Chapter 10, Other People's Children

Even Qilixiang believes that Cai Jing should study literature, but he himself is unwilling to do so

Xu Jin endured for three seconds, but ultimately could not hold back. He turned to Xu Xilin and launched that classic line: "Look at them, and then look at yourself!"

Grandma Xu stepped out of the room with small, delicate steps: "Thank you, Xiao Xun. Grandma is happy because of you. Come and see what delicious food Grandma has prepared for you."

Xu Xilin tentatively spoke, uttering the first human words he had said to Dou Xun in several days: "Would you like to drink milk tea?"

However, he also felt embarrassed to speak up and ask, because although they had fought, as time passed and anger subsided, the reasons for the fight seemed truly trivial, always lingering on the tip of his tongue, as if he were being petty and holding a grudge.

Xu Xilin silently corrected his mathematics exam paper and set it aside—this way, after he left school in the evening, Cai Jing could take it and compare it on his own

Grandma Xu's nagging voice came from inside the house: "How many times have I explained this to you, and you still don't get it? How can Xiaoxun remember everything after just one explanation? She even helps Aunt Du with the dishes and chores, and what about you? Sigh, just look at her, and then look at yourself!"

In a moment, Xu Xilin wanted to say, "You spend so much time working every week; this is not sustainable," but just as the words were on the tip of his tongue, he felt that such a statement was merely a case of standing and speaking without understanding the pain, and was completely asking for trouble, so he swallowed it back down. Coming from a well-off family himself, he occasionally faced some trivial and boring worries, feeling that his life was difficult; in comparison, he could hardly imagine how Cai Jing was getting by.

The true reason is that the Sixth Middle School places a greater emphasis on science subjects, and there are no specialized classes for liberal arts. Choosing liberal arts means having to "downgrade" from the specialized class to the regular class next door

Xu Xilin suddenly halted his steps, and as he stopped, Dou Xun also came to a stop.

Xu Xilin took a secret glance—so it turns out that the "beast" Yu Yiran mentioned refers to Dou Xun! In this month's exam, Dou Xun scored more than eighty points higher than him across a total of six subjects!

In a mathematics class, there are the "Three Musketeers": Luo Bing, Xu Xi Lin, and Yu Yi Ran. They are the ones whom the mathematics teacher can call upon at any time for "rescue" when he gets stuck while teaching. The highest scores in mathematics exams are basically achieved by the three of them taking turns.

Xu Xilin walked past Dou Xun as if nothing had happened. Dou Xun lifted his eyelids to glance at him, resembling a large cat waiting to be fed, and then followed with an air of pride, his steps silent.

The despicable thing about "Seven Mile Fragrance" is that it issued a report card to everyone, detailing specific scores, class rankings, and grade rankings, which they were required to take home for their parents to sign

At 10:30 PM, Xu Jin, who had just returned from working overtime, yawned as he took the report card handed to him by Xu Xilin. After glancing at it, he signed his name while sarcastically commenting, "Wow, son, you ranked fifth in your class last semester and now you are tenth this semester, that's a doubling of your position, quite impressive, really great!"

Xu Xilin indeed did not disappoint expectations—his performance was not satisfactory, even losing ten points in mathematics, the subject in which he usually excels

The payment for this issue of the math little yellow book answer collection has arrived. Are we having barbecue tonight? It's on me..." Before the old saying could be finished, he suddenly paused and pushed Xu Xilin, saying, "Hey, do you see that? Is that Dou Xun?"

Dou Xun silently stepped back without contesting, after all, that was someone else's grandmother, not his own

What is the nature of his relationship with Dou Xun

Xu Xilin grinned and acted coyly towards her, knowing that Xu Jin was not angry

In the blink of an eye, the results of the first monthly exam struck the students like a massive thunderstorm, launching a series of relentless assaults that lasted an entire day. While it was not quite a scene of widespread lamentation, the group of mischievous children had certainly lost their energy—after class, the usual chaos of running and playing in the classroom had temporarily vanished. Those who performed poorly were internally lamenting, while those who did well could not feel secure in such a moment.

