On the weekend, Erbao was sitting at the entrance of the sentry post, sighing.

Beside him were the sunbathing pets, Damao and Tiedan.

“Brother, when do you think Mother will come back?” Erbao asked, looking at Damao and Tiedan who also seemed to miss their owners.

Yibao replied, “I don’t know. Mother said she’d be back in a couple of days.”

Sanbao, counting on his fingers, said, “Mother left ten days ago. That’s not just a couple of days.”

“Sign~…”

The three siblings sighed in unison.

As they were lamenting, the sound of Yang Wenjie and the others calling for Lin Haizhi reached their ears.

The children, used to the excitement of living in Lin’s house, perked up.

“Lin Haizhi, let’s go play!”

Yibao shook his head, “No, I don’t want to go.”

Erbao said, “I don’t want to go either.”

Sanbao, however, was watching intently.

His big eyes were fixed on the door. Suddenly, he rubbed his eyes, then took off like a bullet toward the entrance.

“Sanbao…” Yibao tried to call him back, but seeing Sanbao’s enthusiasm, he too ran after him.

Erbao followed suit, shouting, “Mother… Mother…” His cries were loud and heartfelt.

Ning Shu, who was walking back from the city, was still quite far from the entrance and didn’t hear the shouts.

She continued on her way, unaware of the excited rush of her children from the residence.

Ning Shu was carrying her things, and even though her feet were sore, she quickened her pace as the base came into view.

“Mom… Mom…” Er Bao called out while running, “Mom…”

Yi Bao and San Bao also ran and called out, but their voices were not as loud as Er Bao’s.

Although the weather was cold, Ning Shu had worked up a sweat by the time she reached the base.

As she got closer, she thought she heard Er Bao’s voice.

“Mom… Mom…”

Ning Shu listened more carefully and confirmed it was indeed Er Bao’s voice calling for her.

Looking ahead, she saw three children running towards her. Could it be the three brothers?

“Mom…”

As Er Bao’s voice reached her ears, Yi Bao and San Bao’s voices followed.

Getting closer, Ning Shu could see clearly that it was Yibao, Erbao and Sanbao.

How did they know she was coming back today?

“Yi Bao, Er Bao, San Bao…” Ning Shu stopped and called out loudly.

She was exhausted and decided to rest since the kids were coming towards her.

“Mom…” The three children ran up to her, “Mom, it’s really you.” Er Bao ran into Ning Shu’s arms.

“Mom…”

“Mom…”

Yi Bao and San Bao also rushed into Ning Shu’s embrace.

Woof, woof, woof…

Da Mao and Tie Dan also arrived.

Ning Shu hugged them all together, “How did you know I was coming back today?” She then turned to Da Mao and Tie Dan, “Da Mao, Tie Dan, I’ve missed you so much.”

Er Bao said, “We didn’t know Mom was coming back. We were sitting at the guard station and saw someone who looked like Mom, so we ran over and saw it was really you.” At twelve, Er Bao had trouble expressing this feeling.

Ning Shu asked, “Did you miss me?”

They must have been waiting for her return at the guard station.

“Very much,” Yi Bao said with a bit of a choked voice.

“Mom, I missed you too,” San Bao added.

San Bao’s little face rubbed against Ning Shu’s clothes.

Er Bao said, “We even dreamed that Mom was coming back, but when we woke up and didn’t see you.”

Ning Shu patted their little heads, “You were so brave, taking care of yourselves while Dad and I were away.”

The three children were very happy to hear their mother’s praise.

Woof, woof, woof…

Ning Shu said, “And there’s also Da Mao and Tie Dan; you two have been very good.”

“Mom, what are these things?” San Bao asked, looking curiously at the two bags of items their mother had picked.

Ning Shu replied, “Various things. We’ll look at them when we get home. Let’s go.”

Yi Bao said, “Mom, we’ll carry the bags.”

Ning Shu asked, “Can you lift them?”

Yi Bao and Er Bao, who were twelve years old, were stronger than their peers and perhaps even stronger than Ning Shu herself.

