This little girl is Grace Bennett. She looks completely different from her sister Stella Bennett, and also unlike most other children. She has a head of naturally curly hair, as if it had been permed into big waves, and a pair of large eyes with especially long eyelashes, just like a doll. When Brian Carter was young, he didn’t know what a mixed-race child was; he just thought Grace Bennett was pretty. However, the neighbors often said she was the child of a Russian, because she didn’t look like either her mom or dad at all.

However, this rumor was naturally dispelled when Brian Carter got married and moved back into the small building, because the now over-30-year-old Grace Bennett looked more and more like her mother, and no longer resembled that pretty little doll. The only thing that hadn’t changed was her tetracycline-stained teeth.

A brief introduction: tetracycline teeth were also a specialty of the 1960s and 70s. At that time, there weren’t many effective anti-inflammatory drugs, and tetracycline antibiotics were the go-to medicine for all kinds of infections. But it was later discovered that taking this medicine caused many side effects, the most obvious being that it made teeth rotten and black, which is why they were called tetracycline teeth. So if you see someone born in the 60s or 70s with bad teeth, it’s not necessarily because they didn’t take care of them—it might just be tetracycline teeth.

“You’re a bad kid! I’m not calling you brother. Dad! Little Brian is bullying me, saying my teeth will turn black!” No girl likes being told she’s not pretty, from age one to a hundred, so Brian Carter’s words provoked a strong reaction from Grace Bennett, who pouted and started calling for her dad from the building entrance.

“Little Brian, if you bully your sister again, I’ll give you a beating. Your dad can’t bear to hit me, but I won’t be so polite. By the way, I heard from your dad that you don’t want to go to kindergarten and want to study at home by yourself. What’s up with that? And your dad just believes you when you say it? Do you really dislike going to kindergarten that much? You just want to run wild at home?” Grace Bennett’s father came out of the building, pushing his bicycle and scolding Brian Carter.

Her father was a retired military officer, said to have participated in the Korean War and even been wounded. He got along well with Brian Carter’s father, who was one of the few neighbors he could chat with, so the two families interacted quite a lot. Grace Bennett’s father often managed to get some military-only supplies, especially cigarettes, while Brian Carter’s father could tutor Grace Bennett’s older sister.

This Uncle Bennett was also one of the few people Brian Carter was actually afraid of. He had a strong military personality, was very strict, and didn’t show much mercy—plus, he hit hard. Once, Brian Carter made Grace Bennett cry by pulling her pigtails, and Uncle 金 pinned him down on his thigh and gave him a good spanking. After that, Brian Carter never dared to bully Grace Bennett directly again.

“I’m not just running wild at home, I’m self-studying. By the time Grace Bennett can go to elementary school, I might have already finished the first-grade textbooks. By then, I’ll definitely be better at studying than Grace Bennett.” Brian Carter tried to make his tone sound more like a child’s, not making his reasoning too clear, but it didn’t work very well—he still hadn’t mastered it.

“Brother Brian! There’s a monster in your family, self-studying! You can fool your dad, but let me tell you, if you really manage to self-study successfully, I’ll send Grace Bennett to your house to be your student, and buy you all big ice creams every day! But if you don’t do well, I’ll drag you to kindergarten every day!” Uncle Bennett shouted loudly toward Brian Carter’s window, then picked Brian Carter up and put him on the crossbar of his bicycle, planning to help Brian Carter’s father take him to kindergarten.

“Little Brian, I borrowed the books for you—they’re your sister Stella Bennett’s. You have to take good care of them, don’t get them dirty, and definitely don’t tear or lose them. Your homework today is to memorize the pinyin on the first page. I don’t expect you to memorize it all, just as much as you can. I’ll quiz you when I get home tonight. Also, last night you talked me into a daze, so you have to tell me how you plan to self-study. If you can’t give me a clear answer, see this? Uncle 金 and I will take you to kindergarten together.” Brian Carter’s father also came out of the house, pushing the bicycle out of the hallway, then stood side by side with Uncle Bennett.

Chapter 10: Stationery

“Brother Brian, do you really believe what he says? He just doesn’t want to go to kindergarten. You really need to keep a closer eye on this kid. It’s fine if he’s a bit naughty, but he can’t be lying to his parents at such a young age!” Uncle Bennett’s straightforwardness flared up again, and he directly questioned Brian Carter’s character. If it were any other parent, they probably wouldn’t like hearing this.

“Old Bennett, we still have to encourage reasonable requests from children. I’m not spoiling him. I agreed to let him study at home on certain conditions. First, he has to tell me exactly how he plans to study, and second, he has to show results. If he can’t meet these two requirements, I’ll tie him up with a rope if I have to and take him to kindergarten.” Brian Carter’s father didn’t mind Uncle Bennett’s bluntness. Rather than explaining to Uncle Bennett, it was more like he was talking to Brian Carter.

“I’ll go to school and listen to classes. My Little Uncle Carter is on the third floor, and first grade is on the first floor. Their classroom doors are always open at the back, so I can listen in and no one will bother me. When I used to look for my Little Uncle Carter, I often leaned against the back door to listen. If anyone bullies me, I’ll call my Little Uncle Carter to beat them up. After class in the morning, I’ll go to grandma’s house for lunch, and in the afternoon I’ll review by myself.” Brian Carter pointed to the five-story building next to them.