Early the next morning, Gou Dan stood guard at the gate of the courtyard, afraid that Tian Hongjun wouldn't be able to find his house.
Even when Zhang Hongyan called him to eat, he would bring his bowl and come out to eat.
After he finished eating, he had just taken the bowl to the kitchen when he saw Tian Hongjun peeking in from the front door.
Dog Egg rushed out immediately: "Red Army, I'm here!"
"Hey, Jiale, have you had dinner yet?" Tian Hongjun asked with a smile.
Dog Egg nodded: "I'm done eating. I'll go inside to get my schoolbag, and then we can set off."
Gou Dan ran back to the main room, picked up his schoolbag and was about to leave when Zhang Hong called out to him, "Gou Dan, remember to come back early after school at noon, don't wander around on the road."
Back in the village, every day after school at noon, Gou Dan and Da Niu would wander around, and sometimes Zhang Hongyan would go out to find someone to bring back for lunch.
However, she used to be very safe in the village, where she knew everyone. Now that she's in Beijing, Zhang Hongyan can't help but feel a little worried.
"Mom, I know. The Red Army is waiting for me outside. I'm leaving now," Gou Dan said, and ran out of the yard without looking back.
On the way to school, Tian Hongjun looked at Gou Dan with a hesitant expression.
Dog Egg asked in confusion, "Red Army, is there something you want to tell me?"
"Um, I just heard your mother call you Gou Dan? Is that your nickname?" Tian Hongjun tried hard to suppress his laughter and not let it out loud.
He wanted to ask as soon as he stepped out of the Xia family's house, but he was afraid that Gou Dan would think he was making fun of him, so he didn't dare to ask.
Gou Dan looked embarrassed and scratched his head awkwardly: "You heard that? Gou Dan is my nickname, you mustn't tell anyone."
Ten-year-old Gou Dan already knows how to protect his pride. It is indeed a bit embarrassing for people to know his name, Gou Dan. Fortunately, his parents and sister only call him by his nickname at home, but they still call him by his full name outside.
Tian Hongjun patted his chest and assured him, "Don't worry, this is our secret, I will definitely not tell any other classmates."
Tian Hongjun was well aware that if Xia Jiale's nickname were known by the other classmates, he would definitely be laughed at. As Xia Jiale's deskmate and friend, he would never betray him.
Gou Dan brought up another matter: "Hongjun, yesterday my mom found out I made a new friend and asked me to bring you home to play. Are you going to come to my house for lunch today?"
Tian Hongjun refused outright, saying, "No, I haven't told my family yet. My mom would definitely scold me if she found out."
These days, unless you have a very close relationship with someone, you won't let your child eat at their house.
Tian Hongjun's parents were quite strict in this regard, never allowing him to take food from other people or eat at his classmates' houses.
"Okay, then let's go to my house to do our homework together after school tonight?" Gou Dan asked again.
"That's no problem," Tian Hongjun readily nodded. "Okay."
His parents both work, and his younger brother is only three years old and is placed in the factory's daycare center, so after school every day he either stays at home alone or goes to a classmate's house to do his homework.
The two chatted and laughed and soon arrived at the school. When Gou Dan passed the guardhouse, he greeted the guard: "Hello, Grandpa Xie."
Old Xie squinted at him and said, "Oh, it's Xia's kid. He's here quite early. Go to the classroom quickly."
Dog Egg nodded to him: "Okay, goodbye Grandpa Xie."
After entering the school gate, Tian Hongjun asked in confusion, "How come you're so familiar with the gatekeeper? Didn't you just transfer here this semester? Are you related?"
He really didn't understand why Gou Dan, who had only been at the school for a day, was more familiar with the gatekeeper than he, a student who had been at the school for three years.
Dog Egg said nonchalantly, "Oh, it's just that when my parents brought me to school yesterday, they had a nice chat with Grandpa Xie. I was thinking that you should greet elders when you see them, otherwise it would be impolite."
That's how life is in the countryside. The people you meet on the road are either neighbors or relatives, uncles, aunts, or grandmas. He's used to calling them all.
"Is that even possible?" Tian Hongjun nodded, seemingly understanding.
When the two arrived at the classroom, it was still early, but most of the students had already arrived. Tian Hongjun introduced some of his close friends to Gou Dan.
The morning's tasks were to distribute the new books and then re-elect the class officers for this semester.
To ensure fairness, Xu Dongliang allows students to re-elect class officers every academic year, giving more students a chance to showcase their abilities.
Of course, it mainly depends on the students' own wishes. Some students like the feeling of being a class leader and will run for election every semester. Xu Dongliang supports such students.
Some students simply don't like being class officers, and Xu Dongliang won't force them.
Xu Dongliang asked the students who wanted to be class officers to come up to the stage one by one to speak, and finally the whole class voted to decide the final candidates.
Tian Hongjun secretly nudged Gou Dan's forearm: "Jiale, do you want to be a class officer? If you run for election, I guarantee I'll vote for you."
Gou Dan hesitated for a moment, then shook his head: "No, I haven't even gotten to know all my classmates yet. Let's wait until later."
Actually, when Gou Dan was in school in the village, he was always a class leader because of his good grades.
So he also knew that being a class leader was not always glamorous, and that it could easily lead to conflicts with classmates because he had to help the teacher manage the class.
He used to be very familiar with his classmates and didn't have to worry about conflicts with them, but now he's the only new student in the class, so he thinks it's better to keep a low profile for now.
"Alright, let's talk about it next year then," Tian Hongjun said, respecting Gou Dan's idea.
Gou Dan nudged his arm and whispered, "Hongjun, why aren't you running for office? If you were running, I would definitely vote for you too."
Tian Hongjun said with a smile, "I was the class's study committee member when I was in the third grade. I'll give the opportunity to other students this year."
Gou Dan was somewhat surprised. Generally, students who can serve as the class's academic representative have relatively good academic performance. On the surface, Tian Hongjun did not seem to be the kind of student who was particularly good at studying. Instead, he seemed to be the kind of student who was more active and mischievous in the class.
Indeed, there is some truth to the saying that one cannot judge a book by its cover.
Xu Dongliang, who was on the podium, noticed the commotion and looked at Gou Dan.
Gou Dan noticed that the homeroom teacher was looking at him and thought he had been caught talking, so he quickly sat up straight.
Actually, Xu Dongliang didn't mean that. It's just that the principal specifically instructed him to take care of Gou Dan, so he inevitably paid more attention to him.
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