The way children express themselves is actually very direct, so when Er Bao heard Yang Baozhu say she didn’t like Zhang Qian either, he was happy. “Then, can we play with her?”

Yibao was a little adult who considered the feelings of adults.

After knowing that Yang Baozhu and Uncle Li knew each other, he never thought about not playing with her.

But he also remembered his mother’s words, so Yi Bao spoke up, “Then you can’t have physical contact with us. You can’t hold our hands, or touch our bodies. Doing so would be bad behavior towards us, which is wrong.”

This needed to be clarified in advance.

Yi Bao’s idea was that if a boy spanked a girl, he would be accused of being bad, so if a girl spanked a boy, it should also be considered bad also.

His mother said boys should not touch girls’ bodies or hold their hands, so girls should also not touch boys’ bodies or hold their hands.

Yi Bao was very good at thinking deeply and making generalizations.

Yang Baozhu was taken aback. “Okay, but why? Brothers and sisters can hold hands.”

“But you’re not our sister,” Yi Bao pointed out.

“So what? If you call me sister, then I am your sister. That way, we can hold hands. Oh, I’m seven years old this year, I live next door, my father is Deputy Battalion Commander Yang, and you know my grandmother too. By the way, how old are you?” Yang Baozhu realized she hadn’t asked their ages yet.

But children are divided by size, so it’s based on height.

“I’m six years old this year, and Er Bao is six too. San Bao is 18months old. My dad… My dad is a soldier in the Liberation Army.” Yibao Bao didn’t know about battalion commanders, but he remembered that his dad was a soldier in the Liberation Army.

“I’m older than you guys. I’m the big sister then. Oh, this is Er Bao, and this is San Bao. So, are you Yi Bao?” Yang Baozhu asked.

“Wow, you’re Yi Bao, Er Bao, San Bao, and I’m Baozhu. My name also has the word ‘Bao,’ so we’re like siblings.” Yang Baozhu was very happy that their names were similar, all containing the word “Bao.”

Yi Bao and Er Bao were also happy to hear Yang Baozhu say this.

” Brother , play.” San Bao was impatient, he couldn’t understand what they were saying, he just wanted to play with the ball.

“Okay, let’s play.” Yi Bao reassured his brother, then said to Yang Baozhu, “Baozhu, since you’re the oldest, you and San Bao can be on a team. This is how we play the game…” Yi Bao explained the rules.

“Okay, no problem. What’s the punishment for losing?” Yang Baozhu asked.

Er Bao said, “We have to bark like a dog, just one bark if we lose.” If spanking wasn’t allowed, barking like a dog should be okay, right?

As a girl, and a somewhat educated one at that, Yang Baozhu didn’t want to bark like a dog. She asked, “Can we have a different punishment? I don’t want to bark like a dog, it’s embarrassing. If Zhang Qian hears about it, I’ll lose face.”

If Er Bao had a kindergarten diploma, he wouldn’t have said such a thing.

“What should the punishment be then?” Er Bao asked.

He thought they were being troublesome. When they played with their friends back home, it was either getting spanked or barking like a dog.

Why would anyone laugh at them?

Hmm… Yang Baozhu thought about it but couldn’t come up with anything.

Li Zao found it hilarious.

These kids were really interesting. “You could do sit-ups or push-ups as punishment.”

Er Bao: “Uncle Li, what are sit-ups and push-ups?”

Yi Bao and Yang Baozhu also looked at him with confusion.

Li Zao: “…Forget I said anything. How about this, the winner gets to slap the loser’s palm once. That should be okay, right? Kids have light strength, so it won’t hurt much.”

Yi Bao didn’t find this punishment interesting, but couldn’t think of anything else, so he said, “My mother said boys shouldn’t touch girls’ bodies.”

Li Zao: “…Didn’t Baozhu just say it’s okay for brothers and sisters to hold hands?”

“Really?” Yi Bao was skeptical.

Li Zao was helpless. “Then go ask your mother?”

“Alright. Wiat me” Er Bao bounced away and ran inside, “Mom… Mom…” He shouted before he even reached the kitchen.

Ning Shu was stir-frying vegetables and responded, “What’s wrong?”

