Chapter 102 The First Day of School

The two children were delighted to meet a familiar friend in an unfamiliar place, and immediately went together to register for Class 5, Grade 1.

The two parents followed behind, and Grandma Fufu couldn't stop smiling: "I never expected it to be such a coincidence that Xiaoyu and Fufu would be classmates!"

Song Xinran also felt the wonder of fate. Although she always went to the No. 8 Tongyin Road community after the restaurant was opened, and Grandma Fufu became a regular customer after the store opened, the two never mentioned where their child would go to school.

“This is fate.” Song Xinran’s lips curved slightly.

“That’s right!” Grandma Fufu said. “Fufu’s mother said that Shuangqiao Primary School has a good teaching quality, so she specifically enrolled Fufu in Shuangqiao Primary School. Otherwise, according to the residential area, Fufu should be attending Xinglong Primary School.”

Song Xinran said, "My home is near Shuangqiao Elementary School."

Grandma Fu was a little surprised to hear this. In her previous interactions with Song Xinran, she knew Song Xinran to be a person with a good sense of propriety. Although the children of the two families got along well, the adults did not visit each other frequently.

This was also the first time Grandma Fufu knew where Song Xinran lived: "Then you must spend a lot of time coming to the store every day."

Song Xinran: "Yeah, it takes half an hour by bus."

Grandma Fu said, "It will take Fu Fu a long time to get to school from now on. At first, I thought it would be fine to let her attend a school near home, which would be convenient. But Fu Fu's mother also works in that area, so she can take Fu Fu to school every morning. However, Fu Fu wasn't very happy about it and didn't want to get up so early every morning. Now that she knows Song Yu is in the same class as her, Fu Fu will definitely be much more enthusiastic about going to school!"

Grandma Fufu wasn't just saying that. During holidays, Fufu loves to sleep in, but if she makes plans to play with Song Yu the next day, she'll get up early and be full of energy.

Song Xinran said, "Xiao Yu is also very happy. When he was looking at the class assignment list, he saw Fu Fu's name first."

She told a white lie; it's inevitable to flatter each other in interpersonal relationships.

Grandma Fufu smiled happily.

The homeroom teacher of Class 5, Grade 1, is a woman in her forties surnamed Tang. She looks a bit serious, speaks standard Mandarin with intonation, and checks the registration information very carefully. She is obviously a teacher with a lot of teaching experience.

Fu Fu was chatting and laughing with Song Yu, her little face beaming with joy, but as soon as she stood in front of the teacher, she became as quiet as a quail, keeping her mouth shut and waiting for her grandmother to register her.

Although Song Yu had also restrained himself, he was still quite natural. He pointed to his name on the list in front of the teacher with his little finger and said in his childish voice, "Teacher, I'm here. My name is Song Yu."

Teacher Tang looked up at him and hummed in response.

Fu Fu stood to the side, glancing at Song Yu with trepidation.

After registration, most parents leave the classroom, leaving only the students inside. The teacher distributes new books and explains the school and class rules, etc.

Grandma Fu was a little worried when she was leaving, fearing that Fu would cry. After all, Fu cried so loudly on her first day of kindergarten that her mother had taken her to register and didn't know how to handle it. She was heartbroken.

So, the task of registering the children was left to Fufu's grandmother. Grandma was very good at dealing with children, so Fufu's parents were at ease. After all, Grandma was a knowledgeable and educated person, and she had also raised Fufu's father quite well.

Grandma Fu is a little worried about her granddaughter's reaction, but Fu's actions have completely surprised her.

Fu Fu waved his hand confidently: "Grandma, you can go now. I can go to school by myself."

Grandma Fufu couldn't believe it. Was this free-spirited, straightforward, and not clingy girl really her granddaughter?

But Grandma still said, "Fufu, Grandma won't leave. Grandma will wait for you outside the school."

Teacher Tang said that the children will be released in about forty minutes, and parents can take their children home and start school tomorrow.

Fu Fu nodded, then turned to talk to Song Yu. The little girl looked surprised and whispered, "Song Yu, aren't you afraid of Teacher Tang? She looks so scary!"

Fu Fu didn't dare to speak in front of the teacher.

