1858 Baoâer Enters Kindergarten
When they emerged from the mountain, it didnât seem as if anything had been affected by the events that occurred inside. The landscape was the same as it was before they entered.
Back in the base, Black Steel took Captain Wood to an airship where he could heal and recover.
The people in the base had lost their marks. Han Sen asked Little Angel and Zero what things were like after he left, and he was surprised to learn that a mark had appeared on every single person in the base other than Little Angel and Zero.
With the crisis having come to an end, the day-to-day routine of the base returned to normal. It had been a rough period of time, though, and the base had been dealt quite a blow. There were only a dozen Barons remaining, and one Viscount. They would need more manpower for the future, that much was certain.
Han Sen did not have the time to recruit right now, though. And at the moment, he was more concerned about how he might cook up and eat the small Sun Raven.
He tried cooking and grilling the bird, but the meat was like steel. It certainly wasnât edible in its current condition.
Han Sen took the Sun Raven back to the sanctuary and nothing happened. It was still not edible, so he decided to put it into storage for the moment.
âThis is Baoâerâs first day in kindergarten. We have to go and accompany her,â Ji Yanran said to Han Sen.
âSure. Aw, my cutey-pie is going to kindergarten!â Han Sen picked up Baoâer.
Baoâer had grown up a lot, and she looked like an average three-year-old now.
âDad, I want to stay with you! I donât want to go to school.â Baoâer looked troubled.
âIt will be hard for you to join me where I am right now. Itâs not a good place. When things get better, though, I will bring you with me. But for now, you should go to school,â Han Sen said, encouraging Baoâer.
They moved to be closer to the school. Littleflower had been kidnapped by Old Cat, so Ji Yanran was focusing her maternal efforts on Baoâer instead.
After the formalities were conducted, Baoâer was left to her own devices in the kindergarten. Han Sen and Ji Yanran did not go straight home, and instead, they walked around for a while.
âHan Sen, I miss Littleflower.â Ji Yanranâs voice was quiet.
âMe, too. All of this is because of that blasted Old Cat. But donât worry, Littleflower is fine there. Old Cat sent me some videos, remember?â Han Sen tried comforting her.
Once in a while, theyâd receive a new video of Littleflower. It must have been Old Cat who was sending them, but he never showed up himself.
âKnowing Littleflower is fine is okay and all, but I miss having him right next to me. Itâs like thereâs something missing in me, when heâs not here.â Ji Yanran was still sad.
âI will bring Littleflower home and skin that Old Cat, as soon as I am able to.â Han Sen gritted his teeth as he spoke.
Han Sen changed his tone and said, âHow about we make a little Littleflower? When Littleflower comes back, heâll have a sibling. How about we make a few, so this place is more crowded?â
âI donât want that many. I am not a breeding pig.â Ji Yanran looked very angry.
âWhere did I find such a beautiful pig?â Han Sen laughed and picked her up.
âWhat are you doing? Weâre out in public.â Ji Yanran growled.
âYou are my wife. I can hug you, canât I? I donât care what others think of us.â
In the kindergarten, Baoâer was sitting on a small chair. She held her jaw, looking miserable and bored.
âBaoâer, why arenât you playing with your classmates? Are you sick?â A woman teacher crouched down next to her and stroked her head as she spoke.
âI donât like those games. They are boring.â Baoâer blinked.
âHow about I teach you how to sing?â the teacher asked.
âWhat song?â Baoâer asked the teacher.
The teacher clapped her hands and acted all cute. She said, âFollow along with what I sing! I picked up a coin on the road...â
âTeacher, how old are you?â Baoâer asked, looking at her.
âTwenty-four. What about it?â The teacher looked at Baoâer strangely, unsure why she had been asked that question. âYou are so old, and yet you act cute and sing stupid songs. Poor you.â Baoâer sighed.
The teacherâs face twitched, as she was taken aback. She held back the urge to smack Baoâer on the head, and simply said, âI... am still young. Haha!â
âTwenty-four is very old. Women like you are prone to say they are two years younger than they actually are, too. So, you are at least twenty-five. Perhaps almost thirty. I suppose you still donât even have a boyfriend yet. That is so sad. You donât have a boyfriend at that age, and you have to act all cute in the kindergarten. When youâre off work, I bet you go shopping to buy pointless things and make yourself feel better about yourself.â Baoâer looked straight at her, and went on to say, âBut on top of that, your wages are probably low. I am afraid you can only buy knock-off products. If you went to a decent brand store, you could probably only afford the cheapest items, and ask for the biggest box and bag to carry it around on the streets, trying to prove to others that you exist.â
âThis d*mn kid!â The teacherâs face went dark, and her face twitched repeatedly. She forced a smile. âIt is... not... like... that...â
The saddest thing was that Baoâer was correct. And it made her feel extremely sad.
âTeacher, I think you are very good at gambling,â Baoâer said.
âNo, gambling is bad! Why would I do that? Haha...â The teacherâs face twitched, and her smile was terribly forced.
âYour appearance is fair enough, but I bet at home, all you do is smoke and play mahjong. I bet the place is a dirty pigsty, too. Clothes scattered everywhere, with dirty plates molding in the sink for days.â Baoâer kept on talking.
âThis d*mn kid! D*mn kid!â The teacher felt as if she was about to go insane with rage.
Baoâerâs eyes glanced at the woman, her eyes as thin and conniving as a con artistâs. Before the teacher ran off, Baoâer opened a bag and pulled out a box.
âTeacher, do you know what this is?â Baoâer shook the box.
âThis... this... is the legendary lipstick, number twenty-nine from Planet Doris! How could you have it?â The female teacherâs eyes widened as she looked at it in amazement.
âYou cannot afford it, but you can tell whether it is real or fake, right?â Baoâer threw it at her.
The teacher caught it and looked at it as if it was a million-dollar antique.
âItâs real!â The teacher opened it with shiny eyes.
âTeacher, how about we gamble? If you lose, give me ten dollars. If I lose, I give you this lipstick.â Baoâer pulled out a pair of dice and smiled.
âI canât...â The teacher receded into thought.
âNever mind, then. I donât like this lipstick, and it is a waste. Now I have to keep on holding it.â Baoâer sighed, and motioned for the teacher to give it back.
âHang on.â The teacher picked Baoâer up and carried her swiftly to a storage room. She looked around like a burglar, then closed the door.
One hour later, the storage room was filled with the sound of crying. A voice was heard, saying, âLeave me those ten dollars, please! Or at least leave me enough for a meal! I need it for the next two weeks!â