Time flies by unnoticed, and winter vacation is here in the blink of an eye, freeing the children.

"Sanqi, do you want to go out and play? It's not too hot or too cold outside, just right." Liu Jiu finished her homework and looked at Sanqi playing with his toys. In the past month or so, Sanqi had become much fairer. Compared to him, Liu Jiu looked like she was from two different countries. The difference in skin tone was too obvious!

Sanqi looked outside and felt pretty good; his leg no longer hurt. But his parents still told him to be careful, afraid he might accidentally hurt himself.

"Shall we go to the playground?"

"That's fine, or you can go somewhere else if you want." Liu Jiu was worried that there would be too many people on the playground and she might accidentally bump into San Qi.

"Let's go then, I feel like it's been ages since I've been to the playground."

Liu Jiu carried a military water bottle on her back. Her mother said that she should drink water often.

"Mom, we're going to play on the playground. I'll keep an eye on Sanqi." Liu Jiu called out towards Aunt Zhang's house next door. Her mother had gone to help out at the neighbor's house.

"Okay, don't forget to bring your water bottle."

"We brought it. We're leaving, Mom." Liu Jiu and San Qi pushed open the door and went out.

In the neighboring yard, Bonnie was helping Sister Zhang repair her wooden bed.

“This time it’s solid. You have no idea, I was startled when I heard a loud crash in the middle of the night last night.”

When Zhang's wife thinks about it now, she feels both angry and amused.

The bed was so loose from all four legs that the naughty boy jumped on it. Then, her youngest son rolled over, and the bed completely collapsed. He was still asleep, fast asleep, he's really carefree.

"This bed is quite old, but luckily it's all solid wood, so it can still be used after some repairs. I wonder when Gu Ye and Political Commissar Xu will be back. They've been gone for half a month, haven't they?"

Bonnie silently calculated in her mind that Gu Ye had been gone for quite a while this time, the longest he had ever been gone since they moved here.

"I don't think about these things anymore. It makes no difference whether there are men in the house or not. They're never there when you need them. All the women in our compound have their own unique skills. When the men aren't home, they have to do everything themselves." Zhang's wife is used to it. She doesn't care whether her husband, Lao Xu, is home or not. They've been married for so long that they're not enthusiastic about some things anymore.

“Sister-in-law Zhang can do everything very well, but my family can’t. Lately, the children have been asking when their father will come back. They’ve had enough of the food that Liu Jiu and I cook and they miss their father’s cooking.”

Actually, Bonnie had thought about it too. Unlike on the island, she couldn't go back to her parents' home anytime to have a better meal.

“Your Gu Ye is someone you should keep in mind. He’s a great housekeeper and has the patience to play with the kids. Unlike my Lao Xu, who only has a three-minute attention span. After the incident with Commander Wang’s family, he was enthusiastic for a few days, but once he got busy, he couldn’t care about anything else.”

The two of them were complaining about the soldiers in the yard, while Liu Jiu and San Qi were having a lot of fun on the parade ground.

"Six-Nine, Three-Seven, you're finally out. Six-Nine, come quick! You haven't been here for a while, and our team has lost several times. They're too arrogant, daring to look down on us. Let's regroup and teach them a lesson."

Zhou Haiyang and Li Xiaoshan were overjoyed to see Liu Jiu. Without Liu Jiu, their team was no match for them and they were getting bullied to death.

"Sister, go play, I'll just sit here for a while."

Sanqi knew that her older sister had been staying at home with her all this time and was practically moldy.

"Sanqi, there's a stone bench here. Sit down and rest if you're tired. Here's your water bottle. Drink if you're thirsty. I'll come find you after I've played for a while. If you need anything, just shout. I can hear you." Liujiu gave her a long, worried reminder.

"Go ahead, Xiaoshan and the others are waiting for you."

Sanqi waved her hand, letting her sister pass.

Liu Jiu ran quickly toward Li Xiaoshan and the others, her short hair fluttering in the wind.

Can I play with you?

Sanqi was resting with her eyes closed when she heard a sound. She opened her eyes and saw a real-life doll. The little girl was five or six years old, with curly black hair, big round eyes, and long eyelashes, just like a doll in a Friendship Store.

"What's your name? I've never seen you before." Sanqi tried hard to recall, but couldn't find any information about the girl.

"My name is Huo Yanyan, I'm five years old. What's your name?" The little girl's big, bright eyes were really beautiful.

"My name is Gu Xuanming, and I'm five years old." Sanqi wasn't used to saying her full name yet, but she didn't want to say her nickname either.

“Then I’ll call you brother. I’m four years old, that’s what my mom said.” The little girl was very happy. She only had a younger brother and a cousin, no older brother.

"Brother, I have another brother now!" The little girl twirled around happily, her dress fluttering in the wind, her whole being filled with joy.

Sanqi was quite happy to have made a new friend. This little girl not only looked like a doll, but was also very clean, which Sanqi was very pleased with.

Two little children were sitting on a stone bench playing cat's cradle. Sanqi really liked the game, but Liujiu didn't. She had no patience and would break the string after only a couple of tries, either by tangling it or by accidentally snapping it.

Liu Jiu had been keeping an eye on San Qi, and seeing a little girl come over to play with him made him feel much more at ease.

Liu Jiu focused intently on the game; they were about to successfully seize the territory. During her absence, these guys had thoroughly bullied their team—they were incredibly audacious.

A group of eight- or nine-year-old boys and girls, yelling and shouting, rushed towards the other side.

Sanqi watched his sister rushing forward recklessly, not understanding what was so fun about it. A group of people, covered in sweat and smelling terrible.

Huo Yanyan is very good at cat's cradle; the two of them can keep it going for a long time without breaking it, and they can also come up with many different patterns.

My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!