A Young Woman's Heart

"A toad ran in, and the students were playing with it." Li Wanyan shook her head helplessly, swept the dying toad up with a dustpan and broom, and threw it back into the grass in the flower bed outside the window.

Whether it comes back to life or turns into fertilizer, that's up to fate.

"These students are always so busy..."

“Someone went to steal bird eggs during PE class this morning.” Li Wanyan couldn’t help but sigh helplessly. “Ren Wenkai from fourth grade shot down a sparrow with a slingshot.”

"died?"

"I let him go because he had a minor leg injury."

"What a bunch of brats."

"There's nothing we can do about it, isn't this the age when even dogs hate you?" Hua Yinyin walked over at some point and said lazily, leaning against the window frame. "Maybe Xiao Yaoyao was like this when she was little, climbing trees all the time."

"Ahem!" Mo Xueyao did not refute.

That's really how it was when I was a child.

I was incredibly mischievous back then.

However, she has never been tanned since she was a child, and has always been fair-skinned.

But this comes at a price: you get sunburned very easily, and even a light touch will hurt. So you have to be more careful in the summer.

Those were all lessons and costs.

"Was Xiaoyao really a tomboy when she was little?" Cha Li was very interested in Mo Xueyao's childhood. "The kind who had short hair, looked like a boy, and was always jumping around?"

"Don't talk like a monkey, okay?" She rolled her eyes and admitted helplessly, "Pretty much."

"I can't imagine it at all. How about you bring some photos of yourself when you were little next time, Yao Yao?"

In response, Mo Xueyao could only make up an excuse: "I have never had any photos from when I was a child. My family was poor back then, and we didn't have money to buy a camera or go to a photo studio to take pictures."

"That can't be right, there must be one or two, right?"

"No, really."

"Alas—there must be a secret!"

"What secret?" When it comes to gossip, Wang Jiale always quickly chimes in.

"Xiaoyao is so beautiful now, I can't imagine her looking like a tomboy at all." Cha Li pondered for a while, but still couldn't come up with a picture in her mind.

The topics that followed became increasingly strange, but without exception, they were all related to her.

Although everyone sees her often, they still feel that she has a mysterious aura.

Later, unable to bear everyone's gossip any longer, Mo Xueyao laughed and ran away in a joking manner, finally managing to slip out of the gymnasium.

Under one of the few shady trees on the school playground.

Lin Luorui, who is fair-skinned and slightly chubby, was sitting alone with Li Minxiong's big yellow dog beside her.

This guy seems to be friendly with everyone, but he never seems to go and play with Li Minxiong.

—Maybe he escaped because he was fed up with being tormented by that kid.

Children who love dogs more often want to play with them, but the more they want to play with dogs, the more dogs dislike them.

Although Li Minxiong appears mature and composed, who knows how childish he can be when he's alone?

After all, he's just a primary school student.

"Lin Luorui, what are you doing under the sun? Why don't you go to the indoor gym to cool off?"

Compared to their studies, the psychological problems of these left-behind children are what need the most attention.

"Um... Teacher Mo..." Lin Luorui hugged her knees shyly, her clean, light yellow dress gently covering her ankles.

"What are you doing here? Aren't you hot?"

"Thankfully... Ah Huang is here to play with me."

"Why don't you find some other classmates to play with? I see a lot of people from your class playing badminton over there."

"Um...he...they don't want to play with me..." Lin Luorui said, her face full of grievance, as if she was about to cry at any moment, her voice choked with sobs, "They...they said I'm a crybaby..."

"Okay, okay." Mo Xueyao was afraid of the children crying, and Lin Luorui was the one with the most sensitive tear ducts. Yi simply sat down next to her. "Actually, the teacher also escaped."

"Huh? Don't the other teachers like Teacher Mo either?"

"Pfft, cough, they like me too much, they're too enthusiastic, I couldn't handle it, so I slipped away."

"Uh..." These words made Lin Luorui purse her lips and turn her face to the other side.

To her, it might sound like showing off.

"Ah, no, cough cough, by the way, do you usually stay home alone when you're not in school?"

“Yes, I have lots of things to play with at home. I have a special toy room!” She suddenly became very excited. “I also have a TV and a VHS tape player, so I can watch movies and TV series.”

