Chapter 16.1

Dang, dang, dang…  

As soon as the school bell rang, the students in the classroom became restless. Sitting at the teacher’s desk, Duan Xiaoying looked up at the students below when she heard the noise.  

This class was originally a music lesson, but the music teacher had taken leave, so as the homeroom teacher, she had to substitute.  

She had spent the entire day going over exam papers. By now, she was exhausted, and her throat felt uncomfortable. Instead of lecturing, she had let the children study on their own. Upon hearing the dismissal bell, she did not extend the lesson as she usually did. After observing the students for a moment, she stood up and announced the end of class.  

As soon as Duan Xiaoying finished speaking, the restlessness turned into noise. Students poured out of the classroom, some running, some skipping, chatting and laughing as they left.  

Among them, He Yan stood out despite sitting at the very back of the class. With his head hanging low, he sluggishly packed his books.  

Noticing that he was about to leave, Duan Xiaoying called out: “He Yan!”  

He Yan stopped and turned his head to look at her.  

Duan Xiaoying beckoned him over. “Come here for a moment.”  

He Yan pressed his lips together and glanced at his deskmate, signaling for him to go ahead. Only then did he slowly step toward the podium. “Teacher.”  

Duan Xiaoying acknowledged him with a soft hum and got straight to the point. “It’s like this—you’ve been at this school for quite some time now, but I haven’t had a proper conversation with your parents. Since I have some time today, I plan to visit your home this evening. Be sure to inform your parents when you get back.”  

“Huh?” He Yan’s mouth dropped open. It took him a long moment to close it before he asked: “Does the home visit have to happen?”  

Seeing his unease, Duan Xiaoying spoke gently. “Don’t worry, I just want to talk to your parents. This is for your academic progress, after all. Don’t you think so?”  

He Yan understood the reasoning, but he had performed so poorly on the last test. Now, with the teacher coming over, he had a strong feeling he was going to get scolded.  

Although he had never been beaten before, his best friend back on Pingchuan Island got hit often, and it always seemed painful. His dad was so tall and strong—if he hit someone, it would definitely hurt.  

But He Yan was still young and didn’t dare refuse the teacher’s request for a home visit. He could only lower his head dejectedly and say: “I understand, Teacher.”  

Unaware of his thoughts, Duan Xiaoying nodded in satisfaction. “Alright, it’s getting late. You should head home.” She then gathered her lesson plans and walked out with He Yan.  

…  

When He Yan arrived home, Su Ting was in the kitchen preparing ingredients. Hearing the noise, she turned her head toward the doorway and called out loudly: “Back from school?”

After asking and waiting for a while without hearing a response, Su Ting put down what she was doing and walked out.

She didn’t see anyone in the living room, but from the second bedroom, she heard what sounded like sighs. Su Ting walked to the doorway of the second bedroom and looked inside. Sure enough, He Yan was there, sitting on the edge of the bed, sighing repeatedly.  

Amused by the situation but mindful of the little kid’s pride, Su Ting didn’t show it. She simply asked with concern: “Did the exam results come out? Didn’t do well?”  

He Yan looked over with a pitiful expression. “Mom, I’m going to get beaten.”  

Su Ting was startled. She sat down beside him and asked urgently: “Beaten? Beaten by who? Why would you get beaten?”  

“I’ll get beaten by Dad. I… I…” He Yan stood up in frustration, walked over to his desk, opened his backpack, and pulled out his exam papers to hand them to Su Ting. He finished his sentence: “I didn’t do well.”  

“Didn’t do well is just didn’t do…” Su Ting smiled as she unfolded the papers and looked down at them.  

One look, and Su Ting was stunned.  

Fifty-nine points.  

Then she checked the Chinese paper—forty-two points.  

Seeing her silent, He Yan lowered his head even more. Just as he was about to confess his failings, Su Ting spoke up: “You did pretty well this time!”  

Huh?!!  

He Yan lifted his head abruptly to look at Su Ting, only to see her face full of smiles. Unable to resist, he cautiously asked: “You know… our exam is out of a hundred, right?”  

Su Ting replied: “…You think I’m dumb?”  

He Yan pressed on: “Then do you know I didn’t pass?”  

“I know.”  

He Yan hung his head again, muttering under his breath: “If you know, why would you say I did well?”  

Su Ting realized that He Yan was practically begging for a scolding today. Taking a deep breath, she said: “If you want me to criticize you, fine. How could you manage to score below sixty on a hundred-point test? You’re only in the first grade—what will you do when you get to middle school or high school? Tell me, out of over fifty students in your class, what rank did you get?”  

