CH 25

Little Miaomiao wasn’t afraid at all. She thought she was smarter now because no one else knew that the P.E. teacher was actually very timorous, except for her.

Little Miaomiao began to demonstrate the exercises. The head routine was the easiest. First, she had to nod her head, then she tilted her head up and turned her head from one side to another. Little Miaomiao could keep up with the rhythm.

Since there was P.E. class today, the parents dressed their kids up in sportswear. Mother Hua prepared some sports attire for Little Miaomiao, but it differentiated itself from the other children’s attires. Mother Hua designed Little Miaomiao’s attire herself. It had a cherry pink color and had a hood and specially designed sleeves. The little girl looked very cute in it, and it still allowed her to perform every movement with meticulous precision. Every time she nodded her head, one could hear a clicking sound due to her strong movement.

Zhou Yuan followed her lead. But the more she performed before them, the more she enthralled him. He found great enjoyment from watching a pretty-looking child exercising.

However, she miscalculated the movements of the following sideways exercise. Little Miaomiao knew her own tendency to lean her body to the side when she stretched out her leg. She kept telling herself not to lean on the same side, but the more she said it to herself, the more she hesitated.

All of her classmates laughed at her, but there wasn’t any malice behind their laughter. Nevertheless, Little Miaomiao blushed with rueful embarrassment. She was a little concerned about whether her teacher would hand over the little red flower to her…

Zhou Yuan frowned. Children were just this troublesome. They did things according to their own whims. Without any guidance, their emotional intelligence was practically zero. They would not reconsider their own actions, and they would always cause trouble for others.

When class ended, Zhou Yuan instantly rushed to hold Little Miaomiao’s hand. He wanted to comfort her. Little Miaomiao stood next to the P.E. teacher.

The P.E. teacher crouched down and said, “Miaomiao performed very well today. Here’s a little red flower for you.”

Little Miaomiao never expected that she would procure another little red flower, because she believed that her performance was terrible. When Zhou Yuan approached her, he saw her little face begin to beam with exuberant delight.

Her surmounting exhilaration astounded Zhou Yuan for a moment. Then, he heard her erupt in excitement and jubilation, “I got a little red flower!”

A strong errant wind blew in the playground, which tousled her hair. She held a little crimson flower with one hand and adjusted her unkempt hair with the other. Her articulation was much faster than normal.

This was the first time he heard her speak with such rapidity. Because of her zestful exuberance, her face flushed red like a little apple. One could tell with a glance that she was very happy. Zhou Yuan looked at the little red flower and thought its allure wasn’t the same for every child. After all, every child interpreted its significance and charm differently.

“Amazing! Now, Miaomiao has four red flowers!” Zhou Yuan grasped her hand and walked back to the classroom. Seeing her hard effort to obtain a little red flower, he praised her without any hesitation.

Little Miaomiao gladly accepted his praise.

After their return to the classroom, Zhou Yuan helped Little Miaomiao pin the little sanguine flower next to her name.

It was usually at the end of class when the teacher handed out everyone’s little red flowers to take back home to show their parents.

Eventually, it was lunchtime. Today’s vegetable dish was made with carrots. After seeing the food, Zhou Yuan didn’t even move his chopsticks. He thought that carrots had an odd taste.

The P.T. teacher still reminded everybody gently, “Don’t be picky eaters. You’re all good children only if you eat it all.”

Little Miaomiao usually ate very delicately, taking small mouthfuls of vegetables and meat, but this time, she ate a lot with shocking alacrity.

Zhou Yuan didn’t find it unusual. He assumed that she was hungry due to this morning’s P.E. class.

He started to eat the rice and meat dish. Afterwards, he put his chopsticks down. Then, he began to eat the dragon fruit.

The meal plate was set aside.

While he ate the fruit, he casually looked around and noticed that Little Miaomiao threw furtive glances at the P.T. teacher. When she noticed that the P.T. teacher directed her attention elsewhere, she moved quickly. Almost as if she had rehearsed it many times in her mind, she rapidly put her chopsticks in his plate, and then she transferred all of the carrots from his plate to hers.

Afterwards, she feigned ignorance as if nothing had happened. She kept her head down and continued eating her meal.

A mirthful laugh slipped out of Zhou Yuan’s mouth.

This little thief is so cute!

Little Miaomiao stuffed herself with carrots, meat, and rice. Then, she puffed. She had to finish the carrots as well.

When the P.T. teacher peered at her, she found Little Miaomiao eating with great fervor and speed. She wasn’t aware that Little Miaomiao was gulping down the carrots that her tablemate didn’t finish. She said, “Don’t worry. No need to rush, eat slowly.”

Little Miaomiao nodded with determination. 

I could definitely finish it.

Zhou Yuan inferred that she wasn’t full, so he paid no attention to her rapid eating.

Soon, he noticed that Little Miaomiao had cleared the food on her plate. Then, she started to consume the dragon fruit.

When she finished, he saw her slump back in her seat. She touched her chubby belly. This action was sneaky and cute. A cheerful laugh once again escaped Zhou Yuan’s lips.

Before naptime, the P.T. teacher pinned a little red flower next to Zhou Yuan’s name for the very first time. Then, she left.

Zhou Yuan didn’t notice this at all.

When afternoon arrived, the head teacher brought him a little red flower which was pinned adjacent to his name. She asked him to take it home to show his parents. Only then did he realize this.

Zhou Yuan didn’t want to accept it, but when he met his little tablemate’s expectant gaze, he reluctantly accepted it.

Still, Zhou Yuan had no intention of showing the red flower to his parents. He just concealed it within his schoolbag. When he arrived home, he had a lapse in memory and forgot that his mother had a habit of checking his schoolbag everyday.

Zhou Yuan was in the study when he heard his mother happily proclaim, “Zhou Yuan! You got a little red flower!”

A little red flower had its own little charm. Aside from his little tablemate, this flower was probably also alluring to his mother. At least, that was what he believed.

Zhou Yuan continued to read. Then, he heard his mother say, “You have three little red flowers. This is a great improvement! So, does this mean that you weren’t a picky eater? Did you also answer the questions in class?”

Zhou Yuan raised his head in surprise. He traversed out of the study. When he came out, he saw three little red flowers.

Suddenly, he remembered Little Miaomiao’s abnormal behavior today. She was obviously afraid, but she feigned bravery to lead the exercises. The other children laughed at her error, but when she obtained the flower, a whirlpool of excitement washed away her troubles again. When he didn’t finish his carrots, she ate all the carrots for him. She ended up overeating. She continuously rubbed her belly throughout the afternoon…

It turned out that she didn’t do all this just for a little red flower. She also wanted to give him the little flowers. 

These moments of tenderness suddenly just dawned on him, as if someone had punched his nose and it became sore. Inexplicable feelings began to swirl in his heart and almost brought him to tears, but he couldn’t understand why.