"This little guy is getting more and more capable." Gu Mingyue smiled and turned to call Lu Lin, "Come and see, Chenchen can play with his hands for half a day by himself."

Lu Lin had just finished chopping firewood in the yard and came in with wood shavings still on his hands when he heard the shouts and quickly came over.

He squatted down by the bed, held up Chenchen's little hand, and counted his little fingers: "One, two, three... These little hands will help Daddy with chores a lot in the future."

Chenchen seemed to understand, and put her little hand close to Lu Lin's face, her little finger brushing against Lu Lin's stubble, which made Lu Lin laugh.

Zhong Yuxiu brought in a bowl of warm water. Seeing them huddled around the bed, she smiled and said, "The weather is getting warmer, and the child is more active. In a couple of days when the weather clears up, we can take him out to bask in the sun and let him see the flowers in the yard."

Chenchen seemed to respond to the word "go out," and raised his little hands again, waving them in the sunlight. The shadows of his little hands fell on the mattress, swaying gently with his movements, like two fluttering little butterflies.

Four or five days later, all the forsythia in the yard were in full bloom, their tender yellow petals adorning the branches, and a faint fragrance filled the air.

Lu Lin rummaged through the woodshed and found the bamboo cart, which he had recently had made by a carpenter. The frame was wrapped in soft cloth, and the cart bed was lined with thick cotton padding, just big enough to fit Chenchen.

He carried Chenchen into the stroller. Chenchen was wearing a light green cloth shirt, her little hands gripping the edge of the stroller, her eyes looking around, and her little head turning like a rattle drum.

Lu Lin pushed the cart slowly, stopping first in front of the forsythia: "Chenchen, look at these flowers, so bright yellow, aren't they pretty?"

Chenchen's eyes were immediately drawn to the petals. He reached out his chubby little hand to grab them, but as soon as his fingertips touched the petals, they gently fell and landed right in his palm.

Chenchen held the petal, blinked her little eyes, and then put the petal into her mouth.

Gu Mingyue quickly reached out to stop her: "You can't eat this, it's a flower."

As he spoke, he took out a clean little piece of cloth from his pocket and gently wiped the corner of his mouth.

Lu Lin laughed from the side, "This little guy wants to try everything he sees."

Then she pushed the cart toward the rose bushes in the corner of the yard, saying, "Let me show you the roses again; they're even more beautiful than forsythia."

Zhong Yuxiu came out carrying an enamel bowl filled with freshly cooled rice porridge. Seeing the father and son playing with Chenchen in front of the flowers, she came over and said, "Push him slowly, don't let him catch a cold."

As soon as she finished speaking, Chenchen suddenly reached out and grabbed a half-open rosebud, her little fingers clenching it tightly.

Lu Lin quickly stopped pushing the cart and carefully helped him pick the flower buds. Chenchen held up the flower buds and made "ee-ya" sounds at Gu Mingyue, as if showing off his "trophy".

On the day Chenchen turned five months old, Gu Mingyue specially found the light yellow cloth shirt that Lu Lin had bought for him to wear.

The little one is much stronger than when he was a month old. His little arms and legs kick with great strength, and when held in someone's arms, he always likes to stretch his neck and look out the door.

Zhong Yuxiu packed up the bamboo basket, filled it with a water bottle and a handkerchief to wipe Chenchen's sweat, and said with a smile, "Before Lu Lin went on his mission, he mentioned that Chenchen should go out more to get some fresh air. The temperature is just right today, let's go for a walk by the sea."

The mother-in-law and daughter-in-law, one carrying Chenchen and the other holding a bamboo basket, walked along the path towards the sea.

A sea breeze blew in my face, neither too hot nor too cold, just enough to dispel the afternoon heat.

Chenchen perched on Gu Mingyue's shoulder, her little head turning back and forth. When she saw the swaying foxtail grass by the roadside, she reached out to grab it, but missed every time. Instead, she giggled, her laughter mingling with the sea breeze, crisp and clear.

Walking to the beach, Zhong Yuxiu found a sheltered rock to sit on.

Gu Mingyue placed Chenchen on the rocks covered with a cloth and let him sit comfortably against her legs.

Chenchen's little hands gripped the rocks as she tried to crawl forward, her little bottom sticking up high, like a chubby little toad.

Gu Mingyue reached out to support his waist, while Zhong Yuxiu picked a foxtail grass and gently teased his face: "Chenchen, slow down, don't fall."

The sea breeze swept across the surface of the sea, creating layers of fine waves, and the sunlight sprinkled on the sea like a handful of broken gold.

Chenchen stared at the sea for a while, then suddenly reached out her little hand as if to reach for the shimmering lights.

Gu Mingyue took the opportunity to pull out the camera clipped to her waist and snap a picture of the scene.

In the video, Chenchen is wearing a light yellow shirt and sitting on a rock with the blue sea behind him. The sea breeze makes his hair soft and stick to his cheeks, and his eyes are full of curiosity about the world.

When they walked back, Chenchen had already fallen asleep in Zhong Yuxiu's arms, her little mouth slightly open with a little drool at the corner of her lips.

The mother-in-law and daughter-in-law walked slowly, the sea breeze blowing gently, their steps exceptionally light, as if afraid of waking the little one in their arms.

As the weather warmed up, the grape trellis in the yard became a favorite spot for Zhong Yuxiu and Gu Mingyue.

The once bare vines sprouted countless tender green shoots, like countless tiny hands climbing up the bamboo pole. In just a few days, they grew into slender vines.

Zhong Yuxiu sat on a bamboo chair picking vegetables, looking up at the grape trellis, and said to Gu Mingyue with a smile, "When summer comes, this trellis will be covered with leaves. We can move a table here to drink tea then. The breeze will be cool and comfortable, much more so than inside."

Gu Mingyue held Chenchen and sat on a small stool next to her, gently straightening the collar of Chenchen's little cloth shirt with her fingertips.

Chenchen seemed to like the wind, turning her little head to look at the door, and reaching out her little hand to grab the dandelions that were drifting in the wind.

“Yes,” Gu Mingyue replied to Zhong Yuxiu, “By the time Lu Lin comes back, summer will be here. We can bring Chenchen here for dinner then, it will be so lively.”

As Gu Mingyue was airing the quilts in the yard with Chenchen in her arms, Zhao Xiulan and Aunt Qin walked in together, carrying half a bag of freshly steamed white flour buns.

"Mingyue, I heard you have a camera?" Qin Hongmei smiled and came closer, pointing to the little cloth shirt Chenchen was wearing.

"Chenchen looked so energetic in the photos taken at the beach last time. Could you take some pictures of my Chengcheng as well?"

Zhao Xiulan nodded in agreement: "My Ningning was three years old when she had her landscape photos taken. If we could take one, she would have something to remember when she grows up."

Gu Mingyue nodded quickly: "Of course, we're all from the same family compound, no need to be so polite."

As she was about to go inside to get her camera, Aunt Qin grabbed her arm and shoved a steamed bun into her hand, saying, "No way, how can I let you help me for nothing? I just steamed these buns this morning, you and Aunt Yuxiu should try them."

Gu Mingyue declined, but Zhao Xiulan then took out a cloth purse embroidered with peach blossoms from her pocket.

“This is something I embroidered for Chenchen. It’s perfect for holding a small snack. If you don’t accept it, we won’t let you take pictures.”

After a long struggle, Gu Mingyue finally gave in and smiled as she agreed.

"Okay, I'll take the things, but you have to do as I say when it comes to taking pictures. Let's not have those stiff poses, just take pictures of the kids playing around."