Chapter 18
At Blue Sky Kindergarten, Xu Qingling and Cao Siqing finally welcomed their very first group of students.
After the first class, Cao Siqing understood why the youth center only accepted children who were already in elementary school.
Maintaining order among kindergarteners was incredibly difficult. Having taught elementary students at the youth center before, she still found these little ones overwhelming and exhausting.
During the initial lesson, she and Xu Qingling cooperated closely—one teaching, the other managing discipline—but they couldn’t keep up with the constant disruptions and unexpected troubles.
Xu Qingling acted as the “judge” throughout the entire class. One moment, a child raised a hand to complain, “Teacher, he’s pulling my hair!” The next, another burst into tears, “Why did you grab my paint?”
Just after settling two children's disputes, a chubby little girl clung to Xu Qingling’s leg, “Teacher, I need to go to the bathroom.”
Fortunately, she was not eighteen-year-old Xu Qingling but thirty-six-year-old Xu Qingling. Though she never had the chance to have children of her own, she had plenty of experience dealing with kids.
When the hour-and-a-half class ended, both women were drenched in sweat. Only after handing each child safely to their parents did they finally breathe a sigh of relief.
Hearing the tender voices of “Goodbye, teacher,” Xu Qingling felt her exhaustion ease considerably. She stood at the doorway, watching the children bounce and skip away.
Seeing those little bodies brimming with boundless energy, a sharp image of herself lying on the operating table flashed through her mind. Even after all this time, the piercing pain seemed to linger within her.
Cao Siqing turned and saw her pale face. Thinking she was simply tired, she abruptly pulled her away, “Let’s go eat first.”
Their art studio had already enrolled thirty-five students, collecting nearly nine thousand yuan in tuition fees. After buying supplies, they netted over eight thousand.
Tuition for the Fine Arts program at Xun University was much higher than other majors. Cao Siqing was an undergraduate, paying 6,800 yuan annually. Xu Qingling was in a vocational program, slightly cheaper at 5,800 yuan a year.
“Earning this hard money just to pay tuition feels like I’m being too generous to my parents. I want to save it!” Cao Siqing was determined to build her house fund. “We still live in a small two-bedroom apartment my dad’s company gave us, and the living room has no windows. When I ask my dad to buy a house, he won’t listen—he’d rather lend money to others. Since he won’t buy, I’ll save and buy it myself!”
Xu Qingling hadn’t yet considered buying a house. She knew her parents well. If they sensed she was no longer the obedient daughter she used to be, they might cut off her financial support at any time.
Reborn, she was destined not to be the docile, compliant daughter she once was.
*
Summer in Xun City was scorching, and from dusk, the youth center’s swimming pool became packed like dumplings. After staying cooped up all day, the unruly kids came with their parents to swim and play in the water.
Xu Qingling and Cao Siqing seized this opportunity to hand out flyers.
Interest classes were still far from widespread or deeply rooted, even a decade or two later. Parents were intrigued when they heard about art lessons for kindergarten children.
After a whole summer at home, these kids were a handful; sending them out for classes was a relief.
If out of ten parents, one or two showed interest, Xu Qingling would be satisfied. But today’s start was rough; barely a few flyers handed out, the pool staff came to shoo them away.
“What are you two girls doing here?” A man in a blue sailor shirt glared fiercely. “No flyers allowed here! Get lost!”
Xu Qingling sized him up—muscular and fierce-looking but with a just demeanor—and wasn’t intimidated. “Sir, we came a few days ago and handed out flyers. Your boss didn’t say it wasn’t allowed…”
The man interrupted impatiently, “Which boss? I’m the owner of this pool. If I say no flyers, then no flyers! Don’t block the way!”
He flailed his broad hands, driving them away like a mat.
Shen Shun and He Jinghui, finishing their swim, saw Xu Qingling and Cao Siqing being chased off by “Brother Feng” like little partridges.
Shen Shun quickly stepped forward to intervene, “Brother Feng, what’s going on? They’re my classmates.”
Cao Siqing looked at them like they were saviors. “Isn’t this the kids’ swimming area? Why are you two swimming here?”
He Jinghui frowned, “Clearly, you’ve never been inside. They recently built an indoor adult pool.”
Xu Qingling had run into a few classmates outside these days but never expected to bump into two from her class here.
Brother Feng suddenly became very polite to Shen Shun. Seeing him stand up for the girls, his attitude flipped completely, smiling broadly, “You know Xiao Shun? Sorry about earlier! You can keep handing out flyers here, no problem!”
Then Brother Feng returned inside.
Shen Shun looked at Xu Qingling, “It’s so hot, why aren’t you staying home or swimming? What are you doing here?”
