Chapter 46 - Preschool and Basic Classes

T/N:

Heikou (Black Dragon Mouth)

Heicheng (Black Dragon City)

Censorate (Supervisory Court)

...

Yin Jixue accepted Lou Zhao's apology gift; she indeed needed the fur of the long-haired rabbit.

Before leaving, she didn't forget to dangle a carrot: "When I make something good out of the long-haired rabbit fur, I'll give you one."

Lou Zhao pressed, "What good thing?"

Yin Jixue teased him on purpose: "How about a calligraphy brush? It's perfect since your handwriting needs practice."

The big demon king, who hated writing and whose handwriting was as messy as a dog's paw, touched his nose: "Can I not?"

Yin Jixue wagged her index finger: "No, you can't. How can a demon king have such ugly handwriting!"

This was a case of shooting himself in the foot.

Lou Zhao fled in embarrassment.

Yin Jixue had the long-haired rabbits kept in a pen. Their fur could not only be used to make calligraphy brushes but also seemed to be a good substitute for wool.

The long-haired rabbits had smooth fur only on their heads, while the rest of their bodies were covered in rough, curly fur. If you hid their ears and tails, leaving only their butts exposed, they could easily be mistaken for lambs.

After the temperature rose, the school expanded its enrollment and decided to split into two classes: a preschool class and a basic class.

The preschool class would enroll children from outside the city and those from Heikou (Black Dragon Mouth). The basic class would consist of students returning from winter break.

However, younger children from the basic class would remain in the preschool class to continue their studies, such as Lian Ze.

Lian Ze and his sister Lian Rui lived in the palace, staying close to the palace maids. They were well taken care of by Ruo Shui and lived comfortably, essentially being groomed as future talents for the palace.

So, when the demon king's Ministry of Foreign Affairs was first established, Yin Jixue sent these two to the demon king, telling them to make a good impression.

Lou Zhao certainly wouldn't bully two little kids. He just "happened" to pass by and glance at their picture books—not because he wanted to read them.

On the surface, Lian Rui and Lian Ze were working for the demon king, but in reality, their daily routine was: Lou Zhao, the adult, doing homework assigned by Yin Jixue at his desk, while the two kids sat at their small tables, reading and practicing their handwriting. Everyone minded their own business.

Occasionally, when Lian Ze encountered a character he didn't recognize and Lian Rui didn't know it either, the two kids would muster the courage to ask the demon king. Lou Zhao didn't know more characters than they did, but he had the dictionary Yin Jixue gave him, which at least saved his face as the demon king.

By the time the two kids started school, Lou Zhao breathed a sigh of relief. He had only attended two classes, and the questions the kids asked were things he had never heard of. His reputation was almost ruined, but thankfully, he managed to stay one step ahead.

The new semester brought new classmates to the school, and these new students looked very different from the others. The children weren't particularly exclusionary; instead, they were happy to have more friends to play with.

Given that the preschool children had to travel long distances to school every day, Yin Jixue generously provided construction materials to add a dormitory building and a cafeteria to the school. Students from outside the city had to live on campus, going home every Friday and returning to school on Monday morning.

The student dormitories weren't as large as the employee dormitories outside the city. They were eight-person rooms with bunk beds, and the beds, desks, and chairs were made of high-quality wood that could last for a century.

Considering the need to separate male and female students, the dormitory had two staircases with a wall in between.

Lian Ze was thrilled. Even though he couldn't be in the same class as his sister, he was the class monitor of the preschool class, which was something to be proud of!

Today was the day for students from outside the city to move into the dormitories. Most of them had never been inside the city before, except for a few whose families had come during the military training.

This time, they entered the city openly, and not only were the outsiders curious, but the city dwellers were also curious about them.

Those who hadn't gone to the mines leaned out of their windows to watch the commotion.

The outsiders held their children's hands tightly, feeling uneasy under the gaze of their kind. But as long as their children could study in the city, enduring a few cold stares was nothing.

However, after preparing themselves mentally to enter the city, they encountered no obstacles. No one came out to stop them, let alone give them cold looks or insults.

Adult male low-level demons were almost all hunched over, with obvious non-human features.

The milder cases had snake-like eyes and dark skin—not pure black, but a bronze tone from prolonged sun exposure. Such demons could hide their features by wearing black cloaks.

The more severe cases were rarely seen, as they hid themselves. Many had clawed hands and feet, scales on their faces, half-formed faces, or a single horn in the middle of their foreheads, among countless other variations.

So far, the most beautiful demon Yin Jixue had seen was the exotic-looking snake-eyed cook, who was essentially a dark-skinned hottie.

The children didn't have this problem. They only knew that there were many kids in the city to play with, something they had envied last year.

When they reached the school gate, next to the majestic palace, the outsider parents couldn't help but bow down in worship.

The children followed suit, even though they didn't understand the significance.

Meanwhile, a group of enthusiastic children had already gathered at the school gate.

Among them, Gou Sheng's voice was the loudest: "Are you the ones staying in the dorm? Those staying here need to write their names here. You don't know how to write? I'll write it for you. What's your name?"

Gou Sheng was proud. He had barely passed his exams and almost had to stay in the preschool class, but the teacher had mercifully let him into the basic class.

However, the teacher's actual words to Yin Jixue were: "He's too old to stay in the preschool class."

It was almost like saying Gou Sheng was too mischievous and would become a bully in the preschool class.

Yin Jixue thought it was normal for a class to have two or three students who struggled: "Talk to him individually. Grades aren't the only measure of a student's worth, but they should at least pass."

Gou Sheng led the new students to the dormitory. The new students weren't very talkative, but Gou Sheng had plenty to say.

"Hey, your dad's name is Paji! I've heard of him—he's a doctor outside the city!"

Pa Rou Rou couldn't help but smile when someone praised his father.

"If... if you ever feel unwell, you can come to me... my dad," Pa Rou Rou stammered out a sentence before shyly running into the dorm.

Gou Sheng shouted, "Hey, you're going the wrong way! Your dorm is on the other side!"

Pa Rourou's face turned red, and Gou Sheng slung an arm over his shoulder: "Why are you so shy?"

He led Pa Rourou to his dorm: "This is your bed. Put your stuff here, and this will be your spot."

"See, there are cabinets by the door. I'll write your name on one, and this will be your cabinet. No one else can touch it, got it?"

Pa Rou Rou whispered, "Is it mine?"

Gou Sheng thumped his chest: "Of course! Once your name's on it, it's yours!"

He took out a pencil and wrote Pa Rourou's name on the cabinet door before leaving.

Meanwhile, Yin Jixue was leaning on her desk, lost in thought. What events were there in school sports days and military training in her past life?

"Who are you thinking about so deeply?" Lou Zhao suddenly appeared.

Yin Jixue pushed a piece of paper toward him: "I'm thinking about sports day events for the kids, to help them integrate into the group."

Lou Zhao recalled the military training: "The military training was your idea, wasn't it?"

"Yes. Without practicing together a few times, how could everyone work together to hunt?"

Speaking of hunting, the hunting team had set out again.

Lou Zhao saw through her: "Just for hunting?"

Yin Jixue feigned innocence: "What else?" He already knew but still asked.

He didn't believe the little girl didn't have other motives, but it was ultimately about breaking down the barriers between the two sides. The fact was, the divide between the city and the outside wasn't due to the city walls but rather the lack of mutual acceptance.

Lou Zhao skimmed through the sports day events: "These things are too simple. They're more suitable for newborns."

Yin Jixue: Who would make newborns run a 5,000-meter marathon?