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"Thank you," Zhu Peng said gratefully.

Night fell.

Shen Baili tossed and turned. She missed home.

She had never been so far from home before.

She wanted to go home. She missed her mother, Aunt, Eldest Brother, Second Brother, and Uncle Xie...

"Don't you miss me? Meow~" A-Deng gently brushed a tear from the corner of her eye with his tail.

Shen Baili hugged Little Orange Cat and rubbed his fluffy head. "I miss you."

"A-Deng."

A-Deng gave a haughty little meow, then curled up against Shen Baili's neck.

The night was quiet. Holding Little Orange Cat and her teddy bear, Shen Baili gradually grew sleepy.

"Wah... waaah... waaah..."

A faint sound suddenly broke the silence.

Shen Baili rolled over. From the bed beside hers, Zhu Peng asked softly, "Whose kettle is boiling?"

The kettle went quiet for a moment. Then someone hiccupped.

"Sorry," Bi Yan whispered. "I miss home."

"Did I wake you up?"

Jiang Zhu made no sound. With the blanket pulled over her head, she clamped both hands over her mouth.

"I miss home too," Shen Baili said.

Zhu Peng was silent for a few seconds. "I miss my mom too."

Jiang Zhu's muffled voice came from beneath the blanket. "I want to go home."

Then she whispered, "I'm sorry."

Her voice was quieter than a mosquito in summer.

"It's okay," Shen Baili said. Her hearing was sharp.

"Let's get some sleep. We have to assemble at eight tomorrow morning," Bi Yan said. "Cry too long and your eyelids will swell up like a sad frog's."

"I wasn't crying."

"..."

The next morning, Jiang Zhu's eyes were swollen.

"What do I do?" Jiang Zhu asked unhappily, looking in the mirror.

"Hold a bottle of ice water against them for a while. That should help."

"I'll go