June 16th, Sunday—the second day after Qin Yu returned to the Granger household.
It was around eight in the morning, and the family was gathered around the breakfast table.
At first, everything seemed perfectly ordinary.
Then, just as they'd begun their meal, Mrs. Granger suddenly spoke up. "Hermione, darling, there's something Mummy needs to talk to you about."
"What is it, Mum?" Hermione looked up, puzzled, and licked a drop of milk from her upper lip.
"Sweetheart, you're growing up now, so… it's best not to spend quite so much time in Qin's room at night," Mrs. Granger said, choosing her words with deliberate care.
"Eh?!" Hermione froze, mid-bite.
"Cough! Cough!" "Cough! Cough!"
Both men at the table erupted into fits of coughing—one choking on milk, the other on bread.
"Hermione, you've been going to Qin's room again?" Mr. Granger managed between coughs.
"Why did you say 'again,' David?" Mrs. Granger turned to her husband, eyebrows raised.
Seeing Mr. Granger at a loss for words, Qin Yu could only rub his forehead in resignation.
Truth was, Hermione had snuck up to his room again last night. The two of them sat side by side on the bed, talking until late. Of course, that was all they did—barely even holding hands. Summer nights didn't require hand-warming, after all.
As expected, Hermione fell asleep partway through. Qin Yu tucked her in, then spent the rest of the night in a chair, meditating as he often did.
This time, Hermione wasn't nearly as flustered the next morning. She even picked up his quill and drew two whiskers on his face before he opened his eyes—sending her scurrying downstairs in mock terror, worried she'd be "punished" for her prank.
Apparently, Mrs. Granger had picked up on something.
"Aunt Jenny, it was my fault last night…" Qin Yu quickly admitted, survival instincts kicking in.
"Mum, it wasn't Qin's fault. I just missed him so much, and there was so much I wanted to tell him…" Hermione chimed in earnestly.
"Hermione, do you remember the medical talk Mummy gave you a while ago?" Mrs. Granger asked, meeting her daughter's eyes.
"Medical talk?" Hermione blinked, then her face lit up in understanding. "Oh, you mean about puberty and all that?"
Puberty?
Qin Yu thought, Am I really supposed to be hearing this?
He glanced across the table at Mr. Granger, who simply shrugged and gave him a look that said, "Just go with it."
So Qin Yu straightened up, swallowing nervously.
"That's right. Do you remember what I told you to watch out for?" Mrs. Granger asked.
"Of course I do. You said that when boys and girls reach a certain age, if they get too close, well, the girl might get pregnant," Hermione replied with perfect seriousness.
"Exactly!" Mrs. Granger nodded, satisfied.
"But you also said things like holding hands and kissing wouldn't make someone pregnant. You told me that back in Year Three," Hermione added, equally solemn.
"Wait—have you two kissed? Qin?!" Mr. Granger's gaze sharpened as he stared at Qin Yu.
Mrs. Granger also looked over, suspicion in her eyes.
"No! Uncle David! Aunt Jenny! I swear, absolutely not!" Qin Yu was so startled he nearly leapt from his seat.
The Grangers, seeing his genuine panic, turned to Hermione for confirmation.
"No, we haven't. I was just repeating what you taught me, Mum," Hermione replied calmly.
Both parents breathed a sigh of relief.
"Ahem. Well, you're both still young, so you mustn't do anything inappropriate. Do you understand, Qin? Hermione?" Mrs. Granger said, regaining her composure and taking charge of the conversation.
"Of course not, Aunt Jenny!" Qin Yu replied, straight-faced.
"I understand, Mum!" Hermione nodded obediently.
"Good. I know this is a rather unusual topic, but you don't need to be embarrassed. It's just basic human biology. If you ever have any questions or worries as you grow up, you can always come to me or your father. We'll always listen—because we're your family," Mrs. Granger said gently.
Qin Yu nodded so hard his hair nearly bounced. Inwardly, he begged the conversation to end so he could finish his breakfast in peace.
"Got it, Mum!" Hermione echoed.
