「End of August.」

After returning from Sydney, it was time to enroll the children in school.

Time flew so fast; the children were now in the second grade. They were another year older.

Lin Feng went to their classes to register them, then attended a parent-teacher meeting. Classes would officially begin on September 1st.

The children's backpacks and pencil cases had been used for a year. The zippers had broken twice and had to be mended. Although the family had money, Lin Feng and Zhang Yuxi didn't deliberately try to save on food, clothing, and other expenses. Aside from the little princess, Sanbao, who liked delicate things, and the boys, who liked buying toys, there were no other issues. When it came to clothes, the children didn't pay much attention either. Back when they were in senior kindergarten, the clothes Lin Feng had picked were a size too large, so they lasted until the second grade. The kids had only recently mentioned buying new ones.

Lin Feng and the children organized their backpacks and pencil cases together. Erbao's and Sanbao's backpacks looked about eighty percent new, but Dabao's and Sibao's…

Sigh, they were all bought at the same time. How can there be such a big difference?

Erbao's and Sanbao's backpacks could still be used for a while. But if he bought new backpacks for Dabao and Sibao without getting them for the other two, it wouldn't be fair, would it?

"Today, we're all going to buy new backpacks!" Lin Feng announced. "We'll keep these old ones for now and see if they can still be used later."

They were currently using rolling backpacks, so he figured he might as well get the same kind this time.

Sanbao, being very sensible, said, "Daddy, you don't need to buy me a new one. My backpack is still good and can last a bit longer."

Lin Feng asked her, "Are you sure?"

"I'm sure! But I want to change my keychain."

"Alright, we'll look for a suitable one when we go shopping later."

Sanbao's backpack had a small doll keychain that had broken after hanging on it for half a semester.

Erbao also spoke sensibly, "Daddy, I don't need a new backpack either. Let's just buy a new one when this one breaks."

Hearing this, Dabao and Sibao felt a little guilty.

Dabao patted his chest. "Daddy, I think if I fix mine up, it can still be used."

One of the wheels on Dabao's backpack was stuck.

Sibao added, "Daddy, I think mine will be fine if I just replace the handle."

The retractable handle on Sibao's backpack was broken.

Of course, Lin Feng wouldn't discourage his children's thriftiness. "Alright, let's take them to get repaired and see if they can be fixed."

So, Lin Feng took the children to find a zipper repair shop and then a shoe repair shop. Neither could fix the backpacks.

Finally, deciding it was worth a shot, they went to a bicycle shop. The owner was sitting outside repairing a children's bike.

Lin Feng got out of the car and asked, "Sir, can you fix a student's rolling backpack?"

The owner looked up. "A rolling backpack? Let me see!"

Lin Feng took it out for the owner to inspect. The owner said it wasn't a problem. "It's not a big issue!" he declared. "But for this handle, you need an original part, so I can't fix that. I can only repair the wheels."

Lin Feng smiled. "Then could you please just fix the one with the broken wheels? Thank you, sir!"

"You're welcome!"

Sibao said, "It's okay, leave the handle. I'll just stand the backpack up at the back of the classroom."

Sibao was in Class Six and was considered the big brother among the boys, so nobody would touch his things.

The owner chatted with Lin Feng as he worked. He was about the same age as Lin Dashan and very warmhearted.

"Are all four of these your kids?"

"Yeah."

"Wow, I couldn't tell. You look so young to have kids this big! Is it stressful raising four children?"

"It's alright. It's a little better now; it used to be much more tiring."

"I see your kids look healthy. You must be doing a great job raising them! How many people are taking care of them?"

"Just me and their mom."

"That's impressive. Raising four kids must cost quite a bit."

"Mmm, the expenses are a bit high."

"That's how it is. With the cost of living so high, raising one child costs a fortune, let alone four."

"That's true."

While the owner chatted with Lin Feng, he worked deftly on the repairs. The children, meanwhile, looked around the shop with curiosity, examining everything.

Half an hour later, the owner tested his work and handed the rolling backpack to Lin Feng. "Take a look. Any problems with it?"

Lin Feng rolled it around a bit. "It's great, sir. How much do I owe you?"

"The wheels are from my stock. It's twenty-five for one, so that's fifty for two. Let's call it one hundred in total."

Lin Feng paid with his phone. "Thanks, sir!"

The children also chirped happily, "Thank you, Grandpa!"

Afterward, they drove to a stationery store near the school. They happened to run into Mr. Yue from Class Six, and after greeting him, they went inside to shop for pencil cases, pencils, erasers, and so on.

Mr. Yue had previously warned them not to buy overly elaborate stationery to avoid distractions in class. And for good reason. One pencil case could race like a little car when you pulled a tab. The erasers came in all sorts of bright colors and cute shapes; they were incredibly fun. And the pens… gosh, they were just adorable.

Even a grown man like him found them amusing, let alone the children!

Still, the children obeyed their teacher. The erasers they bought were all standard and plain. Sanbao still preferred a pencil pouch. Erbao, this time, chose a pink pencil pouch with a fluorescent blue tint, which was very pretty. Sibao bought a pencil case that looked like a small car. Dabao's had an image of a Transformer on it. As for pens, Lin Feng let them each pick what they liked. Then he bought some notebooks for their homework. The school would provide the notebooks for classwork. They also needed to buy ready-made book covers and other supplies.

After they finished, they also bought some small snacks and trinkets. The shops near the school were quite affordable, with most items only costing a few yuan and not feeling expensive.

Once the shopping was done, Lin Feng drove the children home. Zhang Yuxi, who had also just returned after a busy day, was delighted to hear that the children had been thrifty. She showered them with praise.

"That's right! Some things can still be used, and it would be such a waste to throw them away!" she said. "From now on, let's all be like this, okay? We'll only throw things away when we really have no other choice, alright?"

The children answered in unison, "Okay!"

Zhang Yuxi lovingly stroked the tops of the children's heads. "Alright, let's get some rest. School officially starts tomorrow."

The children organized their little backpacks, double-checked that they hadn't forgotten anything, and then went to bed.

Later, Lin Feng went to the wardrobe to get out the children's school uniforms.

"Honey, these uniforms are all identical. How can you tell whose is whose?" Zhang Yuxi asked.

Lin Feng gave a mysterious smile. "This one is Dabao's, this one is Erbao's… and this one is Sibao's…"

Zhang Yuxi let out a surprised sound and examined them closely, but she found that the uniforms were all the same size. There was no apparent difference.

"Honey, how do you tell them apart?"

Lin Feng laughed. "Isn't it simple? Dabao's uniform has a little tear here at the hem, and the sleeves are a bit worn. Erbao's zipper broke before, so I replaced it. See? It's a little rabbit zipper. Sanbao's uniform is very new and spotless; hers is the cleanest. And Sibao's… his is the most worn-out of all."

Zhang Yuxi couldn't help but sigh in admiration. "Honey, you're amazing. You're so incredibly observant."

Lin Feng didn't think it was a big deal. "I've been taking care of them and doing their laundry every day. Over time, I just learned to tell their things apart."

Zhang Yuxi wrapped her arms around Lin Feng's waist. "Honey, thank you! You do so much to take care of this family!"

Lin Feng hugged her back. "Not at all, my dear wife. You've contributed a lot, too!"

The couple shared an affectionate moment. Then, Lin Feng placed each child's school uniform at the head of their bed.

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