After a few hours of word-of-mouth, there were now dozens of children gathered around them.

Among these children, some had already heard the story and wanted to hear it again, while others, like the kids by the river, had rushed over when they heard there was a story being told.

Once everyone settled down and quieted, Lin Xiaohan, holding the book, said, “I see many new faces who haven’t heard the story, so let’s go ahead and tell it again.”

The children eagerly responded, “Yes!”

And so, Lin Xiaohan began the story again.

They were considering the newly arrived children, so before diving into the actual story, they gave a brief introduction to the story’s background.

The story took place in the late Eastern Han Dynasty, a time when the country was divided into three kingdoms—Wei, Shu, and Wu—each standing in a delicate balance of power.

They also briefly introduced a few of the main characters.

As Lin Xiaohan read from the book, every child—whether it was their first time hearing the story or not—watched him with wide, unblinking eyes.

Just like before, after Lin Xiaohan finished explaining the historical context and reading a short passage from the story, he handed the book over to Chu Xia, who then told her part of the story.

By the time both of them had finished, the children’s faces were full of eager anticipation and lingering curiosity.

Those hearing it for the first time were especially hooked. Some of the braver ones followed up, asking, “Is there more? Can you tell us another one?”

Originally, Chu Xia and Lin Xiaohan had only prepared two stories.

But the children were so eager that they decided to expand on the story of the Oath of the Peach Garden.

While telling this story, they highlighted one of the key lines, repeating it several times and having the children recite it aloud. Some of the kids with better memories quickly memorized it:

“Though we were not born in the same year, same month, or same day, may we die together in the same year, same month, and same day. Heaven and earth bear witness to our loyalty. Should we break this vow and forget our bond, may both man and god punish us alike!”

Those who hadn’t memorized it followed the ones who had, shouting it together.

By the time they got to the final line, their voices soared with enthusiasm.

Chu Xia and Lin Xiaohan smiled and applauded them.

Once the children had quieted down a bit, Chu Xia continued, “So, what do you think? The stories in the book are really interesting, right?”

“Yes!” the children answered in unison, noticeably more relaxed now.

After answering, one brave child asked, “Can you tell us one more? This book is so thick, there must be a lot more stories! In the end, did Liu Bei win?”

Lin Xiaohan picked up the question and looked at the child, replying, “Yes, the story is very long. We can’t tell it all in one day. But if you want to hear more and find out who wins in the end, you can enroll in school. We’ll tell these stories bit by bit during class. Once you learn to read, you’ll be able to read them all yourself. The book has all kinds of stories.”

“And there’s this too,” Chu Xia added, holding up a comic book to match Lin Xiaohan’s words.

She handed the comic to two of the new kids. “This is a comic book we brought from the city. There are a lot of them—each one tells a different story. We’ll keep them at the school, and every week you’ll get a chance to read them.”

The new kids flipped through the comic, their eyes lighting up with wonder. “Wow!”

Then, looking at Chu Xia in surprise, one asked, “These pictures are amazing! Can you tell us the story in this one? This guy blowing up the bunker—isn’t that Dong Cunrui?”

Lin Xiaohan answered, “Sorry, we can’t tell these stories yet. These comic books are for helping you learn how to read. Once you know the words, you’ll be able to understand them yourself.”

One of the kids seemed to catch the implication. “So basically, we have to go to school, right?”

Lin Xiaohan nodded, seizing the moment. “Exactly. Once you’re in school, you’ll hear endless stories and learn to read so you can enjoy your favorite ones on your own. School isn’t the scary place you might imagine. It’s not a place where you get punished for not doing well. At least with Teacher Tang and me, we never hit students.”

“Really?” someone asked.

Chu Xia smiled. “Of course, really. We don’t hit anyone.”

Then she carefully took out a milk candy from her pocket, holding it up. “Not only do we not hit students, but for every child who enrolls, we’ll give one of these. One candy per student who signs up.”

