Chapter 1471: Could Not Help but Worry
Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
It was after summer and Zhai Sheng’s s.h.i.+rt wasn’t thick at all. Within half a minute, Zhai Sheng clearly felt that the spot where Qiao Nan buried her face in was completely soaked by her tears. Qiao Nan cried silently and this was especially heart-wrenching for Zhai Sheng. “Stop crying. Mom will bring the triplets out soon. How are you going to explain to them if they see you like this? At the very least, we should learn from Elder Lin and not let the triplets suffer too much, right?”
Qiao Nan rubbed her face against Zhai Sheng’s s.h.i.+rt. Her eyes were still red. “Go and change your clothes.” The color of the s.h.i.+rt where her tears had dampened was darkened. If they didn’t want the triplets to find out so early, of course she couldn’t let them see Zhai Sheng in this attire.
Zhai Sheng poured a cup of warm water for Qiao Nan. After watching Qiao Nan take a sip, he went upstairs to change his clothes.
Under the help of their grandma, the triplets wiped the sweat off their faces and bodies. However, their father had changed his clothes. “Dad, you took a shower?” San Bao tilted her head and looked at Zhai Sheng curiously. “So early?”
“San Bao, the clothes you wore when you returned are different from what you’re wearing now as well. The s.h.i.+rt Dad wore previously is dirty, so he changed into another one. However, don’t worry. Dad will wash his own clothes.” Zhai Sheng pinched his daughter’s nose as he saw her thoughts clearly.
His three children were cla.s.sic examples of ‘the powerful can do whatever they want; the weak are not allowed to do anything’. If their clothes became dirty, Nan Nan could wash them. If his clothes became dirty, he had to be self-sufficient and not let Nan Nan get too tired.
Seeing that she didn’t get her way, she snorted unhappily. “I’m hungry and I want to eat. Grandma, Mom, I’m hungry!” Dad was the most detestable. Every time he teased her and she teased him back, he never seemed to have fallen into her trap.
Once she wasn’t happy, she would change the topic. Miao Jing smiled and held her granddaughter’s hand so that she was sitting next to her and could place some food into her bowl. Compared to the smart Da Bao, Miao Jing naturally preferred to take care of the soft and cute granddaughter.
Er Bao and San Bao behaved quite normally. Qiao Nan and Da Bao made people feel that they were quieter.
Zhai Yaohui looked at Zhai Sheng. Zhai Sheng shook his head, signaling that it wasn’t a good time to say anything now and to ask questions only after dinner.
As such, the dinner table at the Zhai family today was quieter than usual. Even Er Bao and San Bao no longer played around. When Zhai Yaohui was eating, he paid special attention to the old master. He noticed that Old Master Zhai was eating the same amount of food as usual and felt more relieved.
After dinner, Zhai Yaohui pulled Zhai Sheng into the study room for a chat. Only then did he find out about Elder Lin. “No wonder.” Zhai Yaohui had heard about some movements in the central government but didn’t find out the details.
After hearing from his son that Elder Lin was diagnosed with cancer, Zhai Yaohui guessed that this happened only recently and understood everything. “Elder Lin… He Yi isn’t young anymore. He has reached the country’s designated retirement age. Nan Nan is not thirty years old and is in her heyday. It looks like Elder Lin has made some arrangements for Qiao Nan.” To have a daughter-in-law in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs was something to be proud of.
Zhai Yaohui knew that it had nothing to do with the Zhai family that Qiao Nan had reached where she was today. Qiao Nan had relied on her own capabilities and her master, Lin Yuankang.
Who wouldn’t welcome a daughter-in-law who not only didn’t cause trouble but also won glory for her parents-in-law?
Back then, many people laughed at the Zhai family for not being picky or being too arrogant. They had chosen a daughter-in-law who was powerless, poor, and not of any help to the Zhai family at all. Aside from her face, she was without any positive traits.
Those who laughed at Zhai Sheng for being befuddled by l.u.s.t back then were probably given so many slaps to their faces now that their faces were pretty much swollen. By the time Nan Nan really became the next minister of foreign affairs, those people probably wouldn’t have any face left to meet anyone outside.
“Qiao Nan has a good relations.h.i.+p with Elder Lin. Even our three grandchildren love and respect this elder. If Elder Lin really… Try and see if you can stay at home for the next few days. At this time, the four of them need your care. The comfort of others would be useless.” Even if Qiao Dongliang came, Qiao Nan would cry more sadly if she saw him.
That was because the person who pa.s.sed away was an elder who treated her better than her birth father.
“Yes, I’m thinking of this as well.” If Elder Lin was no longer around, he would worry about leaving Nan Nan alone. The three children’s emotions would be especially strong as well and the house would be in a mess.
After keeping away the joy that his daughter-in-law was about to become the next minister, Zhai Yaohui, who was also a grandpa, naturally thought more about the young people like Zhai Sheng when facing such life-and-death issues. He didn’t know when, or which day in the future, would such a thing happen to him as well. “Will Hua Hua be back this time around?”
The Zhai family had a good relations.h.i.+p with Elder Lin. Elder Lin didn’t have other relatives. If he really pa.s.sed away, Zhai Hua naturally had to come back and send him off.
“It’s the triplets’ birthday tomorrow. Zhai Hua should already be at the Tian family today,” Zhai Sheng said definitively.
Zhai Yaohui nodded. “Okay, let’s do this. You’ll accompany the old master tonight. I’ll do it tomorrow.” After all, he was no longer young. The muscles on his body had stiffened after sleeping on the floor for a night.
If he did so for two consecutive nights, Zhai Yaohui was worried that before something happened to Old Master Zhai, he would have to go to the traditional Chinese medicine hall first and do acupuncture.
“Okay.” Of course, Zhai Sheng wouldn’t refuse. Even if Zhai Yaohui didn’t mention it, he would do so as well. “Sleep early tonight.” Zhai Sheng could smell the strong medicinal wine on Zhai Yaohui’s body. He was not only good with his eyes and ears but also his nose.
Zhai Sheng kept Old Master Zhai company tonight while Qiao Nan continued to sleep alone. She lay alone on the big bed and looked at the bright moon peeping through the window curtains. Qiao Nan’s sadness turned into a river.
If something happened to Old Master Zhai, he would be guarded by his son, accompanied by his grandson, and coaxed by his great-grandchildren. However, her master’s health was deteriorating and he didn’t even have a close relative by his side.