Previously, Yu had thrown a menacing paper ball, and Xu Xilin leaned back to catch it with his hands.

Xu Xilin felt embarrassed: "I will come, I will come, I will pay."

Dou Dou let out a fierce scream, turned around and bit Xu Xilin's pant leg, being dragged into the room like a long-haired turtle

Oh, Mom...

Cai Jing publicly stated that he believes the choice of majors in the humanities is relatively narrow, but Xu Xilin knows this is nonsense

Xu Xilin: "Grandma, look! The flowers that Dou Xun bought for you."

Xu Xilin : `` ... ... ''

He quickly shifted his attention and turned to Dou Xun, asking, "So, um... did you bring your English test home?"

After the class bell rang, Xu Xilin did not disturb Cai Jing, who was engrossed in his studies. He packed his bag and stood up, saying: "Tao Ge, shall we go?"

Dou Xun had no idea what he was laughing at, but in a bid to please, he could only laugh along, albeit without understanding the reason.

After receiving Dou Xun's report card, even Ms. Xu Jin, who is broad-minded, was momentarily taken aback by the significant disparity

Xu Xilin looked up and saw Dou Xun, who was always the first to leave school every day, standing idly at the back door of the classroom, like a gatekeeper

Does a smile upon meeting erase all grievances?

When others gossip, they will not think that this is due to inadequate staffing of the liberal arts faculty at the school; they will only feel that the students in the key classes are "falling behind" and are using the excuse of switching from science to arts to escape to the regular classes

Dou Xun, who was changing his shoes, suddenly paused his movements

Xu Jin was just about to calm his mind and unleash his eloquence to give Xu Xilin a "motherly baptism," when Xu's grandmother suddenly appeared and immediately said: "Why are you only just back? Have you eaten? What did you eat? Have you been eating recklessly outside again? Sigh, just look at you, you don’t eat properly, you don’t sleep properly, every day you just know how to slather cosmetics on your face, is it even useful..." Sigh, just look at you, you don’t eat properly, you don’t sleep properly, every day you just know how to slather cosmetics on your face, is it even useful..."

The once lively group of people has dwindled down to just the two of them

Xu Xilin: "Wait a moment, let me give it a try"

While passing by a flower shop, Dou Xun suddenly stopped and pointed at the hydroponic monstera in the store, saying: "Get a pot of this"

Xu Xilin: "What is that?"

Xu Jin's brain was about to explode; just as he thought of saying "Mom" once, he was "caught by Mom". He hurriedly closed his mouth, empathizing with her, and planned to sneak away

"The line is open, dead dog!"

Xu Xilin raised her math paper to show it to her, frowning and shrugging her shoulders at Yu Yiran

What is he doing, standing guard

Xu Xilin suddenly found it somewhat amusing and laughed out loud

Of course, most people are preoccupied with their own lives and do not concern themselves with whether others are transferring departments or being demoted. However, even if just one idle person notices and mentions it, for Cai Jing's sensitive pride, it feels like a complete denial, which he cannot bear

Xu Jin supported himself against the door and looked at him in surprise

Xu Jin replied nonchalantly, "What happened to the items sent by our partner?"

Yu Yiran, that madwoman, was screaming frantically ahead: "Who on earth is it? Who on earth is it! No, I must understand before I die, under whose beastly hand did I ultimately suffer defeat!"

In summary, the entire class humbly bowed their heads in silence, observing the Qingming Festival in advance

Of course, this is in the absence of comparison

Xu Jin never demands that his grades be outstanding; it is sufficient for him to have a general understanding in his heart. In her view, having a clear understanding is more important than being ranked first in a hundred exams.

Xu Xilin glanced at him with a hint of nervousness, while Dou Xun returned the gaze with even greater anxiety, their tension palpable as if they were on the verge of an explosion, as though they were not conversing but rather throwing bombs at each other

Grandma Xu glared at him

Xu Xilin is actually also at a loss.

