Side Story 1: First Day of School

 

In the military base, most soldiers have families, as it’s quite common for people to get married at 15 or 16 years old. Although there are laws in place, many people don’t bother to get official marriage certificates. Families back in the countryside often worry about this and keep urging them to settle down. Some even help find a spouse, so when soldiers go home on leave, they can quickly get married and have a wedding ceremony.

 

As a result, several residential buildings have been built for military families near the base, and there’s even a primary school nearby, mainly for the children of military personnel and local kids.

 

The eldest son, Xie Hongchu, has reached school age. When it came time to enroll him in school, his younger siblings, Erzai and Sanzai, couldn’t help but beg Lin Chuxia to let them attend school with their older brother.

 

With their pitiful expressions, Lin Chuxia smiled sympathetically and patted their heads gently. “Mom would love to let you go, but it’s not possible. You two aren’t old enough to attend school yet.”

 

Hearing this, the two younger ones pouted, clearly disappointed. But to cheer them up, Lin Chuxia decided to buy some school supplies, like a pencil case and a backpack, for Dazai. She picked out the cutest pastel blue bag, knowing it would be perfect. Since Lin Chuxia wasn’t skilled at making bags, she bought one from a store.

 

Erzai and Sanzai, who had accompanied them on this shopping trip, watched with puffed cheeks as their older brother got a new backpack. They glanced at Lin Chuxia with pleading eyes, saying nothing.

 

For this special occasion, Xie Jingming also tagged along. It was important to him to be there as his eldest child was starting school, especially since he was on leave. He couldn’t miss such a milestone.

 

“Buy backpacks for our Erzai and Sanzai as well,” Xie Jingming suggested, noticing the disappointed looks on the younger ones’ faces. Before, he hadn’t really understood what emotional intelligence was until his wife once told him he lacked it. Now he was aware, and he thought Lin Chuxia’s emotional intelligence wasn’t that great either. How could she not notice the sad eyes of their two younger children wanting backpacks of their own?

 

Erzai and Sanzai’s eyes lit up immediately upon hearing their dad’s words. However, they didn’t rush to choose; instead, they looked to their mom for approval. Their adorable pleading expressions melted Lin Chuxia’s heart. How could she say no?

 

“Alright, alright. We’ll buy them too. You can use them when you go to school next year!” Lin Chuxia agreed with a smile.

 

It wasn’t a big deal, so she nodded, and Dazai immediately handed the pastel blue backpack that Lin Chuxia had chosen for him over to Erzai.

 

Wearing a serious expression on his chubby face, he tried to sound mature. “This bag looks good, and it’s perfect for Erzai.”

 

Erzai, who had the pastel blue bag shoved into his hands, frowned slightly but then, with a look of responsibility, passed it over to Sanzai. “Sanzai, Mom picked this bag especially for you. It suits you best.”

 

Sanzai, now five years old, wasn’t as picky as his older brothers. To him, it didn’t matter that the bag was pastel blue, traditionally seen as a “girly” color. He thought it was cute, and since Mom had chosen it, he liked it even more. Without hesitation, he put the backpack on, turned around, and asked in his soft, babyish voice, “Does it look good?”

 

“It looks wonderful! Our little Sanzai wearing a backpack is so cute, just like a little scholar ready for school,” Lin Chuxia praised warmly.

 

She had specially chosen the bag for him, and with his round, chubby face, Sanzai hadn’t yet started to grow taller like his older brothers. Right now, he was the apple of Lin Chuxia’s eye.

 

“Hmm.” Xie Jingming, not great with words of praise, nodded along after Lin Chuxia’s compliments, which was enough to make Sanzai beam with joy.

 

After choosing their backpacks, Dazai picked a light blue one, while Erzai chose a light green one. They also selected pencil cases and pencils—whatever Dazai received, the younger ones did too, regardless of whether they were actually going to school.

