The heavy snow turned the school into a white wonderland, but the students were still dressed in thin clothes. The cold snowy day was no different from a sunny spring day for them.
A week before the New Year, the students who remained at school had already begun decorating the campus. They hung large red lanterns on tree branches, and even the bushes and shrubs were adorned with miniature lanterns.
The bright red stood out against the snow, and the entire campus was enveloped in the joyful atmosphere of the approaching New Year.
Yan Chi helped the headmistress walk along the main campus avenue. The snow had long been cleared, but the road surface was still slippery, requiring extra caution for the elderly woman.
Shen Mingsu was holding the little girl's hand. The little girl looked around the unfamiliar surroundings with curiosity. Her name was Wang Yi, the "Yi" meaning firstborn.
She had just been abandoned by her family and quickly adopted by another family. Her mother was now the headmistress.
"Why are these children dressed so lightly?" the headmistress asked, her eyes filled with worry as she looked at the students running around in the snow in their thin clothes. "What if they get sick?"
Yan Chi couldn't directly tell the headmistress that their students wouldn't freeze in the snow or burn in a fire; if she were frightened seriously, Yan Chi feared he would regret it for the rest of his life.
He said gently, "Children this age aren't afraid of the cold, headmistress, don't worry."
The headmistress looked at the smiles on the students' faces and knew they were enjoying themselves. She smiled and nodded at Yan Chi.
Yan Chi kept observing his surroundings, praying that the students wouldn't reveal anything inhuman in front of the headmistress. He looked at a student standing under a large tree, preparing to hang a red lantern on it.
Before the weight could even lift from his heart, the student's arm suddenly stretched dozens of meters, hanging the lantern on the highest branch of a tree.
Yan Chi abruptly grabbed the headmistress's hand, pointing to the opposite spot. "Headmistress, look!"
Several figures bounced out from where he pointed. The headmistress couldn't see clearly, squinting. "Oh dear, are these children's faces blue from the cold? Are their legs stiff? Why are they hopping around like that?"
The little zombie from Class 2 and several large zombies were standing there. Seeing Yan Chi and his group, they raised their hands straight up and waved.
Yan Chi was terrified, grabbing the headmistress's shoulders and turning her around. "They...they're playing a game."
The headmistress sensed something was wrong. "Really?"
"Really."
Without hesitation, Yan Chi instantly transformed all the students around him into ordinary human forms, forbidding them from using any non-human abilities.
The next second, the zombies' skin changed from bluish-black to a translucent white, and their stiff bodies became flexible. The little zombie stared blankly at its transformation, awkwardly hopping twice, barely managing half a meter.
Before, it could jump several meters at a time.
Not knowing why Yan Chi had turned them this way, the zombies didn't want to rack their brains. They held their lanterns, looking up at the five- or six-meter-high tree.
So how were they going to hang the lanterns up now?
Yan Chi pointed to the zombies, now indistinguishable from normal people, wiping the sweat from his brow. "Headmistress, look, their complexions are normal. You must have been mistaken."
Headmistress squinted and examined them carefully for a while. Except for the shorter boy, the other students were strong, with bulging muscles in their arms, and didn't look unwell.
"Then I must have been mistaken."
A huge weight lifted from Yan Chi's heart, but in an instant, he saw the zombie students huddled together, whispering amongst themselves. After the zombies finished their discussion, the tallest one awkwardly walked to the tree. He stood upright, and another zombie climbed onto his back and perched on his shoulder.
Then, one after another, they piled up.
Finally, the little zombie stood at the highest point and proudly hung the lantern on a branch.
Yan Chi: "..."
Wait, did the lantern really have to be hung there?
It wasn't safe to stay any longer. Yan Chi hurriedly pushed the headmistress away. Along the way, he and Shen Mingsu constantly shifted their attention so the headmistress could "maintain her original intention" and arrive at the teachers' apartments.
The headmistress looked at the detached apartment with its courtyard in amazement. "This...this really was allocated to you by your school for free?"
"It really was given to you by the school. Look, everyone living around here is a teacher." Yan Chi led the headmistress into the house, where the warmth quickly dispelled the chill.
