Zhang Hongmei is currently bedridden, and even though the old lady is very worried, she just comes to keep her company often.

There was no other way; she was all alone, and Er Ya and the others had to go to work, so only Hu Aifen and Li Cuihua could come over.

"Auntie, I've become a cripple."

"What are you thinking? It'll be over soon, you'll give birth in two more months. Zhenye and the others are nine months along, and the other three are probably around the same time. Just bear with it for these two more months," Hu Aifen comforted her.

Zhang Hongmei smiled bitterly, saying it was easy to say, but every day was torture for her.

"You've won. Just lie down and rest. Zhenye and the others will be home in a few days."

"Sigh! What good is it if they get home?" This is a burden only one can bear. No one can take their place.

A week later, Zhenye and the others returned home in the afternoon.

Looking at her sons who had been away for almost a month, Zhang Hongmei felt a little sorry for them, but she also knew that boys should be toughened up like this.

Zhang Weiyu led Liu Xiangdong to sit down in front of Zhang Hongmei.

"Xiang Dong, this is your aunt."

"Third brother, I know Auntie. I've seen her photos, but she wasn't this fat."

One of the child's words almost brought Zhang Hongmei to tears; it touched a raw nerve.

"That's because Auntie is pregnant with her little sister," Zhang Weiyu quickly explained to Liu Xiangdong.

"Auntie, I'm Xiang Dong, I've come to your house."

"Hehe, okay, you'll live at your aunt's house from now on. Your brother Liu Qiang is in class right now, I'll have your third brother take you there to see him in a bit."

"Great, great, Auntie, your house is so cool."

“We’ve suffered in the east, so it’ll definitely be cooler at home than outside. Let your third brother take you to wash up.”

Zhang Weiyu took Liu Xiangdong away, and Gu Yaozu came over and touched his mother's belly.

"Mom, my little sister moved." Gu Yaozu was so frightened that he withdrew his hand.

"Hehe, it's okay, they're even more active than the four of you."

Gu Yaozu's hand went up again, and he felt the little guy moving around in his belly.

Zhang Ruifeng reached out his hand and asked, "Mom, you can't walk anymore with such a big belly, can you?"

"It's not that scary yet, but you can't stand there for too long. Why didn't you guys stay a few more days? It's only the 20th."

“Mom, we’re worried about you. Please come back. Dad is so busy every day, and Grandpa is getting old. There’s no one to keep you company. From now on, the four of us will always be by your side.” Zhang Zhenye held Zhang Hongmei’s hand.

"Hehe, Mom, everything's fine here. You don't need to worry about me. My sisters will be born in two months."

The old lady sat to the side, listening to her children's sweet words, feeling comfortable. This son, if raised well, will be a sweet little cotton-padded jacket (a term of endearment for children).

"Alright, you three go wash up too, and go see your great-grandfather and grandfather."

As Zhang Hongmei was speaking, Gu Chuanming and Zhang Xingguo rushed in.

The children had been away for so long, how could they not miss them? Upon receiving the news, the two of them came over immediately.

The five of them were all cuddling together, and there wasn't a single thing that seemed out of place; on the contrary, they looked incredibly affectionate.

"Where's San'er?" Gu Chuanming asked anxiously when he didn't see Zhang Weiyu.

"Third Brother took Xiang Dong to take a bath. I don't know what's wrong with this little guy, he always gets himself all dirty." Gu Yaozu quickly answered his grandfather's question.

"Oh, you three were like this when you were little too."

"How could that be?" Gu Yaozu didn't believe it at all. He was a bit of a germaphobe and couldn't stand being dirty, so he was the one who took care of cleaning up for Liu Xiangdong the whole way.

Zhang Xingguo sat to the side and laughed heartily, "Zhenye, you guys go take a shower too, or your mother won't feel comfortable."

They went out for a while, and Zhang Weiyu came back after taking a shower, leading Liu Xiangdong by the hand. The guy had been bathed by the nanny, and he didn't want to.

"Xiangdong, this is your great-grandfather, and this is your grandfather."

The little guy greeted people obediently, but still went to sit down next to the old lady.

"Old sister, you are indeed a descendant of the Liu family. Even though we just met, I still feel closer to you."

"That's right. This kid is good-looking, like Su Chen."

Gu Chuanming and Zhang Xingguo both nodded. "He's better looking than Liu Qiang."

When get out of class ended, all three children came over. Someone was waiting at the door to tell them that the young masters had returned.

The three of them saw Zhang Weiyu in the living room. They were all very close to him, so they surrounded Zhang Weiyu and asked him all sorts of questions.

Liu Qiang held Liu Xiangdong's hand. The two brothers had last seen each other last summer, and it had been almost a year since they last met.

"Big brother, you're even fairer than me."

Liu Qiang, hearing this, started showing off. "Right? I'm fairer than you now, but you'll be fairer than me in two months."

"Big brother, do you think I've grown taller?"

Liu Qiang gestured. "Hmm, I don't think you've grown taller." He teased his younger brother with a chuckle.

Upon hearing this, Liu Xiangdong's eyes immediately welled up with tears. "Mom said I've grown taller."

The old man found it amusing to watch the two children making a scene, but seeing Xiang Dong's pitiful state, he immediately stopped Liu Qiang.

At this time, Liu Chongyu and Cheng Zhiyuan also came over to meet Liu Xiangdong.

Now they're finally not the youngest anymore. Cheng Zhiyuan is the happiest; he can finally play with his little brothers.

Their break time was half an hour, and when that time was up, the three of them went back to class.

"Auntie, I want to go to school too."

"Okay, let your third brother take you to find them. You must listen to your teacher."

"knew."

Only a few adults remained in the living room.

"Hongmei, I want Chongyu to go up the mountain." The old lady sighed.

"Grandma, Chongyu has to make the decision himself. Let's ask him what he thinks tonight."

Zhang Xingguo began, “Chongyu talked to me about this issue. After Zhiyu and the others started school, he wanted to go up the mountain, and Liu Qiang also wanted to go with them.”

"Then let them both go up the mountain. If Zhiyuan doesn't want to go, let him stay with Xiangdong."

Zhang Hongmei always lets the children make their own decisions. Chongyu's current studies consist mainly of martial arts classes with Liu Qiang and the others; he attends all his academic classes on his own.

His education was geared towards cultivating Wei Yu's right and left hands. Both children knew that Wei Yu would work with Chong Yu to build a tacit understanding every time he came back.

"Grandma, it's too hard on the mountain." Zhang Hongmei was a little reluctant to see her son suffer on the mountain. Even though they didn't tell her, she could guess.

"It's alright. Chongyu's main focus is on cultivating strategists. Military force is secondary," Gu Chuanming comforted his granddaughter.

The old lady sighed, "When Shouyi chose Chongyu, I knew it would turn out like this. It's better to suffer when he's young than to suffer when he's older. So let him go up the mountain."