Chapter 82 Sports Meet (Additional content at the end...)
Time flew by, and Song Yu brought back a kindergarten invitation and handed it to Song Xinran: "Mom, the school sports meet is next Thursday and Friday, and the teacher said that every parent has to come."
Actually, when Teacher An sent out the invitation, Song Yu asked the teacher, "Can my mother not come?"
As Song Yu grew older, he realized how busy his mother was. In fact, his mother had even attended the sports meet last year, so this year it should be another child's parent who was there.
But Teacher An said, "No, because this is the last sports meet you will participate in at kindergarten this year, so all the children's parents have to come."
The class cheered, and some children even raised their hands to ask, "Teacher An, should we bring some food to share?"
When she asked that question, she glanced at Song Yu out of the corner of her eye, her purpose obvious.
Every semester, the kindergarten holds a food sharing event. Each time, Song Yu brings different food, but what they all have in common is that they are all made by Song Yu's mother. They are all very delicious, and the children in the class have fallen in love with them.
Teacher An said with a stern face, "The sports meet is an activity for everyone to participate in sports and exercise, not an activity for eating. No one is allowed to bring snacks. If I find any snacks, they will all be confiscated!"
As the children got older, Teacher An put a lot of effort into discipline. When they were younger, she relied more on coaxing them, but now she relies more on setting rules.
Many students looked disappointed, and there was a chorus of sighs in the class, but no one dared to disobey.
Of course, Song Yu also mentioned this when she gave the invitation to her mother, and then expressed her opinion: "I think Teacher An is right. Don't eat at the sports meet. Last year, some classmates secretly brought bubble gum to the sports meet. They ate it and then spat it on the playground. When I was playing with Yuanyuan, she accidentally stepped on it and it was hard to get off. Yuanyuan was so angry that she wanted to throw her shoes away."
Song Xinran touched his hair. Although he had grown two years older, his hair was still black and soft, and it felt great to touch. She answered his first question: "Mom will attend on time."
"But Teacher An said we can't bring anything, so Xiao Yu can't eat snowflake crisps either."
Snowflake crisps are a snack that Song Xinran just made. This beginner-level dessert is easy to make, but it requires precise control of the heat. Song Xinran has wanted to make it for a long time, but she couldn't find the right ingredients before.
However, as she visited the city more often and witnessed the economic development in various aspects, she truly realized that the world seemed to be changing every day.
She bought the necessary ingredients such as marshmallows and butter, and even bought a pot to make snowflake crisps. After making them, she put them in molds, shaped them, cut them into small pieces, and then packed them into individual containers.
The freshly made snowflake crisps taste especially good. They are crumbly yet chewy, with a rich milky aroma, and filled with various nut and biscuit crumbs. They are sweet but not greasy, with a very rich texture, and a lingering milky aftertaste.
Song Yu fell in love with this new snack the first time he tried it, and ate four or five in one go. If Song Xinran hadn't stopped him, he could have eaten at least two or three times more.
Song Yu is now losing his baby teeth, and Song Xinran is worried that he will get cavities from eating too many sweets, so she strictly controls the amount of sweets he eats. At first, she was worried that Song Yu would eat them secretly, since children of this age find it hard to resist the temptation of delicious food.
But she clearly underestimated Song Yu's self-control; Song Xinran stipulated that he should eat three pills, so he only ate three.
Once, Song Xinran was too busy, so she usually gave Song Yu snacks in the morning. She forgot in the morning, and when she waited for Song Yu to get the snacks after school in the afternoon, Song Yu refused, saying, "I took three with me when I left this morning."
Song Xinran was somewhat surprised: "Do you know where it is?"
Song Yu said, "I know, Mom put it on the top of the cupboard, I saw it."
Song Xinran didn't hide it from him when she took the item; she just deliberately placed it very high so that Song Yu wouldn't be able to reach it.
