In the blink of an eye, it was time for Sanbao and Zhang Yuxi to leave Yangcheng for Modu to prepare for the performance. The family attended every single one of Sanbao's performances without fail, and Zhang Yuxi used her camera to document each one.

One day, someone called out, "Xiao Rui?"

With a gift in hand, Xiao Rui stood shyly at the courtyard gate. "Can I come in?"

"Of course!" Dabao smiled as he opened the gate for him.

Following behind Xiao Rui was the same auntie from before. The quadruplets had occasionally seen them together at the stables this past week, so their relationship with Xiao Rui had grown much closer.

Xiao Rui handed the gift to Dabao. "This is for you all!"

Dabao was pleasantly surprised. "Thank you!"

"Come on, we're playing on the swing!"

"Where's Erbao?" Xiao Rui asked quickly.

"She's here too!"

Erbao was swaying gently on the swing, while Sibao was up in a tree with Lin Feng, building a birdhouse.

Xiao Rui greeted them, "Hello there!"

Erbao flashed a sweet smile. "Hi!"

Sibao's sharp eyes caught the box in Dabao's hands. "Dabao, what's that you're holding?"

"I don't know. It's a gift from Xiao Rui!"

"They're some little cookies," Xiao Rui said quickly.

Sibao was about to make a move, but Lin Feng stopped him. "Hold on, I'm almost done here!"

Xiao Rui tilted his head up. "What are you guys doing?"

"We're making a house for the birds," Sibao shouted. "They might come and build a nest here in the future!"

Xiao Rui's eyes lit up. "Really?"

He moved closer and saw a small wooden house, perfect for little birds. It was painted in many bright and beautiful colors. Besides that one, there were two others, making three in total.

"Will any birds really come?" Xiao Rui asked curiously.

Sibao wasn't entirely sure. "Maybe. Dad said they might come in the autumn and winter!"

"The first year, they won't know there's a home here," Lin Feng said with a smile. "But by the second or third year, they're bound to find it!"

The children nodded emphatically.

"There are birds chirping here every morning," Sibao added with renewed confidence. "There are lots of them around."

"That's wonderful," Xiao Rui said with a look of envy.

Lin Feng clapped the dust off his hands. "All done!"

Like a little monkey, Sibao scampered down the tree.

"Go wash your hands!" Lin Feng reminded him.

Sibao ran to a nearby water pipe, washed his hands in a hurry, and came back.

"Let me try one and see if they're good!" When it came to food, Sibao wasn't a picky eater unless something tasted truly awful.

He opened the box. It was filled with pretty, animal-shaped cookies that gave off a rich, buttery aroma.

"Wow, these smell amazing! And they're delicious!" Sibao exclaimed after taking a bite.

"My auntie made them," Xiao Rui explained. "They're my favorite cookies, so I thought you guys might like them too."

Having washed his hands, Dabao ran over and tried one. They were indeed delicious.

Sibao fed one to Lin Feng.

These are delicious. I should ask for the recipe later and learn how to make them for the kids, Lin Feng thought to himself.

Erbao was still on the swing, being doted on as her brothers took turns feeding her cookies.

Xiao Rui walked over to her. "Are they good?"

Erbao hopped off the swing. "Yummy! Thank you for the gift! Here, you should try the swing. It's a lot of fun, I'm sure you'll love it!"

Xiao Rui had been eyeing the swing since he arrived, though he had tried not to show it. Now, his happiness was written all over his face. "Thank you!"

After he sat down, Erbao started pushing him from behind. "So, what brings you here today?"

Xiao Rui pursed his lips. "I just had some free time."

Erbao got tired after a few pushes and stood to the side. "You can swing by yourself now!"

Sibao, having finished his cookies, clapped his hands. "Here, let me push!"

He pushed higher and higher, and Xiao Rui's smile grew wider and wider. "WOW, this is so much fun! I love it!"

Xiao Rui's aunt looked on worriedly. "Slow down, that's too high!"

After a while, Xiao Rui got off the swing, his little face flushed with excitement.

"Wow, this tree is amazing, and the swing is so much fun!"

"You can come over to our house to play anytime you want," Erbao said with a smile.

"Can I really?" he asked, looking toward Lin Feng.

Lin Feng had no objection; he never interfered with his children's friendships.

"Sure you can," he said. "It's summer vacation, so there's no school anyway!"

Sibao hopped onto the swing. "Xiao Rui, watch me! I can swing really, really high!"

He swung even higher than Xiao Rui had. "How about that? Am I amazing or what?"

Both Xiao Rui and his aunt gasped in surprise.

Xiao Rui's eyes sparkled. "Wow, you're so awesome!"

"I'll show you a trick!" Sibao said, trying to stand up on the seat. "Look! How's this?"

Xiao Rui's mouth fell open. "That's incredible!"

Erbao and Dabao were already used to Si Bao's antics.

"My brother Dabao and I can do that too," Erbao said with a smile. "It's not that hard!"

...

After playing on the swing for a bit, the children took Xiao Rui to the vegetable patch.

"Wow, you're growing your own vegetables!" Xiao Rui said, thoroughly impressed.

Erbao's bell peppers were growing the fastest. They had a short growth cycle and were already bearing small peppers. It wouldn't be long before they were ready to eat. The other plants, however, were still in their flowering stage, their cycles about a month behind the peppers. Sanbao's cowpeas had already climbed densely over the small trellis Lin Feng had built.

Xiao Rui looked at each plant, his face full of envy.

"You can grow your own, too," Erbao suggested. "You can plant them in pots! Um, like tomatoes or small bell peppers…"

"Our yard is full of my mom's flowers," Xiao Rui said. "She loves planting all kinds of them." He added brightly, "You should come to our house! We have lots and lots of beautiful flowers in our yard!"

"Okay!" Erbao smiled sweetly.

Bell peppers needed a lot of water, so Erbao had to be diligent.

On the other side of the yard, the Chinese roses Zhang Yuxi had planted were blooming against the wall. Zhang Yuxi hadn't been interested in gardening at first, but spending time with the children had gradually sparked an interest in tending to flowers. Lin Feng had bought various types of roses, as they bloomed frequently, came in brilliant colors, and were easy to care for. Zhang Yuxi would water the plants with the kids, eagerly awaiting the results together.

Lin Feng's voice called from the house, "Come on in for some watermelon!"

When Xiao Rui stepped inside, he let out a gasp.

"Your house is so big!"

Lin Feng brought over a platter of sliced fruit. "Come have some watermelon and strawberries!"

Although he was only in the third grade, Xiao Rui had excellent manners and a neat way of eating.

Lin Feng smiled and asked, "Do you have any plans for this afternoon?"

Dabao turned to Xiao Rui. "We have tons of fun stuff at our house. Let's play some games together!"

Xiao Rui nodded. "Sure!"

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.