Meng Yan's Transformation

With a heavy heart, Zhan Mengyan followed Principal Li into the office.

"Zhan Mengyan, please sit down and have some water."

Principal Li spoke in a gentle yet magnetic voice, and he poured a glass of water for Zhan Mengyan.

"No! No! No! I can stand, I... I'm not thirsty!"

As Zhan Mengyan spoke, she took the water glass and placed it on the desk, standing straight with her hands unconsciously gripping the hem of her clothes.

"Zhan Mengyan, I've read all the letters you wrote to me. Thank you for trusting me, the principal. If you encounter any difficulties in the future, you can come to me directly. I've also already spoken with the dormitory teacher, Ms. Zhu, and she will arrange accommodation for you as soon as possible. Our school currently has too few dormitories to meet the accommodation needs of all students who should be living on campus. I hope you can understand the school's difficulties. Next semester, the school will apply to the Education Bureau to build new student dormitories. Once the new dormitories are built, everything will be fine. Here! This is the letter of introduction for transferring your food ration. Please have your parents transfer your food ration to our school. You can order meals at the school cafeteria now; it only costs five yuan a month. However, you won't be ordering side dishes; if you only eat staple foods, your body will become malnourished in the long run."

As Principal Li spoke, he smiled and handed the letter of introduction to Zhan Mengyan, his eyes filled with care and concern.

Zhan Mengyan accepted the letter of introduction, too excited to speak.

Clutching the letter of introduction tightly, she bowed deeply to Principal Li: "Thank you! Thank you, Principal!..."

"Dong dong..."

The knocking on the door broke Zhan Mengyan's excitement.

"Please come in!"

Principal Li's gentle voice rang out once again.

A young teacher walked in through the door.

"Hello, Principal Li! I am Wu Yongkuan, the newly appointed secretary of the school's Youth League branch. I am here to report for duty!"

As Teacher Wu spoke, she glanced at Zhan Mengyan out of the corner of her eye.

"Hello, Ms. Wu, please have a seat!"

As Principal Li spoke, he reached out and shook hands with Wu Yongkuan, and then moved a chair for Mr. Wu.

"Principal Li, please go ahead with your business. Please wait a moment."

As Wu Yongkuan spoke, his eyes scanned Zhan Mengyan up and down.

"Hello, Ms. Wu! Thank you again, Principal Li! I'm going back to my class now."

When Zhan Mengyan spoke, she bowed to the two teachers in respect.

"Okay, Zhan Mengyan, you can go back to your class now."

As Principal Li spoke, he smiled and looked at Zhan Mengyan.

Wu Yongkuan smiled and nodded to Zhan Mengyan.

Zhan Mengyan left the principal's office, her heart filled with joy and excitement. Her hands trembled as she looked at the letter of introduction again and again. She couldn't quite believe it was real, so she pinched her face hard and only let go when she felt the pain.

Instantly, tears welled up in Zhan Mengyan's eyes, her gaze sparkling like starlight. An irrepressible smile played on her lips, her face radiating an uncontrollable glow, as if she were enveloped in a ray of happiness. All the beauty in the world seemed to converge at that moment. She felt as if a swarm of butterflies were fluttering in her chest, a light joy that made her almost fly. She felt weightless, as if carried by clouds of happiness, drifting towards the azure sky…

Zhan Mengyan walked briskly down the corridor, looking out the window. The sky was clear, and the bare, gray-black branches, like ink paintings, pierced the blue sky, like outstretched arms welcoming the unknown, gently touching the edge of the sky, telling the poem of the season, or like the blue sky lovingly embracing the lone tree. The encounter between tree and blue sky was the most tender scenery at this moment. A leaf danced merrily on a bare branch, like a fluttering sprite. The branches outlined simple lines in the sunlight, casting dappled shadows on the ground, and the distant floating kites added a dynamic beauty to the scene.