Thinking of the children, Yi Roujing and the other two hurried home after a brief stay.

The Ding Family now resides in a courtyard house in Beiluo Lane, which is a twenty-minute bus ride away from Jing University. After getting off the bus, a three-hundred-meter alley leads to their home, making public transport very convenient.

Yi Roujing pushed the door open and entered the front yard. Ding Weihuo was sweeping there, and upon seeing the three return, he smiled and asked, "Have you reported in well? Must be hungry, right? Go to the backyard; your mom has already prepared the meal."

"The children are behaving very well, playing nicely in the playpen, and Anguo and the others just returned, only a step ahead of you." As Ding Weihuo spoke, he went to open the hanging flower door.

"Speaking of it, this house is really large. Now we all live in the backyard, and the front yard is empty." Ding Weihuo, who cherishes the house, still cleans the unused front yard daily despite nobody living in it.

The backyard is half as large again as the yard at their house in Bright Alley, Huaixi County. There’s a well in the middle, although it’s sealed, with a water pump installed beside it. With a few pumps up and down, water comes out of the well.

Though there’s a well, the courtyard house also has running water. Of course, it’s not as widespread as in later times, with only one faucet in the yard.

Water and electricity bills are expensive, and Li Hongying rarely uses them, considering there’s a well.

"Sister-in-law and the others are back." Feng Lishu was the first to see Yi Roujing and the others, approaching with Tangyuan in her arms, "How’s school? How are your roommates?"

Feng Lishu asked with concern.

"So far, everything is quite good." Yi Roujing replied with a smile, "And Qing University?"

"It’s very big. Although I went with Anguo, it’s a boys’ dormitory after all, so I didn’t stay long. But they all seemed quite amicable, being intellectuals and all." Feng Lishu replied.

"By the way, go check on the kids; Mantou was just asking when mom would be back." Feng Lishu said with a smile.

"Ah ah, gu gu, sen sen." Tangyuan, the only girl in the family, was dressed festively. Nearly ten months old, she could call out to her parents, though her words were not clear to others, but she recognized people.

"Oh dear, Tangyuan, come let Auntie hold you." Ding Anmin, very fond of her niece Tangyuan, took her from Feng Lishu’s arms and went over to the playpen.

The playpen was Yi Roujing’s idea, set up in the yard with mats and thick bedding inside, allowing the children to play in the sun during the day. When they finished playing, the mats could be rolled up and taken indoors, very convenient.

With the playpen, Ding Weihuo and Li Hongying could free their hands for work as long as they kept an eye on it.

"Mommy." Mantou was playing with blocks on the mat, and upon seeing Ding Anmin coming over, he pushed aside the blocks, stood up, and clung to the railing, looking eagerly at Ding Anmin. Mantou, at nearly fifteen months, could walk and talk.

"Mommy hold me." Mantou extended his arms, signaling, while Huang Xiaobao amusingly took Tangyuan from Ding Anmin’s arms.

"Shame, shame, competing with your sister for a cuddle." Huang Xiaobao teased his son, "Look at your brother."

Huang Xiaobao really admired Baozi’s maturity. Almost two-year-old by the end of the month, he never made a fuss and loved reading, making him very easy to care for.

Hearing the word "brother," Mantou instinctively turned around to look at Baozi, who was sitting opposite, leaning against the railing with a book in his hands. Baozi looked up at Mantou, his peach-blossom eyes pure and bright. Mantou cheerfully walked over, plopping down beside Baozi, "Brother, brother hold."

Baozi reached out and patted Mantou’s shoulder, "Let mommy hold you."

After saying this, Baozi stood up and stretched his arms toward Yi Roujing.

Yi Roujing felt a surge of softness; when had she ever seen her son act so spoiled? Delighted, she picked him up immediately. Baozi wrapped his arms around Yi Roujing’s neck, "Is university fun?"

"Classes haven’t started yet, but it’ll definitely be fun." Yi Roujing said with a smile, "When you grow up, you can experience it yourself."

"Ah, hold me, mommy hold me." Mantou, seeing his brother being carried away, reached out hastily in the direction of Ding Anmin.

In a hurry, Ding Anmin picked up her son, "Oh, Mantou is getting anxious; mommy’s here now."

"Can I visit mommy at university?" Baozi looked at Yi Roujing, asking.

Watching her son’s curiosity, Yi Roujing understood he was curious about university, "That might require you to ask your dad. I’ll be in military training for the next twelve days and won’t be able to come back."

"That long?" Baozi’s eyes revealed a trace of reluctance, "Can I go see you with dad?"

"No can do," Xu Ancheng laughed as he ruffled his son’s soft hair, "In these twelve days, I could take one day off to take you around Jing University or you could stay here and play with your siblings. You can also visit your grandpa at Baiqian Village."

"Come autumn, we’ll send you to kindergarten," Xu Ancheng said.

"Kindergarten, what’s that?" Mantou asked curiously upon hearing it.

"Kindergarten is a school for kids around your age, where you can make new friends, have teachers teach you singing, dancing, even painting; kindergartens are really nice." Ding Anmin explained to her son with a smile.

"Then, then I want to go too," Mantou said excitedly. 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝔀𝓮𝒃𝙣𝓸𝒗𝒆𝒍.𝙘𝒐𝒎

"You can’t go yet." Baozi turned to Mantou and said, "Only those who don’t wet the bed can go."

"Then I won’t wet the bed from now on," Mantou responded earnestly.

"Pee, pee." Dumplings, who was in the babbling phase, couldn’t pronounce words correctly, raised a small hand, pointing at Mantou, and started speaking enthusiastically.

"Not wet."

"Not, not, wet, wet." Dumplings finished speaking and clapped excitedly.

"Hahaha——" Everyone in the courtyard laughed.

"Alright, time for lunch," Li Hongying called the family to the table, bringing out the last dish of soup.

Since the arrival of the children, Li Hongying has been busier, needing to classify the meals in the kitchen as well. Dumplings and Tangyuan eat mushy apple porridge and unsalted egg custard; Mantou and Baozi can already eat rice, but with only a little salt in the dishes.

When Li Hongying raised her own children, they ate whatever she ate without such distinctions. However, after taking care of Yi Roujing during her confinement, she listened to her saying that children’s food shouldn’t have salt, or even when older, should have only a little. Li Hongying asked her a lot, as Yi Roujing is a nurse and soon-to-be medical student, whom Li Hongying trusts.

Ding Anmin and Feng Lishu reviewed the recipes for children, called complementary foods, listed by Yi Roujing, and followed them for their own children, who have grown chubby and white.

Li Hongying cooked a lot of apple porridge; when Mantou saw it, he wanted some and ate half a bowl. Baozi could already eat with a spoon and chopsticks himself, and upon seeing this, Mantou insisted on doing it himself as well, refusing anyone to feed him. Although the food went everywhere, the sense of achievement was significant, and every time after eating, he’d look at Baozi, who would fulfill his wish and praise him.