Chengcheng was dressed in a white princess dress.

Xiao Bai, wearing a blue Greater China athletic tracksuit, hopped down the stairs, her footsteps waking the hallway lights.

At the corner, she looked up, smiled at Zhang Tan, bounced twice in succession, and disappeared from sight.

This was the first time today she had smiled.

Zhang Tan waited for a moment, making sure Xiao Bai wouldn't come back. He closed the door, sat at his desk, and pulled out a French fry. It was still warm, and it tasted really good.

Zhang Tan had no mood to make videos anymore; the small bag of fries in his hand had captured all his attention and his entire mood.

Right in front of him was the window, and human voices drifted from outside. Zhang Tan saw a chubby man holding a little girl's hand as they left. The man turned back and waved, "Bye-bye, Xiao Bai, see you tomorrow. I'm taking Chengcheng home first, you go home early too."

It was Meng Chengcheng and her father.

Weren't they supposed to have left already? Why were they still here?

Xiao Bai had said just that: Chengcheng's father had brought fries and chicken wings, picked Chengcheng up, and then she had brought him the fries.

However, judging by the situation now, Meng Chengcheng and her father were only just leaving; they had been downstairs the entire time.

Meng Chengcheng was wearing a white princess dress today, looking just like a little princess. Her face blossomed with smiles as she stayed close to her father. This evening, the normally dull little melon had finally bloomed.

Zhang Tan watched Meng Chengcheng and her father disappear under the streetlamp at the entrance of Little Red Horse Kindergarten. He wrapped up the remaining fries to save them, took a watermelon and a cantaloupe from the refrigerator, went to the kitchen to cut them into small pieces, packed them into a disposable fresh-keeping box, prepared three fruit forks, and went out.

The first floor was brightly lit yet very quiet; the children had already gone upstairs to sleep.

However, Zhang Tan knew there was still one child here.

He found Xiao Bai buried in a picture book in the corner of the reading area.

Hearing footsteps, Xiao Bai looked up. Seeing it was Zhang Tan, she asked in surprise, "Big Uncle, why are you not going to sleep-sleep yet?"

Zhang Tan sat down beside her. Since there were only small stools and tiny chairs, he simply sat cross-legged on the floor and opened the fruit box.

"Have some watermelon, and some cantaloupe too."

He added, "Don't you dare say you have no money; I'm treating you. I finished your fries, and they were especially delicious."

Xiao Bai stared at him with big, pure eyes.

Zhang Tan stared back at her. For three or four seconds, neither of them spoke.

"Children shouldn't think so much. Weren't you thirsty after eating fries? Anyway, I'm very thirsty."

Zhang Tan took out a fruit fork, speared a piece of watermelon, and handed it to Xiao Bai.

"Here, take it."

Xiao Bai placed the picture book on her knees, grasped the fruit fork with her right hand, and cupped her left hand underneath the fruit to keep any juice from dripping onto the floor.

Zhang Tan chuckled, "You silly melon eating watermelon."

Xiao Bai's eyebrows twitched. "What did you say? What did you just say?!"

"Nothing, nothing, nothing at all. I said we both love eating watermelon."

"Hmph! Big Uncle, tell me the story of Frederick the field mouse."

Zhang Tan saw that the book on her knees was indeed *Frederick*.

Again with this picture book.

"Do you like this picture book very much?"

He had seen Xiao Bai looking at *Frederick* many times.

Xiao Bai nodded and said she liked it very much.

Zhang Tan took the picture book from her knees, turned to the page she was looking at, and began to narrate:

"One day, the field mice saw Frederick sitting blankly, gazing at the meadow. They asked him, 'Frederick, why aren't you working again? What are you doing?' Frederick said, 'I'm gathering colors.' Other field mice asked, 'What colors are you gathering?'"

Xiao Bai was nibbling on the watermelon like a little mouse, and she chimed in, "The green of the big meadow."

Zhang Tan praised her, "Xiao Bai, you're so smart! That's right, Frederick was gathering the green of the big meadow. The other field mice asked again, 'Why are you gathering green? Isn't green right in front of our eyes? You don't need to gather it.'"

Xiao Bai chimed in again, "Because winter is gray-gray."

Why gather the green of the big meadow? Because winter is gray-gray.

"Eh? Have you read this episode before?"

