Erbao’s words left the teachers and Ning Shu feeling both amused and helpless.

Yibao said, “He can skip a grade.”

Sanbao echoed, “Yes.”

They all understood Erbao’s academic performance.

While he didn’t grasp knowledge as quickly as the others, he learned alongside them.

Though they weren’t sure how well he’d do in a grade-skipping exam, they were confident he could at least pass.

Erbao had fully absorbed the knowledge from fourth grade, and while he had learned fifth-grade material with them, it had been more of a struggle.

Middle school knowledge, however, was proving to be quite difficult for him.

Hearing Yibao and Sanbao’s suggestion, Ning Shu curiously asked, “If Erbao skips to fifth grade next semester, he could enter middle school in September next year. Do we know when the World Student Games will be held?”

“Well…” Teacher Jin hesitated before responding, “It’s hard to say. The first World Student Games were in September 1974, but the second was held in June 1976. So, the timing isn’t fixed.”

Yibao chimed in, “Erbao could also take the middle school entrance exam after skipping grades, but who knows if he could pass.”

Teacher Jin was taken aback.

For a fourth-grader to skip to middle school, their academic performance would have to be excellent.

However, for their purposes, the student’s grades didn’t really matter since they planned to recruit him through special admissions.

But since the student’s grades were good enough, they preferred to let him earn his place through academic merit, which would help build a strong mindset in the child.

“How about this?” Teacher Jin suggested. “Let’s have him take the fourth-grade test. If he performs well, he can skip to fifth grade. If he does well in the fifth-grade exam, then he can skip to the first year of middle school. If his results aren’t quite there, we can arrange for teachers to help him catch up academically. If that still doesn’t work, we’ll use special admissions. In any case, before the World Student Games next year, he’ll definitely be a middle school student.”

To prevent dissatisfaction from other countries, it would be best if Erbao officially became a middle school student as early as possible next year.

Ning Shu nodded, “We’ll leave everything in the school’s hands.”

Erbao listened to their conversation, feeling confused.

He only understood one thing: he would be taking the grade-skipping exams like Yibao and Sanbao.

He wasn’t opposed to it, and his attitude was pretty positive.

However, there was one thing that bothered him.

He was supposed to start school tomorrow, but he wasn’t exactly happy about it—he still hadn’t had enough playtime.

But as a big brother who had been taking care of his younger sibling since the age of three, he was very responsible.

Since the teachers had said so, Erbao could only grit his teeth and agree. “Alright then.”

With Erbao’s agreement, the enrollment process went smoothly.

Once Teacher Qi from the admissions office finished the paperwork, Ning Shu took the children and left.

As for the grade-skipping exams and other procedures, those would have to wait until the next day.

After Ning Shu and the children left, Teacher Qi reported Erbao’s situation to the school leaders.

Upon hearing this, the school leaders immediately informed the national team coach they were familiar with about the situation.

Although the sports school was responsible for enrolling students and guiding them, if they found promising talent, they would report it to avoid affecting the children’s future.

Naturally, Ning Shu no longer had to deal with these matters.

Having spent the entire morning at the sports school, Ning Shu initially planned to take the children out to play in the afternoon, but since Er Bao was starting school tomorrow, they decided not to go out today.

“Let’s have lunch at the state-owned restaurant. Chengci, feel free to pick whatever you want later—don’t be shy with your auntie.”

Yu Chengci replied, “Okay.”

He was not a reserved child, and his innocent nature meant he wasn’t going to hold back when Ning Shu said that.

Before coming to the capital, Ning Shu had exchanged a lot of meal tickets, and this time, she brought enough with her for dining out.

When they arrived at the state-owned restaurant, the three children and Yu Chengci were thrilled as they chose their dishes.

The state-owned restaurants in the capital were better and had more variety.

Although Yu Chengci was from a wealthy family, he didn’t often dine at such places, as he usually ate food prepared by their maid at home.

It was a bit chilly, and seeing how happy the kids were, Ning Shu asked if they wanted sodas.

All four children eagerly agreed, and even Ning Shu got herself a bottle.

The five of them ate heartily at the restaurant, unaware that someone was waiting for them at the compound.

Because of an agreement made during yesterday’s fishing competition, Zhang Jingwu was supposed to deliver twice the amount of food.

He had given half yesterday, and the rest was promised for today.

Zhang Jingwu was a proud man who disliked owing anyone anything, so he came by early after breakfast to deliver the remaining food.

However, when he arrived at the Yu household, he was told that Yu Chengci and the Lin family next door had gone out.

Feeling that Yu Chengci had gone too far by not being there as agreed, Zhang Jingwu had no choice but to wait.

He went to a friend’s house in the compound to wait, but by noon, just as it was time for lunch, Yu Chengci still hadn’t returned, so Zhang Jingwu impatiently went back home.

Meanwhile, the three kids and Yu Chengci were unaware of any of this.

After finishing lunch at the state-owned restaurant, they all returned home.

