Yi Bao and the others were visiting the school dormitory for the first time.

As they walked into the dormitory building, the three children looked around curiously.

“There are so many students in the dorm!” Yu Chengci couldn’t help but exclaim.

“Mm,” Yi Bao nodded, also finding it novel.

“I want to stay at school too. It would be fun to be around so many students every day,” Yu Chengci thought staying at school might be more interesting than staying at home. “Do you guys stay in the dorms in junior high? If so, we could share a dorm.”

The naive children didn’t yet realize they couldn’t choose which dorm to stay in.

Yi Bao thought for a moment and shook his head, “I don’t want to stay at school. I want to stay at home.”

“Why?” Yu Chengci asked.

Yi Bao explained, “Staying at home means having Mom and Dad around.”

He just wanted to be with his mother.

With Er Bao in the dorm, and if San Bao went as well, who would help Mom at home when Dad wasn’t around?

Mom was weak and couldn’t carry much, so they needed to be there for her.

“Mm, staying at home is good,” San Bao also chimed in.

Unlike Yi Bao, who wanted to help Mom, San Bao simply wanted to be with her.

At nine years old, San Bao was still very attached to his mother.

As the children chatted and expressed their curiosity, Aunt Wang led them to the door of Room 206.

At this time, the dorm was relatively quiet, with many students taking their afternoon nap to recharge for their physical exercises later in the day.

Standing in front of the dormitory door, Aunt Wang knocked and said, “Is Lin Haizhi in? Someone is looking for him.”

A student who was awake called out, “Aunt Wang, he’s inside…” Recognizing Aunt Wang’s voice, the student loudly called towards Er Bao’s bed, “Lin Haizhi, someone is looking for you, Lin Haizhi!”

The young boy did not know how to control his volume.

Though his voice was not as loud as Er Bao’s, he still used quite a bit of effort to wake Er Bao, which not only woke Er Bao but also disturbed other students.

“Speak more quietly,” someone complained impatiently.

“It’s not rest time yet. Why are you making such a racket?” There were multiple expressions of impatience.

Er Bao was naturally awakened.

Groggily, he got out of bed and asked the student, “Who is looking for me?”

The student, now speaking more softly, replied, “I don’t know. It’s Aunt Wang calling for you.”

Hearing it was Aunt Wang, Er Bao got up quietly and made his way to the door.

When he opened it and saw his siblings and Yu Chengci, he was stunned with joy, “Brother, San Bao, Yu Chengci, you… you came?”

Yu Chengci smiled, “We came to see you.”

Yi Bao said, “Mom made a lot of delicious food today and sent it over. We also came to check on you. Are you doing well here? Are you adjusting? How are you getting along with the other students?”

Er Bao felt both happy and a bit wronged, “Not too well.”

He spoke softly, afraid of being overheard. “Wait a moment.”

He took the basket from Yi Bao and carried it inside.

After a while, he changed back into his clothes and came out. “Brother, San Bao, Yu Chengci, I’ll take you to my classroom. We can’t talk here because others are sleeping.”

Yi Bao, San Bao, and Yu Chengci naturally had no objections.

Er Bao led them away from the dormitory building.

As soon as they were outside, he started talking non-stop, “You guys don’t know how smelly the dorm is. Some students wear the same socks for several days without washing them. They wait until they go home and let their moms wash them. We have a rest day every two weeks, so you can imagine how bad it smells.”

The issue of smelly socks was indeed unpleasant.

Yi Bao, San Bao, and Yu Chengci all changed their socks frequently and understood the extent of the smell.

“Also, I’m in Class 1 of Junior High, but they’re in Class 2. It seems better to stay in the dorm of Class 1. But there are no available beds in Class 1’s dormitory. The teacher said I’ll have to wait until a bed opens up to switch back.” Er Bao felt quite wronged, “Brother, can you think of a way for me to switch with someone in Class 1’s dorm?”

Hmm…

Yi Bao, San Bao, and Yu Chengci pondered the situation.

Finally, Yi Bao spoke first, “Are all the students in Class 1’s dorm from your class? Are there any from other classes?”

Er Bao was puzzled, “I don’t know. I haven’t lived there and only moved up yesterday, so I’m not sure.”

Yi Bao suggested, “If you don’t know, it’s okay. You can ask your classmates this afternoon. If there are students from other classes, see if you can swap beds with them. If they’re not from Class 1, they might be willing to switch.”

If they are unwilling to switch, you could offer them something in return.

Ask them what they would want for the swap.

Er Bao understood, “What if they’re all from Class 1?” They were used to trading things like snacks at the orphanage.

In their view, swapping beds was similar to trading snacks.

Yi Bao said, “If they’re all from Class 1, you don’t need to find a specific person. You should be the youngest in the class, so ask the class leaders if any students are willing to swap beds. If someone agrees, you can give them a thank-you gift. Also, give a thank-you gift to the class leader who helps.”

In simple terms, this is a trade of benefits, but it won’t harm anyone.

Erbao was very obedient to Yibao, as he had been since he was little.

