Teacher Yu Qian did not agree with the proposal put forward by Teacher Zheng. Although preschool had been in session for some time, she noticed that Pei Chuan had never once raised his hand to ask for help going to the bathroom.
Seeing the little boy’s chapped lips in the summer heat, Yu Qian understood immediately.
Pei Chuan was a sensitive child with strong self-esteem. Though his emotions rarely showed on the surface, no one knew what was going on inside his mind. If changing seats would cause him significant distress, Yu Qian felt it wasn’t a good idea.
However, Teacher Zheng’s mention of Pei Chuan pushing Bei Yao also gave Yu Qian pause.
If Pei Chuan really had bullied little Bei Yao, it wouldn’t be appropriate to keep them sitting together either.
After much deliberation, Yu Qian decided to observe the situation for one more day before making a decision.
In the morning, Teacher Yu brought Fang Minjun into the classroom and asked her to introduce herself to the other children.
Four-year-old Fang Minjun wore a white princess dress, her soft long hair flowing freely. Remembering to mimic Chang Xue’s every smile and frown, her young face remained expressionless as she said seriously, “My name is Fang Minjun. I’m four years old. I hope to get along well with all the children.”
These were the words Fang Minjun’s father, Fang Xin, had taught her. When she finished speaking, Teacher Yu Qian led the applause. That year, Fang Minjun was undoubtedly clean and pretty, and the classroom filled with sincere clapping.
Under Bei Yao’s green jacket, she wore a soft yellow cotton short-sleeved shirt and pea-green shorts that reached her knees.
These bright colors were both lively and stain-resistant. When she was little, she never had white clothes—Zhao Zhilan was afraid the child would get them dirty.
In the entire class, Fang Minjun was probably the only one who could wear a white princess dress.
Fang Minjun was temporarily seated alone at the first desk near the classroom door, specially arranged for her. Being so young, she felt a bit wronged.
Fang Minjun thought to herself, Everyone has a deskmate except me. It wasn’t like this in kindergarten—the children there all liked to play with me. Besides, even Pei Chuan, who has no legs, has a deskmate. Why do I have to sit alone? Didn’t Pei Chuan used to sit by himself? She wanted to go home and see her mother, but when she saw Bei Yao placing her backpack neatly on the far left side of the classroom, she felt she couldn’t leave just yet!
After the first class ended, Fang Minjun was immediately surrounded by several children.
Some were former kindergarten classmates, while others were drawn to Fang Minjun’s beauty, thinking she resembled Sister Chang Xue from TV. With everyone’s attention, Fang Minjun finally felt a little better inside.
Bei Yao carefully pulled a washed apple from her backpack.
The big apple was bright red—Zhao Zhilan had packed it in case she got hungry during preschool.
She looked at it fondly, then turned to Pei Chuan and asked, “Pei Chuan, would you like some apple?”
Pei Chuan was writing in the squared exercise book. September sunlight streamed in through the window near the door, casting shadows on his side of the classroom. He kept his eyes lowered, his dark gaze fixed on the notebook, and said nothing. Ignoring her, Bei Yao understood: he didn’t want any, and she shouldn’t bother him.
She happily turned around and asked Ni Hui and Gu Xinghua if they wanted some.
Both children in the back row nodded.
Pei Chuan tightened his grip on the pencil. Still young, he couldn’t hold back his curiosity and glanced over. His little deskmate tilted her head, carefully dividing the apple with a small knife. The ribbons in her hair trembled slightly as she struggled with the task.His gaze shifted to the small knife—the one Bei Yao used to sharpen pencils. Perhaps because her mother had taught her, Bei Yao had carefully washed the blade before cutting. His lips pressed into a tight line.
Pei Chuan was unhappy.
He didn’t eat apples, and he had no issue with Bei Yao eating them herself. But when Ni Hui and Gu Xinghua ate them, that uncontrollable irritation surged within him once again.
This well-behaved, naive, and good-tempered little girl pushed his displeasure and frustration to the limit.
Just as Bei Yao was sharing the apples, Chen Hu arrived.
