As autumn deepened, the old locust tree in the Hongqi Production Brigade shed its golden leaves, carpeting the ground. Before the morning mist had fully dissipated, Shen Nian'an stood at the gate of the courtyard, carrying a brand-new blue cloth schoolbag. His little leather shoes were polished to a shine, and even the straps of his schoolbag were neatly tied. Every now and then, he would reach out and touch the pencil case inside his schoolbag—it was a gift from Lin Wanqiu, who had specially gone to the department store in the county town a few days earlier. The sky-blue tin box was printed with "Study hard and make progress every day," and inside were three sharpened pencils, an eraser with a small flower printed on it, and a ruler with markings.
"Nian'an, stay close to Dad when we cross the street later. When we get to school, listen to your teacher and don't argue with your classmates." Lin Wanqiu came out of the house, holding an oil paper bag containing two eggs and a piece of pumpkin cake. "This is a snack for you during recess. Eat it if you're hungry, don't be stingy." She squatted down and carefully straightened her son's collar. Her fingertips touched his warm little neck, and her heart suddenly ached. At this time last year, Nian'an was as thin as a reed and didn't even have a decent set of clothes. Now, he was able to go to elementary school with a new schoolbag, looking clean and tidy. All the hardships along the way seemed to have been worthwhile at this moment.
Shen Nian'an nodded vigorously, his dark grape-like eyes full of expectation: "Mom, don't worry, I will definitely study hard and recite the text I learned today to you when I get home from school!" As he spoke, he reached out and hugged Lin Wanqiu's neck, rubbing his little head against her chest. "Mom, you and my sister should take good care of yourselves at home. I'll be back soon after school."
Shen Tingzhou walked over, holding a military green water bottle filled with warm water. "Alright, it's time to go, or we'll be late." He hung the water bottle on Nian'an's schoolbag and patted his son's head. "If anyone bullies you at school, don't hold it in. Tell Dad when you get home."
"Okay!" Shen Nian'an released Lin Wanqiu, took Shen Tingzhou's hand, and walked towards the village entrance, turning back every few steps. Lin Wanqiu stood at the courtyard gate, watching the father and son's figures gradually disappear into the morning mist until they were no longer visible, before turning back into the house. As soon as she entered the main room, she saw her little daughter, Shen Nianxi, lying in a cradle, waving her little hands and making "ee-ee-ya-ya" sounds. She quickly went over, gently picked up her daughter, her heart filled with tenderness—when Nianxi was older, she would send her to school so that she could become a learned person like her brother.
The primary school of Hongqi Production Brigade was located next to the commune. It consisted of several brick and tile houses, with an old elm tree in the courtyard and an iron bell hanging from its trunk. When Shen Nian'an followed Shen Tingzhou to the school gate, many parents had already brought their children. The children were dressed in all sorts of clothes, chattering away, and the whole campus was full of life.
"Is Chen Nian'an's family here?" A man in a gray Zhongshan suit walked over with a gentle smile on his face. He was holding a roster in his hand. "I am the homeroom teacher of the first grade. My surname is Wang and my name is Wang Jianguo."
Shen Tingzhou quickly grasped Teacher Wang's hand: "Hello, Teacher Wang, I am Shen Nian'an's father. This is the first time this child is coming to school. If there is anything he doesn't know, please take good care of him."
Teacher Wang smiled and nodded, her gaze falling on Shen Nian'an: "This child looks clever, she'll definitely do well in her studies. Come on, Nian'an, come with me, I'll take you to the classroom."
Shen Nian'an released Shen Tingzhou's hand and followed Teacher Wang into the classroom. The classroom contained over thirty wooden desks, their surfaces somewhat worn but spotless. The blackboard was painted with ink, and the words "Welcome New Students" were written on it in large characters. Shen Nian'an found a seat by the window, put down her bag, and was about to take out her pencil case when she heard a soft greeting from beside her: "Hello, my name is Li Xiaoming, what's your name?"
Shen Nian'an turned his head and saw a chubby little boy looking at him with wide, round eyes. The boy smiled and said, "My name is Shen Nian'an. We'll be classmates from now on!"
The two children quickly became acquainted. Li Xiaoming took out a piece of fruit candy from his schoolbag and handed it to Shen Nian'an: "My mom bought this for me. It's very sweet. Try it."
Shen Nian'an accepted the fruit candy, feeling a warmth in his heart. Back in the village school, everyone was reluctant to play with him because his family was poor. Now, as a new elementary school student, some classmates were willing to share candy with him. He secretly resolved to get along well with his classmates and become a popular person.
The bell rang, and Teacher Wang walked into the classroom, carrying textbooks and chalk. He first asked the students to introduce themselves. When it was Shen Nian'an's turn, he stood up and said loudly, "Hello everyone, my name is Shen Nian'an. I like arithmetic and Chinese. I hope we can study hard together and make progress every day!" As soon as he finished speaking, applause rang out in the classroom. Teacher Wang smiled and nodded, "Nian'an spoke very well. Everyone should learn from him and be a good student who loves learning."
The first class was Chinese. Teacher Wang taught everyone the four characters for "person," "mouth," "hand," and "foot." He wrote these characters on the blackboard and then patiently taught everyone how to write them, stroke by stroke, correcting each student's pen-holding posture. Shen Nian'an listened very attentively, following Teacher Wang's pace, writing them in his exercise book again and again until every character was written neatly and without any crookedness. Teacher Wang came over, saw his writing, and couldn't help but praise, "Nian'an, your handwriting is really beautiful, even better than some of the older students! Keep up the good work!"
Receiving praise from the teacher made Shen Nian'an feel very pleased, and his enthusiasm for learning increased even more. The second class was arithmetic, where Teacher Wang taught everyone addition and subtraction within ten. Shen Nian'an had previously learned some arithmetic from Lin Wanqiu, so he was familiar with the content, and he could quickly calculate the answers to the questions Teacher Wang gave. When Teacher Wang asked, "What is 5 plus 3?", Shen Nian'an was the first to raise his hand and answered loudly, "It equals 8!"
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