Chapter 21 New Elementary School Student
"Sister-in-law, before the Lantern Festival, I hope to see the jewelry from before in the cabinet, otherwise... you know what I mean!"
Intellectuals are stubborn and inflexible; you can't sway them even if you try.
"Xiufen, this is a big deal. Let me go home and discuss it with your brother!"
Xu Xiufen used the excuse of conversation to directly see the guests off, stuffing the bananas back into their original place. Through the wooden door, one could still hear Ma Qiuju scolding her daughter.
"Xiaxia, I'm sorry, I made you laugh at me."
"Every family has its own troubles, Xiaxia understands. Aunt Xu, don't be sad, look, the little puppy is tugging at your trouser leg!"
Animals have pure feelings; they are good to whoever treats them well. Noticing that its female owner was in low spirits, it quickly wagged its tail and tugged at her trouser leg to comfort her.
"Mongrel dogs are so smart, they even know how to comfort people. It was definitely worth raising one."
After the farce ended and she played with the little stray dog for a while, Yunxia made an excuse to go home.
Liu Xiaonian came out carrying a large pile of dolls and toys, stuffing them into her bamboo basket. Aunt Xu did the same, except she stuffed seafood into her basket.
“Xiao Nian, keep the black cat and carp dolls, take the dolls, I don’t like playing with these. Aunt Xu, just put the bag of roast chicken at the crossroads, otherwise it will really be like what Ma Qiuju said—poor relatives begging for money.”
The little girl had a stern face, as if she would scold them if they didn't agree. The mother and daughter exchanged a glance and silently relieved the pressure on the mountain of bamboo baskets.
After saying goodbye, Yunxia walked down the street with a smile on her lips, carrying a bamboo basket and taking cheerful little steps.
Back home, the gifts were distributed: the roast chicken went to Aunt Wu, the carp doll to Jiang An, and the black cat doll to Jiang Chao.
"Ugh, it's so ugly!"
"You stinky Jiang Chao, don't you think the black cat looks a lot like you?"
The boy glanced at her, his eyes slightly puzzled.
Ahem, Yun Xia cleared her throat and said, "It has an extremely strong sense of territory, its body is covered with sharp spikes, and it wants to scare away all the creatures around it. At night, it curls up in a ball, hugging itself tightly in solitude, hee hee hee!"
"Nonsense!"
He snorted coldly, angrily squeezed the black cat out of shape, then glared at the little girl before turning and leaving the main room.
"Sister Xiaxia, you're peeping at your brother while he's sleeping in the middle of the night! How embarrassing!"
"Nonsense, I was just guessing. An'an, do you like the carp doll?"
"I love it, I love it so much, I'm going to draw it!" With that, she ran off into the distance.
"Aunt Wu, just steam the chicken, it's a quick and easy meal."
"Okay, let's add some dishes tonight. Xiaxia, have you finished your winter break homework? School starts in a few days."
Upon hearing this, Yunxia's smile gradually disappeared. Yes, the 9-year-old girl was in the third grade. She had to register on the eighth day of the first lunar month, and classes would officially begin on the tenth.
She couldn't smile at all as she faced her upcoming student life.
"Xiaxia, what's wrong? Is the question too difficult and you can't solve it? It's okay, I'll have Achao teach you in a bit."
"Aunt Wu, it's alright. I finished my homework a long time ago, so you don't need to worry about it."
The sadness of going to school continued until late at night.
"There's always a way out; without going through trials and tribulations, how can you see a magnificent rainbow?"
After filling the young mind with chicken soup, it turned over, its back to Aunt Wu, and its consciousness entered the fertile field of space.
The 10:1 time flow rate is truly impressive. At this moment, most of the plants are laden with colorful fruits: bright red tomatoes, lush green cucumbers, curling green peppers, and plump green eggplants...
"A bumper harvest, a truly bountiful harvest!"
The little girl, bent over with a smile on her face, was harvesting with large scissors in her hands. Due to the side effect of drowsiness, she dared not stay long. After harvesting one kind of fruit or vegetable, she left the space field.
In the following days, Yunxia picked fruits and vegetables at night and lazily dozed off during the day. If she hadn't been so conscious and able to answer questions fluently, Aunt Wu would have been so frightened that she almost took her to the hospital again.
It wasn't until the evening of the ninth day that the hardworking little bees finished harvesting the first crop.
At this rate of growth, a second harvest will come very soon.
Fortunately, after several days of exercise, Yunxia's small body has become much stronger, and the time she spends napping during the day is getting shorter and shorter.
She was confident that one day, she would completely eradicate that damned sleepiness.
On the tenth day of the first lunar month, Yunxia, with her hair tied in a high ponytail, went to school with Jiang Chao, carrying two red eggs in her schoolbag.
Jiangcheng Middle School has primary, junior high, and senior high schools, each occupying a school district, and the districts are separated by fences.
"Jiang Chao, why aren't you wearing new clothes on the first day of school!"
Not only did she not wear it, she also deliberately picked out an old piece of clothing from several years ago, which was small and tattered, and looked extremely awkward.
"We come to school to study. Why dress up? It's not for anyone else!"
After a sarcastic remark, the boy turned and parted ways with her at the intersection, heading towards the junior high school section.
"To show myself, wearing new clothes makes me feel refreshed all day and gives me the motivation to study," the little girl muttered to herself as she walked toward the large iron gate.
In the 1980s, teachers were very simple and honest, and the knowledge they taught was mainly based on textbooks, with occasional extensions.
The exercise books were free; the class monitor wrote them on the blackboard, and the students copied them into their notebooks.
The original owner had excellent academic performance, but due to the influence of her foster family environment, she was introverted, didn't like to talk, had few friends, and preferred to be alone.
Yunxia sat in the first row, constantly inhaling chalk dust. After a whole day of classes, not a single classmate took the initiative to talk to her, but she was happy with it.
"Teacher Ge, please wait a moment, I have a favor to ask you!"
Teacher Ge withdrew her half-raised foot, turned to look at the little girl, and patiently asked, "Yunxia, you've been working so hard on the first day of school. I'm very pleased! Tell me, which point didn't you understand?"
To make a good impression, Yunxia opened her textbook, randomly pointed to a point of knowledge, and then... was forced to receive twenty minutes of extra tutoring.
"Teacher Ge, ... thank you so much! I probably won't forget this point for a whole semester. Oh, by the way, I'd like to ask you for a favor!"
Feeling flattered by the praise, Teacher Ge adjusted her glasses and said, "Go ahead and speak, don't be so polite with me."
"Could you please change my seat? If I sit in the first row, I have to look up high to see the blackboard, and my neck will be very sore by the end of the day."
"It's no big deal. Next Monday, the whole class will rearrange the seating according to grades. Based on your score, the first three will be assigned to sit here. You can choose whichever seat you want!"
Yunxia: ...
So, we have to eat chalk dust for another week, right?
"Okay, thank you, teacher. My brother is still waiting for me at the school gate, so I'll be going now."
"Oh, so you have an older brother. Take care on the road, and remember to review your textbooks when you get home."
Security room at the school gate!
"Uncle, didn't you really see the lame little boy?" the little girl asked, still unwilling to give up, as she stood on tiptoe and peered through the window.
"Don't let my age fool you, my eyesight is still sharp. I can remember a single glance from someone passing by for half a month. Your brother really hasn't been here. Why don't you... go and take a look at the junior high section?"
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