Since it was hot in the summer, the babies could sleep even if they kicked their blankets off and not catch a cold. If it were winter, however, Lin Feng would be a little worried.

"Of course you can!" he said to Third Treasure. "When we get home, the boys will have one room, and the girls will have another. Then we'll decorate them nicely, just the way you want, okay? We can put up posters of Ultraman and Transformers and set up their toys! If you'd like, Third Treasure, Dad can give you a room all to yourself!"

Third Treasure liked peace and quiet, while Big Treasure and Fourth Treasure were a noisy pair. If she wanted her own room, the house just so happened to have the space.

Upon hearing Lin Feng's words, Third Treasure's eyes immediately sparkled. "Really?"

Lin Feng nodded. "Of course!"

Third Treasure didn't usually talk much, but that didn't mean she wasn't a smart child. She could clearly sense that she was different from the others. She liked quiet, wasn't one to curry favor with others, and wasn't good at expressing herself.

This time, she hugged Lin Feng. "Dad, thank you! You're the best!"

Lin Feng embraced her. "I'm your dad. Anything you want to say, or anything you want, you can always tell me, understand?"

Third Treasure nodded. Then, completely satisfied, she ran out to play with Second Treasure.

They were acting out the story of Cinderella. Third Treasure was playing Cinderella, Second Treasure was the stepmother, and their little friend Tian Tian was the stepsister. Third Treasure was pretending to do chores while the other two bossed her around convincingly.

Second Treasure, as the stepmother, turned to her 'daughter', Tian Tian, and said, "I hear the Prince is hosting a ball! Daughter, you're so beautiful, you're sure to be chosen."

The 'daughter', Tian Tian, smiled slightly and said with great vanity, "Yes, I think so too. The role of princess is mine for the taking."

'Cinderella' Third Treasure, having perfectly captured the character's essence, asked pitifully, "Can I go too?"

'Stepmother' Second Treasure said unhappily, "You're just a dirty little girl, you can't go! And besides, you're too ugly."

The 'stepsister' Tian Tian nodded. "Exactly, you're too ugly."

At this, 'Cinderella' Third Treasure looked terribly crestfallen and pretended to cry.

Just then, the Fairy Godmother—also played by Tian Tian—arrived, holding a magic wand. "Such a beautiful, lovely, and sweet girl. Why are you crying here? Is there anything I can do to help you?"

Cinderella wiped her tears. "I want to go to the Prince's ball, but I don't have a beautiful dress to wear. What should I do?"

The Fairy Godmother waved her magic wand with a smile. "That's easy! I'll cast a spell for you, and you'll have a beautiful dress. Then you can go to the Prince's ball."

Cinderella looked moved. "Thank you, Fairy Godmother!"

The Fairy Godmother then waved her wand with great flair, muttering, "Become beautiful, become beautiful!"

After spinning in a circle a few times, 'Cinderella' looked down at her clothes and said with feigned surprise, "Oh my goodness, this dress is so beautiful! I love it! Thank you, Fairy Godmother. Now I can go to the Prince's ball. You're so kind, I don't know how I can ever repay you!"

The Fairy Godmother smiled faintly. "You're a good child. There's no need to repay me. Hurry along to the ball!"

Next, Second Treasure took the stage as the Prince, complete with a hat on her head. She scanned the room and asked theatrically, "How are there no beautiful girls here?"

Tian Tian, now back in her role as the stepsister, walked over. "Wow, Your Highness, you're so handsome!"

Second Treasure remained expressionless, even showing a hint of disdain. Her acting was absolutely spot-on. "Go away, you ugly thing!"

Tian Tian asked with great exaggeration, "How am I ugly when I'm this beautiful? I'm the most beautiful in all the land!"

Just then, Third Treasure made her entrance. 'Prince' Second Treasure went over and took Third Treasure's hand. "Now *this* is the most beautiful lady. My fair lady, may I have this dance?"

Third Treasure nodded shyly, and the two pretended to dance hand in hand. At that moment, Tian Tian turned into a clock, calling out, "Ding dong, ding dong! It's twelve o'clock!"

Third Treasure was having fun playing with Second Treasure when Tian Tian reminded them, "It's midnight, you have to go back..."

Only then did Third Treasure remember she wasn't supposed to be twirling around; she was still Cinderella! She pushed 'Prince' Second Treasure away and made to leave.