In the living room on the first floor, besides Shen Chang Le and his brother, Yan Qingyuan, Xie Tao, Sethia and Yi Luo, as well as Ming Danxi and Mingcai were all there. Shen Chang Le, Sethia and Mingcai were playing cards together, while the parents watched from behind them.
Even while playing cards, Shen Chang Le didn't forget to hold Shen Changyao. Shen Changyao, sucking on his pacifier, intently watched his brother's cards, his little face fixed on the board. Hearing the noise from the doorway, he didn't get distracted for a moment.
"Uncle, Little Uncle, you're back." Shen Chang Le immediately put down his cards, and Shen Changyao immediately picked them up and held them close, wary of Sethia and Mingcai looking at the cards.
Mingcai tilted her head and said to Sethia, "Don't you think Chang Le's brother is a little strange?"
Sethia pursed his lips and nodded. His fair face was covered with a dozen small slips of paper, all proof of his losses. "His brother definitely cheated for him. Chang Le always loses at cards."
Mingcai clicked her tongue. "Never mind, forget I said anything."
"Auntie headmistress."
Xie Tao quickly went forward upon seeing the elderly woman. He took her slightly cool hand, led her to the sofa, and poured her a glass of warm water.
The headmistress looked at him with a smile in her eyes, her aged hand gently stroking Xie Tao's cheek. "It's good you're alright. You really scared me to death, child."
After Xie Tao's entire company fell into the ditch, the headmistress had been worried sick for a long time. She only felt relieved after Yan Chi told her that the person had been found and Xie Tao was unharmed.
Facing the elderly woman who had raised him, Xie Tao softened completely, bowing his head apologetically. "I'm sorry for making you worry."
"It's good that everyone's alright." Besides Yan Chi, Xie Tao was the person the headmistress worried about most.
These two children were two extremes. The headmistress worried that Yan Chi, being too kind, would be bullied, while Xie Tao, being too straightforward, would get into trouble.
Now that the two children lived together, the headmistress was no longer worried.
At the same time, the headmistress also noticed Yan Qingyuan standing nearby. He looked so much like Yan Chi, which reminded her of what Yan Chi had told her before she arrived—that he had found his father.
This young man looks so much like Yan Chi. Could it be that his father had another child after abandoning Yan Chi?
Would Yan Chi's father treat them both equally? The headmistress was worried.
Seeing the headmistress staring blankly at Yan Qingyuan, Yan Chi felt a little uneasy. "Headmistress, he's my father."
Father? He's his father?!
The headmistress's shocked gaze darted back and forth between Yan Chi and Yan Qingyuan. "Xiao Chi, is he really your father, and not your brother?"
Yan Qingyuan looked far too young, only in his early twenties. How could he be Yan Chi's father? Don't people age?
Yan Chi knew that Yan Qingyuan's appearance wasn't convincing enough, but he forced a nod. "He really is my father."
Yan Qingyuan gazed at the aged woman. His impression of the headmistress was still from that snowy night. Back then, although the headmistress was middle-aged, she was full of vitality, completely unlike the lifeless woman she was now.
Twenty years… that seemed like a long time.
Yan Qingyuan paused for a moment, then slowly stepped forward. “I… I’ve seen you before.”
The orphanage headmistress hesitated. “I’m old, my memory isn’t what it used to be.”
“Twenty years ago.” Yan Qingyuan lowered his eyes. He still remembered that night. “There were two children playing with building blocks, and they almost fought over them. You went to sing to them to sleep…”
The orphanage headmistress seemed dazed; memories from years ago flooded back.
That day, she had found Yan Chi and Xie Tao at the orphanage gate.
This overly young man had also been at the orphanage that day and had witnessed her comforting the children. The orphanage headmistress had to admit that Yan Qingyuan really was Yan Chi’s father.
The orphanage headmistress: “Then… when you had Xiao Chi, were you an adult?”
Yan Qingyuan: “…”
How was he supposed to answer that? He couldn’t just say he was an adult; he was so old he couldn’t even remember anymore, so he definitely wasn’t one of those who had children before they were adults. Seeing the difficulty and confusion on Yan Qingyuan's face, the headmistress already had her answer. She sighed, "You children, since the mistake has been made, it's too late to regret it. Now, just treat Xiao Chi well and don't leave too many regrets between father and son."
