"Carlos, do you want to go out for a walk?"
"No, thank you. I came here just to spend time with the children. We'll probably be heading back in about a week."
Daniel won't be able to come next year; he'll be going back for training. Annie will be with him, but only after school.
"Carlos, isn't it too early?"
"It's getting late. If it gets too late, he'll have a very tough time later. I said that's how I grew up. Actually, it's better for Daniel to get to know me earlier."
"It would be great if all four of them could go too. Think it over, you can give me your answer after they turn three."
Zhang Hongmei just smiled. Zhang Shouyi, Gu Chuanming, and Zhang Xingguo would definitely not agree to send the children over now, but it should be possible to go and visit them when they are older.
Carlos didn't insist. Given Zhang Shouyi's status, the upbringing here wouldn't be any worse than that of his own family. He simply wanted the four children to be closer to him.
"You're not even going to visit the factory?"
"With you here, I also want a vacation."
Zhang Hongmei fell silent. Indeed, Carlos was exhausted. People like that are like machines, always running non-stop.
Time flies, and tomorrow Carlos and his two sons will be leaving. The house was unusually lively that evening, and dinner was especially lavish. However, Annie and Daniel weren't particularly happy.
The four children seemed to know something, and their mood was not high.
Annie held Zhang Hongmei's hand and said, "Mom, I can't come next year either. I want to stay with Daniel."
"Okay, then you two need to study hard and master all the knowledge as soon as possible. I'll be waiting for you at home."
Daniel looked at Zhang Hongmei solemnly and said, "Mom, I will. I will study hard and try to come see you when I am fifteen."
Looking at Daniel, who seemed like a little adult, Zhang Hongmei's eyes reddened.
"Mom, don't be sad, but you have to promise me that you will send me photos of you and your brothers every year."
Zhang Hongmei nodded. "I definitely won't forget, and I'll even record it for you to see. Once the four of them learn to write, I'll let them write letters to their older brothers and sisters."
The elderly people were quite moved; Daniel was such a precocious child, so sensible that it was heartbreaking.
"Mom, I'm really looking forward to it. When I grow up, I'll definitely come and pick you and my brothers up."
Zhang Shouyi listened from the side, his face immediately darkening. Why did they come to pick up his wife and son? It was as if he were the villain, detaining them.
"Daniel, Mom promises you, I will definitely come to see you whenever I have the chance."
That night, Daniel wanted to sleep with the third son, but in the end, this wish was not fulfilled.
The next day, after seeing off Carlos and his two sons, Zhang Hongmei was a little listless, but someone managed to cheer her up.
All four little ones can take a few steps now. Actually, they'll be a year old soon, which isn't too early. They can stand at seven months, but they're smart and afraid of falling, so they haven't dared to walk yet.
The first birthday banquet was held at Fuzeyuan, mainly because it was too much trouble for relatives and friends to come to the compound. Zhou Shixiong was very dissatisfied and called Zhang Shouyi three times. Finally, he promised to come to the compound on his birthday night, and only then did he go.
Shi Tou and San Ya also went to school to register. They will officially start school on the 1st, so San Ya has been helping Zhang Hongmei take care of the children at Fuzeyuan for the past few days.
"Sister Hongmei, I applied to the Department of Political Science."
"Oh? My sister has such ambitions? But who knows, maybe our family will produce a great person."
"Come on, I just think political science is more glamorous."
"Okay, I support you. You have to study hard in college too. Otherwise, failing a course can be a real problem."
Song Zigan is back; let him introduce you to the professor.
"No need, I don't want to talk to him."
"Oh? What happened to him?"
"Sister Hongmei, don't you think he's being sarcastic and weird?"
Zhang Hongmei shook her head. What kind of description is this?
"Sister Hongmei, do you know that he likes you?"
Zhang Hongmei nodded.
"I think he only acts innocent and kind when he's with you. I've seen what he's like in his everyday life, so I'd better keep my distance. Besides, once I start school, I'll figure out the professor's teaching style in a month, so it's nothing."
"So you're planning to stay somewhere?"
"Well, I'll just come back to see you guys every week. I'll stay at the hotel; I'll meet more people there, both good and bad."
"Didn't Shi Tou come back?"
"I don't know either. He just called and said he was going to training, and that was it."
"They said the same thing when they called me; I guess it's part of the rules."
The four little ones are most enthusiastic about walking now. If they fall, they get up on their own, even if they fall hard. They'll just sit on the ground for a while, then get up and continue.
Zhang Hongmei and Sanya chatted while watching them, finding it particularly interesting.
"Sister Hongmei, are you just going to spend the rest of your life revolving around the child? You're a top student from the Capital University, and you even studied abroad. Don't you think it's a waste to take care of the child like this?"
"I really won't do anything for the next two years. I'll wait until they're older before making any decisions."
“Sister Hongmei, I will never be like you, getting married and having children so early, and having to put my ideals and ambitions on hold.”
"Hehe, I don't have your kind of ambition. I just want to live a peaceful and uneventful life."
However, if you get married too late, I reckon your third aunt will give you a hard time.
"Hehe, if my second brother gets married early, my mom won't be so strict with me."
Zhang Hongmei just smiled and didn't say anything else. Sanya wasn't old enough yet, and besides, her ambitions were much higher than Erya's. She just didn't know what kind of person Sanya would find in the future. As for the matter of sooner or later, the old lady was watching over her; she wouldn't go too far.
Sanya went to school without anyone accompanying her; she carried her luggage herself.
"Grandma, Sanya is much more independent than me. Back then, Jingze arranged everything for me."
"This girl will definitely cause your great-aunt a lot of worry in the future."
Zhang Hongmei smiled and learned from the old lady what she and Sanya had been talking about.
"Grandma, this girl is very ambitious."
"Hehe, our family can produce a strong woman?"
I reckon your third aunt will beat her up then.
"It's unlikely. Sanya is so shrewd, such a thing wouldn't happen."
"If she were more down-to-earth and less flamboyant, she could go far. But if she's truly blinded by power, she'll end up like your third uncle." The old lady sighed. Liu Changhai was a failure of her upbringing.
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