Song Yu said, "Don't be afraid. Teacher Tang is our homeroom teacher and the teacher who teaches us knowledge. She wouldn't kidnap children. Fu Fu, don't be afraid."

In Song Yu's eyes, only the human traffickers mentioned by Teacher An from kindergarten were the most terrifying.

Fu Fu frowned, finding it difficult to explain to Song Yu that the horror of a teacher was different from the horror of a human trafficker.

Song Yu ran up to Song Xinran: "Mom, are you waiting for me outside?"

Song Xinran nodded and said, "Wait until Xiao Yu gets out of school."

Song Yu's lips curved into a smile, revealing a few small white teeth.

Song Xinran and Grandma Fufu left the classroom together. On the way, Grandma Fufu sighed, "Song Yu's mother, you are a blessed person. Song Yu is such a well-behaved child, so easy to take care of. Did he cry a lot when he was little?"

Song Xinran thought to herself that when she took care of Song Yu, Song Yu was already three and a half years old. The little child could already do many things. Not only could he dress himself, eat, and comb his hair, but he could also help with some simple housework, such as sweeping the floor and wiping the table.

By then, Song Yu had stopped crying, so she actually got a great deal.

“He was very well-behaved since he was a child,” Song Xinran said.

Grandma Fufu said, "I always said that some children are easy to raise and some are not. It's just a matter of nature."

Song Xinran asked curiously, "Does Grandma Fufu also do research in this area?"

"Hey, it's not really research, I just read a lot of things."

The two adults were so engrossed in their conversation that they didn't feel bored while waiting at the school gate.

In the classroom, Fufu also felt the joy of going to elementary school, or more accurately, the joy of chatting with Song Yu.

"Song Yu, where did you go to kindergarten?"

"Song Yu, where do you live?"

"Song Yu, look at my backpack! My backpack is pink! I love Barbie dolls the most. Where's your backpack?"

Fu Fu was like a little megaphone, chattering on and on. In the end, Teacher Tang had to stand on the podium and say, "Quiet!"

Immediately, a hush fell over the room; the effect was excellent.

Ms. Tang smiled with satisfaction, gave a brief self-introduction, and then introduced Mr. Liang, the math teacher in the class.

"Waaah!" Suddenly, a crying sound came from the classroom. Song Yu blinked and turned his head slightly, only to find that it was the classmate to his lower left who was crying.

Song Yu thought that Teacher Tang would take out a lollipop to coax him, because that's what Teacher An did in kindergarten.

But Teacher Tang, with a stern face, walked up to the students without looking at the student in question. Instead, she said to everyone, "From today onwards, you are all elementary school students. Elementary school students can't cry all the time. But today is the first day of registration, so Teacher Tang is giving you a chance. If you want to cry, you can cry now. Tomorrow, everyone should come to school happily."

No one else in the class was crying. The student sniffed and slowly stopped crying as well.

Teacher Tang stood on the podium and talked about the differences between primary school and kindergarten. Song Yu placed his hands neatly on the table, listening and thinking at the same time, primary school and kindergarten are really so different!

But he had higher expectations in his heart; starting elementary school seemed to mean growing up a little.

After Teacher Tang finished speaking, she asked a few children to help distribute the new books. Song Yu raised his hand high, and Teacher Tang glanced at him before calling his name first: "Song Yu".

Then several other students were selected, and Fufu was lucky enough to be chosen by the teacher because of her exceptional enthusiasm.

Song Yu thought Teacher Tang was amazing because Teacher Tang remembered the names of many students in the class on the first day of school.

Song Yu carefully held the new book in his hands and placed one on each person's desk according to their group.

Some classmates were very polite and would thank Song Yu, while others were shy and would quietly put their books away. Song Yu thought they were all very nice, except for Wang Yuhao…

When he placed the book on Wang Yuhao's desk, Wang Yuhao snatched it away forcefully and snorted.

Song Yu ignored him; he had his own mission to complete.

Next, the teacher handed out notebooks again and asked the students for help. Song Yu saw Wang Yuhao raise his hand high and even stand up, as if afraid that Teacher Tang would not see him.

Teacher Tang said sternly, "Raise your hand while sitting down, so the teacher can see it."

Song Yu didn't raise his hand because he felt that helping the teacher distribute textbooks was a good thing, and he had already done one thing, so he couldn't do all the good things at once.

