Chapter 23

Chapter 23

The next day, Shen Banyue and the others were sent together to the brigade school.

The school only had two classes: a senior grade and a junior grade. Although Shen Banyue was already nine, her act of being an "amnesiac illiterate" was so convincing it was no surprise she was placed in the junior grade. The other, younger ones naturally went into the junior grade too.

But Lin Mian, despite being shorter than his peers, knew far more than them, so he was assigned to the senior grade.

However, this cool kid had his own ideas. He told Teacher Tang Hongyi, who was in charge of the senior grade, very seriously that there were too many "bad kids" in that class and he didn't want to go. He even gave an example, citing Zhao Jinshun as the top bad kid.

Children started school late in those days, so the senior grade students were relatively big. Although Teacher Tang didn't know the details of the beef between Lin Mian and Zhao Jinshun, looking at Lin Mian's small stature, he agreed.

With that height and that temper, Teacher Tang was also worried he might get beaten up in the senior grade.

The teacher for the junior grade was Teacher Wang Lihua. She had a round, apple-like face with smiling eyes, giving her a very approachable air. In just one morning, she had won over the bunch of new kids. Even the super-young "auditor," Xiao Dizi, praised her: "Teacher Wang, so good!"

Overall, school was pretty okay. Apart from the knowledge being too childish, which required some acting on her part, the classroom atmosphere was very relaxed.

The only thing that gave Shen Banyue a headache was that these little kids would shout "Xiao Yue the Hero" whenever they saw her, making her feel like she was in a martial arts drama from her previous life, as if she were a great hero whose fame spread throughout the martial world.

She was getting used to the embarrassment.

"Xiao Yue saved Little Potato and Little Pumpkin? That really makes her a Great Hero!" Teacher Wang praised with a smile.

Shen Banyue: "..."

Alright, maybe not completely used to it.

When school let out, the junior grade children swarmed around Shen Banyue, wanting to walk home with "Xiao Yue the Hero." As they reached the school gate, they happened to bump into the senior grade students.

Zhao Jinshun led the charge, barging through with a few senior grade students. Using their height and size advantage, they shoved most of the junior grade kids aside. Then, with a strangely triumphant look at Shen Banyue, he strutted off with his nose in the air.

Word was that Accountant Zhao had given him another thrashing yesterday. It seemed this kid was getting tougher.

Shen Banyue was unmoved by this meaningless, childish display. While everyone was jostling, she simply scooped Xiao Dizi up to prevent anyone from accidentally stepping on her.

This earned her a chorus of "Wow!"

"Wow, Xiao Yue the Hero is so amazing!"

"Wow, I want Xiao Yue the Hero to lift me up like that too!"

"Wow, Xiao Dizi is so lucky."

...

In the middle of all the wowing, one voice cut through.

"Teacher Tang, you see? Those are the bad kids from the senior grade."

Teacher Tang Hongyi, standing not far from the school gate seeing the students off: "..."

—

A few days later, the Yunling Commune market day had come around again.

Children love excitement. Hearing they were going to the market, they all looked on eagerly, saying they wanted to go too.

Wang Guizhi was quite pleased to see the children becoming more lively. She would have liked to take them all to join the fun, but the problem was there were too many kids. Taking them all would make it impossible to watch them all. So, she copied Shen Banyue's idea of assigning chores: they would take turns going.

This time, it was Shen Banyue and Lin Mian's turn first, because in just a few short days of school, they had earned little red flowers from the teacher.

One was for rapid improvement, and the other for learning well.

Xiao Dizi, as a permanent "attachment," got a spot without having to compete.

The day before, Shen Banyue and the others had asked their teacher for leave. They were only auditing anyway, and in those days, it was common for village children to skip school for every excuse under the sun like looking after younger siblings, gathering firewood, or cutting grass. Taking a day off to go to the market was nothing out of the ordinary, so Teacher Wang agreed immediately.

Early that morning, Wang Guizhi and Shen Guoqing took the three kids and set off.

The brigade's ox cart was also going to the commune that day, but there were too many people. Their family had five people, adults and children combined, and especially with Shen Guoqing being a grown young man, it wasn't appropriate for him to jostle for a spot with the aunties and older sisters.

