CH 1

As she walked through the long corridor and approached the head teacher’s office, Aunt Hua grasped her little daughter’s hand and was about to knock on the office door, when she caught a voice coming from inside.

“There’s no need to contact my parents. In my house, I can handle this by myself.”

“Student Zhou Yuan, you are an intelligent child, you should understand that scolding the teacher in class will affect her reputation.”

Then, she heard the raspy voice of a little boy, who gravely said, “She’s also a professional teacher; therefore, she should also understand that making a mockery of a little child’s stuttering in class isn’t humorous and has dire consequences. As a professional educator, I believe that you, Teacher Li, realize that I just pointed out her lack of respect.”

Aunt Hua found interest in this conversation, so she stayed a little longer.

“Teacher Xie meant no disrespect; she had good intentions, but the method was less than stellar. Forget it, I’ll speak with her again. You can return to class now.”

The door suddenly opened and a little boy, who wore a small suit and tie, came out lightning fast. When he noticed someone outside, he instinctively looked up.

Only then did Auntie Hua see his appearance clearly. He was really handsome!

Miaomiao, her little daughter, timidly hid behind Aunt Hua.

After the boy left, Aunt Hua smiled and said to her little daughter, “That kid is amazing, isn’t he?”

The little girl lowered her head and clenched her tiny fist. She appeared hesitant and gave no response.

Aunt Hua wasn’t disheartened by her lack of response, but rather, she entered the office with her little daughter.

When the head teacher saw Aunt Hua, she stood up, smiled, and said, “Sister Hua, I was wondering when you were going to come.”

The head teacher had been Aunt Hua’s university roommate and her best friend for four years. Even after graduating, they still stayed in touch.

She heard that Sister Hua had a daughter, who was about to enter first grade. Uncoincidentally, she also taught the first grade, so she asked her friend to send Miaomiao over, in order to assist in her care.

“Is she Miaomiao? So cute.” The head teacher walked over, but little Miaomiao scurried behind Aunt Hua.

The head teacher saw her reaction, and remembered what Sister Hua had mentioned before. She said to Sister Hua, “Class will start in a little bit. Let’s take her to the classroom.”

Aunt Hua nodded, and then led Miaomiao to the classroom.

When she arrived at the classroom’s door, Aunt Hua squatted down and said to her daughter, “Miaomiao, don’t be afraid and get along well with the other children. I put a packet of dried meat into your schoolbag. Share it with the other children, okay? Aunty will pick you up in the afternoon.”

Her eyes were a little downcast. Although Miaomiao was in first grade, this was the first time that she has entered school.

Little Miaomiao clenched her hand tightly. She wanted to stretch it out to reach for her aunt, but to no avail. For a while, she stood there in hesitation, before finally entering the classroom.

She slowly traversed inside and found the seat arranged by the teacher.

After sitting down, she glanced at the door of the classroom again. Aunt Hua was looking at her with reddened eyes.

Little Miaomiao averted her eyes and anxiously opened her hand, which revealed a piece of candy.

This morning, Auntie looked a little down. If someone felt unhappy, they should simply eat sweets to uplift their spirits. Whenever she felt sad, she would often sneak out to eat candy.

During the trip, she didn’t have the courage to give any sweets to her aunt, until they reached school. Little Miaomiao frowned and felt very useless.

Zhou Yuan looked at the little girl sitting next to him, who was different from all the other irksome children in the classroom. This girl was very calm and quiet. At first glance, she appeared like someone, who would achieve great things.

Zhou Yuan felt this kid was pretty good. He wanted to recruit her into his inner circle.

Thus, Zhou Yuan extended his hand with the attitude of a businessman. A smile radiated on his face, as he took the initiative to speak with her, “Hello little one, my name is Zhou Yuan. I will be your classmate from now on. What’s your name?”

Little Miaomiao was taken aback and whispered, “Miaomiao…”

Meow? Zhou Yuan felt that it was unusual. Why did she reply like a cat when he asked for her name?

Her voice resembled that of a grandmother’s, but was also strangely cute.

The bell rang, and Aunt Hua, who stood outside, watched her little daughter talk with her classmate. This sight slightly alleviated her worries. It seemed like her daughter still shared common interests with her peers. Aunt Hua could now leave with her heart freed and allayed from any concerns.

Little Miaomiao watched as her aunt left. She felt a tinge of sadness and she hid the candy away.

Little Miaomiao has never attended kindergarten. Although her aunt taught her at home, she was still very much frightened. Thus, she took out her new notebook and started to write diligently.

Zhou Yuan looked at the noisy, little children in the classroom. They still haven’t come out of the placidity of kindergarten. He turned his attention to his tablemate, who engrossed herself in writing. His eyes glinted with admiration.

“A good seedling. With a little training, she’ll become reliable and talented in the future,” he thought.

He can start by making this little doll his business partner!

Zhou Yuan observed his new tablemate meticulously. She was quiet and taciturn. Her face was always buried in the book, until school ended in the afternoon.

Zhou Yuan nodded satisfied. After all, fortune shone upon those who loved to study.

However, he felt some dissatisfaction towards her. Her movements were slow, like a snail. But she was very organized for someone, who did things like a snail.

The school stools were uniform and thus, weren’t too tall nor low. But the little snail was shorter than her peers. When she sat on the stool, she found it difficult to do her homework.

Pouting her face, she carefully cushioned the stool. Then she sat on it again.

When the second period was over, the other students began to play with their friends. The other children constantly hounded Zhou Yuan with requests to play with them, but he refused.

He was very popular with this group of little ones.

Little Miaomiao sat in her seat and glanced secretly at her neighboring classmate, who was praised by her aunt.

She wanted to talk to him. She slipped her hand into her bag, and rummaged for the packet of delicious dried meat, that her aunt had made and bestowed to her. 

She could befriend the other students by sharing the food, her aunt had said.

Little Miaomiao felt the dried meat, grasped it in her hand, and wanted to offer it to her classmate.

But…but…she didn’t dare speak.

Soon, the class bell rang and little Miaomiao looked at the dried meat in her hand. Frustrated, she placed it back inside her schoolbag.

This class originally taught Chinese, but because of Zhou Yan’s ireful words, Teacher Xie wept and didn’t come to class. Teacher Li came in as the substitute teacher.

Teacher Li looked at the two little ones, who sat in the front row, especially Miaomiao. She felt relieved, when she saw her obediently doing her homework.

Zhou Yuan, who was precociously intelligent and cared for other children, would definitely not bully her.