“Wood!”

For Cen Huai’an, the game of flipping chess pieces and recognizing characters was truly effortless.

He flipped each piece and read it aloud without making a single mistake.

Chu Xia finally recognized the difference between a genius and an ordinary person.

She quietly looked outside and could clearly hear the three children next door, at Sister Li’s house, arguing loudly over something.

Meanwhile, Cen Huai’an was completely absorbed in the chess piece flipping game, endlessly repeating the process, rearranging the pieces, and flipping them again, his eyes always sparkling with excitement.

It was clear that he had never played games before.

“Mom, can we recognize characters now?”

“Not anymore. I’ll teach you to count.” After her initial surprise, Chu Xia couldn’t contain her joy.

Who wouldn’t be pleased with a genius child?

She had also worked as a tutor before and had taught children who were not quick learners, which had been mentally exhausting.

At that time, she understood why some parents were so irritable and frantic when helping their children with homework online.

Fortunately, Cen Huai’an was not like that!

“I can count. 1, 2, 3, 4…”

Cen Huai’an counted up to ten, scratched his head, and then stopped.

“Who taught you this?” Chu Xia asked curiously.

The original owner had definitely not taught him these things.

“I don’t know. I’ve heard many people say it.”

Chu Xia was no longer surprised; geniuses were just like that.

“I’ll teach you the rest.” She immediately changed her strategy and started teaching him how to write characters.

Today, she had bought pencils.

When Cen Huai’an first got the pencil and wrote on the paper, he was very happy, thinking it was just like a game and very fun.

However, as he continued writing, he started to get frustrated.

“I’ve learned it. I don’t want to write anymore.”

It wasn’t as fun as the character flipping game.

If he wrote crookedly, he had to erase and rewrite. It took a long time to fill up one page.

Chu Xia noticed another issue with him: he lacked patience and couldn’t sit still.

This was common among children, and it was perfectly normal.

“Finish this page, and then I’ll give you a treat.”

This was the key to getting Cen Huai’an to cooperate; what he liked most was the treats his mother promised him.

So he straightened up again, pursed his lips, and wrote carefully.

If his writing was crooked, he would erase and rewrite without Chu Xia needing to say anything.

When he finally finished a page of the grid paper, he looked at Chu Xia with anticipation and said, “Mom! I’m done!”

Chu Xia smiled and nodded, putting a treat in his mouth. It was sweet, but different from milk candy.

“Is it good?”

Cen Huai’an nodded with a “mm-hmm,” licking his lips and savoring the taste.

He looked at Chu Xia, waiting for her to give him another one.

Chu Xia clapped her hands and stood up. “That’s all. This is a sugar tower, used to kill the bugs in your stomach. You can’t eat too much.”

Kill bugs?

How does it work?

Cen Huai’an stared at his stomach, imagining a little person with a knife chopping away at the bugs inside him, killing them all.

During his nap at noon, Cen Huai’an had a long dream where he was continuously chopping at bugs with a knife, causing his stomach to hurt.

It felt so real that his stomach actually began to hurt.

He quickly got up and ran outside.

In early summer, when Chuxia saw him running quickly, she thought something might be wrong and immediately followed him, only to find out he had run to the restroom.

She felt relieved; the bugs wouldn’t come out so quickly.

Cen Huai’an had simply eaten too much at lunch.

In the afternoon, with nothing much to do, Chuxia reviewed her first-year high school textbooks after a nap.

The difficulty wasn’t as great as her previous school years.

She wasn’t sure if it was her improved memory or just recalling old knowledge, but she found it easy to memorize and solve problems.

At her current pace, she should be ready for the college entrance exams next year, though she still needed to find a way to keep her student status at the high school.

After dinner, Chuxia and Cen Huai’an took advantage of the cool weather to plant the vegetable seeds she had bought earlier in some clay pots.

Chuxia handed the watering duties to Cen Huai’an and said very seriously, “From now on, they will be your special friends. Their growth will depend on you. Remember to water them, talk to them, and keep them warm, so they can grow strong like you.”

Cen Huai’an, carefully watering the plants, said, “But Mom, I used to be hungry often and didn’t grow up strong.”

Chuxia replied, “Uh… you’ll grow strong in the future, taller and sturdier than the trees outside!”

Cen Huai’an glanced at Chuxia, and, unable to control himself, poured too much water into the pot.

Looking at the pot, he whispered, “Tomato, I didn’t mean to. Please don’t tell Mom I gave you too much water.”

---

The next day, as soon as Chuxia arrived at the factory, before she even entered the workshop, Chairperson Zheng called her over.

Upon seeing Chuxia, Chairperson Zheng immediately smiled warmly, brightening up the office like spring.

“Xiao Luo, you’re not feeling well. Sit down quickly.”

“Chairperson Zheng, thank you,” Chuxia replied with a smile, moving slowly.

Though her face was still pale, her politeness made her endearing.

“Xiao Luo, did Xiao Qin apologize to you yesterday?”

“Apologize? I didn’t see Comrade Qin yesterday,” Chuxia said, looking confused and innocent.

Upon hearing this, Chairperson Zheng’s face darkened, and she seemed displeased. “This Xiao Qin promised me she’d do it yesterday! Don’t worry, Xiao Luo, I’ll make sure she apologizes to you in front of me today!”

