After seeing the Young Master out the door, Lin Miao’s feeling of melancholy rose a few notches. However, it didn’t last very long because school was soon reopening.
Even though she was a bit afraid and shy about her new school, she still pretended to be confident and fearless.
It was because her younger brother was attending the same school. He was in first grade, and she was in the third grade.
Lin Miao’s mother walked them all the way to each of their classroom doors.
Lin Miao’s classroom was on the third floor as she was in third grade. Her nervousness began to show.
But then a girl beside her started talking with her, “Are you new? My name is Yao Ling, what’s your name?”
“My name is Lin Miao, everyone calls me Shuishui.” Lin Miao relaxed.
She used to be tanned, skinny, always late, and assigned to the last row. No other girl was near her, so she didn’t have many friends.
Now, she was wearing new clothes her mother had purchased. She was early like every other little girl in town, so it was rather easy for her to make new friends.
Lin Miao was already a very social girl. Not long after, she even started going to the washroom with her buddies.
Her first day was filled with joy. After school, she went to her brother’s classroom to walk home together for dinner.
The two shared things that happened during their first day as they headed home. Life was great.
The single thing Lin Miao was terrified about also changed.
Before, she was afraid of being picked to ask questions and chosen to read.
But it was now no longer the case as the Young Master had taught her all the readings before. Even though she was still anxious at first, reminiscent of her past experiences, it quickly turned into confidence as she continued on.
The teacher would compliment her every time, “Lin Miao read very well. She didn’t pause on the new characters nor mispronounced them. It’s quite obvious that she had studied and prepared in advance. We should all learn from her.”
And everytime, Lin Miao’s heart would pound against its cavities. No teacher had ever complimented her like that before.
The teacher even called Lin Miao up to the blackboard and tested her with new characters. The teacher had called five students in total, but she was the only one who scored perfectly.
The teacher also complimented her penmanship. The students were all very friendly towards her, too.
Lin Miao had a pleasant impression of the school. She wanted to head there everyday.
However, there was a minor thing that bugged her.
During recess, Lin Miao took her badminton rackets to play with her friends.
They were in third grade, so many were new to the game.
Lin Miao tried to teach them, but most moved on after struggling to master the game. They wanted to play hopscotch with her, but Lin Miao still wanted to play her badminton.
As a result, Lin Miao played alone with her racket.
The playground was filled with people yet Lin Miao enjoyed playing by herself. She couldn’t play with anyone else because her other friends who introduced her to the game were on another side of the playground.
Today, the gym teacher coincidentally passed by. He thought that she was quite cute, playing by herself.
“Wanna play a game?” The gym teacher asked.
Lin Miao jumped upon hearing it. She had always looked up to the gym teacher, “Hello Teacher!”
“Come, I’ll start!” The teacher found her respectful and serious tone a bit humorous.
Lin Miao then reacted and handed her other racket to the teacher.
The gym teacher was an adult. His shots were very high compared to Lin Miao even though he already took her height into account.
It was quite laborious for Lin Miao at first.
But soon, she found a pattern and adjusted to it. Her shots became more powerful.
The gym teacher was a bit astonished by her improvements and strength, “You’re playing pretty well.”
Motivated by the compliment, Lin Miao pushed herself further. The shuttlecock flew back and forth. They were having a fun time.
When the two paused to rest, the gym teacher thought of something, “What’s your name?”
“My name is Lin Miao, Mr. Feng.” Lin Miao said.
“How long have you been playing badminton?”
Lin Miao counted the days in her head, “Eighteen days.”
The gym teacher was shocked, “Eighteen days? You just learned the game?” He thought that Lin Miao had practiced since she was little. This was very impressive for eighteen days of practice.
“Lin Miao, are you interested in participating in the junior badminton competition in the city?”
Lin Miao’s school had a place in the competition, but they never participated. Most of the opponents at the tournament have trained since they were very young, so they never won anything. The gym teacher didn’t have any patience to spare either so he decided to just not go.
Lin Miao’s first reaction was, “In the city? My parents are too busy though.” Her parents had their hands filled with things recently.
“I’ll bring you there. All of the costs will be covered!”
Visible happiness appeared on Lin Miao’s face. This meant that she could visit Gege?!
She was overjoyed when the Young Master came to visit her. The thought of paying her brother a visit in return loomed in her head ever since. She wanted him to feel the happiness she experienced.
“I still have to tell your parents though. Do you know their phone number?” The gym teacher said.
Lin Miao willingly recounted the number.
What made it even better was that the gym teacher would play badminton with her during recess everyday!
It was probably due to her miserable losses at tic tac toe that had sparked her interest in games like badminton.
She will teach the Young Master badminton! She will win, win against him!
Even though Lin Miao hadn't won against the gym teacher yet, she was still very happy.
Lin Miao’s mother didn’t know much about badminton, but she thought it would be beneficial for her daughter to participate in these competitions, so she agreed. She gave Lin Miao five hundred Yuan to buy food even though the gym teacher had said all the expenses were covered.
Lin Miao’s happiness was indescribable. She also asked for the Young Master’s school address so that she could find him at his school.
Mr. Feng was very assured by Lin Miao’s enthusiasm. Excitement instead of anxiety; this is a pretty good mindset. She will definitely be a great student-athlete!
Of course, she was participating in the competition along with eight other students picked by the two gym teachers.
But Lin Miao was the only excited one, the rest were all nervous.