Cai Jing has a tendency to be uneven in his studies, finding mathematics and physics particularly challenging. Despite his repeated efforts, his grades have remained mediocre. Especially in the past semester, working outside has diverted too much of his energy, resulting in a further decline in his performance in these two subjects

"Are they waiting for someone... ?" Xu Xilin said uncertainly, "Maybe they are waiting for me ?"

Dou Xun lowered his head and used the tip of his shoe to nudge a small stone on the ground: "... ... Drink."

Xu Xilin turned around and suddenly remembered that the pot of Monstera that his grandmother used to keep had died. She had been constantly mentioning wanting to replace it with a new one, but both Xu Jin and Xu Xilin had forgotten about it, and neither of them thought to buy a new one.

Upon returning home, Xu Xilin kicked off his shoes and rushed into his grandmother's room with a basin of water... He even stepped on Dou Dou's foot.

Xu Xilin wore a playful smile

He himself believes that there is nothing wrong with such a pattern, as there is no summer vacation before the college entrance examination anyway

At that moment, Xu Xilin saw Xu Jin carrying a mail package, which flashed past him under his eyelids. He vaguely seemed to see that the package was addressed to him.

Xu Xilin tilted his head and saw Cai Jing folding the corner of the exam paper where the score was marked, realizing that he had not performed well again

Grandma Xu: "How can one be so careless... Oh dear!"

Every time after an exam, Wu Tao has to undergo "additional training". It seems that he is unable to integrate into the mainstream atmosphere of the class, and thus has no choice but to take a different path and return to his "main focus".

Xu Xilin lowered his head and exchanged a glance with Dou Dou: "Alas, I have fallen out of favor."

What does "give it a try" mean

Xu Xilin: "What about me?"

Wu Tao weakly waved his hand at him and said, "There will be additional training tonight"

It is truly infuriating how people can be so competitive with one another

Her hair was a chaotic mess, resembling a ball of fluff, reminiscent of the Golden Lion Xie Xun going mad. Xu Xilin and Lao Cheng exchanged a glance, both falling silent as they retreated against the wall.

Old Cheng was left dumbfounded

Dou Xun: "Hmm"

However, no one laughed

Five minutes later, the two individuals walked home, each holding a cup of milk tea in their mouths. Their silence made the atmosphere less awkward.

Xu Jinqi could not help but recall many details. She realized that compared to Dou Xun, who woke up early and slept late, her son was simply a lazy donkey who only knew how to eat, drink, and have fun. Although Dou Xun did not enjoy doing homework, he was very self-motivated in his studies, often expanding on other materials independently. Whether reading or doing tasks, he never cut corners—even washing dishes was done more thoroughly than Xu Xilin.

Then, after returning from a holiday, one is reverted to their original state, in a cycle that repeats endlessly

Yu Yiran turned around, gestured a beheading motion on her neck with her hand, and the note read: "The class representative said there is someone who scored full marks in math, is it you, you turtle grandson?"

However, he does not feel much pressure, as this is his personal pattern—he always performs poorly on the first monthly exam of each semester, because he has not yet recovered from the restlessness of the holiday. After that, he gradually improves with each exam, and by the end of the semester, he is able to reach the peak of his academic performance for that term

This time, it seems that we have truly met with a smile to dissolve past grievances

Yu Yiran furrowed her brow as if deep in thought, then turned around to ask Luo Bing.

Dou Dou bared his teeth at him with hatred, and fiercely tugged at his pant leg

mature

Lao Cheng was surprised: "Are you saying that is a question?"

Xu Xilin blinked and let out an "oh," thinking that he might have seen it wrong—after all, both he and his mother share the surname Xu, so perhaps it was just a mistake. Xu Jin would not casually touch his belongings

Xu Xilin helplessly turned his head and waved to him—this "luggage" is too large, making it very inconvenient to carry, so the barbecue will have to be postponed to another day