Before dawn.

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That night, the three Ye brothers arrived at the Zhou family.

Although the two families were close friends, they hadn’t interacted much over the years.

It was their first time coming over voluntarily.

"Come in, sit down, quickly come in and have a seat." Old Master Zhou warmly greeted the three brothers. The meaning of their visit at this time was clear to him. Even though he was somewhat disappointed by many of their actions, he still offered them the basic courtesy and respect for the sake of old friends.

Ye Zhongliang, Ye Zhonghe, and Ye Zhongjun smiled somewhat awkwardly. With Zhou Jingping not present, Zhou Shanping and Zhou Gangping, who were of the same generation, took the initiative to pull them in to sit down.

They had just finished dinner, Chuxia and Luo Xiaoqiong were downstairs.

With business at the office, Zhou Mikang hadn’t returned yet. Among the younger ones, there was only Zhou Huakang.

Zhao Yulan and Lin Baohe had gone to Zhao Yushan’s place in the afternoon, and also stayed there for dinner. They called earlier, saying they would spend the night there—Zhao Yushan and Li Aiyuan were still reluctant to move in, so the couple were left to continue their persuasion.

In other words, today was the quietest and least crowded day for the Zhou family in recent times. Yet, in the eyes of the Ye brothers, it was enviably lively. Their family rarely experienced such liveliness, and the atmosphere was so harmonious.

The three brothers came over to express their gratitude to the Zhou family.

After Old Master Zhou had visited them yesterday, the three realized their neglect towards him. Every time they returned home, he would remind them to focus on their work, saying that as long as they achieved something in their careers, he would be especially happy.

Knowing their shortcomings in talent, the three brothers put most of their time into work, resulting in neglectting their wives and children. Over time, whenever the family gathered together, all that remained was complaint or silence.

During family gatherings on festive occasions, the three brothers would often argue fiercely, their wives would be at odds, and the younger members of the family would look down on each other.

They knew this state was not right but had no idea how to change it, so they simply let things go, hoping that their children would naturally become sensible as they grew up.

However, reality proved their thinking was wrong; the older the children grew, the more distant they became, and the relationship grew indifferent, only thinking of them when a mess needed to be cleaned up.

They blamed their wives for the mismanagement, but to avoid daily chaos, they chose to bear it quietly.

When Old Master Zhou confronted them about their family responsibilities and obligations, they felt resistant. In the past, the Ye family had done everything to help the Zhou family, but now being asked about their responsibilities seemed improper.

If they hadn’t focused their family’s resources on protecting the Zhou family, would they be in this state today? Would they be so overwhelmed?

They didn’t regret helping the Zhou family and were very envious of the affection between the older generations, but accepting the grievances was something they couldn’t manage.

Rarely, the three brothers communicated over the phone and decided to visit their parents together.

Then, they saw their father suddenly become a different person, full of energy.

Their mother, usually resentful towards the Zhou family, unexpectedly spoke calmly to them about the deeds of the Zhou family members, advising the three brothers to express gratitude to the Zhou family.

The father waved it off, saying there was no need, that the Zhou family didn’t pay attention to superficial gestures, and the best return to the Zhou family would be for their family to be well.

Ultimately, they followed their mother’s advice and came personally to the Zhou family.

But as soon as they entered the house, they felt the difference between the Zhou and Ye families.

The peaceful, cozy atmosphere was a stark contrast to the tense one.

Initially, they thought Old Master Zhou would interrogate them again. Despite feeling grateful for the Zhou family’s help and being prepared to endure it all, the result was not what they expected.

Old Master Zhou was kind, the old lady was calm, and Zhou Shanping and Zhou Gangping treated them with great closeness. Although the younger members didn’t say much, their expressions showed no rejection towards them.

The elders can feign friendliness, but the younger ones definitely cannot!