"Xiaomin, just hold Xia's hand, we'll take care of the luggage," Xia Xiaomei said.

Xia is the son of Xia Xiaomei and Xiao Wu. He just turned four a few months ago.

Today is the day they return to their hometown. Their train leaves at 7 p.m. Before coming, they had a simple dinner at Wang Aimin's tea restaurant.

Six people were carrying six 28-inch suitcases. Xia Minmin's task was to look after Xia, which seemed easy, but was actually quite tricky.

Xia Minmin prefers carrying luggage to taking care of the child, even if it's tiring. The four-year-old boy is very naughty, and the description of him as a husky is the most appropriate. He can run away at any time.

"Xia, don't run around. Be careful not to get taken away by human traffickers. Then you'll never see your mom and dad again, and you won't be able to play with any of your toys," Xia Minmin coaxed and lied to her.

"Miss, I will be good and won't run around."

Xia smiled innocently, looking quite well-behaved and cute. However, since they hadn't known each other since birth, Xia Minmin doubted that she could have discovered Xia's true nature.

Xia Minmin thought about him one more time, so she let go of his hand and drank the water. After unscrewing the bottle cap, Xia was still obedient. After drinking the water, she glanced to the side out of the corner of her eye.

Xia was already running ahead with his short legs, and she had to quickly put down the mineral water bottle in her hand to chase after him.

Xia looked at the girl chasing after him and laughed even more happily. His short legs moved even faster, and he would occasionally look back.

"Hey girl, come and chase me!"

That's how kids are; the more you chase them, the more energetic they become, but when you give up chasing them, they'll obediently stop.

Xia Jianguo and his wife, along with Xiao Wu and his wife, sat chatting on chairs in the waiting room. Xia Xiaomei and Xiao Wu were especially reassured, as their niece was very reliable despite her young age.

Xia Minmin stopped and followed him at a leisurely pace. Fortunately, the waiting room wasn't too crowded, so he could run around as much as he wanted.

After Xia Minmin was no longer chasing her, Xia stopped and looked back at her cousin who was not far away.

Two cousins, one tall and one short, faced each other, separated by two meters.

"Xiaomin, Xiaxia, come back quickly, we need to get on the train." Li Chunmei's voice came from not far away, and they stood up to pack their suitcases.

Nearby travelers also turned their attention to the siblings. One was tall and the other short, one was fair-skinned and the other was dark-skinned, a stark contrast. The younger one, for some reason, was tanned as dark as a lump of coal.

Xia saw her parents stand up and walked back. When she got to Xia Minmin's side, she took the initiative to reach out and hold her hand.

"Are we still running?" Xia Minmin asked.

Xia shook her head.

"If you keep doing that, I'll get your parents to beat you up!"

Xia shrugged and furrowed his brow. His parents were usually very good to him, but whenever his older cousin complained, he would definitely get a beating.

Xia Minmin felt the small hand she was holding tighten slightly, and a silent smile played where Xia couldn't see. "You little brat, I can't handle you."

"Auntie, Uncle, Xia is very suitable for track and field training. His endurance is amazing." Xia Minmin has taken care of him a few times, and he really can run for a whole morning without getting tired.

"Haha, my aunt and I had the same idea. Xia is so noisy at home, she's always tearing things apart and causing trouble. Exercise is the best way to burn off her energy. We're still thinking about which program to sign her up for," Xiao Wu said.

"Second brother, second sister-in-law, and Xiaomin, you are both experienced. Do you have any good sports to recommend to us?" Xia Xiaomei asked.

"Boxing is suitable; it not only exercises the body but also provides excellent self-defense," Li Chunmei said with a smile.

"We can talk on the bus later. Hurry up and get in line, it's getting longer and longer." Xia Jianguo said, pushing his two suitcases to join the queue.

Li Chunmei reminded her again, "Xiaomin, hold Xia's hand tightly."

Xia Minmin held Xia's hand tightly, not giving him any chance to escape, and walked to the corresponding ticket gate to queue for ticket inspection.

Passengers gathered in the same queue from all directions, each carrying large and small bags, their faces beaming with joy.

After the tickets were checked, other passengers carried their suitcases and ran towards the green train, which made Xia Jianguo and Xiao Wu follow the crowd. That's probably what herd mentality is all about.

Xia Minmin couldn't understand it at all. It was the starting station, there was still a long time before departure, and the location was fixed. What difference did it make whether she ran or not?

In her memory, after each ticket check, everyone would rush to the small door of the green train, crowding and jostling to get on the train, only to be blocked by passengers putting their luggage halfway through the journey.

After settling in, Xia Minmin was finally able to let go of Xia's hand and wipe the sweat from her palms.

Xia was grinning from ear to ear. Ever since he learned that he was going to grow old and go home, he had many questions waiting for him every day.

"Miss, when can we get to our hometown?"

"Just take a nap, and you'll arrive when you wake up tomorrow."

"Oh, is there a children's playground in your hometown?"

"No."

"Miss, can I sleep with you tonight?"

"No way." Xia Minmin no longer wanted to sleep with her little cousin who might wet the bed at any moment.

"Why?" Xia's chubby cheeks looked a little angry.

Listening to the siblings' conversation, the other four people held back their laughter. Xia Minmin had slept with Xia last year and had experienced Xia wetting the bed.

"Who told you to wet the bed?" Xia Minmin said casually.

"Who wet the bed! I'm a big kid, I never wet the bed." Xia shouted back at her cousin, her face flushed.

Xiao Wu accidentally laughed out loud. Xia Xia, seeing everyone smiling, burst into tears and collapsed onto the bed, sobbing uncontrollably.

The adults laughed even louder. Xia stood up, her face clean and without any trace of tears. "You're all bad people. I'm not going to be friends with you anymore."

He sat down next to Xia Minmin and hugged her arm. "Miss, you and I are the best of friends."

Xia Minmin tried to pull her arm away, but couldn't. Xia hugged her even tighter.

Despondent, Xia Minmin leaned against the partition, with Xia clinging tightly to her arm, occasionally letting out a groan at the adults.

Xia Minmin glanced at her watch; there was only half an hour left before Xia's power went out, and she would be free soon.

"Xiaomin, look how much Xia likes you. You're young and promising. You got into the top university in our country at such a young age. You have a bright future ahead of you. You're a great role model for Xia. He admires you so much. He's been asking you for help these past few days," Xiaowu said with a smile.

Xia Xiaomei nodded in agreement. Her niece was young and energetic, unlike the older folks, and could withstand a lot of hardship.

Xia Minmin stared expressionlessly at the obsequious Xiao Wu, thinking, "If you don't want to take care of the child, just say so. Why all the preamble?"

"I'll only take care of things during the day; you'll have to manage them yourselves at night."

Xiao Wu and Xia Xiaomei nodded quickly, afraid that Xia Minmin would change her mind; as long as they could rest, that was fine.