The chubby boy was greedy and thick-skinned. He asked little Bei Yao for an apple, and with her simple third-grade mindset, she generously gave him one without overthinking it.
Chen Hu chewed the sweet apple, his cheeks puffing out, and magnanimously declared, "Bei Yao, I’ll take you to catch sparrows this New Year."
Bei Yao’s almond-shaped eyes sparkled as she nodded with a smile.
Chen Hu hummed a tune and walked away.
Pei Chuan’s pencil lead snapped abruptly.
He suddenly realized that little Bei Yao was kind to everyone. He wasn’t special—how foolish he had been to think otherwise…
He lowered his gaze, took out his knife, and began sharpening his pencil.
His fingertips were pale, but he handled the knife more deftly than she had sliced the apple.
Bei Yao had no idea Pei Chuan was upset. With his perpetually stern expression, he looked the same whether happy or not. Though she retained memories from the past five years, her mentality was still that of a child.
It was the hottest day of September. The afternoon sun blazed overhead, the temperature rivaling midsummer. During afternoon class, Bei Yao kept drinking water. She had a sweet tooth and had added a little sugar to her water, but she hadn’t filled her bottle much. Usually, when she ran out, she would ask Pei Chuan for some.
His water bottle was always full, and he never drank from it himself. Often, when Bei Yao looked at him with pleading eyes, he would give it all to her.
After finishing her water, Bei Yao turned to look at Pei Chuan.
The boy had long but straight eyelashes. When he lowered his gaze, they effectively concealed his emotions. His profile carried a sharpness that went beyond mere delicacy.
"Pei Chuan, I want some water," she said in her soft, milky voice, lifting her cup and stretching her small arm toward him to ask for water.
Normally, Pei Chuan would unscrew his bottle and pour water into hers.
But today, Pei Chuan didn’t move. She stared at him expectantly.
He slowly raised his eyes, his dark gaze fixed on her.
—I’m unhappy.
His eyes couldn’t fully hide his emotions, but Bei Yao couldn’t read them. She stared back blankly, thinking she understood, and happily placed her cup on his side of the desk.
Pei Chuan: "…"
Pei Chuan pushed her cup back, then took out his pencil and drew a clear "demarcation line" from one screw on the wooden desk to the other.
He divided it meticulously, neither taking advantage of her nor yielding an inch to Bei Yao.
The already small wooden desk was now split evenly between them.
His attitude was cold and unyielding, shutting her out completely.
Bei Yao stared in disbelief.
Wasn’t this the kind of boundary that usually appeared in first or second grade? Were she and Pei Chuan the first in their class to have a "demarcation line"?
She sadly realized that this little boy disliked her.
At the front of the classroom, Yu Qian frowned as she watched the scene. Could it be that Teacher Zheng was right? Did Pei Chuan not like Bei Yao? Even sitting together, would he bully her?If that were truly the case, and Pei Chuan didn’t want to sit with little Bei Yao either, it would be best to let Bei Yao sit with Fang Minjun.
Teacher Yu decided to ask the children for their opinions. She had already asked Fang Minjun earlier, and Fang Minjun said, "Teacher, I want to sit with a friend."
So she would ask Pei Chuan next.
There was still some time before Pei Haobin came to pick Pei Chuan up after school. Teacher Yu pushed the wheelchair and let Pei Chuan wait in the teacher’s office for a while. She asked the little boy, "Do you not want to sit with Bei Yao?"
Pei Chuan lifted his face.
His dark eyes were pure, like the deep black inside a glass marble from that year.
He didn’t speak, so Yu Qian had no choice but to be honest with the little boy: "A new little girl named Fang Minjun has joined the class. You met her today, Xiao Chuan. Teacher wants to ask you: do you want to sit alone, or with Bei Yao, or with Fang Minjun?"
Yu Qian felt uneasy in her heart. She was most afraid of hearing the last answer.
Although it was a multiple-choice question for Pei Chuan, and it seemed like the initiative was in his hands, Teacher Yu was afraid he would choose Fang Minjun. After all, even if Pei Chuan was willing, Fang Minjun would most likely not be.