Of course, there was another reason: Shen Guoqing was wearing new clothes for once, and the ox cart would probably get them dirty.

"It's not a long walk; we'll be there in an hour. Lin Mian, if you get tired, just say so, and your uncle can carry you," Wang Guizhi said as they walked.

Lin Mian tried hard to keep up with Shen Banyue's pace, shaking his head seriously. "I'm not tired. Sister Yue said if I want to grow taller, I need to exercise more."

"Yeah, run and jump more every day. Once your body gets stronger, you'll definitely grow taller," Shen Banyue said with an air of "I don't really know, but I think I make sense." After a moment's thought, she added, "It's best to learn how to fight too."

Shen Guoqing twitched the corner of his mouth upon hearing this. "What? Growing taller requires learning to fight?"

Truly, one dared to teach, and the other dared to learn.

Shen Banyue stated matter-of-factly, "Whether you grow tall or not, you shouldn't let yourself get bullied." Boys could be in danger outside too; learning more skills was just another way to protect themselves.

Lin Mian nodded emphatically. "Mm, I want to learn. Next time Zhao Jinshun picks a fight, Sister Yue won't have to do it herself."

Shen Guoqing asked, "That kid hasn't caused any trouble lately, has he?"

He'd heard that Accountant Zhao had recently made a firm decision to straighten out his spoiled youngest son, giving him the rod every few days. Zhao Jinshun had been lying low lately, so why was Lin Mian so set on beating him up?

"Prepare for a rainy day; nip trouble in the bud," Lin Mian said with a solemn little face.

Shen Guoqing remarked, "You're so young, yet you have such a smooth line of talk. No wonder you got a little red flower."

Wang Guizhi laughed hearing this. "You think they're all like you, studying for a year and bringing home a big goose egg on the exam?"

Shen Guoqing: "..."

That's a real mother for you.

Chatting and laughing, they didn't feel too tired. Upon reaching the commune, they headed straight for the market area.

"Second Brother and the others came across wild boar meat last time. I wonder if there's any today," Wang Guizhi muttered.

Such good things weren't available every time. Sure enough, after making a round, they only saw a few people selling fish and wild rabbits. Of course, such things couldn't be sold openly; they were hidden under wild mushrooms and vegetables, sold on the sly.

Normally, Wang Guizhi would have bought some if she came across it. But recently, the family had eaten two pheasants and several fish. Wang Guizhi now inexplicably felt that "things provided by nature that you can get yourself aren't worth buying" and couldn't bring herself to spend the money.

Instead, she bought some malt candy made by farmers and a roll of coarse cotton cloth.

The malt candy was for the children to have an occasional sweet treat. The coarse cotton cloth could be used to make them some inner clothes. They didn't need anything else, so they didn't buy anything more.

Going to the market wasn't really about buying a lot; it was mostly about being part of the hustle and bustle. Shen Banyue hadn't seen such a bustling, crowded scene in many years. Holding Xiao Dizi, she looked around curiously all the way, their expressions almost identical.

Lin Mian followed closely beside her, also looking around curiously.

After they had finished browsing, Wang Guizhi said, "I think it's getting late. Let's head to the state-run restaurant early. We don't want to keep the other party waiting if they arrive first."

No sooner had he spoken than a sudden scream erupted, followed by someone shouting, "Catch the thief!"

Not far from them, a tall, skinny man suddenly darted out.

Several men were hot on his heels, among whom a tall, upright young man ran especially fast, sticking close behind. However, the market was crowded, and people were caught off guard, causing chaos. From time to time, the skinny man yanked bystanders into his path as human shields.

As the distance between them grew, the skinny man glanced back in a hurry and turned to bolt into a nearby alley. Suddenly, his peripheral vision caught something skittering up from the ground to his right. Before he could react, the "thing" had already reached him, smacking into his knee with a *crack*. His knee instantly buckled, and he fell backward—

In that split second, the young man who had been hot on his heels seized the opportunity, lunging forward and punching him squarely in the face.

For a moment, the skinny man only had time to take a closer look at the "thing" that had bounced into him.

To his shock, it was a little girl!