Chapter 44

After the funeral of Fourth Grandpa, Lin Nanzhi had been busy with matters related to the tourism area. About a month later, it was time for her to start school.

She took her admission notice and went to the school to register.

Today was the first day of school, and there were many people registering. In addition to freshmen, there were also some upperclassmen. Most of them were brought by their parents, some were accompanied by teachers, and only a few, like Lin Nanzhi, came alone.

Student registration took place in the office. The enrollment process for freshmen was not too complicated. Several teachers were stationed at the entrance to assist, and Lin Nanzhi randomly chose one to register with.

“Are you staying in the dormitory?”

“No.”

“Do you live in the city? Is it far from here?”

“Not far, it’s just in that building across the street.” Lin Nanzhi pointed to the building opposite.

Her mother had specifically bought the apartment for convenience in studying. Perhaps because of what happened during her middle school years, her mother felt that dormitory life wasn’t ideal. The apartment wasn’t big—three bedrooms and one living room—just enough for her, her mother, and Lin Nanxuan to live in.

Lin Nanzhi showed the teacher a copy of the house deed, and the teacher stopped asking questions, quickly completing her enrollment. He informed her that school officially started on August 29th, so Lin Nanzhi left.

Since today was already the 27th, and the start of school was just two days away, she decided there was no need to return home. Instead, she went straight to her new apartment to clean it.

Before long, the first day of school arrived. When Lin Nanzhi reached the school, she checked the class assignments posted at the entrance. Luckily, the school wasn’t too large, so she easily found the teaching building and her classroom.

She was assigned to Class Three of the first-year high school students. When she entered, only a few students had arrived. There were still plenty of good seats available, so she chose a spot by the window and placed her bag down. Just then, her phone rang.

She opened the message—it was from Wen Jiunian.

[School has started here. Let me show you our campus / (Photo)]

The photo was of a scenic view—a pond surrounded by lush green trees, with the faint outline of the school’s teaching buildings visible in the background.

Wen Jiunian was not yet 21 years old and had just started his fourth year in university, studying design in a college in the capital.

[Looks nice. My school started too.]

As she replied, Lin Nanzhi raised her phone and took a picture out the window.

The blue sky, white clouds, and the tips of some trees were visible. The reflection in the window showed the clean classroom and Lin Nanzhi’s small face.

[I’m going to report you to your teacher—Lin Nanzhi is playing with her phone in class!]

Lin Nanzhi: “……”

[Not talking to you anymore, or my phone might get confiscated.]

She put away her phone and took out a book to read. Soon, more students arrived—boys and girls—each picking their preferred seats. When the class bell rang, everyone had settled in, and the teacher entered, carrying a thick stack of books.

“Welcome to High School Class Three. I am your homeroom teacher, Yao Xin. I’m glad that for the next three years, we will be together on this journey.”

Yao Xin had a stern-looking face but spoke with a gentle voice. She wore a floral dress and had her hair tied in a princess-style ponytail. As she spoke, she wrote her name on the blackboard.

“Now, let’s get to know each other. I will call names, and when your name is called, please introduce yourself.”

The roll call was not done by seating order but based on either exam scores or registration order, making it easier for the teacher to check attendance or if any students were in the wrong class.

The first student called was a boy. Lin Nanzhi was surprised to recognize him—it was an old acquaintance.

His name was Wan Peng, a transfer student like her. Back in middle school, he had been the class study representative and ranked second in exams.

“Hello, everyone. I’m Wan Peng. Nice to meet you all.” His introduction was simple and direct, and he sat down after speaking.

The teacher checked off his name and continued:

“Zhang Xinxin…”

“Hello, teacher. Hello, classmates. My name is Zhang Xinxin, from Guan County. I love singing and dancing. I was the class president in my previous school, and I’d like to recommend myself as the new class president for Class Three.”

She confidently promoted herself right away, clearly self-assured.

“Alright, next—Lin Nanzhi.”

The teacher scanned the room for her, and Lin Nanzhi stood up, nodding slightly at the teacher.

“My name is Lin Nanzhi. Nice to meet you all.”

The teacher smiled gently and gestured for her to sit down.

“Although Lin Nanzhi is quite tall, she is actually only twelve years old. Everyone, please take care of her and don’t bully her.”

The moment the teacher said “only twelve years old,” the entire class turned to look at Lin Nanzhi, shocked. They hadn’t expected their classmate to not only be good-looking but also so young and academically excellent.

Wan Peng had studied with her for over a month, so he knew her age, but he hadn’t expected them to be assigned to the same class again.

Lin Nanzhi wasn’t surprised by their curiosity. The current school policy allowed six-year-olds to start first grade, but in the past, there were no strict age requirements. Some children started at seven or eight, while others were enrolled before turning six.

She belonged to the latter group.

Back then, her parents had to leave for work, her older siblings were in elementary school, and her younger brother was only two and needed constant care. Since her grandmother couldn’t always keep an eye on her, and there was no kindergarten available, they decided to send her directly to first grade, even though she was not yet five. Additionally, she had skipped a grade, so now she was twelve in high school, while most of her classmates were fifteen or sixteen, with some even seventeen. Naturally, they were surprised.

However, everyone quickly accepted it.

After introductions were done, the homeroom teacher handed out textbooks. Since she was also the English teacher, the first book distributed was the English textbook. The first lesson passed smoothly, with no absentees or misplaced students.

High school knowledge was entirely new, so Lin Nanzhi studied diligently every day. She hardly had time to write her novels anymore. Even though her readers and editor urged her for updates, she stuck to her schedule of writing 4,000 words daily.

The school didn’t allow students to leave during lunchtime, so she ate in the cafeteria. In the afternoons, she would return home to eat the meals prepared by her mother.

Her mother used to have some health issues, making it difficult for her to walk without getting out of breath. But after consuming spiritual spring water and fruits from their special space, her condition improved significantly, and she was now able to cook again.

—-

On Sundays, Lin Nanzhi would go back home, though there wasn’t much to do. She either helped pick fruits or checked on the progress of their construction project.

After discussions, her uncle and aunt decided to plant fruit trees as well. There was a plot of land left, so they planted different fruit varieties that Lin Nanzhi’s family didn’t have, with her father guiding them on how to care for the trees.

Her father had learned professional farming techniques, but thanks to the spiritual spring water, their crops flourished beyond normal expectations. People just assumed he had an exceptional talent for farming.

Taking advantage of some free time, Lin Nanzhi secretly watered her uncle’s trees with spiritual spring water. The trees were growing well, though they wouldn’t bear fruit this year—it would be too conspicuous if they did. However, the trees looked exceptionally vibrant.