Cen Zhengnian shook his head. “There’s no rush. I want to wait for Huai’an’s exam results.”

Cen Huai’an worked quickly on the papers. Unlike other first-grade students who might not recognize all the characters in the questions, Cen Huai’an was fluent.

In fact, the teacher who had brought the papers had planned to read the questions to Cen Huai’an, but he started working on them immediately without needing any help.

And he got all the answers right.

The teacher’s mouth dropped open in surprise.

It seemed that students who wanted to skip grades were indeed exceptional.

After Cen Huai’an finished the papers, the principal, who also taught, corrected them.

When finished, the principal, smiling warmly, looked at Cen Huai’an and said, “You’re Cen Huai’an, right? Congratulations, you’re now a second-grade student.”

Cen Huai’an smiled with satisfaction and turned to find Chu Xia and Cen Zhengnian. “Mom, Dad, I can skip a grade now.”

“Mm.” Chu Xia walked over and ruffled Cen Huai’an’s hair. “Well done, An’an!”

The principal then took Chu Xia and Cen Huai’an to meet the second-grade homeroom teacher and introduced Cen Huai’an.

“Teacher Han might seem a bit strict, but he has a lot of teaching experience, and his classes perform very well.”

The second-grade homeroom teacher was tall and a bit disheveled.

At first glance, he didn’t look very approachable, but when he smiled, his stern appearance disappeared, revealing a more cheerful demeanor.

“Don’t worry about the child in our class. He won’t be bullied.”

Teacher Han looked at Cen Huai’an and said, “If anyone bullies you, let me know. There’s no child who isn’t afraid of me.”

“Thank you, Teacher.” Cen Huai’an subtly moved back.

He wasn’t afraid of Teacher Han, but his loud voice made his ears hurt.

Chu Xia and Cen Zhengnian discussed Cen Huai’an’s situation with Teacher Han, watched him settle into his new classroom, and then left feeling reassured.

By now, the sun was high in the sky.

At noon, when Cen Huai’an came home, Chu Xia made hand-cut noodles with shredded meat.

Cen Zhengnian wasn’t back yet, so Chu Xia packed some noodles in an aluminum lunchbox to take to him.

The noodles were chewy, the meat tender, and with a bit of vegetables, they were delicious.

The weather was not as hot as summer, so eating the noodles wasn’t uncomfortable and felt very satisfying.

“How was your class in the second grade?” Chu Xia asked.

Cen Huai’an thought for a moment and replied, “It’s a bit harder than first grade. I like the multiplication in second grade math.”

Chu Xia felt relieved.

Multiplication and division begin in second grade, and it’s a crucial time for learning.

If a child doesn’t master these concepts, they may struggle with math later on.

Chu Xia remembered being required to memorize the multiplication table perfectly in second grade.

“But Teacher Han is a bit strict. If you make a mistake in writing, you have to copy two pages. He scolded and made several students in our class cry this morning.”

Chu Xia served more noodles and asked, “How about you? Do you find Teacher Han strict?”

Cen Huai’an shook his head, a bit proud. “I didn’t make any mistakes. Teacher Han even praised me in class and gave me a red flower.”

Chu Xia smiled. “Wow, An’an, you’re amazing!”

Cen Huai’an raised his head slightly and said, “Mom, I want to be the best.”

Of course, he wouldn’t make mistakes.

Chu Xia laughed.

Cen Huai’an didn’t quite understand why his mom was laughing, but he was happy too, smiling as he continued eating.

In the afternoon at three o’clock, Chu Xia got on the bus to the Traditional Chinese Medicine Academy.

Her class meeting started at six.

Uncertain about when the class meeting would end, Chuxia made sure to leave a note for Cen Zhengnian at noon, reminding him to come home early and not forget to get dinner for An’an from the cafeteria.

She also told Cen Huai’an about the plan, instructing him to go straight home after school and not to wander around the staff quarters.

She advised him to be well-behaved at home with his father and not to miss her too much.

Even though everything was arranged, Chuxia couldn’t fully relax on the bus ride.

When she arrived at the Traditional Chinese Medicine College, it was 3:30 PM, still some time before the class meeting.

She decided to visit the library first.

The library was still crowded with students.

Unable to find a free table, Chuxia, like many others, sat on the floor by the bookshelf with a book, immersing herself in the world of Traditional Chinese Medicine.