Song Yu said, "I moved a stool myself, stood on it and got it. Mom, don't worry. I put the lid on and closed the cupboard door so the mouse can't eat it. The mouse can't climb to such a high place."
He thought Song Xinran put the snowflake crisps on top to keep out mice, never imagining it was to keep out him.
From then on, Song Xinran felt relieved. She felt that none of the problems she had imagined in raising children had occurred, such as children always testing the limits and breaking the rules after she set them; children not being able to control themselves when faced with temptations and always doing bad things behind their parents' backs...
After all, in her previous life, Song Xinran had heard a lot about her relatives' families. The most common thing was that the children would play on their phones and forget the time, or no matter where they hid the phone, the children could always find it.
Song Xinran realized that she was wrong. She couldn't treat Song Yu the same as other children because Song Yu always did a good job with rules and order.
But then Song Xinran fell into another kind of anxiety: Was Song Yu too obedient and honest?
Honesty is definitely a derogatory term in modern society, meaning being inflexible and sticking to old ways. She was also worried that Song Yu would be deceived when he grew up.
Although Song Yu in the book is not like that when he grows up, he is intelligent, gentle, and kind-hearted. The author never hesitates to endow him with many wonderful qualities when describing him.
Song Xinran decided to stop worrying about the loan, because Song Yu was doing very well so far, except that he was now facing the issue of starting primary school.
On the day of the sports meet, the sun was shining brightly, warm but not dry, with a gentle breeze. The weather was just right. Song Xinran changed into her sportswear and tied her shoulder-length hair into a ponytail. All the parents of the children in her class came, but only one parent was needed for each event, so the parents would probably take turns. However, Song Xinran would have to participate in the entire event.
This amount of exercise is a piece of cake for Song Xinran. Being a chef is physically demanding, and with her regular exercise, her physical condition has improved from being frail to being very healthy.
As soon as Song Xinran appeared on the playground with Song Yu, many children recognized her and exclaimed in their sweet, clear voices, "Mommy Song Yu!"
Most of the students in Song Yu's class had eaten the spicy hot pot, but since Song Yu later handed it over to Ge Xia, some of the students hadn't seen her much.
Yuanyuan was the fastest runner, even more excited than when she saw her father. Standing in front of Song Xinran, she said, "Aunt Song, thank you for making snowflake crisps. Song Yu brought some for me to try, and they were so delicious! My mom wants to make them too, and she wants to learn from you!"
Mr. Xu strode up, grabbed Yuanyuan's shoulder, greeted Song Xinran, and quickly pulled his daughter to his side. Just now, Yuanyuan had rushed out like a puppy, and he hadn't had time to stop her. He thought something serious had happened, but it turned out she had just met Song Yu's mother.
Mr. Xu thought sourly, "When I came to the kindergarten earlier, Yuan Yuan wasn't this excited to see me."
Song Xinran was quite surprised: "Did Xiao Yu give the snowflake crisps to her classmates?"
Song Yu hummed in agreement: "Only five students received them."
Because snowflake crisps are delicious, and Song Yu herself likes them very much, and the quantity is limited, Song Yu only gave them to her close friends whom she had designated.
Song Xinran said, "But Mom only gave you three each day."
Song Yu: "If I eat one less each day, I can save up in a week."
Song Xinran sensed a hint of bitterness in his words, and holding the little boy's hand, she said, "Mom will make up for the five when we get back today."
Song Yu let out a soft exclamation: "Mom is the best!"
Now Song Xinran felt a little uneasy, wondering if three pills a day was too few, and whether she should add another one?
But after thinking about it, I decided to give up. The worst thing you can do with children is to change your mind all the time. This will make them lose faith in the rules and feel that what their parents say is not credible.
Song Yu is so obedient right now, and although Song Xinran feels that she hasn't had any special training, she doesn't want to ruin it.
