Chapter 29. I'm here to help my dad attend the parent-teacher conference.

Before becoming a father, Pei Yiyan had a faint sense of indifference to the lives of others; after becoming a father, he became even more indifferent to everyone else.

He seemed oblivious to the atmosphere around him, calmly ignoring the stunned classmates.

Cheng Xiaocen recovered from her stunned state: "Holy crap, he had a daughter out of wedlock! Didn't he dislike girls?"

It's common knowledge that Pei Yiyan has a handsome appearance, and there are no shortage of girls in school who are interested in him. But this guy seems to have seen through the world and remains unmoved. She even secretly doubted his sexual orientation. In the end, he directly put his silent but important work into practice.

Cheng Xiaocen rubbed her teeth. The ancients were right; there are many masters among the common people.

Meng Zhiyao was speechless because of Pei Yiyan's straightforwardness and frankness.

Xi Xi stared at her mother, who was standing not far away in a daze, her eyes brightening. She restrained her emotions and didn't run over, but a bright smile appeared on her face.

Cheng Xiaocen: "!"

"Yaoyao, did you see that? The little girl is smiling at me. She's so sweet." Cheng Xiaocen said with emotion, "This daughter must take after her mother. I wonder who Pei's mother is. Anyway, she's definitely not from our school."

Meng Zhiyao didn't say anything, but smiled slightly with her lips pursed.

Xi Xi sat in Pei Yiyan's seat, her little hands constantly exploring everywhere. Fortunately, Pei Yiyan was a clean freak, and the table was kept clean and tidy, so she didn't find anything out of the ordinary.

Noticing the strange gaze fixed on her so close by, Xixi turned her head and said obediently and softly, "Hello, Auntie."

The parent sitting next to me stammered, "Hello, is he your father?"

“Yes.” Xixi’s grape-like eyes sparkled as she chatted familiarly, “I’m here to help my dad with the parent-teacher conference. Auntie, are you here for a parent-teacher conference too?”

The parents of Class 5 were all aware of Pei Yiyan's situation. In the previous two years, Qiu Ming's mother had represented the parents at the parent-teacher conferences, but this year, a little baby was the only one present.

The parent sitting next to me was both amused and exasperated: "Yes, I'm here for my son's parent-teacher conference."

"How many points did Auntie's son get on the test? Did he get a hundred?"

The other person awkwardly rubbed their forehead, glanced at their academically challenged son, and closed their eyes in pain: "Pretty much."

"You brat, your total score barely exceeds two hundred!" Hong Wen's parents gritted their teeth.

People's joys and sorrows are not shared. Xi Xi's head was filled with joy: "What a coincidence! My dad also got a perfect score. Auntie, my dad and your son can become scientists together in the future."

The parent sitting next to him chuckled awkwardly and didn't dare to reply. He told the student that he was giving up on becoming a scientist and that he would be grateful if the student could just graduate from high school.

Finally, the ultimate question is posed: "Little friend, how old are you?"

The others perked up their ears.

Xixi held up three cute fingers and said proudly, "I'm three years old now, and I'm already in kindergarten. My teacher even gave me five little red flowers as a reward."

Unbelievable! A 20-year-old high school student has a three-year-old daughter!

The younger generation is truly formidable.

Almost instantly, everyone heard the sound of their worldviews shattering, and all sorts of conflicting gazes converged on one spot.

Song Ling, who arrived late, heard this explosive conversation as soon as she entered the room. She couldn't help but frown slightly, glanced at Pei Yiyan with indifference and disdain, and went straight to Meng Zhiyao's seat.

Seeing this, Xixi poked Pei Yiyan's hand with her little hand and asked in a soft voice:

"Dad, who is that auntie sitting in Mom's seat, who's as pretty as Grandma?"

Pei Yiyan recognized Song Ling. The Meng family donated a building to the Third Middle School, and the school would invite Song Ling to speak on stage every year during the school's anniversary celebration.

"It's your mother's mother."

"Then what should Xixi call her?"

"Just call her 'Grandma' as usual," Pei Yiyan cautioned worriedly. "Don't go looking for trouble; she doesn't recognize us."

Xi Xi's eyes sparkled: "Dad, if you were just a little braver, you and Grandma would have a story together."

The moment the little brat sticks her butt out, Pei Yiyan knows what shape of poop she's going to take. He smiles wickedly like a villain: "Oh, I see you want to hear the story of how the Big Bad Wolf ate Little Red Riding Hood again."

Xi Xi was horrified: "Don't listen! Don't listen!"

In a panic, Pei Yiyan's two beautiful lips were pinched into the shape of a platypus by his daughter.

Pei Yiyan: "

The students who were silently watching the show: "Pfft."

