### Chapter 7: Half a Year of Changes
Kids nowadays might find their joy in just playing and watching TV. Xia Yu was no different, but now with no TV, she could only go out and wander around.
After greeting her grandma, Xia Yu stepped out of the house. Even though it was winter and close to the new year, the weather wasn’t at all chilly. So she didn’t even need to wear her old cotton jacket.
It had been half a year since she last returned to the village, so naturally, there were some changes. For instance, the Zhang family built another house…
There really weren’t many fun places in the village—anywhere near water was definitely off-limits. The most common activity was heading over to the playground.
The weather today was glorious, with bright sunshine, so lots of children were out having fun. The girls mostly played jump rope on the playground while the boys nearby were engrossed in their marble games.
Talking about marbles, Xia Yu used to have a huge hankering for it. Till date, her bookshelf still displayed a couple dozen marbles from her victories. She loved the game—until she realized without her brother Xia Le to play with, almost no other boy would want to take part.
Thus, Xia Yu settled on finding a big stone, sat down, and started basking in the sun while daydreaming.
Unbeknownst to her, ever since returning, Xia Yu noticed she wasn’t as rambunctious as before. Perhaps she just got lazier—she consoled herself with this theory.
Her spot was pretty noticeable, so anyone looking from the playground could easily spot her.
Before long, the girls jumping ropes noticed Xia Yu. They glanced between Xiao Ling and Xia Yu, puzzled, and exclaimed, “Little Ling, is that your sister?”
Xiao Ling followed where her friends were pointing—at a kid who looked remarkably like her, other than gender—and figured that person wasn’t her twin but probably her second brother.
With an abrupt decision, Xiao Ling ditched her friends and scampered toward Xia Yu, beaming as she invited, “Second Brother, wanna join me? We can play!”
Upon hearing this, Xia Yu was momentarily stunned, then kindly refused, “Go ahead and play. I’m just here to soak up some sun; not feeling too active.”
Hearing these words made Xiao Ling feel a little let down, but she refrained from insisting and simply walked away, rejoining her friends instead.
The girls crowded around Xiao Ling with curiosity, chattering away, “Little Ling, is that really your sister? Isn’t your twin brother the only one you’ve got?”
Frustrated but patient, Xiao Ling gave her friend’s head a light tap and replied, “That’s my second brother.”
“Why’s he missing, then? Did he come back now?”
“Yeah, my second brother came home by himself yesterday,” Xiao Ling answered truthfully.
Meanwhile, the older folks in the village were muttering to themselves about Xia Yu’s return, astounded by her sudden appearance after being gone for six months.
Word quickly spread throughout the village about Xia Yu’s return, unbeknownst to her.
Sensing it was time to head home, Xia Yu started making her way back. As she grew, there’d be more chores waiting for her.
Time flew, turning Xia Yu from a nine-year-old to a ten-year-old within those six months.
