「A week flew by, and soon it was Women's Day.」

The class distributed two flowers to each child, telling them to take the flowers home to their mothers or grandmothers and say, "You've worked so hard!"

When Lin Feng saw the children holding their flowers, he went and picked a few from their own yard as a gift for Zhang Yuxi. The flowers in the yard had sprouted on their own from leftover seeds scattered there last semester. Once the weather warms up, I'll tidy up the yard properly and plant some more, he thought.

As soon as Zhang Yuxi got home that afternoon, the children eagerly rushed out with their flowers.

In perfect unison, they chirped, "Mommy, Happy Women's Day! You've worked so hard!"

Zhang Yuxi was both surprised and delighted. She accepted their flowers and peppered their little cheeks with kisses.

"Thank you, my babies, thank you!"

Standing behind them, Lin Feng produced three more flowers from behind his back. "Honey, Happy Women's Day!"

Zhang Yuxi instantly recognized them as flowers from their yard.

Taking them, she raised an eyebrow playfully. "Thank you, darling!"

At the dinner table, the spread naturally consisted of all of Zhang Yuxi's favorite dishes.

While the children were playing in the living room, Lin Feng leaned in and whispered in her ear.

"Honey, I have another gift for you tonight."

As if she didn't know what he was up to.

She smiled and waved her hand dismissively. "Darling, you don't need to spend any money. It's the thought that counts."

Lin Feng nodded. "Alright!"

But that night was a different story.

Liar! Zhang Yuxi thought with a smile.

「Before long, it was Arbor Day.」

The day before, the teacher announced they would be taking the children into the mountains to plant trees. The school would provide the saplings, watering cans, and other necessary tools. Considering the muddy environment, the teacher suggested that parents have their children wear rain boots.

There would be no classes in the morning; instead, everyone was to meet at the school gate at two in the afternoon. The children didn't need to bring a thing. The teacher would take them on the bus, and parents could pick them up at the usual time after school.

Meanwhile, Lin Feng set to work on the yard. He spent the entire afternoon clearing out all the weeds.

Just then, an elderly gardener who was passing by stopped and asked, "Cleaning up the yard?"

It was the same old gentleman who had taught them about the leaves he was collecting last time.

Lin Feng smiled. "Yes, I'm planning to plant some flowers and shrubs."

The old gentleman suggested, "Your yard is so large. You'd be better off planting some fruit trees. Orange trees or plum trees would do well."

Lin Feng's yard included a bonus plot of land. Plus, unlike his neighbors who parked conveniently by their doors, he always used the garage, leaving a lot of usable space in the yard. He had never gotten around to deciding what to do with it, especially since he hadn't had the time when the children were younger. Now that the kids were in school, he finally had some time to spare. He had only considered planting flowers, never fruit trees.

Lin Feng grinned. "Thank you, sir. I wouldn't have even thought of that."

The elderly gentleman chuckled. "I have some saplings. Whenever you're free, I can bring them over for you."

Lin Feng thought for a moment. "I'm free this Saturday. How about you, sir? When would be a good time for you?"

"I'm always free. I'll bring them over this Saturday then."

"Great! Thank you, sir."

"Don't mention it. It's just a few fruit trees." After a pause, the gentleman added, "And don't bother tidying the yard any more. I'll come over on Saturday and have it sorted in no time."

Lin Feng was grateful for his enthusiasm. "Alright, thank you in advance then."

The old gentleman walked away, still smiling.

Lin Feng glanced at the time—4:40 p.m. It was time to pick up the kids.

He had just arrived at the school when the bus pulled up.

On the bus, the children were all beaming with excitement. It was clear that their tree-planting activity had been very meaningful for them. As soon as they got in the car, they started chattering excitedly to Lin Feng about their day.

Back home, Lin Feng told them to wash their hands while he steamed some small buns for them.

When Zhang Yuxi returned, the children eagerly shared the details of their Arbor Day adventure with her.

"Mommy, we each planted a little sapling today!"

"And we gave them names!"

"Really?" Zhang Yuxi asked. "What names did you pick?"

Dabao shouted, "I named mine Superman! I hope it grows up super fast!"

Erbao said, "Mine is called Sprouty!"

Sibao declared, "My tree's name is the coolest! It's called the Number One Tree in the Universe!"

Zhang Yuxi couldn't help but sputter with laughter. "HAHAHA, that name is definitely something else!"

Sanbao said with a grin, "I called mine Blossom, because I hope it will flower one day!"

They were just so innocent and adorable.

That evening, Lin Feng told Zhang Yuxi about the plan for Saturday, and she thought it was a wonderful idea.

Then, Lin Feng brought up another matter.

"Next week, it's time for the kids to start sleeping in their own beds."

They had talked about it before the New Year, but the couple hadn't had the heart to go through with it. The thought of a quiet night without the children's soft snores, of waking up and not seeing them there… they just weren't used to the idea. But now that school had been in session for about a week, it was time to teach the children to sleep by themselves. They knew it would be a process.

Zhang Yuxi sighed, a little reluctant.

"The kids have grown up again."

Every small step the children took toward independence felt like a step further away from their parents.

Lin Feng comforted her, "I'll always be with you, honey."

Zhang Yuxi hummed softly in response.

On Saturday, Zhang Yuxi took the children to An Lan's house, while Lin Feng stayed home to plant the trees.

The old gentleman didn't say what kind of trees they were. He simply instructed Lin Feng to dig the holes, plant the trees, and water them.

"These are all mature trees," he explained. "They're very resilient, and the fruit they bear will be sweet."

He had brought eight trees in total. They planted six along the perimeter of the yard and the two largest ones on either side. Suddenly, the yard was full. It actually looked quite nice.

After they finished, Lin Feng invited the old gentleman inside for a drink of water and a snack.

The elderly gentleman waved him off. "No need. My shoes and clothes are covered in dirt. I'd track it all over your house."

"It's no problem at all," Lin Feng insisted.

But the old gentleman was stubborn. "No, no. I'll stop by every few days to check on them. I'll be going now!"

Despite Lin Feng's repeated pleas for him to stay, the old gentleman left.

When Zhang Yuxi and the children returned that evening, they were very pleased with the new yard.

"Darling, what tree is this?"

"I don't know. The old gentleman didn't say."

"What about this one?"

"Hmm, I'm not sure about this one either. I can look them up online later."

"Don't! It's more fun to have a surprise to look forward to."

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