He Yan had only muttered a few words, but seeing that she appeared genuinely angry, he became anxious. Bowing his head pitifully, he responded: “Third from the bottom.”  

“Third from the—third from the what?”  

“Third from the bottom.” He Yan repeated.

Su Ting looked surprised. “There are actually students in your class who scored worse than you?”  

“What do you mean by that?” He Yan felt insulted.  

“Ahem, what I mean is, back in the capital, weren’t you in the Seedling Class? After moving to the island, you suddenly jumped into first grade, missing more than half a semester of lessons. It’s normal that you’re struggling to catch up. Your dad and I were already prepared for this. So this semester, no matter how many points you get or how low your rank is, we can accept it. Do you understand?”  

“I understand.”  

“Also, think about it—you’ve only studied for a month, yet you still did better than two other kids who have been studying for over half a year. Doesn’t that prove you’re very smart?”  

He Yan asked uncertainly: “I guess that makes sense?”  

“It absolutely does. I think you only lost out this time because of the time gap. If you had started first grade last year like everyone else, you’d definitely be ranked first in the entire grade.”  

Although He Yan was overjoyed by the praise, he still had enough self-awareness to say: “That’s not necessarily true.” The top students had scored perfect hundreds, after all!  

But Su Ting was brimming with confidence in him. “I believe in you! You don’t need to worry too much about this exam. Your dad already said that this semester is just for you to adjust to the school environment. If you can’t keep up, you’ll repeat first grade next semester. That way, you’ll have a few extra months of learning, and then you’ll definitely rank first.”  

He Yan had been feeling happy, but when he heard the last part, he was dumbfounded. “What? I have to stay in first grade next semester?”  

“That’s right.” Su Ting nodded. Seeing that his expression didn’t look right, she asked: “You don’t want to?”  

“What about my classmates? What grade will they be in by then?”  

“They’ll move up to second grade, of course.”  

He Yan immediately said: “Then I want to be in second grade too! I don’t want to keep repeating first grade!”  

Su Ting hadn’t expected such a strong reaction from He Yan. She explained: “It’s not like you’ll be stuck in first grade forever—just for one extra year. You were originally supposed to start school in the second half of the year anyway.”  

He Yan insisted firmly: “No! I want to be in second grade!”  

Su Ting didn’t particularly care whether He Yan moved up or repeated first grade. The coursework wasn’t difficult, and as long as he studied a bit over the summer, he wouldn’t fall behind in second grade. What puzzled her was why he was so adamantly against repeating.

Thinking this over, Su Ting asked directly.  

He Yan squirmed uncomfortably, reluctant to answer.  

If he hadn’t acted so awkwardly, Su Ting might have let it go. But the more evasive he was, the more determined she became to get to the bottom of it. Eventually, she traded tutoring sessions for an answer.  

“We’re classmates. If they all move up to second grade next semester while I’m still in first grade, that would be so embarrassing!”  

Su Ting’s first reaction upon hearing this was—what a loss.  

Her second reaction was—this little rascal’s competitiveness sure was strange!  

Now that she understood, Su Ting didn’t linger in the second bedroom any longer. She still had to prepare dinner. But just as she reached the doorway, something came to mind, and she turned slightly to ask: “Do you want to go to the city on Sunday?”  

“What for?”  

“To walk around the Department Store. You can pick out a toy you like.”  

He Yan’s face lit up with excitement. “Really?”  

“Mm. You’ve been working hard lately, and your test results were better than your dad and I expected, so we want to celebrate.” Su Ting suddenly remembered something and asked: “You’ve been on Pingchuan Island for a while now. Have you ever gone to the city for fun?”  

The little guy shook his head vigorously, like a rattle drum.  

“Then it’s settled. We’ll go to the city for a day on Sunday.”  

“Is Dad coming too?”  

“Of course, the three of us will go together.”  

Getting a definite answer, He Yan was so thrilled that he flopped onto the bed. But the wooden bed board was too hard—when he landed, not only did he fail to bounce, but it made a loud “bang” sound.  

Su Ting had initially planned to scold him, but seeing how dazed he looked after hitting himself, she changed her words to a single syllable: “Serves you right!” Then she turned and went into the kitchen.  

She had just picked up the kitchen knife when He Yan, still grimacing from the pain, came running over. Holding onto the doorway, he asked: “Does Dad really think I did well on my test?”  

Su Ting thought for a moment. The results had only come out today—there was no way He Dongchuan knew whether He Yan had done well or not. But she didn’t want to crush his confidence, so she said: “You probably did a bit better than he expected.”  

“Does that mean I won’t get beaten?”  

