Shen Lin didn’t notice his words had caused his brother to misunderstand. He kept chattering. The topic circled back to the little guy starting kindergarten next week. Shen Lin’s school was in the same district as Xingya, a ten-minute walk. Though close, he wasn’t at ease. Youyou was too good, doing whatever he was told. He was small and transferring in. What if some brat in the class bullied him?
Shen Yan yawned, about to go upstairs to sleep. He turned back at the stairs. “With Qiqi there, what are you afraid of?”
Right. Shen Lin immediately relaxed, ran over, and went upstairs with Shen Yan. With Qiqi’s look, other kids wouldn’t dare mess with him. Relaxed. Shen Lin was relaxed. Hua Zhao and Chu Ying took the two little ones to the mall. When they returned, the trunk was full. The little guy hugged his new backpack, overjoyed.
That afternoon, the new uniforms arrived. Tang Dou was in the walk-in closet helping the little guy put them on. The top was a small white shirt with a blue bow tie at the collar and a light blue trim on the cuffs. After buttoning it, Tang Dou put the small suit jacket on him. While dressing him, he sighed. Xingya, worthy of being rated the best kindergarten in the country. The quality and cut of the little suit were excellent. In the little suit, the little guy was spirited, chest puffed out, reaching up to touch his collar. This set was for formal activities. Other sets were for class and sports. Trying on several outfits took an hour.
When Shen Minyan came in, Tang Dou was crouched, tidying up. The little guy, in his new clothes and backpack, stood in front of the mirror, looking left and right, delighted. Shen Minyan pressed his lips together, the wrinkles at his eyes visible when he smiled. The little guy, admiring himself, saw his dad and ran over.
He grabbed his backpack straps with both hands and twisted his body. “Dad, does Youyou look good?”
His eyes were sparkling.
Shen Minyan nodded. “You look good. Our Youyou is a kindergarten student now. Are you happy?”
Su Youli nodded. “Mm.”
The next day was the first day of kindergarten. The little guy was so excited that the night before he almost couldn’t sleep.
The phone watch was on the pillow. The two dads “living” inside spoke.
“Baby, listen to the teacher at kindergarten. If you need the bathroom, tell the teacher, let her take you, okay? If you’re thirsty, remember to drink water, okay?”
The two dads had been preparing for the little guy’s kindergarten since last year. There was only one public kindergarten in town, with requirements. Over three years old, able to speak clearly, use a spoon, and go to the bathroom alone. Children who couldn’t care for themselves weren’t accepted. Out-of-town children had many procedures. Grandma Yang used to be a kindergarten teacher and had a grandson in kindergarten. Su Siwen, with nothing to do at home, chatted with Grandma Yang for advice. There were many left-behind children in town, raised by grandparents.
Some families had more than one child. The elderly weren’t meticulous. As long as they were fed and clothed, hygiene was secondary. Some children were sent to daycare before kindergarten age, even one or two years old. The timid ones who couldn’t call the teacher would soil their pants; those who couldn’t use a spoon ate with their hands; in winter, some children’s hands and feet were chapped, faces dark, noses running. This was the norm in small-town kindergartens. Beicheng kindergartens were certainly different. Su Siwen and Qin Kun regretted missing such an important moment in Youyou’s life.
“I know, Dad. Youyou will listen to the teacher.”
After the call, the little guy crawled out of the blanket, knelt at the head of the bed, reaching out to touch his new uniform and backpack, delighted. Second Brother said he was a scholar now. Scholar Su Youli was the first to wake up the next day. He opened his eyes, rubbed them with the back of his hand, and climbed out of bed. By the time Tang Dou arrived, the little guy had washed up and was dressing himself.
On Mondays, all Xingya children wore uniforms for the flag-raising. This was the little guy’s first flag-raising. Tang Dou buttoned his suit, put on his little leather shoes, helped with his backpack, and led him downstairs. The family got up one by one. Just as they sat down, Shen Lin ran down from the second floor. Seeing Su Youli, he laughed.
“Oh my god, whose baby is this? So handsome in a suit. Tsk tsk, almost as handsome as me.”
The little guy found his second brother’s expression hilarious, giggling. Shen Lin sat sloppily, put his brother on his lap, comfortable, feeding him a small bun with chopsticks.
Shen Yan came down and asked, “So happy?”
Shen Lin, mouth full, mumbled, “Of course. Finally, I’m not the only one who has to get up early for school.”
On Su Youli’s first official day of kindergarten, the whole family went to send him off. Pei Qiqi, in the same little suit, backpack on, was led by his uncle. Teachers greeted them at the gate. Parents could only go this far. Two months into the semester, the children were familiar. Seeing their teachers, they greeted them. The two little ones, holding hands, backpacks on, stood at the gate, not joining the greeting line.
“Qiqi, Youyou!”
Teacher Apple waved, calling them over. The two little ones were timid. Their first reaction was to look back at their parents.
Pei Yi and Hua Zhao stepped up, patting Qiqi’s shoulder. “Go ahead. Uncle and Auntie will pick you up this afternoon.”
Pei Qiqi pressed his lips, his hand sweaty.
“Uncle, you must come pick me up.” Pei Qiqi’s eyes reddened. He grabbed his uncle’s hand.
Pei Yi’s nose tingled, thinking of Qiqi’s terrible mother. He hugged Qiqi.
“Uncle will definitely come. You’re uncle’s lifeblood.”
Pei Qiqi didn’t understand “lifeblood,” but he trusted his uncle. Beside them, Su Youli was a bit uneasy. The little guy walked a few steps, found his parents, Brother Xiao Tang, and Big Brother hadn’t followed, and ran back. Shen Minyan picked him up, coaxing and pinching his cheek.
“Our Youyou is the bravest, right?”
The little guy didn’t cry, just reluctant to leave his parents. He wanted them to go to kindergarten with him. That way, they could eat little cakes too.
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gingerbread On LC chapter 2