Chapter 1626: Top School

Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

On Monday, Li Du drove to Fountain Valley Christian School. There were more than one hundred children seated in the school buses, waiting to set off. Victoria and Ivana were amongst them.

The principal of the school, Kaden, shook his hand and said warmly, “Hello, Mister Li. I’ve heard a lot about you. We will leave this event in your hands. If there’s anything that you need our support with, please don’t stand on ceremony.”

Li Du smiled. “Don’t worry, I won’t. However, there will not be many areas where I need your support. Mainly, it will be for maintaining order. I’m not too good at dealing with children.”

Saying that, he stopped and waved towards the buses. “Hi, little angels! Good afternoon, everyone.”

“Good afternoon, Uncle!” The bunch of children put out their heads through the windows and giggled. They looked like a flock of little birds looking out of their nests to look for food.

Principal Kaden quickly pointed at the teachers behind him, “Take care of the safety of the children, get them back into the bus and do not let them put out their head or hands.”

The American schools had their own rules. The school had been quite polite to him, the guest. After the principal exchanged some niceties with him, he brought Li Du to the school compound and gave him a tour of the place.

Li Du heard him but was a little distracted. He pointed at the school buses and said, “The children are all ready, shall we set off now?”

Principal Kaden smiled. “Don’t worry, let them wait a while on the bus.”

Li Du didn’t know what to say.

He did not want the children waiting!

However, in the spring, it was not too cold or hot staying on the bus. The children would not feel uncomfortable.

After entering the school compound, Li Du saw a bunch of children looking out of a classroom. They were watching the school bus at the school gate, looking pitiful.

Looking at them, Li Du asked, “Hmm, what happened to those children? Aren’t they going to join in the activity?”

Principal Kaden sighed lightly and said, “These children have some psychological problems, they typically do not join in the extra activities. They stay in school for classes.”

Fountain Valley Christian School had a long history precisely because it used to be a nursery for children with psychological problems.

A century and a half ago, children’s psychology had not yet been widely studied. Children with mental illness were often regarded as being possessed by the devil or seduced by evil spirits. They were then sent to the church to deal with it.

The pastors and nuns who truly dedicated themselves to theology and God were good people with a sense of responsibility. They were trying to find ways to guard those children. They were the earliest teachers in Fountain Valley Church.

Children’s psychology was an important part of children’s education. The priests of the Fountain Valley Church were among the earliest researchers, so they performed well in the education of young children.

Later, as the study of psychology became more developed, Fountain Valley Church became Fountain Valley Christian School. It became one of the top primary schools in Los Angeles.

The school did not forget its roots. After becoming more popular, it maintained its founding principles. They accepted many children who had learning or psychological problems. Through proper education, they tried to help the children.

However, due to constraints of resources, the focal point of their education slowly moved towards that for regular children. After all, it was a good school. There were rich people who were willing to send their children there to receive an education.

Slowly, Fountain Valley Christian School started to take in fewer children with problems. Out of those whom they accepted, many now had less severe conditions. All those children with more serious symptoms were rejected.

Ivana, too, had a psychological problem. That was also the reason why they had sent her to that school. Her condition was not very serious. Soon, it was brought under control and she was able to move to a normal class.

Looking at those children who were peering from behind the windows, Li Du felt wretched. He asked Kaden, “Principal, is this psychological condition of theirs very serious? I feel that attending an outdoor activity might help with their recovery.”

Kaden said, “Based on our professional experience as teachers, they will not hurt the society or their peers. It’s just that they might be a little autistic or ill-tempered. However, you are the in-charge of this activity. According to the law in our county, for these children to join in the activity, it would require your permission.”

Looking at the smile of the principal, it was only then that Li Du came to the realization. It was no wonder that the principal had brought him around the school compound. It was on purpose for him to see those children.

Li Du said, “I feel that there will not be any problems bringing them along. Besides, I’ve also brought along some of my pets. They are very obedient. I believe that they will be able to get along with the children and be helpful for their recovery.”

The two of them had already sorted that out. As Ah Meow and the rest were famous, the people at the school were already familiar with them. The children also liked the furry, cute animals. In the course of helping the children recover, it was helpful for them to interact with some friendly animals.

Previously, when Kaden got in touch with Li Du, he had beat around the bush before talking about Ah Meow and the animals. He had hoped that Li Du would bring them along.

Li Du had thought that perhaps the focal point of the activity would not be the warehouse auction, but the children’s interaction with those famous animals.

There were not many students in the special needs class, only about a dozen, and they took one of the refurbished school buses as a group by themselves.

Li Du brought the most mildly tempered Ah Bai and Crispy Noodles up on the bus. Seeing them, the children stared.

Ah Meow had been sent to Victoria’s bus. Once it got onto the bus and saw that there were so many children, it felt that something was wrong and turned around, wanting to return.

Victoria quickly extended her arm to hold onto the big cat. She called out, “Hey, Ah Meow, I’m here, where are you going?”

After keeping a grip on Ah Meow, she showed off to the people around her, “This is Ah Meow, my good friend. If the weather is cold, I would hug it at home. It is my portable heater.”

“Let me touch it! I like Ah Meow, I’m a fan.”

“Let me see, let me see, this tiger cat is too beautiful, I like it very much.”

“Let’s take a selfie, I want to show to my mom and dad…”

Ah Meow let out a loud Meowww!

The bunch of children elbowed one another to take a look, like vampires who spotted a human. Ah Meow quickly disappeared into a bunch of hands and legs.

Li Du drove, leading the way for the buses. The few cars and three big school buses drove towards Los Angeles. There was a small-scale warehouse company holding a warehouse auction that day.

Li Du had contacted the warehouse company. The warehouse company had prepared some snacks and fruits for the children. The owner of the company also had children and had intentions to build a close relationship with Fountain Valley Christian School. Hence, he had a very positive and welcoming attitude towards the activity.

The rest of the treasure hunters did not know that there would be such an activity. They were all standing by the door. At the end, when the auction was about to start, the school bus drove over and batches of children hopped down from the bus.

Seeing that, the treasure hunters were shocked. “What’s going on?”

After the children alighted from the bus, the teachers organized them into smaller groups. Li Du held a loud hailer and started to give instructions for the auction, “For this auction, we will proceed in small groups. Everyone, please queue up in front of your young leaders. Then, I will tell you guys about what will happen next…”