Chapter 1617: Coaxing Mom
Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
Afraid that Qiao Nan and Zhai Sheng would not receive it, Qiao Dongliang took up the thousand yuan and stuffed it into Er Bao’s hands.
Er Bao gritted his teeth and smiled. This thousand yuan was not given for nothing. If they did not give this thousand yuan out today, what their family would lose in the future would be far more than just a thousand yuan. Without hesitation, Er Bao took the money from his hands and pressed it into Qiao Dongliang’s pockets before taking Qiao Nan’s hands and running off. “Grandpa, remember to buy more good and nutritious food for yourself!”
Now that Er Bao had started running, Zhai Sheng just picked up his pace slightly to keep up with him. There was no need for him to run since he had long legs. Da Bao and San Bao were triplets with Er Bao after all and had great chemistry among them. Once Er Bao turned around, Da Bao and San Bao followed along and ran with Er Bao, even running ahead of Zhai Sheng to let Zhai Sheng guard the rear.
Seeing that Zhai Sheng was guarding the rear, Qiao Dongliang did not dare to take the money from his pocket to place it in Zhai Sheng’s hands. Qiao Dongliang was not so bold when facing such a son-in-law like Zhai Sheng.
After the family of five finally got downstairs to the underground parking lot, Er Bao took a deep breath. “Thankfully, we managed to get out. If we really had to stay on, I think I would have exploded.”
“It’s not just you. I was afraid that I wouldn’t be able to maintain my image of a pure and innocent young lady anymore.” San Bao patted her chest in relief. “In the past, I never understood why I had such a grandmother and elder aunt and how grandpa could be so different from the two of them. But now, I understand that a family will always be a family. Grandpa, grandma, and elder aunt are all a family. That is for sure.”
It was not that grandpa was a good seed, and neither was it that he did not do anything bad. It was just that grandpa had hidden that side of him so well in front of them. It was only in front of their mom would he reveal his ‘true nature’.
Da Bao looked as though he had just escaped from a disaster. “All right. It’s good that we managed to escape. Let’s not think about things like that in the future. I’m afraid we’ll be sad thinking about it.” Da Bao took a deep breath and looked at Qiao Nan. “Mom, you had it hard in the past. If Dad bullies you or mistreats you in the future, be sure to tell me. I’ll definitely be on your side to help you.”
It did not matter that he was still young and his physique, power, or capabilities could not compare with his father’s. One day, he would grow up. Then, his father would be old. And when that time came, he would take revenge on his father for his mother and himself.
“Me too.” Er Bao puffed up his chest. “Dad, you heard us. We’re the Zhai family. We’re not used to being treated differently even if we’re from different generations, so we’re telling you this directly. In the future, the three of us will always be on Mom’s side to help her. You can’t let Mom feel wronged. Do you understand?”
Now, their dad treated their mom quite well, but who knew whether he would continue to treat her this way in a few years’ time or ten to twenty years down the road? It would be better to give him a heads-up than to have an ugly fight between father and son if that day were really to come.
Zhai Sheng’s face was cold and he feigned a smile toward Da Bao and Er Bao. He raised his hands and unhesitatingly hit Da Bao’s and Er Bao’s heads forcefully. Da Bao and Er Bao were in such great pain that their faces were scrunched up. San Bao, on the other hand, covered her mouth and stood laughing in a corner.
That was how she felt too. It was just that she had not had the chance to express her wishes. Thankfully, she had been slow in doing so. That saved her a beating.
Having disciplined his sons, Zhai Sheng opened the door for Qiao Nan to get in the car.
When the five of them were all in the car, Zhai Sheng finally burst out. “Your mother is my wife. I’ll take care of my wife. There’s no need for you to worry about her or meddle in her business. If you have spare time, you’d better just eat more and grow up quickly to find your own wife and marry her. When that time comes, I won’t care about how you take care of your own wife.”
With him around, did he still need those two rascals to worry about Nan Nan? What a joke!
In short, if Da Bao and Er Bao had such an idea, they might as well find themselves their own wives to lead their own couple lives.
Da Bao and Er Bao harrumphed, their faces expressing their defiance.
Miao Jing and Zhai Yaohui had already made preparations for only the two of them to have dinner together tonight. It was not only Miao Jing who was not used to it. Zhai Yaohui’s behavior was also colder than usual. It was only when they heard from the auntie that Zhai Sheng’s family of five had returned that the eyes of the elderly couple twinkled. Miao Jing stood up joyfully to welcome her precious grandchildren. “Why are you guys back? It’s so early. Shouldn’t you be in a restaurant having just ordered your dinner?”
Logically speaking, there was no way for the five of them to have returned only after having a meal with Qiao Dongliang.
“There was a small problem, so we came back. You and Dad haven’t eaten, right?” Zhai Sheng did not elaborate any further. On the way back, Zhai Sheng had been meaning to ask about the matter, but he had held back after seeing that Qiao Nan’s expression had just improved after leaving Qiao Dongliang’s house. He was really curious about what his father-in-law, Qiao Dongliang, had done to provoke his wife, but there was no hurry. Even if he could not ask Qiao Nan herself, he could always ask the three children. Based on how the children were behaving earlier, Zhai Sheng was certain that they knew what was going on.
Zhai Sheng had not even understood the matter himself, so he could not give Miao Jing an answer.
With just one look, Miao Jing understood what her son meant. “That’s right. Both your father and I haven’t eaten. Since you were not around, we didn’t have an appetite. Usually, you’re in the military, the children are in school, but Nan Nan accompanies us. Today, even Nan Nan wasn’t around. It felt as though the whole house was so empty. Auntie, hurry and get some more dishes ready. We must have some more meat and vegetables. Cook more!”
Now that there were suddenly five more mouths to feed, that little bit of food that had been prepared earlier was clearly insufficient.
Thinking about it, Miao Jing was afraid that the auntie would not be able to prepare everything in time, so she squeezed into the kitchen as well and got busy with cooking.
“I’ll help out too.” Qiao Nan rolled up her sleeves and entered the kitchen.
Ever since Miao Jing’s culinary skills improved, Qiao Nan rarely stepped into the kitchen to help. But it was really because the auntie and Miao Jing alone were more than able to handle the preparations. Today’s situation was an exception.
“Mom, I’ll help you wash the vegetables.” San Bao’s eyes creased into crescents. Suddenly, all the women in the Zhai family were busy in the kitchen.
Er Bao could not help but praise San Bao. “Wow! You’re doing well today, San Bao! You’re using your eyes to work! Great job!”