Becoming a life winner from infancy

Chapter 101: 099 Where do we come from

Growth during the toddler years is always changing month by month, as height and weight increase, so too does the gender awareness of boys and girls begin to slowly take shape.

Boys no longer tell their teachers so freely whom they like in class, and girls, who used to call out "husband" when playing house, no longer find it as easy to say.

The girls would only talk about him in whispers, then secretly rank You You's list of potential wives, usually only from 2 to 16, because everyone believed that Nuo Nuo, who had lifted the Moe King trophy with Fang You, was the top wife.

Although it seemed that topics like liking someone or marrying were no longer discussed, little Fan Yuan had not forgotten his original ambition.

That's right.

Though Teacher Taozi got married last year and Fan Yuan managed to eat the wedding candy she gave him with tears in his eyes,

he still didn't want to give up on his goal:

That was to slap down—no, wrong, to become a remarkable kid!

He finally achieved success in the literacy competition challenge just before graduation, becoming the 19th child to succeed in his class!

"Congratulations, Yuan Yuan, now you are also a remarkable kid, this is your reward!"

Teacher Taozi squatted down and handed the charm to Fan Yuan.

At last, I am also a remarkable kid!

Fan Yuan stood tall and proud, his face flushed with excitement as he gazed at Teacher Taozi, breathing heavily through his nose.

...

Teacher Taozi then stood up, "Let's give Fan Yuan a round of applause to encourage him, shall we?"

Clap clap clap!

Everyone applauded for Fan Yuan!

Only Fan Yuan still looked puzzled at Teacher Taozi as she rose to her feet.

He opened his mouth to speak but couldn't seem to find the words to express himself.

At that moment, Teacher Taozi clapped her hands to quiet everyone down.

"And then, today Teacher Taozi has an announcement to make."

Teacher Taozi said with a smile, "Starting from next week, I will be temporarily saying goodbye to everyone. From then on, Teacher Tomato will lead you in studying and living in kindergarten. I hope everyone will get along well with Teacher Tomato."

Teacher Taozi's words sparked a buzz of discussion among the students of the Giraffe Class.

"No, I don't want to be separated from Teacher Taozi!"

"Teacher Taozi, where are you going?"

"Teacher Taozi, didn't you get married last year? Are you going to get married again this year?"

The gentle Teacher Taozi didn't take the kids' wild talk to heart, "Teacher Taozi has a baby now."

Teacher Taozi smiled, "To raise the little baby, I am going to embark on my own adventure."

"Waaa..."

During free activity time after class, the girls gathered around Teacher Taozi, expressing not only their reluctance to part with her but also their interest in her news about having a baby.

One girl asked, "Teacher Taozi, which trash can are you planning to find your baby in?"

Another girl countered, "Children aren't found in trash cans, they are sent by the Goddess of Mercy, Teacher Taozi is going to look for the Goddess."

"You're all wrong!"

Xia Nuo said, "Teacher Taozi's child is falling from the sky, and Teacher Taozi's adventure is to investigate a meteor."

"Falling from the sky?"

"Yes, each of us comes from the stars. When we are born, we come to this world like a meteor, and when we die, we return to live on the stars."

"The story Nuo Nuo tells sounds so romantic."

Teacher Taozi patted Xia Nuo's head and then said with a smile, "But actually, it's not like that at all. Teacher Taozi's little baby is right here, in Teacher Taozi's belly."

The children were immediately shocked by Teacher Taozi's response, finding it unbelievable:

"Teacher Taozi, how did you eat the baby!"

"So Teacher Taozi's adventure was about eating the baby into her stomach!"

Explaining to children where they come from is a topic that is very embarrassing for Chinese parents and teachers alike, and this has not changed even in this era.

However, Teacher Taozi had to be a little more courageous.

She told a story about a tadpole to describe the growth and development of a baby. Many girls felt embarrassed, but Xia Nuo listened attentively to everything Teacher Taozi said.

"So we all came from tadpoles."

The children found it hard to imagine, but what the teacher said seemed more convincing than the garbage bin, the Goddess of Mercy, or dropping down from the sky.

Xia Nuo thought for a moment, "Then will we turn into frogs in the future?"

"That won't happen… Human tadpoles become humans, frog tadpoles become frogs..."

Teacher Taozi also felt a bit confused about what she was saying, but thought the topic was very interesting.

Xia Nuo was curious and asked if she could touch Teacher Taozi's belly. Teacher Taozi agreed to Xia Nuo's request.

Teacher Taozi let Xia Nuo place her hand on her belly. Since Teacher Taozi was not visibly pregnant yet, her belly was only slightly protruding, and Xia Nuo could feel a bit of warmth.

"You can't feel anything now, right? But by the summer, before you all graduate, Teacher Taozi's baby will probably be able to meet you."

"So we didn't fall from the sky; we grew up in our mother's belly."

Xia Nuo thought for a while, then looked at Fang You who was reading "A Million Whys," "You You, did you already know about this?"

"I didn't know."

Xia Nuo stared at Fang You.

Fang You did not feel guilty.

Xia Nuo patted Fang You's shoulder and smiled, "It's okay, You You, it's not embarrassing not to know. I've told you now, so you know."

Fang You: "..."

But Xia Nuo started pondering again:

"We were born from our mother's belly, and she came from our grandmother's belly, who came from her mother's belly… So where did the very first mother come from, You You, do you know?"

"I don't know either."

"You You, some knowledge is not found in books. You have to use your brain to think, you can't just think about reading."

Fang You pinched Xia Nuo's cheek, "Then you tell me, where did the very first mother come from?"

"Humph, of course she came on a star!"

Xia Nuo's eyes twinkled with starlight, "Think about it, after we die we go back to the stars, right? That means the very first of us must have come from the stars!"

It indeed formed a logical loop, seemingly flawless...

Xia Nuo's occasional bursts of inspiration also prompted Fang You to have some thoughts and speculations about the origins of humankind.

Although he was not as insistent as Xia Nuo, he thought it was beautiful for people to have dreams.

Unlike himself who always seemed to be growing just for the sake of growth.

On the day of farewell, everyone prepared gifts for Teacher Taozi, and Fan Yuan was the child who cried the hardest that day.

He told Teacher Taozi that when he grew up, he still wanted to marry her. Teacher Taozi laughed and encouraged him, saying that if in 20 years he became an impressive adult, she would consider it.

Thus, young Fan Yuan also had a new dream.