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墨書 Inktalez
It was half past nine in the morning when the school bell rang.
The children rushed into the classroom, sitting down in their seats, waiting for the teacher to start the lesson.
Colorful paintings adorned the walls of the classroom, depicting forests, small animals, and cartoon characters, filled with childlike wonder.
However, some of the artwork had faded over time, leaving only outlines.
Shu Ran, dressed in light pink sportswear and sporting a high ponytail, radiated youthful energy.
She stood at the podium, teaching the children a language class.
Her gentle personality and soft voice rarely turned stern.
During class, she would play games with the children and sometimes tell vivid little stories, which made them all enjoy her lessons.
Today, they were learning an ancient poem, "Gift to Wang Lun."
Shu Ran opened her teaching materials and was discussing the poet Li Bai who created this poem.
A child suddenly raised their hand and exclaimed, "Teacher, I know! I know Li Bai; he is very impressive."
Shu Ran smiled warmly, pleased that this child had prepared for the lesson in advance and was about to praise him.
However, the next thing the child said was, "He has killed me many times."
Shu Ran was taken aback, stunned for a few seconds as she thought she might have misheard. She asked, "What did you say?"
"Teacher, I said he killed me many times."
This time, Shu Ran completely understood. Li Bai? Killed you many times?
Are you serious?
She suddenly felt that she might not have slept well last night, and her brain wasn't functioning normally, so she couldn't comprehend the child's words.
She chuckled awkwardly and waved her hand for him to sit down.
Class continued.
After class, Shu Ran returned to the teacher's lounge and mentioned this incident to her colleagues.
As soon as she finished speaking, Preschool Art Teacher Li Xin burst out laughing, collapsing onto the table and pounding it with her hand.
The Preschool Teacher also laughed heartily, saying, "Teacher Shu, you really have it tough. Haha." While laughing, she explained, "There's a game that's really popular lately, and some of the characters are historical figures. Maybe the kids in your class are playing this game, so when you mentioned the poet in class, he thought you were talking about someone from the game."
Shu Ran sighed with a smile, feeling both amused and exasperated.
"At such a young age, playing games isn't very good, is it?"
At this moment, Li Xin lifted her head from the table, her eyes squinting with laughter as she said, "His mother came to school last time and talked to Teacher Xu about it, asking for help with moral education to see if they could correct his bad habit of playing games."
"And guess what? Teacher Xu directly installed software for his mom to control underage gaming. Problem solved."
Xu Jing is the head teacher of the preschool class, in her thirties, with rich work experience and strong abilities. Almost every child who comes to her listens obediently.
She can also be considered Shu Ran's teacher, as she has taken good care of her since she joined the kindergarten, imparting a lot of knowledge and experience.
Just as Shu Ran was about to praise Xu Jing, another teacher knocked on the door and conveyed the message, "Teacher Shu, the principal would like to see you."
"Oh, okay. Thank you!" Shu Ran quickly stood up, waved goodbye to her colleagues, and headed toward the principal's office.
She jogged a bit until she reached the stairway on the first floor, then slowed down and walked calmly.
Standing at the door of the principal's office, she brushed her bangs aside. She extended her slender hand and gently knocked on the door.
"Please come in."
Receiving permission to enter from inside, Shu Ran pushed open the door.
The office was spacious and bright, with various honor certificates plastered on the snow-white walls.
A few trophies were placed on a cabinet near the entrance.
"You're here! Please have a seat; I'll be with you shortly."
The speaker was the principal of the kindergarten, whose last name is Shang. She will turn 50 in two years.
She has been serving as the principal for over five years, maintaining a steady and diligent approach without any significant mistakes.
Shu Ran nodded and sat upright on the sofa, her eyes scanning the room.
When she was young, she always loved to visit the kindergarten after school to find Shu Father.
Shu Father, worried that she would disturb the teachers during class, would often move some storybooks and building blocks into his office for her to play with.
Many times, while Shu Father worked diligently at his desk, she would sit on the sofa building with blocks, effortlessly completing various block models in her hands.
At that time, Shu Father would always hold her and pinch her little face, praising her: "Our Shu Ran is the smartest."
Shu Ran would feel delighted and happy.
Sometimes, she would read a storybook until she fell asleep, and when she woke up, she would find a Hello Kitty blanket draped over her.
No matter how cold it was outside, her heart felt warm.
"What are you thinking about so deeply?" Director Shang had somehow already sat down beside her, his somewhat short and plump hand pouring water from a kettle into a cup.
"Nothing. Director, is there something you need from me?"
Director Shang placed the hot water in front of her and wiped the spilled water off the table with a cloth.
Shu Ran thanked him and took a sip of water.
After wiping the table, Director Shang finally looked up at the young woman in front of him, who was only in her twenties, with delicate features and an elegant demeanor.
She almost imperceptibly sighed, her hand resting awkwardly on her thigh as she thought about what to say next.
“Shu Ran, I have something to tell you.”
Shu Ran hurriedly placed the water on the table, smiling politely as she said, “Director, please go ahead.”
A hint of bitterness flashed in Director Shang's eyes, but thinking about the recent situation at home, that bitterness turned into resolve. She gritted her teeth and said, “Shu Ran, I'm afraid I won't be able to fulfill the promise I made to your father.”
“You know how things have been at Childlike Heart Kindergarten over the past two years. After what happened with your father a few years ago, we lost a lot of students. Without students, our finances are struggling.”
“Our facilities and our teaching staff—many things just can't keep up with other kindergartens. If we can't keep up, we can only be eliminated.”
“If it weren't for you and your brother supporting us these past two years, we probably wouldn't have made it this far.”
“But Aunt Shang is tired; I can no longer hold on here. You know the situation at home—I'm old and incapable, and the younger ones have big tempers.”
“Especially your brother Shang. He got into big trouble gambling outside this time; the creditors are knocking on our door every day, causing a scene. Aunt Shang hasn't been able to sleep well lately.”
Upon hearing this, Shu Ran already understood most of it; the warmth in her hands gradually faded. Yet she still stubbornly asked, “So what you're saying is?”
Director Shang's gaze flickered; she knew how much harm her next words would cause Shu Ran, but there was no choice.
“Your father worked with me during his lifetime. The assets of this kindergarten, including the land, were split fifty-fifty according to the contract we signed back then. Later, your father entrusted me with full authority over this kindergarten and transferred an additional twenty percent of his shares to me.”
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