When his older brother gave him advice, Erbao remembered it carefully.

However, he asked, “Brother, what kind of thank-you gift should I give?”

Yibao said, “You still have the pocket money we allocated before. Use your own pocket money to buy some things for the classmates who are willing to exchange and the class leaders who help you.”

Erbao asked, “Isn’t it too much trouble to do that? Can I just give them money directly?”

“No,” Yibao warned him seriously, “If you give money and someone reports it to the teacher, it will be a problem. You can invite them to a meal and buy some meat during the meal. Or you can share some of your snacks with them. If someone says you’re bribing them with things, just say that the student was kind-hearted and helped you because you’re younger.”

Erbao quietly listened, “I understand, brother. Can I invite them to have meat in the cafeteria?”

Yibao replied, “You can assess the situation. If the other person’s family isn’t well-off, you can invite them to have meat to supplement their nutrition. If their family is well-off and they eat meat regularly, I’ll bring some food from home the next time I visit, and you can give it to them then.” The food from home was a rare treat for the children in the compound.

“Okay.”

Speaking of bringing things from home, Erbao remembered the steaming of food. “Brother…” He recounted the situation about steaming rice with the class monitor, “I didn’t bring any food for steaming; the food was all borrowed from the class monitor.”

Yibao said, “I’ll bring it to you tomorrow at noon. What kind of food do you need?”

Although Erbao liked the dishes his mother cooked, he wasn’t a picky eater.

He had developed a habit from a young age of being content with any food that filled his stomach.

He said, “I want rice, potatoes, and sweet potatoes. I’ve had the kind of rice with potato chunks on top, mixed with gravy, and it tastes really good. Also, I want salted duck eggs and pickled radishes. Please bring some of those too.”

Yibao took out a notebook from his bag and noted down everything Erbao needed. “I’ll bring all of these.”

“Mm.”

Erbao took Yibao and Sanbao to the classroom of Class 1, Year 1.

The classroom was empty and quiet, making it perfect for chatting.

Yibao and Sanbao looked around the middle school classroom and felt it was quite similar to an elementary school classroom. “By the way, Erbao, Sanbao and I will be taking the accelerated class exam at the beginning of the year.”

Erbao was happy for them and asked, “Will you stay at school?”

Yibao shook his head. “I won’t stay at school. If I do, Dad will have to work, and there will be no one to handle the housework. Mom will be alone, and the water in winter is cold.”

Erbao thought his brother had a point. “Then you and Sanbao shouldn’t stay at school. I wish I could stay at home too. By the way, there’s a bathhouse here; it’s so comfortable to bathe there…” Erbao excitedly described the bathhouse to Yibao and Sanbao.

Yibao and Sanbao were intrigued, having never seen the school’s bathhouse before.

Yuchengci, on the other hand, was eager for the middle school dormitory life.

The boys didn’t chat for long; by the time they arrived, it was already 2 PM, and half an hour had passed quickly.

Seeing people moving around outside the classroom, Yibao stood up. “Erbao, we’re leaving. We’ll come earlier tomorrow. The food I brought today is for you to share with your close classmates.”

Erbao said, “I understand. I’ll invite the class monitor to eat with us.”

“Mm.” Yibao gave his younger brother some final reminders before taking Sanbao and Yu Chengci away.

Erbao felt a bit reluctant to see them go.

He walked them to the school gate and watched as they left before running back to the dorm.

He was still unsure of what his brother had brought.

Back at the dorm, a few classmates were present, while some had already left.

Erbao pulled out the basket from under his bed and removed the thick insulation cloth to reveal four lunchboxes.

He opened them one by one to see yam and rib soup, cold shredded lettuce, cold cucumber, and stir-fried mushrooms with eggs.

Erbao swallowed and reclosed the lunchboxes, saving them for dinner.

A classmate who saw the lunchboxes asked, “Lin Hairui, did your family send these for you?”

Erbao smiled and said, “Yes, my brother and younger brothers brought them. My mom cooked them for lunch.”

He spoke with a hint of pride, proud of his mother’s cooking and his siblings.

“Wow, your family is really good to you,” the classmate said enviously.

Erbao grinned like a child who was slightly foolishly happy. “My family is the best.”

Erbao happily ran out and told the class monitor, “Class Monitor, don’t go buy groceries for dinner. My brother and younger brothers came at noon and brought four lunchboxes of food that my mom made. My mom said to invite you to eat with us. Thank you for taking care of me.”

This wasn’t exactly what Yibao meant to convey, but in Erbao’s mind, inviting those who cared for him to eat meant inviting the class monitor.

The class monitor felt embarrassed and said, “I’m the class monitor, so it’s my duty to take care of you. You’re younger than us, so you can keep the food for yourself. You don’t have to share it with me.”

He felt awkward since Lin Hairui had already treated him to White Rabbit candy, and he wasn’t comfortable eating more food from his family.

“That’s not right,” Erbao said. “My mom said to invite you, so I must invite you. I must listen to what my mom says.” He was a good child who listened to his mother.