The two children easily lifted the two bags that Ning Shu had carried, one in front and one behind.

Ning Shu marveled at how good it was to have sons.

Any tasks requiring strength could be handled by them.

“Lin Haizhi, Lin Hairui…”

Yang Wen Jie and the other two came running over: “Aunt, you’re back!”

Ning Shu smiled at them and said, “Yes, I’m back. Thank you for keeping the kids company these past few days. Come to our house for dinner tonight. I brought some delicious food from the capital for you.”

“Sure, Aunt. Thank you, Aunt.”

The three had no objections and were looking forward to it.

Not only were they excited, but San Bao and the others were also eagerly anticipating dinner when they heard what their mother said.

When Ning Shu returned to the residence, the guard on duty, as usual, checked and then warmly said, “Sister-in-law, you’re back! The kids came to wait at the door as soon as school was out. You’re finally back.”

Having lived here for several years, Ning Shu had developed feelings for the place, the guards, and everyone she knew. “Yes, I’m back. Thank you for taking care of the children.”

The guard said, “No trouble at all. They are very well-behaved.”

After chatting briefly with them, Ning Shu went home with the six children, Da Mao, and Tie Dan.

The family compound was still the same.

Having spent a few days in the capital, Ning Shu felt an inexplicable sense of familiarity with the family compound.

Once home, Ning Shu began sorting through the two bags.

One bag contained clothes that needed washing, so she poured them directly into the washing machine.

The other bag contained food. If there’s one thing that’s most famous from the capital, Ning Shu thought, it should be the roast duck, so she bought several.

The roast ducks were vacuum-packed and wouldn’t spoil for a short period.

After taking them out, she put them in the refrigerator, where they would keep longer.

When she wanted to eat them, she could take them out to thaw and steam them.

Though not as good as fresh out of the oven, they would still taste better than homemade.

The three children and Yang Wen Jie and the others watched in astonishment as Ning Shu took out so many roast ducks.

So many!

“Mom, are we having duck for dinner tonight?” Er Bao asked, swallowing his saliva.

Though he had eaten duck before, he was still excited.

There was a sense of excitement as the children thought the duck meat their mother brought was much better than usual. “Mom, why did you buy so much duck meat?” Er Bao asked.

“Yes, tonight we’ll have duck for dinner. For the next few days, you’ll be eating at the cafeteria, but tonight I’ll cook something special for you,” Ning Shu said, noticing how much thinner the children had gotten.

She decided to make a special meal for them and also send two ducks to their grandparents.

“Mom, we haven’t been eating at the cafeteria every day. We’ve also eaten at Yang Wenjie’s, He Jiaxing’s, and Cheng Yingyong’s homes,” Yi Bao said. “Aunties invited us, saying they wanted to thank us for helping Yang Wenjie and the others with their homework.”

“Yes, Aunties,” He Jiaxing said. “We’ve been staying here for the past few days.”

The children chattered excitedly about their recent experiences: how they slept on the ground together, did homework, ate at the cafeteria, played ball, and had fun.

The freedom of not having their parents around was a new and exciting experience for the three children.

Listening to their stories and seeing their happy faces, Ning Shu couldn’t help but feel that her children had really grown up.

After listening for a while, she said, “You all go play first. I’ll wash these clothes.”

“Mom, I’ll help you,” Yi Bao said. “There are so many clothes; it’ll be hard for you to wash them alone.”

“Mom, I want to help too.”

“Mom, me too,” Er Bao and San Bao said as well.

Ning Shu didn’t refuse, “Alright then.”

So, Ning Shu, along with the three children, went to wash the clothes, leaving Da Mao and Tie Dan to keep watch.

Yang Wenjie and the others didn’t go to wash clothes; they played by the well while Ning Shu and the children washed.

Once the clothes were done, they all returned together.

Dinner was especially sumptuous.

Ning Shu, the six children, Da Mao, and Tie Dan enjoyed a feast.

Ning Shu had prepared two roast ducks, which filled four large plates.

The children enjoyed the meal so much that they exclaimed it was the best meat they had ever tasted.