Shu Yan had already received the key for the condo. When they arrived, the workers were already there. The foreman ran out to greet Shu Yan when he spotted her.
"Miss Shu, you are here to check on your house?"
"Yeah. Taking the two kids to go check out the kindergarten and thought I'd swing by here and take a look." Shu Yan smiled. After checking out the master bedroom, she led the two kids to go check out their rooms.
"Jingjing, this is going to be your room in the future. Mom is going to get you pink curtains and beddings, unless you want some other colors? Just let me know. This is the closet. We will get a new desk and bookshelves after the remodeling is completed. Is there anything else that you want?"
Ye Jingjing looked at her room happily. She never imagined that she'd one day have her own room. Plus, mom just said she'd buy her all new stuff, and the room would be in pink.
"I...." Ye Jingjing summoned her courage and asked, "Can I have a doll?"
At her aunt's home, she had seen a doll on her cousin's bed. She loved it, but she never dared to say that out loud.
"Of course," Shu Yan would agree to any reasonable requests from the kids.
There was not much to be seen at this stage of the remodeling, but Shu Yan still brought Ye Tianbao to check out his room. She told him that that'd be his room and asked what color he would like. Not surprisingly, he picked blue.
The two children had lived in a new house at City Xi previously so they didn't understand the happiness of having a new house, nor would they share Shu Yan's excitement about buying a new house in City Nan.
Aye! Casting pearls before swine.
After the house, she took them to the food market and the two children became excited immediately.
When they walked past the fish stall, Ye Tianbao refused to walk and fuzzed about buying a fish. Shu Yan figured they haven't had a lot of meat lately, so she bought a fish like he asked. Then, he refused to walk again when they got to the duck and chicken shop.
"Mom! Mom! Chicken! Can we get a little chicken?"
"No, we've got a fish already. We are not buying anything else." If she was to buy everything that he asked for, he'd probably want one of everything that's alive in the market, with the exception of humans.
***
Ye Tianbao bawled his eyes out over lunch when he saw the fish, "Mom is a bad person!"
"......" Shu Yan thought he wanted to eat fish, but he wanted one as a pet?
"What should we do? Mom has already cooked it? You don't want any? It's very tasty! If you don't want any then mom and big sister will have it all."
Ye Tianbao finally had some fish soup as he continued to sob. Shu Yan worried about the bones in the fish and didn't give him any of the meat.
They were only going to be there for a few months, so Shu Yan didn't plan on cleaning up more around the house. She stayed home on Sunday and rested with the kids. Early in the evening, when the sun wasn't as strong, Shu Yan took the kids out to get their book bag and stationery.
"I want that one!" said Ye Tianbao as he pointed at a blue one.
"Jingjing, which one do you want?" Shu Yan thought she'd pick the pink one, instead, she picked a black one.
"You like black?" If that was the case, they might want to change up the decoration for her new room a little.
Ye Jingjing shook her head, "No, black hides dirt better."
Shu Yan was speechless for a brief moment before she squatted down and asked Ye Jingjing again. "Never mind that. Which one do you like?"
"That one," said Ye Jingjing as she pointed at a pink one shyly.
Shu Yan patted her on her head. "Then that's the one we will get. You are just a child, just focus on studying hard, eating and sleeping lots. Don't worry too much about other things."
She suddenly thought about Ye Jingjing's hair. She'd most likely be teased because of her super short hair. Shu Yan bought her a red and a pink hat, "If anyone asked, just tell them you had bad hair before so your mom cut them all off for them to grow back out, okay?"
If Ye Jingjing told the other kids that her hair was cropped off because of head lice, the kids might not know what that was at first, but they'd no doubt ask their parents after they've gone home. The parents for sure wouldn't let them play with Ye Jingjing again, even if she no longer has hair lice.
Early Monday morning, Shu Yan took the kids to register at City Xi grade school after breakfast. She informed the guard of the purpose of their visit, but the guard wouldn't let them through until he could see the application form.
"Okay, go on in," said the guard finally after he had looked at their application form.
"Can you please tell me where to go to register?" This was Shu Yan's first time there. She had no idea which direction the office was.
"Walk all the way down that way. When you see a flower bed, make a left and go up the stairs. The office was the second room on the third floor."
"Thank you. Say 'bye bye' to grandpa." Ye Jingjing and Ye Tianbao waved and said goodbye to the guard obediently.
City Xi Grade School has 9 classes per level and Ye Jingjing was assigned to Class #5, right smack in the middle. Shu Yan didn't say much about that. If Ye Jingjing was good at school, she'd naturally be moved to a better class. Contrarily, if her grades were bad, she'd be moved to a worse one. Shu Yan didn't plan on putting too much pressure on the kids.
"Jingjing's mom, this is the receipt for the tuition for you. In addition, she'd need specific uniforms and shoes for school. Do you know her size? We suggest buying the next size up, so they will last one more year. Or even two sizes larger. Many parents do that too." The teacher was a very gentle woman. She was very soft spoken to Shu Yan.
"My kid has always been skinny. Even the smallest size is probably big on her." Shu Yan had heard of uniforms before. This was, however, the first time she has heard of uniform shoes.
Before long, the teacher came back with two sets of uniforms. Ye Jingjing tried on the jacket and, sure enough, it was too big for her.
"Jingjing is too skinny. Jingjing's mom, you need to give her more nutrients. If you don't do that now, it just might be too late." The teacher took a look at the white and chubby little boy behind Shu Yan and was a little bit displeased, "We are in a new age now. Both sons and daughters will be nice to their parents when they are successful in life."
Shu Yan understood what she was saying but didn't bother to explain herself. "You are right. I will get her some nutritious foods on my way back."
It was, after all, someone else's family business and the teacher couldn't say much more, "School is about to start. Let me take Jingjing to her class now."
Shu Yan squatted down and adjusted the collar for her daughter, "Listen to your teachers and be nice to your classmates, okay?"
"Mm. I will be a good girl and listen to the teachers." Ye Jingjing left with the teacher as she turned around and looked back frequently.
Shu Yan was worried, so she sneaked to Class #5 and peeked behind the door. She left with Ye Tianbao only after she saw Ye Jingjing sitting at her seat and talking to the kid next to her.
The process of registering for the kindergarten was much simpler. All she needed to do was to pay and register. Plus, the little brat was heartless. He had forgotten all about his mother as soon as he saw other kids.
Now that both kids were in school, Shu Yan suddenly felt some emptiness in her heart. Something seemed to be missing in the house.
After the kids had gone to school, she needed to start making her own plans. First she needed to lose weight, followed by taking care of her skin. Finally, she'd need to start her own business. Everything needed to move up the schedule.