Xu Qingling pulled out a poster, “Do you have any relatives with kids interested in learning to draw? Please help us spread the word.”
Shen Shun took it, “You two started this? Not bad!”
Cao Siqing straightened her posture proudly, “Of course! We’ve already enrolled over thirty students.”
He Jinghui was also working a summer job, coaching two kids in badminton, introduced by relatives who helped him get a small tuition fee.
Hearing that the two were running their own business and had thirty students, He Jinghui’s eyes nearly popped, “No wonder there are interest classes everywhere now—parents’ money is so easy to get!”
Cao Siqing punched him lightly, “Don’t talk nonsense! I’ve won more art awards than you have badminton ones. Who says I can’t teach kids to draw?”
That was true. Cao Siqing was admitted to Xun University’s Fine Arts undergraduate program, strong in academics and skill. Xu Qingling’s academics were a bit lower, but her professional ranking was also high.
Shen Shun noticed the flyers they still hadn’t handed out and raised an eyebrow, “These are the ones left?”
Xu Qingling lowered her head, sorting through the flyers, “Not many left. You guys go ahead. We’ll go home after handing these out.”
His gaze lingered on her slightly messy hair. Like last time at Xiutan Peak, her long hair was roughly tied back, a baseball cap shading half her face.
He seemed to understand why she wasn’t considered one of the “top three beauties” of the class—too casual and unkempt.
Yet he liked this effortless disregard for appearance.
After a pause, Shen Shun spoke, “I called your house a few times these days. Your family said you weren’t home. When I asked where you were, they said you went to work. I wondered what kind of job you were doing.”
Xu Qingling was surprised, looking up at him, “You called my house? Did you need something?”
Her eyes were so clear he felt a bit overwhelmed and awkwardly looked away, “Nothing much. Just bored at home, so I called to see what you were up to.”
He had returned from a trip to the far northwest, spending days eating and sleeping, bored stiff. His college classmates were throwing parties one after another, and he had gone to a few, always the same crowd. Suddenly, he thought of Xu Qingling—since returning from Xiutan Peak, he hadn’t seen her at any gatherings.
He had even run into Shen Luan and Wan Yue a few times. Everyone knew Shen Luan and Xu Qingling had broken up and that he was now close to Wan Yue.
Xu Qingling seemed to have disappeared. Shen Shun got her home number from classmates. Every time he called, someone in her family answered, saying she wasn’t there.
His fleeting interest was snuffed out. Staying home was dull. His close buddies had started dating except for him and He Jinghui.
No one had told him life felt this empty after the college entrance exam. So he invited He Jinghui to play basketball and swim. Unexpectedly, he bumped into her here.
Seeing his listless expression, Xu Qingling smiled faintly, “If you’re really that bored, why not help us hand out flyers?”
Her smile was like a feather, tickling Shen Shun’s heart. He blurted, “Easy. Give me all the flyers you have left.”
Without asking, he took all their remaining flyers. “Wait here.”
The three of them stood at the entrance, watching him go inside, unsure what he was up to.
A few minutes later, Shen Shun emerged with a proud grin, “Done. All taken care of.”
“Huh?” Xu Qingling and Cao Siqing exclaimed in unison, “Just like that?”
Seeing their wide eyes, Shen Shun was in a great mood. With a fist pressed to his nose, hiding a smile, he said lightly, “That Brother Feng is my dad’s former subordinate. He retired a few years ago and now owns this pool. I told him to hand flyers to every parent who comes to swim. If you want to keep distributing, just give him the flyers. I told him nicely.”
Is that even allowed? He Jinghui stared at his friend in disbelief, as if seeing a ghost. Since when had Master Shen become so helpful?
Cao Siqing gave Shen Shun a thumbs-up, “Awesome! You’re really impressive!”
Xu Qingling was happy too, “Thank you! You helped us a lot.”
Shen Shun and He Jinghui had plans for the evening. Their close group of friends had arranged to play billiards and grab a late-night snack.
“Now that someone’s helping, you guys finishing early today? Come hang out tonight!”
Cao Siqing was exhausted and eager to unwind somewhere. Unsure if Xu Qingling wanted to join, she didn’t answer immediately but looked at her expectantly, “Do you want to go?”
With three pairs of eyes fixed on her, Xu Qingling didn’t want to be the killjoy. A slight smile curved her lips, “Alright, let’s go together.”
Shen Shun’s eyes twinkled with amusement. Scratching his head, he said, “Later tonight, He Jinghui and I will walk you both home.”
He Jinghui was speechless, silently resigned to being bossed around by his best friend.
At their age, boys loved to show off in front of girls. Shen Shun played the “good guy,” and naturally, He Jinghui wouldn’t fall behind.
“I’ll walk Cao Siqing home since we live close.”