Chapter 722 - 623

It was a little after six in the evening, and the sky was still bright. Grandpa Tang’s and Tang Qingshan’s cars pulled up, one after the other. Xiao Man ran out to greet them, holding the hands of the two little toddlers, with Grandma and her mother following behind. The courtyard filled with joyous laughter and the lively sounds of "Grandpa!" and "Dad!"

The little brothers, having their sister, didn’t want their dad to hold them. When they saw Grandpa with his arm around their sister, they squeezed in to stick close to her too. Xiao Man and Grandpa each picked one of them up. Calling for Grandma to join them, the four of them—grandparent and grandchildren—went inside laughing, leaving Hao Wenli and Tang Qingshan to unload some things from the car.

Tang Qingshan complained, "Look at these two bossy little rascals. They don’t want me to hold them, and now they won’t even let me get close to my daughter."

Hao Wenli said with a smile, "That’s why you should think about all of us at home more often—the old and the young. Even if it means turning down some social events, it’s fun to just come home and eat and drink with us. Your sons are only a year and a half old now. By the time they’re three or five, they’ll want to be held even less. You have to cherish this precious time while they’re still toddlers."

Tang Qingshan gave a slightly helpless laugh and put his arm around his wife’s shoulder, his tone apologetic. "All of you—the young and the old—are my everything. I love you all so much, of course I’m always thinking of you... My wife is so virtuous and capable. With you here, I have nothing to worry about. But you’re right, it’s wrong of me to focus only on the big picture and neglect our little family, staying away from home all day. Okay, I’ll remember what you said. From now on, I’ll turn down any unimportant social events and try to spend more time with my family. We absolutely can’t miss out on our sons’ childhoods!"

"My husband is wise."

"Of course. With such a virtuous wife, your husband can rarely go wrong. Sigh, I was at a reception this afternoon. It was all talking and drinking, I didn’t get much to eat. I’m starving. Since our daughter is home tonight, are there any extra dishes?"

"Yes, yes! Our daughter always makes sure we eat better whenever she comes home. When she saw her maternal grandma was here today, she made several extra dishes. All the ingredients Mom had the kitchen buy this morning have been used up. There are still things steaming and stewing in the kitchen. Grandma is keeping an eye on them. We were just waiting for you two to get back to start dinner. Hurry up and go inside."

Hao Wenli’s heart ached to hear her husband was hungry. She ushered him inside, saying with a laugh, "The two little rascals are being doted on by their sister and they’re so smug about it. They’ve already finished their specially prepared kids’ meal. They ate with such relish, not leaving a single bite. Their little tummies are all round, and their belly buttons are popping out!"

"Haha, is that so? No wonder they didn’t want me to hold them. Oh well, they have their big sister. We can only look on with envy!"

"Exactly! And whenever I get jealous, I can’t help but tease them. I tell them their big sister will be snatched away by a man soon, just like in the movies, carried off in a bridal sedan! It made the two little guys so nervous, they’ve been guarding their sister all day, not leaving her side for a second. When she went to the backyard to pick some magnolia buds, a security guard offered to help, and the little guy actually shook his fist at him! Forget about you not being able to get close to your daughter, just wait until Gu Shaojun comes back... hmm, that’s when it’ll get even more fun! Hahaha!"

Tang Qingshan was speechless. ’Is it really okay for my wife to be this playful? She won’t even spare her own sons.’

But then he couldn’t help but laugh, shaking his head with a sigh. "It’s a good thing I held my ground and didn’t budge, or else Gu Qiming would have snatched our daughter away. We can’t bear to part with her, and he dotes on his son. Shaojun is outstanding, impeccable in every way. It’s just a pity he’s a bit older. Otherwise, our daughter could have stayed with us for a few more years. Our Manman is twenty, and Shaojun is already approaching thirty. There’s no reason to postpone the wedding. Sigh!"

"Daughters are bound to get married; that day always comes. We should just be thankful she’s marrying the right person! When you have a moment, you should talk with Gu Qiming. Shaojun has been at that grassroots post for several years now. See if it’s possible to have him transferred back. That way, we won’t have to worry about transfers after they’re married. As long as he’s here in Beijing, our daughter can come home whenever she wants."

"Dad and the others have talked about this too. Shaojun’s work unit is rather special. For personnel like him, job positions can change at a moment’s notice without any public announcement... Gu Qiming hasn’t been able to make it back for the last few family gatherings. In a couple of days, I’ll make a special trip to go have a chat with him."

Walking into the living room, Hao Hueling came up to them with a smile. "Qingshan, you’re back. You must be hungry, right? The food is on the table and the soup has been ladled out. Go wash your hands and face; you can come eat right after."

Tang Qingshan greeted her as "Mom" and looked behind her, asking why Mr. Cheng hadn’t come with her.

Hao Hueling explained that Mr. Cheng had gone fishing with friends. She was afraid of getting sunburnt, so she didn’t go along.