Then, the headmistress realized something else: now that Yan Chi's father had been found, what about his mother?
The headmistress looked around, finally fixing her gaze on the only adult woman present.
Upon seeing Ming Danxi, the headmistress's eyes flashed with amazement. What a graceful young girl!
Before she could speak, Ming Danxi already knew what she wanted to ask, and the corners of her lips slightly turned up. "I'm not Xiao Chi's mother, please don't misunderstand."
Mingcai chuckled, "Yes, yes, Teacher Xiao Chi is my teacher, not my older brother..."
Wait... judging by age, Teacher Xiao Chi seems to be the youngest in their class, so that means... Xiao Chi's the younger brother?
Mingcai's eyes lit up instantly. Yan Chi, unable to meet her gaze, awkwardly looked away.
Now the students must have realized that he, their teacher, was actually of the same generation as them.
"I'm sorry," the headmistress apologized for mistaking her for someone else. She asked Yan Qingyuan directly, "And the child's mother?"
Another question Yan Qingyuan couldn't answer. "He...he doesn't have a mother."
The child was his alone, belonging only to him.
The headmistress fell silent again. Looking at Yan Qingyuan's delicate features, she subconsciously thought, 'Looks really don't put food on the table.' "Did that girl and you have a proper divorce?"
No, she shouldn't ask that.
The headmistress: "Were you ever married?"
Yan Qingyuan was numb. "...No."
Sigh, what a tragedy.
The headmistress shook her head.
Her thoughts were written all over her face. Ming Danxi and Yi Luo were both trying not to laugh. Yan Qingyuan glanced at them with his lips pursed, and the two of them, considering their friendship, immediately suppressed their laughter.
“Headmistress.” Yan Chi, fidgeting, quickly changed the subject. “These two are my father’s friends, and also parents of students in our class.”
Headmistress smiled kindly at Yi Luo and the others, then looked at the children with affection. “Good, good, good children.”
Mingcai, with the sweetest tongue, called her “Grandma” repeatedly, making Headmistress’s face beam with smiles. Mingcai also pulled Wang Yi, who had come back with Headmistress, to her side, offering her a chocolate. “Call me sister and I’ll give you some.”
Wang Yi looked at Mingcai’s pretty clothes, clutching the hem, looking timidly at Mingcai. Unable to resist the temptation of the chocolate, she swallowed hard. “Sister.”
Mingcai smiled and gave her the chocolate.
Wang Yi immediately took a bite. She had only eaten chocolate once before, when her younger brother had left it and wouldn’t give it to her. It tasted even better than she remembered.
Wang Yi looked up at Mingcai with a smile, "It's delicious, thank you, sister."
Mingcai generously gave her a few more pieces.
Meanwhile, the headmistress was holding Shen Changyao. The old lady loved these soft, cuddly babies and kept coaxing Shen Changyao, "Your name is Yao Yao? Yao Yao is so cute, look at those big eyes and little nose, you'll definitely be beautiful when you grow up. So good, not afraid of strangers, doesn't cry or fuss."
That's because it was a fake baby; it was even more witty than the adults. Yan Chi maintained his smile, "Yes, Yao Yao is usually very well-behaved, we don't have to worry about him."
Shen Changyao turned his head and met the threatening looks from Yan Chi and Shen Mingsu. He resignedly lay in the headmistress's arms, skillfully pretending to be an innocent baby, babbling in baby talk.
This scene warmed Shen Chang Le's heart. He immediately launched into a lively discussion with the headmistress about parenting techniques, leaving the other adults feeling sidelined.
Everyone gathered for lunch. After the heavy snow outside stopped, Yan Chi and Xie Tao took the headmistress to see her accommodation.
Considering the headmistress's fondness for children, Shen Mingsu had arranged a place for her very close to the kindergarten. The place had already been cleaned, the snow in the yard had been cleared, and new clothes had been put in the wardrobe.
