Chapter 323 Kindergarten

Summer vacation has officially begun.

Gu Xiao remained busy, with endless affairs to handle in the military. He only managed to spare two days during the entire summer vacation to accompany Nan Zhiyi and Xiaoman to Fragrant Hills and stroll through a park in the city.

Most of the time, Nan Zhiyi is the one who arranges her and her son's holiday activities.

She didn't feel bored at all. While continuing to write her new book, she also started to worry about her son starting kindergarten.

Xiaoman is already over three years old. After the summer vacation, she should officially start kindergarten in September.

Nan Zhiyi took advantage of the cool evening weather in the capital to take Xiaoman for a stroll in the courtyard.

There were quite a few children like Xiaoman in the compound, and over time, Nan Zhiyi got to know several military officer wives who often brought their children out to play.

That afternoon, when Nan Zhiyi was strolling on the grass with Xiaoman, a woman in her late twenties with short hair came over and said, "Comrade Zhiyi, out for a walk again today?"

Nan Zhiyi looked over and saw that the woman was Liu Yulan, the wife of Deputy Director Zhang of the Logistics Department. She was holding her daughter Yingying's hand. Yingying was the same age as Xiaoman and would be starting kindergarten in the fall.

Her eldest son is in the senior class of kindergarten, and he talked a lot about kindergarten with Nan Zhiyi.

You need to go to a designated hospital for a pre-enrollment medical check-up. You also need to prepare your own blankets, mattresses, pillows, towels, and water bottles, and embroider your name on them...

That afternoon, Nan Zhiyi chatted with Comrade Liu Yulan for a while, listening to her talk about many things she needed to prepare for going to school.

Upon seeing her, Nan Zhiyi greeted her with a smile, "Comrade Yulan."

Liu Yulan handed over a piece of paper. "Last time you asked what to prepare for your child's kindergarten, right? I thought about it when I got home and made a list of everything I could remember. Take a look, maybe you can use it."

Nan Zhiyi quickly took it, unfolded it, and saw that it was clearly listed in neat handwriting: household registration book, medical examination certificate... all sorts of things, very detailed.

"Comrade Yulan, this...this is too much trouble for you. You are so thoughtful. Thank you so much."

Liu Yulan spoke quickly and crisply in her Beijing accent: "Don't be so polite, it was just a small thing! My Yingying is about to start school, so I just wrote one up on the way. You should enroll Xiaoman in a government-run school later, maybe the two little ones can even be in the same class and become classmates!"

Nan Zhiyi carefully folded and put the form away, saying, "That's right, I've been thinking about this too, and I haven't completely decided which kindergarten Xiaoman should go to yet."

She wanted to learn more, so she humbly asked, "Comrade Yulan, what kindergartens are available nearby? What are their advantages and disadvantages?"

Liu Yulan got into the conversation, so she told Yingying to play with Xiaoman, and then pulled Nan Zhiyi to sit down on the stone bench next to her and began to talk in detail.

"Speaking of our area, there are quite a few options. The first one that comes to mind is the kindergarten within our compound. It's close by, safe, and right inside the compound, making drop-off and pick-up convenient. The teachers are all people we know well, and many of them are family members. The food is also decent, meeting military standards. However, there are a lot of children, so the space is small, and the play equipment is a bit old."

"Another option is the June 1st Kindergarten, which is a bit further away. It's directly under the city's education bureau, and the facilities are indeed better—larger grounds, lots of new toys, and I've heard the teaching is more standardized. They even have frequent inspections by leaders. But it's far from home, so daily pick-up and drop-off is a hassle. Plus, the admission requirements are high; it's not easy for kids from outside our compound to get in—you need connections..."

"There are two other neighborhood kindergartens outside, but the conditions aren't very good, so I won't go into details..."

After she finished speaking, she looked at Nan Zhiyi, waiting for her reaction.

Nan Zhiyi listened attentively, her mind racing as she weighed the options.

The government-run kindergarten in the compound seemed like the safest option, but Liu Yulan mentioned that the June 1st Kindergarten had better facilities, and she naturally wanted to give her son something better...

She was still undecided, but first thanked Liu Yulan, "Comrade Yulan, thank you for explaining things to me in such detail. Now I finally have some idea, unlike before when I was completely clueless. Thank you so much!"

"You're too kind," Liu Yulan said with a smile. "It's no secret; you can find out by asking around. You should go back and discuss it with Minister Gu; we're sure you can choose the most suitable one."

Nan Zhiyi nodded, carefully folded the paper with the list written on it, and put it into her pocket. "Thank you, Comrade Yulan. I'll think about it carefully when I get back."

The two then chatted about some funny things that happened between the children.

As dusk settled and lights began to twinkle in the courtyard, Nan Zhiyi pulled Xiaoman aside to say goodbye to Liu Yulan and Yingying.

The mother and son walked home hand in hand, their arms swaying against each other.

Xiaoman was clearly in a great mood, jumping up and down every few steps while humming an off-key tune.

"Xiaoman, do you like playing with Yingying?"

Xiaoman answered loudly without hesitation, "I like it!"

Nan Zhiyi thought that if Xiaoman went to a government-run kindergarten, at least he would have familiar playmates, which would help him adapt to the new environment more quickly. The environment would also be relatively simple, and it would be close to home...

When Gu Xiao returned home that evening, took a shower, and lay down on the bed, Nan Zhiyi leaned over and carefully explained her struggles and dilemmas to him.

Gu Xiao sighed softly after she finished speaking and pulled her into his arms. "You've been thinking about this for several days, haven't you?"

Nan Zhiyi leaned against his shoulder, took his hand, and squeezed his knuckles. She said in a low voice, "He's only three years old, so tiny. Of course I want him to have a better environment, to play more, and to learn more... But if he goes to June 1st Kindergarten, won't he have any familiar playmates? Won't he be bullied by other children? And it's really far away..."

Gu Xiao listened to her endless worries and knew that she loved her child dearly and wanted to eliminate all risks for the child in advance.

"Honey, if you think June 1st Kindergarten is better, then let the little one go there. Don't worry about anything else..."

"Can it really work?"

"Um."

Having received his affirmative answer, Nan Zhiyi felt relieved, but then anxiety returned: "He doesn't know any children there, won't he feel uncomfortable? And what about the journey..."

“You’re overthinking it. Playmates will come naturally. Xiaoman has such a good personality, she’ll make new friends soon. As for being bullied… our son isn’t that cowardly. Besides, I’ll take care of picking him up and dropping him off.”

He squeezed her hand. "It's a bit far, but I or Xiao Liu can take him there in the morning on our way. In the afternoon... do you want to pick him up, or should we have Sister Zhang go? We can always solve it."

He clearly and logically pointed out her concerns one by one and provided solutions, effectively calming Nan Zhiyi's anxious heart.

“Let me think about it again… The main concern is that he might cry at first.”

"It's normal to feel uncomfortable and cry at first. You have to take this step eventually."

She reached out and wrapped her arms around his waist. "Okay...then I'll go check out the environment at the No. 61 Kindergarten again tomorrow."