Are you free this weekend?

When Zhang Tan said he had made cold noodles and invited everyone to have a taste, little Shen Liuliu could hardly wait. Completely unable to sit still, her little bottom squirmed back and forth on the stool as she stared eagerly at Xiaobai, seemingly wanting to pry open Xiaobai's little mouth and answer on her behalf.

In the end, Xiaobai followed Zhang Tan over to be a guest at his home.

The four children were seated at the table, each with a small bowl. Since Chengcheng didn't know how to use chopsticks, a tiny fork was prepared for her. She kept her head down, her face practically buried inside her little bowl.

Zhang Tan brought out the freshly prepared cold noodles.

"Chengcheng, Chengcheng, move your little face aside a bit."

He served portions into all four small bowls.

Shen Liuliu chimed in with a soft whine, "Can we have some meat, please? I want meat~~"

"Yes, yes, yes." Zhang Tan placed three large slices of beef into her little bowl. "Is this okay?"

Shen Liuliu was reasonably satisfied and said, "I suppose this will do for now."

"Just tell me if you want more, don't be shy."

"Baby isn't shy at all."

Shen Liuliu truly wasn't shy. This little girl was much bolder than Xiaomi and Chengcheng, giving Xiaobai a run for her money. However, she wasn't as sensible as Xiaobai; she was silly and bubbling with innocence.

Actually, Zhang Tan's words were a roundabout hint meant for Chengcheng and Xiaomi, as those two little ones were very polite.

"Does Chengcheng want some shrimp?" Zhang Tan asked Meng Chengcheng.

Meng Chengcheng looked bewildered, prompting Xiaobai to tap her on the head. "You little melon-head, don't just sit there like a wooden post."

Only then did Meng Chengcheng snap out of it. She nodded first, then shook her head, and whispered timidly, "Will I eat you out of house and home?"

Zhang Tan had no choice but to bring out his grandiose excuse once again.

"No, I earned money today."

Only then did Chengcheng agree to have some prawns.

"What about Xiaomi? Xiaomi, how about some beef and prawns?"

"Okay~" Xiaomi replied weakly, "Thank you, big uncle."

Zhang Tan placed three prawns in her bowl and added, "Actually, I'm quite young. You can call me older brother, you know."

However, this remark was completely ignored by the children, who continued calling him whatever they pleased.

When it was Xiaobai's turn, her mood was quite poor and her face was long. She ate whatever Zhang Tan put on her plate, spoke very little, and only chimed in to snap Meng Chengcheng out of her daydreams.

Since the children had already eaten dinner earlier, they quickly grew too full to continue. Nearly half of the cold noodles remained. Zhang Tan packed them neatly into a fresh-keeping box, put them in the refrigerator, and made a pact with the kids that they would come back tomorrow evening.

"Come! Whoever doesn't come is a little puppy."

Full of boundless energy and unable to stay still once her belly was full, Shen Liuliu scampered wildly around the house on a rampage before being suppressed by Xiaobai and chased out the door to play with the other children on the first floor.

Xiaobai prepared to leave as well, but Zhang Tan asked her to stay.

"What do you want to stay for?"

Xiaobai wasn't afraid of him. After interacting for so long, she knew the big uncle was a good person, just a little eccentric.

Trying his best to adopt a gentle tone, Zhang Tan said, "That little boy made a mistake today, so you shouldn't be angry anymore, okay?"

Xiaobai asked curiously, "Which little boy?"

"The one who walked past the school gate earlier, wearing a school backpack."

"Oh, that melon-head? What about him?"

"He made a mistake."

"What?"

"He mistook your clothes."

"Oh."

Xiaobai looked like she had nothing more to say, and Zhang Tan couldn't tell whether she had truly let it go or simply didn't wish to talk to him anymore.

Last time, when he had volunteered to teach her how to read, the little girl had rejected him by saying they weren't good friends, which had been rather heartbreaking.

Chances were, she still didn't want to share her inner thoughts with him now for the exact same reason—because they weren't good friends.

Having interacted for over a month, of all the children in the entire kindergarten, Xiaobai was the one Zhang Tan understood best. Despite being only four and a half years old, she actually understood a great deal.

For instance, every time she came over as a guest, she always brought some little trinket: boiled peanuts, candies, eggs, or even dragonflies, earthworms, cicadas... Looking back after all this time, it wasn't that the little girl just happened to have those things; more likely, she had brought them specifically for him.

Zhang Tan spoke a bit more, but seeing that Xiaobai remained tight-lipped, he had no idea whether she had actually listened.

"Go on back then, and go play with the children."

"Big uncle, bye~~~"

Xiaobai got up to leave, went to the entryway to change into her little shoes, and happened to catch sight of the full-length mirror positioned by the foyer.

Her reflection was in the mirror. The little girl stared at it curiously for a moment, then suddenly asked Zhang Tan, "Big uncle~ Why did they throw the clothes away?"

??? Zhang Tan didn't quite catch her meaning.

"Clothes this nice, why would they want to throw them away?" Xiaobai repeated, pointing her little finger at the number 33 basketball jersey she was wearing.

