Everyone believed in ‘spare the rod and spoil the child’ in the past. Now, there were only a few children in every household. It was rare to have one or two precious babies. Everyone couldn’t wait to hold them in their hearts up high, and they wouldn’t be beaten or scolded. It was especially easy for such children to be pampered until they were lawless.
Relatively speaking, Qiao Nan had only given birth once. However, she gave birth to three children at once. Compared to other families’ that only had one child, the Zhai family was considered to have more children. However, no matter how many there were, the triplets were the Zhai family’s precious children. They couldn’t bear to scold or beat them. Furthermore, the triplets were born late. Based on Qiao Nan’s and Zhai Sheng’s ages, they were considered to be ‘old parents’. Faced with the late arrival of these triplets, Miao Jing, as a typical grandparent who usually doted on their grandchildren more than their children, really doted on them a lot.
As such, at times like these when San Bao threw tantrums and became emotional, Miao Jing would always only coax San Bao. She couldn’t bear to be ruthless and manage her. If San Bao liked meat but not vegetables, Miao Jing would only let San Bao be. She felt that once San Bao grew up, the sensible her would know what to eat and what not to eat, even without anyone teaching her.
It was just that when people are old and they encounter certain situations, they couldn’t help but recall the past.
Qiao Nan didn’t feel that there was something wrong with elders often recalling their past. She just didn’t want Miao Jing to be stuck in the emotions of her past and couldn’t pull herself out.
Old Master Zhai left early. Before he left, she and Zhai Sheng weren’t together yet. Zhai Sheng even had a failed marriage then. Based on the fact that Qiu Chenxi made a cuckold out of Zhai Sheng, Old Master Zhai must have felt quite angry over this matter when he was still alive.
Before Old Master Zhai left, a lot of bad things happened in the Zhai family. Not only was Old Master Zhai unable to enjoy his old age, but he even had to worry about Zhai Sheng’s and Zhai Hua’s future before he left. As such, Old Master Zhai’s death was a wound that everyone in the Zhai family couldn’t touch. It would hurt badly.
There was Zhai Yaohui and Miao Jing, and there was Zhai Hua and Zhai Sheng. When Old Master Zhai left, he couldn’t help but worry about all four of them in the family. The Zhai family felt that they owed Old Master Zhai. Upon thinking about him, they would feel sad. Although Zhai Sheng didn’t mention it, his mood was similar as well. If he didn’t feel guilty toward Old Master Zhai, his grandpa, he wouldn’t have stayed in the old house of the Zhai family during his one year of recuperation.
Of course, until now, the Zhai family felt that although Old Master Zhai was no longer around, his spirit was guarding this family. Otherwise, based on Zhai Sheng’s situation, where he couldn’t meet a woman that he wanted to get married to in Ping Cheng and the capital, how would he be able to meet Qiao Nan, his destined true love, at Qingshui Town, a poor and remote area where all the young people there would choose to go out to work? They weren’t superstitious. They could only say that this was destined and Old Master Zhai was blessing the Zhai family.
Every time they thought of this, the Zhai family wouldn’t feel as pained as before and felt that they wouldn’t have the face to face Old Master Zhai after their deaths. People who were alive were leading better lives. Indeed, this was the best form of nostalgia and answer to the dead.
“Ah…” Qiao Nan couldn’t interrupt Miao Jing’s thoughts, but someone in the family could: San Bao. San Bao had finally eaten all the green vegetables like they were poison and was waiting to enjoy the beauty of meat afterward. Who knew that Miao Jing, the grandma who doted on her, refused to give her a piece of meat after she ate those horrible-tasting vegetables? The little girl was impatient from waiting and raised her voice. She tried her best to pounce her small body in the children’s chair to Miao Jing. With San Bao’s fierce look, it was without a doubt that once she hooked herself to Miao Jing, San Bao would naturally grab the dishes, especially the meat in her bowl, over and feed them into her mouth.
These adults had no conscience. She had already eaten her vegetables but they refused to give her meat. They were bad.
Seeing that her granddaughter’s chubby face was red from the anxiousness of wanting to eat meat, Miao Jing smiled. “Don’t be anxious. The meat’s not going to run away. The meat in the small bowl belongs to San Bao alone. Da Bao and Er Bao have already finished eating. San Bao, you can’t lose to your two brothers.” You can only grow up faster if you eat more.
Miao Jing no longer thought about Old Master Zhai and fed San Bao wholeheartedly. Otherwise, the little girl would throw tantrums again if she fed her slower.
Da Bao and Er Bao couldn’t really sit still after having their share and insisted on walking around to digest their food. If that couldn’t be done, at least give them a toy for them to play with. It was too overboard to let them sit there and watch San Bao eat meat.
Zhai Yaohui carried the two children down. Da Bao and Er Bao immediately ran around freely in different directions. They didn’t want to be caught by their elders and be confined in small baby chairs after gaining freedom.
“Slower.” Zhai Yaohui, who was a grandpa, didn’t understand how children like Da Bao and Er Bao could have such an anxious temper that they insisted on running when they couldn’t even walk steadily with their short three-headed body and chubby arms and legs. He wiped cold sweat in his heart on behalf of these two children. They didn’t fall in front of them before. Even if they did, they would climb up without crying.
Zhai Yaohui really tasted the fun of bringing up his grandchildren.
“Ah…” San Bao couldn’t help but become anxious again. Da Bao and Er Bao were still playing but she was left alone. That was unfair.
Qiao Nan pinched her daughter’s face in bad temper. “You didn’t eat properly during mealtime. Now, you’re jealous that Da Bao and Er Bao are playing. You have the worst temper in this family. You’re a girl. Can’t you be more demure? When you throw tantrums, even Er Bao would hide when he sees you. If you want to play, hurry up and finish your meal.”
San Bao should have understood Qiao Nan’s words as she cooperated well next. She wasn’t willing to eat even a piece of vegetable during the past fifteen minutes. Now, she took her meal seriously and finished everything in her little bowl within three minutes. After eating, the little girl was so anxious that she kept trying to squirm her way down. Qiao Nan carried San Bao out of the children’s chair and flattened the trousers that had been crumpled by the little girl. Then, she patted San Bao’s buttocks and let her look for her two brothers.
“I think San Bao won’t have the chance to wear the dress Jiajia bought for her.” She was so bad-tempered. When she became wild, it was as if she had given birth to three sons instead, where one of them was a fake daughter.
In this regard, the triplets’ situation was different from the dream.