With that, she walked out quickly to summon Qin Sanfeng.

“Xiao Luo, I’ve inquired for you. The factory has internal recruitment going on, with positions in departments like factory administration, HR, and accounting. The only catch is that they all require exams. Even if I didn’t tell you, you’d find out soon enough.”

The factory does have internal recruitment every year, but these announcements are typically only known to current employees and their acquaintances.

Getting a position involves suitable openings, internal exams, and a voting process.

Chairperson Zheng mentioning this in advance was like giving her a heads-up to prepare, so she wouldn’t be eliminated in the first round of exams.

Worried Chuxia might be anxious, Chairperson Zheng reassured her, “Even if you don’t get one of those office positions, I’ll help you find a more manageable role.”

Chuxia sincerely thanked her, “Chairperson Zheng, I’ll study hard at home and make sure not to let you down!”

Hearing this, Chairwoman Zheng was pleased. She loved seeing workers who were eager to improve themselves, especially those who became more motivated after receiving her help. It gave her a great sense of achievement.

Just as she was enjoying the moment, Qin Sanfeng came in, causing Chairwoman Zheng’s mood to turn from sunny to cloudy in an instant.

“Xiao Qin, what did you promise me yesterday?”

As soon as Qin Sanfeng saw Luo Chu Xia in the office, she knew it wasn’t good. She hurried over to Chairwoman Zheng, trying to squeeze past Chu Xia, but Chu Xia stepped aside.

“Chairwoman Zheng, I worked overtime yesterday and got home late. By the time I got home, my child was crying from hunger. I just forgot to apologize to Luo Chu Xia.”

Luo Chu Xia, standing to the side, said, “It’s okay, Comrade Qin. You can apologize now.”

Qin Sanfeng looked down on Luo Chuxia. She saw her as poor and cowardly, with a husband who had been away for years, clearly having abandoned her.

She didn’t want to apologize at all. If not for fear of Chairwoman Zheng, she wouldn’t have let the issue with her son’s injury go so easily.

But who would have thought that this little wretch Luo Chu Xia would be so disgusting?

She hadn’t even gone after her, yet Luo Chu Xia had reported her to the union. It was infuriating! Apologize?

Ha, no way!

Qin Sanfeng was rendered speechless by Luo Chu Xia’s words, swallowing back the rest of what she wanted to say.

She awkwardly forced a smile at Chairwoman Zheng, clearly unwilling to apologize.

Chairwoman Zheng had handled countless situations like this and could easily see through her thoughts. “Qin Sanfeng, what kind of attitude is that?”

Qin Sanfeng trembled, remembering Chairwoman Zheng’s words from the day before. Fear started to creep in, and the courage she had mustered vanished.

If she didn’t apologize, would Chairwoman Zheng really cause her trouble? Her current position was tough, but the pay was good. She didn’t want to be reassigned.

How could she have been so foolish just now?

It was all Luo Chuxia’s fault!

She couldn’t control her temper whenever she saw her; it was like they were cursed to clash!

“I… I… Chairwoman, I didn’t say I wouldn’t apologize. I was just, uh, gathering my emotions!”

Chairwoman Zheng frowned at her but said nothing. Qin Sanfeng chuckled nervously and turned to Chu Xia.

Swallowing hard, she gritted her teeth and muttered, “Sorry.”

“Louder!” Chairwoman Zheng demanded, dissatisfied.

“Sorry!” Qin Sanfeng shouted, startling Chairwoman Zheng.

But that was how an apology should sound.

Nodding, Chairwoman Zheng said, “See, that wasn’t so hard. Xiao Qin, Luo Chu Xia’s husband is serving the country, and she’s raising her child alone. It’s not easy for her. As members of the textile factory, we should be helping her, not bullying her like you did! If this happens again, there’s no place for someone like you in our factory!”

Qin Sanfeng turned pale, truly frightened now.

Chu Xia, looking at Chairwoman Zheng with furrowed brows, said sadly, “Chairwoman, it’s not about whether people help me or not. What hurts me is seeing my son, who’s so young, being led by other kids to be bullied. What did he do to deserve that?”

“Did you hear that?” Chairwoman Zheng said to Qin Sanfeng. “It’s not enough for you to recognize your mistake. Your child needs to understand it too. Go home and teach your kid not to pick up bad habits.”

Qin Sanfeng knew Luo Chu Xia was threatening her, and it infuriated her. But she didn’t dare cross her again.

That damned Luo Chuxia!

What kind of luck did she have to make Chairwoman Zheng help her like this? Such a sly woman!

Left with no choice, she nodded begrudgingly.

Later that morning, Cen Huai’an felt some discomfort in his stomach.

He reported to his teacher that he needed to use the restroom, only to see, to his horror, a worm come out.

Cen Huai’an clutched his stomach, his face pale with fear.

There really was a worm inside him!

No wonder his stomach always hurt.

He was doomed!

When Chu Xia picked him up at noon, she noticed he was listless.

Back home, he didn’t even rush to eat.

Instead, he lay on his back in bed, hands crossed over his abdomen.

“An’an, what are you doing?” Chu Xia asked, puzzled.

“Mom, I’m going to die.”