Chapter 2023: Gathering of Friends

Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios

In the beginning, the four children kept a very low profile. They had an unspoken mutual understanding not to tell anyone that Qiao Mei was their sister. However, they did not expect a reporter to manage to find out their identities. Once that happened, they could no longer keep a low profile.

Many of their classmates began to pay a lot of attention to them. Some of their classmates even asked them for items which Qiao Mei had used before, so that they could carry the items around like protective charms. They were willing to pay any price for these things.

Qiao Wei was already 16 years old. He had already passed the military school’s initial examination. There was only the interview and final physical examination to go. As long as he could pass these two examinations, he would be able to enter the army for training in two years’ time and work towards his goal of being the most outstanding soldier!

Qiao Chao’s intelligence and talent had received attention from all walks of life. At the age of 14, Qiao Chao was already in the second year of high school. The syllabus in junior high school was too simple for him and he skipped grades to enter the best high school in the entire capital, one which was affiliated with Capital University.

Qiao Qin was more steady in her progress. Her piano skills had already been certified by a famous teacher in the capital and her piano teacher even wanted her to go overseas to participate in competitions! The teacher wanted Qiao Qin to strive to get a good ranking so that she could go to an outstanding music school overseas to further her studies.

Qiao Miao did even better. Xia He had sent her to learn dancing since she was young and she had a talent for it. She was talent spotted by the most senior dance professor of the art school in the capital and the professor even decided to become Qiao Miao’s teacher. Qiao Miao was her only student.

“My younger siblings have all grown up. You guys will definitely do even better than me,” Qiao Mei said happily.

Li Gui cooked personally for tonight’s banquet. Qiao Mei t s usual meals were prepared by the helpers and she had long wanted to have a taste of her mother’s cooking. At the dining table, the family chatted about the future. The children all had their own preferred careers in mind, as well as things they wanted to do in the future. Qiao Mei felt very gratified to hear that.

These few kids had been very sensible since they were young. Now that they had grown up, they remained worry-free and their school fees were all covered by scholarships. If the Zhang family saw how far these children had gone, perhaps they would regret what they did.

The next day, Qiao Mei organized a banquet at her house for her friends. Actually, Qiao Mei did not have many friends. After she came to the capital, she had been busy with being pregnant, taking care of her pregnancy, caring for her children, being in confinement and so on. She did not have the time to go out and make friends. There was only Qian’e, who was an enemy turned friend.

The main banquet was scheduled for noon, but the guests arrived at Qiao Mei’s house very early. This time, it was not just Qian’e who came by. Zhao Fei and his wife came as well, and Chi Ze and the others also brought their families to Qiao Mei’s house.

“Brother Chi! Sister-in-law! I’m so happy that all of you can come!” Qiao Mei said excitedly as she came to the door.

“We must definitely turn up for your event! These are the clothes that your sister-in-law sewed for Xia Yue. They’re all made of new fabric! These are foodstuffs from our hometown. They’re all natural and safe for consumption! You can eat them without any worry! You can use the fruits to make some dried fruits for the children! I hear that it’s good to let the children use dried fruits to grind their teeth during the period when their baby teeth drop out!” Chi Ze said enthusiastically.

“Look at him. When he heard that you were back, he was so happy that he couldn’t even speak clearly. There are still many other nice things inside! I’ll go through them with you later,” Wang Fang said.

“Sure! Thank you, Brother Chi. Thank you, Sister-in-law!” Qiao Mei said smilingly.

The few wives surrounded Qiao Mei to chit chat with her. The men stood around feeling a little awkward, so they all went to chat with Luo Yu. All of them looked at him enviously.

“Luo Yu, did you have fun overseas this time?” Chi Ze asked.

“It’s not too bad. I usually stay by Miss Qiao’s side to protect her and the children. I didn’t really go anywhere, but the fresh air and environment there are truly quite nice,” Luo Yu said truthfully.

“Then are the foreign women good-looking? You’ve been single for so many years. Isn’t there any pretty woman you have your eye on?” Mao Hang asked softly.

“I don’t really want to get married. I’m too busy protecting Miss Qiao, so how can I have time to look at beautiful women! Brother Mao, speak softly and don’t let Sister-in-law hear you! Otherwise, there’ll be trouble when you get home!” Luo Yu said.

“Hmph! I’m just worried about my buddy’s happiness! I didn’t say anything out of line!” Mao Hang quickly explained..