After distributing the books, Teacher Tang asked the students to write their names and classes in their textbooks at home, gave them some more instructions, and then left the classroom with the students.

Upon arriving at the school gate, many children ran over to their parents. Song Yu ran to Teacher Tang's side, looked up at her with her eyes crinkling, and said, "Goodbye, Teacher Tang!"

Even Teacher Tang's usually serious face broke into a smile: "Goodbye, Song Yu."

Fu Fu shrank to the side, originally intending to leave directly, but seeing Song Yu's actions, she mustered up her courage and went over: "Teacher Tang, goodbye Teacher Tang."

Teacher Tang smiled gently and said, "Goodbye, Yang Sifu."

"Song Yu, Grandma, Aunt Song! Teacher Tang just smiled at me!" As soon as she was out of the teacher's sight, Fu Fu couldn't wait to share her shock with the three people beside her. She cupped her little face in her hands, "I thought Teacher Tang wouldn't smile!"

Song Yu said, "Teacher Tang is very good."

He naturally harbors goodwill towards the teachers and classmates at school, unless he is harmed.

"Grandma, Song Yu was so brave today!" Fu Fu always thought she was brave too. She dared to catch bugs, dared to jump down from a very tall slide, and dared to watch TV for two hours!

However, when she got to school and faced her teachers, she became a little hesitant.

But Song Yu was different. She wasn't afraid of her teacher at all and remained very brave, something Fu Fu couldn't do. She chattered on and on about what happened that day to her grandmother, ending with an exclamation: "Song Yu is so amazing!"

Song Yu blushed from the praise, and could only praise Fu Fu, saying that Fu Fu had also helped the teacher distribute the notebooks and said goodbye to the teacher.

Fu Fu chuckled, a little embarrassed.

Grandma Fufu exclaimed in surprise, "Really, Fufu?"

"Of course!" Fufu clenched her little fist. "I did it following Song Yu's instructions."

Grandma Fu was almost in tears, feeling both happy and deeply moved.

Fufu is very afraid of her teacher. Even though she has been told at home that her teacher cares about her and is kind to her, it is still difficult for Fufu to change her mind, which makes it harder for her to adapt to the new school environment.

Fu Fu's mother chose Shuangqiao Primary School because it is a well-established primary school with teachers who have taught from first grade to sixth grade. She also heard that Teacher Tang is a very fair and caring teacher, so she used her connections to get Fu Fu into Class 5 of the first grade.

Grandma Fufu never expected that Fufu, whom they couldn't reason with no matter what they said, would actually come to his senses on his own and actively interact with his teacher on the first day of school.

"Song Yu, thank you so much!" Grandma Fu Fu said sincerely.

Song Yu quickly waved his hand.

The journey was filled with laughter and joy, but it was a pity that Song Yu's family lived next door. When it was time to part, Fufu was reluctant to leave and turned to ask her grandmother, "Why can't we live next to Song Yu?"

Grandma said, "Because our home isn't around here."

Fufu: "Can't we just buy a new house?"

Grandma: ...What a big mouth you have, Fufu.

He then explained to Fufu in detail that buying a house is not as simple as buying stationery.

Fu Fu could only wave goodbye to Song Yu with a heavy heart: "See you tomorrow."

When Song Yu got home, she took out all her new books, placed them neatly on the table, counted them again, and a very satisfied expression appeared on her little face.

Song Xinran took him to buy book covers and name tags. Song Yu carefully wrote his name on the name tags stroke by stroke, and his mother then stuck them on.

Song Yu said, "Mom, I like going to elementary school."

He then thought that on the other side of the city, his good friends should have also enrolled. They would be going to primary school soon and would meet new classmates, friends, and teachers.

Do they miss him too?

*

The next morning, Song Yu got up early. While his mother was cooking, he washed his face, brushed his teeth, tidied his clothes in front of the mirror, and checked his schoolbag.

Smelling the warm, fragrant aroma of braised pork, Song Yu exclaimed with delight, "Ah, braised pork noodles!"

Song Xinran placed the noodles in front of him, and Song Yu smiled so broadly his eyes disappeared: "I love braised pork noodles the most!"

