Because of his health, Teacher He naturally arranged for Zi Yan to sit away from the window, near the corridor side.
This spot by the wall wouldn’t be exposed to sunlight, making it the most suitable place for Zi Yan’s condition.
However, how to arrange Zi Yan’s seat in the future became a real headache for Teacher He.
Class 3-6 in Grade Three had exactly fifty-six students, counting Zi Yan who joined later.
So even before, the classroom desks were neatly arranged in eight horizontal rows and seven columns. Every two desks in a row were paired as a “deskmate” spot, so the entire class naturally split into four groups.
According to Teacher He’s rules, at the end of each week, the groups would rotate one step to the right, with the group on the far right moving to the leftmost window side. Within each group, the students would rotate seats backward weekly, and the last two students would be moved to the front seats.
Though this arrangement didn’t consider the issue of different heights—such as a tall student sitting in front blocking the view of a shorter one behind—it effectively prevented complaints about unfair seating assignments, ensuring everyone got a fair turn sitting near the front or back.
But now, with Teacher He placing Zi Yan in the group near the corridor, what about next week?
Assigning Zi Yan a desk alone might make the position to the right of the podium—the spot students jokingly call the Right Protector—suitable. Of course, Teacher He, who treated all students equally, never assigned special seats called Right Protector, Left Protector, or Gate Guardian.
Still, sitting apart from the group seemed a bit awkward.
After finishing the morning lessons, Teacher He was still troubled by this.
“Ya-hoo~!”
As soon as the lunch bell rang, Wei Lai greeted Zi Yan energetically, who was arranged to be his deskmate.
Just like Principal Wei of Haizhou No. 3 Middle School had said during his intimate talk with Zheng Quan, his daughter Wei Lai—the girl Zi Yan had met during summer vacation—was also in this class.
“Want to have lunch together? There’s a restaurant called ‘Kai Xiao Zao’ at the school gate that’s really good.”
“…Ugh.”
Zi Yan showed a reluctant expression.
That morning, his father had instructed Zi Yan to have lunch at his office canteen.
Besides… several girls were already standing around Wei Lai.
“Hey, Wei Lai, did you guys know each other before?”
“Yeah, yeah, we do,” Wei Lai nodded and smiled. “And we’re good friends, right, Zheng Zi Yan~?”
“Uh… ah, yes.”
How to put it…
Zi Yan had just looked outside the classroom and was genuinely startled by the massive crowd flowing out.
With so many students rushing out to eat, the nearby restaurants must be packed. The girls standing beside Wei Lai were probably her friends and would sit together during lunch, right?
That kind of environment—lots of people sitting around chatting and eating—was overwhelming and definitely more than Zi Yan could handle.
After hesitating for a moment, Zi Yan stood, bowed politely, and said apologetically, “I really want to eat with you all, but—”
“My father told me to have lunch with him, so I’m sorry.”
“…”
The scene fell silent instantly.
“Huh, huh?!”
Zi Yan suddenly panicked. Had he said something inappropriate?
“Pfft.” Wei Lai suddenly burst out laughing. “Pfft hahaha, ‘my father,’ and that posture—are you a princess who traveled here from the Middle Ages?”
Uh, princess?
“All right, all right, then we’ll go eat first. See you this afternoon.”
“See you this afternoon…” Zi Yan was left troubled.
……
“Dad.”
“Hm?”
“Is there anything wrong with calling one’s father ‘my father’?”
“No, there’s nothing wrong.”
Zi Yan felt even more troubled.
This was Zheng Quan’s office canteen. The canteen wasn’t big, but at this moment only a few people were eating, making it feel rather empty.
It wasn’t that the food was bad and therefore unpopular.
It was because Haizhou No. 3 Middle School dismissed at 11:30 AM, and when Zi Yan arrived, the first wave of diners had already finished, so it was quiet.
Zheng Quan, who paid for an extra meal, had finally gotten rid of the burden of “cooking at home for his child.” Truly something to celebrate!
Zi Yan’s meal this time was noticeably better than before when he occasionally frowned tasting Zheng Quan’s cooking.
“How’s the food here?” Zheng Quan asked.
“Pretty good,” Zi Yan said, picking up a stir-fried green bean and chewing. “Though after eating your cooking before, I kinda lost faith in Sunflower Country’s cuisine.”
“You mean the feeling like ‘Ah, so much about Sunflower Country’s rich and delicious food is just a lie,’ right?”
“…Uh.”
Zheng Quan’s mouth twitched, suddenly feeling guilty as if he had smeared his homeland’s reputation.
“Ahahaha,” Zheng Quan laughed awkwardly. “Your dad can just cook something edible now without poisoning anyone. That’s my limit.”
“…Huh?”
“Well, everyone has to start somewhere, right?” Zheng Quan got up and brought back two bowls of Seaweed and Egg Soup. “When you first started drawing design plans, you didn’t make stunning works right away, did you?”
“Hmm… that’s true.” Zi Yan nodded, taking the soup. It was warm but not scalding.
“Interacting with others is the same.”
“You have to go through the process—try, fail, and try again. No one is born a social expert.”
“…Mm.”
Zi Yan hummed softly and quietly sipped his soup without further comment.
“You should take a nap after lunch. You must be tired after the whole morning of classes,” Zheng Quan suggested.
The Haizhou cadre dormitory was just next door, about a ten-minute walk home. After eating, Zi Yan could easily go back home for a comfortable nap.
Because the afternoon classes at Haizhou No. 3 Middle School started at 2:30 PM in summer and 2 PM in winter, there was plenty of time.
“…Okay.”
Zi Yan nodded.
Listening to classes wasn’t tiring, but four lessons that morning—Chinese, math, English, and physics—had almost every teacher welcoming him personally.
Some even came down to chat with him after assigning classwork during students’ busy moments.
Fortunately, the morning’s enthusiasm from students didn’t last. After all, it was their first meeting, and although the kids were curious about Zi Yan, before they got to know him well, probably only someone as outgoing as Wei Lai would openly approach him.
Too much enthusiasm was something Zi Yan really wasn’t good at handling.
“Remember to set your alarm, don’t be late for afternoon class.”
“Mm, got it.”
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