“Thank you, teacher, but it’s not necessary. I can make the bed myself,” Erbao said as he opened the bag of daily necessities.

He took out a wooden basin, a water bucket, and a cleaning cloth.

Erbao noticed that the dormitory beds were somewhat similar to those at home.

Here, there were bunk beds, with beds both on top and bottom, while at home, the lower bunk was a desk.

The dormitory had a total of 20 beds, 10 on the top and 10 on the bottom, making it a large dormitory.

Students had placed their things either on the corner tables or under the lower bunk beds.

“You can put your things under the bed and your lunchbox on the table. Each lower bunk has space on both sides—one side for the lower bunk and one side for the upper bunk,” Teacher Qi explained the dormitory setup.

“Thank you, teacher.” Erbao quickly took out his enamel cup, toothpaste, toothbrush, towel, and lunchbox.

He placed these items into the wooden basin and covered it with a bamboo lid to keep out dust. “Teacher, where can I get some water? I want to fetch some to clean the bed.”

He placed the cleaning cloth into the bucket and was ready to fetch water.

Teacher Qi chuckled, surprised by how cleanly the little boy wanted to be. “I’ll show you.”

The dormitory building had two floors, each with a wash area.

Erbao’s dorm was on the second floor. In those times, high-rise buildings were scarce, and most schools and factories were just two stories.

Teacher Qi led Erbao to the wash area on the second floor, where they filled a bucket with water.

Back in the dormitory, Teacher Qi watched in amazement as Erbao began cleaning the upper bunk.

Erbao used three buckets of water just for this bed, making three trips for the water.

Teacher Qi had seen boys doing chores before, as many boarding school boys did their own laundry and cleaning.

Even Teacher Qi himself wasn’t used to being served.

But he had never seen a boy as meticulous as Erbao.

Who uses three buckets of water to clean a bed? This wasn’t just thorough cleaning; it showed an incredible level of seriousness!

Usually, a few wipes would suffice.

Moreover, Erbao showed great patience and never appeared impatient.

After cleaning the bed, Erbao took out a mat, spread it, and then added a thick cotton padding, followed by a bed sheet, pillow, and pillowcase.

The bed linen had a cute design with two embroidered dogs.

Erbao neatly arranged the bed, folded his clothes and placed them on the bed, and then packed the bag neatly into a small sack.

This small sack was made by Ning Shu from a large sack, repurposed as a storage bag.

Once Erbao finished organizing, he placed his backpack on the bed, took out a money pouch with a long string, hung it around his neck, and stuffed it into his cotton coat.

He then looked at Teacher Qi and said, “Teacher, I’m done.”

Teacher Qi responded, “… Then I’ll take you to meet your homeroom teacher.”

“Okay, thank you, teacher,” Erbao said.

Teacher Qi was still a bit puzzled.

As they left the dormitory, Teacher Qi asked curiously, “Lin Hairui, do you often do these chores?”

“Yes,” Erbao replied honestly. “My mother says we should take care of our own things and do our own chores. My elder brother, younger brother, and I all take care of our own stuff.”

Teacher Qi was taken aback.

This approach to parenting was different from many families today.

But as a teacher, especially in a sports school where students often couldn’t return home, Teacher Qi thought such education was beneficial.

Independence and practical skills were crucial, and Erbao seemed to be very suited for this. “Your mother has taught you well,” he said, not thinking that Ning Shu’s approach was unusual.

Even today, seeing the clothes and bedding Erbao had brought, it was clear he was cherished at home.

“My mother is always right,” Erbao said matter-of-factly.

“Really?” Teacher Qi was amused.

“Of course. My father says my mother is always right, and since my father is a college graduate, what he says must be right,” Erbao’s logic was simple.

If his father said his mother was wrong, then Erbao’s logic would imply that college graduates could also be wrong.

Teacher Qi was speechless.

“Teacher Qi, can I ask you questions if I don’t understand something?” Erbao asked with big, earnest eyes.

Teacher Qi smiled and said, “Of course. You can ask me anything you don’t understand.”

Er Bao quickly asked, “Teacher Qi, if I bring glory to the country and win a prize at the World Middle School Games, will I get a bonus?”

Thinking he would ask about academic or training-related matters, Teacher Qi was caught off guard. “Of course, there will be bonuses. The country will give you a bonus, the local government will give you a bonus, and our school will give you a bonus.” So there are three sources of bonuses: from the country, the capital government, and the sports school.

