https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-126-There-Are-No-Perfect-Parents/12576412/
Chapter 127: Finding a Tutor
Chapter 127: Finding a Tutor
On the second day of the Lunar New Year, Lu Hongjun arrived bearing mutton, shrimp, and fruit—all of which were Lu Jiaxin's favorite delicacies.
Qian Xiao Xiao efficiently took the items, not wanting to give that fox spirit and her daughter any advantage: "Every time Sister Jiaxin sees you, her mood takes a turn. She's not in the best of health, and the doctor has advised her to maintain a positive state of mind. If you truly care about her, you shouldn't be causing her any distress."
Although she had threatened to beat Lu Hongjun up before, it had only been an empty threat. She had been criticized for beating that man up in the past, and he hadn't even been her father! Since she had no intention of getting married anyway, she didn't care what others thought. Sister Jiaxin's reputation and social standing were still important to her.
Lu Hongjun felt aggrieved but held his tongue: "Let her come out. I have something to tell her."
Qian Xiao Xiao would never allow him to bother Lu Jiaxin: "You can tell me, and I'll pass the message on to Sister Jiaxin when she comes out."
Lu Hongjun was frustrated but finally spoke: "The tutor I found for her will be here the day after tomorrow. The student's name is Deng Yan, a sophomore at the Foreign Language Institute, and his English pronunciation is very standard."
"Oh," Qian Xiao Xiao replied, "Noted. If there's nothing else, you should head back now. You're not welcome here."
There were benefits to being bold. Someone like Xue Mao would never dare speak to Lu Hongjun like that, and Xiao Qiu was even less likely to do so. But Qian Xiao Xiao feared no one. Lu Jiaxin was her provider, and she only heeded her wishes, disregarding everyone else.
Lu Hongjun left with a dark expression.
After sending him away, Qian Xiao Xiao opened the bags: "Wow, what a huge leg of lamb, and so many shrimp! Xue Mao, we're having braised shrimp and mutton stewed with potatoes for lunch today."
Meat was Qian Xiao Xiao's weakness, so she couldn't understand why Lu Jiaxin didn't eat chicken or duck legs. As for fruit, she could take it or leave it. Conversely, Lu Jiaxin couldn't do without her daily fruit fix, even if it meant going without meat. So, when Xue Mao went shopping for groceries, he bought fruit regardless of the cost, knowing it was only for Lu Jiaxin. These days, with transportation being a challenge, fruit prices were exorbitant, and they couldn't afford to indulge.
Xue Mao, understanding Lu Jiaxin's temperament, suggested: "We should still ask Sister Jiaxin if she wants these. If she doesn't, we should send them back."
"We're not going to refuse gifts delivered to our door. Sister Jiaxin wouldn't do something so foolish," Qian Xiao Xiao replied.
Lu Jiaxin looked at the offerings and didn't send them back, but she also didn't want to keep them: "Xue Mao, take these to my brother's place."
Qian Xiao Xiao hesitated, reluctant to part with so much meat. But she knew Lu Jiaxin's temperament, and no matter how much it pained her, she didn't dare to object.
After Xue Mao left, Qian Xiao Xiao apologized: "Sister Jiaxin, I'm sorry. I should have asked you before accepting these things."
Lu Jiaxin smiled and said, "I heard every word of your conversation clearly from inside the room. It's fine. From now on, accept whatever he sends, and then send it to my brother's place afterward."
Qian Xiao Xiao nodded.
On the eighth day of the new year, the tutor Lu Hongjun had arranged arrived. When Qian Xiao Xiao opened the door and saw him, she was taken aback: "Wh-who are you looking for?"
"Is this Lu Jiaxin's residence? I'm Deng Yan, the tutor invited by Lu's father," the young man introduced himself.
Upon hearing this, Qian Xiao Xiao immediately invited him into the main room and called out to Lu Jiaxin, who was reading in her room: "Sister Jiaxin, this is Deng Yan."
Lu Jiaxin was astonished to hear her speaking so softly, but when she saw Deng Yan, she understood why. This young man had fair skin and delicate features, accentuated by a pair of black-framed glasses. In any era, gentle and refined boys like him were well-liked. In about thirty years, they would be called 'little fresh meat'.
Deng Yan extended his hand and said with a smile, "Nice to meet you, Lu Jiaxin. I'm Deng Yan, and I hope we can get along well in the coming year."