Hearing that, Su Ting recalled how this whole conversation had started. She put down the knife, crossed her arms, and looked toward the doorway. “You came home looking all dejected because you thought your dad would hit you for doing poorly?”  

“Yeah! Brother Beibei gets beaten every time he doesn’t do well on his tests.”

“Who is Brother Beibei?”  

“He used to be our neighbor.”  

Su Ting responded with an “Oh” and said: “Then don’t worry, your Dad isn’t that violent. He won’t hit you.” She picked up the kitchen knife and continued working. After a while, she realized that He Yan was still standing there, so she turned her head and asked: “Do you have something else to say?”  

He Yan shook his head, then added: “The teacher said she’s coming for a home visit tonight.”  

“Which teacher?”  

“Teacher Duan. She’s Han Bowen’s mother, and she’s our homeroom teacher.”  

Su Ting knew Han Bowen. He was the second child of the Han family, who lived in Building 65. He was also six years old this year and usually played well with He Yan. Han Bowen’s mother was named Duan Xiaoying. She was close with Chen Lin, who also lived in Building 65, as well as Wang Lixia next door. However, Su Ting had not interacted much with her.  

Regardless of how unfamiliar they were, she was still He Yan’s homeroom teacher. Su Ting nodded and said: “I’ll let your Dad know later.”  

…  

While He Dongchuan was cooking, Su Ting mentioned He Yan’s exam results and the fact that he didn’t want to repeat first grade next semester.  

Upon learning that He Yan had failed, He Dongchuan wasn’t too surprised. However, he furrowed his brows when he heard the rest. “If he doesn’t repeat, will he be able to keep up?”  

“It shouldn’t be a problem. I think Xiao Yan is quite smart. He knows how to work hard, and besides, I’ve already told him—I’ll tutor him for half an hour every night. There are still more than two months left this semester. Maybe by the final exams, his grades will improve significantly.”  

He Dongchuan glanced at Su Ting. “You’re going to tutor him?”  

Su Ting thought he was underestimating her. She lifted her chin and asked: “What? You think I can’t? At the very least, I have a junior high school diploma, okay?”  

Although her original self had only completed one year of junior high due to the political movements at the time, and the diploma was somewhat lacking in credibility, in her past life, she had properly graduated from college. So she had no guilt saying this.  

A faint smile appeared on He Dongchuan’s lips. “Alright. Since you’re willing to help him with his studies, I’ll talk to the school administrators and make sure he moves up as usual.”  

Su Ting nodded, thinking that, for once, his words were agreeable.  

…  

Just as they finished eating, Duan Xiaoying arrived.  

She didn’t enter right away. Instead, she stood at the door, glanced at the table, where the dishes and chopsticks had yet to be cleared, and hesitated before asking: “Are you still eating?”

Su Ting took a stool and approached, saying: “I just finished eating, you can sit.”

However, Duan Xiaoying didn’t immediately sit down as she was told. Instead, she stood at the door and asked: “He Yan should have told you why I came to your house, right?”

“Yes, he told me as soon as he came back.” Su Ting replied, then turned to look at He Yan, who was standing in the middle of the living room. “Pour a glass of water for your teacher.”

He Yan quickly moved and walked to the cabinet. Shaking the teapot, he asked: “Is cold water okay?”

“Anything’s fine.” Duan Xiaoying said softly.

He Yan found an enamel cup from the cabinet, poured half a cup of cooled boiled water into it, and then walked over to Duan Xiaoying, handing it to her.

“Thank you.”

Duan Xiaoying took the enamel cup but didn’t drink from it immediately. Instead, she held it in her hand, lifted her head to glance at He Yan, then looked at He Dongchuan, who had just come out from the kitchen after putting the dishes away. Finally, she turned her attention back to Su Ting and asked: “Comrade Su, may I speak with you alone?”

Su Ting paused in surprise. “Alone? This…”

She found the request a bit odd. He Dongchuan was He Yan’s biological father, so it would have been more appropriate for him to speak with her during a home visit, right? Why did Duan Xiaoying, instead of him, want to speak alone with her, the stepmother?

Duan Xiaoying explained: “We’re both women, so some things are easier to talk about.”

Su Ting frowned, thinking to herself that if they were going to discuss the child, it wasn’t really something private. Why couldn’t He Dongchuan speak up about it?

But since Duan Xiaoying was He Yan’s homeroom teacher, Su Ting didn’t want to bluntly refuse and embarrass her. She reluctantly agreed: “Alright then.” She looked up at He Dongchuan.

He Dongchuan said: “I’ll take Xiao Yan out for a walk. If you need anything, just call me.” He waved to He Yan and they went out.

…