The kindergarten sports meet featured classic events such as parent-child relay races, cooperative ball carrying, and obstacle courses. Song Xinran didn't have much talent in sports, but she had plenty of energy, while Song Yu was a very cooperative child. For example, in the cooperative ball carrying event, the ball easily fell off the children because they didn't have good control over their strength. It was very easy for the ball to fall too lightly or too heavily. If a fully inflated balloon fell, it was okay because they could pick it up and carry it again. But sometimes, if they used too much force, the balloon would burst, and then they would have to start all over again.
Thanks to their efforts, the group with them always takes the lead at the beginning. The parents in the class have also noticed the advantages of Song Xinran and Song Yu, so they always let them go first, which gives them a good start and saves time for the parents later.
However, the subsequent team formations encountered numerous problems, directly resulting in Song Yu's group achieving unremarkable results.
Song Yu was very anxious watching from the side, but there was nothing she could do. All she could do was cheer and shout, "Go! Go!"
When a project ends, it's inevitable that there will be some blame and finger-pointing. This was more obvious in sports meets where only children participated in the past. Today, with parents present, the children are too embarrassed to blame their classmates, so they blame their parents instead.
"Dad, you were running so slowly! I told you to check your shoelaces, and look, they're all loose!"
The girl's father honestly replied, "Okay, Daddy understands."
The girl shouted, "You have to run faster next time, so we don't come in last place again!"
"good."
Song Yu went over to persuade her: "Miao Ya, you can't say that. Teacher An said we should unite as one, friendship first and competition second. We can't blame our classmates... well, we can't blame our parents either."
He was assigned by Teacher An to be the group leader for the sports meet. One of his tasks was to maintain discipline. Song Yu always managed to do a good job of the tasks assigned by the teacher, so he would deal with any issues that arose, even if the situation was a bit beyond his responsibilities.
The little girl was clearly obedient to him, nodding and saying, "I understand."
Then she looked at her father and said, "Dad, you can't be so careless next time. I won't scold you today."
The man chuckled and said, "Okay, okay, Dad will definitely remember."
After resolving the matter here, Song Yu went to see the other students. Although they were already in the senior class, some of them had fragile hearts and would secretly cry if they came in last place. Song Yu told the students not to cry.
The father, who had just been scolded by his daughter, saw Song Yu's expression and couldn't help but ask his daughter, "Who is that child in your class?"
The little girl said, "It's Song Yu! I just told you, Dad, why can't you remember?"
The girl's father smiled, thinking to himself that this was Song Yu, whom his daughter always talked about, always mentioning how he was praised by some teacher, how attentive he was in class, and how he got first place again...
Meeting you in person today, you really do look like a model student who always gets first place.
Song Yu is always very busy at school because he has to do a lot of things for the teachers. He has a good memory and a high level of execution. Most importantly, he can do all the things he does himself, which sets a good example.
During the break, the children played their games, and the parents chatted. The two parents sitting next to Song Xinran were talking: "Has your Zhongsen Primary School been decided yet? We discussed it at home and decided to send him to school in the city."
Another parent, who was clearly familiar with her, said, "It was decided long ago. We even took our child to visit the schools and asked him which one he liked before finally deciding to send him to Longping Road Primary School."
"Longping Road Primary School! It's not easy to get in. Our family went to inquire about the school, and they said that we must follow the principle of enrollment in the nearest school, and even paying the school selection fee requires strong connections!"
"It just so happens that a relative works there and knows some teachers at their school, so that's how we got introduced. It wasn't easy for them. What about your Xiaoxue? Which school is she going to attend?"
"Glorious Primary School".
"That place is great!"
The two parents started talking about their child starting primary school.
"The primary schools in the city are much better than those in the town. It's amazing what you find when you see them. The foreign language primary school even has bilingual teaching, but the tuition is too expensive!"
“I don’t expect my child to attend the best school. I just want to give him the best within our means. It may be tough now, but it will be easier for him in the future.”
When the topic of children came up, the two parents had a lot in common, and eventually even brought up Song Yu.
