"Luo Qianqian, do you know how much Elder Zhang had to stoop to get you into that school, and you’re still throwing a tantrum?!!" Luo’s Mom began to shout early in the morning while holding Luo Qianqian’s quilt: "Xiao Yu has already agreed to skip a grade, and you’re still stubbornly refusing to go to school!!!"
"What? Xiao Yu agreed to skip a grade? How is that possible?" Clearly we had just talked about enjoying elentary school life together, and we agreed to start elentary school at the age of seven without registering: "When did she say that?"
"I saw your godmother when I went to buy breakfast this morning, she said Xiao Yu thinks the second grade is more fun than the first, at least they don’t have to learn Hanyu Pinyin anymore." Luo’s Mom said, feeling sowhat guilty and avoiding her daughter’s gaze.
"Promise-breaking little dog, Mom, hurry up and help pack my things. I want to go skip a grade too!!!" Luo Qianqian bounced up, dashed into the bathroom, and began to wash up. Luo’s Mom breathed a sigh of relief, glad she hadn’t let down Elder Zhang’s entrustnt.
It was already the start of a new century, and more than a year had passed since Luo Qianqian’s first study session with Elder Zhang, and three or four months since the birth of Luo Qianqian’s older cousin, Qiu nglin. Even Luo Qianqian’s sixth birthday had passed more than three months ago. Luo’s Mom was gratified to see the growth of her son and daughter. Shufan, as an accelerated student, had secured an admission slot in the enrollnt exam at Experintal Middle School in June, and even won an award in the city’s essay competition with an article, standing out with the ability and age of one year younger than his peers, earning a scholarship reserved for the top fifty newcors. His sister was even more impressive, having earned royalties alongside Zhou Yinyin known as Zhou Luo for their songwriting and composing. Now, Luo’s Mom dared not claim that her savings were more than her daughter’s, and throughout the year, the kids’ money-making sches did not cease. Mother He’s handmade craftwork was branded with Luo Qianqian’s own ’Luo Shenfu’ trademark, and Luo’s Mom and Mother He had already taken on the roles of legal representatives for ’Luo Shenfu’ and ’Fragrance Cos’ outside their own jobs, each with a registered capital of ten thousand yuan.
"Shufan is going to Experintal Middle School today, why doesn’t Mom go see him off? He’s still just a child," Luo Qianqian complained loudly to the mirror with her mouth full of toothpaste foam.
Hearing Luo Qianqian’s question, Luo’s Mom curled her lips. You, a six-year-old kid, don’t need my supervision, let alone my eleven-year-old son, she replied, "Aren’t you supposed to go to school too? Mom is more worried about our Xiao Qianqian."
Luo Qianqian looked at herself in the mirror and rolled her eyes, then gazed towards the room and said, "If it wasn’t for Xiao Yu going back on her word, I wouldn’t need to go to school either."
Indeed, experience always wins out. Luo’s Mom silently admired Elder Zhang’s foresight, having predicted that these two little girls would not comply easily. He had instructed Luo’s Mom and Mother He to provoke the children by separately suggesting that the other would skip a grade. A year of hard work had not been in vain, for although their English might be slightly weak, their proficiency in math and science was already at a middle school level. He Wenyu had unique talents in languages and cooking. Even the lazy Luo Qianqian could produce beautiful calligraphy.
And the children were fully aware of their abilities, yet stubbornly refused to skip grades as Elder Zhang had suggested. Shufan did it out of a promise to his sister; at the start of school, he went to the elentary school principal, forgoing the expected fifth grade to take a test to enter sixth grade, where he always ranked among the top exam scorers.
Luo Qianqian believed that ’the outstanding tree in the forest is the one most easily blown down by the wind’; showing off too much, too early, could only harm her in the future.
He Wenyu, on the other hand, thought that what Qianqian said was right and decided to listen to Qianqian.
"Mom, now that we’ve both passed the exams, can we be in the sa class?" Luo Qianqian, who had finished getting ready, suddenly asked.
Luo’s Mom was stunned for a mont, realizing that what children care about is enjoying ti with their friends. Why was she so insistent on making them skip grades?
"Well, we don’t have to skip then. But you still have to go to school, right? Your brother has gone to school, Grandpa Zhang has classes to teach, and Xiao Yu has gone to school too. Do you want to stay ho alone?" Luo’s Mom thought for a mont, deciding that even if her daughter wasn’t the brightest, she was still her daughter, and above all, a child’s happiness was most important.
"Ah? What about Xiao Yu then?"
