Chaochao was a happy little kid, bouncing and hopping towards the kindergarten, holding his mother’s and brother’s hands, with no trace of sadness in his heart.
It wasn’t until they reached the entrance of the kindergarten that Ye Wanwan had a brief conversation with Chaochao’s homeroom teacher, and then the teacher was ready to lead the kids inside.
Chaochao let go of his mother’s hand, turned back to his parents, and said, "Goodbye, Mom and Dad."
After that, Chaochao was about to enter the school, holding his brother’s hand.
Zhouzhou felt obligated to remind him, "Chaochao, I’ve told you before, we’re not going to school together."
Chaochao’s eyes widened in disbelief.
"Chaochao will go to kindergarten on his own, and after school, you can see your brother," Zhouzhou lifted his other hand and, like a little adult, patted Chaochao’s head comfortingly.
However, at that moment, the corners of Chaochao’s eyes turned red, and he started sobbing loudly at the school gate.
All three family members were immediately flustered, and Ye Wanwan quickly tried to calm him down, "Chaochao, didn’t your brother explain it to you a long time ago?"
Long before they decided to send Chaochao to school, Chaochao, under the impression he would be with his brother, had happily agreed, and Zhouzhou had explained it to him.
He was already in elementary school, and although it was still the same school as the kindergarten, it wasn’t in the same place.
Fearing Chaochao wouldn’t understand, Zhouzhou even avoided mentioning that they actually shared the same school name, simply telling him that they wouldn’t be together in school.
Nonetheless, Chaochao wouldn’t listen and clung to Zhouzhou’s hand, refusing to let go, saying, "I want to go to school with my brother!"
"But he’s already in elementary school," Ye Wanwan said.
Chaochao was all tears and runny nose, "But if Mom and Dad aren’t with me, and brother isn’t either, what if I get bullied when none of you are around?"
The nearby homeroom teacher quickly said, "That won’t happen, we have teachers here, we won’t let any kids bully others."
"No, I want Brother to be with me!" Chaochao cried louder.
That’s how little kids are, even if they seem to understand everything beforehand, when the time comes, they still can’t accept the change, and then they try to use crying to get their way.
"Chaochao, your brother can’t be with you at kindergarten now, but when you’re older, you’ll be able to go to elementary school together," Shen Yi said, trying to help.
While crying, Chaochao asked, "Then why can’t brother stay with me in kindergarten until I’m old enough to go to school together?"
Chaochao was only three years old, still at an age to cry and make a fuss, but sometimes her logic left Ye Wanwan and Shen Yi utterly at a loss.
Glancing at the time, Ye Wanwan realized any further delay would make Zhouzhou late for school and Shen Yi late for work.
"Why don’t you take Zhouzhou to school first, and I’ll stay here with Chaochao," Ye Wanwan suggested to Shen Yi as she knelt down to hug Chaochao.
Before Shen Yi could respond, Chaochao’s cries grew louder and more distraught, as if she had suffered the greatest injustice.
"No! Brother, don’t leave me behind, Chaochao is scared!" Chaochao cried out, struggling out of Ye Wanwan’s arms to cling to Zhouzhou.
Seeing his sister crying , Zhouzhou became distressed and quickly tried to reassure her, "Don’t cry, Sister, your brother hasn’t left you behind."
Ye Wanwan watched from the side and finally let out a helpless sigh, "Tonight, I’ll let you have a cheese stick."