Chapter 32: Family Expectations

Chapter 32: Family Expectations

"He said he didn't need anyone to pick him up! I don't care when he'll be back."

Before Fang Yuenian even stepped into the house, she heard Fang Wu's furious shouts from inside.

Immediately afterward, Wang Jing's urgent, shrill voice rang out: "I told you to call your father-in-law and ask! Ask if the school bus has returned yet! Can't you care about the little guy for once? He doesn't want anyone to pick him up, so you shouldn't even ask him! It's already afternoon..."

"Mom," he called out.

Wang Jing's voice abruptly stopped.

Fang Yuenian walked in and said, "I'm back."

The blush on Wang Jing's face, still flushed from anger, quickly turned into a slightly embarrassed expression. She hurriedly came forward and took the suitcase from her son's hands: "You're home! Here, here, give it to me. How are you? Are you carsick? Have you had lunch?"

Fang Wu snorted coldly, "I told you he'd come back, right? How could he possibly get lost?"

He said no, but when Wang Jing got angry, he stomped his foot, bit off the last bit of mung bean popsicle in his hand, tossed the stick aside, and went out.

Wang Jing didn't bother with him; her mind was completely focused on her son. She kept asking, "Niannian, shall I make you some dumplings? I just made them this morning, just for you. I know you're tired, eat before you go to sleep."

Fang Yuenian said, "Oh, okay, Mom, have you eaten?"

"I've eaten, I've eaten. Your grandma waited for you at noon but you didn't come back. She just went out to play cards a little while ago," Wang Jing followed him into the room, quickly rummaging through his bag for clothes to wash later. "You passed by Aunt Hongmei's house on your way back, didn't you see her?"

"I didn't go past Aunt Hongmei's house."

Fang Yuenian took off her schoolbag and threw it onto the bed, then lay down heavily on her back, feeling the bed and her bones creak together.

Wang Jing quietly observed his expression, unable to discern whether he felt he had done well or poorly on the test, so she smiled and asked, "Niannian, how did you feel? Was the test difficult?"

"Hmm...it's alright."

Wang Jing's face lit up with joy. "That's good, that's good. It's alright. Mom doesn't have excessive expectations for you. I was just chatting with Grandma Xiaxia yesterday. Her Xiaxia is studying at Shuibiwei No.1 Middle School. She scored 30 points above the first-tier university admission line this year! So as long as you study hard, any school is fine."

This was the first time her mother had expressed the attitude of "I don't have high expectations for you," which left Fang Yuenian stunned.

Shuibiwei No. 1 Middle School and Shuibiwei No. 2 Middle School are just colloquial names. The proper name of No. 1 Middle School is Shuibiwei Senior High School, and No. 2 Middle School is called Shuibiwei Central Junior High School. In any case, they are definitely not good, but they can't be said to be particularly bad either. In short, many children from the surrounding villages spend their six years of middle school in the town.

Previously, Wang Jingming cared a lot about exam scores and grade rankings, but now she's so relaxed that she's satisfied with attending a high school in town, which is quite unexpected.

Fang Yuenian didn't speak immediately. Wang Jing, holding his clothes, was about to leave when she remembered and turned back to say, "Niannian, you've been away for your exams these past two days. The solar water heater has been installed, and the drains have all been cleaned up. The sun was shining yesterday, so there will definitely be hot water today. You can take a nice bath tonight. Rest for a while, and I'll call you when the dumplings are ready."

"Oh, okay."

Wang Jing closed the door and left. It was late afternoon, and it was very quiet outside. Fang Wu and Grandma Fang weren't home, so it was even quieter.

After the exam, at the entrance of No. 3 Middle School, and on the way back, classmates were all laughing and joking together. Later, on the way back to the village, the three Cheng siblings were together. Fang Yuenian didn't feel any special emotions, but now, in this quiet place, he truly realized that his junior high school was over.

Some things have long been taken for granted.

They would set off on Sunday afternoons, riding their bikes up the high embankment against the wind, crossing the streets to get to school, spending six days of the week there.

The school's management is not perfect. There is a small grove of trees behind the basketball court, and the grove is surrounded by a low wall that is easy to climb over. Outside is a large field of rapeseed. In spring, you can see the golden fields by looking out the windows of the teaching building.

They had walked around there not long ago. The old teacher probably wanted to help them relax, or perhaps to remind them of this rare moment of romance, which was unattainable in their local area.

Fang Yuenian lay on the bed in a daze, not understanding why she was thinking about rapeseed fields, or even about romance.

I'm already so tired of studying for the exam.

He rolled over, covered his face with the pillow, and then casually reached into his pants pocket and pulled out a lucky charm—Cheng Bing had only given it to him the day before the exam when they arrived at the hotel, and had carried it with him the whole way; she really knew how to hide things.

There were voices outside. Fang Yuenian listened for a couple of sentences and realized that it was Old Lady Fang who had returned.

Wang Jing called out loudly, "Niannian! Come out and eat dumplings!"

He jumped out of bed, put the amulet into the desk drawer, carefully closed it, and then opened the door and went out.

It was indeed Grandma Fang who had returned home. Seeing him come out, she said happily, "Niannian, you've come to your home? I've been waiting for you all noon. Did you do well on your exam? My grandson will definitely get into high school, no doubt about it. Niannian, you have to live up to expectations! You'll be the pillar of the Fang family in the future..."

"Niannian, come sit down and eat."

Wang Jing brought out the dumplings and placed them on the table, then asked, "Mom, would you like some more?"

Grandma Fang waved her hand: "I don't want to eat! I'm full just now. Niannian, tell Grandma, have you finished the test paper? Did you get a hundred points?"