"I guessed it!" Xiao Bai giggled, shaking her little feet, clearly very pleased and proud. Then, suspecting whether Big Uncle was just teasing her, she poked her little head forward to peer at the book: "What does the book actually say?"

Zhang Tan pointed it out to her: "These words here, 'winter is gray-gray,' isn't that just what you said?"

Xiao Bai examined it for a long time and nodded earnestly: "Alright, perfect, this is my specialty."

Seeing her putting on airs, Zhang Tan wanted to laugh but couldn't, holding it in as he looked down at the picture book. What was actually written in the book was: *Frederick said, because in winter there is nothing to eat.*

Xiao Bai, don't you not know how to read? How did it suddenly become your specialty? Babies are supposed to be modest.

He had known for a long time that when Xiao Bai looked at picture books, she basically guessed based on intuition, looked at the pictures to tell the story, or had other children read to her.

"What are you laughing at?" Xiao Bai stared at him with a little straight face, seemingly having caught Zhang Tan smiling.

Zhang Tan quickly straightened his expression and denied it vehemently: "No, absolutely not, I wasn't laughing."

"Really not laughing?"

"Really not laughing, what would I be laughing at?"

"How would I know what you're laughing at? Are you laughing at me for not knowing how to read, huh?"

Zhang Tan swore to the heavens: "I absolutely did not! Why would I laugh at that? You're still a little child, only four years old, it's completely normal not to know how to read. Many children don't know how to read; slowly, as you grow up, you'll learn."

"Really?"

"Really."

"Are you trying to trick Xiao Bai?"

Trick you? You almost tricked me.

"I'm really not tricking you. Look, I can teach you how to read."

"Why?"

"What do you mean why?"

"Why teach me how to read? You're not even my good friend."

o(╥﹏╥)o, so after all this, we're still not good friends? I want to cry.

Perhaps seeing Zhang Tan's expression instantly collapse, Xiao Bai added, "You're too big. All my good friends are silly melons, what kind of person are you?"

Could it be that your good friends can only be tiny ones? Someone as big as me won't do?

And what do you mean "what kind of person am I"? I'm a human! Can't you tell I'm a full-grown person?

Let's just continue reading the picture book.

The two of them ate watermelon while listening to the story in the picture book. During this time, Teacher Xiao Liu came by, saw Zhang Tan and Xiao Bai chatting, and simply went back.

"Ah-wooo~~"

At 12 midnight, Xiao Bai let out a yawn.

Zhang Tan put down the picture book and said, "Sleepy? Go to the dormitory to sleep for a bit."

Xiao Bai shook her head and looked towards the door; her aunt-in-law was about to arrive.

Sure enough, a few minutes later, Xiao Bai's aunt emerged from the night and would soon disappear into the night again, leaving with one more child than when she had arrived.

Walking down the desolate, quiet alley, the dim streetlights cast an eerie glow on the cobblestone pavement. Xiao Bai darted her short legs quickly, breaking into a trot every now and then to keep up with her aunt's pace.

"Auntie, are you tired today?"

Ma Lanhua held her little hand, not even looking down at her, only wishing to get home sooner.

"What? Why are you asking this?"

"I'm just showing some concern for you. Why are you still so unhappy?"

"I know you inside out, you silly melon. What are you plotting this time? Starting some mischief again?"

"..."

"Why aren't you talking? Did I hit the nail on the head, you silly melon?"

"I'm so mad my ghost fire is blazing! Go to hell!"

"Damn it! Say that again."

"Tang Sanzang rides a horse, dong-that-dong, followed closely by Sun Wukong~~~"

"...Why are you singing now?"

"Auntie~ Chengcheng wore a princess dress today, she was so pretty—"

"Stop talking about this useless stuff, go home and sleep-sleep."

...

Xiao Bai stopped talking, and only the sound of footsteps remained in their ears.

After a while...

"Auntie~~ Are you tired today?"

"Cut it out! Speak if you have something to say."

"Luo Zikang said my clothes are for spring, and now it's already summer. No wonder I felt so hot. I used to smell nice just like Chengcheng, but once I sweat, I turn stinky."

"Oh, right, you're still wearing long sleeves. I'll find you some summer clothes when we get home."

"Ha, do I get a princess dress?"

"You'll get a hammer!"