Ten minutes later, everyone came over. Xiao Liu sat down next to Zhang Hongmei and whispered in her ear, "Mom, are you unhappy?"

Xiao Liu is a very sensitive child. Although he is always smiling, he is very perceptive of changes in emotions.

Zhang Hongmei shook her head. "It's okay, Mom isn't upset. We'll go to Fuzeyuan in a bit; we have guests there at noon."

Everyone sat down to eat. "Mom, did Dad go to work so early?" Xiaoqi asked.

"No, your father is still inside."

Xiaoqi put down her chopsticks and ran inside to find her father.

Zhang Shouyi had already changed his clothes. When he saw Xiao Qi coming in, he was so touched that even his fifth son ignored him.

"Dad, hurry up, dinner's ready."

“Okay, let’s go out together.” Zhang Shouyi took Xiaoqi’s hand, and the two of them went into the dining room.

Xiao Liu greeted Zhang Shouyi with a smile, and Zhang Hongmei glared at Xiao Wu before the child finally called out "Dad".

Zhang Shouyi agreed to his sons' request and then greeted the two elderly people, though no one paid him any attention.

He sat down next to Zhang Hongmei, and the nanny came over to serve him porridge, but Zhang Shouyi really couldn't taste it.

Zhang Hongmei didn't even glance at him. Xiao Qi also noticed something was wrong and was about to speak when Xiao Wu glared at him, which made him quiet down.

After breakfast, Xiao Liu sat next to Zhang Hongmei and said, "Mom, we made plans to play with Sister Yang and Sister Haiyin today. Mom, I'll go tell them when we're going to Fuzeyuan."

“We’ll set off as soon as you get back. Your Aunt Wang Ying and your second aunt will also be going, but it’s not suitable for your two older sisters to go today. How about having your Aunt Gan Lu accompany you to explain things?”

They set off at 8:30 a.m., as Ganlu had already called to inform them that morning, so everything was ready.

Zhang Shouyi didn't go to work either, but instead followed behind them. This feeling made even the powerful Zhang Shouyi doubt himself.

How did things get to this point? What's wrong with me?

When they arrived at Fuzeyuan, Liu Jingze was already there. He glanced at Zhang Shouyi behind him, and their eyes met. Then they looked away.

The four chefs they brought went straight into the kitchen. Six families were coming today. There were quite a few people, so everyone was busy preparing. If anything was missing, they could still buy more.

Everyone was sitting in the living room. Zhang Hongmei had already given the list she wrote to Chengzi that morning, and they had already gone to investigate.

“Hongmei, I have some connections with the elders of these six families, and they are all of good character. Your father and I have also met these children. Take another look today. I have seen the list you gave to Chengzi, and three of them are the families we invited today.”

"Hehe, the three of us have similar tastes. Let's get to know each other today, and then we'll talk more when the report comes out."

"Dad, Zhenye and the others will be home on Sunday. Please inform General Yang to have Haiyin's family come to the capital. We should let their daughter meet our children. We should at least let them know, but we shouldn't let the children know, so that if it doesn't work out, the girl won't be embarrassed."

"Okay, I'll tell him when I get back today that you won't be back from Liujiatun until the 3rd, right?"

"Well, we'll get home on the 3rd, so we can leave on the 4th or 5th. Zhenye and the other three are leaving on the 18th, so we have six months left. We want to make sure they don't have any regrets."

"Yes, I'll arrange it."

Wang Ying, Er Ya, Lu Yue, and Han Mei also arrived with their children.

The children hadn't seen each other for a long time, but Xiao Wu and the other two refused to leave, wanting to stay with their mother.

"You guys go play," Zhang Hongmei said, not wanting the children to worry, which made her unhappy.

Xiao Wu looked at his mother with concern, but couldn't say anything.

"Xiao Wu, go play with your brothers. Come over when the guests arrive later. Mom will chat with your great-grandfather."

Only after their mother said that did the children leave and go to play in the practice room that had been specially prepared for them in the fifth courtyard.

Xiao Wu told them to go first, but instead went to Gu Chuanming's study and called his older brother to tell him what had happened the night before: "Brother, Mom is a little unhappy."

"Okay, I understand. Don't go up the mountain. Just stay home and keep Mom company."

"Okay, I understand." Xiao Wu put down the phone and then went to the practice room.

The living room was full of adults. Er Ya had a mild temper, but that depended on the situation. She had seen what happened yesterday and was furious. So when she saw that the children had all gone out and told Gan Lu to wait outside, she immediately started cursing at Zhang Shouyi.

“Zhang Shouyi, what do you mean? If you have other intentions, my Hongmei won’t bother you. We can live our lives just the same without you.”

Zhang Shouyi's face remained expressionless. "I didn't mean that. It's been so many years, do you think I'm that kind of person?"

"Who knows? I don't care what kind of person you are, I'm just warning you, don't make my sister suffer. We won't stand for this. You already know what happened yesterday, right? In front of so many people, how is Hongmei supposed to hold her head up after this?"

Zhang Hongmei looked at Er Ya, whose eyes were red with excitement, and pulled her to sit down.

"Alright, Sister Erya, it's okay. I know how to handle this. Please don't tell my third uncle or anyone in the family. It's not a big deal. Why would I suffer like this? Don't worry, don't worry, don't be angry."

"And you, why did you give her any face? You have no shame at all. You dared to say such things in that situation. What kind of person are you? If Ganlu hadn't stopped me yesterday, I would have gone over and slapped her."

"Alright, alright, you already know she's no good, so why are you still angry? I'm not angry anymore; doing so would make you seem un classy. Don't be angry!"

Er Ya suddenly burst into tears. "If Grandma were alive, I bet she would dare to do that. She's no good at all. She coaxed my Hongmei to have a child so early. Grandma said you were risking your life back then, but what did you get in return? My poor Hongmei."

Zhang Hongmei smiled and wiped away her tears, "Alright, stop crying. Am I really that cowardly?"

Zhang Hongmei finally managed to coax Er Ya. Everyone in the living room remained silent, but they were all extremely dissatisfied with Zhang Shouyi.

Zhang Shouyi's anger had reached its peak, not because of Er Ya's words, but because of Hong Mei's behavior. Beneath his anger lay extreme fear.

Zhang Hongmei's indifference was what he found most unacceptable.

He jumped to his feet, and Gan Lu immediately stood in front of Zhang Hongmei and Er Ya. Wang Ying, Han Meilu, and Yue also gathered around.