Bi Qiaoan thought about it and agreed. Anyway, the choice was made by the two kids, and whatever the outcome, it wouldn't be her fault.
However, there are some things I should remind you of.
"My dears, you are still young, so you must lay a solid foundation. Your parents are not in a hurry for you to graduate and help with chores at home. We just hope that you can complete your studies seriously."
"Yes, in addition to that, you also need to exercise to stay healthy and learn to get along with your classmates. Dad knows that the world of children is not so simple. I just want to know if my baby can get along well with everyone."
An'an and Nuannuan felt a little ashamed after hearing this. Their suggestion of the promotion exam, besides actually mastering the knowledge, was also partly an attempt to escape this small circle. They felt that these kids were a bunch of cunning individuals, and being with them was exhausting.
But Shen Yanming's words made them realize that the world doesn't revolve around them. If they can't balance their relationships with others, changing grades or classrooms might not change anything.
As the two children seemed lost in thought, Bi Qiaoan glared at Shen Yanming. She whispered in his ear, "Isn't it a bit early for you to say these things? They're only five and a half years old."
Shen Yanming shook his head, thinking that children these days are nothing like the ones who needed their parents' protection back then. They're all so clever and cunning. His two little ones have been too well protected, and if they were to get into a little squabble, they might not be a match for them.
"They need to grow, so let's not interfere too much."
Bi Qiaoan pursed her lips, feeling a pang of heartache, but remained silent. Oh well, she'd just follow orders. Her husband, Lao Shen, had a longer-term vision than she did.
The family of four walked home in silence, and arrived in just a few minutes.
The moment the door closed, An'an said, "Dad, my sister and I have figured it out. We still need to take the promotion exam, but we will learn how to handle relationships with our classmates."
Shen Yanming nodded with satisfaction. Bi Qiaoan watched the three of them laughing and joking, then went to prepare lunch.
Nuannuan ran over and said, "Mom, you don't need to make it too fancy."
"What's wrong?" Bi Qiaoan asked.
"Our classmates are all starving," let alone eating meat.
Bi Qiaoan raised an eyebrow: "What, you want to eat wild vegetable steamed buns?"
Nuannuan thought for a moment, then nodded and said, "Then let's try it!"
“Sure!” Bi Qiaoan agreed with a smile, and took out a handful of wild vegetables from her spatial storage.
She didn't do much processing; she just cooked the meal in its original, unprocessed form. She added very little seasoning, basically the way other people eat it.
However, compared to those outside, the wild vegetables growing in this space aren't as bitter. They probably won't taste so bad.
Shen Yanming listened to the two talking, smiled, and did not object.
After the cornbread was steamed, he took a bite without changing his expression and commented, "My wife's cooking is pretty good."
It may feel warm and cozy, but it tastes bland and tasteless.
This is so different from the white rice, white noodles, and large chunks of meat they usually eat.
"Why aren't you two eating?" Shen Yanming asked with a smile.
An'an and Nuannuan stared at the half-eaten steamed bun in their hands, finding it hard to swallow.
"Don't waste it!" Bi Qiaoan reminded them, and only then did the two children continue eating with difficulty.
"Mom, do all the kids outside eat this every day?" An'an asked.
Bi Qiaoan nodded: "Their food is probably not even as good as this."
Seeing the two children's puzzled looks, Bi Qiaoan explained, "Our cornmeal is ground very finely, while the cornmeal outside is the really coarse kind, which can hurt your throat. As for the wild vegetables, Mom also blanched them and used seasonings. If you don't process them, they would taste bitter and astringent."
The two children then realized just how much better their family's meals were than those outside.
"I'll have your dad take you to the cafeteria for lunch another day. The food there is just average."
As soon as Bi Qiaoan finished speaking, the two children shook their heads frantically. "No, no, the food at home is delicious. Let's go back to how it is before."
Bi Qiaoan nodded, seemingly unconcerned.
Shen Yanming smiled and said, "I'll prepare a medicated ointment for you later. You can apply it to your face to cover up your skin tone."
Otherwise, two white dots would stand out too much among a bunch of yellow and black.
The two children were delighted to hear this and nodded, saying, "Thank you, Dad."
The next day, before class, the couple met with their substitute teacher and expressed their stance.
Teacher Zhang was quite kind. She smiled and said, "Shen Xubai and Shen Qingyu are progressing very quickly. If they take the entrance exam, they will most likely pass. However, they are a bit young, and I'm worried that subjecting them to high-intensity teaching too early might cause them to lose interest in learning."
Shen Yanming and Bi Qiaoan knew perfectly well, but it was the children's own request, and they couldn't very well stop them from doing it.
She smiled and said a few kind words to the teacher, who agreed. Without delay, the exam was scheduled for that afternoon. An'an and Nuannuan passed smoothly, becoming the youngest second-grade student in the entire grade.
When Zhu Ranran went to school the next day, she found that her younger brother and sister were sitting with her. She was quite shocked.
He asked in a low voice, "An'an, Nuan Nuan, why are you two sitting here?"
"Brother Ranran, my sister and I passed the exam and moved up to the second grade!" An'an said proudly, tilting her little head up.
"Wow, really? You two are amazing!" Zhu Ranran felt like she'd been hit with a critical hit, wondering if she was just too stupid.
"Ranran is also very good. I heard from the teacher that you are the best student in the second grade class." After Nuannuan finished speaking, Zhu Ranran's cheeks flushed. He smiled shyly, feeling a little ashamed.
He's been in school for three months and has actually learned quite a bit, but he doesn't have the courage to take the advanced exam with the teacher. He originally planned to keep up with the pace, but now he thinks he needs to speed things up and set a good example for his younger siblings.
So when they got back, they told Zhu Shiliang. Zhu Shiliang and Fu Shuling were surprised, but they agreed with their child's idea.
There's no way around it; before the apocalypse, someone this age would almost be in middle school. Making a 1.56-meter-tall young man go to school with a bunch of little kids is really difficult.
"Go for it, baby! Mom and Dad believe in you!"
Zhu Ranran smiled, gaining confidence. Soon, she passed the exam and became a third-year student.
Because of these students taking the exam early, a wave of promotion fever swept through the school. Many older students also requested to take the promotion exam, which the teachers were happy to see happen.
Time passed day by day, and soon it was the end of the year.
Shen Yanming was once again dragged out hunting by Li Gangtie. The group spent three days and three nights in the mountains, but only managed to hunt a little more than half of last year's catch.
Shen Yanming had considered releasing more small animals, but this year's climate was simply not suitable.
It's so cold, summer hasn't even arrived yet.
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