Watching this, Lin Feng felt a complex mix of emotions. He couldn't help but think back to when he was three, probably still playing in the mud. And here these kids were, already able to act out a scene from Cinderella. He had to admire how much smarter children were these days. If he hadn't seen it with his own eyes, he wouldn't have believed how convincingly they were performing.

Downstairs, he saw Zhang Yuxi and Liu Qing still talking about something. But this time, Liu Qing was clearly much more confident than before.

Liu Qing insisted they stay. "Since you've come all this way, why not stay for dinner before you leave?"

After they finished dinner, the sky had already grown dark. Having bonded over their Cinderella play, Tian Tian was very sad to see Second Treasure and Third Treasure go. "Can we do Snow White next time?"

Second Treasure and Third Treasure had no objections.

***

They returned home. After getting the babies cleaned up and into bed, Lin Feng discussed his plans with Zhang Yuxi.

"For the guest rooms downstairs, I'm thinking of giving one to Fourth Treasure and Big Treasure," he said. "As for the other two, one for Second Treasure, and I'll give Third Treasure her own room, too."

Zhang Yuxi had no objections. As Lin Feng said, the renovations would take some time. Even if they used non-toxic materials, the babies couldn't move in right away; they would have to wait several months.

They decided to act immediately. The next day, Lin Feng asked Manager Luo to come over and design the children's rooms. Manager Luo asked the children what they wanted.

Big Treasure and Fourth Treasure had simple requests. Their room had to have Ultraman, Transformers, and a tent.

Second Treasure's requirement was that everything be predominantly pink. The wardrobe, bed, and curtains all had to be pink. She also wanted a small table, among other things.

Third Treasure didn't have as many requirements and couldn't quite articulate what she wanted.

Manager Luo wrote down their requests. "I'll bring some design plans tomorrow for the babies to choose from!"

Since they were all familiar with each other, the babies waved their little hands as he left. "Bye, Uncle Luo!"

***

After seeing Manager Luo off, they set out to complete the homework assigned by Mr. Li: planting small flowers. They also needed to collect ten different kinds of leaves along the way.

They went to a flower shop and explained what they needed to the owner. The owner smiled. "I happen to have some seeds right here. Small red chrysanthemums and small dahl-lias." He brought out a pot with a mature plant for them to see. "They look like this!"

Lin Feng and Zhang Yuxi were very satisfied. This was a project for the parents and children to complete together. Lin Feng had the babies listen carefully as the owner explained the important points, such as not planting the seeds too deep and not using too much water.

They also bought seven small flowerpots, so Zhang Yuxi and Lin Feng could each plant one as well. Since the shop wasn't far from home, they decided to walk back and look for leaves on the way. The problem was, Lin Feng didn't know the names of most of the trees, except for the ginkgo. He had no choice but to take photos so he could look them up online later.

After returning home, Lin Feng, Zhang Yuxi, and the babies planted the flowers together. Once they were finished, they wrote their names on each pot. Mission accomplished!

Next was making the leaf handbook. After a quick count, they realized they were still five short. And so, they took the children for a stroll around the community.

Cui Lake Villa had a wide variety of trees planted, so Lin Feng and the children started collecting leaves. They were lucky and happened to run into an old gardener who was pruning branches.

Eager to learn, Lin Feng led the babies over. "Grandpa, excuse me, could you tell us what tree this leaf is from?"

Seeing that Lin Feng lived in the villa, the gardener knew he must be either wealthy or influential. The children were also adorable and polite, so he answered enthusiastically. "This is a leaf from a Southern Magnolia!"

Lin Feng quickly took a photo and made a note. "And this one?"

"That's from a Small-leaf Privet!"

"What about this one?"

"That's a leaf from a Golden-leaf Alder!"

"Oh, I see! And this red one?"

"That's from a Red-leaf Barberry!"

"And this one?"

"That's a Koelreuteria leaf. This one is from a Wax Tree, this one is from a Coral Tree, this is a Boxwood leaf, this is a Mahonia leaf, and this one is from a Pittosporum."

"Thank you, Grandpa."

The babies chorused their thanks in unison, "Thank you, Grandpa!"

The old man beamed. "You're welcome, you're welcome!"

Just like that, they had collected all ten types of leaves from around the community. The homework Mr. Li had assigned wasn't just about completing a task, but about the experience of doing it. So, Lin Feng took the babies on another walk through the neighborhood. Thanks to this little adventure, they all now had a much better understanding of the trees planted where they lived.

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