When she noticed the light dimming, she realized her neck was sore and her legs had gone numb.

Fortunately, with forty minutes still left before the meeting, she waited for her legs to feel normal before quickly returning the book to its place and heading to the cafeteria for dinner.

After eating, Chuxia arrived precisely on time for the class meeting.

The classroom was already full of students, and the teacher had arrived.

The teacher, who had helped Chuxia with her commuter pass, waved her over and instructed her to take a seat.

Since Chuxia wasn’t staying in the dormitory, she wasn’t familiar with the other students and chose an empty seat at random.

At exactly 6 PM, the teacher cleared her throat and tapped the desk with an eraser.

The previously noisy classroom instantly fell silent as all the students turned their attention to the teacher at the podium.

“Is everyone here? I’ll take attendance.”

The teacher picked up the attendance sheet from the podium and began reading the names.

The first name called was: “Luo Chuxia!”

“Here!” Chuxia responded.

The teacher glanced down at Chuxia, nodded, and continued with the list.

Meanwhile, the other students’ eyes were on Chuxia.

Unlike Chuxia, who had left after registration, many students were staying on campus to get familiar with the university environment.

It was known among the students that the attendance list was ranked by college entrance exam scores, so the first name called was the top scorer.

Students were curious about the top student, with some eager to see who had outperformed them.

Despite their curiosity, the students remained restrained since they didn’t know each other yet.

After the teacher finished calling names, she began introducing herself.

She was the class advisor and her surname was Zhang.

The meeting continued with student self-introductions, assigning temporary class committee positions, announcing the class schedule, and distributing textbooks.

Teacher Zhang had initially wanted Chuxia to be the class monitor, but Chuxia declined.

She didn’t want to take on any class committee roles as she needed to focus on her studies and manage her family.

Teacher Zhang didn’t press the issue and assigned the role of class monitor to a more mature-looking male student.

In addition to these arrangements, Teacher Zhang announced a shocking piece of news for Chuxia: they would be undergoing military training.

Not all universities have military training, but the Traditional Chinese Medicine College, along with several prestigious Beijing universities, did.

Chuxia was relieved that their military training would be held on campus and only lasted half a month.

She heard from other students that some universities sent their students to the military for a month of training.

During the military training, Chuxia wouldn’t be able to frequently return to the research institute as there would be evening activities.

She had already received her military training uniform—a loose-fitting green outfit.

She sighed and called Cen Zhengnian to ask him to take care of An’an for the next half month.

She would return home if she had any free time during the training.

On the phone, Cen Zhengnian said, “Military training is exhausting. Take care of yourself. Do you need anything?”

Chuxia didn’t need anything in particular; she couldn’t get sunscreen at the moment anyway.

She had left clothes and basic necessities at the dormitory when she registered.

“Can you let me speak with An’an for a moment?”

Since she might not be home for half a month, An’an might have difficulty accepting it.

To Chuxia’s surprise, though An’an was sad about not seeing his mother for a while, he said, “Mom, do well in military training. Don’t worry about Dad and me. I’m already a second-grade student and can take care of myself.”

Chuxia’s eyes suddenly welled up.

She quickly looked up and fanned her eyes with her hand. “Yes, An’an is the best child in my heart.”

After the call, Chuxia returned to her dorm.

Her seven roommates were all there.

Apart from the thin girl she had seen during registration, Chuxia hadn’t met the others.

They all looked at her with curiosity.

Chuxia greeted them with a smile and introduced herself.

The roommates introduced themselves one by one, revealing their names and where they were from.

Chuxia finally learned the name of the thin girl—Mao Xiaolan, who came from a province in the northwest.

The others came from various places, and only one aloof-looking roommate was from Beijing.

Initially, everyone was a bit reserved, and no one chatted with Chuxia.

However, in the following days, some of the roommates discussed military training with her.

As first-year university students, they were both curious and excited about university life, and naturally, they looked forward to the military training.

Hearing their excitement, Chuxia thought: “Kids, you’re too naïve. Once the military training starts tomorrow, you’ll surely regret what you said today.”

Before starting school, Chuxia had taken a shower at home, so that night she only planned to make hot water to wash her face and feet.

When she returned with the hot water kettle, her roommates were trying on their military uniforms.

Not everyone had the chance to try on different outfits, so having the green military training uniform was quite exciting.

Moreover, people of this era had a special affection for soldiers.

