Chapter 52 : Whatever You Say

Fang Xiaoluo glanced again at Shen Haifeng’s test scores.  

Perfect, he wasn’t biased toward any subject.  

Math: 23 points.  

Chinese: 26 points.  

Incredible.  

She couldn’t help but wonder, ‘Is it even possible to score this low in first grade, even with your eyes closed?’  

No wonder he was so sneaky about it, too scared even to let his grandmother find out!  

And he dared to say, “I didn’t do too well”? This wasn’t just “not too well”!  

Sliding the report card aside, she found two test papers underneath.  

The papers were handwritten, exuding the faint smell of ink, with an old-fashioned charm to them.  

Fang Xiaoluo took a quick look. This wasn’t a matter of carelessness or lack of effort, Shen Haifeng truly had no clue.  

He couldn’t even recognize all the pinyin, let alone spell words. As for writing characters? Forget it.  

In math, even the simplest questions seemed to go over his head.  

Now in the second semester of first grade and soon entering second grade, he still couldn’t handle basic addition and subtraction with carrying or borrowing.  

After reviewing the test papers, Fang Xiaoluo had calmed down.  

She had a rough idea why Shen Haifeng lacked even the most basic foundation.  

His biological mother had passed away last spring. By autumn, his father had already brought home a stepmother.  

Even if Shen Haifeng had attended school during that semester, his attendance must have been irregular. With the chaos at home, he likely had to spend much of his energy protecting his younger siblings.  

As for this semester, would his former stepmother have paid for his tuition? Not likely.  

Yet this kid was so stubborn. Why didn’t he just tell Shen Zheng that he was struggling with schoolwork?  

Instead, he told Shen Zheng he was “adapting well.” Adapting? What nonsense!  

He deserved a good scolding!  

Before long, the homeroom teacher entered the room.  

The teacher introduced herself and gave a routine overview of the semester’s progress.  

This included academics, behavior at school, and other general matters.  

“This midterm exam went quite well overall for our class. Some students lost points due to carelessness. They should pay more attention moving forward.”  

“However, there are a few students with weak foundations. I’d like to speak with their parents individually afterward to discuss ways to help improve their performance.”  

Hearing this, Fang Xiaoluo smirked inwardly. Wonderful. Her first-ever parent-teacher meeting, and she was already being held back.  

It felt eerily similar to when she was a student being called out for a scolding.  

In this era, communication between parents and teachers was rare. Once the meeting ended, most parents left, except for those the teacher had specifically named.  

After the teacher finished speaking with two other parents, only she and the teacher remained in the classroom.  

Ding Xiuying, the homeroom teacher, couldn’t help but admire the stunning parent in front of her.  

When Shen Haifeng had transferred to the school, she had met his father and learned about the family’s situation.  

Recently, the kids from the military compound had mentioned that Shen Haifeng’s father had remarried. This must be her.  

Still, she felt it necessary to confirm.  

“You’re Shen Haifeng’s guardian?” she asked.

Fang Xiaoluo saw no reason to deny it. “Yes, I’m his stepmother. His father isn’t home right now.”  

Ding Xiuying, as a teacher, refrained from probing too much. Still, she felt a favorable impression of this candid parent who openly acknowledged her role as Shen Haifeng’s stepmother.  

“Mrs. Shen, here’s the situation. As you’ve seen from Shen Haifeng’s grades, he truly has no foundational knowledge. As his teacher, I must take responsibility for his learning, and to be honest with you, he’s struggling to keep up.”  

Fang Xiaoluo nodded. She already knew this without the teacher saying it.  

Ding Xiuying continued, “In class, he appears focused, but in reality, he often spaces out. We frequently remind him, and he does seem to be trying, but the results haven’t been great.”  

“As a teacher, I can understand, he likely doesn’t understand the lessons, and the further we progress, the harder it is for him to keep up.”  

“My suggestion is, for his future’s sake, that he repeat the first grade after this semester. I believe starting over would be beneficial for him, and his academic performance would gradually improve. What do you think?”  

Repeat a grade?  

Fang Xiaoluo pondered for a moment. Given Shen Haifeng’s current performance, repeating the grade would indeed help, but for his mental well-being, it wasn’t an ideal option, especially since he was only in the first grade.  

“Ms. Ding,” Fang Xiaoluo replied, “how about this? We’ll try to help him catch up on his previous lessons at home. Let’s wait until the end-of-term exams and see how he performs before making a final decision. Does that work?”  

Ding Xiuying didn’t insist but wasn’t optimistic about how much improvement could happen by the end of the term.  

He truly lacked basic knowledge. Despite extra tutoring from the teachers, the progress was minimal.  

“Alright,” she relented, “but if Shen Haifeng can pass both subjects in the end-of-term exams, I think he can proceed to the second grade. If his results stay the same as now, I still recommend he repeat the grade for his own sake.”  

With the report card and Shen Haifeng’s test papers in hand, Fang Xiaoluo left the school.  

As soon as she turned the corner, Shen Haifeng appeared.  

“M-mom…” he stammered. Having already called her “mom” in front of Yu Feixu, he couldn’t bring himself to use another term now.  

“Why aren’t you home yet?” asked Fang Xiaoluo.  

“I was waiting for you,” he said cautiously. “Did you… see my test papers?”  

Fang Xiaoluo waved the papers in her hand. “Got them right here.”  

“I… can I ask you for one more favor?” Shen Haifeng asked hesitantly.  

Fang Xiaoluo crossed her arms. “You sure have a lot of requests. Go ahead, let’s hear it.”  

“Could you not tell my dad or grandma about my test scores?” he pleaded.  

Fang Xiaoluo nearly laughed out of exasperation. “Why should I? A real man owns up to his own grades!”  

Shen Haifeng stared at his toes, nervously fidgeting with the hem of his shirt.  

“I… I promise I’ll do better next time,” he mumbled.  

“Ha! A man’s promise is just hot air,” she retorted.  

Shen Haifeng raised his head. “If you don’t tell them this time, I swear I’ll do whatever you say. I’ll even write you a promise. If I don’t keep it, you can hit me.”  

Fang Xiaoluo arched an eyebrow. “’Do whatever I say’? That does sound tempting.”  

Shen Haifeng’s eyes lit up, but her next words made him tense again.  

“But there’s one condition,” she added.  

“What is it?” he asked nervously.  

“For the end-of-term exams, you need to score at least 80 in both subjects,” she declared.