Chuxia stamped her feet and hurried back home.

The house was warm and cozy, a benefit of the small space in winter, perfect for studying.

Since Chuxia wasn’t working, she immersed herself fully in her studies.

She knew she wasn’t a prodigy like An’an, so she had to work hard.

With a large number of practice papers that others didn’t have, she made the most of them.

After finishing, she reviewed the answers, collected her mistakes, practiced tricky points, and flipped through books to memorize the knowledge she hadn’t mastered, gradually improving by filling in gaps.

At school, Cen Huai’an received his new books and carefully wrote his name on each one, waiting to cover them with newspaper at home.

Chenchen wrote his name several times, erasing and rewriting, but was still dissatisfied with his handwriting.

He looked at An’an’s name with admiration and said, “An’an, your writing is really beautiful!”

Then he looked at his own and felt even worse: “Why does my writing look so ugly?”

Cen Huai’an glanced at his name, noting the uneven size and spacing of the strokes, which made it look like a mess.

He paused and said, “Mom says a good child shouldn’t lie. You can’t deceive your friends. Your handwriting does look a bit ugly.”

Chenchen’s shoulders slumped, and he pouted, “What should I do? I don’t want to write so badly.”

An’an suggested, “Practice writing at home.”

Chenchen sighed deeply.

He didn’t want to practice writing; it was too tiring.

He preferred to sit in front of the TV and watch cartoons, which was much more enjoyable than practicing writing.

Looking at his name, Chenchen was still unhappy.

He erased it and thought hard about how to make it look better.

After a while, he came up with a solution: “An’an! Can you help me write the names? There are only two books, please!”

He tugged at An’an’s arm, his chubby body wriggling on the chair, as if to say he wouldn’t stop unless An’an agreed.

An’an considered for a moment and chose to write the names rather than deal with Chenchen’s persistence.

However, he soon discovered that Chenchen didn’t keep his promise about only needing names for the Chinese and math books; he also wanted to include exercise books.

“This is extra. No way.”

Chenchen, with his big eyes, looked at An’an and suddenly pulled out a big handful of candies, saying, “I’ll treat you to candy, so many kinds!”

An’an immediately thought of his toothache and dental fillings and shook his head, saying, “I don’t eat candy.”

Despite saying this, his eyes were clearly drawn to the candy, showing a mismatch between his words and feelings.

Chen Chen thought for a moment, then rummaged through his pocket and pulled out a piece of candy wrapped in beautiful paper with English writing on it.

Cen Huai’an knew it was English because the symbols on the candy wrapper were the same as those in the book his mom bought, which he couldn’t understand.

Plus, Chuxia had started teaching him some simple letters and English words, though she hadn’t taught him much yet.

She planned to teach him systematically when he started first grade, as he was still a bit young.

“This is chocolate. My aunt sent it from abroad. An’an, write your name for me, and I’ll give it to you. It’s really good.”

Cen Huai’an had eaten chocolate before, during his time in the northwest.

His grandmother had bought small, round chocolates filled with tasty liquid.

His mom said those were liquor-filled chocolates, and he really liked them, though his mom didn’t allow him to eat too many.

Unable to resist the temptation, Cen Huai’an quietly took Chen Chen’s notebook and wrote his name on it.

After finishing, he asked Chen Chen, “Is there any more?”

Chen Chen shook his head happily, “No more!” and handed the chocolate to Cen Huai’an.

Cen Huai’an unwrapped the chocolate and took a bite. It was different from the ones he had eaten before. It was a bit bitter and not as sweet, but still very delicious.

He ate the chocolate slowly, savoring every bite, and when he finished, he still felt a bit unsatisfied.

He saved the wrapper, planning to ask his mom where to buy more so he could exchange his small red flowers for it in the future.

At noon, Chen Chen couldn’t resist taking out his firecrackers and wanted to play with them on the school grounds.

Cen Huai’an firmly refused, “No.”

His mom had said not to play with them before she left, and if the teachers caught him, he’d be punished with extra cleaning duties, which he didn’t like at all.

Chen Chen wasn’t disappointed, though.

He put away the firecrackers and said, “Let’s go to the playground. I have new marbles and cards.”

Cen Huai’an didn’t want to go; he preferred practicing writing or playing chess.

