"You should keep a close eye on her from now on. I don't want to raise another heartless ingrate."

Zhang Hongmei fell silent. The old lady's words today had made her realize Sanya's problematic behavior. She really needed to talk to her more in the future. Sanya was a little sister she'd grown up with; she hoped she could succeed. But if she resorted to any means necessary, then there would be no family bond left. It really couldn't go that far.

"Okay, I understand. I'll keep an eye on her from now on."

“Hongmei, look at the second son’s temper. He’s the one with the worst temper among the four children.”

"Who says otherwise? I think my fourth child has the worst temper. Great-Grandma, I'm really worried about how to raise these kids."

"You're already worried? That's a bit too early. The second son's temper will be tempered with time."

The mother and daughter watched their four children walk in the yard, analyzing their personalities.

"The eldest son just takes after his father. He's such a tiny little kid, yet he's so mature. He doesn't have any of the cuteness of a child at all." The old lady was very disdainful of Zhang Shouyi.

"Hehe, the eldest son is just like his father. He's a good guy. At least he doesn't make us worry about small things. When it comes to big things, we can just leave it to his father."

"Grandma, you all spoil our third son too much. Look at how pampered he is. Wouldn't it be so much better if he were a daughter?"

"Nonsense, how is our third child spoiled? This child is the most lovable."

Zhang Hongmei decided to keep quiet. If Gu Chuanming were here, the two of them would start arguing again. The unchanging conflict was which one was better, the third or the fourth son.

For the first birthday banquet, Gu Chuanming still arranged the traditional "grasping ceremony," where the chosen items were a gun, a dagger, a book, a pen, a toy, pastries, and face cream.

Zhang Hongmei was speechless. What was all this? But she didn't object; she just wanted to make a joke.

The eldest brother arrived first, and he took the book and pen.

The second brother also took a book and a dagger.

The third child is toys and face cream.

Zhang Hongmei couldn't bear to watch. What kind of baby's first birthday celebration was this? The third child even threw his toys and ran towards the highest point.

Zhang Shouyi just laughed on the side. What can you tell from a baby's first birthday celebration?

The fourth brother only cared about the gun; he didn't look at anything else. Even the beautiful dagger didn't catch his attention.

Gu Chuanming laughed triumphantly. Lu Jing was in charge of filming; this was to be kept as a memento.

Ping An, who was in Er Ya's arms, struggled to get on too, but in the end, the old lady spoke up and told him to sit down as well.

This child is just like the third child. In the end, they chose face cream and pastries. And they handed the face cream to Er Ya and the pastries to Li Cuihua.

Everyone burst into laughter. This child is so clever at such a young age.

After lunch, everyone went home. Zhang Shouyi didn't go to work in the afternoon either; his family moved back to the compound.

Zhou Shixiong had been waiting outside for a long time, and only breathed a sigh of relief when he saw them return.

"Uncle, it's so hot outside, why are you waiting outside?"

"I was just afraid you wouldn't come back."

"How could that be? There's a first birthday banquet today, so I have to have dinner with you tonight."

Zhou Shixiong thought to himself, "If I hadn't called them repeatedly, they probably wouldn't have come back."

But now there's no need to worry about all that; it's good to be back.

"Hongmei, what do you think of the items I prepared for your baby's first birthday celebration, big sister?"

The old lady glanced at it but didn't say anything; she just nodded.

That evening, the four children had their first birthday celebration again, but this time they all received old items: the eldest received a seal, the second a bow and arrow, the third a jade pendant, and the fourth also received a bow and arrow, but also a dagger.

Zhang Hongmei breathed a sigh of relief when her third son didn't make a fool of himself this time.

Dinner was light; who can eat too much meat in the middle of summer?

At night, Zhang Shouyi finally managed to get his wife in his arms after nearly a month.

Zhang Hongmei didn't get up the next morning; she was furious! That shameless bastard!

In October, the phone was finally able to connect overseas. Zhang Hongmei made a special call to Annie. Although she couldn't say much, just a few simple greetings were enough to make everyone happy.

Zhang Hongmei also spoke with Wyatt on the phone. Her point was that the computer and internet industry is the most cutting-edge sector, and she wanted him to find someone to start this project.

Time flies, and it's almost December, winter. Wang Ying is eight months pregnant. She cares too much about the baby in her belly, so she hardly ever goes out. Lu Yue is three months younger than her and is five months pregnant, so she is also staying at home to rest.

The girls under Zhang Hongmei's command have all returned one after another, and the new recruits sent over are now fully capable of handling things independently.

Zhang Hongmei rearranged their affairs again. The older women stayed by her side, and those who were suitable were allowed to get married.

Zhao Haozheng also called back. He's currently in Haishi and won't be coming back. He'll be taking a boat directly to X, back to M country.

"What do you think of Lu Xing after your interactions with her recently?"

"It's great, and people like it."

"Aunt Wang and Uncle Zhao have taken a liking to her and want her to be your wife."

"Hehe, I know, my mom called and told me."

"So what do you mean?"

"Hongmei, I really don't know. Lu Xing is still young. Let's talk about it in a year or two. I'll come back in the second half of next year."

"And also, if Lu Xing really becomes my wife, are you planning to have me stay here permanently? Or will you let her come back with me?"

"Let me go back with you."

"Then you've lost a capable assistant."

"They need people like that over there too."

"Heh, aren't you afraid that we'll actually end up together and conspire to deceive you?"

Zhang Hongmei smiled and said, "I believe you."

"You have a good eye. Okay, that's enough. I'm taking the train to G City tomorrow. I'll report my financial situation to you every month from now on."

“Okay. Go back and find Wyatt. I have a new idea. Let the two of them discuss it.”

Today, Zhang Hongmei ignored the children and drove to see Wang Ying and Lu Yue herself.

Aunt Chen has been sent to Wang Ying's place for three months now. We still need to arrange someone for Lu Yue, otherwise we really won't feel comfortable letting Wang Ying take care of the child by herself.

Upon entering the room, Zhang Hongmei laughed. "Wang Ying, you've overdone it with all that supplementation! How did you get so fat?"

"I just can't control my eating. I always want to eat, but now I try to control myself every day."

"You should go to the hospital earlier. When will Zeng Zhongkang be back?"

"I don't know yet, but he said he'll try to come back when I give birth."

Hongmei, Zeng Zhongkang told me that all three of them are getting promoted, and then they'll be able to come home for four days each month.

"That's good news. If they come back every few months like before, it would be bad if the children didn't recognize them every time they came back."