Under the gaze of so many children, Teacher Jiang decided to take a leap of faith.

She looked at the two kids: same clothes, same appearance, and as for their hairstyles… well, there wasn’t much to speak of, easily overlooked.

Both children smiled at her, their faces beaming with brightness, unlike the quiet demeanor she had assumed earlier.

Their bright, big eyes were filled with anticipation and curiosity.

Unable to figure it out, Teacher Jiang finally pointed at Yi Bao, “You are the older brother,” then pointed at Er Bao, “And you are the younger brother.”

Yu Bo and the other kids from Class Three all turned to look at the position of the three brothers.

One child couldn’t wait and asked, “Twins, is the teacher correct?”

Second Bao quickly nodded, “The teacher guessed right! You’re amazing, teacher! It seems like what Wang Wei said was true; teachers know everything.”

Teacher Jiang felt a bit embarrassed by Er Bao’s praise.

She had just made a guess; it wasn’t any special skill.

This kid… was really good at flattering people.

Yi Bao asked curiously, “Teacher, how did you know that I’m the older brother and Er Bao is the younger brother?”

He was very curious, even though in the countryside, everyone in the village knew each other, so usually the kids knew who was who.

But could it really be true, like what Wang Wei’s brother said, that teachers know everything?

The other kids also looked at Teacher Jiang curiously, waiting for her answer. Some even followed up with, “Yes, Teacher Jiang, how did you know who is the older brother and who is the younger brother?”

“Teacher Jiang, please tell us.”

“Teacher Jiang, we don’t know who is the older brother and who is the younger brother either.”

Teacher Jiang smiled and said, “Look, this one here is the younger brother. He’s sitting on the inside. In the middle is the youngest, San Bao. And on the outside is the older brother. Do you know why?”

The kids shook their heads. “We don’t know.”

“Yeah, Teacher, why is that?”

“Because the older brother protects the younger brother. So I guessed that the one sitting on the outside is the older brother, leaving the other one as the younger brother. Just like in our everyday lives, your older brothers also protect you, right?” That’s how Teacher Jiang made her guess.

But as soon as she finished speaking, the naturally rebellious kids started chattering.

“My brother is the worst. He won’t protect me. He always steals my snacks.”

“My brother likes to pinch my ears the most. He pinches them so much they’ve become long.”

“My brother also likes to pat my head. He’s patted it so much I can’t grow tall.”

“My brother won’t play with me either. He says I’m a little radish head and always annoyingly follows him.”

“My brother does the same, calls me a little brat.”

“Yeah, my brother is really annoying. He’s definitely not a good brother who protects me.”

Hearing the kids’ complaints, Teacher Jiang couldn’t help but feel helpless.

When Er Bao heard Teacher Jiang and the other kids saying this, he loudly chimed in, “My brother is the best. He plays with us, gathers firewood with us, digs wild vegetables with us, and shares delicious things with us. Earlier, when my mom rewarded him with a boiled egg, he shared it with us.” Er Bao looked proud.

Hearing those kids say their brothers weren’t good, he felt sorry for them.

His brother was the best brother in the world.

Yi Bao blushed at Second Bao’s praise.

“I don’t like eating wild vegetables. They’re dry and tasteless.”

“I don’t want to gather firewood.”

“I like playing in the mountains.”

The kids started chatting again.

“Quiet down, children.” Teacher Jiang was used to such scenes.

Kids easily got distracted, and that was normal.

But the children also listened to the teacher. As soon as Teacher Jiang spoke, they quieted down.

Teacher Jiang said, “Today is our ‘question of the day’ session. Yu Bo’s question has been answered, and now it’s your turn to ask questions. Any other children want to ask?”

Er Bao raised his hand, imitating Yu Bo’s gesture.

Perhaps the harmonious atmosphere just now made Er Bao gradually more lively, breaking away from his quiet facade.

Seeing his raised hand, Teacher Jiang smiled and called out, “Next, let’s have our twin brother question. But before you question, can you come to the front of the classroom and introduce your brothers?”

When the three brothers arrived, Teacher Jiang didn’t ask them to introduce themselves.

She deliberately saved this for the afternoon session.

Er Bao walked confidently to the front of the classroom.

Despite the unfamiliar environment, he stood tall, without a trace of shyness or nervousness. “My name is Er Bao. My brother is Yi Bao, and my younger brother is San Bao. Because we are my mother’s first, second, and third children.” After introducing themselves, Er Bao looked at Teacher Jiang.

Teacher Jiang smiled and asked, “Those are your nicknames, right? Do you have given names?”

“Yes, we do,” Er Bao said, realizing it just a few days ago. “My brother’s name is Lin Haizhi, mine is Lin Hairui, and my younger brother’s name is Lin Haiyang.

