The summer breeze, carrying the scent of wheat, swept through the Hongqi Production Brigade. The old locust tree at the village entrance spread its dense green shade, and the cicadas' chirping concealed a vibrant life force. On a late August morning, Lin Wanqiu got up early and carefully examined Shen Nian'an's new schoolbag—the blue coarse cloth bag contained a notebook for learning new characters, a pencil, and an eraser tied with a red string, which Shen Tingzhou had specially bought in the county town. In this era of scarcity, it was a rare item.

"Nian'an, get up quickly! Today is your first day of school, you can't be late." Lin Wanqiu gently pushed open the door to the inner room and saw Shen Nian'an tossing and turning with her pillow in her arms, her little face still sleepy. This year, Shen Nian'an was already six years old. After two years of careful care, her once thin and sallow appearance was long gone. Now she had delicate features and was a head taller than other children her age. She ran like a nimble little leopard, but she still showed some shyness when facing unfamiliar environments.

Shen Nian'an rubbed his eyes and saw the new schoolbag on the bedside table. He instantly woke up and jumped up: "Mom, I'll be done soon! Will I be able to see my teacher and classmates today?" He had been looking forward to going to school for a long time. Before, he had been envious of Wang Da Niang's grandson carrying his schoolbag to school. He kept tugging at Lin Wanqiu's clothes. Now that he could finally walk into the school by himself, his little face was full of anticipation.

Shen Tingzhou had also finished packing and was holding a newly made small wooden ruler in his hand: "Nian'an, this is for you. If you can't see the blackboard clearly in class, tell the teacher. If any classmates bully you, don't hold back, tell your dad when you get home." His tone was serious, but his eyes held a softness—he was on a mission in the army back then and couldn't be by his son's side. Now, seeing his son about to embark on his school journey, his heart was filled with the joy and concern of being a father.

Breakfast was fragrant egg pancakes and millet porridge. Lin Wanqiu had specially added refined grains from her spatial storage to the egg pancakes, ensuring Nian'an ate his fill. After breakfast, the family of three walked towards the village primary school. Along the way, they encountered many villagers dropping off their children. Aunt Wang, holding Nian'an's hand, smiled so much that wrinkles appeared at the corners of her eyes: "Nian'an has really grown up! He can go to school now! When you get to school, listen to your teacher carefully and get into a good university so you can bring honor to your parents!"

The village primary school was located at the west end of the village. It consisted of several renovated mud-brick houses with whitewashed exterior walls and a wooden sign hanging at the entrance that read "Red Flag Production Brigade Primary School" in red paint. Many children had already arrived in the courtyard, their chattering sounds like a flock of cheerful birds. When Nian'an saw so many unfamiliar friends, she quietly hid behind Lin Wanqiu, her little hands tightly clutching the hem of her clothes.

"Don't be afraid, Mom will go in with you." Lin Wanqiu squatted down and straightened his collar. "The teachers and classmates are very kind. If you miss Mom, just look at the eraser in your schoolbag. It'll feel like Mom is right beside you." Shen Nian'an nodded, mustered his courage, and followed Lin Wanqiu into the classroom.

The first-grade teacher was Ms. Li, in her thirties, wearing black-rimmed glasses, and speaking gently. When she saw Nian'an, she smiled and walked over: "You must be Shen Nian'an, right? Your parents often mention you, saying you're a sensible child." Nian'an whispered, "Hello, teacher." Ms. Li patted his head and led him to a seat by the window: "From now on, you'll sit here, study hard, and ask the teacher if you don't understand anything."

Lin Wanqiu and Shen Tingzhou stood outside the classroom for a long time until the bell rang, before reluctantly leaving. On the way, Shen Tingzhou said softly, "I really didn't expect that Nian'an would be in school now. Time flies." Lin Wanqiu nodded, feeling both expectant and apprehensive: "I hope he will like going to school and be successful in the future, so he won't have to suffer like we have."

As the days went by, Nian'an gradually adapted to school life. Every day after school, he would excitedly share his school experiences with Lin Wanqiu and Shen Tingzhou—what new characters he learned that day, what arithmetic class he would have the next day, and which classmate he had become friends with. Lin Wanqiu would always listen attentively and would even take out a notebook to have him write down the new characters he had learned. If he didn't know any of them, she would patiently teach him.

One day in mid-September, Teacher Li suddenly came to "Late Autumn Food Workshop" and found Lin Wanqiu, who was busy at work. With a look of surprise on her face, she said, "Comrade Wanqiu, I came here today to tell you that Nian'an is a child with a special talent for arithmetic. He is the most outstanding child I have ever taught!"

Lin Wanqiu stopped what she was doing, both surprised and delighted: "Teacher Li, is what you're saying true? Nian'an... he's really that good?" Teacher Li smiled and nodded, taking Nian'an's arithmetic workbook out of her bag: "Look, this is Nian'an's homework. I just taught him addition and subtraction within 20 yesterday, and he not only got them all right, but he could also calculate using different methods. Today in class, I gave him an addition and subtraction problem within 50. While the other students were still counting on their fingers, he quickly calculated the answer and could even explain the solution to the class. He's truly a rare talent!"

Lin Wanqiu took the workbook and looked at the neat handwriting and correct answers. Her eyes welled up with tears. She remembered that when Nian Angang was reborn, he was so thin that he could barely walk. Now, he has not only grown up healthily, but also shown mathematical talent. This made her even happier than when she herself won the title of "March 8th Red Banner Pacesetter".

When Shen Tingzhou returned from outside and heard Teacher Li's words, he was also very excited: "Teacher Li, thank you so much. We don't know how to thank you enough for teaching Nian'an so diligently." Teacher Li waved her hand: "It's what I should do. Nian'an is a smart and hardworking child, and you parents have also done a good job in raising her. I think Nian'an should receive a better education, and she will definitely achieve great things in the future."

That evening, Lin Wanqiu prepared a table full of Nian'an's favorite dishes, including sweet and sour fish, scrambled eggs, chicken soup, and his favorite apple pie—made by Lin Wanqiu using apples from his spatial storage, it was sweet, soft, and delicious, and Nian'an ate two pieces in one go. At the dinner table, Lin Wanqiu said with a smile, "Nian'an, today Teacher Li told your parents that you are exceptionally good at arithmetic, a little genius, and your parents are very proud of you."

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