「In the blink of an eye.」

On August 30th, the Four Treasures started elementary school. This was a major event for the children as well as for Lin Feng and Zhang Yuxi.

Da Bao and Er Bao were assigned to Class Eight, while Si Bao and San Bao were in Class Six. Zhang Yuxi took a day off to handle their registration. Lin Feng went to Class Eight, and Zhang Yuxi went to Class Six. They submitted birth certificates, vaccination records, kindergarten recommendation letters, household registration books, and more. It took them all morning, but they finally got everything sorted out.

The afternoon was dedicated to a parent-teacher meeting, where textbooks were distributed. August 31st was a day off, and classes would officially begin on September 1st. When the couple returned home, they felt like they could finally breathe again. The children, however, were happy playing but a little upset about not being in the same class. They eventually got over it, likely realizing it was out of their hands.

In the afternoon, Zhang Yuxi asked An Lan to come over and watch the Four Treasures for a while.

"Oh, that's perfect! They can help me keep an eye on Guo Guo!" An Lan readily agreed.

Guo Guo was almost a year and a half old. Now that he could run and jump, he was a real handful. An Lan spent her days in a state of self-hypnosis, constantly reminding herself that he was her own flesh and blood. Whenever she was about to fly into a rage, Guo Guo would come over with an innocent smile, wrap his arms around her, and softly call out, "Mommy!"

In that single moment, all of An Lan's frustration would melt away. But less than ten minutes later, he would drive her crazy all over again. And so, An Lan perpetually teetered on the brink of an explosion, venting all her anger on Liu Bo with punches and kicks.

"Honey, why are you hitting me?" Liu Bo would ask, looking completely innocent.

An Lan would retort, "Should I be hitting our son instead?"

"No, no, that's not okay!" Liu Bo would quickly surrender. "Go on, hit me!"

Only when An Lan had calmed down would Liu Bo dare to console her. "So, what did our son do today to make you so angry?"

The mere mention of it made her blood boil again. "Your son took my perfume today… and used it to spray the flowers, ahhhh!"

"No wonder the house smells so nice."

"It was Dior! My favorite fragrance! Do you have any idea how much a bottle costs?"

"It's okay, it's okay, I'll buy you a new one!" Liu Bo hurriedly placated her.

Alright, that made An Lan feel a little better. She continued her tirade, "He also completely messed up the cabinet I just organized…"

Recounting all of her son's misdeeds, An Lan felt like she couldn't go on. But then, she would see her son's adorable sleeping face. It's all worth it, no matter how tired or frustrated I get, she would think.

This little terror of a son was, however, as good as gold in front of the Four Treasures. And the Four Treasures were naturals when it came to taking care of kids! This was a perfect opportunity to let them babysit for half a day.

In the afternoon, the couple attended the parent-teacher meetings. The homeroom teacher for Class Six was Ms. Yue, and for Class Eight, it was Ms. Zhao; both were women. The teachers wrote the class schedules on the blackboard. For the first day of school, they needed to prepare things like pencil cases, pencils, erasers, and notebooks. While the homeroom teacher spoke, two other teachers distributed textbooks. The meeting started at two-thirty and didn't end until five.

Sitting in the car on the way home, the couple grew pensive. Our kids are growing up. They're about to face a much bigger world, with new friends and a whole new life. It feels like they're drifting a little further away from us, they thought, their feelings a complicated mix. But this is a path everyone must walk.

「On the 31st.」

Zhang Yuxi went to work, while Lin Feng stayed home to cover the children's new books. "First, get your pencil cases and pencil boxes organized," he instructed. "Everyone gets four pencils and two erasers. The pencils already have your names on them, so you just need to sort them out."

Before school started, Lin Feng had used an online shopping app to buy custom pencils engraved with each child's name, ordering a hundred for each of them. Besides the pencils, he also bought ordinary erasers in bulk. The teacher had specifically emphasized that items like pencils and erasers shouldn't be too flashy or ornate, as they could distract the children in class. Simple, standard styles were best. As for pencil cases, they could pick their favorites; San Bao, for example, preferred a pencil pouch.

"Put labels with your names on your pencil cases and erasers," Lin Feng added, following another of the teacher's requests.

Children transitioning from kindergarten to elementary school don't have a strong sense of managing their own belongings yet. They tend to lose things frequently, especially during the first few weeks. Labeling everything would make it easier to find lost items. Writing their own names was a key skill they had focused on in their last semester of senior kindergarten, so the Four Treasures had learned how to do that long ago.

Lin Feng handed a stack of books to Da Bao. "Da Bao, these are your books. Write your class number and name on them."

Fortunately, ready-made protective book covers are available these days. It wasn't like the old days when you had to make them yourself out of newspaper, which was a real hassle.

"Er Bao, these are yours!"

"Thank you, Daddy! You worked so hard!"

"Not at all!"

After covering all the books, he used a marker to write their nicknames discreetly on the side of their backpacks. The writing was tiny, almost unnoticeable unless you looked closely.

Sigh, I'm worried the kids will manage to lose their backpacks at school, too, Lin Feng thought.

He then prepared a small sweat towel for each of them, also labeled with their names. He gave each child a small, lightweight water bottle, which was convenient since the school had water dispensers. For his two little princesses, Lin Feng also packed some extra hair ties and clips, just in case.

By the time he finished all these preparations, the afternoon had slipped away. Sitting on the sofa, Lin Feng felt a wave of sentimentality. The kids are growing up so fast. In the blink of an eye, they're already six and about to start first grade.

After dinner, the couple had a long talk with the children, reminding them to look out for one another in their classes. They weren't worried about Da Bao or Si Bao, but they were concerned that Er Bao and San Bao, with their gentle natures, might get bullied.

Da Bao and Si Bao puffed out their chests and promised they would definitely take good care of San Bao and Er Bao.

They had to be at school by seven-fifty the next morning. After dropping them off, the couple watched them walk through the school gates, which were surrounded by a sea of other parents.

Zhang Yuxi and Lin Feng started walking back. "Honey, I'm heading off!" she said. "I won't be back for lunch today."

"Okay."

Lin Feng returned home and started preparing lunch. After a busy morning, he checked the clock; it was almost time to pick up the kids from school. The students were dismissed one class at a time. In total, there were eight first-grade classes.

After picking up the children, Lin Feng brought them home for lunch. They must have been starving, as they all ate with gusto. Once they finished eating and were resting, Lin Feng asked them how their first day of school was.

All the children said it was great.

Da Bao had run for class monitor and won the election.

San Bao was appointed by the teacher to be the music representative.

Meanwhile, Si Bao was the sports representative, and Er Bao was the arts representative!

The results were both expected and surprising. Er Bao's appointment as the arts representative, like San Bao's, had been decided by the teacher. After all, how could the prettiest girl in class not be the arts representative? What a waste that would be!

"Alright, go take your naps now. Daddy will wash the dishes."

In the parents' group chat, the teacher also announced the new class committee members. That evening, after their first day back, the children chattered excitedly about their new teachers and classmates.

Later that night, Lin Feng received a reward from the system.

DING!

[Because the Host has successfully raised the children to elementary school age, you are awarded five percent of the pure profit-sharing dividends from the Ali Group. This reward will last until they graduate from elementary school.]

[The relevant documents have been deposited into the Host's inventory. Please check for them!]

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