"I don't know which elementary school Song Yu from their class will go to. My daughter Xiaoxue said she wants to be in the same class as him when she goes to elementary school."
“They must have a plan. To raise a child so well, their family must value education very much.”
Upon hearing this, Song Xinran fell silent. She hadn't really taught her much; it was innate.
Moreover, she was also struggling with the question of where Song Yu should attend primary school. It certainly couldn't be in the town, as there was only one central primary school there. Song Xinran had been there and, judging from her perspective as someone from the future, it was quite ordinary.
So when Huang Yun moved, she said that they should have moved to the city when Ding Sisi was in elementary school, but they didn't realize it at the time. Later, they did realize it, but Ding Sisi was already used to elementary school, and her homeroom teacher was very good, so they didn't think about transferring schools. However, when Ding Sisi entered junior high school, Huang Yun had already decided to take her to the city.
Song Xinran has been frequently visiting schools in the city recently to inquire about policies. Currently, the better primary schools in the city generally follow the principle of "enrollment in the nearest school," which means that schools are divided into zones, and students within the zone attend the primary school there.
You also need to have a local household registration, which involves buying a house. Song Xinran couldn't find a suitable property. She started looking too late, only after the Lunar New Year this year. Good school district properties are hard to come by, and they are quickly sold out as soon as they come on the market. It's true that the bigger the city, the more competitive it is.
She had never taken care of children before, so she was lacking in this area. She wished she had paid attention to this when Song Yu was in kindergarten, but it was just a thought. At that time, she didn't have any money, and even if there were nice houses, she couldn't afford them.
The two parents were chatting in hushed tones when their child suddenly ran over: "Mom!"
Then, upon seeing Song Xinran, he called out, "Aunt Song!"
When Song Xinran saw that it was Zhou Xue, she smiled and responded.
A parent who had been chatting with her earlier turned around and exclaimed in surprise, "Song Yu's mother, so you were sitting right behind us! We didn't see you at all!"
Song Xinran smiled and said, "I just arrived."
Zhou Xue's mother exchanged a few pleasantries with him, but in the end, she didn't ask which primary school she planned to send Song Yu to.
Although Zhou Xue and Song Yu got along very well, Song Xinran didn't have much contact with Song Yu's parents. Among Song Yu's good friends, she was more familiar with Yuan Yuan and Wu Yaoxuan's parents because they would occasionally come to the restaurant to eat.
The later sports events were mostly for the children. Song Yu, covered in sweat, excitedly told Song Xinran as they returned home, "Mom, I got first place in the 100-meter race today!"
His eyes gleamed with anticipation: "I wonder what prize the first place winner will receive."
Parents participate in kindergarten sports meets, but there are also individual sports events for children, one of which is the 100-meter dash.
Song Xinran praised, "Xiao Yu is really good at running. Xiao Yu, is there any prize you want? Mom can reward you too."
Song Yu thought for a moment and said, "Mom, I want to buy a new schoolbag so I can carry it when I start elementary school."
Song Xinran smiled, thinking that even if Song Yu didn't say anything, she would still buy him a new schoolbag when he started elementary school. Wasn't this a waste of an opportunity? But seeing how happy Song Yu was, she still said, "Okay, Xiao Yu can choose for himself then. Buy whichever one he likes."
Song Yu smiled happily and asked, "Mom, where do I go to elementary school?"
Song Yu didn't really have a specific idea of where he would go to primary school. He used to live with his aunt, and all the children in the village went to the village primary school because it was close to home. Now that he lived in the town, he should go to school there too.
Song Yu is quite familiar with the town's central primary school because the older students there often come to the store to buy snacks, and they also tell him about interesting things that happened at school and in their classes.
Zhou Xue said she was going to study in the city, and her parents had already rented a house for her.
Yuanyuan said, "I want to go to primary school in the city too!"
Wu Yaoxuan nodded and said he did too.
