The little star from the Gobi Desert, handed over to the state, is hailed as a national treasure.

As soon as Tian Tian rushed out of the shed, Xiao Yu had already turned around and was walking twenty or thirty steps ahead of her. Without thinking, Tian Tian immediately took small steps to catch up, her little rubber shoes making a series of crisp "pat-pat" sounds on the ground.

The moon hung high in the sky, like a warm, lustrous jade disc, illuminating the ground with its gentle light. Xiaoyu's slender figure walked ahead, stopping and starting, as if deliberately waiting for her, or perhaps silently plotting something.

"Sister Xiaoyu? Sister Xiaoyu!"

Sweetie ran and shouted until she was slightly out of breath, and then she caught up with Xiaoyu behind an abandoned shed near the back of the mountain.

Xiaoyu was squatting in a clump of waist-high foxtail grass with her back to her, seemingly engrossed in fiddling with something. Hearing footsteps behind her, she didn't shout like other children, but simply turned around and waved to Tiantian.

Sweetie paused for a moment, then ran over happily, panting, and shouted, "Sister Xiaoyu, you're walking too fast! Sweetie can't keep up..."

Before she could finish speaking, Xiaoyu turned around, raised her hand, and gently placed a grass crown woven from foxtail grass on Tiantian's head.

"ah……"

Sweetie was startled. After realizing what had happened, she quickly took off the grass crown and examined it closely by the moonlight.

Although the grass was woven hastily and roughly, its novel design gave it a unique wild charm, something Sweetie had never seen before.

As she was looking at it from left to right, Xiaoyu turned around and shoved a string of little dogs woven from foxtail grass into her hand.

She didn't say a word, her thin face remained expressionless, only her dark, bright eyes quietly watching the little girl in front of her.

Sweetie was even more surprised, holding the straw puppy, she was so happy she almost jumped for joy.

"A puppy! It's a puppy! So cute! Sweetie loves it!"

"..."

Xiaoyu held up a finger to her lips, signaling Tiantian to be quiet. The little girl immediately covered her mouth with her hand and nodded vigorously to show that she understood.

Xiaoyu got up from the grass and walked forward without saying a word. Before leaving, she casually plucked a handful of grass and fiddled with it in her hand as she walked.

Sweetie's eyes shone with admiration, like a loyal little soldier following closely behind Xiaoyu.

Even as darkness fell, and even as Xiaoyu led her along an unfamiliar forest path, she felt no fear whatsoever, her heart filled with the joy of being with her friends.

"Sister Xiaoyu," she asked excitedly, "where are we going to play?"

Xiaoyu shook her head. She didn't like to talk and just kept walking with her head down. After a few steps, the grass in her hand seemed to be magically transformed into a praying mantis with two long legs, waving two "scythes".

Sweetie was immediately captivated again, smiling from ear to ear.

The two children kept walking forward. Xiaoyu seemed to know the terrain very well, choosing to walk on the overgrown, rocky paths, sometimes pushing aside bushes as tall as a person, sometimes stepping on slippery moss. But amazingly, no matter where she went, she could always come up with new and interesting little gadgets.

Sometimes it's a smooth pebble, sometimes a strange tree branch, and more often, it's a little thing she casually weaves.

A straw hat the size of a thumb, a dragonfly fluttering in the palm of a hand, and an adorable little horse.

I don't know where Xiaoyu learned this skill, but with just a few deft folds and twists from her skillful hands, a lifelike little gadget is born in no time.

Sweetie's little pockets were quickly filled, becoming so heavy that the hem of her clothes drooped down.

The little girl was overjoyed. If Xiaoyu hadn't kept giving her warning looks, signaling her to be quiet, she would have jumped up and shouted to express her delight.

Tonight happens to be a full moon night, and the snow-white moonlight and countless stars illuminate two small figures on the ground. One's usually indifferent expression gradually softens, while the other leaps around like a tireless, happy little rabbit.

I don't know how long we walked, but suddenly the view ahead opened up.

Behind a huge, lightning-scorched rock, there was a small lawn, about two meters in diameter. The lawn was covered with a thick layer of fallen leaves, soft and fluffy underfoot, like a natural mattress.

A ring of small trees surrounded it, their lush branches intertwining to form a green canopy overhead. Moonlight filtered through the leaves, creating a dappled and tranquil secret world beneath the "umbrella."

The wind rustled through the treetops, creating a sound like an ancient and beautiful melody.

"Wow, this place is amazing!" Sweetie exclaimed, unable to contain her excitement any longer. She jumped onto the grass, rolled around, and announced loudly, "Big sister, we can play together here!"

Xiaoyu remained silent. She bent down and crawled under the "umbrella," then sat down against the huge, scorched rock behind her.

Sweetie immediately followed and sat down next to her, placing the small toys from her pocket one by one on the lawn and happily playing with them.

"Giddy up, giddy up!"

She held up a straw pony, mimicking galloping on horseback, then picked up a straw puppy, imitating the big bad wolf's voice, and fiercely shouted, "Awooo! I'm going to eat you!"

Xiaoyu quietly watched her innocent and carefree appearance, remained silent for a moment, and then slowly took something out of her bosom.

It was a small square, no bigger than a thumb, wrapped in colorful cellophane. By the light of the moon, you could see the beautiful patterns printed on it.

"Candy?" Sweetie's eyes lit up instantly.

In this era of scarcity, fruit candies were a rare sight. Although Sweetie had received candies from her grandfather and uncles at the base, those were all given by adults. Now, it was Sister Xiaoyu who was giving her such precious candy, which showed that she truly cared for her.

"Big sister," Sweetie waved her little hand, pretending to be sensible, "Sweetie knows this candy is very expensive, you should keep it for yourself."

Despite saying that, she couldn't help but carefully lick her lips as she smelled the sweet aroma of the candy in the air.

Sweetie had already eaten all the candy she brought from the base, but she couldn't bear to take the older girl's candy.

"Sweetie has eaten so many candies before, I know this flavor, so you don't need to give me any, sister."

After she finished speaking in a serious tone, she proudly raised her chin, indicating that she had grown up and it didn't matter whether she ate candy or not.

Xiaoyu gazed quietly at the adorable face in front of her, a face filled with conflicted emotions.

She blinked, as if trying to determine whether Sweetie was being sincere.

The next second, Xiaoyu still reached out, unwrapped the candy, and put it to the little girl's lips.

A simple action speaks louder than words, conveying only one clear meaning: Eat.