Tie Dan and Da Mao, like Xiao Ba, are all in the glass house.

As a Chinese soft-shelled turtle, Xiao Ba enjoys sunny places but cannot stand direct sunlight, so the Lin family’s glass house is just perfect for it.

Although it’s a glass house, it is not made of glass but transparent plastic to avoid direct sunlight.

Since coming out of hibernation in March this year, Ning Shu prepared a large wash basin for it.

The wash basin is made of wood, round in shape, and has a diameter of about one meter, which is quite large.

The wash basin has about ten centimeters of water in it, and there are also a few red stones placed inside for it to step on.

As Xiao Ba is a turtle caught from the river, its swimming skills are excellent; otherwise, it wouldn’t have survived in the river.

Xiao Ba is easier to care for than Ning Shu expected; it eats everything.

When Ning Shu usually feeds it, the diet consists mainly of seafood, vegetables, and coarse grains.

These days, it’s not possible to buy seafood every day, so when there’s seafood available at the market, Ning Shu buys some extra and freezes it.

Although it seems extravagant for a turtle to eat seafood, its appetite is actually quite small; a large shrimp can be divided into two meals.

It eats once a day, half a shrimp along with some pumpkin, and then a bit of leafy greens, enjoying every bit of it.

Watching the turtle eat is a delight.

Xiao Ba is very fond of Ning Shu because when it came out of hibernation, Er Bao was busy training, while Yi Bao and San Bao had to go to school every day.

It was mostly Ning Shu taking care of it, so over time, Xiao Ba learned that being with Ning Shu meant food.

However, among everyone in the house, its closest companions are not Ning Shu but Da Mao and Tie Dan, simply because they are in the same glass house.

Xiao Ba is in the wash basin, while Da Mao and Tie Dan watch it from outside.

Tie Dan is playful and sometimes pulls Xiao Ba out of the wash basin.

Once, when Ning Shu came to check on Xiao Ba, she discovered it was missing. She asked Da Mao and Tie Dan and eventually found Xiao Ba in the corner.

It turns out that Tie Dan had played with it for a while and then lost interest, allowing Xiao Ba to wander off happily on its own.

However, Da Mao and Tie Dan are very familiar with its scent, so no matter where Xiao Ba hides, they can always find it.

“Xiao Ba, Xiao Ba, do you remember me?”

Xiao Ba was basking in the sun, its little belly pressed against the red bricks, its four tiny claws stretched out leisurely.

Since being caught by its little master, its turtle life has improved; it no longer needs to search for food, as the young master feeds it daily, and it has an older brother and sister to play with.

Oh, it seems to have heard some noise.

Xiao Ba slowly opened its eyes to see a somewhat familiar figure standing in front of it.

Ah, isn’t that the little master who fed it too much, causing it to have a week of diarrhea?

“Xiao Ba, look what I brought you!” Er Bao said, rummaging through his backpack, and pulled out a toy swimming ring. “Xiao Ba, look, are you happy? You can take it swimming!”

Saying this, he placed the toy swimming ring in the wash basin and then picked up Xiao Ba to put it on the toy swimming ring.

However, as soon as he let go, Xiao Ba flipped over, climbed off the toy swimming ring, and jumped into the water.

Inside the water, there is a little room made of stones where it stayed and didn’t come out.

Er Bao felt a bit dejected: “Xiao Ba, don’t you like it?”

But the silent Xiao Ba could not respond.

Er Bao cheerfully took his gift and walked out, feeling a bit down.

He didn’t know that after he left, Xiao Ba poked its little head out from its little house.

That Night

Lin Guodong naturally knew about Er Bao’s return, so as soon as it was time to get off work, he came home right on time. Normally, he wouldn’t hurry like this.

Recently, due to the World Middle School Games, many people in the army had been chatting, and some would watch TV during their free time.

However, Ning Shu and the children had not been to the capital, so no one knew that the youngest world champion at the World Middle School Games was his son.

As soon as Lin Guodong arrived home, he strode inside, and behind him, Xiao Hou drove away the car.

Upon entering the house, Lin Guodong scanned the interior and didn’t see Er Bao, nor did he see Yi Bao or San Bao, so he went to the kitchen, where Ning Shu was busy: “Is Er Bao not back?”

“He’s back; he’s not in the living room? He’s probably sleeping in his room. You can call him; it’s time for dinner,” Ning Shu replied.

Tonight’s dinner was exceptionally rich, resembling a feast for the New Year, as all the frozen seafood and meat were taken out to celebrate Er Bao’s victory and his safe return.

“Mm.”

Lin Guodong turned and went upstairs to the room of the three children.

The door to the room was open, and just as he approached the door, he heard Er Bao’s voice, confirming that he was indeed back.

“What are you all doing in the room? Come down for dinner.” Lin Guodong stood at the door and did not enter.

“Dad…” Erbao called out.

“Dad’s back,” Yibao stood up.

“Time for dinner,” Sanbao followed suit.

“Hmm,” Lin Guodong responded and turned to Erbao. “How was it abroad? Did you learn anything?”

As expected, the strict father.

Erbao thought for a moment, “I didn’t really learn anything…” He wasn’t sure what his father wanted him to learn.