Wow, that's amazing! You're so rich!

"Hmm! It's alright, hehe."

What do your parents do?

"My mom stays home and takes care of me, and my dad writes novels. Pretty impressive, right?"

"sharp……"

“My dad picks me up in an electric boat after school.”

"Oh—you don't live on the island?"

"Well, it's about... about half an hour from our island..." She counted on her fingers. Children can't keep secrets. "My parents used to live in the city, but after I was born, they moved to the countryside. That's what my dad told me."

"I see. So what kind of novels does your dad write?"

"I don't know." She shook her head decisively. "Anyway, I get paid for my writing every month."

I never expected to run into a writer's daughter in the countryside.

It sounds like they're somewhat well-known.

Living in the countryside, perhaps, is simply for the peace and quiet.

Although Mo Xueyao didn't think that the overly close-knit neighborhood relationships in the countryside, and the constant gossip, could make people feel any peace and quiet.

The environment is quiet, but my ears might not be so quiet.

……

Chapter Forty-Seven: Boasting

It's Friday noon today.

School ended after only two classes in the afternoon, and the students discussed where to go to play later.

Some were visiting other people's homes on the island, while others wanted to take advantage of the early hour to join other people's boats to visit nearby islands. Still others were planning to go to the city with their parents to shop at the supermarket, and were now inviting their friends to go with them.

Qiu Yi sat under the shade of a tree by the entrance. The reason she didn't sit in the guard booth was that it would be even hotter inside without air conditioning.

He pulled out a cord, plugged in an electric fan, and let the hot air blow on his face.

The clouds today are exceptionally fluffy and soft, just like cotton candy.

Outside the door, a young man, panting heavily, walked up the slope and stood at the tightly closed doorway.

"security guard!"

"I'm a teacher," Qiu Yi said irritably.

"Oh, teacher!" The other person's attitude immediately became polite.

Judging from his clothes, he must be a migrant worker in the city.

He was wearing a simple shirt with a pattern that was almost identical to a picnic blanket.

Are you a student's parent?

"Yes, I am Wen Tianhang's father, who is in first grade."

"Huh?" Qiu Yi was taken aback, looking up and down at the young man who looked like he had just graduated from university. He didn't even look as old as him.

Definitely less than thirty.

"Yes, yes, haha..."

"Wen Tianhang... Oh, he's a boarding student. He washes his own clothes every day. He's a sensible kid."

"Really? Uh... I told him to take it home and wash it in the washing machine..." Wen Tianhang's father chuckled awkwardly. "Um, can I pick him up earlier?"

"Early? There are still two classes left."

"Because of some things, it's his grandfather's birthday, so we came to pick him up to go back and celebrate his grandfather's birthday."

"There's no need to do it so early."

"Well, we're here too early, and it's getting hot waiting around," Wen Tianhang's father said with a slightly embarrassed smile. "Teacher, could you please make an exception?"

"It depends on whether the afternoon classes are core subjects; otherwise, it's better to finish them before leaving."

"Okay, okay, you've worked hard to come here to run the school."

"It's all for the children." Qiu Yi said earnestly. "This school may be abandoned in about ten years, by which time there will be better educational resources. But at least in these ten years, we can cultivate a generation of educated people, so that they will know that they should let their descendants study. It's a good cycle."

"That's right." He nodded hastily. "Only after getting to the city did I regret not studying harder back then."

Qiu Yi didn't reply, but instead took him to the office, showed him the first grade's class schedule for the day, and then led him to find Wen Tianhang.

"Qiao Shishi." Qiu Yi saw a first-grade girl, walked over quickly, gently ruffled her fluffy hair, and asked with a smile, "Have you seen Wen Tianhang?"

"Him? He's at the indoor gymnasium," Qiao Shishi replied in her childish voice, blinking her eyes. "Is it his dad? Is he picking him up?"

"Ah."

"My dad's coming soon too!" she said excitedly. "Teacher, if my dad comes, can he just pick me up?"

"Ahem, let's talk about it when your father arrives." Qiu Yi coughed twice, then glanced back at Wen Tianhang's father, who immediately scratched his head awkwardly.

The indoor gymnasium at noon was as noisy as ever, with students bragging everywhere.