Cheng Zhiwen stood at the door, glanced at the underwear and panties in her hand, and looked slightly uncomfortable.

"I'll talk to you about the factory after the children are asleep." With that, he turned and went back to the living room.

Shen Qing belatedly came to her senses, blushed, folded the men's underwear in her hand, and placed it on Cheng Zhiwen's shirt.

The clothes were all folded. Cheng Xi's and Cheng An's clothes were put into the closet, while Cheng An and Cheng Zhiwen's clothes were taken to the bed in the next room.

Just as she put the clothes down, she turned around and saw Cheng Zhiwen about to enter.

He had already taken a shower and was wearing apricot-colored pajamas. His hair was still wet, and a towel was draped around his neck to dry it.

Seeing the pajamas he was wearing, which were the same color and style as hers, Shen Qing's heart skipped a beat.

They look like matching couple outfits.

Of course, these basic silk pajamas are not rare items; you can easily buy them in department stores.

Shen Qing told himself—don't overthink it, don't overthink it, it's just a coincidence. Maybe his pajamas were all bought for him by his wife.

She nodded to him, and as she was leaving the room, passing through the doorway and walking past him, she caught a whiff of his familiar scent.

Seven or eight years have passed, and she still remembers everything about him perfectly.

Shen Qing returned to her room and sat on the bed, but her thoughts had already drifted to the next room.

Cheng Xi lay obediently on the bed and said, "Goodnight, Mom. Cheng Xi is going to sleep."

Shen Qing snapped out of her reverie, lay back down on the bed, and kissed her daughter's forehead: "Goodnight, my baby."

Cheng Xi quickly drifted off into a sweet dream.

After Shen Qing waited until she was sound asleep, she quietly opened the door and went to the living room.

Cheng Zhiwen was already sitting there, still with half a glass of foreign liquor.

Shen Qing poured a glass of water, walked over to him, and casually asked, "Is our son asleep?"

"She's asleep." Cheng Zhiwen patted the seat next to her. "Sit down."

Shen Qing sat down opposite him.

He smiled helplessly and took a sip of the foreign liquor.

He put his glass on the table and said, "If we can't find a factory, we'll buy land and build the factory ourselves."

Shen Qing thought it made sense, but the thought of money troubled her again.

"I only planned the cost of renting the factory building. If I were to buy land to build the factory, it would exceed the budget."

"I have the money here."

Shen Qing was not surprised.

Cheng Zhiwen studied in the United States for many years. After graduation, she did not return to China immediately but instead engaged in trade business in the United States. It is normal for her to have businesses and money in the United States.

She didn't want to accept his sponsorship, but when she thought that she was also earning money to save the country, she gritted her teeth and said, "Okay, then consider this a loan from you. I'll pay you back when I make money."

Cheng Zhiwen smiled and took a sip of the foreign liquor.

He recalled that more than a decade ago, when Shen Qing was starting a business in Jiangzhou, he was short of funds several times. He preferred to borrow money from money lenders or ask Gao's family for investment rather than ask him for a loan.

Now that she's willing to have financial dealings with him, he feels that their futures are tightly intertwined.

"Let's send the children to school together tomorrow, and then we'll look for land."

Shen Qing nodded: "Okay. I'm going to sleep now, you should get some rest too. Good night."

He got up to leave, but then, remembering something, turned back and said, "Drink less."

He raised his glass to her, smiling broadly.

The following day, Shen Qing and Cheng Zhiwen took the child to school together.

Today, the homeroom teacher of the twins happened to be greeting students at the school gate. Upon seeing Shen Qing, whom he hadn't seen for over a month, he hurried over to greet her.

“Anil’s mom, it’s been a long time.”

"Good morning, teacher." Shen Qing smiled and explained in English, "I wasn't feeling well the other day and couldn't send my child to school."

The teacher glanced at Cheng Zhiwen standing beside her and asked, "What about Dad? Uncle has been bringing Anil and Cathy these past few days."

In foreign education systems, parental involvement is emphasized, so the teacher found it strange that she had never met the children's father.

Of course, there's also the intention of investigating students' family circumstances.

Shen Qing naturally thought of this and told the truth: "The children's father has passed away, and I am raising them alone now."

The teacher was a little surprised and felt great pity for Shen Qing and the children. She comforted Shen Qing for a moment and then quickly returned to the school.

Shen Qing and Cheng Zhiwen turned and left the school.

The two walked on without saying a word.

Cheng Zhiwen broke the silence first: "Why not take this opportunity to tell the teachers that I am the children's father?"

Shen Qing calmly said, "If we tell the teacher that you are the children's father, the children will know. They have always thought that my husband is their father, and if we suddenly correct them to you, I'm afraid the children will be confused. Let's just leave it as it is."

Cheng Zhiwen's expression changed, but she didn't say anything.

Shen Qing addressed Qi Zhenheng as "my husband," which displeased him, but he was willing to respect Shen Qing's feelings, so he said nothing.

...

In just three days, Cheng Zhiwen helped Shen Qing secure the land.

They bought land near a campus in the suburbs of New York State, where a second campus is expected to be built in the next few years.

Setting up the factory in the industrial park will facilitate future management and ensure safety.

Shen Qing owed Cheng Zhiwen 400,000 taels of silver for this land purchase, but she was confident that she could earn the money back quickly.

The next step was to contact a construction team to build the factory.

During that time, Shen Qing was in New York overseeing the project, while Cheng Zhiwen went to Germany to contact suppliers for equipment.

With him gone, Shen Qing had to take care of the children, handle housework, and keep an eye on the factory, which exhausted her again.

When Cheng Zhiwen returned, she was lying in bed, and Cheng An and Cheng Xi were cooking porridge for her in the kitchen.

Cheng Xi didn't hold the pot properly, and the scalding hot porridge spilled all over her feet. She cried her heart out.

Shen Qing heard this from inside the room and dragged her ailing body out.

She wanted to carry her daughter to the bathroom to rinse her face with cold water, but because she was too weak, she couldn't lift her at all.

She had no choice but to go to the bathroom with Cheng An to get cold water, and poured basin after basin of it over Cheng Xi's legs.

Cheng Xi cried out in pain, "Mother... Mother... it hurts so much... Cheng Xi is in so much pain..."

Shen Qing also burst into tears, repeatedly splashing cold water on her daughter's legs: "Cheng Xi, don't cry, Mother will take you to see a doctor right away..."

She then took Cheng Xi's towel from Cheng An, wrung it out, and placed it on Cheng Xi's legs before squatting down and saying, "Come on, Cheng Xi, get on your mother's back."

Cheng An quickly stepped forward to help lift Cheng Xi onto her back. She supported Cheng Xi's body with one hand and used the other hand to support herself on the ground as she struggled to stand up.

However, Cheng Xi already weighed half of her weight, and her body was too weak. She had just stood up and hadn't even regained her balance when she suddenly fell to the ground again.

Cheng Xi was thrown to the ground. Already crying from the pain of the burns, she cried even more heartbreakingly.

At that moment, the door was opened from the outside.

When Cheng Zhiwen entered, this was the scene she saw—

Shen Qing and her daughter collapsed on the ground, which was covered in congee and water. The daughter's legs were red and she was crying uncontrollably. Meanwhile, her son was still trying to lift her onto Shen Qing's back.

He threw aside his luggage, rushed over, and hugged his daughter tightly: "Cheng Xi, don't cry, Daddy will take you to see a doctor!"