As he spoke, he revealed a set of perfect white teeth, easily endearing himself to others. Qian Xiao Xiao, for one, was already smitten.
Lu Jiaxin didn't shake his hand, as the custom of greeting with a handshake wasn't yet popular: "Hello, I am Lu Jiaxin. Please provide more guidance in the future."
Deng Yan was surprised and replied in English: "Your English is very good, Lu Jiaxin. Why do you need a tutor?"
His pronunciation was impeccable, his expression was fluent, his pace was moderate, his vocabulary was apt, and there were no grammatical errors. With such a level of proficiency, there was no need for a tutor!
Lu Jiaxin continued in English: "My grammar is not good. I need to strengthen it."
Deng Yan responded in English as well, assuring her that he would specifically help her with her grammar.
The two continued their conversation in English, leaving Qian Xiao Xiao, who couldn't understand a word, feeling dazzled. Though the young man was handsome, she found the conversation boring, so she excused herself to find Xue Mao and chat.
Deng Yan's primary purpose for this visit was to assess Lu Jiaxin's current level and then tailor a study plan accordingly.
Lu Jiaxin said, "Deng Yan, I need an English teacher who can come every day to teach me, as well as a math teacher who can teach entirely in English. Do you have any recommendations? Don't worry, I will offer you satisfactory compensation."
Deng Yan, confident in his abilities, was puzzled: "Your English is already very good. With your grammar skills, achieving a high score shouldn't be a problem. Why do you need a teacher who teaches entirely in English?"
Lu Jiaxin didn't explain, only reiterating: "If you know anyone who meets these criteria, I hope you can introduce them to me. As long as they meet the requirements, the cost is not an issue."
Being a student himself, Deng Yan couldn't come every day to teach her: "I will ask around for you."
After tutoring for two hours, Deng Yan left. Since they would be switching to a new tutor, they paid him for his time—five yuan per hour. English speakers were rare, and those with fluent conversational skills, like Deng Yan, were even scarcer, hence the higher price.
Xue Mao curiously asked, "Sis, how come your English has suddenly improved so much?"
He didn't understand this foreign language, but Lu Jiaxin, who had been stumbling over her words while following along with a tape recorder, was now incredibly fluent, and the university student who had come with her was equally adept.
Lu Jiaxin glanced at him and replied, "From September till now, I've been spending three to four hours every day studying English. Do you think all that time was wasted?"
Xue Mao chuckled. "I just think it's amazing, Sis. Your English is so good now; you really don't need a tutor anymore."
"My conversational English is alright, but I need to strengthen my grammar if I want to get a high score," Lu Jiaxin explained.
As someone who wouldn't even consider stepping foot into a night school, Xue Mao felt that her English was good enough. However, Lu Jiaxin had her sights set on university, which was different from his plans. "Sis, if you study hard, you can aim for Hua University or Jing University."
Lu Jiaxin's previous goal had been Zhongda University, but now that she intended to go to Hong Kong, she would naturally want to attend a university there. Her ambition was to get into the University of Hong Kong's School of Business, but given the differences in teaching styles, she wasn't sure if she could get in.
Deng Yan worked quickly. On the 13th day of the new year, he brought two people to meet Lu Jiaxin. One was Mr. Wu, who looked to be in his fifties and had previously been an English teacher at a university but had refused to return to teaching after being wrongfully accused. The other was Ms. Zhou, a mathematics teacher at Hua University's affiliated middle school in her forties. Both spoke impeccable British English, which perfectly met Lu Jiaxin's requirements.
After chatting with each of them for a while, Lu Jiaxin confirmed their teaching schedule. Since Mr. Wu didn't have a regular job, they first arranged the schedule based on Ms. Zhou's availability and then adjusted the English lesson timings accordingly. The fees were calculated by the hour, just like with Deng Yan, but at a higher rate of ten yuan per hour.
Soon after the Lantern Festival, Su Heyuan discovered the background of Ding Xiaoxia's mother, Ms. Gu Lanlan. She had returned to Dingjia Village with a maid from the city who had been working for a family in the city. Because of her beauty, she had caught the eye of Mr. Ding, who married her.
Gu Lanlan never spoke about her past to others. After marrying Mr. Ding, she led a peaceful life. Unfortunately, she had a frail body and passed away due to an illness when Ding Xiaoxia was nine years old.
