[Teacher, you are so nice]
[Work hard to cultivate good seedlings]
[Teach me to draw and play games]
[Teach me singing and dancing]
[We graduated today]
[I will go to school tomorrow]
[Wait for me to wear the red scarf]
[Will report to the teacher]
[Goodbye, teacher]
[Goodbye, teacher]
Mei Xiaoyuan and Mei Zhixi held hands and stood shoulder to shoulder with smiles in their eyes during the final group chorus of the Sunflower Class. Parents and teachers sat in the audience watching the children's performance. A familiar scene was played out again, but this time.
Lin Youxi complained to Mei Fang softly:
"I didn't expect that after 20 years, the kindergarten graduation song is still the same. It feels like time has stopped and I am dreaming back to 20 years ago."
"Yeah, I really miss it..."
"Wuwu... Ah Fang, I can't stand it anymore!"
Xia Yuan hugged Mei Fang and burst into tears in his arms.
Xia Yuan's behavior was so conspicuous that the originally happy atmosphere suddenly became a little sad. Some parents began to wipe their tears silently, and Lin Meng's mother also came over to comfort Xia Yuan.
"Mother Yuan, don't cry, children will grow up one day..."
Compared to the adults who were full of emotion, the children seemed quite happy about graduation.
Six-year-old Mei Xiaoyuan has grown into a lovely girl full of energy. With a bunch of big red bows tied behind her twin ponytails, she always has a happy face. She looks very energetic at all times and exudes a child's vigor.
She distributed graduation gifts to everyone, just as Xia Yuan did when she was a child; she gave out Kamen Rider beads from the Heisei to Reiwa periods to her good friends, including her younger sister Mei Zhixi.
Mei Zhixi likes to keep her medium-length hair in a jellyfish-like style. During the three years in kindergarten, she is still the quiet girl, but compared to the beginning when she was shy and introverted and dared not speak, she can now respond well to other people's greetings.
Mei Xiaoyuan, who is kind-hearted, brought back a bunch of gifts for exchange. In addition to the puzzle beans given by her sister, Mei Zhixi also received some gifts. However, she was not as happy as her sister. Instead, she trotted to Lin Youxi, who bent down to listen to her daughter.
"Mother Xi, I didn't prepare any graduation gifts for them, can you still accept these things?"
"When you receive these things, do you feel happy or stressed? In other words... you will prepare other gifts because of these, but this is not something you are willing to do?"
"Still... I'll still be happy."
Mei Zhixi thought for a moment and said, "If I don't give them anything, it would be... very rude. But, I don't know what to give them."
Xi's mother worked with her to come up with a solution: "I think we can make something that you like and are good at, such as anime character cards."
"What if, what if they don't like it..."
"I won't dislike it. When you receive a gift, do you care about what it is?"
Mei Zhixi shook her head.
"So, you just need to prepare the gift carefully. As for what the gift should be, let's go ask Sister Yuanbao for advice, okay?"
"Yeah, sure."
Mei Zhixi had just made up her mind, but then she changed her mind and started to worry again, "After we graduate today... we will never see each other again, right?"
"No, we parents are all familiar with each other, and isn't your birthday next week? If you want, you can also invite some children to your home like Sister Yuanbao did, so that you can give them graduation gifts."
"Invite them, invite them! Xiao Xixi, bring more friends to our house to play with us. Didn't we have a lot of fun last time?"
Mei Xiaoyuan heard Xi's mother talking about the birthday party and immediately became interested. "After my sister's birthday, we will go to elementary school in a few days, Dad."
“That’s right… That’s right.”
"Ah, Dad..."
Mei Xiaoyuan took out a tissue from his pocket and wiped Mei Fang's tears. "Dad, don't cry. We are just growing up. We are not leaving you. You should be happy."
"I know, but...but..."
Mei Fang pouted, looking eagerly at the smiling Mei Xiaoyuan in front of him, and pulled Xia Yuan who had just recovered from the shock and said, "Yuanyuan... look, look at the little ingot!"
"She looks exactly like Yuan's mother when she was a child, wuwu—"
Mei Fang x Xia Yuan, the conspicuous couple, attracted the attention of many parents, but for these parents who have been together for three years, it has become a common occurrence in a sense.
"Dad Mei, don't be sad. You are the CEO of Yuanxi Interactive Entertainment. Don't act like a child."
"Yes, yes, children will grow up, become elementary school students, middle school students, college students, fall in love and get married—"
Mei Fang hugged Xia Yuan and sobbed even louder.
After the family completed the kindergarten's graduation procedures, they took away their belongings from the kindergarten, filled the trunk of their car with them, and drove back home.