Er Bao said, “Mom, the girl next door wants to play with us…” He explained what had happened, “Mom, Baozhu said she can be our sister and then it’s okay to hold hands and even slap hands. She said it’s not being a bad person, is that true?”

It was 1971 now, and in a few years, the Cultural Revolution would end.

The notion of being “bad” would gradually disappear, and children who received education would gradually understand the differences between boys and girls.

So, instead of forcing them to understand these things at an age when they couldn’t, it was better to let them naturally accept it.

“You can only hold hands, slapping hands is okay, but you can’t touch anywhere else. If someone teaches you to touch elsewhere, you should come and ask me, okay?”

She had a headache.

She was also an amateur at educating children.

“Got it.” Er Bao bounced back out.

Lin Guodong was quietly tending to the fire behind the stove.

After Er Bao left, he asked, “Why did you suddenly talk about being ‘bad’? Did something happen?”

Ning Shu recounted the incident about being “bad”. She even mimicked how she had acted when Ning Qin didn’t recognize her, “You know, when she was being polite to me, not recognizing me, I was just laughing. I even wondered what her expression would be if I told her I was Ning Shu. But I didn’t say anything. Why should I tell her?”

Lin Guodong said, “…As long as you’re happy.”

“Of course, I’m happy. You have to understand, I lived at the Ning family’s house for 16 years before going to the countryside. Today was the politest Ning Qin has ever been to me.” Ning Shu said, “But, I don’t plan on letting the three children play with her daughter Zhang Qian.”

It wasn’t because of Ning Qin, or because of the “bad” incident.

It was because the protagonist and antagonist were naturally at odds.

Even though the rules of the story were no longer in place, Ning Shu was still worried about any potential mishaps, so she didn’t plan on letting the children play with Zhang Qian.

As for the granddaughters of Yang Pozi’s family, she didn’t mind them playing together.

In the plot, Yibao and Erbao, who have been taken care of by Yang Pozi for these years, are particularly well-treated by the three sisters of the Yang family.

Later, when Yibao and Erbao clashed with Zhang Qian, the three sisters of the Yang family also helped them.

However, Yibao and Erbao later committed suicide to avoid implicating Lin Guodong.

They did not want their father to be tainted by this incident.

As for the outcome of the three sisters of the Yang family, although Ning Shu did not know, it would certainly not be good.

By the way, Yang Pozi has always wanted a grandson, but in the plot, she did not see a son born in the Yang family.

It seems that Yang Pozi is destined to be disappointed.

Outside in the yard, after being slapped on the palm for the seventh time, Yang Baozhu finally lost her motivation.

It’s not that she couldn’t do it, it’s that she had a bad teammate. San Bao, who was only 18months old this year, but still he was doing well to catch the cloth ball three times out of ten.

But the remaining seven times of punishment, Yang Baozhu and San Bao could not escape.

When Yi Bao and Er Bao hit their palms, they were gentle.

They were reluctant to hit their younger brother, and Yang Baozhu was a girl.

Even though Yi Bao and Er Bao were children, they were also young men and couldn’t bring themselves to hit a girl.

“Baozhu, what are you doing?” Yang Pozi and Zhao Huan came back carrying firewood and wild vegetables, seeing their granddaughter and the three treasures playing.

Yang Pozi was a thrifty person.

The whole family relied on her son to support them, so she did what she could to lighten her son’s burden.

Anything edible on the mountain, Yang Pozi knew about it.

If it was a weekend or a holiday, when the granddaughters finished their homework, they would also follow Yang Pozi to collect firewood and dig wild vegetables.

It was a pity that they couldn’t raise chickens or pigs in the family compound, otherwise Yang Pozi would definitely raise them too.

“Grandma…” Yang Baozhu saw Yang Pozi and said to Yi Bao and Er Bao, “My grandma is back, I’m not playing anymore.”

If her grandmother was at home and she still played instead of doing housework, her grandmother would scold her.

The three children also stopped playing, looking at them.

Yang Pozi smiled at the three children, “Yi Bao, Er Bao, San Bao, are you playing with your sister? Do you still want to play? I’ll ask your sister to play with you.” Then, she said to Yang Baozhu, not very kindly, “Go play with your brothers, there’s nothing for you to do at home.”