Chapter 29

After sending off her brother, Lin Miao felt a bit of sorrow at their parting, but this feeling didn’t last long, because before she knew it, school had started.
Lin Miao was at a new school, and she felt a little shy, but she still had to act as if she wasn’t scared.
This was because her little brother went to school with her. He was in first grade, and she was in third grade.
Their mother dropped them off at the classroom door before leaving.
Since Lin Miao was in third grade, her classroom was on the third floor, and she felt a bit nervous.
Soon, a girl nearby approached her and asked, "Are you the new student in our class? My name is Yao Ling, what's yours?"
"My name is Lin Miao, but everyone calls me Shui Shui," Lin Miao said, feeling more at ease.
She used to be dark-skinned and thin, always late and sitting at the back of the classroom, with no girls around her, so she had no friends.
Now, she was wearing new clothes her mother bought, just like the other girls from the town who lived on the street. She came early, so it was easy for her to make friends.
Lin Miao was the type of girl who got along easily with other girls, so it didn’t take long before she was hanging out with the other classmates and going to the restroom together.
The first day went by happily. After school, she went to her brother’s class to wait for him, and they walked home together for dinner.
As they walked, they shared stories from their classes, and everything felt wonderful.
What was even more delightful was that, after starting school, the things Lin Miao used to be afraid of had changed.
She used to be terrified when the teacher called on her to read a passage, but now, she wasn’t scared at all. All the lessons were things her brother had already taught her, so when the teacher called on her, although she felt a little nervous at first, she got over it quickly.
The teacher always praised her, saying, "Lin Miao reads very well, she didn't pause on any new words, and she didn’t mispronounce anything. It’s clear she has prepared in advance. Everyone should learn from her."
Every time, Lin Miao's heart raced. She had never been praised by a teacher before.
The teacher even called her up to the blackboard to write dictation. Five classmates were called, and Lin Miao was the only one who didn’t make any mistakes.
The teacher also praised her handwriting, and her classmates were very friendly to her.
Lin Miao felt that school was really wonderful, and she wanted to run to school every day.
But there was a small problem.
At recess, she grabbed her badminton racket and played with her friends.
Since there weren’t many classmates who could play badminton in third grade, Lin Miao ended up teaching them.
However, the classmates who couldn’t learn decided to give up and wanted Lin Miao to play hopscotch with them. But Lin Miao still wanted to play badminton.
So, she played by herself with the racket.
The playground was crowded, but Lin Miao was having a great time, mainly because the older students were playing on the other side, so they weren’t available to play with her.
Just then, the PE teacher walked by and thought it was cute that Lin Miao was playing badminton alone.
"How about a game?" the PE teacher said in a commanding tone.
Lin Miao jumped up. She had always been very respectful to teachers. "Hello, teacher!"
"Come on, I’ll play with you!" The PE teacher smiled, amused by her respectful gesture and repeated the invitation.
Lin Miao quickly realized and handed the racket to the teacher.
Since the PE teacher was an adult, although he adjusted for her height, the shuttlecock still went high.
At first, Lin Miao had trouble receiving the shots.
But after a few tries, she started to get the hang of it, and her hits became stronger.
The PE teacher was a little surprised at her strength and improvement, as well as her quick learning. "Not bad."
When Lin Miao heard the praise, she played even harder. The two of them were having a lot of fun.
When they stopped to rest, the PE teacher suddenly remembered something. "Student, what’s your name?"
"Teacher Feng, I’m Lin Miao," she replied.
"How long have you been playing badminton?"
Lin Miao thought for a moment, "Eighteen days."
The PE teacher was surprised. "Eighteen days? You’ve only just started? You’re really good for such a short time."
"Lin Miao, would you be interested in participating in the city’s middle and primary school badminton competition?"
Their school had the qualification to sign up, but it was something that was never done before. Most of the students who participated had been training since they were little, so it didn’t seem worth it, and the teacher didn’t have the patience for it, so they never went.
Lin Miao’s first reaction was, "The city? My mom doesn’t have time."
"Myself and the school will cover the travel and living expenses!" the PE teacher said.
Lin Miao’s face visibly brightened. Does this mean she could see her brother?!
When her brother visited last time, she was so happy that she thought she would definitely go visit him when she got the chance.
The PE teacher then added, "I need to inform your parents. Do you know their phone number?"
Lin Miao quickly recited the number.
What was even more exciting was that the teacher would play badminton with her after school every day!
Perhaps it was because of losing so badly in tic-tac-toe that Lin Miao developed such a strong liking for games like this!
She was determined to teach her brother how to play badminton! She wanted to beat him!
Well, she still hadn’t beaten the PE teacher yet, but Lin Miao was very happy.
When Lin Miao’s mom heard about the badminton competition, she didn’t know much about it, but she thought it was a good opportunity, so she agreed. Even though Teacher Feng said the school would cover the living and travel expenses, Lin Miao’s mom still gave her 500 yuan for food.
Lin Miao was overjoyed and even asked which school her brother went to.
Teacher Feng was pleased to see Lin Miao’s excitement. He wasn’t nervous, just happy, and thought, "This is a good attitude, a good seedling!"
Of course, there were two PE teachers, and they took eight students to the competition.
But it was Lin Miao who was the most excited, not nervous.