Chapter 27: Mengmeng Got Into a Fight on Her First Day of School (Please Keep Reading)

When she met Principal Ding Dezhong, Cheng Xiaolin noticed something unusual: the tips of his right pinky and ring finger were missing.

“Linlin, this is our kindergarten’s principal, Mr. Ding,” Li Qiuling introduced him first, then turned to introduce Cheng Xiaolin and Mengmeng in return.

That was enough to count as an official introduction between both sides.

With a broad smile, Ding Dezhong asked, “You must be Cheng Xiaolin, right? Ms. Li already mentioned you to me. She said you were interested in applying here, and I fully support it.”

“Our kindergarten is doing quite well in all aspects, and we’ve received strong support from the town’s education department.”

Looking at little Mengmeng, who stood beside Cheng Xiaolin, he smiled and added, “Mengmeng is quite a cute child.”

“Thank you, Grandpa!” Mengmeng piped up. Upon hearing this “elder” in front of her (who looked about her grandpa’s age) compliment her, she responded earnestly. Her reply made both Ding Dezhong and Li Qiuling laugh out loud.

“Oh my, Ms. Li, look how polite Mengmeng is—such a well-raised child!” chuckled Ding Dezhong. “If Ms. Cheng could teach at our school, I’d be very reassured.”

“Principal, Linlin used to teach at a kindergarten in Beijing. The standards there are much stricter than ours in every way. Linlin here is really talented. I think we could introduce some special classes in the future and have her teach them,” Li Qiuling added with a smile.

Embarrassed, Cheng Xiaolin quickly replied, “Qiuling-jie, you give me too much credit. I’m just a bit better at English, and I can do some simple sketching…”

“Oh, that’s wonderful,” Ding Dezhong said. “Ms. Cheng, I’ll apply to increase your salary by another 200 yuan if you could also teach the kids a few extra things, just like those in the city.”

“Principal,” Cheng Xiaolin wasn’t concerned about the extra 200 yuan. She pointed to her daughter and asked, “Mengmeng is just over two years old, and she’s quite the handful. Her grandmother can’t keep up with her. I was thinking of letting her come to school with me and start early. Would that be okay?”

“Oh, that’s easy! Just have her join the toddler class,” said Ding Dezhong happily. He had been worried that Cheng Xiaolin might make a difficult request. He never expected something so simple.

He pointed to Li Qiuling, saying, “Ms. Cheng, Ms. Li teaches the toddler class. If you’re free today, you can start right away. Let Mengmeng try out a class too.”

Truthfully, Ding Dezhong was in a tough spot—he was struggling to find teachers for the kindergarten.

Now that someone was finally willing to work, he was determined to keep her.

Li Qiuling crouched down and smiled warmly at Mengmeng. “Mengmeng, would you like to go to school with Auntie Qiuling from now on?”

“What about Mommy?” Mengmeng looked up at her mother.

Before Li Qiuling could answer, Ding Dezhong jumped in, “Mengmeng, your mom will be working here at our kindergarten too. She’ll be teaching the toddler, middle, and senior classes. How about that?”

“Ohhh~” Mengmeng dragged out her response, sounding just like their family’s husky.

Cheng Xiaolin started to worry her daughter might throw a tantrum. But just then, Mengmeng added, “I want Mommy.”

“Your mommy isn’t leaving—she’s going to work right here. She’ll even teach you. Isn’t that great?” Li Qiuling coaxed.

Though still confused, Mengmeng blinked and, reassured by the fact her mother wasn’t leaving, nodded and said, “Okay!”

“Alright then, Mengmeng, go play with Auntie Qiuling and the other kids. There are lots of children to play with!” said Li Qiuling.

Hearing there were many kids to play with, Mengmeng lit up. “Okay, I want to play!”

This time she spoke fluently—clearly, “play” was very important to her.

—

In the toddler classroom of Cao Family Village Kindergarten, there were just over 20 kids. They sat clustered in the center, with plenty of space around them, making the room feel quite empty.

When Li Qiuling entered, the kids were all playing. A few of the braver ones had already left their seats and were running around, babbling excitedly.

But the moment they saw her come in, they quickly returned to their seats.

Seeing this scene, Cheng Xiaolin found it very familiar.

Kids just starting in the toddler class were at their most mischievous phase. At this stage, the teacher’s main job was to help them learn the rules. Anything else was secondary.

And so, just barely past two years old, Mengmeng officially started school with classmates a year older than her.

“Kids, let’s welcome a new classmate today. Her name is Mengmeng,” Li Qiuling announced. She was going to say her full name but realized she didn’t know it.

Seeing an empty seat next to a little girl, Li Qiuling led Mengmeng over. “Mengmeng, you’ll sit next to Cao Jinfeng from now on. Is that okay?”

Mengmeng glanced at Cao Jinfeng, then at Li Qiuling. Though usually brave, she now looked nervous.

She asked, “Where’s Mommy?”

“Mommy’s right outside. Look,” said Li Qiuling, pointing.

Mengmeng immediately spotted her mom at the door and felt relieved. After a moment, she nodded. “Okay.”

She sat beside Cao Jinfeng, her eyes still fixed on the door.

Li Qiuling wasn’t new to teaching toddlers. She knew kids needed time to adjust to a new environment. Some, especially timid ones, might even cry for days.

But once they got past that stage, it would be fine.

“Kids, since Mengmeng is new, let’s play a game of ‘Find a Friend’ to welcome her, okay?” said Li Qiuling enthusiastically.

From the door, Cheng Xiaolin saw her daughter slowly begin to join in with the other kids. As Mengmeng got more engaged, she stopped looking toward the door so much.

Seizing the moment, Cheng Xiaolin steeled herself, and when Mengmeng was distracted, she slipped away from the door.

She found a quiet corner and called her husband.

When Cao Shujie heard she had passed the interview and was starting work immediately, he thought it was a bit rushed.

But when he learned Mengmeng was already in class, he became worried. “Honey, is that okay? Mengmeng is still in diapers!”

“Why not? It was the same in Beijing,” Cheng Xiaolin assured him. “I’ll change her during breaks. Don’t worry—nothing will happen.”

With that assurance, Cao Shujie relaxed.

But before they finished the call, Cheng Xiaolin heard a commotion and loud crying from the toddler classroom.

She had a sinking feeling it might involve her daughter.

“I’ve got to go. Something’s up. I’ll talk to you later,” she told her husband.

“Okay. Take care of yourself,” he replied.

Cheng Xiaolin rushed to the classroom and found her daughter standing alone on one side. A group of kids had gathered on the other, where Li Qiuling was comforting a crying child.

Seeing Cheng Xiaolin arrive, Li Qiuling looked relieved. “Linlin, can you look after Mengmeng? I’m swamped here.”

“Qiuling-jie, what happened?” she asked.

Li Qiuling explained, “During the ‘Find a Friend’ game, little Cao Yasong pulled Mengmeng’s hair on purpose. Mengmeng scratched his face in return.”

Cheng Xiaolin couldn’t help but think, Good for her! But she kept her tone polite. “Is Cao Yasong okay?”

“No big deal—just a few scratch marks, some skin got scraped off. He got scared and started crying,” Li Qiuling quickly explained while continuing to comfort Cao Yasong. At the same time, she addressed the rest of the children: “When we’re playing games, you must not attack others. If anyone does it again, your parents will be called. Do you all understand?”

“Yes!” the children answered in a chorus, though not quite in unison.

(End of Chapter)