When Teacher Ning Shu spoke, the children in Class 1 began to remember.

“Teacher, I know about turtles,” a little girl raised her hand and said.

Ning Shu: “Can you describe what a turtle looks like? You tell me, and I’ll draw it. How about that?”

“Okay, okay!” The little girl stood up. “When my mom and I were trading on the island, I saw a turtle. It has a shell on top, a long neck, and four short legs…”

As the little girl described it, Ning Shu used chalk to draw a vivid turtle on the blackboard.

“Yes, yes, that’s exactly it! Teacher, you draw so well,” the little girl said, her eyes shining with admiration.

As Ning Shu finished drawing the turtle, other children started to speak up: “I’ve seen that too! So that’s a turtle.”

“That turtle looks so funny, hahaha…”

“That’s a turtle. Does anyone know what a rabbit looks like?” Ning Shu asked.

Many children knew about rabbits.

Ning Shu called on another child to describe it.

Similarly, as this child described, Ning Shu drew a little rabbit on the blackboard.

The little rabbit and the little turtle stood at the starting line together.

Ning Shu: “Today, I’m going to tell you a story about a race between a little turtle and a little rabbit…

They started running…

The little rabbit ran very far ahead and looked back but didn’t see the little turtle.

So, the little rabbit found a tree and decided to take a nap…”

Ning Shu drew a tree in the center of the blackboard and a little rabbit under the tree.

“The little rabbit slept so soundly that it didn’t notice when the little turtle passed by…

In the end, the little turtle reached the finish line and won the race.

Do you know what this story teaches us?”

While Ning Shu was teaching the children, the head of the kindergarten came by.

She didn’t enter the classroom but listened from the window.

The head of the kindergarten nodded, very satisfied.

She thought to herself that hiring Ning Shu as a teacher was indeed the right decision.

Ning Shu’s way of educating the children was different from other parents.

Her lessons were lively, her drawings were excellent, and the content was meaningful.

The children were very active.

The head of the kindergarten had never seen such an educational method.

It was different from many parents and most teachers.

No wonder she was able to educate her twin children so well.

Unknowingly, the head of the kindergarten stayed by the window until the end of the lesson.

When the class ended, Ning Shu came out.

Naturally, she saw the head of the kindergarten standing outside. “You’re here.”

The head of the kindergarten smiled and said, “I came to see how you’re settling in. You’re teaching very well.”

Ning Shu humbly replied, “You flatter me. This is my first time teaching, and I’m just trying to gain experience as I go.”

The head of the kindergarten said, “Keep it up.”

Ning Shu nodded and then explained her and the other teachers’ schedule: “There are two days left this week. I’ll teach two lessons today and two tomorrow. Starting next week, I’ll teach from Monday to Thursday, one lesson every afternoon.”

The head of the kindergarten had no objections to this arrangement.

“Mom… Mom…”

Before the two could finish their conversation, they saw Er Bao running over, followed by Yi Bao, San Bao, and Hai Cai.

As soon as Er Bao’s class ended, he ran out of the classroom.

Out of breath, he ran up to Ning Shu, his eyes shining brightly as he looked at her.

“Mom, I asked the teacher during class. The teacher said that if adults want to study, they can come to school, but they have to attend literacy classes and can’t come to the kindergarten.”

Ning Shu raised an eyebrow, “So?”

Er Bao grinned, “Mom, I saw you sitting in Class 1 at the front left, on the teacher’s chair. You can’t come to kindergarten to study, so are you here to be a teacher in Class 1?” Sometimes he acted a bit silly, but other times he was quite sharp.

Ning Shu ruffled his hair, “You’re really smart.”

Yi Bao also asked, “So, Mom, is this the secret you were talking about?”

Ning Shu nodded, “Yes, I wanted to surprise you. Are you surprised?”

“Wow, Mom, you’re amazing! You’re a teacher now,” Er Bao’s eyes sparkled with admiration for his mother.

Even though Yi Bao didn’t say anything, his eyes also shone brightly as he looked at his mother.

San Bao, still a bit confused, didn’t fully understand but echoed his brothers. “Mom, amazing, the most amazing.”

Hai Cai was stunned.

He couldn’t understand how Aunt Ning Shu suddenly became a teacher, but he knew it was something to be happy about.

The head of the kindergarten watched Ning Shu interacting with the children.

This was the first time she had seen such a scene.

In most families, parents were authoritative figures, and children didn’t dare to be too casual around them.

But in Ning Shu’s interactions with her children, the head sensed something different.

The children were innocent and carefree, and Ning Shu didn’t impose parental authority over them.

She thought that such a family atmosphere must be wonderful.