My brother and I have names that mean intelligence, discerning right from wrong, and knowing right from wrong. My younger brother’s name means cheerful sunshine.”

Teacher Jiang led the applause, saying, “Thank you, Lin Hairui, for your introduction. You may return to your seat now. Let’s give Lin Hairui a round of applause and thank him for letting us get to know them.”

As Teacher Jiang applauded, the children started clapping too.

Teacher Jiang continued, “Just now, Lin Hairui raised his hand. Now, let’s hear Lin Hairui’s question. Lin Hairui, do you have any questions for me?”

“I do,” Er Bao stood up and asked, “Just now, we came back with Brother Wang Wei.

Brother Wang Wei said he won’t keep a dog anymore because their family is shortage on food. I asked him, what does ‘shortage’ mean? He said it means ‘not enough.’

Teacher, if there’s not enough food, why not just say ‘not enough’? That way, I would understand. Why use ‘shortage’?”

Teacher Jiang pondered.

Were children nowadays so profound in their thinking?

Couldn’t they keep it simple?

Why couldn’t they ask simple questions like what’s 1+1?

“Using ‘shortage’ emphasizes that the food is somewhat lacking. Whereas ‘not enough’ just means the food is really really lacking, Do you understand?”

Er Bao nodded, “I understand.”

Teacher Jiang was pleased, “Can you make a sentence using ‘not enough’? Making a sentence means you say a sentence that contains the word ‘not enough’.”

“I can,” Er Bao thought for a moment and said, “This morning, Da Mao and Tie Dan marked the way home in the residential area by peeing. Da Mao and Tie Dan peed a lot, while my pee was comparatively not enough.”

Teacher Jiang paused.

Where did this kid come from?

“Teacher, am I right?” Er Bao asked again. “My pee this morning wasn’t as much as Da Mao and Tie Dan’s, so it really, really not enough. Am I right teacher?”

Teacher Jiang wanted to say it wasn’t correct, but she couldn’t find a better explanation.

She, who had only graduated from junior high school and had married a soldier, had finally landed a steady job at the kindergarten.

How could she be stumped by a six-year-old kid?

“You’re right,” Teacher Jiang felt that Er Bao’s sentence, though forced, could work. “You did great. Please sit down. Do any of you have other questions?”

“Teacher, I do,” Er Bao continued raising his hand.

Teacher Jiang looked at him, rarely encountering such an active child.

As a teacher, she quite liked it when kids participated actively, which helped liven up the classroom atmosphere.

However, “Lin Hairui, each student can only ask one question, you have to give others a chance too. You can think about your question and ask it tomorrow.”

“Okay,” Er Bao thought, he would think about all the things he didn’t understand until tomorrow.

Yi Bao, seeing this, quietly pulled Er Bao’s clothes and softly asked, “What question do you want to ask? I’ll ask it for you.” Everyone could ask one question, he and San Bao could ask too.

Er Bao’s eyes lit up, but in the end, he shook his head. “Brother, ask your own question. I can’t take your question.”

“Alright then,” Yi Bao thought for a moment.

He didn’t seem to have a question to ask, but if he had to, Yi Bao raised his hand too.

Teacher Jiang had noticed the twins whispering to each other, but the kindergarten didn’t keep strict classroom records.

As long as there wasn’t loud noise, she wouldn’t intervene.

Now, seeing Yi Bao raise his hand, she said, “Lin Haizhi, do you have a question?”

Yi Bao stood up, “Teacher, I want to know how we, as kids, can earn money?”

Teacher Jiang paused.

It was the first time she had encountered a child asking such a question. “Why do you ask this question?”

Yi Bao replied, “We have Da Mao and Tie Dan at home, and I want to earn money to help take care of them. Mom and Dad work very hard to earn money, and I want to help.”

Teacher Jiang couldn’t help but admire the child’s filial piety and understanding.

“Yeah, Teacher, can we, as kids, earn money?”

“I want to earn money to buy candy.”

“I want to earn money to buy White Rabbit milk candy.”

“I want to earn money to buy a new backpack.”

“I want to earn money to buy some cookies.”

So, more and more children started wanting to earn money.

Teacher Jiang thought for a moment, “I need to think about this question. I can’t answer it right now. Let me find out in a few days and then come back to you. Is that okay?”

Teacher Jiang was a very responsible teacher; she wouldn’t just brush things off.

Moreover, the fact that the children wanted to earn money to ease the burden on their families was a good sign.

However, the matter of whether children could earn money was something she really needed to think about before giving an answer.

At the moment, she didn’t know how the children could earn money.