Zhang Tan finally understood. It turned out his previous explanation had gone in one ear and out the other; Xiaobai had already firmly concluded that this clothing was something other people no longer wanted.

"They made a mistake. These weren't their clothes."

"They were!" Xiaobai argued excitedly, "These clothes were picked up by my aunt! I know all about it."

"..."

You certainly seem to know a lot of things.

Xiaobai asked again, "Big uncle, why would they throw these clothes away? These clothes are so nice, why throw them away?"

Zhang Tan thought for a moment and said, "That's because they grew up. These clothes were what they wore when they were little, and they couldn't fit into them anymore after growing taller. But since the clothes were still so good, they gave them to little children who needed them."

"Just like you. You're four and a half now, and when you turn five, many of the clothes you're wearing now won't fit anymore because you'll be too big. What happens to those clothes then?"

Xiaobai proactively answered, "We give them to other little children to wear."

"That's right, exactly like that. We give them to other three- or four-year-old children—Chengcheng, Liuliu, Xiaomi. They'll fit them just right."

"Xiaomi is four and a half too, just as old as me."

"Oh right, then minus Xiaomi, it's Chengcheng and Liuliu. Look at my house here—this sofa, this television, these stools and chairs—they were all used by other people previously. Aren't they still very good? I'm very happy using them too, wouldn't you say?"

These pieces of furniture had been moved over from the old Zhang family residence, and all of them were secondhand items.

Xiaobai looked around her surroundings, beginning to understand a little.

"Weren't they picked up by my aunt?"

Zhang Tan explained, "Of course they weren't picked up; they were donated. Do you know what donated means? It means I told a lot of people, 'I have a very nice piece of clothing here that the little child in my house can no longer wear. Is there any family with a little child who can wear it?' Your aunt happened to find out and said, 'There's Xiaobai in our house, she's four and a half, she can wear it.' So they gave it to your aunt and even urged her to take good care of these clothes because they were just like new..."

Zhang Tan rattled off a long speech, nearly convincing even himself, only for Xiaobai to stare at him suspiciously. "Big uncle, aren't you trying to fool Xiaobai? For some reason, I think you're a bit eccentric."

Zhang Tan: ╥﹏╥

"Why do you look like you're about to cry?" Xiaobai asked.

"How could that be! I'm just a little heartbroken."

"What hurts?"

"My heart hurts."

"What for?"

"What you said made me very sad."

"What did I say?"

"You said I was eccentric."

"I was just saying it casually."

"Can things like that be said casually?"

"Heh heh heh, ha~~~"

Seeing that Xiaobai finally broke into a smile, Zhang Tan felt his mood lighten considerably, only to hear Xiaobai ask, "Why do I feel like you're tricking a little kid?"

Zhang Tan swore, "I absolutely am not! How about this—this weekend, do you have free time? I'll take you somewhere to see how everyone donates clothes. Do you want to go?"

"The person who says, 'My house has a kid, and they can't wear their clothes anymore, is there any family whose kid wants to wear them?' Is it a place like that?"

The little girl acted it out vividly, painting quite a clear picture with her words.

"Yes, exactly a place like that."

"Is it fun?"

"Tremendously fun. Do you want to go?"

"What about my aunt?"

"I'll talk to your aunt."

"Oh."

"Then it's a deal."

"I'm very busy, you know."

"Huh? What are you busy with?"

"Counting stars, duh."

"..."

Are you pulling my leg?

"There are so many stars, I can't count them all."

"Then you don't have to count stars this weekend. Clear up your schedule, and I'll take you out to play. We'll go check out the place where clothes are donated first, and you can also taste bear drinks, along with lots of other delicious food and beverages."

"Why are you treating me so well?"

"Huh?"

"Do you think I'm cute, or what?"

Zhang Tan was caught between laughter and tears. Seeing Xiaobai's resolute expression, he had no choice but to bite the bullet and admit it.

"That's right, I think you're super cute."

"Alright then," Xiaobai said cheerfully. Zhang Tan thought she had agreed, but then she added, "Let me think about it."

After sending her off, Zhang Tan tidied up the dining table. Reflecting on the conversation he just had with Xiaobai, he began to understand why she had cried in the first place. She hadn't cried because she was wearing someone else's old clothes, but rather because she thought someone had thrown away such wonderful garments.

Why would anyone throw away clothes this nice? That was why she had run outside, determined to return the clothes to their owner.

Suddenly, Zhang Tan felt a deep ache of affection for her.

The day after tomorrow was the weekend; he needed to plan a fun outing for her properly.

Even though the little girl hadn't given an outright yes, when a little girl answered like that, it generally meant there was no major problem. If you went ahead and formulated a plan, and she saw how seriously you were preparing it, she would tacitly go along with it.

However, the first hurdle was convincing Xiaobai's aunt, Ma Lanhua.

Allowing a stranger to take Xiaobai away would surely make her uneasy. He needed to think of a way to dispel her doubts... After pondering for a long time, Zhang Tan suddenly chuckled dryly. Why did he suddenly feel like he was plotting to kidnap Xiaobai?