「The next morning.」

The family gathered the ingredients, balloons, toys, and other supplies and headed to the yacht. Neither Zhang Yuxi nor Lin Feng had any experience decorating for a party, so after a brief discussion, they decided to just throw a balloon party. They tied colorful balloons everywhere, added a few streamers, and called it a day. As long as there were enough balloons, the children wouldn't notice the lack of sophistication.

Inflating them all was a workout. Zhang Yuxi appeared to be helping, but she was actually just playing with the children, gleefully stomping on one balloon pump and then another. The only one truly working was Lin Feng. For two hours that morning, he became a mindless balloon-inflating machine.

Meanwhile, Zhang Yuxi started wrapping the children's presents. Dabao was giving a red Transformer. He probably thought girls would like the color red. Erbao was giving a Barbie Princess set, which appeared to be one of the pieces from a larger set Lin Feng had bought for her. Sibao was giving… his mother's fashionable necklace!

Zhang Yuxi was utterly astonished. "Sibao, Tian Tian can't wear this."

Sibao just said, "Ah, but it's pretty."

"…"

"Tian Tian will like it," he insisted.

"…"

After a moment of hesitation, Zhang Yuxi wrapped the necklace anyway. It wasn't particularly expensive. It was just a cheap accessory she had bought before meeting Lin Feng. She'd brought it along when they moved, keeping it for its special sentimental value. As she packed it into a gift box, she gently lectured her son.

"Sibao, you can't just go through Mommy's things, understand?"

"I didn't, Mommy," Sibao said, still playing with a balloon. "I just found it."

Zhang Yuxi believed him. It was probably Feifei who knocked it over.

Next was Sanbao's gift. She was giving away a string of colorful jewelry beads that she was quite fond of. An Lan had bought them for both Erbao and Sanbao. Before Erbao had fallen in love with Barbie, she liked any toy she could get her hands on. She had lost her own strand of beads while playing outside once; she was sad for half a day and then promptly forgot about it.

By the time the presents were wrapped, Lin Feng had inflated a mountain of balloons. The couple tied them all over the yacht's interior and exterior, and the result was surprisingly pretty. Checking the time, Lin Feng saw it was half-past eleven and went to make lunch.

Since it was a child's birthday, Lin Feng cooked all the kids' favorites: pudding, small cakes, crispy cookies, Coca-Cola chicken wings, braised chicken feet, and more. These were all dishes Liu Qing had mentioned when he visited her home the other day.

Liu Qing arrived at the marina but couldn't find them, so she finally called Zhang Yuxi. In the distance, her daughter, Tian Tian, spotted a yacht festooned with colorful balloons. Yangcheng, unlike their hometown of Meicheng, was a top-tier metropolis, and the docks were filled with multi-million dollar luxury yachts. But even among them, Lin Feng's was a standout, incredibly eye-catching.

"Do you see the yacht covered in balloons?" Zhang Yuxi asked over the phone. "That's us! Come on up!"

"Mommy, I see it! Over there!" Tian Tian squealed, pointing.

Liu Qing's family was well-off, a stark contrast to Lin Feng's background. Her family's business was continuously expanding, and they held some status in Meicheng. Tian Tian's father's family was from Modu, where his parents still lived. The two families were of comparable standing, and the couple had met through a matchmaking arrangement that had the undertones of a strategic alliance. Liu Qing had the air of a pampered young lady, but she wasn't fragile. As someone who had seen the world, she could tell at a glance that Lin Feng's yacht was incredibly valuable. After getting to know him, she had mentioned him to her parents and only then learned that the Lin Family had truly made it big in Meicheng. Lin Feng's assets were already in the tens of billions. Now, with his assets in Modu and the Chuxue Hotel, his net worth might even approach a hundred billion. This revelation stunned Liu Qing, finding it hard to believe. The impression Lin Feng had left on her in middle school was just too strong.

Carrying a cake, Liu Qing boarded the yacht and looked around. "This yacht is beautiful! And you did all these balloons? That's so thoughtful!" She was genuinely touched. Seeing her daughter so happy, she smiled and said, "Thank you for all your hard work."

Zhang Yuxi didn't take the credit. "I actually didn't do much. The kids' dad was the one running around doing everything."

Liu Qing looked at her with envy. "I never would have expected Lin Feng to turn out like this."

"Oh? What did you expect him to be like?" Zhang Yuxi asked, curious.

Liu Qing thought for a moment. "Back in middle school, Lin Feng was so cool and aloof. Girls were always buying him snacks and carrying his backpack. He never had to do a thing, acting like he was some kind of lord. I always thought a guy like that would marry someone who..."

She trailed off, seeming to remember who she was talking to, and quickly changed the subject. "This is the power of love! He changed so much because of you. I'm so envious."

Zhang Yuxi was a smart woman, so she understood what Liu Qing had left unsaid. Basically, Lin Feng was supposed to marry a 'good wife and wise mother' type, not someone like her who couldn't do anything and had completely turned him into a househusband. In fact, Zhang Yuxi often felt the same way, but she truly didn't know how to do any of those things. Sigh… All she could do was help out a little to avoid dragging him down. She sometimes thought about hiring a housekeeper, but Lin Feng was used to doing things himself, which only made her feel guiltier.

Children have no patience. The quadruplets eagerly presented their birthday gifts to Tian Tian, who was absolutely delighted. It didn't matter what the gifts were; for a child, just receiving a present was cause for celebration.

When Lin Feng announced that lunch was ready, Liu Qing felt a bit embarrassed. On the phone, she had assumed they were on some kind of commercial cruise boat and had planned to pay the bill herself.