In the 1970s, wearing a green military uniform was very impressive and would attract many admiring glances on the street.

Chuxia’s roommates, all young and full of life, looked like vibrant young saplings in their green uniforms.

Even Mao Xiaolan, who usually kept her head down, lifted her head and had more color on her face in the military uniform.

Chuxia, who had put on her military uniform after washing her hands and feet, found it a bit loose.

However, since it was military training attire, that was normal. With the belt tied around her waist, the uniform looked much more fitting.

As she adjusted the belt in front of a small mirror on the table, one of the girls across from her, who had been leaning on the bed railing, suddenly exclaimed, “Luo Chuxia, you look so good in the military uniform! Like a flower in the military!”

The other roommates’ eyes immediately turned towards Chu Xia.

The outgoing roommate, Yang Jin, walked up to Chu Xia and looked at her, nodding in agreement. “You definitely look better than I do in this. Where did we fall short?”

Yang Jin looked down at her own figure, then glanced at the mirror, suddenly realizing.

She clapped her hands and said, “It’s in the face! Luo Chuxia, your face is just too beautiful—so fair, tender, and small, with big eyes, a small nose, and red lips. You look better than people in the movies.”

She added with a regretful shake of her head, “Faces are given by our parents; we can’t change them!”

Chu Xia couldn’t help but laugh at her.

She loosened her belt and said, “Actually, you have a good foundation; it’s just that your skin is a bit darker. With some care, you’d be very beautiful too.”

Yang Jin’s eyes brightened. “Really?”

“Yes,” Chu Xia pointed at Yang Jin’s eyes and said, “Your eyes are the most striking—big and bright.”

Yang Jin was pleased by Chu Xia’s compliment.

She turned back to the mirror, touching her face. “I’ve done a lot of farm work at home, so my skin is indeed rough.”

Others weren’t as open as Yang Jin and didn’t speak to Chu Xia, but some silently looked at themselves in the mirror, trying to find their own strengths.

There were also roommates who didn’t care about these things; some read books, some tidied their beds in preparation for sleep, and others sat at the dormitory desk, writing.

Chu Xia took off her military training uniform, got into bed, and prepared to sleep.

She needed to wake up early the next day, and military training was physically exhausting, so she needed to rest well!

The autumn sun was harsh, and military training was very tough.

Chu Xia had experienced military training before, and going through it again now felt just as painful.

It was too sunny and too tiring.

Moreover, her physical condition wasn’t as good as in her previous life.

After being exposed to the sun all morning, Chu Xia felt dizzy, with her face red and hot from the sun.

Fortunately, she didn’t suffer from heatstroke.

This was thanks to the anti-heat tea provided by the Traditional Chinese Medicine Academy on the playground. Every class had a bucket, and everyone had to drink it.

This seemed to be a feature of the academy.

The tea didn’t taste good and was a bit bitter.

Chu Xia could tell from the taste that it contained herbs like patchouli and mint for heat relief.

Chu Xia knew many recipes for preventing heatstroke, so she recognized this formula as soon as she tasted it.

In the afternoon, the sun was still blazing, and Chu Xia constantly felt like she was about to faint.

But she persisted.

Having gone through military training before, Chu Xia benefited from her experience and performed the exercises more correctly, often being called out by the instructor to demonstrate.

But Chu Xia didn’t enjoy this attention at all because demonstrating meant being at the front, and she couldn’t slack off.

After the daytime training, the evening was for group singing.

Chu Xia counted the numbers in the crowd, but her mind was on what Cen Zhengnian and Cen Huai’an were doing at that moment.

The two were playing chess, but Cen Huai’an wasn’t as absorbed as before.

He seemed a bit restless.

Cen Zhengnian noticed this but didn’t say anything.

When Cen Huai’an made a wrong move, he blocked Cen Huai’an’s path.

Cen Huai’an looked at the chessboard and made another random move, his mind clearly not on the game.

Cen Zhengnian sighed, not making any more moves.

Instead, he asked Cen Huai’an, “Do you miss your mom?”

Cen Huai’an lowered his head, and after a moment, replied with a quiet “Mm,” sounding a bit dispirited.

“Dad, is military training like what I saw at Grandpa’s house?”

Cen Huai’an had seen soldiers training in the army; it was very tough, standing outside in the cold without moving.

Cen Zhengnian nodded. “Pretty much.”