"An old woman like me doesn't need such a nice place," the headmistress said, feeling uncomfortable standing in the large living room. "Just find me a single room, it doesn't need to be this nice. Leave this place for the children."
Yan Chi reassured her, "The children have their own place to live. That apartment complex you just passed is where they live, isn't it?"
The headmistress nodded slowly.
Yan Chi and Xie Tao redecorated the house, even showing Wang Yi her room. Wang Yi's room was next to the headmistress's, decorated in pink and cute colors, with adorable dolls on the bed.
Wang Yi stared wide-eyed in disbelief at Yan Chi and Xie Tao. "This...this really is my room?"
Yan Chi nodded. "Go see if you need anything else. We'll buy it for you."
Wang Yi shook her head. "No, it's already very nice."
Xie Tao frowned, looking at Wang Yi's thin arms and sallow face. When Wang Yi went to look in the room, she asked Yan Chi, "Her parents are dead?"
Yan Chi said with pity, "They're not dead. After the world started collapsing, her parents ran away with her younger brother. She's a poor child."
"Her younger brother...then her parents might as well be dead." Xie Tao bluntly said, "This girl is incredibly unlucky to have been born into their family."
Yan Chi patted him on the shoulder, "Don't say that in front of the child."
"Of course, I'm not stupid."
Even if Xie Tao was outspoken, he wouldn't go to the little girl and say, "Your parents only love your brother, not you, so they took your brother and ran away. You're a pitiful, unwanted abandoned child."
Only someone with a truly malicious heart could say such things.
In the following days, Wang Yi made several good friends, some orphans taken in by the kindergarten, and some children of shop owners on the commercial street.
Friendships between children come exceptionally quickly. In just a few days, they became familiar with each other, happily having snowball fights in the snow. The children who had attended kindergarten would tell Wang Yi about their funny experiences there.
The headmistress also enrolled her in the senior class of kindergarten next semester.
Yan Chi and Xie Tao, worried that the headmistress might be bored on her first day, would occasionally take her for walks around the school after the snow stopped.
They came across a newly built art museum, displaying masterpieces of various styles. The headmistress, who had been passionate about painting in her youth, stared in surprise at the Mona Lisa on the wall. "This...this is a forgery, isn't it?"
But the brushstrokes were almost indistinguishable from the original, leaving the headmistress uncertain.
Yan Chi wasn't sure either. "It's probably...fake."
Shen Mingsu couldn't very well steal the real thing from the Louvre and hang it here, could he?
The headmistress nodded and moved on to the next painting.
"Ahem..." Yan Chi suddenly heard a soft cough. He instinctively looked at the headmistress, only to find her engrossed in Monet's "Woman in the Grass." The cough wasn't from her.
The next second, Yan Chi felt a tap on his arm. He turned around abruptly and saw the woman in the Mona Lisa painting, standing right in front of him, winking at him.
She maintained her classic, gentle smile, raising her hand to her mouth. "Let me tell you, I really am a fake, because I can't even speak French."
Yan Chi: "..."
"You can call me Lisa." Lisa winked at Yan Chi. "Darling, could you move over for me? I want to go to 'Girl with a Pearl Earring,' she's my best friend."
"Xiao Chi?" The headmistress suddenly turned around, looking around with a puzzled expression. "Who were you talking to? I heard a girl's voice."
Yan Chi looked at the Mona Lisa again; she had already returned to her classic pose, and there was no trace of her having just spoken.
After a moment's hesitation, Yan Chi took his phone out of his pocket. "I just...I just answered a call. A colleague called to talk to me about something."
The headmistress nodded, unsuspecting, and continued admiring the paintings.
"Don't worry, I'm a professional. I won't give anything away," Lisa said proudly, raising her chin and casually putting on a pair of sunglasses.
Yan Chi smirked, then looked at the other paintings. Sure enough, the figures in them were alive. After the headmistress' gaze shifted away, the figures in the paintings would slack off, then immediately resume their working posture.
It was like students playing hide-and-seek with their teacher.
Yan Chi was horrified. He shouldn't have brought the headmistress to this art museum out of curiosity. He thought it would be a normal place, but it turned out to be full of abnormal paintings.
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