But just as everyone was about to breathe easy, Hermione piped up again:
"So, Mum, kissing really can't make you pregnant?"
Smack!
Qin Yu buried his face in his hands, silently pleading, Please, Hermione, have mercy on your big brother!
"…David, could you come here for a moment?" Mrs. Granger said after a pause, rising from her seat and heading toward the kitchen.
Mr. Granger quickly followed.
"Kids, you go ahead and eat. Don't wait for us!" Mrs. Granger called back before closing the kitchen door.
Eat? How am I supposed to eat after that?
Qin Yu forced a pained smile.
"Okay, Mum!" Hermione waved cheerfully, as if nothing had happened.
The Grangers disappeared into the kitchen for a whispered conference.
After finishing her sandwich, Hermione muttered, "Honestly, I've already read all about this stuff in books. I'm not sure why Mum brought it up again."
...
"But the books really didn't mention kissing… Maybe I just didn't read carefully enough?" she added, brow furrowing in thought.
A true scholar—diligent and determined to get every detail right.
…
After breakfast, the Grangers decided to have separate talks with the children.
Hermione was taken to her little bedroom by Mrs. Granger, while Qin Yu followed Mr. Granger into the master bedroom.
What was said between mother and daughter, Qin Yu would never know.
But as soon as he entered the bedroom, Mr. Granger launched into a clear, thorough explanation of human biology and the facts of life—complete with gestures and, at one point, the threat of a rubber balloon for demonstration.
At last, Qin Yu couldn't take it anymore. "Uncle, really, I understand! I promise, I won't do anything inappropriate!"
"Good. Sounds like you've grasped everything I've told you," Mr. Granger said, pleased.
"Yes, completely understood!" Qin Yu nodded fervently.
"In that case, I'll just put this away," Mr. Granger said, returning the balloon to his bedside drawer.
Truth be told, David Granger had a pretty good idea why his wife had brought up this topic. The night before, the two of them—feeling the sting of their daughter's growing independence—had comforted each other and even discussed the possibility of having another child. Later, while he'd dozed off, his wife had apparently gone to the living room for a glass of water—likely when she'd heard something from upstairs.
All these threads had come together, prompting her to broach the subject at breakfast.
Of course, the table talk hadn't gone smoothly, which was why they'd opted for the classic "man-to-man, woman-to-woman" approach.
And, by the looks of it, his job was done.
When Mr. Granger emerged from the master bedroom with his arm slung around Qin Yu's shoulders, Hermione and Mrs. Granger were still deep in conversation.
They waited nearly half an hour before mother and daughter finally reappeared.
"You finished so quickly?" Jenny Granger asked, a little surprised to see her husband and Qin Yu lounging in the living room, snacking on fruit.
"Yep, everything went smoothly. Right, Qin?" Mr. Granger said, grinning at Qin Yu.
"Yes, Uncle David, Aunt Jenny!" Qin Yu replied, doing his best to sound natural.
"That's good. Hermione and I had a lovely chat too," Mrs. Granger said with a smile, squeezing her daughter's hand.
Hermione's cheeks were bright pink. Qin Yu glanced at her and couldn't help but wonder what exactly had gone on in that room.
…
Perhaps because both Grangers were doctors—dentists, to be precise—they were open-minded and direct about such topics. They didn't shy away from discussing sex education, and when things got awkward (thanks to Hermione's persistence), they simply chose to have private, honest conversations with each child.
All in all, the talks were a success.
They set clear ground rules for Qin Yu and Hermione—not that either had ever crossed the line to begin with.
It was just a small episode at the start of the summer holidays. Soon enough, they'd be swept up in a flurry of plans and adventures.
——Dimensional Wall——
Maybe this chapter's "sugar" feels a bit… offbeat, but I think it's reasonable, and it ties back to that all-night Christmas conversation.
As times change, both at home and abroad, sex education during adolescence is becoming more and more important—which is a good thing. To all the young readers out there: I hope you'll face these changes with confidence, and grow up healthy and strong. (A blessing from someone
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whose own youth is long gone.)
Looks like there's still one more chapter to go.