Chapter 119: Autumn Doll, Kind-Hearted, Busy Picking Leaves to Write Letters

Lin Xuan sliced the thick egg omelet into even, thick pieces.

After wiping his hands clean, he took out a pink compartmentalized bento box.

The left compartment was filled with the prepared seaweed rice rolls.

The bottom of the right compartment was lined with washed lettuce leaves.

He placed the sliced thick egg omelet on top, then stuffed a few round cherry tomatoes into the corners as garnish.

He put on the transparent lid, and a quite exquisite autumn outing bento was ready.

Lin Xuan stared at the bento box in his hand and wiped his hands with satisfaction.

Early the next morning.

Five tour buses were parked at the gate of Experimental Primary School, white smoke billowing from their exhaust pipes.

The school gate was full of parents seeing their children off.

Elementary school students carrying various different backpacks gathered together, chattering noisily.

They were as excited as a flock of sparrows just out of their cage.

Xiao Sizi wore a warm beige hooded sweatshirt.

Over that, she put on a light blue denim jacket.

She carried that small pink backpack on her back.

The backpack, stuffed with snacks and the bento box, was bulging, and the zipper was almost unable to close.

"Mingda!"

Xiao Ya squeezed out from the surging crowd.

"Xiao Ya!" Xiao Sizi rushed forward and tightly grabbed her good friend's hand.

Teacher Li, the homeroom teacher of Year One Class Three, held a small red guide flag in her hand.

"Students of Class Three, gather over here by me and form two lines!"

Teacher Li blew the whistle hanging around her neck.

The children quickly gathered together.

They formed their lines according to height.

Lin Xuan stood outside the cordon and waved to Xiao Sizi in the line.

"Listen to the teacher, don't run around randomly, the water bottle is on the side of the backpack, remember to drink when you're thirsty!"

Lin Xuan raised his voice and repeated the instructions.

Xiao Sizi stood on tiptoes and vigorously waved her small hand in this direction.

"I know! Goodbye, Brother Lin Xuan, I will have fun!"

The entire line slowly began to move.

The students, in neat lines, boarded the bus in an orderly fashion.

The interior of the carriage was spacious and bright.

The blue seat covers still carried the fresh scent of laundry detergent.

Xiao Sizi and Xiao Ya chose two seats by the window and sat next to each other.

After putting down the heavy backpack, Xiao Ya curiously touched the safety belt buckle on the seat.

Teacher Li walked over, bent down, and fastened the safety belts for the two little girls.

"Everyone sit properly, don't walk up and down the aisle, we are setting off!"

The bus slowly started moving, and a soft sound came when the pneumatic doors closed.

The car drove out of the city area and headed towards the suburban highway.

Many tall plane trees were planted on both sides of the road.

Golden tree shadows followed the car window Glass, retreating rapidly to the rear.

Teacher Li walked to the very front of the carriage and picked up the microphone installed on the bus.

"Students, are you all happy today?"

"Happy—!" A particularly loud response suddenly burst out inside the carriage.

"Then shall we sing a song together? Ready, start singing!"

"Autumn doll, kind-hearted, busy picking leaves to write letters..."

"7

There was no musical accompaniment; it was all just shouting with their voices.

Dozens of six or seven-year-old children pulled their voices and started singing in a chorus together.

They were singing the theme song of the most popular children's cartoon recently, but the pitch was all off.

The rhythm was also a complete mess.

Xiao Sizi was a bit restrained at first.

But seeing Xiao Ya next to her shouting loudly, she turned her head to look at the male classmate in the front row who was dancing with his hands and feet.

Everyone wore the same school uniform jacket, carried the same backpacks stuffed with snacks, and sat in the same bus.

Xiao Sizi grinned and joined in this chorus that had no technique whatsoever.

The bus stopped steadily in the parking lot of the Botanical Garden in the suburbs.

The pneumatic doors slowly opened, and a cool autumn wind rushed into the carriage, carrying the pleasant scent of earth and vegetation.

"Get off the bus and line up, everyone don't push!"

Teacher Li held the guide flag and stood by the bus door, loudly maintaining order.

In the very center of the Botanical Garden, there was a very open ginkgo lawn.

Several dozen century-old ginkgo trees stood straight and tall.

Their branches and leaves intertwined, with golden fallen leaves carpeting the entire lawn.

Stepping on them produced a soft rustling sound.

"Everyone, form groups, spread out your picnic mats, and get ready for lunch!"

Xiao Sizi and Xiao Ya found a flat patch of grass near a large tree root.

Together, they shook open a waterproof checkered mat, took off their shoes, and sat down on it.

They unzipped their schoolbags.

Xiao Sizi lifted out a pink compartmentalized bento box and opened its transparent lid.

Glossy seaweed rice rolls, thick golden rolled omelets, paired with bright red cherry tomatoes, released a rich aroma of food that slowly spread.

"Mingda, your lunch looks so beautiful."

Xiao Ya swallowed hard.

She looked down at the fried rice in her own hand.

Xiao Sizi picked up her chopsticks, lifted the largest piece of rolled omelet, and held it directly to Xiao Ya's mouth.

"Xiao Ya, help me taste this; did I put too much sugar?" Xiao Sizi said, blinking her eyes.

Xiao Ya opened her mouth and bit down.

A rich milky aroma spread in her mouth, so delicious that her eyes squinted shut.

"Not too sweet; I mean it's perfectly sweet, especially delicious."

"That's good," Xiao Sizi said, picking up another seaweed rice roll and handing it over.

"Let's swap; I want to try the pickled radish your grandma made."

Wang Zitao, sitting on the adjacent mat, leaned over.

This little chubby boy was still clutching a pack of imported wagyu beef jerky.

"Lin Mingda, I'll trade my beef jerky for your eggs; will you swap?"

Xiao Sizi hugged the bento box to her chest and pouted.

"No swap. My eggs have no preservatives, but your beef jerky has a label of ingredients so long that eating too much will make you stupid."

Wang Zitao hit a wall, muttered something, and backed away.

Several children sat under the trees, their mouths greasy, their laughter never ceasing.

After lunch, Teacher Li clapped her hands.

"Students, everyone quiet down."

She took out a stack of white cardstock and several sticks of glue from a reusable bag she carried.

"For today's nature observation assignment, everyone go nearby to collect fallen leaves of different shapes, then return to make an autumn leaf bookmark on the cardstock; use your imagination well."

The cardstock was distributed into everyone's hands.

"Dismissed!"

The moment the words fell, the children on the lawn suddenly cheered and scattered in all directions.

Xiao Sizi packed away the bento box containing the rice and ran toward a grove of red maples.

The wind blew straight from the front.

It lifted the hair on her forehead.

She ran very fast, swinging her arms back and forth with force.

After running several dozen meters, she finally stopped, propped her hands on her knees, and panted heavily.

A fine layer of sweat slowly seeped onto her forehead, and her back felt slightly warm.

In all her life, this was the first time she had felt the sheer joy of running full-out across the grass and breaking into a full-body sweat.