Zhang Xiaoda was still a bit confused. He hadn't thought that far ahead at all. But Zhang Xiaolang had heard his parents mention that he was also supposed to go to the city.
"Song Yu, where are you going?" his friends asked him.
Song Yu said, "I don't know, it should be at the central primary school."
Yuanyuan immediately said, "Then I'll also go to the Central Primary School, and I want to be in the same class as you!"
Wu Yaoxuan retorted, "I'll go back and tell my grandma that I'm not going to study in the city!"
Song Yu glanced at Wu Yaoxuan. He thought that if Wu Yaoxuan spoke, he might get beaten up. Of course, not by Wu Yaoxuan's grandmother, who was the gentlest and never hit anyone. But Wu Yaoxuan's father had been home recently, and Wu Yaoxuan had been beaten up for being obsessed with video games.
Song Yu felt that the decision of where to study was for adults, and that children should just listen to adults. However, he was also curious about his future, which is why he asked his mother.
Song Xinran thought for a moment and said, "Mom hasn't decided yet. Xiaoyu will go to the city with Mom this weekend, and we can go visit the primary school together."
Song Xinran said that going to the primary school meant only looking at the outside of the school, but Song Yu was very excited because it was his first time visiting a primary school in the city.
There are dozens of primary schools in Yongyan City, but only ten can be considered "high-quality". The evaluation criteria are naturally reputation, teaching staff, hardware facilities, and of course, the affiliated middle school, geographical location and other factors.
Having been to the town many times since arriving, Song Yu no longer felt the same sense of wonder as before, but he was still very excited that day.
Song Xinran hailed a tricycle and planned to visit the primary schools one by one. The first one was Longping Road Primary School, which was closest to her drop-off point.
When the tricycle driver heard that they were going to this primary school, he started talking on the way: "Longping Road Primary School is great. All the students there are from wealthy families!"
Song Xinran smiled and said, "Master, you know so much about this school. It's so famous."
The tricycle driver said, "That's for sure, there are so many people who want to get in, there are ten classes in the first grade alone!"
The tricycle driver talked on and on, finally sighing, "But getting in isn't easy. Just a few days ago I picked up someone who wanted to go to Longping Road Primary School. They have requirements not only for the children but also for the parents. These days, it's really not easy for a child to get an education."
As they spoke, they arrived at the primary school. Song Xinran led Song Yu out of the car. Song Yu looked up at the magnificent school gate in front of him and glanced inside. The four-story teaching building was neat and beautiful. Although it was the weekend, there were still several children playing football on the school playground, with a coach in a football jersey instructing them on the sidelines.
Song Yu looked around at the entire school and whispered to Song Xinran, "Mom, the elementary school is so big!"
It's much bigger than a kindergarten; even the school gate is wider and taller.
Across from the school is a residential community, and you can tell from the outside that it's quite expensive. The community also has well-developed commercial facilities downstairs, and tall ginkgo trees line both sides of the main road, creating a lush and verdant landscape.
Song Yu felt that this primary school was very different from the central primary school in the town. The central primary school did not have such a wide road outside, nor were there trees on both sides. When students left the school gate, there was a gentle slope, and the bottom of the slope connected to the highway from the town to the city. The shops on both sides sold books, stationery and snacks.
Song Yu looked at the shops outside the primary school and finally found something in common: they all sold books and stationery, but he didn't see any snack shops.
Although they couldn't enter the school, Song Xinran led him on a walk around the school. It wasn't in a bustling downtown area; the surrounding area consisted of residential communities, making it relatively quiet.
"Mom, will I be studying here in the future?" Song Yu asked. He didn't understand much yet and thought that the place his mother brought him to see was where he would study in the future.
Song Xinran squatted down, looked at his fair little face, and said earnestly, "Mom just brought Xiaoyu to see the schools today. If Xiaoyu likes any of them, he can tell Mom, and Mom will try her best to let Xiaoyu study in those schools."