“Wow…” Er Bao’s eyes sparkled with excitement.

Three bonuses!

That’s a lot.

Then… “Teacher, how much do I need to win to buy a car?”

“A bicycle?” Teacher Qi guessed, “If you have a voucher, it’s around 180 yuan. Winning an event at the World Middle School Games should easily cover that.”

Er Bao clarified, “No, no, Teacher, we already have a bicycle. I’m asking about a car with four wheels, like the one Uncle Hou drives to pick up my dad.”

Teacher Qi: “…”

He felt a pang of regret.

He had never even ridden in a car with four wheels. “I don’t really know about that. Let me check for you and get back to you, okay?”

Teacher Qi couldn’t quite fathom such grand dreams.

Buying a four-wheeled car seemed like an extravagant thought for a child.

“Thank you, Teacher,” Er Bao said happily.

“Not at all,” Teacher Qi responded, then proceeded to explain the schedule for the sports school.

The sports school accepts students from ages 12 to 18, covering everything from elementary to high school.

Therefore, the school has students across various grade levels.

However, the number of students in each grade is relatively small.

The schedule at the sports school differs from that of regular schools.

There are fewer class hours, with the extra time dedicated to physical training.

The school day starts at 6:30 a.m. Breakfast is at 7:00 a.m., followed by classes from 8:00 to 10:00 a.m.

After that, from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m., it’s time for sports training.

Lunch starts at 12:00 p.m., and after lunch until 3:00 p.m., it’s rest time.

From 3:00 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. is additional class time, and from 4:30 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. is more physical training.

Dinner is at 6:00 p.m., and then middle school and high school students have evening study sessions from 7:30 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.

“Wow, middle school still has evening study sessions?” At this moment, Er Bao missed his elementary school days.

At just 12 years old, still quite childlike, Teacher Qi understood and comforted him, “Lin Huirui, you’re the youngest in the first-year middle school class. We’re all proud of you. You need to keep working hard.”

Although it might not be the best approach to speak to a child like that, Teacher Qi was eagerly looking forward to Er Bao winning a prize at the World Middle School Games.

Er Bao, who was motivated by encouragement rather than pressure, felt a renewed determination. “Yes, I’ll work hard.”

As they spoke, they arrived at the administrative building.

Teacher Qi knocked on the door of an office: “Teacher Wei, I’ve brought Lin Huirui to report.”

Since the students were all out for morning sports training, the teachers were in their offices.

However, Teacher Wei asked with some confusion, “Teacher Qi, didn’t you say you were assigning Lin to Class 2? I’m the homeroom teacher for Class 1.”

Teacher Wei was hoping that Er Bao would be assigned to his class, but Class 2’s teacher, Teacher Qian, also wanted Er Bao.

Ultimately, Teacher Qi decided that new students would be assigned to the class with fewer students, which was a fair arrangement.

“Yes, Teacher Qi. Isn’t Lin Huirui supposed to be in Class 2?” Teacher Qian from Class 2 also inquired.

Teacher Qi explained, “The dormitories for Class 2 are too dirty. Since Lin Huirui is still a child, this environment isn’t suitable for his growth. However, there are no available beds in Class 1’s dormitory at the moment, so Lin Huirui will stay in Class 2’s dormitory until a bed becomes available in Class 1.”

“Haha…” Hearing this, Teacher Wei was pleased, “That’s great!”

Teacher Qian was a bit resigned, “The students are so tired from training that they don’t pay much attention to cleanliness.”

Teacher Qi introduced, “Lin Huirui, this is Teacher Wei, the homeroom teacher for Class 1.”

Teacher Wei said, “Lin Huirui, I’m Teacher Wei, and I also teach Chinese. If you have any issues, feel free to come to me.” He then got up, “Since the students are doing sports training now, let me take you to see where Class 1 trains.”

“Thank you, Teacher Wei,” Er Bao said.

The Class 1 students were engaged in sports training.

Despite it being winter, they were all sweating, with the sunlight highlighting their youthful, determined faces.

Their instructor was Teacher Lai, a man in his thirties with a bit of a bald spot.

Seeing Teacher Wei approach, Teacher Lai let the students take a break, “Teacher Wei?”

Teacher Wei introduced Er Bao, “This is our new student, Lin Huirui. I brought him to see the training area. By the way, he has broken records in the 100-meter sprint, shot put, and long-distance running. The school has already reported this. We’ll make specific arrangements later, but for now, he should train with the other students.”