Chapter 82 Visiting the School

Leilei looked up, his little hand clutching a pencil: "When I lived with my grandparents, they taught me to recognize characters, recite poems, and even teach me a little arithmetic."

Lu Mingyue's heart stirred. She remembered that she had almost hesitated to send her child to school later because she thought he was too young, and she felt a little relieved.

"Luckily, it didn't delay your enrollment. Maybe our Leilei is a little genius!"

Over the next few days, Lu Mingyue would take time every day to teach Leilei to read and write.

Yao Yao looked at her brother holding a pencil and doing calculations seriously, her little face full of envy.

She tugged at Lu Mingyue's clothes and shook them, saying, "Mom, I want to learn too. I want to draw."

Lu Mingyue smiled and took out the newly bought pencils and drawing paper from the drawer, spreading them on another small table.

"Okay, Mom will teach you how to hold the pen. Draw whatever you want."

Yao Yao carefully held the pencil, her little brows furrowed, looking as serious as a little adult.

At first, she just drew some crooked circles on the paper, but seeing the numbers gradually taking shape under her brother's pen, she got excited and started drawing stroke by stroke, just like her brother.

First, she drew a round sun, then next to it, she drew two little people holding hands, one tall and one short, who said in a childish voice, "This is Mommy, and this is me."

Lu Mingyue leaned closer to look, and the lines on the paper were almost blurred together. She couldn't help but laugh: "Yaoyao drew it so beautifully. Can you draw your brother in too?"

Leilei stopped drawing, looked at his sister's picture, and added with a smile, "You also need to draw a yard with the saplings we planted."

Yao Yao nodded immediately and picked up her pencil to continue drawing.

Seeing how diligently the children were studying, Lu Mingyue felt even more strongly that she should take them to the school to see it and familiarize them with the environment in advance.

After breakfast that day, Lu Mingyue packed her schoolbag and took her two children's hands as they walked towards school.

On the way, Yao Yao asked curiously, "Mom, are there many children at school?"

Leilei also raised his head, his eyes full of anticipation.

Lu Mingyue nodded with a smile: "Of course, there are also teachers who teach knowledge. When you get to school, you can see the classrooms and play with other children."

Yao Yao waved her little hand and called out in her childish voice, "Mommy, Yao Yao wants to go too! Yao Yao wants to go to school too."

He may be small, but he has big ambitions.

Lu Mingyue smiled and pinched her soft cheek: "Yaoyao is still young. How about we go together in a couple of years when she's taller?"

Yao Yao pouted as if she understood, but still obediently took her hand and followed her to school.

Just as I turned past the old locust tree in the family compound, I saw Zheng Xiuhua leading Niu Niu towards me.

Niu Niu was still clutching half a sweet potato in his hand when he saw Lei Lei and Yao Yao. He immediately skipped over, calling out, "Lei Lei! Yao Yao!"

"Where are you all going?" Zheng Xiuhua asked with a smile.

“Take the children to the school to see it and let them get familiar with it in advance,” Lu Mingyue replied.

Zheng Xiuhua's eyes lit up: "What a coincidence! I was just thinking of taking Niu Niu to familiarize himself with the way. He'll be starting school in the fall. Why don't we go together?"

"That would be perfect," Lu Mingyue replied with a smile.

The group suddenly became lively: Leilei held Yaoyao's hand.

Niu Niu followed beside her, chattering away, asking if there was anything good to eat at school.

When Yao Yao got tired, her mother picked her up and she nestled in her mother's arms, staring curiously at the wildflowers by the roadside.

The school in the residential compound doesn't just admit children from the compound; kids from nearby villages can also attend.

The parents in the village are now divided into two camps.

Most people feel that children's education is useless and that it's better for them to help with farm work as soon as possible.

But there are also people like Lu Mingyue who believe that "knowledge can change destiny" and don't want their children to spend their whole lives toiling in the fields like they did, without even knowing a single word.

Because of this, quite a few people come to visit the school regularly; they are parents who want to see what the school looks like and decide whether or not to send their children there.

All you have to do is register with the gatekeeper, write down your name and address, and you can bring your child inside to explore.

Lu Mingyue, holding Yao Yao's hand, walked with Zheng Xiuhua to the guardhouse.

The gatekeeper was a kind old man. Seeing them leading several children, he smiled and handed them a registration book: "Are you here to check out the school for your kids? Fill this out and you can go in. The teachers inside are all kind, and you can chat with them if you have any questions."

Leilei leaned over to the side, looked at the words on the register, and whispered a few words.

Niu Niu clung to the gate, peering curiously into the campus with eyes full of anticipation.

After Lu Mingyue filled out the information, the group walked into the campus.

As soon as you enter the school gate, you are on a smooth cement road that extends into the school.

There was a large willow tree on each side of the gate, with lush branches and long willow twigs hanging down, swaying gently in the wind.

To the right of the cement road is a large open playground, surrounded by a low wooden fence.

There were students having physical education class on the playground. Several children wearing blue cotton jackets were running and playing on the playground. Some were chasing a ball, and some were squatting on the ground playing marbles. Their laughter could be heard from afar.

To the left, next to the willow trees, are several brick and tile houses side by side. A wooden sign that reads "Teachers' Office" hangs on the door. The windows are open, and occasionally you can see teachers bending over to grade homework.

Further into the campus, the last row of buildings are the children's classrooms.

There were seven or eight classrooms in total, with red tiles on the roof and whitewash on the walls. The windows of each classroom were clean and shiny, and you could see the neatly arranged wooden desks and chairs inside.

Although there weren't many students, the entire campus was quiet from a distance, with only the rustling of willow leaves in the wind and the laughter of children, exuding a reassuring and vibrant energy.

The group quietly walked to the classroom window and slowed their pace.

About twenty children sat at wooden desks and chairs, their backs ramrod straight, their eyes fixed on the podium.

The teacher on the platform held chalk and wrote Chinese characters on the blackboard stroke by stroke, reciting "Heaven, Earth, Man, You, Me, and Him".

The children below then read along in unison, their voices not loud but remarkably uniform.

Leilei clung to the windowsill, his eyes fixed on the words on the blackboard, his fingers secretly tracing their meaning on his trouser leg.

He saw a classmate raise their hand to answer a question, and he quietly hummed in response, as if he were answering a question himself.

Yao Yao nestled in Lu Mingyue's arms, unable to understand what they were doing, but she remained quiet.

Niu Niu held Zheng Xiuhua's hand and whispered, "Do I have to sit this straight in class?"

Zheng Xiuhua smiled and nodded gently.

Upon hearing "you have to sit up straight," Niu Niu's bright eyes instantly drooped.

Xiao Shou unconsciously let go of Zheng Xiuhua's hand, leaned against the wall listlessly, and muttered softly, "Do we have to sit here for so long?"

He looked down at his feet, which he always liked to swing around, and then remembered how he used to chase chickens and climb trees to raid bird nests at home. He couldn't help but frown.