More than seven months have passed since the day Liu Xiaoxiao was found in the park.

During this long period, Chen Bing did not see her again, but occasionally heard news about her from Liu Yue. Overall, nothing seemed wrong, but from the snippets of conversation, it could be gleaned that her father was very busy with work and usually lived with her grandparents.

Even if grandparents are immature, they still recognize their granddaughter. While she might not be their most beloved daughter, they wouldn't deprive her of food or beat or scold her at the slightest provocation.

No matter what, they are, after all, her own granddaughter and grandparents. Whether in terms of blood ties or intimacy, compared to her cousin, Liu Yue, her aunt, is her biological father and grandparents, the relationship is naturally closer. They are healthy, without any wrongdoing, so she has no right to interfere.

This is a common misfortune for many left-behind children in rural towns. Lacking proper upbringing at home, they often end up as what others call "spirited young men" or "spirited young women." While their eccentric behaviors are certainly laughable, aren't they also products of China's urbanization and economic development?

Chen Bing sighed softly, as if she were lamenting for such hateful yet pathetic people.

"Chen Bing, why are you always sighing?" Shang Yunmiao, who was cutting paper flowers, raised her pretty little head and looked at Chen Bing beside her with concern.

Because kindergarten graduation is approaching, the school is organizing a graduation performance for the graduating students. To fully develop the children's hands-on and practical skills, the teachers have assigned each student a craft project to complete.

At this very moment, Chen Bing and Shang Yunmiao are carrying out this work at home.

"It's because I know a lot that I sigh."

Does knowing more lead to sighing?

Chen Bing nodded truthfully, then tossed the folded paper flowers into the box beside him. Next, he turned his gaze to Shang Yunmiao, who was staring blankly at him.

Children are so lucky, carefree. They laugh when they're happy and cry when they're sad, because adults are always around, so they can fully express their nature.

Adults don't have this right, because they are adults, and there is no one bigger than them in the world.

A literary master once wrote in an article commemorating his mother that even if a person lives to be eighty or ninety years old, having a mother allows them to retain some childlike qualities.

As for Chen Bing...

Oh, no, no, sorry, I just said it without thinking.

With these thoughts running through her mind, Chen Bing suddenly missed Liu Yue. She decided to go see her again tonight and ask her to tell her a bedtime story.

Chen Bing was lost in thought, but her hands kept moving without stopping.

"Then, wouldn't it be better not to know so much?" Shang Yunmiao asked naively.

"This society is a competitive society, a knowledge-based society. Only by knowing more can you live better." This is hard for children to understand, so in fact, Chen Bing was saying it to herself.

Nevertheless, Shang Yunmiao took those words to heart. After a moment's thought, she asked doubtfully, "Doesn't sighing mean life is bad? Wouldn't life be happier if we knew nothing?"

"Ah Q and the village idiot at the entrance think the same way you do."

Shang Yunmiao didn't know who Ah Q was, but she knew what the word "big fool" meant.

After being inexplicably humiliated by the person she admired, Shang Yunmiao was a little unhappy. She pouted and then gently kicked Chen Bing twice with her foot, which was dangling under the table.

"Hmph, Chen Bing is such a jerk." Shang Yunmiao muttered under her breath, but Chen Bing still heard her. However, he didn't care and just thought it was a child throwing a tantrum.

After saying this, Shang Yunmiao buried her face in the crook of her arm on the table and remained quiet for a while.

A dozen seconds later, because Chen Bing still hadn't come to comfort her, Shang Yunmiao, worried about being distanced by the other party, regained her composure and acted as if nothing had happened, and started talking to Chen Bing again on her own.

"Chen Bing, can we still be deskmates after graduation?"

There are three junior high schools and seven or eight primary schools in Baishi Town. However, since primary schools enroll students according to their districts, the two could still be classmates. But whether they would be assigned to the same class is another matter.

"Pretty much. Once we start elementary school, we'll most likely go to the same school, but whether we'll be in the same class is another story."

In my previous life, the Central Primary School of Baishi Town enrolled about three hundred students in one year, and then... three classes.

Yes, you heard right, there are 100 students in one class.

This situation continued from the first grade of elementary school until the second semester of the second grade, until the new school building was built and a normal class of 50 students was formed.

It sounds absurd, but that's the tragedy of primary schools in towns and cities in populous provinces. In his previous life, Chen Bing had even seen reports online of primary schools with over 170 children in a single class.

One hundred and seventy! That's a lot. According to the national education department's regulation of forty-five students per class, that's enough to form four classes.

"Hmm...we'll use our connections to get us into the same class, it shouldn't be a problem."

Shang Yunmiao didn't quite understand the concepts of relationships and class assignments, but judging from Chen Bing's expression, she knew that she would most likely be in the same class as him.

"Mmm~" she responded happily, putting her two little hands together and swinging her legs happily.

Seeing how well-behaved she was, Chen Bing couldn't resist ruffling the little girl's round head. Watching her squint her eyes, looking so content and adorable, Chen Bing felt her mood improve considerably.

Shang Yunmiao is such a lovely little angel.

Chen Bing thought to herself with a sense of emotion, then withdrew her hand and continued folding paper flowers.

Graduation, primary school, the adorable Shang Yunmiao...

Thinking of this, Chen Bing paused in his actions.

Speaking of which, there was a problem that had been bothering him for quite some time.

That's why I had no memory of Shang Yunmiao in my past life. Leaving aside what I'd thought about before—why I'd never heard of Teacher Yunxuan having such a child—just consider the elementary school she'd be attending. With Shang Yunmiao's outstanding looks and her unique, pleasant-sounding name, how could I possibly have no recollection of her?

Fourth, fifth, and sixth graders are a little more sensible and will more or less remember the pretty girls in their grade. But no matter how hard Chen Bing tried, he couldn't recall seeing her anywhere.

Watching Shang Yunmiao engrossed in cutting paper flowers, Chen Bing fell into a brief moment of contemplation.

Perhaps she didn't continue her studies in Baishi Town, but went to the county instead?

Shang Zhengxin was, after all, a minor leader in the county education bureau, so it was entirely possible for him to take his daughter to school in the county.

Chen Bing used this answer to fill the void in her mind, and then stopped thinking about it.

...

"Okay, okay, eat and drink well! Today is our old classmates' reunion, we'll definitely drink until we drop!"

Not far from Chen Bing's home, in a restaurant run by the Chen family, a group of middle-aged men with big bellies and oily ears were talking noisily and drinking.

"Uh... waiter, bring four more bottles of baijiu. Just drinking this beer isn't enough."

"Hey, grab a couple more bottles. Liang Wei, it's not easy for him to get together with us today, we have to get him drunk!"

"Absolutely! Brother Liang's made it big now, he even owns a car. He hasn't been back for so many years, has he forgotten about us brothers?"

"No, no, I will never forget the care you brothers took for me back then. It's just that I drove here today, so it's really not suitable for me to drink."

"If you say that, then you're not giving us brothers any face. We're happy today, so it's okay to have a few drinks. Our little town can't compare to yours; nobody checks for drunk driving here."

"That's right, that's right! Brother Liang, have a drink, it'll be fine!"

Persuaded by everyone, Liang Wei couldn't bring himself to refuse. So, he reluctantly accepted the glass of wine offered to him and drank the "wine" symbolizing their "brotherly bond"...