Everyone was stunned. Qi Si had always looked down on this mother-in-law, and if it weren't for his two sons, he would have kicked her out long ago. For her to call him "Mom" this time was quite an honor.

Sister-in-law Xiao Si's eyes reddened, and she lowered her head.

“What are you saying? Why suffer? Isn’t it only right to do this for your grandchildren? Both of them are treasures…” Fourth Sister-in-law hurriedly waved her hand, then realized she had said the wrong thing halfway through her sentence.

We can't mention Xiao Zichen, because it makes Xiao Si Sao (the fourth sister-in-law) sad.

These days, her eyes are always swollen when she wakes up in the morning. I bet she cries every night. Her chubby little face has gotten so thin so quickly, it's heartbreaking.

"It's alright, your grandson went to Shanghai to see the world," Qi Si chuckled.

"I've never been to Shanghai before, Fourth Brother," Fourth Sister-in-law immediately pouted and acted coquettishly.

"If you want to go, that's easy, I'll take you." Qi Si patted his chest.

"Let's wait until the child is older. He's too fragile now and easily catches a cold. I don't want this little guy to suffer..." This time, Grandma Hanhan misspoke.

She was preoccupied with the fact that Tang Wenwen didn't know how to take care of children, and wondered how Xiao Zichen had fared on his journey to Shanghai. She forgot she shouldn't bring that up.

"With your aunt around and Chen Ma, who's an old nanny, you're all just worrying about things that aren't your business," Qin Xiaoyu interrupted her.

The thought of such a small child traveling by train made Xiao Si's heart pound, and she lost her appetite completely. It was only after Qi Si coaxed her that she ate half a bowl of porridge.

Fourth Sister-in-law's mother has been away from home these past few days, and she's never seen her son-in-law doting on his daughter like this. She's so happy, she feels that raising Zichen was worthwhile, and that it will make Qi Si and his wife love each other from now on. That's better than anything else.

Qin Xiaoyu noticed that A Lei, Deng Jianyan, and Wang Lei had been up to something these past few days. With just a glance, the three of them went upstairs together.

She was very curious and wanted to eavesdrop, but the door had been tampered with by A Lei, making it impenetrable.

The whole family was counting down the days, each one feeling like an eternity, counting down the hours until Tang Wenwen's plane arrived in Shanghai.

Finally, she received her call, and her first words surprised Qin Xiaoyu greatly.

“I’m at the Fang family’s house,” Tang Wenwen said.

Which expert?

“Ah Lei’s family. His grandmother sent a car to pick us up and arranged a room for us in the building next door. We looked at my aunt’s old house, but it had been empty for too long and the whole house was moldy. It will take time to clean it up. We originally wanted to stay in a hotel, but Mrs. Fang said it was inconvenient with the child and insisted that I stay here.”

Qin Xiaoyu was completely relieved. Based on her understanding of Madam Fang, the old lady was incredibly shrewd, and with her protection, Xiao Zichen was safe.

If we must find a point of reference, Mrs. Fang is very similar to the matriarch of Downton Abbey. Both are experienced, insightful, wise, and have a broad perspective.

Upon hearing that Tang Wenwen had moved into Grandma Lei's house, the Zhou and Tang families seemed to have planned it all; they all wore expressions of sudden realization, and their responses were all understanding—a more effective, predictable approach.

Qin Xiaoyu knew that they had already set her up with A Lei, leaving her no room to argue.

On the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, people visit lantern displays, and in northern China, they also visit ice lantern displays.

Qin Xiaoyu visited the ice lantern festival in the 21st century, and it could be described as grand and magnificent. She originally thought that the ice lantern festival in the 1980s was small in scale and not worth seeing.

But once I stepped outside, I realized I was wrong. Cultural life was monotonous back then, so the Ice Lantern Festival was a major event in life.

It wasn't just concentrated in the park making ice sculptures; the main streets were also lined with them. One street was closed to traffic, and the four men on their journey to the West were standing on the road, along with Bao and Dai secretly reading The West Chamber. Behind them were Zhang Sheng and Cui Yingying having an affair in The West Chamber...

Northeast China is still dominated by heavy industry. Each state-owned factory has been assigned a region to manage, and each is recruiting talented people to create ice sculptures and ice lanterns. This competition is also a way of showing their strength, so the scene is unprecedented.

On the surface, Qin Xiaoyu wasn't as excited as the children, but in her heart, she felt like she was on a pilgrimage, paying tribute to that bygone era of ritual.

A Lei would run around with the children in a great deal of a fuss, only occasionally remembering her and coming back to look for her.

Fearing that his wife would get too tired from walking, Qin Xiaoyu borrowed a wheelchair and covered her with a thick blanket.

"Is your wife cold?" Qin Xiaoyu would lean down and ask from time to time.

"I told you not to take me, you can't even have fun anymore," the wife sighed softly.

"Has it been years since Madam last saw ice lanterns?" Qin Xiaoyu guessed that her aunt wouldn't have brought her out before.

"It's been about ten years. I remember when I was younger, I used to go out with your grandfather." The lady's cloudy eyes lit up as she recalled the past.

They arrived at a place where people were guessing riddles. There were a huge crowd of people, and A Lei led a few children to squeeze in.

Qin Xiaoyu and his wife had no choice but to wait outside. After about ten minutes, they emerged from the crowd, each carrying two or three pencils, rulers, or similar items.

A Lei was the worst off; in his words, he suffered because of his poor Chinese, only receiving an eraser as a consolation prize. Han Han was the best off, receiving a pencil case.

"Mom, can you help me put these away?" Hanhan ran over, and the children handed all their treasures to Qin Xiaoyu.

Qin Xiaoyu had no choice but to pack everything into a bag and have his wife hold it.

She gestured to Are, indicating that he should also hand over his eraser.

"No, I'm keeping it as a souvenir." A Lei carefully put the eraser into his pocket.

Qin Xiaoyu was both amused and exasperated. Did this guy even know how many cents an eraser cost? He could buy a whole train carload if he wanted to.

When the whole family returned, the living room of Building 4 was bustling with activity. Zhou Yue had been kept at home by Deng Jianyan, and Xiao Si's wife refused to go out because she was worried that the child would get cold. The group was singing karaoke.

"I've made some brown sugar ginger water, a small bowl for each person, so they don't catch a chill," Deng Jianyan thoughtfully suggested.

Qin Xiaoyu was worried that the elderly were tired and suggested they go back to rest. Unexpectedly, the children gathered around the karaoke booth and refused to leave, agreeing to each perform a song.

"I'll sing you a song today too," Commander Zhou said, joining in the fun.

The children were eager to hear that Commander Zhou was going to sing too.

Just then, someone spoke over the walkie-talkie; it was my cousin.

He would go out and patrol whenever he had free time.

"Director Feng is here. Shall we let him in?"

"How many people?" Qin Xiaoyu asked nervously.

"She was all alone, with a driver left at the door."

"Let her in, go to Building One." Qin Xiaoyu stood up, and Zhou Xing's mother nervously stood up as well.

"Let her in here. Why bother giving her face?" Commander Wang said.

Director Feng's face was scratched a few times by Xiao Li that day, and the scabs had just scabbed over, looking quite shocking.

She lowered her head and sat down on the sofa as soon as she came in, took out a handkerchief and began to wipe away her tears.

The crowd looked at each other, wondering what was going on.

"Qin Xiaoyu, tell me honestly, how have I treated you?" Director Feng finally spoke, having mustered all his emotions.

"You have helped me a lot."

"That's it. You still have a conscience. Please let my Jingtian go."