The villagers of Dingjia Village had also asked Gu Lanlan about her family, and she had told them that they had all died and that bandits were responsible. Fearing that they might touch upon her sad past, they never asked again. However, after sharing a bed with her for over a decade, Mr. Ding knew a few things, and for a small price, he revealed what he knew.
It turned out that Gu Lanlan had been sold by her opium-addicted father to a wealthy household as a maid. The first few years were peaceful, but as the situation in the country deteriorated and warfare became more frequent, the family fled to Shanghai to avoid the chaos, taking their valuables with them. Gu Lanlan was left behind to watch the house, along with a maid from the village who had signed a death pledge. One evening, a group of ruffians came to rob them, and the two women escaped by hiding in a dry well. The village maid decided to return home, but Gu Lanlan, not wanting to go back, accompanied her to Dingjia Village instead.
Su Heyuan doubted the veracity of Mr. Ding's story. Judging from the appearances of Gu Xiuxiu, Ding Xiaoxia, and Lu Jiaxin, it was clear that the women in this family were all beautiful. Given Mr. Gu's character, he would undoubtedly have sold his children for a high price, but Gu Lanlan's price as a maid wouldn't have been very high. However, having obtained the information he needed, Su Heyuan didn't continue his investigation.
Not long after, news came from those who had gone to inquire about the Gu family. Madam Gu had given birth to three sons and two daughters. Aside from the eldest son, she and the other four children had all been sold. However, on the night she was sold, Madam Gu hanged herself. The two daughters—the eldest, Gu Xiuxiu, who was sixteen at the time, was sold to a wealthy merchant in his fifties as a concubine. That very night, the merchant died suddenly, and Gu Xiuxiu disappeared. The younger daughter, Gu Lanlan, was sold to a brothel at the age of eleven and initially worked as a maid, serving tea and pouring water. Four years later, a group of unruly soldiers raided the brothel, causing chaos. At the same time, the backyard flooded, and many of the girls and maids escaped in the confusion.
With the names matching and Lu Jiaxin's resemblance to Gu Xiuxiu, it was highly improbable that there were so many coincidences. Therefore, Su Heyuan could conclude that Gu Lanlan was indeed Gu Xiuxiu's younger sister.
Su Heyuan called Su Hongying to inform her of this discovery. "Aunt, I'd like to share the news about Lu Jiaxin with Ms. Gu. She doesn't have anyone she can trust right now, and knowing that she has such a brilliant granddaughter, she'll surely want to bring her to Hong Kong."
Su Hongying was aware of his plan to send Lu Jiaxin to Hong Kong, but it wasn't going to be easy. While Lu Jiaxin might agree, Lu Hongjun and Lu Jiaguang would certainly object. However, if Ms. Gu wanted to bring her to Hong Kong, it would be much simpler.
After some thought, Su Hongying said, "Let me ask Lu Jiaxin for her opinion first. If she agrees, then you can tell Ms. Gu about her."
"Okay."
"Jiaxin, Jiaxin, phone..."
Auntie Pang's loud voice could be heard again outside. As Lu Jiaxin received many phone calls, her phone had become a regular feature of this alleyway.
Lu Jiaxin felt helpless and put down her book as she went out. "Auntie Pang, could you please not shout outside? Just knock on the door to let us know."
In recent days, whenever she went out, people asked her about the frequent phone calls she received. She could only explain that they were from Lu Jiaguang, her relatives back home, or her friends. The lack of interaction between neighbors in the modern era seemed cold, but this level of enthusiasm was overwhelming.
Auntie Pang smiled. "I'm just making sure you hear it! This time, it's a woman calling, and it's not your sister-in-law, Wu Sao."
After she finished speaking, a spark of gossip lit up her eyes. Auntie Pang had been answering Lu Jiaxin's phone calls, so she knew who the regular callers were, and their voices were familiar to her. She wondered who this new caller might be.
...
Dear readers, I want to burst out with more chapters, but I don't have the time or energy. In the past, when Baobao's dad worked a regular nine-to-five job and came home, he could help take care of the kids. But last year, he was transferred to a rural area and often had to work overtime and couldn't make it home. This month, he hasn't had a single day off on the weekends (at the beginning of the month, our two children had mycoplasma pneumonia, and I had to take care of them alone), and sometimes, I really wish I had three heads and six arms!
(End of Chapter)
Chapter end
Report
