After finishing the cover, Erbao asked, “Brother, how do we write the diary? Mom said we need to write the date and weather too.”

Yibao replied, “Let’s think about how to write it. We’ll finish it tomorrow morning and give it to Mom.”

“Okay,” Sanbao chimed in thoughtfully.

He seemed to forget that his two brothers started writing diaries at eight years old, while he was only five and might not be ready yet.

Ning Shu finished her bath and noticed that her sons’ room was closed with warm yellow light escaping from under the door.

She stood there for a moment, listening to their conversation, which was quite audible to her.

Ning Shu silently chuckled to herself; giving them something to do was a good idea.

Preschool didn’t have vacations, but the three children had already graduated.

They would start first grade in September, so now they had some time off.

Technically, Sanbao wasn’t old enough for primary school yet, but since he had attended preschool for over two years and was well-behaved and mature, the elementary school accepted him.

The school’s age regulations mainly aimed to avoid dealing with very young children who might be difficult and cry a lot.

Well-behaved and mature kids like him starting school early were generally welcomed.

Ning Shu was starting to feel tired.

She had spent several days on a train, hadn’t had a good sleep in the afternoon, and had gone around town.

Now, she was starting to feel weary.

When Lin Guodong finished his bath and came back to tidy up, he heard Ning Shu’s even breathing from their room.

He quietly got into bed, saw Ning Shu with her back to him, and gently put his arm around her waist, leaning in slowly.

His warm breath brushed against her shoulder, making her, who was already half asleep, feel her heart race a bit faster.

“I’m really tired today,” Ning Shu said in a weary voice.

“Just sleep, I’ll help you relax,” Lin Guodong murmured.

She had been away for over ten days, and he was in his prime.

His thoughts were quite focused.

“You shameless…” Ning Shu teased.

What did he mean by “relax”? Bah!

Lin Guodong chuckled softly.

Between husband and wife, if a man had any shame, how could they be happy?

Normally, the three children went to bed earlier than their parents.

Today, though, because they had to write the sugarcane observation diary, they had been thinking and writing, unable to fall asleep.

Faintly, Sanbao said, “Brother, I think I hear Mom crying.”

“Huh?” Erbao blinked, looking puzzled. “Why would Mom be crying?”

“Could Dad have hit Mom?” Sanbao wondered aloud.

“He definitely wouldn’t,” Erbao replied.

He might not be smart, but he knew Dad wouldn’t hit Mom. “Dad listens to Mom. Maybe you misheard something?”

Sanbao approached the wall, pressing his ear against it.

Seeing him do this, Yibao and Erbao followed suit, curious about what he heard.

The three boys pressed their ears against the wall.

Though the wall muffled the sound, they could vaguely hear their mom’s voice, sounding like she was indeed crying.

But they also heard their dad’s voice, seemingly comforting her.

Yibao pondered, “Maybe Mom had a bad dream, and Dad’s comforting her. As long as Dad’s there, everything’s okay. Let’s finish writing the diary quickly and then go to sleep.”

Upon hearing this, Erbao and Sanbao immediately returned with Yibao and obediently started writing the diary together.

Next day,

Ning Shu and the three boys woke up later than usual.

Well, Erbao was still picked up by Lin Guodong.

Early in the morning, Lin Guodong took Erbao for a 1000-meter run, then went off to work.

Erbao, exhausted, went back to sleep.

Though they woke up later than usual today, it wasn’t much later.

Their clocks were already adjusted.

When Ning Shu got up, it was only eight o’clock.

There was no need to prepare breakfast because Lin Guodong had brought back food from the canteen shortly after she woke up.

“Today, the canteen made pork buns,” Lin Guodong said as he offered the pork buns to her like an offering to Buddha.

Yawning, Ning Shu replied, “I don’t want any. You guys eat.”

“I want pork buns. Haven’t had them in days,” Erbao said eagerly.

Ning Shu glanced at the two pork buns. “Okay, each of you can have half.”

“But there are only two pork buns,” Erbao protested.

“Limited to two per person,” Lin Guodong explained.

Yibao asked, “Dad, if we go now, can we buy more?”

Erbao also looked hopeful. “If we go together, the three of us can get six.”

Lin Guodong said, “You can go, but I can’t guarantee there will be any left.”

So, the three boys dashed to the kitchen to grab their lunch boxes while Ning Shu went back to her room for money.

Once the boys had their money, they were off like a whirlwind.

As they ran towards the canteen, they noticed many other kids running too.

It seemed everyone knew there were pork buns this morning, and since each person could only buy two, everyone had to go by themselves.

Among the three boys, Erbao was the fastest runner.