Tian Tian's birthday was actually in October, but her parents had registered her as being born in August to make school enrollment easier. The quadruplets, none the wiser, kept calling her "Big Sister Tian Tian."

They lit the candles, and Tian Tian earnestly made a wish before blowing them out. Everyone sang "Happy Birthday" and clapped, showering her with blessings. For Tian Tian, this was a very special birthday. Next came the cake, which the children devoured in no time, leaving them with little appetite for the meal Lin Feng had prepared.

"You can just heat the food up in the microwave later when you want to eat," Liu Qing said, feeling a little bad.

While the children went to play in the living room, the adults sat down for their meal.

"Dad's going fishing later!" Sibao announced.

Tian Tian's eyes sparkled. "Fishing? Wow, I want to fish, too!"

"You can't," Erbao said quickly. "We're too little, and the side is so high!"

Tian Tian looked disappointed. Sanbao comforted her, "We can watch Dad fish."

Just as Liu Qing finished her meal, a video call came in from Tian Tian's father. She hesitated for a moment before answering.

"Honey, where's our daughter?"

Liu Qing called out, "Tian Tian, it's Dad on the phone."

Tian Tian had been playing happily, and she trotted over with a slightly annoyed expression to take the phone. "Dad, you're a liar! A big liar!"

"Tian Tian, please forgive Daddy just this once, okay? As soon as I'm done here, I'll take you out to play. How about that?"

Tian Tian pouted, silent.

Her dad coaxed her, "Be a good girl. This time, you can go anywhere you want, okay?"

She reluctantly agreed. "Fine. I'll forgive you this one time."

Her father smiled. "Good girl! Thanks for forgiving me!" He then noticed the background. "Tian Tian, where are you?"

At the mention of her location, her excitement returned in a rush. "I'm on a boat! A really, really big boat! The uncle is going fishing soon… there's lots of water outside, and he's going to fish in the river!"

Her dad chuckled. "An uncle? Which uncle? Do I know him?"

A child wouldn't catch the nuance, but an adult could hear the undercurrent in his tone.

Tian Tian shook her head. "No, you don't know him!" She then remembered her presents and began showing them off like treasures. "Daddy, look! This is from Sibao, isn't it pretty? And this is from Dabao, and this is from Sanbao..."

The man also noticed several other children, who all looked quite similar, popping up behind his daughter. "Wow," he exclaimed, "are they quadruplets?"

Tian Tian nodded. "Uh-huh." Then she thrust the phone back at her mother. "I'm done talking to Dad!" She scampered off to play with the other children.

Liu Qing took the phone, her voice cold. "You're busy. I'm hanging up."

"Okay. I expect to be back by the end of the holiday."

A corner of Liu Qing's mouth twitched. "You think you'll be finished by then?" she asked sarcastically. Before he could respond, she ended the call.

Meanwhile, Lin Feng had already gotten his fishing rod ready. He had 'borrowed' it from Lin Dashan, and it had been sitting in a cabinet ever since. With two or three fishing trips under his belt, he now looked quite proficient.

The children gathered around Tian Tian, warning her to be quiet.

"If you talk, you'll scare the fish away!"

"Shh! A fish will bite soon!"

Less than ten minutes later, Lin Feng reeled in a grass carp weighing over a pound. Tian Tian shrieked with excitement; it was the first time she had ever seen someone catch a fish. She dashed to Liu Qing's side and looked up at her. "Mommy, can you catch one too? We can keep it in our fish tank at home, okay?"

No parent would refuse such a reasonable request.

"I'll see if there's another rod," Zhang Yuxi said with a smile.

And there was. Zhang Yuxi had no idea how to set it up, so she handed it to Lin Feng. He baited the hook, cast the line, and passed the rod to Liu Qing. It was her first time fishing, and she was full of anticipation. As luck would have it, her line began to move in less than a minute. Mother and daughter were both shocked and overjoyed, with Tian Tian screaming in delight.

Dabao reacted quickly and roughly, clapping a hand over her mouth. "You'll scare the fish away!"

Liu Qing couldn't pull the rod in. "Lin Feng, help!" she cried out.

Lin Feng set his own rod down, took hers, and gave a firm tug. A grass carp of about three to four pounds came flying out of the water, floundering on the hook.

"AH! Mommy, you're amazing! You're super amazing!" Tian Tian yelled.

Liu Qing felt pretty incredible herself. To catch such a big fish on her first try gave her a huge sense of accomplishment.

"Mommy, can we keep this fish?" Tian Tian begged. "We can show it to Daddy when he gets back, okay?"

Unable to refuse, Liu Qing said gently, "Okay!"

Inspired, the quadruplets also demanded to keep the fish Lin Feng had caught earlier. Lin Feng had no objection; for him, fishing was just a bit of fun.

After they finished fishing, the children took their afternoon nap. Zhang Yuxi, Lin Feng, and Liu Qing were all in the habit of napping as well. When you raise kids, you either have to lull them to sleep or they demand you stay with them. Over time, an afternoon nap becomes an unbreakable habit.

Lin Feng got up after half an hour, planning to make pickled cabbage fish for dinner. He figured it was better to eat before they left; trying to cook after getting back would be a hassle, and the children would be starving. They had eaten so much birthday cake at lunch that they'd barely touched the main course.

By five or six in the evening, dinner was ready. The adults had pickled cabbage fish and some simple vegetable dishes. The children had crucian carp soup, along with reheated Coca-Cola chicken wings and chicken feet from lunch. This time, everyone ate with gusto.

"This is even better than the food our housekeeper makes," Liu Qing said with admiration. "Yuxi, you're so lucky."

Zhang Yuxi could now answer that statement with genuine pride and delight. "Yes," she said. "I'm very fortunate to have married him."

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