Because she had watched all the young masters and misses grow up, she treated them not quite like her own children, but still with great closeness.
Watching Han Yiheng leave, Mrs. Zhang felt content, thinking that all the young masters and misses were dutiful and considerate children, just like her own Jian’an.
When she thought of Jian’an, she couldn’t help but think of Zhang Xin. She sighed, that child had set her mind on getting into a key high school, but those grades... She had always been quiet but stubborn, and if she didn’t get her wish, Mrs. Zhang didn’t know how she would cope.
When Lin Xiaoguai woke up, she felt much better. Perhaps it was because she had sweated under the thick blankets, her nose wasn’t stuffy anymore, and her head wasn’t dizzy.
After washing up and changing her pajamas, she put on her house clothes and stepped outside.
"Mom, you’re awake? Do you feel better?" Shen Yisi was the first to notice her and approached, taking her hand in concern.
"Much better." Lin Xiaoguai’s gaze swept around the room. "Has your dad not come back yet?"
"No, he called earlier to say he won’t be home for dinner, he has a meeting that will go very late." Shen Yisi pursed her lips, slightly unhappy.
"Dad hasn’t come home for dinner in days." Gu Yijing expressed his emotions even more openly, with a little frown on his face.
Lin Xiaoguai had a headache. She couldn’t fathom why the child always liked to fight; even at his small age, his temper flared with an intensity none of the adults possessed.
Thankfully, the child never bullied the weak, and his academic performance had never suffered, which provided her with some consolation.
"Is the dispute at the Military Department still not over?" Han Yiheng poured a cup of warm water and placed it beside Lin Xiaoguai.
Lin Xiaoguai always felt that among the children, the second son’s personality was most like Shen Chi’s—their cunning and strategies almost seemed inherited.
Not to say the other children lacked such traits. Just in this regard alone, the eldest son couldn’t hold a candle to his much younger brother. But while the eldest preferred to employ straightforward stratagems, the second son, like Shen Chi, enjoyed taking a more indirect approach.
Shen Chi had realized this early on and, concerned that his young son might stray off the path at such an early age, began to focus on developing his vision and perspective. For this purpose, Shen Chi would even use work-related issues as case studies, breaking them down in detail for his son.
Of course, this wasn’t special treatment for him alone; the other children could listen too. Although Shen Yisi was astute and often provided incisive insights, her ambition did not lie in this direction, much like Lin Xiaoguai; Gu Yijing truly disregarded these matters, deeply believing that brute force could conquer any strategy and despite having a sharp mind, he never seemed to grasp this aspect, causing Shen Chi much frustration; the remaining Shen Yiqiao was even more fascinating. She could understand what Shen Chi said and sometimes apply it, but expecting her to calculate for herself was a lost cause—she was a defensive strategist, in Shen Chi’s words.
"There’s still a lot of controversy." Lin Xiaoguai took a sip of water.
Speaking of which, the issue was straightforward. Shen Chi had been promoted to Lieutenant General years ago. Just two years prior, he had embarked on a secret mission abroad and upon returning, he laid in the hospital for half a year. Yet the mission had been flawlessly accomplished. Lin Xiaoguai wasn’t clear on the details, but the merit must have been great; otherwise, the debate would not be whether "the Han Family, with one Admiral, one Major General, and one Lieutenant General, would be too much if another Admiral was added," but rather "whether Shen Chi qualifies for the rank of Admiral."
Although Shen Chi wasn’t home, the dinner for the seven people—Lin Xiaoguai and her son, Mrs. Zhang and her son—was not affected.
—As Mrs. Zhang and Mrs. Yu became more integrated into the household and were considered part of the family, they began dining with the main household.
Of course, this treatment was reserved for Mrs. Zhang, Mrs. Yu, and Jian’an. Zhang Xin was not included.
It wasn’t about excluding her, but unlike Mrs. Zhang and Jian’an, she was not a servant of the Shen Family. Occasionally dining at the Shen Family’s table was fine, but it would not be appropriate for it to become a regular occurrence.
After dinner, Lin Xiaoguai watched an episode of an animated series with the quadruplets and was about to tell them to go to sleep when the phone rang.
She paused, then reached to answer the call.
"Hello, I am Lin Xiaoguai."
"Aunt Wanwan, please come and save me!"
After hanging up the phone, Lin Xiaoguai’s face had turned completely dark.
"Mom?" Shen Yisi looked over, "Is there something wrong with Sister Meilan?"
The other three quadruplets also looked over. They didn’t really have a good impression of Wang Meilan. Although she had never been directly unkind to them, whenever they encountered Wang Meilan, their mother’s mood always worsened, naturally leading them to have no fondness for her.
Lin Xiaoguai took a deep breath and said, "Mrs. Zhang, please take care of Sisi and the others. I need to go out for a while."
"Madam, where are you going so late?" Mrs. Zhang asked with concern.
She had met Wang Meilan and didn’t think she was upright. Being in her mid-twenties, Wang Meilan had a constant stream of boyfriends but never seemed to settle down.
"There’s something I can’t ignore," Lin Xiaoguai said through gritted teeth.
"Wait." Mrs. Zhang quickly called out to her and turned to her son, "Jian’an, follow the madam. If anyone dares to make trouble, protect her."
"Got it, Mom." Yu Jian’an answered earnestly.
Fourteen-year-old Yu Jian’an appeared as if he were seventeen or eighteen, not to mention how he looked at twenty-three. To someone unaware of his circumstances, his towering height of 1.9 meters would certainly be intimidating.
However, despite his slow wits, Yu Jian’an’s skills had been personally honed by Shen Chi. Additionally, Lin Xiaoguai had intentionally given him supplements to enhance his physique; ordinary eight or nine strong men couldn’t match him in combat—he was not just a pretty face.
On hearing this, Lin Xiaoguai thought for a moment and then nodded. Going to an unfamiliar place alone at this late hour was actually a bit frightening for her. (To be continued. If you enjoy this work, you are welcome to visit Qidian (qidian.com) to vote and support the author with a monthly ticket. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users please go to m.qidian.com to read.)