As soon as the candy appeared, the children’s eyes lit up. Some even swallowed audibly.

The younger kids couldn’t control themselves, and drool dribbled down from the corners of their mouths.

A few of them, who had already listened to the stories several times, had also stared at that candy more than once with longing.

Now, seeing it again, they couldn’t help salivating all over again.

After eyeing it hungrily, one child asked loudly, “You’re not lying, are you?”

Lin Xiaohan promised, “We’re not lying. We always keep our word. As long as your parents come with you to school, pay the fee, and fill out the enrollment form, we’ll definitely give you candy.”

Saying that, he also took out a piece of milk candy, holding it in his hand. “We don’t just have one or two candies—we’ve got a whole box. Everyone who comes to school gets one.”

After hearing all this, the kids were clearly tempted.

They tried to hold back their craving as they whispered to each other:

“Do you want to go to school?”

“I didn’t before… but now I kinda do.”

“Where else can you listen to stories, read comics, and get candy too?”

…

Even though they spoke in hushed voices, Chu Xia and Lin Xiaohan still caught the gist of what they were saying. Seeing that their plan was working, the two of them were very pleased.

That whole afternoon, Chu Xia and Lin Xiaohan stayed by the pond, telling stories.

Groups of children came and went, wave after wave, and even by sunset, some still lingered, not wanting to go home.

Chu Xia and Lin Xiaohan had to coax them to leave.

They made a promise: “Tomorrow morning and afternoon, we’ll be back here to tell you more stories.”

Only after hearing that did the kids finally leave.

In the glow of the fiery sunset, they walked off hand in hand, their tiny silhouettes stretched long by the fading light.

Finally, after all the children had been coaxed away, the surroundings grew quiet again.

Chu Xia instinctively let out a breath of relief and sat back down beneath the tree, planning to rest a bit before returning to the educated youth compound.

After talking the whole afternoon—often needing to raise her voice—her throat was now burning dry.

She didn’t want to speak anymore. Sitting down, she started tidying up the comic books that the children had flipped through and bent out of shape.

She had just picked up two when her gaze unintentionally swept to the side—and saw Lin Xiaohan sitting calmly, taking a green military bottle from his bag.

He held it in one hand and leisurely unscrewed the lid.

Just as he was about to take a drink, the bottle tilted toward his mouth, he suddenly stopped.

As if sensing Chu Xia’s gaze, he turned to look at her.

Their eyes met, and Chu Xia snapped back to her senses.

She stared at his bottle and said with a raspy smile, “I’m not thirsty. Not even a little.”

Lin Xiaohan: “…”

He scowled at her for a moment, then, without saying a word, poured a bit of water into the cap with his left hand and extended it toward her.

Chu Xia was surprised by the gesture.

She couldn’t guess what he was thinking, so she hesitantly asked, “Is that for me to drink?”

Lin Xiaohan: “What else—wash your face with it?”

Chu Xia: “…”

She didn’t hesitate anymore and took the cap, downing the small amount of water in one gulp.

But the cap was far too small—barely enough to wet her tongue before it was gone.

That single sip only made her thirst worse. So she shamelessly held out the cap again and looked at him. “That wasn’t quite enough… Can I have a bit more?”

Lin Xiaohan: “…”

He shot her an exasperated look but filled the cap again.

Chu Xia gave him a smile and drained it in one go—then held the cap out once more.

And just like that, she brazenly drank ten capfuls of Lin Xiaohan’s water.

By the end, Lin Xiaohan’s expression had gone completely sour.

The bottle cap was tied to the bottle with a thin string, making it inconvenient for two people to drink together. So Lin Xiaohan waited until Chu Xia was done before bringing the bottle to his own lips.

After drinking, he slowly pulled out a neatly folded blue-striped handkerchief from his pocket and, with a blank expression, carefully wiped the bottle cap that Chu Xia had used.

Chu Xia: “…”