However, Chen Chen kept urging him, “Let’s go play, let’s go play. It’s boring to sit here. The playground is full of people and it’s fun.”

Annoyed by Chen Chen’s persistent nagging, Cen Huai’an frowned, stood up, and headed outside. “Fine, let’s go.”

The playground was indeed crowded with children playing.

No matter how cold it was, children never seemed to mind.

Of course, they were also the ones with the most frostbite on their faces, their faces red and chapped from the wind.

Chen Chen dragged Cen Huai’an to the playground and joined the other kids in a marble game, trying to get Cen Huai’an to join too, but he refused.

“I don’t like playing marbles,” Cen Huai’an said, standing aside.

Feeling bored, he decided to walk around the playground and head back to the classroom.

As he reached the easternmost end of the playground, where the grass grew the tallest and there were many trees, he saw a bit of clothing behind a tree.

It was the spot where he and Chen Chen had played with firecrackers before because it was hard for teachers to spot them.

This time, as Cen Huai’an passed by, he instinctively glanced behind the tree where Liu Tian had been last time and saw a hint of clothing.

He looked carefully and confirmed that there was indeed someone there.

He was about to leave, thinking that it was none of his business since he wasn’t playing with firecrackers this time.

Just as he took a few steps, he heard the faint sound of a girl sobbing, which sounded like Liu Tian.

Thinking of Liu Tian’s mother and the previous incident, Cen Huai’an continued walking.

He thought to himself, “It’s normal for kids to cry. Some cry when they can’t answer questions in class or when they argue with classmates. They even cry if they lose their pen.”

But after walking a short distance, Cen Huai’an turned back, walking to the tree, and found Liu Tian crying behind it.

She was sitting on the withered grass with her face buried in her knees, hugging them tightly, looking very sad.

“Why are you crying?” Cen Huai’an’s sudden voice startled Liu Tian, and she looked up at him with tear-stained cheeks and a look of fear.

Seeing her classmate, Liu Tian immediately tried to wipe her face with her arms, but she couldn’t clean her tears properly.

The more she wiped, the more she smeared, and her frostbite almost bled.

Cen Huai’an frowned and grabbed her arm. “Don’t wipe it anymore. I’ve already seen.”

He thought for a moment and added, “I won’t make fun of you.”

Liu Tian stopped wiping her face, lowering her head and remaining silent.

Cen Huai’an squatted down and asked again, “Why are you crying? Did someone bully you?”

Liu Tian shook her head.

She continued to cry silently, and Cen Huai’an, feeling helpless, took out his handkerchief and said, “Don’t cry. Let me help you wipe your face.”

Cen Huai’an didn’t really want to get involved, and he wasn’t sure why he ended up here.

Liu Tian didn’t take the handkerchief and whispered, “I don’t need it.”

Cen Huai’an put the handkerchief away and waited for a while.

When Liu Tian still didn’t speak, he was about to leave.

Just as he was lifting his foot, Liu Tian spoke up, “My mom doesn’t want to pay my school fees anymore. My brother is already in the fifth grade, but my mom still wants him to continue. She says I’m wasting money because I’m better at studying than my brother. She didn’t pay my fees this semester, and the teacher said if it’s not paid within a week, I won’t be able to go to school.”

Cen Huai’an felt more annoyed with Liu Tian’s mother after hearing this.

He remembered that her mother’s behavior was called “favoring sons over daughters,” which was common in their community.

“What about your dad?” Cen Huai’an asked.

Liu Tian sniffled and said, “My dad doesn’t have money.”

Her dad just listened to her mom.

When her mom said she couldn’t go to school, her dad didn’t say anything.

Cen Huai’an didn’t know how to help.

School fees were a lot of money, and with Liu Tian’s parents not willing to pay, he didn’t know how to solve it.

Even if someone helped pay the fees, it wouldn’t be of much use if her parents wouldn’t let her attend school.

The money could be refunded, and Liu Tian would have to change her mother’s mind.

“You have to find a way to convince your mom to let you go to school.”

Liu Tian looked lost, not knowing how to make her mom agree.

Cen Huai’an thought for a moment and said, “You could ask your teacher for advice.”

That was all he could suggest.

Feeling dejected, Cen Huai’an returned to the classroom, realizing how many helpless situations children could face.

