My second son is going over there again this time, which is too much trouble for you, Madam.

However, for the sake of their children, the couple swallowed their pride and did it. They were reasonably educated themselves, but not enough to systematically teach their children; Liu Baoguo, needless to say, was completely uneducated.

Leaving the children here will only hold them back. When the eldest son came back and saw how well the children were behaving, he was genuinely happy.

Only in this way can children succeed. So even though it's hard to part with them, I have to shamelessly send my second son over.

Next, Li Cuihua prepared the baby's supplies. The two of them split them up; they were all neutral-colored, since they didn't know whether it would be a boy or a girl.

But the cloth they gave them was four bolts of floral fabric. "Sister-in-law, this floral fabric is so beautiful. I wish I could have a daughter."

Su Chen also thought that since she already had two sons, she really hoped that this pregnancy would result in a daughter.

Zhang Hongmei prepared even more fabric, as well as 200 jin of cotton.

It took the four of them a whole morning to finally get everything ready.

"Su Chen, shall we cook or eat at the cafeteria?" Aunt Liu asked.

"Let's have lunch at the cafeteria today, and then let them go up the mountain this afternoon, otherwise there's nothing good to eat."

After lunch, the eight of them set off, all carrying guns, up the mountain.

"Uncle, are there wild boars on this mountain?"

"Yes, but we rarely find them. Let's explore further inside today."

Er Lengzi handed over all his work to his subordinates, he was really worried about the four of them and had to keep an eye on them himself.

Bai Xue also came over. She knew medicine, so if there was really a problem, she wouldn't be at a loss.

The eight of them were quite lucky; they caught two wild boars, one large and one small, and more than ten pheasants and rabbits, returning home with a full catch.

They put it directly in the cafeteria after they got back. Because it was late, the cafeteria didn't have any food, so Aunt Liu made them cold noodles.

"Baoguo, let's improve the soldiers' living conditions tomorrow. There's so much rice and flour."

"Okay, then tomorrow, and there will be meat too."

And so, the four of them spent their mornings training here and their afternoons going up the mountain, living a pretty comfortable life.

Er Lengzi even took them to the border to explain the border issues to them.

All four listened intently. They had paid attention to this place before, but nothing had been as awe-inspiring as witnessing it firsthand. It had left a deep impression on them. The border issue was truly crucial. The environment here was incredibly harsh.

After dinner, Er Lengzi asked the four of them, "You've been here for a week now, do you want to go and experience the local customs and culture?"

"Uncle, it must be more than a hundred miles to get there, right?" Zhang Weiyu asked.

"Yeah, it's quite far. Don't you ever go and see it after coming all this way?"

Zhang Zhenye thought for a moment and said, "Uncle, let's not go back now. The border isn't stable either. Let's stay here. We can't go back too late. I called yesterday and Mom isn't feeling very well right now. We're thinking of leaving in the next couple of days."

The remaining three brothers naturally had no objections. Dad said that Mom was now more than seven months pregnant and her belly was very big, which made the four of them very worried.

"Okay, you can decide for yourselves."

"Auntie, please help Xiangdong pack. We're leaving for home the day after tomorrow morning."

Su Chen nodded; she was also worried about Madam. "Okay. It'll be ready by tomorrow."

That evening, the four of them chatted with Zhang Hongmei and told her about their decision.

Zhang Hongmei said that Zhang Shouyi wrote it to tell the four of them not to rush on the road, since Xiang Dong was still young.

For the past few mornings, Liu Xiangdong had been following behind his four brothers, genuinely admiring them. Now that he knew he had to leave his parents and go with his brothers, he wasn't reluctant at all.

The couple, Er Lengzi and his wife, lay on the kang (a heated brick bed), thinking, "That brat isn't sad at all."

Su Chen patted him on the shoulder. "Is this not a good idea?"

"I just feel a little bad. I know it's for their own good, and thankfully we're going to have another baby." Er Lengzi touched Su Chen's belly.

"Yes, we have another child, but it's been too hard on Madam. Our child was raised with the help of others."

"It's alright, only she can raise the child well. Look at Liu Qiang, he was such a naughty kid, but now look at him, our son will definitely go to university and be successful."

"Wife, thank you for giving me two sons."

Stone and Willow Catkins were not asleep either.

"I love the Party, and I'm quite sad to see Zhenye and the others leave."

"Hehe, it's already very good that they came at all."

"Yes, the four of them are worried because the lady is pregnant."

Oh, right, Mom prepared a lot of supplies for the child.

"Yes, after the baby is born, we'll send him to Sister Hongmei, just like Liu Qiang and Xiang Dong did."

"That's great, you wouldn't believe it. They learn a lot of things that you might not even be familiar with as a university student."

"If the child can learn it, that would be best."

“I know, I’ve attended a few classes, and it’s really comprehensive. My husband and I will just take care of having the baby, and we’ll leave the raising to Sister Hongmei.”

"You really don't hold back."

"Why be so polite with Sister Hongmei?"

The next day, Er Lengzi sent Shi Tou out in a car. They still needed to prepare some local specialties, even if they weren't very good, because it was a token of their goodwill.

Su Chen also asked Bai Xue to take back two hundred yuan, which was for Song Xiangting from Sanya's family and Liu Yuhui from Liu Jingxiang's family.

Shi Tou also brought six hundred yuan. He gave one hundred to Liu Yuhui and the rest to Li Cuihua. As a son, he had never given money to his family before, and Li Cuihua didn't want it either, telling Shi Tou to keep it for himself. However, now that he was married and had his own family, he naturally had the obligation to support his parents.

The seven of them set off early the next morning. Sitting in the car was quite comfortable in the morning, but they were worried about the direct midday sun.

After driving for several hundred miles, Liu Xiangdong started to feel a little sad and missed his parents at home.

Zhang Weiyu patted him on the shoulder, "Alright, you should think about how you can see your older brother, live with us every day, and have the opportunity to come back and see your parents in the future."

Liu Xiangdong nodded. "Third Brother, I know, but I'm still a little sad."

"Okay, you're allowed to be sad for a while."

Zhang Hongmei knew the children had set off, but that was all she knew. The baby in her belly was too active. Her belly was so big, she couldn't exercise and could only lie in bed, her back aching. If it weren't for the spatial dimension and the spiritual spring water, she probably wouldn't have been able to endure it; it was too hard.

I'm already seven months pregnant, and the baby's due date is at the end of October. I think I'll have a much more comfortable postpartum period then. Right now, I can only look forward to it; otherwise, I won't be able to stay here any longer. It's so difficult. Couldn't I have only been pregnant with one? All three are a burden.