Since it was still early, Principal Tian called on the five teachers of the junior class to take the children to their respective classrooms to familiarize themselves with the environment.

This was the first time the quintuplets had been separated from each other outside. Being so small, they looked at their mother, who was laughing heartlessly, with a sense of helplessness.

Ke Meiyu stroked each of their heads and said seriously, "You are all big kids now. You can walk on your own, express yourselves clearly, and eat and use the toilet by yourselves."

"So it's time for you to learn how to get along with others. Each of you is an independent individual and should have your own life."

"Isn't it just playing games, attending classes, eating, and sleeping with the teachers in kindergarten? What are you afraid of? Go on, your great-grandparents will come to pick you up in the evening."

"If your father and I are available, or if your uncles are available, we can come and pick you up!"

The adults at home had already done some mental preparation for the children. They are young, but because of their special physical condition, their intelligence is higher than others from birth. Their parents have been starting prenatal education on them, trying to cram everything into their minds. Now they can communicate normally with adults.

Knowing they were entering a new stage of their lives, they nodded heavily, a mixture of trepidation and excitement, and made an appointment with Grandma Ke, displaying a heroic yet uneasy air, like warriors heading to battle.

As soon as the children went to school, Ke Meiyu felt as if winter had suddenly turned into summer, as if all the heavy clothes had been taken off and she felt incredibly relaxed.

The old lady was so bored that she didn't know how to pass the time. One moment she would take a rag and wipe this place, and the next she would take off the bed sheet that had just been washed two days ago to wash it.

The old man wasn't much better off.

In other people's homes, a husband his age would be someone who goes out for walks or plays chess, walks his birds, or helps with grocery shopping – such a model husband is extremely rare.

But the old man helps look after the child, and buying groceries and cooking are his daily tasks. Now he carries a hoe and tends the vegetable garden in the yard, happily talking to the neighbors, saying that when the vegetables in the garden are ripe, he must send them to them to try.

Ke Meiyu quickly grabbed the old lady and said with a smile, "Grandma, the children will be going to school five days a week from now on. Are you going to be busy for five days straight? There aren't that many sheets and blankets for you to wash!"

The old lady smiled sheepishly, "To be honest, when my family ran a shop, I could help out with whatever I wanted. But now that I'm suddenly idle, I really don't know what to do."

Ke Meiyu's eyes flickered, and she said with a smile, "Then let me find you a job?"

The old lady was taken aback, then nodded repeatedly, “Okay, this compound looks big, but everyone stays at home, unlike in our village where we can gather together and chat.”

“If I stay idle like this, I’ll definitely grow mold! And the old man, he wants to finish planting all his own land and then dig up the neighbor’s.”

"Okay, leave it to me!" Ke Meiyu patted her chest and said with a smile.

The weather was still muggy in the afternoon. Ke Meiyu carried a small bag and went out for a stroll. She found that the four courtyards were separated by only a cross-shaped avenue. Apart from a cultural palace that was almost never open for business, there was a large residential area all around.

People from all kinds of organizations are there. It seems that no one can live in a high-class compound that reflects their status. Even if they live close to it, they might be able to get in touch with the people in the compound, which would be a huge step up!

With the increase in population, supporting facilities such as supply and marketing cooperatives, state-run restaurants, post offices, and barbershops were naturally established, although they were a bit far from the four large compounds.

People usually like to go to the small park with the lake to the north after meals, but there aren't many other leisure activities.

She stood in front of the Cultural Palace. The iron gate was rusty, and someone had smashed a hole in the guard's window. The table inside was covered with a thick layer of dust.

"Hey, who are you?" A little girl with a spiky haircut rode up on her bicycle, braked suddenly, and said with bright eyes, "You must be Ninth Brother's wife, right? Hello, Ninth Sister-in-law, my name is He Yixian, and I live in the Peking University compound. When we were little, my brother and I loved playing with Ninth Brother the most."

“I used to be a sent-down youth in another city, and I just came back after passing the exam. I’ve seen Ninth Sister-in-law standing here for a while now. Is there something you need? This place was so lively when we were kids.”

The little girl smiled and talked to herself, not feeling embarrassed at all about chatting with a complete stranger.

Ke Meiyu smiled, pursing her lips, and followed up with, "How lively?"

“When we were little, this place had just been built. The buildings were new and the place was big, so the old people and children all liked to come here. There are indoor and outdoor basketball courts, table tennis, badminton and tennis courts, as well as a chess and card room, a calligraphy appreciation room, a reading room and a dance hall.”

“This place is packed with people every night, especially in the summer when the children are on summer vacation. It’s bustling from opening to closing. We’ve even converted the equipment room on the second floor into a nap room.”

"But then, during those ten years, some people said that the Cultural Palace was a place that corrupted people's thinking and made them lazy, so gradually no one dared to come. Only a few bold young people held the keys and would come to play a few games of basketball from time to time."

Ke Meiyu was puzzled. "I see that cultural centers in other places have been restored and are thriving. Why is ours still abandoned?"

Hearing this, He Yixian couldn't help but chuckle, her eyebrows practically dancing as she shared the gossip with her: "Ninth Sister-in-law, you don't know this," she couldn't help but keep her in suspense, but before anyone could ask, she blurted it all out.

“The people in our compound are considered upper class in Kyoto, and everyone is watching us closely, so we're all more timid than anyone else. We only started planning after other cultural centers opened.”

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