Sanbao couldn’t help but chuckle.

Yibao pressed his lips together to hold back his laughter. He and Sanbao both knew what their dad was asking, but Erbao clearly didn’t.

Lin Guodong, aware that Erbao had misunderstood, continued walking as he asked, “How does it compare to our country? On this trip abroad, did you notice any differences?”

Erbao scratched his head. “It’s pretty much the same as here, except the people look different… oh, and I saw that even among the same race, like us Asians, people still look different. And even among white people, they don’t all look the same.”

“Hmm.” Lin Guodong nodded. “What about the streets, the buildings, the department stores abroad?”

“They’re about the same… uh, their buildings are taller, the roads are wider, and there are fewer people?” Erbao racked his brain to think of more differences but could only come up with these.

Lin Guodong smiled, “It’s good that you noticed that. Next time you have the chance to visit another country, pay close attention to the differences. There’s a lot we can learn.”

“I got it,” Erbao nodded enthusiastically.

Lin Guodong turned to Yibao and Sanbao. “Did you hear what Erbao said? You two haven’t had the chance to go abroad yet, but you can learn about other countries through TV, newspapers, or by asking Erbao. The more you know about other countries, the better you’ll understand what our own country needs.”

He didn’t realize then, but this kind of wisdom would eventually prove beneficial to the nation in the future.

“We understand,” Yibao and Sanbao said in unison. They were curious about the unknown, and before their father returned, they had already pestered Erbao with questions. They knew everything Erbao had experienced on his trip.

When the family of four entered the dining room, Ning Shu was already seated at the table. “Come, let’s eat.”

“Wow, there’s so much food today!” Erbao’s eyes sparkled. “Is it a special occasion?” He racked his brain, thinking through all the holidays, but couldn’t come up with an answer.

Yibao sighed, “It’s the day you came home, and you won two gold medals. We’re celebrating!”

“Really? Wow, thanks, Mom! You’re the best.” Erbao jumped up in excitement.

Ning Shu smiled, “Alright, eat up. Didn’t you say you didn’t eat well abroad? Now you can enjoy yourself.”

“I didn’t eat well at all! I even had an upset stomach. The food there is terrible. I feel bad for them, having to eat it every day.”

Ning Shu could only shake her head. People abroad probably thought their food was strange too.

As soon as the food was served, Erbao ate like a wolf. Today, he was the star, and everyone let him enjoy his favorite dishes without any competition. On a regular day, the three brothers would fight to see who could grab the food the fastest.

After dinner, Erbao was excused from chores, leaving Yibao and Sanbao to handle them. Watching his brothers help out, Erbao couldn’t help but feel lucky.

“Erbao…” Ning Shu glanced at him with a smile. “What about the gift you prepared for your dad?”

“Oh?” Erbao suddenly remembered. “I’ll go get it.”

He dashed upstairs and, after a moment, hurried back down, running to the courtyard where Lin Guodong was. “Dad, this is for you!”

Standing at the doorway, Erbao held out his hand toward his father, who was in the courtyard. In his palm was a gold medal, glowing under the evening sky.

Lin Guodong looked at the medal, then at Erbao, remembering his small figure disappearing among the other competitors on the track.

And now, he had won the gold.

“For me?” Lin Guodong’s voice caught for a moment, but he quickly regained composure. “Thank you.” This was Erbao’s first gold medal, and its significance was immense. As a father, he cherished it deeply.

Erbao beamed. “There are two medals. One for you, and one for Mom. Next time I win, I’ll give one to Brother and one to Sanbao.” He then handed the other medal to Ning Shu. “Mom, this is for you.”

Ning Shu took the gold medal, feeling its weight, as if it weighed a thousand pounds. She held it tightly but couldn’t resist loosening her grip to take another look. “Thank you, my son.”

“You’re welcome.”

Seeing how happy his parents were made Erbao equally joyful.

That night, after everyone had gone to bed, Ning Shu and Lin Guodong lay in bed, both wide awake. Normally, if they couldn’t sleep, they would chat or joke around, but tonight, they were unusually quiet.

Sigh… Ning Shu let out a soft sigh.

“What’s on your mind?” Lin Guodong asked.

“Erbao is growing up,” Ning Shu said wistfully. “Yibao has always been mature, and Sanbao is sensible, but Erbao was always the innocent and carefree one. Now, he’s growing up too.”

“He may be growing up in age, but his nature and his mind are still the same,” Lin Guodong reassured her.

Ning Shu smiled wryly. It was meant as a compliment, but somehow it sounded like a jab. “I was just thinking about Yibao and Sanbao too. One day, they’ll get married, have their own families, and won’t be around us all the time. I can’t help but feel a little sad.”

No matter how much you want to stop it, children will grow up.

Lin Guodong comforted her, “It’s okay. If you like children so much, once they get married, they’ll have kids, and you’ll have grandchildren to dote on soon enough.”

Ning Shu shot him a look. “That’s not what I meant.”

Suddenly, Lin Guodong pulled her into his arms. “Don’t worry. No matter how much the kids grow up, whether you move forward or step back, I’ll always be here by your side.”