The sales clerk bit her lip, her face turning even paler. She still held onto a sliver of hope, thinking that these wealthy people were just talking and wouldn't actually complain.

As she walked out of the department store, Su Xiulan looked up at the sky and sighed helplessly.

Xie Lin'an looked at Su Xiulan's profile and remembered what she had asked at the bookstore, which he hadn't had a chance to clarify. So he asked, "What did you want with the bookstore owner?"

Su Xiulan said, "Sigh, I've gone several times, but I haven't run into anyone. I was thinking of asking him if he'd be willing to sublet; I'm planning to open a small shop across from the supply and marketing cooperative. It's a pity, I haven't seen anyone. I see you're quite familiar with the bookstore, do you know the owner?"

Xie Lin'an was about to answer when he was suddenly interrupted by a male voice.

"Second sister? Who is he?" Su Xiangyang looked at Xie Lin'an with astonishment, his eyes full of vigilance.

Xie Lin'an also looked at Su Xiangyang, who had suddenly appeared, and thought to himself, "This must be the child that Aunt Meng mentioned who needs tutoring."

Look at his age, not very old, but his face still has the sharpness unique to young people, and whatever he thinks is written all over his face.

Su Xiulan quickly introduced, "This is my younger brother, Su Xiangyang."

As she spoke, she tugged at Su Xiangyang's arm and said, "This is Teacher Xie, who will be tutoring your child in the future."

Upon hearing that he was a tutor, Su Xiangyang frowned slightly and muttered under his breath, "He does look quite respectable."

Then, with an aggressive tone, she asked, "Are you the teacher who's going to tutor us? What are you doing with my second sister?" Her words were full of inquiry.

Upon hearing this, Su Xiulan raised her hand and tapped Su Xiangyang on the head, saying, "How dare you talk to Teacher Xie like that? Apologize right now!"

Xie Lin'an smiled and said, "It's alright, no need to apologize."

Of all the students he's taught, there are far more difficult ones than this kid.

When Su Xiangyang heard his second sister siding with an outsider, he was furious and shouted at Su Xiulan, "Second sister, he's the outsider! Why are you always siding with him? What's wrong with me asking? Do you have some kind of secret that you don't want people to ask about?"

This Teacher Xie doesn't look like a good person; he might be a treacherous villain behind the scenes.

Su Xiangyang was about to glare back fiercely, but he was intimidated by a look from Su Xiulan. His arrogance vanished instantly, and he said reluctantly, "I'm sorry, okay?"

Then, she didn't forget to warn Xie Lin'an: "Let me tell you, don't even think about messing with my second sister. She's not someone you can afford to mess with."

After saying that, seeing that Su Xiulan was about to make a move, he immediately slipped away.

Su Xiulan stomped her feet in anger, thinking to herself that she hadn't hit him hard enough to wake him up.

What utter nonsense is this? It's outrageous!

She quickly apologized to Xie Lin'an: "Teacher Xie, I'm so sorry. My brother is so inconsiderate and has offended you. He's not usually like this. My mother asked you to tutor my younger sister, Xiuju, not this rascal. Please don't misunderstand!"

She was genuinely afraid that Xie Lin'an would be unwilling to tutor Xiuju anymore because of this matter.

Xie Lin'an didn't care. He felt that no matter whether a student was naughty or well-behaved, they shouldn't be condemned outright. He would wait and see the exam papers before making a judgment.

...

That evening, the Meng family home was bustling with activity, the courtyard filled with the laughter of children.

Mingyue and Minghui are almost six months old. They can laugh and crawl, and they are at the most lovable age.

When the two little ones saw Meng Shuyun, they immediately clung to her trouser legs, babbling in their baby voices, wanting a hug.

After finally calming them down, Meng Shuyun straightened up, rubbed her aching back, and thought to herself, "These two kids are getting heavier and heavier. Carrying them is really tiring, but I'm happy despite the fatigue."

Meng Shuyun carried a plate of apples into Su Xiuju's room.

The courtyard was noisy. Sisters Xiaoli and Xiaojuan sat on either side of Su Xiuju, doing their homework diligently. When they encountered a problem they didn't know how to solve, they would ask Su Xiuju for help.

Meng Shuyun said, "Let's eat some fruit first, rest for a while, and then continue writing."

Upon hearing the door open, the two sisters immediately looked at the apple in Meng Shuyun's hand, their eyes filled with anticipation.

They usually listened to Su Xiuju, but now they looked at Su Xiuju pitifully. Only after getting her permission did they happily pick up the apples and start eating.

Meng Shuyun looked at Su Xiuju and asked with concern, "Was the test difficult? It's okay if you don't know it. If you fall too far behind in any subject, I'll hire a professional tutor for you."

Su Xiuju took a bite of her apple, shook her head first, then nodded, and said, "Math is quite difficult, and I haven't finished half of it yet. But thanks to the books that my mother and my two older sisters bought, they were a great help. I haven't fallen too far behind in the other subjects."

Upon hearing this, Meng Shuyun felt both heartache and relief.

She couldn't help but think of those students in TV dramas who jumped off buildings because of excessive academic pressure. Her heart tightened, and she said, "Xiuju, don't put too much pressure on yourself. If you can pass the exam, then you can take it. If you can't, then you can go to a junior college. That's fine too."

With a determined look in her eyes, Su Xiuju said, "Mother, don't worry, I will definitely make you proud and get into university." After saying that, she took another big bite of the apple and then buried herself in her studies.

Meng Shuyun went to Meng Kangshun's room again, where she saw Meng Kangshun and Su Xiangyang sitting at the table writing test papers.

Su Xiangyang scratched his head, looking irritable, while Meng Kangshun looked serious, creating a stark contrast between the two.

Su Xiangyang was stumped by the question. He angrily slammed his pen down, frantically rubbed his head, and muttered, "Why is this question so hard? My brain is about to explode!"

He noticed Meng Kangshun's calm demeanor, leaned closer to take a look, and discovered that most of his answers were wrong. He immediately laughed mockingly.

He pointed at Meng Kangshun's exam paper and said, "I thought you were so great. So what if you filled it up? It's all wrong anyway, hahaha..."

Meng Kangshun ignored Su Xiangyang's mockery, still frowning, and picked up a second-hand book to read.

Seeing this, Meng Shuyun angrily said, "What right do you have to laugh at Kang Shun? Look at your own exam paper, half of it is blank. All the books you've read over the years have gone to waste!"

As he spoke, he slapped Su Xiangyang across the face.

As if he had eyes in the back of his head, Su Xiangyang nimbly dodged to the side, avoiding the slap.

Meng Shuyun struck again, but Su Xiangyang dodged it again.

Su Xiangyang had been beaten so many times that he had developed a conditioned reflex, twisting and turning in his chair with a smug smile on his face.

Meng Shuyun is now infamous. As the saying goes, "If you don't discipline someone for three days, they'll be climbing on the roof and tearing off the tiles."

She swept her foot across the room, knocking over the stool Su Xiangyang was sitting on. Su Xiangyang fell flat on his backside.

Meng Shuyun snorted and said, "Hmph, Kang Shun is a hundred times better than you. He's never been to school and he can still fill out the test paper. Look at you, you still have the nerve to laugh. I really don't know where you get your smugness from."

Su Xiangyang retorted defiantly, "Everything he wrote is wrong!"