their tempers. Just two months earlier, they had been infants who only cried when they were hungry. Now, they were only four-month-old babies but they had become bad-tempered babies who refused to drink their milk unless they saw their mother.
“What’s wrong with them?” Qiao Nan washed her hand before picking up the triplets. She stroked San Bao’s stomach. “When did she last have her milk?”
“Ten minutes ago but she only had half a bottle.” Miao Jing complained.
Qiao Nan stroked San Bao’s little nose. “You’re such a small one. How can you refuse to have your milk? If you don’t drink it, you’ll never grow up and you’ll be a midget in the future! You won’t be pretty!”
The moment Qiao Nan arrived home, the auntie made fresh milk for the three children. The auntie handed them each a bottle to feed the three children. Perhaps, it was because their mother was around that the three children were now more than willing to have their meal. With their chubby hands, they grabbed onto the milk bottles and sucked on them enthusiastically.
Because she was busy taking care of the three children, Qiao Nan had no time to have her own meal. After all, they had already had half a bottle of milk earlier and the auntie had only made slightly more than half a bottle for each of them.
After finishing their milk, the triplets couldn’t help but let out a burp, letting them know that they were full and even a little bloated.
“Nan Nan, go have your meal. I’ll carry San Bao for a walk so that she won’t feel uncomfortable after having her milk.” After coaxing Da Bao, Miao Jing took San Bao from Qiao Nan’s embrace. Because she had just been in her mother’s embrace, San Bao was in a good mood.