Mei Fang carried the luggage and gave some to Mei Xiaoyuan and Mei Zhixi, then returned home. The smart air conditioner in the house turned on, and a refreshing cool breeze surrounded the living room. Everyone suddenly felt reborn.
"Phew... It's so cool!"
Mei Xiaoyuan held the gift he received and placed it on the side of the sofa. He then wiped the sweat from his forehead and said to Mei Fang, "Dad, I want to eat watermelon!"
"Let mommy help you cut it... Daddy still has to move things."
Mei Fang put down his luggage and went to the yard again.
"Mom Xi, help me cut the watermelon—ah."
Lin Youxi was just about to undress and put on new clothes when Mei Xiaoyuan started to lecture her.
"Mother Xi, don't start taking off your clothes right after you come back. You can't let the boys see you!"
"Your father is the only one at home, and there is no one else...Your father can be seen."
"But don't do this in front of the children. My sister and I are still children... ah, look, my sister has started it."
Mei Xiaoyuan pulled Mei Zhixi aside to stop her from taking off her skirt, "Or... Or just go take a shower!"
"Well, do you want to take a shower together?"
"Okay, let's go take a shower together!"
—
"Here it comes, the watermelon is here! Mother Yuan has cut the watermelon! Hey... where are the people?"
Xia Yuan brought a plate of cut watermelon to the living room and found nothing on the floor except a pair of white socks and a pair of black tights.
"Ahh, don't leave your socks on the floor! They will be eaten by the robot vacuum cleaner!"
After Lin Youxi took the children to take a bath, Mei Fang also finished moving their things and sat in the dining room to eat watermelon with Xia Yuan.
"Ah, watermelon! Dad and Mom Yuan are eating it secretly!"
"What do you mean by stealing food? You can't even find anyone." Xia Yuan protested, then gulped down another melon.
Mei Xiaoyuan climbed onto the chair and sat down to eat watermelon together. Mei Zhixi came to Mei Fang as usual and spread out her hands. Mei Fang quickly wiped her mouth and complained:
"Oh, Daddy is all sweaty and you just took a shower, why are you hugging him..."
"I want daddy to hold me, I want daddy to hold me!"
Mei Zhixi still had a bit of a little bit of a spoiled brat in front of her father. She put her hands on her hips and was about to rub against her father. When Lin Youxi saw this, she also reminded him:
"Xiao Xixi, you can rub against Daddy, but you have to take a bath by yourself later, okay? Mommy Xixi won't help you wash this time."
"I want to take a shower with Dad."
"That won't work... You're already this old." Mei Fang waved her hand, "And you can take a bath by yourself."
“Then Mother Yuan can…” Mei Zhixi pouted.
"Mother Yuan is Dad's wife, so of course I can do it."
"Ah, that..."
"Xiao Xixi, don't be so willful. If you act like this, your mother will be sad."
Lin Youxi's tone was a little heavier when she said this. Mei Zhixi was afraid that her mother would change her face at home, so she quickly proposed another plan, "But, after Dad takes a bath, you have to accompany me to draw."
"Okay, okay, a good child is one who listens to what he says."
Mei Fang went to the shower room with Xia Yuan's help.
"Ah Fang, isn't it a bad idea to show affection in front of your daughters..."
"Hey, I don't think it's a big deal. Are you shy?"
“Not really… Ouch, pinch me suddenly, bad thing, I’m going to pinch you too.”
…
Mei Fang and Xia Yuan took a thorough shower.
On the first day of kindergarten graduation, Mei Fang lay down with Mei Zhixi to draw, Xia Yuan and Mei Xiaoyuan sat cross-legged on the mat to watch the new Kamen Rider, and Lin Youxi sat on the lazy sofa chair nearby, quietly listening to music and reading a book.
In the banyan tree beside the pond, cicadas are calling out for summer.
Lin Youxi looked out the window and saw blue sky, white clouds and bright sunshine.
The so-called peaceful days are probably like this...
Just as the family was enjoying a peaceful and quiet summer, Mei Fang suddenly received a call.
It was a call from my dad Mei Lijun.
Mei Fang took the call.
"Dad, what's the matter?"
Meilijun's cheerful voice came from the other end of the phone:
"Hey, Fang, what are you doing?"
"I'm accompanying Xiaoxixi to draw."
"Wow... I, I also want to draw with Xiaoxixi!"
"Grandpa, we are drawing the school."
Mei Zhixi came forward and shouted into her father's cell phone.
"Ahhh, Xiao Xixi, are you there? Congratulations on graduating from kindergarten! What is Sister Yuanbao doing?"
"Ah, it's Grandpa!"