"She’s not skipping either. You can play together." Luo’s Mom, holding her daughter’s hand, said sentintally, "My little Qianqian is going to school, ti really flies."
"Mom, let’s hurry up and eat, or it’ll be too late," Luo Qianqian said, glancing at the ti; it was only seven forty. She rembered that being at school by eight o’clock was fine.
"Yes, you eat quickly, I bought you so hot soy milk, our Qianqian has gotten so much paler," Luo’s Mom said as she touched Luo Qianqian’s head, urging her to eat while she prepared the things needed for school today.
"Good that we’re not skipping. It’s so early to go to school already, I still want to experience early romance," Luo Qianqian thought. If she had followed Elder Zhang’s advice to accelerate, she would only be thirteen or fourteen while everyone else was sixteen or seventeen, which would be awkward. It’s not like those around her are pedophiles, and she certainly didn’t want to start dating so old guy.
As Luo Qianqian continued to ponder, she suddenly thought of Yi Muhuan, her cheeks instantly turned crimson—the gentle, kind, and generous man of her dreams. But now... Luo Qianqian frowned as she rembered their previous encounter. Could that arrogant, rude, and bullying boy really grow up to be that graceful gentleman? They say girls transform at eighteen, but this would be a hundredfold transformation for boys.
Luo Qianqian shook her head to rid herself of the thoughts that had crept into her mind, knowing she was still too young to be worrying about such matters, even though she felt much older at heart. Cradling the bowl in her hands, she gulped down the pleasantly warm soy milk. She was determined to excel so that the grown-up Yi Muhuan would revise his impression of her as silly.
"Finished already? Have a bun, don’t go hungry," Luo’s Mom remarked with joy as she watched her daughter puff out her cheeks while eating. Her little girl had grown over ten centiters this past year.
anwhile, inside Bole Elentary School...
"See, I told you Qianqian was going to skip a grade but you wouldn’t believe ," Luo’s Mom breathed a sigh of relief not seeing Luo Qianqian among the first-grade enrollnt queue and said to He Wenyu.
"Qianqian is a bad egg, she promised she wouldn’t skip a grade and now she’s not even coming to school," He Wenyu pouted, looking at Mother He who was taking her to register. "Mom, hurry and take to the test; I’m going to catch up with Qianqian, huh, those who break their promises are dogs."
"Alright, alright, let’s go. Off we go right now," Mother He agreed readily.
Having received a request from Elder Zhang, the principal of Bole Elentary School naturally gave the green light and had test papers ready.
However, after He Wenyu completed the grade-skipping exam with a beaming principal leading the way, she couldn’t find Luo Qianqian in any of the second-grade classrooms.
"Mom, where is Qianqian???" He Wenyu’s mouth quivered, tears almost spilling out. Mother He was at a loss and could only cast a pleading look at the principal.
"Umm, could she be in third grade..." the principal said helplessly, making up an excuse on the spot.
And so, He Wenyu was once again taken back to the principal’s office to sit for the third-grade test questions.
After making the rounds and still not finding Luo Qianqian in any third-grade classrooms, He Wenyu hung her head in thought. Qianqian definitely wouldn’t have gone any higher; she was always so scared of standing out.
The principal, witnessing the incomprehensible thods she used to arrive at the correct answers, didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. Was this raw talent, or was it a fluke?
"Maybe Qianqian is in fourth grade..." Mother He, seeing her daughter actually able to answer the third-grade test correctly, was overjoyed. She hadn’t believed Luo’s Mom before, but now it seed her own little girl was a genius too. With that thought, she beca eager to see just how far her daughter could go. But He Wenyu just sat on the stairs and refused to move or go to the principal’s office to take the test.
"I can go check the fourth-grade classroom and then do the test afterward. If Qianqian is in fourth grade, then I’ll go to fourth grade," He Wenyu stated.
A passerby man sneered at her bravado; such a little child, without legs long enough to keep up, boasted so ludicrously about going to fourth grade. It remained to be seen if the fourth-graders would even recognize her.
"Well..." Mother He didn’t know how to persuade He Wenyu to take the test anymore.
At this ti, Luo Qianqian had just arrived at the playground late, examining the class assignnt notice on the bulletin board.
"Qianqian, you’re in Class Three, and Xiao Yu is in Class Two," Luo’s Mom and her daughter divided and conquered, quickly locating the classes of the two children.
"Ah? Not in the sa class? How could this happen..." Luo Qianqian followed Luo’s Mom’s pointing finger and saw her na and Xiao Yu’s na: "Mom, what do we do now?"
Asking for a class change right at, or rather even before school started? It seed like sothing no teacher would agree to...
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