Gong Peixing saw Song Yao coming downstairs and immediately said happily, "Yaoyao, I’ve taken a liking to a house that's up for sale. When do you think we could go take a look?" This time, Gong Peixing had brought plenty of money, intending to buy the house quickly, immigrate, and then have another child while his wife was still young.

Wang Qiqi and Song Yao were startled by Gong Peixing’s speed and found it quite strange. Although they knew Gong Peixing had been scouting properties in the community, they didn't expect a house to become available so conveniently. This complex was highly sought after; even Fatty had been eyeing it for a long time, registering with the agent months ago without any luck, yet now a unit was suddenly for sale just as Gong Peixing arrived.

Wang Qiqi looked doubtfully at Han Tao, who nodded, signaling that Gong Peixing was correct. "It’s actually the unit right across the hall from us. They bought a new, bigger house and plan to sell this one; they’re moving out today." Han Tao hadn't expected things to align so perfectly either. "So, Brother-in-law asked me to check if they were willing to sell."

Wang Qiqi was truly stunned, thinking internally that being early was nothing compared to being lucky. "Shall we go take a look? Oh, did you notify the agent?"

"They called an agent, but I already got the agent’s number. I'll notify him immediately." Even though the owner was present, it was better to handle the transaction through the agent. Han Tao picked up his phone and called the agent, stating they needed to see the house right away. After hanging up, he mused, "I wonder if Fatty will feel like killing me if he finds out he might miss out on such a great house. Especially if Fatty knew I helped Song Yao and her husband secure this place—who knows how frantic Fatty would be."

Wang Qiqi covered her mouth and nodded repeatedly. "He definitely will. Yesterday when he was over helping, he kept muttering about how much the environment here has improved." He even mentioned how nice it would be to all be neighbors, making visits easier, and so on. But Wang Qiqi knew what Fatty really meant: if their elderly parents came over from China, everyone could gather and chat, preventing the seniors from feeling lonely. "But I think we'll eventually encounter opportunities like this," she said. Before they lived here, she wouldn't have known if that family was moving, and now that they were, she’d eventually find out. "It looks like we’ll be seeing more affluent people moving into our community."

Song Ziwen drove around the complex once and felt the environment was indeed excellent. There was a lake where he noticed people water-skiing, the landscaping was good, and essential services like supermarkets and banks were nearby—hardly the rundown area Yang Jing had described. It was a pity his wife disliked the neighborhood. Song Ziwen knew Song Yao wanted him to buy here so he could maintain a good relationship with Qiqi. After all, the further he distanced himself from Qiqi, the less likely she was to include him in any of her money-making schemes. However, Yang Jing had recently mentioned that Qiqi hadn't had any good ideas lately, suggesting perhaps her inspiration had dried up. This gave Song Ziwen pause. If Wang Qiqi genuinely had no good prospects, there was no need to live together. But based on the interaction he witnessed between Gong Peixing and Wang Qiqi today, Song Ziwen felt they might be hiding something. He quickly dismissed the thought, however, reasoning that Qiqi had either been studying in the UK or managing her IT company’s affairs in the US these past few years, leaving her little time for clandestine activities. Feeling reassured, he settled on the idea that perhaps his sister simply wanted to be close to Qiqi, maybe hoping Qiqi could help look after Taotao if they ever settled in the US later.

"Brother-in-law, congratulations on acquiring property in the States," Song Ziwen said with a beaming smile to Gong Peixing.

Gong Peixing nodded repeatedly. He wasn't like Song Ziwen, who seemed to think Qiqi was no longer important just because he had some money, trying to push Qiqi aside. Did he think Qiqi hadn't noticed his own changes over the past two years? If not, why had Qiqi been so anxious for cash before, hesitant to sell her share in the machine processing plant? "Ziwen, you’re planning to buy a house in the US too, aren't you? Why don't you look around here too? I think the environment is really quite good."

Wang Damei was also eager for Song Ziwen to buy a house here, which would make it convenient for her to visit both her son and daughter. But Song Ziwen regretted shaking his head. "I’d like to, but Yang Jing prefers New York; she thinks it’s more lively over there."