Back at the compound, Yu Chengci went back to his house and heard from the maid about what had happened with Zhang Jingwu.

He quickly ran over to the Lin family next door.

“Lin Haizhi, Lin Huirui, Lin Haiyang, let me tell you something funny!” Yu Chengci shouted as he rushed into the Lin house.

After spending the morning together, they were more familiar with each other, so Yu Chengci felt comfortable being loud like this, though he was usually well-mannered.

“What’s so funny?”

The three children, who had just reached the staircase, turned back at his voice.

“It’s Zhang Jingwu…” Yu Chengci explained what had happened with Zhang Jingwu. “Don’t you think he’s silly? I wasn’t there, but he could have just left the stuff at my house or given it to Zhang Mingcheng. Instead, he chose to wait for me the entire morning. He’s really kind of dumb, isn’t he?”

The three children all agreed with Yu Chengci.

“If it were me, I’d just bring the stuff home and tell the maid, ‘If you want the things, come and get them yourself,’” Er Bao said. “I’ve already delivered it once; if you’re not home, I’m not coming a second time.”

Yi Bao, San Bao, and Yu Chengci were momentarily speechless.

They found that Er Bao’s words actually made a lot of sense.

Yibao rarely gave Erbao a look of approval.

Sanbao was even wondering how, after joining the sports school, his second brother seemed to have gotten smarter.

Ning Shu said, “Alright, Yibao and Sanbao can go play. Erbao, go pack your things. You’re going to school tomorrow, so bring the clothes you wear regularly and don’t forget your bedding.”

“Okay…” Erbao responded reluctantly.

He wanted to go play too.

Yibao patted him on the shoulder, “Come on, if you participate in the World Middle School Games next year, we’ll be able to see you on TV.”

Yibao certainly knew how to motivate Erbao.

Upon hearing that, Erbao’s eyes lit up, and his whole body seemed to be filled with renewed energy. “Really? If I compete in the World Middle School Games next year, you’ll see me on TV?”

If that was the case, he was ready to go to sports school right away, work hard, and aim for first place.

Back when they lived in the military housing, they hadn’t watched programs like that, so they didn’t know.

Even Ning Shu wasn’t sure if such large events would be broadcast on TV with the current technology.

But Ning Shu said, “You can ask your teacher at school tomorrow. They’ll definitely know.”

Unexpectedly, Yu Chengci chimed in, “You can see it on TV. During the last Olympics, my dad watched it on TV. So, Lin Hairui, if you represent our country at the World Middle School Games, we’ll definitely be able to watch you. I’ll gather our friends and cheer you on in front of the TV.”

“Wow, that’s awesome!” Erbao was thrilled.

Without needing another word from his mom, he ran upstairs to pack his things, declaring, “I’m not playing anymore. I, Lin Hairui, am going to participate in the World Middle School Games! I’m going to win glory for the country, and I’m going to take first place!”

He shouted excitedly, declaring himself “Athlete Lin Hairui,” and from that moment on, everyone should call him Comrade Athlete Lin Hairui.

The people downstairs were left speechless, stunned by his sudden enthusiasm.

In the end, Ning Shu shook her head, “Go do whatever you want. Don’t worry about him.”

Everyone has their own path, and Erbao’s was already set before him.

As for Yibao and Sanbao, for now, their path was still through their studies—conquering kindergarten, elementary school, and soon middle school.

“Shall we head to the old compound? I’ll call Zhang Mingcheng, and we can go to the Zhang family to ask for something,” Yu Chengci suggested.

“Okay.”

Yibao didn’t object.

Sanbao followed along with his older brother.

Since they had just arrived in the capital and were unfamiliar with the area, exploring nearby was a good idea.

After saying goodbye to Ning Shu, the three of them left.

Ning Shu watched as they walked out of the house and left the courtyard.

Cherish your childhood, she thought as she watched the energetic children leave.

Then, she headed upstairs.

She needed to check on what athlete Lin Erbao had packed.

Oh, right, Erbao would need a lot of training in the future, which would wear out shoes and socks quickly.

Ning Shu thought she’d better go to the department store to buy a few pairs of sneakers, and maybe some cotton fabric to make socks for him.

The socks sold in stores weren’t very good—they didn’t absorb sweat well.

She always made socks for the family using cotton fabric.

Thinking of this, Ning Shu went to her room to grab the shopping vouchers and then headed off to the department store.

At the Han family house…

Since the morning when Han Hongling had told the Lin family about her stepmother, she had been waiting for them to come and confront her stepmother.

She imagined that if they did, her father’s opinion of her stepmother would drop dramatically.

But she had been waiting all morning, and no one from the Lin family had come.

What was going on?

As Han Hongling finished her lunch, she was crouching in the courtyard washing dishes while pondering this when she heard a noise from the neighboring yard.

“Zhou Guowei… Zhou Guowei, are you there?”

It was Yu Chengci’s voice.

Han Hongling turned her head and saw that not only was Yu Chengci there, but so were Zhang Mingcheng and the kids from the Lin family!