"Because it's ugly." Amy said matter-of-factly, adding, "And it hatched from an egg. I've never seen such an ugly duckling."
"Hatched from an egg? If it's a duckling, it's really ugly!"
"Yes, a duckling that looks like a kitten. It's so strange. No wonder its color is different from a regular kitten. But it's so cutely ugly."
After hearing Amy's words, the children easily accepted the premise that the Ugly Duckling really was an ugly duckling. As a duck, looking like a kitten was indeed ugly, but it also looked quite cute.
"Meow!" The Ugly Duckling weakly protested, even though it was so adorable!
Luna looked at the Ugly Duckling in Amy's arms and also thought it was so fluffy and cute. She really wanted to take it and hug it. Of course, she didn't believe Amy's claim that it would turn into a white swan. It seemed that Mai Ge was wrong.
"Today I want to sing a song for Teacher Luna and everyone…" Amy's confidence soared after receiving everyone's approval. She glanced at Mai Ge, who was smiling outside the window, and continued, "It's called 'A Little Girl Picking Mushrooms'".
"This girl clearly can't do anything." Ignaz muttered, but after being glared at by Daphne, he obediently shut his mouth, though he still didn't believe Amy could sing anything good.
"Hmm, Teacher is looking forward to it." Luna said with a smile.
"A little girl picking mushrooms, carrying a big bamboo basket…" Amy, holding the Ugly Duckling, began to sing earnestly.
A soft voice sang a lighthearted song, instantly captivating the children. It was like an arrow striking the softest spot in their hearts, and smiles involuntarily spread across their faces.
"My daughter is truly the best." Mai Ge thought, looking at the children in the classroom, mesmerized by the song. Looking at Amy, he felt a surge of pride. This was the first time he'd heard Amy sing the song completely. Even without accompaniment, Amy's soft, sweet voice was still beautiful, even better than when played through a music box.
"That sounds wonderful!" Ignaz's eyes widened, and the green bean sprout on his head swayed from side to side, looking very happy.
"Amy is amazing!" Daphne exclaimed, resting her chin on her hands, completely smitten.
The other children had similar expressions, initially surprised by Amy's sudden talent, then slowly turning to envy and admiration. She was truly incredible.
"What a lovely nursery rhyme! But why have I never heard this song before? Is it a nursery rhyme from somewhere? Did he teach Amy to sing it?" Luna was also quite surprised. She had thought Amy would sing the nursery rhymes she had taught her before, but she didn't expect Amy to sing a nursery rhyme she had never heard before. She couldn't help but glance at Mai Ge outside the window. Could it be that he also taught Amy to sing this song?
After finishing her song, Amy looked at the students below the podium with a mix of embarrassment and anticipation, unsure whether she had sung well or not.
"Great!" Ignaz was the first to applaud, followed by waves of applause and praise from the classroom.
Amy's face lit up with a bright smile. This was the first time she had received so much recognition, especially from her peers—a feeling she had never experienced before.
"Yes, I also think Amy sang very well. Thank you for bringing us such a beautiful song." Luna said with a smile and a nod.
"You're welcome." Amy nodded happily, then looked back at the problem on the blackboard. After a moment's hesitation, she looked at Luna and said, "Teacher Luna, I know how to solve this problem."
"Hmm?" Luna was taken aback. She looked at the 7x8 calculation problem on the blackboard. This was a problem they had only learned today, the algorithm was somewhat complex. Only a few students with good math skills had figured it out, and most of the students still couldn't do it. Amy hadn't been to class for days, how could she possibly solve this problem?
"You definitely can't do it. This question is a bit difficult. Only I can do it." said a little boy in the first row wearing a blue and white shirt, his little face full of pride.
"I think it's very simple." Amy said seriously, glancing at the boy.
"How could that be! Then you do it for me first!" The boy retorted defiantly. Few of his classmates could solve this problem, and Amy was saying it was easy? He didn't believe it.
The other children had similar expressions, thinking Amy couldn't possibly solve it. Only math geniuses like Ms. Luna and Palmer could do such a problem.
Mai Ge watched the sudden argument, a little surprised and wanting to laugh. But for Amy, who had already memorized the multiplication tables, this level of multiplication was incredibly easy.
It was time to let them experience the fear of being dominated by the multiplication tables.
Ms. Luna wanted to ease the tension and move on, after all, Amy had only just become confident, and it wouldn't be good if she lost confidence again because of this.
"The answer is 56." Amy said calmly, looking at Palmer.
"Is it really 56?" The children were all puzzled. Teacher Luna hadn't finished explaining how to calculate it, so they didn't know the answer and could only look at Teacher Luna and Palmer.
"You...you...how did you know!" Palmer suddenly stood up, staring at Amy, then at the answer written in his notebook, his face full of disbelief.
"I calculated it." Amy nodded slightly.
"The answer is 56." Teacher Luna was no less shocked than the students. She knew Amy's learning progress better than anyone, she definitely hadn't reached this level of algorithmic thinking yet. But now, without paper and pen, she had given the correct answer so directly. Teacher Luna couldn't help but wonder if Mai Ge had told Amy the answer outside the classroom.
"You got it right! Amy is so amazing!" Daphne laughed happily.
Ignaz, sitting behind, looked at Amy strangely, as if he was meeting her for the first time. How had she suddenly become as amazing as Palmer?
With Teacher Luna's approval, the students' gazes towards Amy changed instantly. A problem that no one else could solve, Amy had answered with just a glance—wasn't she even better than Palmer?
"I don't believe it. She must have just gotten the answer by luck. Ms. Luna, please give us five more questions so we can have a competition to see who can solve them first!" Palmer felt his throne as the number one math genius was threatened and pleaded with Luna.
"I agree." Amy said coldly.
Luna, who had initially intended to gloss over the matter, glanced at Mai Ge, who also appeared quite calm outside the window, hesitated for a moment, then nodded and wrote five multiplication problems on the blackboard.