Although Xia Chunlan did not achieve her goal of visiting her second brother's house this time, she still gained something.

She put the books into the basket she had brought and then headed home.

"Chunlan, why don't you stay for lunch before you leave?" Xia Heping politely urged her to stay.

It's rare for his own younger sister to come to his house, so even if it's just for show, he has to invite her to stay for a meal, otherwise it would seem like he, as her older brother, is being too stingy.

"Second Brother, I'm in a hurry to get back to work, so I won't eat this time. I'll bring Shengjie to visit you next time I have time," Xia Chunlan said before leaving in a hurry.

Xia Heping watched his sister's retreating figure and awkwardly shut his mouth. He had been thinking of trying to persuade her to stay, but she left so quickly.

Seeing that the guests had left, Xia Qingqing immediately stood up and said, "Dad, I'm going back to my room now."

"Alright, I'll go find your mom too. I wonder where she's going to play," Xia Heping said before leaving.

After finishing breakfast, Zhang Hongyan went out to chat with her best friend. Gou Dan had disappeared somewhere, so when Xia Chunlan arrived, only Xia Heping and Xia Qingqing were at home.

After returning to her room, Xia Qingqing locked the door from the inside, took a small table from the system warehouse and placed it on the bed. She then took out her tablet, headphones, iced milk tea, and snacks, and began her happy summer vacation.

......

Xia Chunlan married into the next village, and it only takes her about half an hour to walk back.

When she got home, she went straight to her son's room.

At this moment, Li Shengjie was reading a book attentively in his room. When he heard the door open, he subconsciously frowned, his lips moved slightly, but he ultimately said nothing.

He has actually said this many times before: ask family members to knock before entering his room.

No matter how many times I tell them, they won't listen. They think I'm just making trouble for no reason. If I'm not secretly doing bad things in my room, why am I afraid they'll suddenly come in?

Li Shengjie felt very tired, and gradually stopped dwelling on the issue.

Xia Chunlan proudly presented the books to her son, Shengjie: "Shengjie, look what Mom brought you back! These are the books your cousin Qingqing used for her college entrance exam, along with her notes. Take a look and see if they're useful."

Li Shengjie was very excited when he heard that this was Xia Qingqing's book: "Mom, you just went to your second uncle's house?"

"Yes, your second uncle and his family finally came back from Beijing, and I was thinking of going to see them," Xia Chunlan said, feeling a little guilty.

Last night, she briefly mentioned to Li Shengjie that she wanted Xia Qingqing to tutor him, but her son refused outright and was a little angry that she was being unreasonable.

They don't usually associate with my second uncle's family, but when they need help, they always come to them. There's no such thing as a free lunch.

Li Shengjie had an "I knew it" look on his face, but he didn't say anything. He knew that Xia Chunlan did all this for him, and he had no right or standing to blame her.

Xia Chunlan noticed that her son was in a bad mood, so she quickly explained, "I didn't ask your cousin for these books. She gave them to you on her own initiative, saying that she hoped you would study hard and get into a good university."

After saying that, she inwardly scoffed. Qingqing was a formidable girl; if she didn't want to give her the book willingly, no matter how much she begged, she probably wouldn't get a single piece of paper.

"Really? Mom, did you thank my cousin for me?" Li Shengjie asked excitedly.

His most admired person now is his cousin Xia Qingqing, but he also knows that his family and his cousin's family are not very close. They haven't had much contact over the years. When he was a child, his mother took his sister and him to visit relatives, but they never went to his second uncle's house.

So even though Li Shengjie admired Xia Qingqing a lot, he couldn't bring himself to go to her.

"Of course I thank you. I was just saying I'd return these materials after your college entrance exam. You must keep them safe and don't lose them," Xia Chunlan gently reminded her.

Li Shengjie nodded vigorously: "Yes, yes, I know, I definitely won't break it."

After saying that, he touched the book in his hand with relish.

He had just casually flipped through it and found that Xia Qingqing had made very detailed notes on some of the difficult and important points. These notes were very useful to him, and he would make good use of this summer vacation to thoroughly understand these knowledge points.

Seeing her son's delighted expression, Xia Chunlan's heart stirred:

“Shengjie, it’s not that your cousin is unwilling to tutor you, it’s just that she said she would charge a small fee. Do you want your cousin to tutor you? Don’t worry about the money, Mom will find a way to ask your grandma for the money.”

Li Shengjie shook his head: "Mom, no need. My cousin has her own things to do. I'm already very content with these notes from my cousin. Don't go and argue with Grandma and the others because of me."

That's right, it's all about making a scene!

The old lady of the Li family was very stingy with money, and it was not easy to get money from her. Every time Xia Chunlan needed money, she could only resort to crying, making a scene, and threatening suicide to wear the old lady down until she had no other choice but to get a little money.

But there's nothing that can be done about it. Her sons are so filial, and all four sons are on her side. No matter how much her daughter-in-law makes a scene, it's useless.

Li Shengjie is 17 years old this year. He should have been working in the fields with his family during the summer vacation, even though he wasn't in school. But Xia Chunlan refused no matter what.

Her son is about to take the college entrance examination, so how could she possibly waste precious time working in the fields?

Whoever made his son work in the fields is just jealous of his son's success.

The other members of the Li family had some complaints about this, thinking that they really thought taking the college entrance exam was an easy thing, without even looking at how many people in the surrounding villages had actually passed it.

However, this is the last year. In any case, if Li Shengjie doesn't pass the exam, they will never agree to let him repeat a year.

Xia Chunlan held her son's hand tightly: "Mom just hopes you study hard and get into a good university next year. It's all worth it for Mom no matter how hard or tiring it is."

"Mom, don't worry, I will definitely work hard," Li Shengjie said with a determined look in his eyes.

In fact, Li Shengjie had always known that Xia Chunlan had many minor flaws. He felt that these flaws were caused by poverty. In a large family, there are too many people and too few resources. You can only get what you want by fighting and grabbing. If you don't fight and grab, you can only suffer in silence.

He also wants to learn from his cousin Qingqing, and when he becomes successful in the future, he will find a way to bring his parents to live with him and take care of them so that his mother can live a good life.

"You should study hard. Mom is going to work in the fields. If you don't go soon, your grandma will scold you again," Xia Chunlan said with a hint of helplessness in her voice.

Li Shengjie nodded vigorously, focused his mind and began to read seriously. He didn't consider himself a very smart person, so he could only make up for his lack of intelligence by spending more time studying.