After eating heartily and drinking a bottle of milk, Song Yu felt as if she had really grown taller.

On the first day of school, Song Xinran took Song Yu to elementary school, and Song Yu was full of anticipation for his elementary school life.

After the weekly meeting, the first class was taught by Teacher Tang. Teacher Tang did not start a new lesson, but instead asked them to introduce themselves according to their student ID numbers.

Song Yu's student number was 23. There were forty students in the class, and he was in the middle.

The elementary school students weren't very good at introducing themselves, but Teacher Tang provided a template, so everyone followed it, introducing their names and hobbies.

But children with strong language skills will talk more, mentioning where they traveled during summer vacation, what their favorite books are, and what their parents do.

The students behind followed suit, picking up whatever they could say and repeating it.

Fufu's student ID number is at the beginning. She said, "My mom works at a hospital, and my dad works in an office and loves to have meetings. I love to play. I can play a lot of games. If any of you want to play games, you can contact me."

Teacher Tang coughed lightly, feeling that she shouldn't let playthings distract her from her studies, but Fu Fu had already finished speaking. She felt that she had spoken very well, and when she sat next to Song Yu, she couldn't hide the smile on her face. She felt that she had spoken longer than many of her classmates.

A short while later, Song Yu went up to the podium to introduce himself. He spoke logically, first introducing his name, age, and hobbies. He had a wide range of hobbies, including reading, bouncing a ball and jumping rope, as well as playing hide-and-seek and tag. He also mentioned his special skill: he runs very fast.

Finally, following the example of the previous students, I introduced my family: "My mom is amazing. She can cook so many delicious dishes, including sweet, sour, and spicy cold noodles, refreshing and sweet rice cakes, fragrant spicy fish, and braised beef..."

He practically recited a menu instead of introducing himself, making many children in the audience swallow hard.

For a moment, Teacher Tang didn't know what to say. If she stopped the child, it was rare for a child to have such a strong narrative ability, and the teacher should encourage it. If she didn't stop her, she worried that if the child continued, the other students in the class would be envious.

However, Song Yu kept it for himself, and concluded: "My mother runs a restaurant, and her cooking is delicious. Everyone is welcome to come and try it!"

He stepped down from the podium.

Teacher Tang even wanted to ask, "Where does your mother own a restaurant?"

Song Yu sat in her seat, and a small head turned to the side and asked, "Song Yu, does your mother really know how to cook so many dishes?"

Song Yu felt it was better not to talk during class, but when it came to his mother, he couldn't hide his pride and gave a soft "hmm".

"Your mom is amazing! Can I eat at your family's restaurant?"

Song Yu decided this would be the last sentence: "Okay."

"Great! I want to eat spicy fried chicken wings and hot and sour chicken legs..." she said, her mouth watering.

However, Song Yu had already decided to focus on his studies and stop whispering to others, so he ignored Fu Fu's many times of secretly poking his arm.

When get out of class ended, Fu Fu was unhappy: "Song Yu, why did you talk to those people over there during class but not to me?"

If it were someone else, Fufu would have broken off all ties with him, though that break would probably only last for two class periods. But with Song Yu, Fufu decided to give him a chance.

Song Yu said, "Because we can't talk in class, I'm bad at talking. Don't follow my example. I won't talk like that anymore."

Fufu: "...Huh?"

Fu Fu was so stunned by this righteous answer that she didn't know what to say. Well, it's true that talking in class is not good.

Fufu: "Can you talk after class?"

"Of course." Song Yu found it strange. "Wasn't I talking to you?"

"Yay! Let's go play on the playground!"

"good!"

There were many people on the playground, not only first graders, but also fifth and sixth graders. Fu Fu was only timid in front of the teachers, but he was not afraid of the older children at all and walked past them confidently.

Song Yu also saw his classmates, including Wang Yuhao and two other little boys, and he felt he should go over and say hello.

But Wang Yuhao took the initiative to run up to him, slightly raising his chin: "Song Yu!"

Song Yu smiled and said, "Hello."

Wang Yuhao immediately asked, "Where's your dad? Why didn't you mention your dad when you introduced yourself?"

The little boy next to Wang Yuhao asked, "Are your mom and dad divorced? Does your dad not want you anymore?"

Song Yu's smile vanished instantly.