Make Her Heart Flutter - Chapter 15

“Hello, Teacher Jiangzi~” the little munchkins chimed in again.

Jiang Qi: “…”

Chi Shuang glanced at her with an amused expression. “It’s Teacher Jiang.”

The children made confused “Huh?” sounds, seemingly not quite understanding.

Jiang Qi lowered her gaze, the curve at the corner of her eyes particularly lovely. Her fair skin and thin eyelids faintly revealed light blue veins beneath.

She appeared unusually well-behaved and obedient at this moment, with only her slightly reddened earlobes betraying her embarrassment.

Though not fully comprehending, the children obediently chorused: “Hello, Teacher Jiang~”

“Do you know what we’re going to do in this class?” Chi Shuang gently prompted with a warm smile.

The children looked at each other, then shook their heads. A slightly chubby boy raised his hand: “Teacher, is it tug-of-war?”

Chi Shuang shook her head. “Not quite.”

A girl with pigtails raised her hand: “Teacher Jiang, could you give us a hint?”

Jiang Qi, who had been playing the role of a silent, motionless wooden figure for several minutes, finally snapped back to reality. She pressed her lips apologetically and softened her voice as much as possible: “It involves balls.”

However, Jiang Qi’s version of “soft” wasn’t what most people would consider soft. Immediately, a girl with a ponytail timidly tugged at the girl beside her and whispered: “Does Teacher Jiang not like us? She seems so fierce.”

Jiang Qi felt like she’d taken ten thousand points of damage. Chi Shuang gave her a sympathetic look.

The timid comment was quickly drowned out by other voices. The most enthusiastic girl with pigtails raised her hand: “Table tennis?”

“We don’t have a table tennis table!” someone immediately objected.

“Is it badminton then?” another asked.

Chi Shuang shook her head. “No, here’s another hint, it’s round.”

“I know! Is it soccer?” the chubby boy spoke up again.

Chi Shuang smiled. “Very close!”

The pigtailed girl happily jumped up with her hand raised: “I know, I know! It’s basketball! Right, Teacher Jiang?”

Having just been “wounded” by the ponytailed girl’s comment, Jiang Qi’s eyes lit up when she heard a little munchkin sweetly calling her “Teacher Jiang.”

Jiang Qi glanced at Chi Shuang and received an encouraging look in return.

She produced the basketball from behind her back: “Yes, today we’re going to play with basketball… oh~”

To appear more approachable, Jiang Qi deliberately added a particle at the end.

Chi Shuang cleared her throat lightly and covered her mouth, quickly scanning the group: “Now everyone, let’s divide into five groups of five!”

Jiang Qi was skilled at sports and familiar with various ball games, especially since the kindergarten basketball hoop only reached her shoulders.

Dribbling the ball, she approached the basket and, from about five meters away, gently flicked her wrist.

The ball spun twice around the rim before dropping through the net.

Children’s worlds are simple – though the ponytailed girl had thought the new Teacher Jiang seemed fierce earlier, that didn’t stop her from now thinking Teacher Jiang was amazing.

Most of the children’s mouths formed little “o”s of amazement. Jiang Qi narrowed her eyes, her inner pride practically visible.

Though there had been some minor incidents at the beginning, everything had gone quite smoothly overall.

Near the end of the session, the little girl with pigtails accidentally fell to her knees while dribbling the ball. The unfinished concrete ground was rough, and the child’s delicate skin immediately showed traces of blood.

Chi Shuang and Jiang Qi immediately stopped teaching the other children and hurried over to help her up.

The other children quickly gathered around as well. Chi Shuang half-crouched, letting the pigtailed girl sit on her lap while carefully examining the wound. “Xiao Qi, could you please go to the classroom and get the iodine and cotton swabs?”

Jiang Qi nodded and hurried toward the classroom in quick strides.

“Lili, are you okay? Does it hurt?” the children clamored, asking the pigtailed girl if she was in pain. Though tears welled up in her eyes, the girl stubbornly held back her sobs, pursed her lips, and shook her head.

“It’s okay, it’s okay. If it hurts, you can say so,” Chi Shuang said, gently ruffling her hair.

Chi Shuang had noticed this little girl named Lili a long time ago, she was both cheerful and considerate.

While the other children were somewhat afraid of the stern and serious Jiang Qi and didn’t dare speak to her, only Lili would always make sure to include Jiang Qi in the conversation.

Perhaps she had sensed Jiang Qi’s awkwardness.

Although Chi Shuang’s impression of Jiang Qi remained quite negative, Lili’s kindness toward Jiang Qi still moved her deeply.

Yan Xu, hearing the commotion, came over and, after learning what had happened, led the other children back to the classroom.

Jiang Qi rushed over with the first aid kit. Chi Shuang took out the disinfectant alcohol and cotton swabs, asking softly, “Is this okay? It might hurt a little, Lili.”

Lili shook her head. “It’s fine, I’m not afraid.”

Even as she said this, when the alcohol touched her skin, Lili instinctively flinched and pulled her foot back.

“We need to clean out the tiny bits of gravel from the wound first, or it might get infected. Be brave, sweetie,” Chi Shuang comforted her gently.

Jiang Qi watched as Chi Shuang, with downcast eyes, half-crouched to clean Lili’s wound, and her heart began to race again.

Where did this little angel come from? Oh my, Grandma, I think I’m really falling in love!

Before Jiang Qi could drift off into her thoughts, she heard Chi Shuang’s voice: “Don’t just stand there. Iodine and band-aids.”

“Ah… right.” Jiang Qi quickly handed over the items.

After applying the band-aid, Chi Shuang lifted Lili off the chair. “Try walking a bit. Can you manage?”

Lili took a couple of slow steps, then blinked her teary eyes. “Thank you, Teacher Chi and Teacher Jiang. It doesn’t hurt much anymore.”

Only then did Chi Shuang breathe a sigh of relief, patting Lili’s shoulder. “Go back to the classroom then. Another teacher will be showing a movie in the next class. Remember to avoid strenuous activities while resting at home tomorrow.”

As Chi Shuang gave her careful reminders, Jiang Qi also crouched down to speak to Lili. “Thank you for talking to me today, Lili.”

Hearing this, Lili’s face flushed bright red. “Oh!”

She felt a little embarrassed, not understanding how the teacher had figured out what was on her mind.

Seeing Lili’s shy expression, even the usually stern Miss Jiang curled her lips into a smile. “Go on back. The movie will start soon. Don’t miss it.”

With that, Lili ran inside, waving back at Chi Shuang and Jiang Qi from the doorway.

As soon as the little girl’s figure disappeared into the classroom, Chi Shuang teased Jiang Qi, “So? Do you want a daughter as adorable as her too?”

Hearing this, Jiang Qi was momentarily stunned, then genuinely began to ponder the feasibility of the idea.

If it were a daughter, that would be even better. Her skin would surely be fair, her eyes large like grapes, bright, clever, gentle, and adorable, just like Chi Shuang.

Just like… Chi Shuang?