"Yu Fen, in a few years when the kids don't need us anymore, I might as well move to the orchard and live with you."
After just one week, Professor Wen already didn’t want to return to the faculty housing.
"That sounds wonderful. In a few years, the fruit trees will bear fruit—flowers covering the hills in spring, and fruits everywhere in autumn."
Yang Yufen replied with a smile.
"You two are practically family now, but have you forgotten about me?"
Aunt Wang chimed in, making Professor Wen chuckle.
"Let’s all come together. The big courtyard can be left to the young folks—we’ll all live in the orchard."
Boss Qian came to pick up his daughter, wondering if she might have lost weight or gotten tanned. The last thing he expected was to find a little mud-covered monkey.
In the pond, Qian Jiabao was holding a turtle, her eyes sparkling, her face smeared with mud, proudly showing it off to Li Wu.
"Hahaha, look! I’m better than you! You can only catch fish, but mine’s way rarer!"
Earlier that morning, Qian Jiabao had been all cleaned up, but when she heard Li Wu and the others were going to the pond to pick lotus seed pods, how could she miss out on such fun?
After days of hard work, everyone just wanted to take advantage of the day off and enjoy themselves.
They couldn’t swim in the river, but when Li Wu heard Uncle Yang mention picking lotus seeds, his first thought was getting into the water. So when everyone discussed what to do, he was the first to suggest going for the lotus seeds.
To make sure the kids could pick them safely, Uncle Yang even locked up the geese.
Just as Uncle Yang was preparing a hook for the lotus pods, Li Wu jumped straight into the water. With him leading the way, the other boys—all fond of swimming and skilled in the water—followed suit.
"Wow, there’s fish!"
Li Wu was the first to spot and catch one.
Excited by his catch, he completely forgot what they had originally come for.
"Hahaha, these fish are so dumb! How can you guys not catch any?"
Li Wu caught another fish, this time a big one, cradling it in his arms—only for the fish to slap him hard across the face with its tail.
The girls on the shore, including Yaoyao, burst into laughter. Qian Jiabao laughed so hard that she stepped too close to the edge, slipped, and tumbled right into the pond.
Qingqing, panicked, quickly waded in to pull her out. At first, Qian Jiabao was startled by the sudden fall, but once in the water, she wasn’t as scared as she thought.
The water was cool, the mud underfoot felt strangely pleasant, and the depth only reached her waist.
Plus, she noticed something unusual beneath her feet.
"Are you okay? Let me push you back up," Qingqing asked worriedly.
"I’m fine, I’m fine! I think I stepped on something good!"
Qian Jiabao took a deep breath—though she couldn’t swim, she knew how to hold her breath—and ducked under the water.
Qingqing stood by anxiously as the water turned murky. When Qian Jiabao resurfaced, slightly unsteady, Qingqing steadied her.
"Hahaha, I knew it! Look what I caught!"
Qian Jiabao’s unrestrained laughter drew Boss Qian, who had come to pick her up, just in time to witness the scene.
"Jiabao?"
Boss Qian called out, hardly believing his eyes.
"Dad! Look what I got! Let’s take it to Grandpa and put it in his tank!"
Spotting her father, Qian Jiabao happily waved the turtle in her hand.
"Let’s get you out first," Qingqing murmured, noticing Boss Qian’s expression darken, and quickly helped Qian Jiabao back to shore.
"Uncle," Qingqing greeted him.
"Dad, hold this for me—it’s a gift for Grandpa. Come on, Qingqing, let’s go change."
Without waiting for a response, Qian Jiabao shoved the turtle into her father’s hands and dragged Qingqing back to the dorm.
"Hurry, help me hold this fish down!"
Li Wu yelled after getting smacked by the fish again.
"Goodness, you kids just jumped right in, didn’t you? Catching such a big fish—impressive!"
Uncle Yang returned with a basin to hold their catch.
Left holding the turtle, Boss Qian could only trail after his daughter.
"Weren’t you supposed to pick lotus pods? Did you fall in? Go change quickly—your hair’s soaked. You’ll need a hot bath first."
Yang Yufen, who had been sanding a log for a table, looked up to see the two girls dripping wet.
"Head straight to the washroom. I’ll bring your clothes," Professor Wen said, startled.
"Yes, yes—did you swallow any water?"
Aunt Wang hurried over as well.
"Grandma Yang, Grandma Wen, Grandma Wang, we’re fine! I even caught a huge turtle in the water. Look—my dad’s holding it!"
Qian Jiabao blinked innocently.
"Go wash up first," Yang Yufen said, steering the girls toward the washroom and filling a bucket with hot water. Professor Wen soon arrived with fresh clothes and towels.
Only after seeing his daughter cleaned up did Boss Qian realize how much she had changed in just ten days.
"Dad, what are you staring at?"
Qian Jiabao met his gaze.
"Have you been happy these days?"
"Of course! This place is so much fun. If I didn’t have things to do, I wouldn’t want to leave."
She grinned widely.
"Dad, listen—every grandpa here is amazing. They’re different from Grandpa. There’s Grandpa Zhou, who cooks the best food, and Grandpa Yang, who never misses when shooting sparrows with a slingshot..."
Qian Jiabao excitedly listed everyone she’d met, all the things she’d done, even her favorite dishes.
"How about I stay for lunch with you before we leave? We’ll visit your grandpa in the evening—didn’t you say you had a gift for him?"
"Mm-hmm! I also need my cousins’ help with something. I want to introduce Qingqing to them."
"I thought you didn’t like playing with your cousins? Said they were too overprotective."
Boss Qian was curious about what his daughter had in mind.
"They’re all boys. I used to feel left out, and I didn’t like holding them back from fun stuff. That’s why I avoided them. But this time, I need their help with something serious—not just playing."
Qian Jiabao spoke earnestly.
Boss Qian hadn’t expected that answer. He ruffled her hair.
"You’ve put on some weight."
He studied her bright, healthy face.
"Really? I have?"
She touched her cheeks, delighted.
"Seems the food here agrees with you."
"Hehe, Grandpa Zhou’s cooking is the best. Plus, I’ve been exercising with the grandpas every day."
Qian Jiabao had always disliked how frail she was—any little illness made her lose weight fast, to the point where she avoided mirrors for a long time.
At lunch, Boss Qian noticed the dishes weren’t anything extravagant, but seeing his daughter happily finish two bowls of rice filled him with joy.
