There was a stranger in the house, and of course, the babies noticed.

None of them were shy. They toddled over to Du Qian.

"Hello, Auntie. I'm Baby Four."

Du Qian did a quick calculation. Zhang Yuxi's children should be about a year old. She had seen quite a few one-year-olds before. At most, they could walk steadily and babble a few words. None of them were like these children. Whether it was their height, size, or language skills, they far surpassed typical one-year-olds.

Du Qian introduced herself. "Hello, I'm Du Qian. You can call me Auntie Du."

Baby Four said, "Oh," and stared at Du Qian expectantly.

Baby Two asked, "Why are you at our house?"

"I'm friends with your mommy!"

"Friends? Oh. Then did you bring us presents?"

From across the room, An Lan could tell from Du Qian's face that she hadn't brought so much as a shadow of a gift. At the same time, she had to laugh at how direct Baby Two was. That straightforward girl never disappoints.

Du Qian shook her head awkwardly. "How about Auntie brings you presents next time? I was in a hurry this time and didn't bring anything."

Baby Two looked utterly crestfallen. "Oh, okay. I'll forgive you this time, then."

Du Qian was speechless.

Baby One was also visibly disappointed, but having An Lan's gift softened the blow. Baby Four was only let down for a moment before she perked up again.

Du Qian breathed a sigh of relief. Being surrounded by so many children was making her feel pressured.

An Lan spoke with a smile, "Du Qian, you said you were coming to see Yu Xi. You knew she had children but didn't prepare any gifts. Don't you think that's a bit out of line?"

Having finished showing off her husband, An Lan's smile toward Du Qian was no longer quite so cheerful.

Du Qian gave an awkward laugh. "Well, I can give them red envelopes."

An Lan chuckled. "Alright. Starting at ten thousand!"

Du Qian's smile instantly vanished.

An Lan continued in a serious tone, "Do you have any idea how much New Year's money the babies received last year? Nearly a million! Auntie Zhao and Uncle Zhang each gave five hundred thousand, and the others gave ten or twenty thousand."

"You're supposed to be Zhang Yuxi's best friend. Are you really going to be stingy with her children?"

If this had happened before, Du Qian would have thought An Lan was deliberately picking a fight with her. But seeing the villa she was in and knowing that Zhang Yuxi's parents were indeed very wealthy...

She hesitated for a moment, then said awkwardly, "Then I'll give eight thousand each. It's an auspicious number."

An Lan smiled. "Okay. Eight thousand is a little on the low side, but it's for good luck."

Then, Du Qian added, "I don't have any red envelopes. Do you?"

"If not, I can just next time..."

An Lan cut her off. "Red envelopes? That's the easy part. Yu Xi bought a ton last year that she hasn't used yet. I'll go get them for you!"

As she spoke, An Lan dashed upstairs.

Du Qian pursed her lips, feeling as though she were sitting on pins and needles. That's over thirty thousand gone, just like that. The thought stung.

Zhang Yuxi pretended not to notice and went back to playing with the babies.

PITTER-PATTER. An Lan came back downstairs and handed the red envelopes to Du Qian. Whatever excuse Du Qian might have come up with, An Lan had a retort ready.

"If you don't have that much cash, you can just do a mobile transfer! Payments and transfers are so convenient these days." An Lan crossed her arms and watched Du Qian.

Du Qian opened her purse, which contained fifty thousand in cash she had withdrawn for other business.

An Lan didn't rush her as she dawdled, simply waiting patiently.

With his keen hearing, Lin Feng had heard everything happening in the living room. He wasn't an idiot. He could clearly see the animosity between An Lan and Du Qian, not to mention Zhang Yuxi's attitude. His wife is such a kind person, and she's always incredibly good to her friends. I have no idea what this Du Qian did, but of course, I have to be on their side.

So, once the meal was ready, Lin Feng called out with a pointed tone, "Hurry up and finish your business so you can come eat."

An Lan understood immediately and turned to hurry Du Qian along. "Come on, hurry up. I'm hungry and it's time to eat."

Zhang Yuxi got up and took the babies to wash their hands. Lin Feng had already dished out their rice and served their food.

When the babies came out, An Lan held up the red envelopes. "These are big red envelopes from this auntie. Here, take them."

Although Du Qian was the one giving the money, An Lan handed them out with the flair of someone bestowing her own generous gifts.

"Here, one for Baby One, one for Baby Two, one for Baby Three, and one for Baby Four! Say 'thank you' to the auntie."

The four babies chorused, "Thank you, Auntie!"

Du Qian's expression seemed to say, I'd rather have the money back than this 'thank you.'

An Lan felt a thrill of satisfaction, having successfully extorted Du Qian.

"Let's eat!"

Du Qian had completely lost her appetite. This meal had cost her more than thirty thousand!

Following An Lan's request, Lin Feng hadn't prepared a full Manchu-Han Imperial Feast, but the spread was still incredibly rich and varied.

"You've worked so hard, honey!"

"It was nothing. Let's eat, it's almost one."

An Lan gestured for Du Qian to eat. "Director Lin's cooking is on par with a Five-Star Chef. If he were for hire, my dad would have poached him long ago."

Lin Feng suddenly remembered something. "How's the renovation for your dad's hotel upgrade coming along?"

"Upgrading a hotel is a hassle, and they don't want to miss out on business, so they have to renovate while staying open." It was a massive project, and her parents had been completely absorbed by it. They had been so busy they couldn't even make it to the babies' first birthday party.

Du Qian listened to them chat as she ate. Her eyes suddenly lit up. This is delicious! His cooking skills are truly amazing!

As An Lan chatted, she suddenly realized she shouldn't be the only one having all the fun. "Director Lin, once I'm not so busy, you should take me to that seaside villa you bought in Sanya to have some fun."

"It's too hot now. Let's wait for autumn."

The babies forgot all about eating, excited by the idea of catching crabs and little turtles.

Lin Feng nodded. "Alright, alright. Eat your food quickly, no talking. Be good and eat! Because we have a guest today, the adults need to talk to entertain Auntie, understand?"

Du Qian was speechless. I haven't said a thing!

Lin Feng placed some food on Zhang Yuxi's plate. "Do you have class this afternoon?"

Zhang Yuxi shook her head. "No."

"Want me to take you shopping?"

An Lan's eyes lit up at the thought of Lin Feng's Black Gold Card.

"You stay home and watch the kids. Yu Xi and I will go shopping. Don't you have that Black Gold Card? Let us give it a good swipe."

Lin Feng smiled. "Yu Xi has a supplementary card!"

An Lan gasped happily. "Yu Xi, let's go shopping this afternoon then?"

Zhang Yuxi was about to say something, but she saw An Lan staring at her with wide eyes. It looked as if An Lan would eat her alive if she refused.

"If your shop isn't busy, then let's go."

"It's not busy, not busy at all! I've hired so many people, the shop doesn't need me!"

Zhang Yuxi was at a loss for words.

Du Qian wanted to ask, 'Then who was that person who was swamped with work this morning?'

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