The head of the kindergarten quietly left without interrupting them.

“Mom, can’t you teach the kids in Class 3 too?” Er Bao felt a bit upset that his mom, now a teacher, was teaching Class 1 instead of his own class.

He wanted his mom to teach them too.

Ning Shu said, “I will teach your class too. Today, I’m teaching the kids in Class 1 and Class 2, but tomorrow afternoon, I’ll be teaching Class 3 and Class 4. Starting next week, I’ll teach Class 1 on Monday afternoons, Class 2 on Tuesday afternoons, and your Class 3 on Wednesday afternoons…” She explained the schedule to the children.

Er Bao sighed, “If only today were tomorrow.”

Ning Shu couldn’t help but laugh, “Alright, you all should head back. Class will start soon, and I need to go to the office.”

“Okay.”

The four children obediently returned to their classroom.

As soon as they entered, Er Bao started boasting, “He Jiaxing, do you know what my mom is doing now?”

He Jiaxing thought for a moment.

The twins’ mother was very good at cooking. So he guessed, “Is she a chef? The canteen chefs cook well, and so do the chefs at the state-run restaurant.”

“Nope.” Er Bao blinked mysteriously, “Guess again.”

He Jiaxing scrunched up his face, but couldn’t figure out what the twins’ mother was doing.

Finally, he shook his head, “I don’t know, I can’t guess. Tell me.”

“Alright.” Er Bao announced with a bright smile, “My mom is a teacher now. She’ll be teaching us soon.”

“Huh?” He Jiaxing wasn’t impressed at all. Instead, he looked at Er Bao with a sympathetic expression.

Er Bao was puzzled, “What’s wrong? Why are you looking at me like that?”

He Jiaxing sighed, “You poor thing. Kids whose moms are teachers are the most pitiful.”

“Why?” Er Bao didn’t understand.

Yi Bao, listening curiously, also wondered.

Having their mom as a teacher was a source of pride and joy in their village.

Why would He Jiaxing say that kids with teacher moms were pitiful?

“You all don’t know, right? The boy who lives next door to us, his mom is a teacher. It’s terrible, really terrible,” He Jiaxing said, shivering at the thought.

Imagining the twin brothers’ future, he felt even more sympathy for them.

Er Bao became anxious, “Just tell us already, why is it terrible? Mom being a teacher means she’ll make money and we can buy more meat. How can that be terrible?”

“Yeah,” Yi Bao agreed.

Hai Cai nodded too.

He Jiaxing explained, “Because when a mom is a teacher, kids can’t play anymore.

The boy next door, his mom makes him read books and do homework every day. If he doesn’t listen, she scolds and hits him. He’s always crying.”

“Really?” Er Bao’s eyes widened.

He thought about their mom making them read and do homework every day, not letting them play, and even hitting them.

His pride vanished.

Yi Bao, however, was more optimistic, “If we finish our reading and homework every day, Mom won’t hit us.”

Er Bao thought this made sense.

He Jiaxing considered this, “I don’t know about that. Anyway, the boy next door always says he wishes his mom wasn’t a teacher.” He imitated the boy’s voice and expression convincingly.

Ning Shu only had two classes that afternoon.

After the second class, she left Class 2’s classroom and went home.

After preparing dinner, the children returned home with Da Mao and Tie Dan.

Winter days grew dark quickly, and the military training ended early.

Shortly after the children came home from school, Lin Guodong also returned.

During dinner, Er Bao, unable to hide his thoughts, asked, “Mom, today He Jiaxing said that kids with moms who are teachers are very pitiful. Will we be pitiful?”

Er Bao’s question puzzled not only Ning Shu but also Lin Guodong.

“What else did He Jiaxing say? Why would kids with moms who are teachers be pitiful?” Ning Shu asked.

Er Bao repeated He Jiaxing’s words, “He said the boy next door to him has a mom who’s a teacher. She makes him read books and do homework every day.

If he doesn’t listen, she hits him, and he’s always crying. So, Mom, will you be like that? Will you still let us play?”

Ah, so that’s what it was.

Ning Shu smiled, “Of course, I won’t do that.”

Hearing this, Yi Bao and Er Bao both breathed a sigh of relief.

But just as they relaxed, Ning Shu’s next words made their eyes widen.

“Because even if I weren’t a teacher, I would still do that,” Ning Shu said with a gentle smile.

She found their shocked expressions amusing.

Hai Cai’s mouth dropped open in shock.

What should he do? When could he go home? Third Aunt was so scary.

Ning Shu smiled again, “As long as you finish the reading and homework your teacher assigns, you can decide how to spend the rest of your time. I’m a reasonable parent.”