 

Once they finished shopping, the kids refused to put their backpacks into the large carry bag. Instead, they proudly wore their backpacks, filled with pencils and notebooks. Though not heavy, the bags made them look like little scholars.

 

Sanzai, now fully dressed in his backpack, felt ready to attend school with his older brother. Upon returning home, he clung to Lin Chuxia’s leg, begging, “Mom, can’t I really go to school with my eldest brother?”

 

He pouted, upset, as he lay on his mother’s lap. In his mind, he wasn’t that much younger. He had never been separated from his older brother before, so why now?

 

“But you’re still too young for school, my dear. You’re two years younger than your eldest brother. You’ll have to wait two more years before you can start,” Lin Chuxia explained, stroking his head gently.

 

Sanzai blinked, processing the information, then turned to his second brother for support. “What about second brother?” he asked hopefully.

 

“Your second brother will be able to start next year,” Lin Chuxia replied, patting both of their heads.

 

Hearing this, both Erzai and Sanzai widened their eyes in shock and disbelief. Their tiny voices, full of sadness, asked, “Mom, can’t we go to school together?”

 

They thought they were just as smart as their older brother. How could they be left behind when they were always inseparable?

 

“No, you’re not old enough yet, and the school won’t accept you,” Lin Chuxia said plainly. Afterward, she wondered if she’d been too harsh, but to her surprise, neither second nor Sanzai protested. They simply nodded, looking like they had accepted her explanation.

 

As for Xie Jingming, he didn’t have much to say about the kids going to school. It was all pretty straightforward to him. He merely added, “Study hard and listen to the teacher!”

 

He couldn’t even take his son to school because he was busy with military duties, so he apologized to Lin Chuxia, “I’m sorry to leave this to you.”

 

But Lin Chuxia didn’t see it as much trouble. “The school’s so close. It’s not hard at all. You’re the one working hard.”

 

They both thought the other had it tougher, exchanging affectionate words. They didn’t think they were being overly sweet, but their three little kids, unhappy about not being able to attend school together, huddled up to discuss their plan.

 

“What should we do? Mom won’t let us go to school together,” the youngest, Sanzai, who had always relied on his older brothers, whined.

 

“I want to go to school with you guys too,” Erzai said softly but firmly, his eyes reflecting his desire to stay with his brothers.

 

“We’ll sneak into school! Mom said we can’t go because we’re not old enough, so we’ll make sure the school accepts us!” Eldest brother, Dazai declared with bright eyes and a determined smile.

 

His younger brothers’ eyes lit up in excitement as they clapped their chubby hands in agreement.

 

“Shh! Don’t let Mom or Dad find out!” Eldest brother warned, as Sanzai, in his excitement, clapped too loudly. Both elder brothers quickly grabbed his hands to silence him.

 

Sanzai, now quiet, covered his mouth with his chubby hands and nervously glanced over at their parents. Seeing that Mom and Dad weren’t paying attention to them, he let out a sigh of relief, patting his chest. Luckily, Mom hadn’t overheard.

 

Since Dad wasn’t the one taking them to school, they only needed to keep it a secret from Mom.

 

“Then… who should we ask to let us in?” Sanzai asked, thinking hard.

 

“Not the teacher. Let’s talk to the principal!” Eldest brother declared confidently, his head held high. He had heard that the principal was in charge of everything at school, even the teachers.

 

With a solid plan in mind, the three children began to strategize how to impress the principal and convince him to let them in early. They figured if they could pass a first-grade test, they might be able to sneak in.

 

The next day, the kids told Lin Chuxia they were going out to play. She didn’t suspect a thing, assuming they just wanted to enjoy some time together before school started.

 

As the days passed, the children continued playing as usual, no longer mentioning their desire to attend school. Lin Chuxia thought they had accepted that they’d be separated once their eldest brother started school.

 

Time flew by, and soon it was the day of Xie Hongchu’s first day of school.