She knew Song Yu could understand these words, and she didn't want to hide anything.
Song Yu nodded seriously, "I understand."
He knew the meaning of hard work, but he felt that his mother had already worked very hard, working hard every day to run her business and go to work.
But he knew there were things he couldn't do even if he tried his best, like the group sports meet in his class. Even if he tried very hard, he sometimes couldn't get first place because there were other students in his group.
But Song Yu never blamed the other students, because the teacher said that every student was very serious and everyone wanted to get good grades, but sometimes hard work is not enough. However, as long as you have tried your best, you will not regret it.
The teacher didn't say more, but Song Yu understood that some students were very good at running and could get first place if they worked hard, while some students were very slow and could not get first place even if they worked hard. Song Yu had read books and understood that this was because everyone's physical fitness was different.
He took Song Xinran's hand and said earnestly, "Mom, just do your best. It's okay if you can't do it."
Song Xinran smiled slightly and gave him a gentle hug: "Okay, thank you, baby."
Song Yu's face turned a little red. He didn't know why his mother was calling him "baby" again. It was a nickname he occasionally used when he was in kindergarten, but now he was in kindergarten and about to start elementary school. Song Yu felt that he was no longer a baby, but a man.
But she was too embarrassed to say it, so she lowered her head and pursed her lips, feeling a little happy for some reason.
Today, Song Xinran took Song Yu to visit all ten top-performing primary schools, and then asked him, "Which one does Xiao Yu like best?"
Knowing that the child wouldn't remember, she took out her notebook and read aloud the characteristics of the primary schools she had written down, such as primary schools that sold cotton candy outside and primary schools that had many ginkgo trees planted outside. But Song Yu said, "I prefer Shuangqiao Primary School."
Song Xinran asked in surprise, "Xiao Yu, have you remembered all the elementary school names?"
His eyes crinkled into a smile: "Mom, I can read!"
Well, Song Xinran underestimated his memory, but she did remember this primary school. It was surrounded by government offices, and there was a government agency right across from the primary school.
The surrounding environment is very nice, with shady trees. Shuangqiao Primary School is also a primary school with a long history. Compared with Longping Road Primary School, which is rich, the children studying here are from both wealthy and noble families.
Song Xinran didn't ask him why he liked it. She took Song Yu to a real estate agency near Shuangqiao Elementary School, explained her purpose directly, and asked him to keep an eye out for houses nearby that would allow her to attend Shuangqiao Elementary School.
The real estate agent was very familiar with this kind of business and made it clear from the start: "The minimum price for a house that can get into Shuangqiao Primary School is 4,000 yuan per square meter, and they are very popular when they come out. But there just happens to be a suitable house right now. Would you like to go and take a look?"
First of all, it should be noted that school district housing is generally more than twice as expensive as ordinary housing. Most parents would not even look at it when they hear the price, after all, it is only a primary school, and the middle school affiliated with Shuangqiao Primary School is not very good. However, even the middle school affiliated with Shuangqiao Primary School is generally much better than ordinary middle schools. But the parents of students who can send their children to school here are relatively wealthy, and it is easy to arrange which middle school they want to attend.
This is one of the reasons why houses near Shuangqiao Primary School are not so sought after. Those who can enroll in the school generally do not need to buy a house. Those who want to buy a house to attend a good primary school are basically doing so for the corresponding middle school.
Song Xinran nodded and said calmly, "I understand. Take us to see it."
Upon hearing her straightforward words, the agent gave Song Xinran another careful look. Although her clothes weren't from any high-end brands, they looked to be of good quality, simple and elegant. She wore light makeup and had a calm and composed expression. The child she was holding was even more adorable, with fair skin, delicate features, and wasn't shy at all.
The background of adults is most easily reflected in children.
The agent immediately judged that this person was not short of money, and smiled broadly: "Okay, okay, I'll take you to see him!"
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