Pei Yiyan pulled his mouth out, his face dark and sour.

The day before yesterday, the little girl, who never usually listens to bedtime stories, suddenly became eager to hear one from her father. Pei Yiyan racked his brains for a while before reluctantly telling the story of Little Red Riding Hood.

However, his memory was scattered, and he accidentally mixed up the story of Granny Xiong and Little Red Riding Hood, and as he told the story, it turned into Granny Xiong eating Little Red Riding Hood.

As Xixi drifted off to sleep, she heard her father say in a deep, gentle voice, "Little Red Riding Hood's fingers were crunchy and delicious, and Grandma Wolf ate them with great joy and satisfaction. She secretly decided to come back next time."

The child, suddenly pulled up from the ground, huddled under the covers, shivering.

When there's no danger, Dad is the biggest danger. This adds another layer to the little ginseng spirit's childhood trauma.

Xi Xi kept her little mouth tightly shut until the end of the parent-teacher meeting, a hint of helplessness and worry appearing between her childish brows.

He sighed in a very old-fashioned way: "Dad, you're hopeless."

"Shut up, I might still be salvageable."

Xi Xi was fuming.

The father and daughter were bickering when Old Lu came over and tapped Pei Yiyan's table: "Come with me for a bit. Hey, you guys watch the kid."

With Qiu Ming and her son there, Pei Yiyan felt reassured and followed Lao Lü.

The crowd, which was about to disperse, slowly gathered again.

The cheerful and outgoing little ginseng spirit is naturally friendly to the group of boys and girls who are about the same age as her father, and quickly wins their hearts with her cute appearance and lively personality.

"Brother, pat your head. You should stay up less late in the future, or you'll lose all your hair."

Two days later, the boy who had developed a beard from staying up all night studying had a ring of stubble growing on the top of his head.

"Sister, does your stomach hurt? Let Xixi blow on it, and it won't hurt anymore."

Girls who suffer from menstrual cramps due to cold uterus no longer need to take beprofen.

"Sister, you're so pretty! Be brave and show yourself off!"

A girl who felt inferior because of acne kept her thick bangs for three years, and whose acne disappeared the next day, her skin became whiter and clearer day by day.

Everyone laughed and joked with the child, watching her playful antics, finding her amusing. Little did they know that her stubborn minor ailments and pains would vanish in an instant amidst their laughter and conversation.

Meng Zhiyao watched everything with a smile, without stopping it.

She knew that Xixi was a kind-hearted ginseng baby, and healing was her instinct and talent. However, these were not even considered healing; they were just minor ailments that she could easily resolve.

When Xixi needed to go to the restroom, Meng Zhiyao naturally went over and took the little girl's hand.

The child skipped and hopped along, the tassel hairpin in her hair swaying in a joyful arc, and the mother and daughter spoke in low voices.

"Mom, Xixi came to Dad's parent-teacher conference today. She'll come to yours next time. Don't be jealous, okay?"

Barring any unforeseen circumstances, today is the last parent-teacher conference; universities are unlikely to hold such conferences.

"Okay, Mom will wait for you." Meng Zhi shook her head and smiled, "Did Dad tie your little pigtails today?"

"Yes! It's him."

"You've improved," Meng Zhiyao commented. "The height on both sides looks about the same."

Xi Xi was still a little angry that Pei Yiyan had scared her with a story, and she complained irritably, "Daddy's hands are so clumsy! Xi Xi waited for him until her neck was sore. Mommy's braids are much better. Mommy is the best!"

The little girl is always sweet-talking and cherishes every moment she spends with her mother, doing her best to make her happy.

Meng Zhiyao took out a red envelope she had sewn herself from her coat pocket:

"Xixi, congratulations on becoming a kindergarten student! I heard you've been doing very well at kindergarten and were the first student the teacher praised. That's really great! I'm giving you a big red envelope as a reward. I hope you'll be happy every day at kindergarten from now on."

"Mom, are there little red coins inside the red envelope?"

“Yes,” Meng Zhiyao said mysteriously, “Do you want to take them apart and count them?”

Xi Xi opened it and glanced at it quickly; it was a stack of red bills.

As if she were holding a hot potato, Xixi immediately shoved it back: "No, no, that's too much, Xixi can't take it."

Meng Zhi hesitated for a moment, then chuckled and stuffed the money into her pocket: "It's not much, just a thousand yuan in total."

"How many red bills are in a thousand yuan?"

Ten.

Xi Xi twitched her ten short, white fingers: "So many, it would take two of Xi Xi's fingers to count them all!"

The young girl was unaware of her status as a rich second-generation. She only remembered an old idol drama she had watched before, in which the female lead's mother worked four jobs a day to support her daughter's schooling, eating only coarse food and eventually working herself to death.