Mei Xiaoyuan came over immediately after hearing the voice. Mei Fang handed the phone to Mei Xiaoyuan, "Grandpa, I'm getting an IV!"
"Ah? Infusion? What kind of fluid... Do you have a cold? What's the temperature? Is it serious? Grandpa will come to see you!"
"Missing your night! Hahahaha!"
“Hahahaha, where did you learn that? Don’t say such greasy words. Congratulations on graduating from kindergarten!”
"Thank you grandpa! Love you! mua—"
"Okay, okay, now give the phone to daddy."
Mei Fang took the phone from Xiao Yuanbao and continued chatting with Mei Lijun.
"Xixi, do you think grandpa and grandma will come over to visit during the summer vacation?"
"Should...right?"
"Then can Aunt Ya come over to play too? I want to hear her tell about Grandpa Lan's Indomitable Expedition! She only told half of it last time."
"But, Yuan's mother said before that Aunt Ya seemed to be attending college far away—"
Mei Xiaoyuan and Mei Zhixi were murmured happily, when Mei Fang above them suddenly shouted:
"Ah? Demolition?"
“Is this true?”
"No... Dad, if you need money, come to me. Don't use your identity as a land bureau official to do bad things. It won't benefit anyone if you go to jail."
"Really demolishing the houses? With the little income in the county, can they afford demolition now?"
"Okay... I have nothing to do during the summer vacation anyway, so I'll take the kids back to visit. I'll tell Yuanyuan and Youxi about it."
Mei Fang turned off his phone. Mei Xiaoyuan, who was standing beside him, pulled Mei Fang's pants and said, "Dad, what happened? What happened? Has grandpa been arrested?"
"Little Yuanbao! Stop talking nonsense and wipe your mouth."
After Xia Yuan taught Mei Xiaoyuan a lesson, he curiously asked Mei Fang, "Is your hometown going to be demolished?"
"Our area will be transformed into an urban area, and the area nearby will be converted into a main street square that is larger than the Cultural Square."
Mei Fang continued, "My dad was approached by someone above me and asked if we should preserve Yuanyuan and Youxi's old house so that we could build a Xia Yuan's former residence, a Lin Youxi's former residence, or something like that..."
"No, we are still alive, why would we need a former residence?"
"Living people can also use the former residence, which is not a big deal..."
Lin Youxi thought about it and said, "I guess they don't really want to build a former residence. This is to remind Ah Fang to return to his hometown when he is rich and powerful, not to forget his fellow villagers, and to go back and build Baimei hometown well."
"You can't ask for financing like this, this is nonsense..."
Mei Fang suddenly remembered that the children were still in front of him, and he slapped his mouth and said introspectively, "Dad said a bad word, Dad slapped his mouth."
"It's okay, it's okay, Dad. There's no one else here. Don't hit yourself."
Mei Xiaoyuan asked curiously, "By the way, Dad, what is the 'former residence'?"
“It’s where my parents used to live.”
As soon as Lin Youxi finished speaking, Mei Xiaoyuan immediately raised her hands and jumped up, "I want to go! I want to see! I want to see where my parents lived when they were little!"
"I want to go, too."
Mei Zhixi pulled Mei Fang's trouser leg and said, "Let's go back to Baimei County. We can also visit Grandpa Yuan and Grandma Yuan, Grandpa Xi and Grandma Xi, as well as Grandpa and Grandma..."
"There are so many relatives to visit! It's really tiring..."
"However, regardless of whether or not we can raise funds, it would be a good idea to go back and take a look."
Lin Youxi reminded Mei Fang, "This is also an opportunity. Taking the children to see where their parents live can also be considered a form of social practice."
"Since we all have to do social practice, why not start from Jiangcheng?"
Xia Yuan also found this very interesting. "The company and the university are both in Pengcheng. We are reminiscing about our high school life. I think it's a good thing... Let Xiao Yuanbao and Xiao Xixi know what elementary and middle school are like."
"Yeah, yeah, I want to go, I want to go!"
"If you're going to Jiangcheng, you don't have to drive there... You can just take a plane from Pengcheng and ask the branch to prepare a car."
"That's right, let's do it."
Mei Fang nodded, "After we celebrate Xiao Xixi's birthday, we'll go back to check on the demolition. We can also go on a vacation and have some fun!"
"Yeah, great! I've been wanting to take a plane for a long time."
Mei Xiaoyuan and Mei Zhixi both jumped up happily.
In this way, Mei Fang, Xia Yuan and Lin Youxi will review their youth journey with their two lovely children in the coming summer.
And this wonderful twenty-year long race is about to come to an end...
There is only one chapter left before the end of the main text—
(End of this chapter)