Chapter 359: Chapter 359 : First Day Of School (2)

The one who spoke was a girl with two big monkey ears and a furry tail that testified to his birth clan. Her name was Mo Lihua.

The boys stopped playing at once and stared at the girl in astonishment.

Scratching his head in confusion, Yu Weimin remarked, "But you are a girl. Girls do not play jianzi."

"I can play," Mo Lihua quickly said. "I really can. Please let me play with you."

All the boys were dumbfounded.

The silence that followed Mo Lihua’s words was shattered by a cascade of giggles emanating from a pack of girls huddled nearby.

When Xie Junjie raised his eyes and stared at them, the giggles abruptly died down.

"Why are you laughing?" Xie Junjie asked them with furrowed brows. The girls exchanged nervous looks with each other but they said nothing in response. They also did not dare to cast any glance in Xie Junjie’s direction. Or in Mo Lihua’s.

Instead, they were busy fidgeting with the few books and scrolls in their hands.

"Look, girls should hang out with girls," Yu Weimin told Mo Lihua as he gestured toward the group of girls. "It is not proper for girls to hang out with boys."

"B-but they..."

Mo Lihua cast an uncomfortable glance in the other girls’ direction. "They..."

When the boys looked at them again, the girls quickly fled from the playing ground.

"Hey, wait!" Yu Weimin cried out. "Seriously, you girls!"

Xie Junjie took the jianzi from Yu Weimin’s hands and handed it to Mo Lihua.

"If you really want to play with us, let’s play. No need to bother with the other girls."

Upon being allowed to play with them, Mo Lihua broke into a smile as bright as the sun.

While they were waiting for their families to pick them up, the boys and Mo Lihua set up a jianzi kicking competition.

"We will all kick in turn," Yu Weimin announced to his friends. "The one who kicks the longest will receive a reward from me!"

"Excuse me, what is the reward?" A curious boy raised his hand and asked.

"Win if you want to find out," Yu Weimin said while winking mischievously.

After Zhang Mingrui, it was Mo Lihua’s turn. She soon proved to be a formidable adversary. With a flick of her tail, she sent the jianzi soaring into the air, leaving everyone awestruck. The boys erupted in a thunderous chorus, "Go Mo Lihua! Don’t stop!"

Meanwhile, Zhang Mingrui, exhausted after a mere three minutes of jianzi kicking, collapsed beside his brother, his ragged breaths echoing his complaint, "So tired!"

Xie Junjie handed him a white towel, one of the items that Lady Song packed into their bags.

"Thanks, Junjie."

"She is the only monkey in the class," Xie Junjie remarked. "Is that why the girls shunned her?"

Zhang Mingrui nodded curtly before he replied in a low voice, "Daddy talked to Imperial Uncle about this matter some time ago, do you remember? He said, it has been five years since the monkey clan joined the Heavenly Empire, but some people still see them as outsiders."

Xie Junjie hummed.

Poor Mo Lihua. She was just a little girl who knew nothing about the political matters among the clans, but she had to suffer the consequences.

Mo Lihua was trying her best to impress the boys. She knew that first impression was everything. If she was good, the boys would invite her to play the next day, and the day after.

If she proved to be too girly or useless, then she would be shunned by the boys as well.

And because she was trying so hard, she accidentally kicked the jianzi too hard. The inverted shuttlecock flew in a high arch and disappeared into the distance.

"AH!"

The children cried out in disappointment.

Xie Junjie and Zhang Mingrui rose to their feet.

"It was my birthday present from my youngest aunt!" Yu Weimin cried out. "Please, everyone, we have to find it!"

"No worries, Weimin," Zhang Mingrui patted the little merboy on the shoulder. "We will find it. Everyone, spread."

The boys and Mo Lihua quickly scattered around the place to find the jianzi. Alas, it couldn’t be found anywhere.

Yu Weimin began to wail.

"Wahhhhhhhh~ my jianzi! Waaaaaaaahhhhh!!!"

Mo Lihua looked like she was about to cry herself.

This was all her fault.

She was the one who kicked the jianzi too hard.

Thanks to her, Yu Weimin lost his toy.

"I... I am so..." the little girl stammered, but she did not get to finish her words. An arm stretched in front of her chest, prompting her to stop speaking at once.

Xie Junjie stepped between Mo Lihua and Yu Weimin. Gallantly, he declared, "Yu Weimin, I will personally search the entire area for your jianzi. Please give me an entire day and night to do so. We will all play again tomorrow after class."

Yu Weimin’s whimpers suggested that he was unwilling to part from his favorite toy even for a second, let alone an entire day. Alas, said toy was out of sight. The little boy had no other choice but to agree to Xie Junjie’s request.

Xie Junjie then turned to look at his twin brother.

"Mingrui, it is faster if we search on top of our spiritual mounts. Can you call Xiao Xiao over? I will get Lei Zhen over as well."

Zhang Mingrui nodded fervently.

"Of course!"

Their hands, precise and nimble, danced through the air, weaving intricate patterns of shimmering light. As each stroke fell into place, the characters formed a summoning spell. With a flick of their wrists, the two boys sent the characters soaring across the sky.

Once he finished summoning his spiritual mount, Zhang Mingrui suddenly recalled something very important. A chilling echo of his father’s stern words this morning resonated in the depths of the young tiger’s mind.

Zhang Fengxi had been very clear with his warning, "Mingrui, Junjie, do not ride the mounts until Daddy teaches you how."

Zhang Mingrui swallowed hard and pressed his lips together nervously.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by Aunomay