However, they didn't have any bad habits. They had been very well-behaved these days. They came here today specifically to remind Meng Zhao, who had been very busy.

Before they could finish their sentence, Meng Zhao caught the clue in their roundabout words and couldn't help but chuckle as she reached out and gently tapped their foreheads: "You two, after saying so much, both openly and indirectly, you just wanted to tell me that your birthdays are coming soon and not to forget to prepare gifts for me, right?"

Having his thoughts exposed, Shen Qingze smiled somewhat embarrassedly: "My sister has been so busy lately and isn't home often. We were worried that you might have forgotten our birthdays."

"You heartless little devils! When have I ever forgotten about this? Even when we weren't in the same place, I always prepared gifts for you well in advance, didn't I? Don't worry, I've prepared the gifts, but I can't give them to you now. I have to wait until the actual day."

Shen Qingyu affectionately linked her arm with Meng Zhao's and shook it playfully, "We didn't come for the gifts! We just want you to make time for us that day and go out with us~"

Meng Zhao hesitated for a moment, considering the arrangements for the next two days, and said gently, "I can't say for sure about the specific itinerary yet, but don't worry, I will definitely come back tonight to have dinner with you."

“But we want to go to Yunmeng Manor outside the city.” Shen Qingze also came over and grabbed Meng Zhao’s other arm. “I heard that the hot springs there are very comfortable. Sister, will you come with us?” The two siblings swayed Meng Zhao’s arms on the left and right, and kept humming.

Seeing this, Shen Qinghe stepped forward and pulled the two off Meng Zhao, one in each hand: "You two will be twelve years old in a year, and you're still acting like you're little kids, how can you behave like this?"

Shen Qingyu pouted, but still stubbornly tugged at Meng Zhao's sleeve: "Second brother is right, but sister, we only have one birthday a year, can you please spend it with us?"

Shen Qingze, who was standing to the side, quickly chimed in, "Besides, that villa belongs to our classmate. We've already told him that we'll be bringing people over that day. I even helped him with his homework for several days, and my wrist is sore from writing. If we don't go, wouldn't all my hard work have been for nothing?" He then raised his wrist, hoping Meng Zhao would feel sorry for him.

Upon hearing this, Meng Zhao raised an eyebrow slightly. Before he could speak, Shen Qinghe had already grabbed his younger brother's ear and said, "Shen Qingze, so you listened to everything I said to you before? With your meager abilities, you can't even help others copy their homework?"

Shen Qingyu sighed and looked helplessly at her twin brother. She couldn't understand how he could be so stupid as to say such a thing in front of his brother.

"Ouch! Ouch! Second Brother, be gentle!" Shen Qingze cried out on tiptoe, grimacing as he begged for mercy, "I... I was wrong! I'll never do it again!"

Shen Qinghe wasn't going to let him off so easily. He seized the opportunity to teach him a lesson, and even Shen Qingyu wasn't spared. After all, the two of them were always together, so she must have known about this. At the very least, she was an accomplice.

Meng Zhao couldn't help but laugh at the farce unfolding before him. After Shen Qinghe had finished his lecture, he gently patted his wrist and said, "Alright, even if you want to punish them, let's wait until after their birthdays." He then turned to the two little ones and said, "Since you two want to go so much, I'll take a day to go with you. But it's a deal: after your birthdays, if your second brother punishes you, you're not allowed to come to me for mercy. I'm already doing you a favor."

The two children cheered with joy, and even Shen Qingze, who had been wincing in pain, suddenly beamed with happiness. After the two children were coaxed away, the room finally returned to peace.

Shen Qinghe immediately stepped forward and embraced Meng Zhao, clearly intending to continue the tender moment that had just been interrupted. However, Meng Zhao had no interest in that. Seeing his persistent pursuit, she couldn't help but laugh and say, "Weren't you just criticizing those two for acting cute and silly? Why don't you look at yourself now?"

Shen Qinghe raised an eyebrow dismissively: "Perhaps this is just the way of our Shen family, but since my elder sister has already agreed to their request, we can't show favoritism." Before she finished speaking, she was about to kiss him.

Meng Zhao quickly covered his mouth: "How old are they? And how old are you?"

"I'm only twenty." He lightly pecked her palm, his voice tinged with grievance. "You can't just love them and not me." With that, he pulled her closer to him.

With strong self-control, Meng Zhao managed to push the person away. Seeing her resolute expression, Shen Qinghe, though reluctant, was afraid of truly angering her, so she had no choice but to release her arms, take a half step back, and let Meng Zhao attend to her business. She then had someone bring the documents over to review at the Meng residence.

***

That day, as soon as Meng Zhao stepped into Yingkelou, the manager hurriedly came up to him, holding a letter in his hand. "Manager, yesterday a merchant caravan from Lanzhou came to the capital. They said they met our caravan there and specially brought back a letter."

Upon hearing this, Meng Zhao's eyes lit up, and she quickly took the letter. It had been more than two months since Gu Changwu and Zhou Yu led their team westward. Before they left, she specifically asked them to take a cage of carrier pigeons with them. However, Zhou Yu said that there were too many birds of prey and sandstorms in the Western Regions, and ordinary carrier pigeons could not deliver messages at all. But Meng Zhao still insisted that they take them.

So for the first half month, they occasionally received messages from carrier pigeons reporting their location. But after a month, no more letters came back. Meng Zhao was always worried about them, so when he saw the letters, he couldn't wait to open them.

The letter stated that they set off from Beijing in August, passing through Tongguan and Longxi. When they arrived in Lanzhou, they encountered days of continuous rain and muddy roads. Several vehicles got stuck in the mud, but fortunately their vehicles were sturdy. With the help of their men and horses, they managed to pull the vehicles out. Although the goods were not damaged, they were exhausted and had to rest for a few days.

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