Sister Lian washed two peaches, cut them in half, removed the pits, and placed them on a plate.

“Xiao Jing, you can have half a peach, but don’t eat too much! Otherwise, the baby might get diarrhea!”

Han Xiaoqing took it. “Okay, I know!”

She had been greedy before and didn’t believe it, but after she ate too much fruit, the baby did indeed get diarrhea from her milk.

Her maternity leave was ending soon, so she was trying to get the baby on formula.

The baby wasn’t a picky eater, drinking both formula and breast milk.

After Han Xiaoqing finished her half-peach, Chen Wenxuan came out of the shower, having changed into a loose-fitting T-shirt and knee-length shorts.

When he came out and saw the peaches on the table, Chen Wenxuan’s eyes lit up. “What great timing! The peaches at home are ripe!”

“If I’d come back half a month later, I probably would have missed out on these delicious peaches!”

Han Xiaoqing smiled. “You sure are lucky! By the way, do your parents know you’re back?”

Chen Wenxuan shook his head. “After I moved to my new unit and finished all the handovers, I rushed right over! I haven’t called them yet. Are they still in the country?”

Han Xiaoqing replied, “They are!”

Chen Wenxuan was surprised. “Why have they stayed in the country for so long this time?”

Han Xiaoqing answered, “I heard my sister and brother-in-law talking about it. Apparently, your parents are more optimistic about the development here. They’ve not only increased their investments but also added more investment projects!”

“The total investment has reached 500 million now, making them a major enterprise here! I’m not interested in this stuff and don’t understand it, so I haven’t paid much attention.”

“You’ve been involved in classified work before, so you need to be careful about some things! Even though your parents won’t ask you about anything, other people might be paying attention to you!”

“For example, your brother-in-law’s Xu family was infiltrated. One of the Xu family’s mines in Africa was nearly hollowed out. Your brother-in-law went over there, and it’s a good thing he brought a lot of people with him, or he would have been in danger!”

Chen Wenxuan nodded in agreement. “I know the protocols for this! Anyway, my younger brother will manage those investments in the future. As for the dividends, he can decide how much to give us! It doesn’t matter if it’s a lot or a little; our salaries are enough to live on!”

Both Han Xiaoqing and Chen Wenxuan had relatively high salaries. Since they didn’t have to worry about housing, their income was more than enough for them to live very well in Shencheng.

Besides, her sister and brother-in-law, as well as the wealthy Chen family, were always giving them things.

Sometimes they were given so much that they couldn’t even refuse it.

Han Xiaoqing and Chen Wenxuan were not materialistic at all.

When it was time, Han Xiaorui left work to pick up the four kids and bring them home.

The children were overjoyed to see their uncle had returned.

Han Xiaorui was relieved as well. She was Han Xiaoqing’s older sister, but she couldn’t replace the companionship of a husband.

That evening, after dinner, Chen Wenxuan called his parents to tell them he would visit the Chen family home the next day.

Mrs. Chen hung up the phone, feeling happy but also a little melancholic.

“Our son is all grown up and has his own family! I’m happy for him, but I also feel a little sad. I think I finally understand how my mother-in-law felt back then!”

Mr. Chen, who was reading the newspaper with his glasses on, heard his wife and asked with a smile, “What feeling is that?”

Mrs. Chen said wistfully, “As a mother, I’m overjoyed that my son has started his own family, gotten married, had a child, and can stand on his own two feet. But at the same time, I feel a sense of loss because he doesn’t need his mother as much anymore!”

Mr. Chen chuckled. “Just remember the old saying: a deaf and mute man makes the best father-in-law. Now that the children have their own families, as long as they’re not going down the wrong path, we shouldn’t meddle in their lives!”

“Back then, my mother was always meddling in our affairs. You didn’t dare oppose her to her face, but you certainly gave me an earful in private! I had to please both sides. In the end, my mother scolded me for ‘forgetting his mother after getting a wife,’ while you said I only had my mother in my heart, not my wife.”

“The truth is, you were both the most important people to me—one was my mother, the other my wife. One gave birth to me, the other gave me a child. What could I do? I was caught in the middle and just had to take it!”

“Now it’s our turn to be the in-laws. Let’s make sure we don’t become the kind of people you used to hate. Stay out of it, and we can live a carefree life.”

Hearing her husband’s advice, Mrs. Chen sighed again. “A young couple becomes lifelong companions in old age. I’m lucky to have you with me. Otherwise, with my personality, if I didn’t have you to talk some sense into me, I might have been even worse than my mother-in-law was! I would have definitely become the kind of person I used to hate!”

She had a friend who was just like that.

The friend had been widowed in middle age and had only one son. Before he got married, she hoped every day that he would find a good wife.

But every time he brought a girlfriend home, she would find fault and be overly critical. It got to the point where she had broken up several of his relationships.

In the end, the son had no choice but to marry his girlfriend in secret and then find a job far away from home.

The more she tried to keep her son by her side, the farther he ran.

That kind of motherly love had become distorted, and Mrs. Chen had tried to advise her friend.

At the time, she didn’t quite understand, but now, she was beginning to.

The root of it all was the desire to be more important in her son’s heart, to be needed more.

But as a son grows up, he no longer needs his mother in the same way he did as a child.

As an adult, he needs a wife more—to manage the household and raise children—so it’s only natural that he would choose his wife and grow more distant from his mother.

A truly good mother, at this point, would choose to step back gracefully rather than force her way into her child’s life.

If she can offer some help, that’s for the best, of course.

If not, she shouldn’t cause trouble.

All her feelings of loss vanished completely when Chen Wenxuan arrived with Han Xiaoqing and the baby.

It’s true what they say about the special bond between grandparents and grandchildren.

Even the usually serious Mr. Chen would beam with joy at the sight of his grandson.

It got to the point where Chen Wenxuan felt that his own status as a son had dropped even lower in his parents’ eyes.

They knew Chen Wenxuan was on a classified research mission, so they didn’t ask about his work.

“Since you’re on leave, can you stay here a bit longer?”

Chen Wenxuan looked at Han Xiaoqing.

Han Xiaoqing smiled. “Of course! I have to go back to work in a few days, so this is a good chance for us to stay and spend more time with you both.”

Seeing the interaction between her son and daughter-in-law, Mrs. Chen was completely relieved to know that their long separation hadn’t affected their relationship.

Meanwhile, in Jinshan Bay, a cool afternoon breeze was blowing.

It should have been a time for people to rest after a long day of work.

But now, a kidnapping had occurred!

Cai Wennan had been kidnapped!

Liang Xiaoyu and Chen Yishui were out at sea and not at home.

After Granny Cai received the call, the phone slipped from her hand and fell to the floor in shock.

Cai Xueqin was still at work. Panicked and unsure of what to do, Granny Cai quickly called her son and Han Xiaorui.

After hearing the news, Han Xiaorui immediately recalled a previous discussion they’d had.

Her first thought was: ‘Chen Xiaoxiu and her son did this!’

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