But Fang Minjun was indeed a delicate and pretty child, with the nickname "Little Jade Maiden." If Pei Chuan chose Fang Minjun, it would be the most difficult situation to handle.
September had not yet brought the coolness of autumn. Pei Chuan’s lips and throat were so dry it hurt.
He said in a voice so low that Yu Qian could barely hear him, "I want to sit alone."
Hearing this answer, Teacher Yu breathed a sigh of relief, but at the same time, she felt a little melancholy. She said gently, "Xiao Chuan, children need to drink more water to stay healthy. If you need to use the restroom, you can ask the teacher. I’m happy to take care of you. Don’t hold it in if you need to go, okay?"
Pei Chuan didn’t respond.
When he said, "I want to sit alone," he tried to remain as calm as possible, but he was only five years old this year. His eyes stung with pain, and he was on the verge of tears. This was already his limit; he couldn’t calmly answer the teacher’s second question.
After the children had left, Teacher Yu told Teacher Zheng about Pei Chuan’s answer.
Teacher Zheng nodded and said, "That’s good. Tomorrow, let Bei Yao know and have her sit with Fang Minjun."
That was the only way.
The next morning, when Bei Yao came to class, she had already forgotten the unpleasantness from the day before. She unzipped her backpack and took out a small, adorable bamboo dragonfly.
The sharp wooden edges of the bamboo dragonfly had been shaved off, and it was polished to look simple and charming.
Bei Yao didn’t understand why she had made Pei Chuan unhappy the day before. After thinking about it that evening, she begged her father to make her a "little dragonfly."
She helped Bei Licai sweep the floor. The four-year-old girl looked both comical and strained holding the broom. Bei Licai didn’t know whether to laugh or cry, so he made her a beautiful bamboo dragonfly.
Now, Bei Yao handed the bamboo dragonfly to him: "This can fly." She demonstrated for him, holding the small bamboo stick with her little hands and rubbing it back and forth. The horizontal propeller "wings" began to spin. Bei Yao let go, and the bamboo dragonfly flew out, hitting the wall in the front corner of the classroom before slowly falling back down.
She hadn’t used much force, so the bamboo dragonfly didn’t fly very far.Pei Chuan watched her as a gentle breeze drifted through the window, stirring her delicate strands of hair and the ribbons on her floral hair clips. She happily ran over to pick it up, then opened her small hand and offered him the bamboo dragonfly: "For you, don’t be angry."
Pei Chuan couldn’t quite describe the emotions stirring within him.
That small hand seemed to have learned no lesson, crossing the invisible "boundary" between them—tender and soft, carrying no hint of aggression, yet inexplicably unsettling him.
He, too, ignored the existence of that dividing line and took the bamboo dragonfly with a vague sense of melancholy. Sure enough, he saw her almond-shaped eyes light up instantly.
It was mid-September, on the cusp of autumn. She lowered her head to sip water from her cup, her small face nearly buried inside it.
She knew nothing—not that he had long "abandoned" her, nor that he had already let go of his anger.
Pei Chuan’s pale fingers traced the bamboo dragonfly. His father was an outstanding police officer but had never crafted such a toy. It was the first time he had seen an inanimate object take flight so effortlessly on its own. Pei Chuan didn’t need a toy like this. With no legs, if he let it fly away, he wouldn’t be able to retrieve it himself.
The only thing he could do was hold it tightly in his hand.
After class, Teacher Yu Qian said, "Bei Yao, go sit next to Fang Minjun." At her words, the noisy preschool class fell silent for a moment. The children instinctively glanced at Pei Chuan, then at Fang Minjun.
Bei Yao clutched the little panda on her backpack, lifting her bewildered eyes. She first looked at Teacher Yu Qian, who didn’t seem to be joking, then at Fang Minjun—sitting on the far right of the classroom, her young face already stern—before finally turning to Pei Chuan.
Her eyes held the innocence and confusion of mist blooming in an ink-wash painting, silently questioning why the teacher wanted her to leave.
Pei Chuan averted his gaze, calmly and indifferently staring at his own empty trouser legs.
OpenNovel