Fang Yuenian chuckled dryly, "More or less."

"That's good!" Grandma Fang was very satisfied. "I was just at your Aunt Hongmei's house, and I heard Grandma Qinqin say that her Qinqin did very well on her final exams this time. She ranked very high at No. 1 High School, I think in the twenties... or something like that. Anyway, it's quite good. She did well when she entered high school the year before last. Teachers from No. 1 High School came to our door specifically to recruit her. They said that if she went to No. 1 High School, her tuition would be waived and she would also receive a scholarship. Just look at how much money and worry we can save over these three years!"

The "No. 1 Middle School" she was referring to was Shuibiwei No. 1 Middle School.

Fang Yuenian ate her dumplings without replying.

Grandma Fang continued, "If our family does well in the exams every year, the teachers will come to our door to ask for our students. That would be so great! What about those people who go to the city's No. 1 or No. 2 high schools? They still get their degrees just by studying like this."

Wang Jing came out of the kitchen, clearly having heard what her mother-in-law said.

"What are you talking about?" she said with a stern face. "Qinqin got in through her own efforts, didn't she? She could have gone to No. 2 Middle School in the city back then. If she had gone, she would definitely be better off now. People are hoping to get into the city school but they can't. They have to do everything they can to buy their way in. Qinqin's father is really good at this. He even bought her a place. People will laugh at him if they tell others. No wonder Dongmei wanted to go back to her parents' home back then."

Grandma Fang, of course, had to argue: "Is the city all about gold and silver? Didn't that Tongtong come from Shuibiwei last year and get into a top university? If she insists on studying in the city, I don't think she'll amount to anything. All she does is dream. How many points can she possibly get? Is she going to Tsinghua or America?"

She made a veiled attack, and Fang Yuenian, who had just picked up a dumpling, paused in her action.

Ignoring the implication in her words, Wang Jing said in a cold tone, "I don't care about anything else. I'll go to whichever school I get into each year. It's impossible for me to send him to a lower-ranked school after he gets into a good one. Why should I save him money? He's so young. The government waived his tuition and boarding fees in junior high school. Why should I save him money for high school? What's the point? If I don't spend the money on him, who will I spend it on?"

Grandma Fang was so embarrassed by her merciless scolding that she lost face. Although she felt a little guilty, she refused to shut up: "Goodness! You're amazing!"

These two probably felt that Fang Yuenian had finished her exams and that her family was no longer supporting her as a test-taker, so they could bicker freely. They went back and forth, refusing to stop even though they had nothing to say to each other, until Wang Jing noticed that Fang Yuenian had been silent for a long time, at which point they were forced to stop.

“Nian Nian, don’t worry about these things,” Wang Jing said, suppressing her anger. “Anyway, we’ll go to as many good schools as you can get into.”

Grandma Fang said, "Grandma only wants what's best for you."

"I'm full." Fang Yuenian put down her chopsticks.

Grandma Fang hurriedly said, "Are you full after just a few bites? Have some more!"

"I'm not eating anymore," Fang Yuenian stood up, her face calm. "I'm going to sleep now, I'm so sleepy."

"Oh dear, you've only eaten so little," Wang Jing frowned, but didn't want to scold him. "Alright, alright, go take a nap. You'll definitely feel dizzy on the way back."

Fang Yuenian returned to her room, closed the door, and leaned against it, lost in thought.

The thin door panel couldn't block out the intermittent noises from outside. He thought he had long since developed an immunity to them, but now he was incredibly agitated.

What is Cheng Bing doing at home? He wondered.

They must be very happy, since Sister Xiaoxiao and Sister Jun are both home.

Grandpa Cheng and Grandma Cheng never seem to argue, and neither do Cheng Qiuyan and Lin Guohui. Their family is always harmonious and peaceful.

Thinking this, he suddenly really wanted to see Cheng Bing.

Just as she was about to open the door to go out, Wang Jing suddenly knocked on the door from the outside: "Niannian, Niannian? Mom is coming in."

Fang Yuenian reached out and opened the door. "Mom, what's wrong?"

Wang Jing was taken aback when she saw him standing right by the door. She paused for a moment, then forced a smile. "Oh, it's nothing."

Despite saying that, she still came in, closed the door, and said slowly and softly, "Don't listen to what your grandma is saying. She's old and doesn't understand anything. Nian Nian, it doesn't matter where you get into school. It's fine if you study in town. If you do well, just like in your second and third mock exams, it would be best if you could get into the No. 2 Middle School in the city. Your mother would be so happy. The family doesn't lack money for your education."

Fang Yuenian looked at her, and after a while, she smiled gently and said something completely unrelated: "Mom, you don't know, do you? Sister Jun did very well on the exam this time, almost a hundred points above the first-tier university admission line."

Wang Jing was stunned.

She was truly dumbfounded. Her lips trembled violently a few times as she asked incredulously, "How much is the cutoff score for the first-tier university?"

"97, I checked, even if I can't get into Tsinghua University or go to the United States, I can still choose a very good university."

Tears welled up in Wang Jing's eyes instantly. She grabbed Fang Yuenian's arm and said in a trembling voice, "Oh, Niannian, Mom is so, so happy, Niannian..."

Fang Yuenian let her continue to weep, patting her hand comfortingly.

Overwhelmed with emotion, Wang Jing cried for a while. Afterwards, she felt a little embarrassed and patted Fang Yuenian's head with a slightly nasal voice, "It's good that you're both okay."

“Yes,” Fang Yuenian nodded, “I’m doing quite well too.”