Although he hadn’t spoken much to Liu Tian, he didn’t want her to miss school.

But he felt powerless to do anything.

When he went home for lunch, he was still gloomy. Bangzi, who walked with him, noticed his mood and asked what was wrong.

Cen Huai’an shook his head and said nothing.

He felt that Liu Tian’s situation shouldn’t be told to too many people.

She probably didn’t want many to know.

Bangzi stopped asking and patted Cen Huai’an’s shoulder. “Don’t think too much. Sometimes, the more you worry, the more troubled you become.”

Cen Huai’an replied with a simple “Hmm.”

At the intersection, he parted ways with Bangzi and walked towards the dormitory.

After walking a short distance, he heard the soft “whimpering” of small animals, like newborn puppies.

Cen Huai’an’s footsteps hesitated for a moment.

He thought about going home, but somehow found himself walking towards the sound he had heard.

In the corner of an alley by the roadside, he saw two tiny puppies—a pure black one and a sandy yellow one—shivering from the cold, huddled together, and whimpering pitifully.

Their eyes were wide open, and when they saw him, they seemed to see a savior, whimpering even more urgently and trying to crawl towards him.

Cen Huai’an watched them for a while, took out his handkerchief from his pocket, and covered them with it.

He searched his backpack but couldn’t find anything else suitable.

He turned and ran back home, calling out “Mom” as he entered and began searching for his old clothes.

He hadn’t been able to throw away those old clothes; they were piled up in a corner of the wardrobe.

After finding them, he quickly ran out again under Chuxia’s curious gaze.

After wrapping the puppies in the old clothes, he finally felt relieved and patted their heads before heading home.

In Cen Huai’an’s mind, keeping puppies was something only wealthy families did.

His family wasn’t rich, so the idea of keeping puppies was not even considered.

Back home, Chuxia asked why he had run out so quickly and why he had taken his old clothes.

“I told you to throw away your old clothes before, and you didn’t. Why the sudden decision to get rid of them now?” Chuxia smiled, clearly knowing Cen Huai’an didn’t actually go to discard the clothes.

Cen Huai’an told Chuxia about the two puppies: “They’re so small, they might not survive. But I don’t want them to freeze to death.”

Chuxia put down her chopsticks, stood up, and said, “Where are they? Show me.”

“Mom?” Cen Huai’an looked at her, puzzled by her response.

Chuxia patted his head and said, “Just giving them clothes isn’t enough; they’ll be hungry too. We can actually take care of them.”

Chuxia thought it would be nice to have a puppy and to nurture An’an’s compassion.

Cen Huai’an blinked at Chuxia’s words and suddenly felt a bit happy.

He led Chuxia outside and asked with some concern, “Mom, do we have enough money to keep a puppy?”

Chuxia thought for a moment and said, “Puppies are so small; they need milk powder, which is expensive. We might not be able to afford it.”

Cen Huai’an felt anxious.

After thinking for a while, he bit his lip and said, “Mom, if you really can’t afford it, I can use my money to take care of them.”

He calculated his savings and thought that keeping a puppy probably wouldn’t exhaust all his money.

If necessary, he could work harder to earn more.

Cen Huai’an couldn’t bear to see the puppies die.

Whenever he thought of how the puppies looked at him, it reminded him of how he used to look at the buns in other people’s hands when he was hungry.

He just couldn’t ignore the puppies.

Chuxia couldn’t help but laugh when she heard him.

She patted his head and said, “If you say so, don’t regret using your money later.”

Cen Huai’an frowned slightly, though he was still willing, he nodded and said, “Mm.”

After teasing him a bit, Chuxia added, “Actually, it doesn’t have to be so expensive. We can also feed them rice soup.”

Cen Huai’an immediately relaxed, his furrowed brow smoothing out: “Mom, I can share my rice soup with them.”

“Alright.”

They walked to where the two puppies were.

Chuxia carefully wrapped them in the clothes and picked them up.

“Let’s go home.”

The puppies were a bit dirty, and it was too cold to bathe them now.

However, Chuxia planned to buy some medicine from the store to treat any parasites on their fur.

If she couldn’t find anything suitable, she planned to make some herself.

She thought it would be much easier in the future, where everything could be handled at a pet store.

“Mom, there’s something else I want to tell you…”