“Your cousin’s wife has also put in a lot of effort; you should thank her,” Shen Qiaoyue said to Xia Xiaoli.

"Yes, yes, I will. If it weren't for my cousin and his wife taking me in, I wouldn't be where I am today." Xia Xiaoli was very grateful to her cousin's family. If it weren't for her cousin and his wife, she would have married someone she didn't love.

"Congratulations, Xiaoli." Bai Jinghao was the first to offer her blessings. "Our Xiaoli has so many people who care about you. You can't keep feeling so inferior. You should hold your head high and look forward."

She walked up to Xia Xiaoli, offering her blessings, gently patting Xia Xiaoli's shoulder, and speaking words of comfort to Xiaoli in a joking tone.

In just a few days of getting to know each other, she could see Xia Xiaoli's inferiority complex.

“That’s right! Xiaoli, you have to look forward. Nothing can be accomplished on the first try. So let’s try a few more times, and we’ll succeed eventually,” Wang Tiantian comforted her.

Xia Xiaoli nodded.

She must not disappoint everyone's expectations.

"I will, thank you," Xia Xiaoli said.

Shen Qiaoyue and Jiang Jinyao exchanged a glance, smiled, and said nothing.

When it was time to leave work, Jiang Jinyao and Xia Xiaoli left first. Shen Qiaoyue organized the work documents. There were many people leaving get off work at this time, and since she was pregnant, it wasn't appropriate for her to leave with everyone else.

After about ten minutes, when most of the people had left, she left.

"Sister Qiaoyue, Sister Yao from Tianjin is getting married tomorrow. What kind of gift should we give her?" Wang Tiantian asked Shen Qiaoyue, who was still there.

Wang Tiantian knew that Shen Qiaoyue and Jiang Jinyao had spent a lot of time together, so asking Shen Qiaoyue was the most appropriate thing to do.

“Yes, Sister Qiaoyue, we just arrived. Sister Jinyao is having her wedding tomorrow and invited us. We don’t know what to give her as a gift.” Su Zhiyang, who was standing next to her, also came over to ask.

It was their first time attending a wedding, and they were unsure how to navigate the social etiquette.

“Jinyao has nothing to lack. When you go to the wedding, just bring a bag of fruit or eggs. These days, everyone has a hard time. We don’t accept expensive things. Besides, your wages aren’t high, so we won’t allow you to accept them anyway. You don’t need anything.”

Shen Qiaoyue offered what she considered to be appropriate suggestions.

"There's a specific way to present these eggs; nine is best. As for fruit, apples, bananas, and longans will do, or perhaps some peanuts and red dates."

The point of getting married is to bring good luck.

"Okay, we understand, thank you, Sister Qiaoyue." Wang Tiantian listened attentively and remembered everything, then thanked Shen Qiaoyue.

"Thank you, Sister Qiaoyue," Su Zhiyang said, echoing his thanks.

"Qiaoyue, let's go." Ye Hualan waited at the door for Shen Qiaoyue to leave together.

Shen Qiaoyue packed her things and said goodbye to them, "See you tomorrow."

"Okay, be careful on the road," Wang Tiantian added.

Shen Qiaoyue and Ye Hualan walked downstairs.

"Your belly has gotten bigger again?" Ye Hualan said, looking at Shen Qiaoyue's belly.

Shen Qiaoyue subconsciously touched her belly and nodded, saying, "That's right. I haven't been sleeping well these past two nights. I'll go to the hospital for a check-up tomorrow morning. I had Jin Yao's wedding banquet at noon, and I'll also go back to the city to have a meal with my parents."

"Your schedule is packed, isn't it?" Ye Hualan couldn't help but tease.

"That's right, my dad is going back to work tomorrow, and my sister and brother-in-law are also going back tomorrow. We're taking advantage of the time to have a family reunion dinner! As you know, my dad's job means we don't see each other often, and my sister has gone to the countryside, so we don't see each other very often either!"

Thinking about the day of separation again, Shen Qiaoyue felt very reluctant.

"It's okay, it will pass." Ye Hualan didn't know how to comfort her.

The situation is bad now, and everyone is on edge.

"Yes, it will pass," Shen Qiaoyue thought to herself. It will be over soon.

As they walked out of the factory gate, Ye Jinsheng and Lu Chen were chatting.

Seeing his wife come out, Lu Chen took a few steps forward and helped Shen Qiaoyue.

"Wife, are you tired today?" Lu Chen asked worriedly. He asked this question every day when he came to pick up Shen Qiaoyue.

Shen Qiaoyue smiled and shook her head.

"How can it not be tiring? This is a job, not a place to enjoy life!" Ye Hualan was straightforward, and seeing that Shen Qiaoyue never complained in front of Lu Chen, she couldn't help but tease her.

"You should say less," Ye Jinsheng said, feeling that Ye Hualan's words were inappropriate.

"I'm just telling the truth. Qiaoyue is pregnant, how could she not be tired!" Ye Hualan added.

Shen Qiaoyue also said, "I'm not as tired as Sister Hualan. You have to take care of so many people every day, while I just sit there writing and drawing all day! Battalion Commander Ye should really treat Sister Hualan well."

"Of course, we'll be going now." Ye Jinsheng pulled Ye Hualan along first.

"Then, be careful on the road," Shen Qiaoyue added.

After the couple left.

"Lu Chen, Hua Lan is just being nice to me, don't be angry!" Shen Qiaoyue heard Ye Hua Lan's words, which were just normal small talk, but Lu Chen didn't say anything, afraid that Lu Chen would get angry.

Lu Chen pinched Shen Qiaoyue's nose and said, "Sister-in-law Hualan is right. You don't complain about being tired, so how would I know you're tired? You must be more tired than everyone else, especially with the baby in your belly!"

He touched his belly with heartache.

"I saw that you couldn't sleep last night." As her belly grew bigger, Shen Qiaoyue slept much less.

"Okay, don't overthink it. The kids are all grown up now, so it's okay to be a little tired. Just remember that, and I'm already very happy!" Shen Qiaoyue said when she saw Lu Chen frowning. "I don't complain about being tired because I don't want to spread negative energy to you."

“This is not negative energy. It is the suffering you have endured for me. If you hadn’t let me know, I would never have known how much you have sacrificed for me.”

Lu Chen didn't like Shen Qiaoyue saying that.

Seeing Lu Chen's expression, he smiled and said, "Now you know, just be nicer to me and I'll be satisfied."

"Of course, let's go home." Lu Chen helped Shen Qiaoyue to the bicycle, and they went home together.

Shen Qiaoyue hugged Lu Chen tightly around the waist. The sun was setting, and the path was bathed in golden light—a beautiful scene.

The residential compound starts to get lively as it's time to leave work.

When Shen Qiaoyue arrived home, before she even went inside, she saw someone busy in the kitchen.

"Lu He is back?" Shen Qiaoyue's first reaction was that Lu He was back.

"Yes, I'm back. We're making dumplings again." Lu He responded to Shen Qiaoyue's voice while she was working.

Shen Qiaoyue went into the kitchen immediately; the smell was wonderful.

"Mmm, it smells so good!" Shen Qiaoyue smelled the aroma; it was the fresh scent of chicken soup.

Lu He said, "These are red mushrooms from the living room. I used them to make chicken soup and also made mushroom and vegetable dumplings."

“Lu He, every time you come home, I feel like we can eat out.” Lu He’s cooking is so good that she can’t stop eating.

Lu He smiled slightly after receiving confirmation.

She was still busy wrapping dumplings.

"My brother said my sister-in-law missed my cooking, so I came back," Lu He said happily.