1163 Prepare Gifts
Zhai Yaohui was too busy to take care of his daughter-in-law. He had done his best by leaving Miao Jing at home to take care of Qiao Nan.
As for Old Master Zhai, as an old man, he could do nothing to help his granddaughter-in-law.
What he could do was to share interesting anecdotes that he heard from his friends with his granddaughter-in-law, making her happy.
Apart from that, one other thing that he could do was to take good care of himself.
It was only then could his daughter-in-law and granddaughter put all their attention on taking care of his granddaughter-in-law. He was being helpful by not creating any trouble for them.
Now that Qiao Nan was already eight months pregnant, the Zhai family became increasingly worried for the babies as the days pa.s.sed.
Aside from the Zhai family who was worried for Qiao Nan, Qiao Dongliang, who was at the Qiao family’s residence in Ping Cheng, was worried for Qiao Nan as well.
When Qiao Dongliang first learned that he was going to be a grandfather, Qiao Nan was already more than four months pregnant and she knew that she was carrying twins.
Now that Qiao Zijin went back to school after the summer break, Qiao Dongliang suddenly remembered that Qiao Nan was heavily pregnant. “Nan Nan is eight months pregnant. She will probably deliver in more than a month.”
Since his daughter was about to give birth, as the maternal grandfather, he should make time to visit her.
Someone from the parental family had to visit her after she had her babies.
He wondered how Nan Nan was doing now. Did the babies make life difficult for her?
To Qiao Dongliang, his responsibility to Qiao Nan had been completed now that she was married. He could focus all his attention on helping his elder daughter, Qiao Zijin, search for her happiness.
He knew that Qiao Nan was unhappy with his decision, but he could not leave the elder daughter in the lurch. He could only distance himself from the younger daughter so that she would not be upset or affected by the matters in her parental family.
When Qiao Nan studied in the capital last year, she made a phone call to Qiao Dongliang every week in the four months that she was there.
This year, apart from telling him that she was pregnant and calling him on Tomb-Sweeping Day, she did not contact him or chat with him.
Qiao Dongliang had a guilty conscience. Since Qiao Nan did not call him, he dared not call her as well.
He finally gave a phone call at the end of June, but it was because Qiao Zijin wanted to go on a holiday in the capital and he wanted Qiao Nan to take care of Qiao Zijin.
The call ended in a rush and Ding Jiayi kept disturbing his conversation with Qiao Nan.
Two months had pa.s.sed. The person who was the cause of the awkwardness, Qiao Zijin, was not around. Qiao Dongliang did not feel as guilty and he felt that he should give Qiao Nan a call to ask about her.
He was the maternal grandfather. He should be notified of the delivery date of his grandchildren.
Qiao Dongliang forgot to prepare a dowry for his daughter half a year ago as it was his first time marrying off a daughter.
This time, Qiao Dongliang remembered that this was his first time being a maternal grandfather and he had to prepare red packets and presents for his grandchildren.
“Where are you heading to?” Ding Jiayi had been staring at Qiao Dongliang for a long time. She noticed that he sat down by himself, frowning at one moment and smiling to himself in the next instant. He was behaving abnormally.
If not for the fact that Qiao Dongliang went home to the Qiao family’s residence every night and he did not stay out late or have other woman’s belongings with him, given his suspicious behavior, she would have suspected that he had a woman outside.
The two of them had not remarried. Even though they stayed in the same house, they did not share the same room or bed.
Ding Jiayi would try to sneak into Qiao Dongliang’s room in the middle of the night to be intimate with him or just to share a bed with him.
However, Qiao Dongliang would wake up when she laid down beside him.
Seeing that Ding Jiayi was next to him, Qiao Dongliang would get up without another word, put on his jacket, and slept in another room, not forgetting to lock his room this time.
It was as if Qiao Dongliang was a single young lady while Ding Jiayi was the lecher who was dying to lay her hands on Qiao Dongliang.
They had been divorced for several years. Ding Jiayi had learned her lesson and dared not kick up a fuss. She was able to stifle her anger and keep silent.
However, she would not be able to tolerate seeing Qiao Dongliang behaving oddly.
Ding Jiayi stopped Qiao Dongliang in his tracks. “You don’t have to go to work today. Where are you going with your bicycle? I will go with you!” She had found out in the past half a year that after Old Qiao divorced her, he did not have any other woman.
Even though his friends would introduce eligible women to him and asked him to go on blind dates, Old Qiao would reject their kind intentions.
Old Qiao did not have another woman when she was not by his side.
She would not allow other women to s.n.a.t.c.h Old Qiao from her now that they were staying together.
“Stop your nonsense. Stay at home.” Qiao Dongliang was unhappy. Although they lived together, he would not allow her to interfere with his life. Unless it was to do with Qiao Zijin, Ding Jiayi had no right to stop him from doing what he wanted.
“Why can’t I go with you? Are you up to no good? Also, don’t forget that Zijin’s and Chen Jun’s relations.h.i.+p are still not confirmed yet. Don’t stir up any troubles at this time.” Her elder daughter refused to listen to her a month ago. Instead of staying in the capital, asking for some money from Qiao Nan, and getting to know other good men, she came back to Ping Cheng in defeat. Ding Jiayi was furious at Qiao Zijin for not listening to her.
Qiao Dongliang parked his bicycle and stared at Ding Jiayi.
True enough, Ding Jiayi dared not make up a fuss at Qiao Dongliang’s att.i.tude.
After the divorce, Qiao Dongliang had finally mastered the way to deal with Ding Jiayi. “Do you want to pick a fight with me?”
“No, I don’t wish to quarrel with you.” She wanted to lead a good life with him, but he was not willing to do that!
“If so, stand aside. If you want to quarrel, I can do so as well.” But he would never allow Ding Jiayi to tag along with him.
Ding Jiayi did not need to take care of Qiao Zijin, and there was no need for Qiao Dongliang to provide for Qiao Nan as well.
Since that was the case, the couple had each saved up their money diligently. Ding Jiayi was hoping that she could save up the money for her retirement, whereas Qiao Dongliang was saving the money for his two daughters as well as his grandchildren.