Chapter 237

The teachers didn’t chat for long before they started to leave one by one. Today was the first day back for both teachers and returning students after the New Year, and they were there primarily to tidy up. Since they had already made the trip, leaving too early wouldn’t look good, so they stayed to chat and pass the time after lunch.

Seeing that everyone was leaving, Shi Tingyu also decided to leave. At the entrance, she found Lu Weiguo with their child in front of the display board in the hallway.

“Weiguo, let’s go home.”

It was her first day reporting in, and she had already organized everything and collected what she needed. With everything done, she thought it would be okay to leave after informing Principal Sun.

In the principal’s office, Principal Sun greeted them with a smile. “Is everything settled?”

Shi Tingyu replied, “Yes, everything’s done.”

Seeing the child in Lu Weiguo’s arms, Principal Sun said, “If you’ve finished, you can go home for now. Freshmen registration is on February 28th. You can come back then.”

“If you want to get more familiar with the place, you can come by these next few days as well.”

After thanking Principal Sun, Shi Tingyu left with Lu Weiguo and their child.

As they walked back, it was just after class, and the striking combination of Shi Tingyu, Lu Weiguo, and their child attracted a lot of attention. They had a high rate of double-takes from onlookers.

When students saw Shi Tingyu open the car door and sit in the driver’s seat, their mouths fell open in surprise.

Shi Tingyu drove home, leaving a trail of students whispering behind them.

Meanwhile, another piece of news was spreading widely in Jinling Art Academy. According to a student who had eaten in the cafeteria, they saw a beautiful new teacher who taught oil painting to freshmen. Just as some students were beginning to harbor thoughts about the attractive teacher, the informant added that the beautiful freshman teacher was already married and had a child.

This revelation shattered many hopeful hearts.

Shi Tingyu was unaware of the small stir her presence had caused.

The next day, Shi Tingyu brought her child to the school again. For the next few days, she planned to report to the school, not for herself, but so that her child could get used to the daycare.

During the days leading up to the new semester, Shi Tingyu and her child spent time at the daycare.

The school’s daycare had twelve children, ranging from a few months old to five years old.

In the 1970s, daycare centers for employees’ children were a welfare benefit offered by large factories. Some female workers returned to work after maternity leave and brought their children to daycare until they were old enough for kindergarten.

Kindergartens at that time were also run by the factories, sparing parents from the hassle of selecting schools as in later years.

The daycare at Jinling Art Academy had six teachers whose main task was to take care of the children. These teachers were all family members of the academy’s staff, which provided peace of mind for everyone.

Shi Tingyu inspected the environment, which was quite clean. The floor was made of concrete, and the lower part of the white walls was painted blue. There weren’t many decorations, but there were small wooden beds and cradles. She saw several children already sleeping.

Online images of 1970s daycare centers showed a similar setup.

A bit blurry, though.

Aunt Qi was also there. Seeing Shi Tingyu, she happily called her and Shen Shen over.

Shen Shen clearly remembered this grandma and smiled brightly upon seeing her, which delighted Aunt Qi, who then carried him around the daycare.

The other teachers also looked over. It was their first time seeing such a beautiful child.

Shi Tingyu smiled and grabbed some White Rabbit milk candies from her bag, handing a handful to each teacher.

“My child is too young to eat these, so you can enjoy them instead.”

The teachers accepted the candies with smiles.

Taking the opportunity, Shi Tingyu chatted with them. She trusted her judgment of people and, despite her slight social anxiety, she was willing to overcome it for the sake of her child.

Through these conversations, Shi Tingyu got a sense of their personalities. The teachers ranged in age from thirty to fifty and were all family members of the academy’s staff. Some were there to pass the time, others to earn money. They weren’t exceptionally kind-hearted, but they weren’t bad people either.

She observed them closely and found that they kept themselves well-groomed, with neatly trimmed nails and clean hands. She also watched how they took care of the children and found their methods satisfactory.

Aunt Qi, after finally having enough time with Shen Shen, placed him in a newly prepared cradle. Although the cradle was old, it had been cleaned up in anticipation of Shen Shen’s arrival.

Shen Shen was excited to see so many other children for the first time. He babbled happily in his cradle, unable to stay still. Shi Tingyu decided to take him out and let him play with the other children.

Shen Shen, not one to be shy, happily played alongside the other children. It was more like each child was playing with their own toy rather than interacting directly.

Over the next few days, Shi Tingyu gradually started leaving Shen Shen at the daycare for increasing periods: five minutes, ten minutes, twenty minutes, half an hour. Initially, Shen Shen would look for his mother, but after a few times, he realized she would always come back for him. Soon, he didn’t react at all when she left.

Aunt Qi couldn’t help but praise him, “This is the first time I’ve seen such an obedient child.”

Usually, new children at the daycare would fuss for a while. The other teachers were also relieved. A well-behaved child made their job easier.

Noticing Shi Tingyu’s refined appearance and her generosity, they became more cautious and attentive. Especially seeing her spend days at the daycare with her child, they understood how much she valued her child.

During this time, they asked Aunt Qi about Shi Tingyu. Wanting to help Shi Tingyu, Aunt Qi shared some details about her background. For instance, her husband was the youngest regiment commander in the military district, and Shi Tingyu had participated in setting and grading the national college entrance exam.

She also mentioned that the child’s grandparents were key figures in the national research institute.

Hearing this, the teachers’ attitudes changed. While they cared for all the children, knowing Shi Tingyu’s background made them even more attentive. They didn’t seek benefits from her but aimed not to offend her.

This kind of preferential treatment was common in many employee daycares at the time. The children of leaders and factory directors often received special attention. Compared to many factories, their daycare was much better.

Since the children were from the families of university staff, they generally came from good backgrounds. Additionally, the daycare teachers were also family members of the staff, ensuring they treated the children with care and consideration.