Gong Peixing was about to retort that for such a major decision, one shouldn't listen to a woman, especially since Song Ziwen was the primary earner in the family, and Yang Jing’s wishes shouldn't hold sway over the head of the household. Before he could finish, Song Yao tugged at his sleeve, silently urging him to stop. A slightly flustered Gong Peixing could only chuckle to cover his slip-up.

Song Yao had initially intended to advise Song Ziwen to think about the past before considering the future in certain matters. But after hearing what Wang Qiqi told her that afternoon, Song Yao’s inclination to lecture Song Ziwen had vanished. If they had new ideas and perspectives, why should she interfere? She planned to stay in the capital long-term anyway, rarely visiting their hometown, so keeping a distance seemed best. "New York is great. When Taotao is older and your brother-in-law and I have saved up a bit more, we can buy a place in New York too. For now, though, I’m not interested. I plan to send Taotao to school in the States starting in the second half of the year. Qiqi will be marrying Han Tao then, and their lives will be stable; they can help me look after the child."

Song Yao had previously thought about waiting until her son was older, perhaps middle school, to bring him over. But reconsidering, since he was going abroad anyway, it was better to take advantage of his young age to learn a foreign language faster. She decided to send him to primary school in the US directly. "The pressure on primary school students in China is intense now. They have this class and that class—Taotao’s kindergarten classmates are already in foreign language classes, math classes, calligraphy, piano, and so on, and they haven't even started elementary school yet. What will it be like when they enter primary school?" Song Yao felt exhausted just thinking about it; it wasn't just the adults who were tired, but the children who, after finishing schoolwork, still had to cram in all these extracurricular activities. Song Yao genuinely worried if these children could handle it.

"Sister, you’re thinking too far ahead," Song Ziwen said helplessly. His older sister truly wanted Wang Qiqi to help raise the child. "Oh, Qiqi, are you planning to get married?"

Luo Hongjuan was delighted to hear Wang Qiqi was planning to marry. She had been nagging domestically about when Han Tao and Qiqi would finally tie the knot. To hear such good news right after arriving in the country was wonderful. "Qiqi, are you really planning to get married?" Even though the two children were already engaged, in Luo Hongjuan’s mind, an engagement wasn't as official as a marriage. She had hoped Song Yao would persuade Wang Qiqi to hurry up, get married, and have children quickly. Then she could come over and help raise them while she was still young and healthy—the sooner they had children, the more she could help. But she worried Qiqi would resent her nagging, so she kept quiet. Now, however, she couldn't help but ask, "So when are you planning to have children?"

Wang Qiqi felt awkward. She was already a bit embarrassed under everyone’s teasing gazes, but Luo Hongjuan’s next question was even bolder, directly asking about having babies. How was she supposed to answer that? "After we get married, Han Tao and I plan to have children right away. The company's situation is becoming more stable."

Luo Hongjuan felt a little anxious herself. She worried that the couple might get married but put off having children for a decade or eight years. If that were the case, her excitement would have been for nothing. Although it sounded excessive, in Luo Hongjuan’s view, people needed to marry and have children when they reached a certain age; otherwise, humanity would just become full of non-committal people. She hadn't expected Wang Qiqi and Han Tao to plan on having children immediately after the wedding. "Why don't you just take care of that while we are all in the US?"

Luo Hongjuan’s suggestion stunned everyone present. Although everyone knew she had been looking forward to having a daughter-in-law for a long time, perhaps a mother-in-law shouldn't be that eager. Wang Qiqi thought her and Han Tao’s plan to marry in July was already quite soon. She hadn't realized Han Tao’s mother was even more eager, wanting them to marry immediately. While she preferred a simple wedding ceremony, she didn’t think it should be this simple.

"Mom, that's rushing things a bit. Qiqi and I already decided. We’ll get married in Hawaii in July. We’ll cover everyone’s flights and accommodation, and we can all enjoy a few days in Hawaii," Han Tao said, feeling like kneeling before Luo Hongjuan. If he had known his mother was this proactive, he should have asked for her intervention sooner to save himself all this agonizing over the details.