The moment the mournful background music started playing, the little girl clutched her handkerchief and burst into tears.

For the first time, Xi Xi realized how difficult it was to earn money. The image of Pei Yiyan shaking milk tea on weekends flashed through her mind. The chubby little body rushed into her father's arms, crying out that she didn't want her father to die and that he should live to be a hundred years old.

Pei Yiyan: I was a little touched, but not much.

The twenty-year-old father can hardly imagine himself walking unsteadily, looking old and toothless. He's unsure if he'll still be a clean-cut, handsome old man when he's a hundred.

He felt that he could stay with his daughter until she was in her sixties or seventies, and he hoped that when that time came, he could peacefully close his eyes and face death.

Xi Xi had gained a new understanding of money and did not accept Meng Zhiyao's offer:

“Mom, making money is hard work. You can keep it for yourself. There’s still a lot of money in Xixi’s safe. Xixi hasn’t sold the big gold bracelet that Uncle Yang gave her yet.”

Meng Zhiyao didn't know Liu Yang and Yang Sen, but after a little thought, she could guess that they must be Pei Yiyan's friends.

The Meng family adhered to the concept of raising their daughters with abundance, and Meng Zhiyao was no exception: "Xixi, Mom doesn't need to spend money. Mom will be very happy if you spend the money Mom earns, and Mom will be sad if you don't accept it."

"But doesn't Mom give Xixi some money to spend every month?"

Pei Yiyan had a frank conversation with Xixi, and Xixi knew that Meng Zhiyao would regularly send a child support payment of two thousand yuan every month.

“Mom is a student, younger than Dad, and not in good health. The child support she pays each month comes from her savings. Dad hopes that Xixi will not accept any other money from your mother.”

After hearing Xi Xi's words, Meng Zhiyao's heart softened completely, and she wished she could give her daughter the best of everything in the world.

“Xixi, you don’t need to be so sensible. What Mom gave you is not savings, but money that Mom recently earned from her part-time job.”

She sniffed and said softly, "Because of Xixi, Mom's health has improved to almost the same level as a normal person, and she has the energy to do other things."

The night she drank the ginseng soup, Meng Zhiyao underwent a complete transformation, shedding a layer of heavy grime. When she came out of the bathroom, her complexion was rosy and she was full of energy. Now, as long as she doesn't do strenuous exercise, she doesn't feel uncomfortable.

With a healthy body as a safety net, she finally had time to develop a side business to save money for her daughter.

Meng Zhiyao got into the Hanfu community very early on. She liked collecting Hanfu in her early years and later gradually learned to make headwear. Both of Xixi's Hanfu sets were bought by her, and the small hair clips and tassel hairpins on her head were also made by her.

Since high school, she has registered a Hanfu hairpin maker account on Xiaodigua, where she often shares various hairpins she makes. Now, she has accumulated more than a thousand followers on the account.

The fan base is not large, but the number of active fans is considerable.

In the last two days, she started taking orders to make hairpins. Her inbox has been flooded with private messages, and the orders are booked until the summer vacation. She can do what she is interested in and earn child support at the same time, killing two birds with one stone.

She couldn't fight city hall, so Xixi accepted the red envelope and locked it in the safe as soon as she got home. She wanted to save the money to buy her mother pretty clothes in the future.

When Xixi came out of the restroom, Song Ling was waiting at the door.

Song Ling and Meng Zhiyao were in a subtle standoff, both looking rather unhappy, clearly having had an unpleasant conversation.

"Sister Meng."

"Grandma," Xixi tilted her head, puzzled, and asked softly, "Are you arguing?"

Song Ling frowned. She was only in her early forties. Did she look like someone from her grandmother's generation?

Song Ling was displeased and glanced coldly at Xi Xi.

Meng Zhiyao quickly stepped in front of Xixi, shielding her behind her, and said softly, "Xixi, this is your sister's mother. You can just call her Auntie."

Xi Xi can accurately sense people's likes and dislikes, so she realized that Song Ling didn't like her, but she didn't know why.

The little girl was a bit flustered, and obediently changed her address: "Hello, Auntie."

Song Ling didn't move an inch, and simply lifted her foot, passing by Meng Zhiyao and saying, "Yaoyao, I'll wait for you in the car. Come down in five minutes."

"Okay, I understand."

Once Song Ling was completely out of sight, Meng Zhi bent down and touched her daughter's face: "Xi Xi, Mom will take you back to your classroom first, and I'll come see you on the weekend."

Xi Xi didn't move. After hesitating for a long time, she bit her lip and asked carefully, "Mommy, Grandma doesn't like me, right?"

Meng Zhiyao's heart tightened, and at the same time she felt a gaze on her back. She turned her head and met Pei Yiyan's eyes.