A Mother's Heart

Mrs. Charlotte Evans was not a rude or unreasonable woman. On the contrary, she was rational and full of wisdom.

She could actually understand her eldest son's request to study abroad.

Back when Leonard Yuan took the boat back to Southland, Mrs. Charlotte Evans was on board too. She spent nearly a month with the students from the foreign language school, so she knew their thoughts quite well.

Mrs. Charlotte Evans was simply reluctant to part with her son, and worried about him.

But seeing her son's determined attitude now, Mrs. Charlotte Evans couldn't bear to stand in the way of his ambitions. She said, "Leonard, I can agree to your request. But you have to promise me one thing."

"Sure! Even if it's a hundred conditions, I'll agree!" Leonard Yuan was overjoyed.

"When you're over there, take good care of yourself. Have Edward bring letters back home so I know how you're doing," Mrs. Charlotte Evans said.

"Mom, don't worry! I'll definitely write letters every day and save them up so you can receive a whole stack at once!" Leonard Yuan promised.

Only then did Mrs. Charlotte Evans nod. Leonard quickly used his sleeve to wipe away her tears, then turned to Lily Evans and said, "Sis, my parents agreed! I can go study abroad now!"

"Ahem, your parents have given their consent, but you still have to pass the language test," Lily Evans stood up and patted Leonard on the shoulder. "You need to pass the language exam at the academy to qualify for studying abroad. Otherwise, if you can't understand what people are saying over there, wouldn't that be a waste?"

Leonard Yuan immediately said, "Sis, don't worry! There's still two or three months before the fleet returns. I'll work hard and cram my foreign language studies, I promise I'll pass the exam!"

As he spoke, Leonard handed his little brother to Mrs. Charlotte Evans and said hurriedly, "I—I'm heading to the academy to register right now! I'm going, I'm going!"

With that, Leonard dashed off toward the academy.

"Oh my, look at this child, he's as anxious as can be," Mrs. Charlotte Evans wiped her tears again, gazing fondly at her son's departing figure.

"Aunt Charlotte, don't worry too much. Leonard is only going abroad for two or three years to study, not to suffer. We have plenty of funds over there, the living and eating conditions are great, and there's even a chef from home to cook for the students. They'll get to taste food from home. Plus, we do business with the French royal family, so no one dares disrespect us over there. Safety won't be an issue," Lily Evans said.

Mrs. Charlotte Evans nodded and said, "I understand. You're the one who organizes the study abroad program, and you've been doing it for years, so everything must be well arranged. I just miss my son, that's all. Lily, you're a mother too, so you must understand how I feel."

Lily Evans smiled, "Of course. If my An grows up and wants to travel far away, as a mother I'd be worried and miss him every moment too."

Mrs. Charlotte Evans chatted with Lily Evans for a while, mentioning she hadn't seen An for several days, so she agreed to go with Lily to visit the child.

She had Yuan Jie take the little son and Silver Bean home, while Mrs. Charlotte Evans and Lily Evans walked together, laughing and chatting as they headed to the children's room.

"At this time, all four kids are together—it's so lively!" Lily Evans said to Mrs. Charlotte Evans with a smile. "Me, Bai Lu, and Mu Dan, the three of us mothers are usually so busy we can't personally take care of the kids. So we put them together and let each family's nanny watch over them. Whoever's free helps out. Recently Mu Dan's had more free time, so she's been looking after the kids more. Bai Lu and I have been so busy, I haven't picked up An until after dark for days now."