Meng Shuyun retorted, "So everything you wrote is correct? The papers haven't even been graded yet, how do you know they're all wrong? You have the nerve to say that!"

The commotion in the room immediately drew the attention of the whole family.

Su Xiumei stood at the door, wiping her hands with her apron. Although she didn't know what had happened, she could tell from the scene that Su Xiangyang must have angered her mother.

She disagreed, saying, "Xiangyang, how could you make your mother angry? That's so unfilial of you."

Su Xiulan was wiping Mingyue and Minghui's bottoms when she heard the noise. She picked them up in each arm and rushed into the room, asking, "What's wrong? Su Xiangyang, what trouble are you causing now?"

Zhou Xianye touched his nose and silently swung the axe to chop firewood. He had now found his place in this family: chop more firewood and boil more water, since the family needed hot water for many things.

Su Xiangyang trembled with anger, her heart filled with rage and resentment, and tears streamed down her face.

He pointed at Meng Kangshun and shouted, "I didn't! It's Meng Kangshun! Mother, you just don't like me and you're deliberately targeting me. You're all the same, you're all deliberately targeting me!"

When Minghui and Mingyue heard Su Xiangyang crying, they reached out to him for a hug.

Su Xiangyang, with tears in his eyes, held one child in each arm. Of all the family members, Minghui and Mingyue loved him the most. They didn't dislike him at all and didn't wrong him.

Although sometimes he gets spit all over his hands and face, it's still better than having a whole family involved.

Under the stares of everyone in the room, Meng Kangshun helplessly spread his hands and said, "I just filled the test paper haphazardly. Maybe Xiangyang was too much pressure, that's why I did it like this."

Su Xiuju's voice came from the doorway, "Whether it's targeting you or not, I'll know once I grade the papers and check the answers."

Su Xiangyang shuddered, shoved Minghui and Mingyue back into Su Xiulan's hands, and quickly hid the test paper behind his back. "No need for that. Anyway, you've been accusing me for a long time, so just keep accusing me."

Deng Jiaqi brought in two bowls of chicken legs. "Xiangyang, you need to believe in yourself. You can definitely do it. Or you could let Xiuju take a look. If there are any mistakes, you can discuss them and learn from each other."

Su Xiangyang wants to die right now...

...

With the exam paper tucked in her hand, Meng Shuyun hurried toward the Xie family's house.

Upon arriving at the Xie family's residence, she respectfully handed the examination paper to Xie Lin'an, then sat quietly to the side and waited.

At first, Xie Lin'an's eyebrows and eyes relaxed as he reviewed the papers, and he occasionally nodded slightly, seemingly quite satisfied with some of the content.

As time passed, the sunlight gradually shifted, and the light in the room dimmed. Xie Lin'an's brows furrowed, and a few lines appeared on his forehead. He also paused frequently while holding the pen.

Meng Shuyun sat to the side, her eyes fixed on Xie Lin'an, feeling increasingly uncertain the more she looked.

Her eyes were filled with trepidation and unease; she simply couldn't guess what the outcome would be.

Because Meng Kangshun lacked a formal education, his papers took the longest to grade.

Xie Lin'an's gaze swept over the scroll repeatedly, his brows furrowing even more deeply. He kept drawing circles on the paper with his pen, and occasionally let out a soft sigh.

“Teacher Xie, you…” Meng Shuyun couldn’t help but speak, her voice carrying a hint of hesitation and probing.

"Aunt Meng, I'd like to see the three children," Xie Lin'an said, pushing up his glasses and looking at Meng Shuyun with a very serious expression.

"Su Xiuju's test paper was severely unbalanced in terms of subjects. Su Xiangyang even got the basic questions wrong. Meng Kangshun, in particular, only got 30 points right, and his answers were completely irrelevant."

Xie Lin'an put down the exam paper in his hand, his face serious. He shook his head slightly as he spoke, his eyes full of worry.

During the tense moment, Meng Shuyun truthfully explained the learning situation of the three people.

When Xie Lin'an heard that Meng Kangshun was self-taught, a look of surprise flashed across his eyes. His eyes widened slightly, and he blurted out, "Half a year, self-taught?"

A look of keen interest appeared on his face, and he unconsciously leaned forward.

If that's the case, Meng Kangshun is simply a genius in learning.

In just six months, by simply reading books, I was able to answer one-third of the questions correctly.

This is simply unbelievable, Xie Lin'an thought to himself in amazement.

"Um...it's been less than half a year." Meng Shuyun lowered her head slightly, correcting herself somewhat embarrassed.

“Aunt Meng, why don’t I go to your house now? We can talk and see how your foundation is.”

As Xie Lin'an spoke, he stood up and quickly tidied up the things on the table with both hands. His eyes were full of urgency, and his heart seemed to have already flown to the Meng family.

He really wanted to meet such a brilliant genius.

"Teacher Xie, don't worry. The child has his own things to do during the day and won't be back until the evening. I'll give you the home address, and you can come directly to the house then."

Meng Shuyun quickly stood up, apologetic smile on her face, and said gently.

Xie Lin'an then realized that he had been too hasty. He scratched his head awkwardly and nodded in agreement: "Okay, I'll go over tonight. I'll pick out some suitable books for them."

Xie Lin'an left with light steps, still thinking about Meng Kangshun.

Outside the bookstore, the sunlight was a bit too bright.

Su Xiulan persisted in waiting for people, her eyes fixed on the bookstore's entrance.

She thought to herself that the owner of this place must be a cultured and learned old man who was physically disabled.

Otherwise, why would she come every day for half a month, but still not see anyone?

Unbeknownst to Su Xiulan, just a hundred meters away from her, Ye Jianguo was hiding in a corner, his eyes fixed on her, his face contorted with jealousy.

He muttered to himself, "He says it's okay, but he still came looking for someone today. We've been waiting all morning, and he still won't leave."

His fists clenched involuntarily, his heart filled with anger and resentment. What was it about that old man that made Su Xiulan so obsessed, waiting for him from morning till noon?

Xie Lin'an came to the store to pick out books. As soon as he entered the store, he saw Su Xiulan squatting under the tree.

The sunlight shone on her, outlining her silhouette.

"Xiuju! What are you doing here? There are seats inside the bookstore, why don't you go in?" Xie Lin'an greeted her with a friendly smile.

Su Xiulan was also somewhat surprised to see Xie Lin'an. She quickly stood up, rubbing her legs which were starting to go numb, and replied, "I'm waiting for an elderly man with mobility issues, the bookstore owner. If I go in and sit down, I'm afraid I'll miss him."

Upon hearing this, Xie Lin'an coughed awkwardly a few times, his face slightly flushed: "Come in and sit down. I've picked out a few books; you can take them back with you later."

"Books I picked out for my younger sister and brother?"

Su Xiulan's eyes lit up immediately, and with a smile on her face, she quickly followed him inside, thinking that this was a good opportunity to find out Xie Lin'an's opinion.