Perhaps all his enthusiasm was spent on physical activity.

“Yibao, Sanbao,” they heard someone call from behind.

It was He Jiaxing’s voice.

However, in their rush to get the pork buns, the brothers pretended not to hear.

By the time Yibao and Sanbao arrived at the canteen, Erbao was already several people ahead of them.

The canteen had strict rules against cutting in line, but being family allowed one person to cur in line as Yibao come forward.

“Brother, there are still so many people ahead. Do you think we’ll get pork buns?” Erbao asked eagerly, eyes shining with anticipation.

Even catching a whiff of the pork bun’s aroma would satisfy him for now.

Yibao replied, “I’m not sure. Let me go check.” Saying so, he dashed towards the front where people were getting their meals.

When he first arrived at the camp, five-year-old Yibao couldn’t see over the counter, but now, at eight, he could.

Ning Shu and Lin Guodong were already tall by local standards, with Lin Guodong even surpassing them.

Over the past couple of years, the boys had received excellent nutrition, likely exceeding the standard height.

With his hands gripping the counter, Onebao strained to see what was available, especially the remaining pork buns, but visibility was limited.

“What are you trying to see, little guy?” A spirited voice came from the kitchen window, and a cheerful man peered out, smiling at Yibao.

Recognizing him from previous meals with Dad, Yibao politely asked, “Sir, my brothers are in line over there. Will there still be pork buns when it’s their turn?”

The head chef glanced over at Erbao’s position and reassured him, “Don’t worry, there’s plenty left. We’ve made a lot of pork buns this time, and because of the limit per person, there are still quite a few left.”

Relieved, Yibao thanked him, then hurried back to his brothers.

“Bro, are there still pork buns?” Erbao anxiously inquired as soon as Yibao returned.

With so many people ahead, Erbao was deeply concerned.

Sanbao also looked expectantly at his brother.

“The chef said there will be some left when it’s our turn,” Yibao replied, calming both Erbao and Sanbao.

Meanwhile, at the back of the line, He Jiaxing shouted loudly, “Yibao, Yibao!”

Turning around, Yibao responded, “What’s up?” His reply was drowned out by the noise in the canteen, and He Jiaxing couldn’t hear him at all.

He Jiaxing continued to shout loudly, “Lin Haizhi… Lin Haizhi…”

Yibao, helpless, ran over to him, “What are you doing?”

“Lin Haizhi, did you see any more meat buns? Are there any left?” He Jiaxing licked his lips, craving a meat bun.

Yibao said, “Uncle in the cafeteria said there were still some when it was our turn, but I don’t know if there are any left for you.”

He Jiaxing said, “Can you help me go ask?”

Yibao didn’t refuse, “Okay.”

He ran to the window to ask again and came back shortly, “Uncle said he doesn’t know either.”

He Jiaxing felt a bit dejected.

Suddenly, he had a bright idea, “Lin Haizhi, there are three of you, so you can buy six meat buns. If I don’t get any, can you sell two to me?”

Yibao was reluctant, but since they were good friends, he said, “I can sell you one.”

Even one meat bun would satisfy He Jiaxing.

He showed a relieved smile, “Thank you, Lin Haizhi.”

In the residential compound, Ning Shu had already finished lunch.

The children had been gone for half an hour and hadn’t returned yet.

Ning Shu didn’t worry about it.

Since there wasn’t much to eat at home, she decided to go to town to retrieve the items she bought from the app.

Otherwise, they would only have vegetables for lunch.

Not long after Ning Shu left, the three kids came back.

Each of their lunch boxes contained two meat buns, which meant He Jiaxing had also gotten his.

Back at home, not seeing their mother or father, the three kids obediently ate their lunch.

They had six meat buns in total, giving two to Da Mao and Tie Dan, and splitting the remaining four among themselves.

After finishing breakfast, the three kids took Damao and Tiedan for a stroll.

When they returned, while they were checking on the sugarcane pit at home, Wang Yuhong arrived.

“Kids, are your parents home?” Wang Yuhong asked from the doorway without entering.

She was a bit surprised to see that this family had two dogs.

Coming from the countryside, Wang Yuhong wasn’t afraid of dogs; she was just curious that dogs were allowed in the residential compound.

The three kids all looked towards the door. Yibao said, “Our parents aren’t home, Auntie. Do you need something?”

Wang Yuhong, with her usual smile, said, “It’s like this, yesterday your family helped Auntie buy a bucket and a wooden basin. Auntie wants to give the money to your parents, but since they’re not here, I’ll give it to them when they come back. Please tell them when they return.” She didn’t want to owe the money for even a moment.