"What skill?" Tang Tang craned her neck from the side and asked.
Afraid of neglecting Tang Tang, Little July quickly ran up to her and took Tang Tang's hand with her chubby little one. "I can fold balloons now too!"
"Really?" Tang Tang and Huang Xiaoli exclaimed simultaneously. They glanced at each other and were both amused by this annoying yet endearing moment of synchronicity.
The surrounding kids also laughed, and the air was filled with a happy atmosphere.
True to form, July held one hand in each of her chubby ones—Huang Xiaoli on the left and Tang Tang on the right—and led the two big sisters to show off her new skill.
The teacher, who had long since given up trying to corral these little rascals, sighed helplessly. After putting down the textbook, she said, "Alright, I'll let you play for an hour. After that, everyone come back here obediently and don't run around."
The little rascals were like wild horses breaking free from their reins and didn't even bother to reply to the teacher.
The teacher raised her voice. "Do you all remember?"
"Remembered!" came a chorus of full - throated replies. Hu Zi and his friends were the loudest.
When the teacher checked the time and probably had something of her own to attend to, she left for a while. The moment she stepped out of the classroom, it erupted in cheers.
Little July took out a balloon seriously and puffed with all her might. But after more than a dozen seconds, her face was red as a beet, and the balloon still didn't inflate.
Oops, a slip - up...
A blush crept onto July's face.
Seeing July struggling, Tang Tang kindly picked up the balloon and blew it up in one go.
Wow~
July gasped and clapped beside her.
Surprised? I can do this too! Tang Tang thought as she glanced at the stunned Huang Xiaoli.
This was a skill Old Tang had taught her when she was a kid. She didn't show it off to just anyone.
Thinking like this, Tang Tang deftly folded the balloon left and right. Before long, a cute little dog took shape.
Seeing the kids' star - struck looks of admiration, Tang Tang felt secretly thrilled. This trick always worked.
Huang Xiaoli beside her was so shocked that her jaw almost dropped.
This girl had even kept this from her!
"You're not being fair," Huang Xiaoli pouted.
Tang Tang shook her head and explained with a smile, "I only do this because we're at the orphanage. Do you need it or does Brother Zuo Mu need it?"
Thinking about it, Huang Xiaoli wasn't angry anymore.
The real reason she was mad was that Tang Tang had kept this from her, but it turned out there just hadn't been a chance to mention it.
As they were chatting and laughing, Teacher Wang strode into the classroom with a spring in her step.
Although she looked a bit haggard after a few days' absence, her spirits were still high.
Teacher Wang greeted them with a kind smile. "The kids are here."
"Teacher Wang," Tang Tang and the others greeted her in unison.
"Due to special circumstances these days, the roads are a bit chaotic. The traffic police specifically told us not to let the kids go out casually. So just have fun in the orphanage and don't go out. It's not safe." Teacher Wang cautioned.
Huang Xiaoli and the others were naturally curious. A boy stood up and asked, "Where's the notice? When we came here, uh..." He couldn't continue. His face scrunched up as he looked at the culprit—Tang Tang.
"Oops, sorry!" Tang Tang looked at her casual shoes that were firmly stepping on the boy's shoes and feigned sudden realization.
Her expression was so apologetic that the people around gave her understanding looks. There was even a hint of pity as if to say, "This girl has such poor eyesight."
While everyone was immersed in this strange atmosphere, Teacher Wang and Tang Tang exchanged a cryptic look, and Tang Tang understood it immediately.
It seemed that they were really going to great lengths to protect the kids from being targeted by criminals.
Tang Tang and Teacher Wang understood each other without words. You could never be too careful with such ruthless criminals.
Teacher Wang might as well have strung the kids together with a rope and tied them to her hand.
Huang Xiaoli looked at Tang Tang, a look of confusion on her face.
Something's off.
She knew Tang Tang well. That step on the boy's foot was clearly intentional, to stop him from talking.
Could there be a secret in this orphanage? Huang Xiaoli's suspicion grew.
This suspicion lingered until the end.
Tang Tang didn't seem to notice and continued to play happily with the kids. Seeing Huang Xiaoli standing there frowning, she quickly called out to her. "What are you standing there for, Huang Xiaoli? Come on quickly. I can't handle all these little devils by myself."
The kids were like little angels when they were quiet but could be quite a handful when they got rowdy.
Huang Xiaoli looked at the kids and still approached hesitantly.
Forget it. I'll ask about it after everything is over.
She guessed in her heart that something bad must have happened here. Otherwise, Tang Tang and the teacher wouldn't be so cautious.
It had to be said that Huang Xiaoli was quite smart, as she had guessed most of the story.
However, she was about to learn the truth.
Playing with the kids whole - heartedly wasn't an easy task, at least not for Huang Xiaoli. After playing with them for a while, she was out of breath and had long forgotten about the questions she wanted to ask.
However, the seemingly peaceful orphanage was thrown into turmoil again by a phone call.
"Ah!!!"
Tang Tang and the others were playing happily with the kids when a terrified scream suddenly came from the next room.
It was an intern who had just graduated and started working at the orphanage not long ago. She was inexperienced when she first came. In other words, this incident had nothing to do with her.
However, this was clearly an act by the criminal to cause widespread social panic. As insiders, Tang Tang and Teacher Wang naturally scoffed at the idea of being the messengers.
What on earth was going on? What did this person want?
Tang Tang rushed out quickly and found that Teacher Wang had beaten her to it and was already investigating the scene.
"What happened?" Tang Tang and the others quickly entered and saw the phone still lying on the table. The female teacher was huddled in the corner in terror. The empty classroom immediately caught everyone's attention.
The classroom was in a complete mess.
The teacher was hiding under the table in a panic, staying as far away from the phone as possible. As for the poor child, Tang Tang and the others had been trying to calm him down for a long time, but he was still shivering.
Tang Tang stepped forward and recognized the child. It was Hao Hao, the one who had received the note.
True to his name, Hao Hao had a kind and innocent face. Whether in class or during breaks, his lively and active nature made him very popular among the kids.
In the teachers' eyes, he was a good and obedient student. No wonder the criminal had targeted him.
It was almost certain that the criminal was very selective. The kids were all the well - behaved and good ones in the traditional sense.
Why was the criminal doing this? Tang Tang felt a twinge of fear.