The couple’s hearts were beating in sync at that moment.
Learning to let go?
Having their own worlds?
Both of them felt a tightness in their chests.
Couldn’t the kids just grow up a little slower?
The principal let out a soft chuckle from the side.
He had seen countless parents reluctant to part with their children, but Doctor Lin and Commander Su were a first.
No matter how long they stared, the time to leave had come.
Kindergarten was the starting point for children to integrate into a group.
Linlin performed well at first, giving the teachers an easy time.
Because she had been learning calligraphy with Xu Yueyun, she wasn’t as restless as the other kids and could sit still for long periods.
During recess, the teachers lined up the kids outside.
When Linlin saw the school fence, something crossed her mind. Her little mouth puckered, and her eyes turned red.
A teacher noticed her a few minutes later and crouched down to ask what was wrong. Linlin’s pent-up frustration spilled out, and she burst into loud sobs.
The teacher tried to comfort her for a while, but it didn’t work.
And once Linlin started crying, the other kids joined in.
The whole kindergarten turned into an ocean of tears in no time.
Jiang Chengzhou was in school right next door, separated only by a wall.
As soon as the bell rang, he stretched his neck out the window to see what was happening on the other side.
But the wall was too tall—he couldn’t see anything.
Not long after, he heard the sound of many children crying coming from over there.
Jiang Chengzhou’s heart clenched. He turned to look at Yan Yuan.
He didn’t say a word, but Yan Yuan understood immediately.
Yan Yuan listened carefully for a moment, then looked at him. "It sounds like Linlin is crying."
Before he even finished speaking, Jiang Chengzhou had already bolted out of the classroom.
Yan Yuan hurried after him.
The school gate was locked; they couldn’t get out.
Jiang Chengzhou quickly scanned the school grounds and fixed his gaze on the wall.
He pulled Yan Yuan over and lowered his voice. "Over there. Crouch down."
"What?" Yan Yuan was still confused.
"Crouch down. I’ll step on you and climb over."
Without a second thought, Yan Yuan walked to the wall.
He leaned his back against it and clasped his hands together on his knees.
Jiang Chengzhou stepped onto Yan Yuan’s hands. Yan Yuan gritted his teeth and pushed upward. Using the momentum, Jiang Chengzhou grabbed the top of the wall, kicked his legs a couple of times, and flipped over.
Yan Yuan had intended to ask for a hand up, but by the time he looked, Jiang Chengzhou was already gone.
He was just about to find a brick or something to stand on and climb over when he spotted a figure crouching in the corner of the wall.
Yan Yuan recognized him.
Liang Ping, a 13-year-old in first grade.
Liang Ping was squatting by the base of the wall, holding a blade of grass in his hand, doodling on the ground.
Yan Yuan frowned at him.
Liang Ping paused, then looked up. "Don’t worry. I won’t tattle."
"Good," Yan Yuan said, raising an eyebrow. "Then do me another favor."
Liang Ping didn’t even know how he ended up crouching there.
By the time Yan Yuan reached the top of the wall, he looked down, said a quick "thanks," and climbed over.
Liang Ping brushed the dust off his knees and crouched back in his original spot.
Jiang Chengzhou and Yan Yuan walked to the school gate and called through the iron railing, "Linlin! Linlin! Don’t cry! Big brother is here."
Linlin was in the teacher’s arms, being soothed, her little face red from crying.
When she heard Jiang Chengzhou’s voice, she suddenly poked her head out from the teacher’s embrace.
Following the sound, she spotted Jiang Chengzhou and Yan Yuan and immediately started crying, ready to run over.
The teacher quickly followed behind her.
Jiang Chengzhou grabbed her hand through the railing. "Don’t cry. Tell me, who bullied you?!"
Linlin pointed a finger at the teacher beside her.
The teacher’s eyes widened. Caught under the suddenly sharp gazes of the two boys outside, she pointed at herself in disbelief. "Me?"
Linlin nodded, sniffled, and said timidly, "You’re the bad guys. You locked the kids up."
The teacher didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. She crouched down to explain, "That’s not it. You’re here to go to school. When school’s out, your mom and dad will come to pick you up."
Linlin understood the meaning of "going to school" and "getting out of school."
Her big brother went to school in the morning and came back in the afternoon when school let out.
The little girl looked eagerly at him. "Really?"
Jiang Chengzhou felt both sorry and amused. "Really. When school’s out, Aunt will come get you. Then I’ll take you home, okay?"
Linlin glanced warily at the teacher. "Can you open the door?"
She hadn’t been scared at first, but when she saw walls on three sides and the only iron gate locked, she got afraid she couldn’t leave. With no familiar faces in the kindergarten, that’s when she started crying.
The teacher explained softly, "We can’t open the door now. With so many kids here, what if one gets lost?"
Linlin didn’t trust her. She looked at her brother.
Only after Jiang Chengzhou and Yan Yuan both nodded did she reluctantly believe them.
The bell rang for class.
Jiang Chengzhou told his sister a few things and was about to leave when he noticed Yan Yuan slip something into Linlin’s hand.
But there was no time to ask. The two of them hurried back to climb the wall.
Jiang Chengzhou went first again.
He straddled the top of the wall, then turned to pull Yan Yuan up.
Just as they were about to jump down, the principal and the dean of students were standing below, waiting.
Oh, and Liang Ping was there too.
Liang Ping met Yan Yuan’s gaze and quickly said, "I didn’t snitch!"
The principal glared. "You think you needed to snitch? With such a commotion, half the students on the playground saw you!"
Jiang Chengzhou and Yan Yuan got chewed out.
Liang Ping, as an "accomplice," didn’t escape either. The three of them were sentenced to cleaning the public areas for a week.
As Jiang Chengzhou swept the floor, he looked at Yan Yuan. "What did you give my sister back there?"
Yan Yuan pressed his lips together. "Milk candy."
The most expensive kind sold at the supply-and-marketing co-op—one cent per piece.
He knew it was Linlin’s first day of school, so he’d prepared it specially.
That morning, fixing the fishing net had taken longer than expected, and he’d missed seeing Linlin off.
But he hadn’t expected things to work out this way.
Jiang Chengzhou laughed and held out his hand. "And mine?"
Yan Yuan elbowed him. "Get lost."
The two boys started messing around with their brooms, poking and shoving each other.
Liang Ping swept the floor quietly, occasionally glancing their way.
Jiang Chengzhou and Yan Yuan exchanged a look and put down their brooms. "Liang Ping, we’re going to play basketball on the court this afternoon. You want to come?"
Maybe it was because they’d just "shared a hardship," and Liang Ping had been loyal enough not to snitch.
Jiang Chengzhou invited him on his own initiative.
Liang Ping looked up, gripping his broom tightly. "I’ll pass."
Jiang Chengzhou was about to say, "Fine, then don’t," when Liang Ping added, "I don’t know how to play."
Jiang Chengzhou’s lips curled up. "It’s easy. I’ll teach you."
"...Okay."
Linlin’s school let out earlier than Jiang Chengzhou’s. Lin Zhilan came to pick her up first.
When she saw her mother, Linlin’s calm morning crumbled all at once. Her little body shook with sobs.
Lin Zhilan took her back to the Chinese medicine clinic, coaxing her for a good while as Linlin wiped her tears on her mother’s shoulder.
"Baby."
Linlin didn’t answer, just hugged her mother’s neck tightly.
She wasn’t crying anymore, but she was still upset.