Luo Hongjuan was astounded by the lavish scale of the wedding Han Tao described. "Ah, getting married in Hawaii, covering flights and everything? How much will that cost? With so many relatives, it's unnecessary." Some relatives only offered a meager one or two hundred as a wedding gift; inviting them to fly to Hawaii? That was a pipe dream. The money her son and daughter-in-law earned wasn't easy to come by, and Luo Hongjuan certainly didn't want their hard-earned cash wasted on those people.

Right, how many relatives did Mom intend to invite? Han Tao knew it would be inappropriate for Wang Qiqi to address this. As a man, he should step up and explain. "Mom, I don't plan on inviting many relatives to the wedding—not from the Han family or the Luo family. They weren't around when our family was at its toughest, so they shouldn't expect an invitation now that I’ve found success."

Luo Hongjuan finally understood. In Han Tao’s eyes, only the Song family relatives counted as true relatives. While this brought a pang of sadness, as the Luo family was her side, the Luo family's actions simply didn't compare to the Song family's support. After a long pause, she sighed. "That’s fine too. Since you don't want to associate with them much, there's no need to invite them to such an important event as a wedding." Luo Hongjuan decided that since she would be going abroad to help with childcare anyway, she wouldn't worry too much about domestic affairs. Besides, inviting the Luo relatives but not the Han relatives would be improper, but the old Madam Han was still alive, and the thought of her causing a scene at the wedding reception made Luo Hongjuan feel it was simply unlucky. "I'll just go back once and give them some wedding candy or something to make up for it."

Han Tao had been slightly unhappy seeing Luo Hongjuan’s expression, initially thinking she would scold him. He was surprised she was so understanding. He couldn't tell if she remembered the relatives' past behavior herself or if she was simply trying to save face because relatives were present here. Regardless, his mother agreeing to his and Qiqi’s wedding vision was enough.

Although the guest list for the wedding wouldn't be large, Song Ziwen quickly calculated it would be around thirty people at most. However, covering round-trip airfare plus room and board—that was quite a gesture. "Impressive, impressive. Brother-in-law, you’re quite something. The wedding will cost a lot, won't it? Is the IT company really that profitable?"

Han Tao felt embarrassed by Song Ziwen’s scrutiny. "The salary is decent. The truth is, our expenses aren't that high. Qiqi and I often work overtime and eat at the company. Our daily spending is actually quite low. And for the one-time event of a wedding, we shouldn't be too shabby, right?"

Song Ziwen was unsatisfied with Han Tao’s vague answer, skillfully avoiding the core issue. If he hadn't known that Qiqi hadn't had a moment alone with Han Tao since getting out of the car, he would have suspected Wang Qiqi and Han Tao had coordinated their answers beforehand.

Wang Qiqi felt a bit annoyed watching Song Ziwen relentlessly grill Han Tao about the company’s finances. It wasn't like they were negotiating with clients or suppliers; did he really need to act that way? However, despite her annoyance, he was still her older brother, and Wang Qiqi couldn't completely disregard his feelings. She turned to chat with Wang Damei to steer clear of Song Ziwen.

Han Tao felt increasingly awkward under Song Ziwen’s pointed questions and began to wonder why Song Ziwen was acting so strangely today. Seeing that Qiqi offered no rescue, Han Tao suspected there was an underlying issue. But out of politeness, he couldn't directly challenge Song Ziwen, though he answered the subsequent questions with more deliberation.

Fortunately, the agent called to say he had arrived, allowing Han Tao, who felt he could barely sustain the conversation any longer, to breathe a sigh of relief. He felt that spending an entire day coding in front of a computer was less taxing than this brief interaction. "Brother-in-law, the agent is here. Shall we go look at the house?"

"I'm coming too," Taotao mumbled, rubbing his eyes as he walked toward the stairs. He had initially wanted to ask why his mother wasn't there to tuck him in, but hearing his father mention looking at houses, the excited Taotao immediately signed up to go along.

And so, everyone—except Yang Jing and her sleeping daughter—set off in a large group to view the property. When Yang Jing woke up and found the house empty, and later learned they had gone house-hunting without her, she was very angry. But at that moment, no one had thought about it—not Wang Qiqi’s group, and certainly not even Yang Jing’s husband, Song Ziwen. Therefore, no matter how angry Yang Jing became, Wang Qiqi and the others simply ignored it.