Before Xia Chunlan could be happy for long, Xia Qingqing said with a smile, "Second Aunt, let's talk about the tutoring fees."
"Tutoring fee? What tutoring fee?" Xia Chunlan looked at her in disbelief.
"Of course it's for Shengjie's tutoring fees. I tutor students in Beijing for 1 yuan an hour. We're relatives, so we can't charge that price. I'll give you a rock-bottom price, let's say 50 cents an hour," Xia Qingqing said, looking at Xia Chunlan with an expression of getting a great deal.
Xia Chunlan felt like her brain wasn't working properly. Was this niece crazy for money, trying to make money off her?
She looked at Xia Qingqing with a mixture of embarrassment and anger and said, "Qingqing, this is not funny. It's just tutoring your cousin. If you don't want to tutor, then don't. Is it necessary to make such a joke?"
Then she turned to Xia Heping and said, "Second brother, you're not going to keep a close eye on this girl. Now she's even getting herself into trouble with her own aunt. What will become of her in the future?"
Xia Heping frowned instinctively upon hearing this: "Chunlan, can't you speak properly? What do you mean by 'ripping you off'? Qingqing only charges 1 yuan per hour for tutoring in Beijing. She's already given you a big discount because you're her aunt. How can you say she's ripping you off?"
These words were spoken with great confidence, but in reality, Xia Heping had no idea when his daughter started tutoring others. How could he not know about this?
Regardless of whether it's true or not, he's not going to embarrass his own daughter.
Xia Chunlan was stunned by her second brother. After a long while, she stammered, "Qingqing really charges 1 yuan per hour for tutoring? Second brother, you're not lying, are you?"
The factory workers only earn 30 yuan a month, which is only 1 yuan a day on average. How can Qingqing earn 1 yuan for tutoring someone for an hour?
Xia Heping said seriously, "Of course it's true. My Qingqing is a top student at Beijing University. Besides, you think this money is expensive, but parents in Beijing don't think it's expensive. As long as our child is successful in the future, we parents don't feel bad about spending any amount of money."
Xia Qingqing covered her face and chuckled. She hadn't expected her father to be so good at bluffing. But seeing her father standing by her side so unconditionally made her feel warm inside.
“My Shengjie is Qingqing’s cousin, not an outsider. How can I charge money for tutoring my own cousin?” Xia Chunlan said with great dissatisfaction.
“That makes sense, but Qingqing doesn’t only have Shengjie as her cousin. She also has her eldest brother’s Tiedan, and her third brother’s Xiaodou, Maodan, and Xiaomi. If we supplement Shengjie’s diet, what about the other children? Can Qingqing manage to supplement her diet by herself?” Xia Heping said unhurriedly.
Xia Chunlan was still unconvinced: "They are all still young and there is no rush. My Shengjie will be taking the college entrance examination next year. What's wrong with Qingqing, as the older sister, helping him out?"
Xia Qingqing smiled and took over the conversation: "Second Aunt, that's not very interesting. I can easily earn several dozen yuan a month by just finding a few students in the county who are about to take the college entrance exam. Why should I give up a perfectly good job to tutor Shengjie for free? Would you be willing to quit working in the fields and come to my house to help with cooking instead?"
It's ridiculous. If it were her cousin with whom she'd been close since childhood, she certainly wouldn't mind tutoring him for free. But why should she selflessly dedicate herself to a cousin she barely sees twice a year?
Xia Chunlan choked. Of course she didn't want to. She wasn't stupid. How could she give up earning good work points to cook for her brother's family for free?
"Right? You also think your request is unreasonable, right? If you really care about Shengjie, you shouldn't be saving this little bit of money. You should invest more in him now, and he'll definitely repay you when he becomes successful in the future," Xia Qingqing said sarcastically.
Xia Chunlan was speechless. She also wanted to invest in her son, but the problem was that she had to be able to come up with that much money.
It costs 50 cents an hour. If you tutor for two hours a day, that's 1 yuan. That adds up to 30 yuan a month. Where is she going to get so much money? The Li family has more than just Shengjie as a grandson.
Xia Chunlan looked at Xia Qingqing pleadingly and said, "It's not that your second aunt is unwilling to give you money, it's just that your second aunt really doesn't have that much money. The family hasn't separated yet, and every penny that my husband and I earn has to be given to Shengjie's grandma. It's impossible for her to give me that much money. Qingqing, please kindly help your second aunt and your cousin."
Although the other person looked pitiful, Xia Qingqing still didn't want to help.
Given her aunt's behavior just now, she didn't want to be unfairly blamed if Li Shengjie didn't get into university and thought it was because she hadn't taught him well.
Another issue is that once this door is opened, what if other relatives or families in the village all ask her to tutor them for free? Can she keep up with all of them?
However, Xia Qingqing glanced at the 20 eggs on the table, got up and went back to her room to get a few books.
"Second Aunt, there's really no other way to offer free tutoring, but these are all the review books and notes I used when I took the college entrance exam. I don't know if they'll be useful. Take them back and show them to Shengjie. If he thinks they're useless, remember to return them to me," Xia Qingqing said, placing the items in front of Xia Chunlan.
She doesn't really need these things for now. Gou Dan still has many years until the college entrance exam, and by then the exam format will have changed. She'll just consider these books as a return gift for Gou Dan.
Faced with this unexpected surprise, Xia Chunlan stared wide-eyed in disbelief and subconsciously asked, "This is free, right?"
Xia Qingqing was amused by her reaction: "It's free."
"But let me be clear from the start, my ability to get into university is inseparable from my countless days and nights of hard work. While others were playing, I was studying; while others were sleeping, I was still studying."
"If you think that taking a few tutoring classes will get you into university, that's impossible. I don't think I'm better than the professional teachers at the university. You'd be better off paying attention in class and asking the teacher questions after class."
The main reason she was willing to go to the trouble of saying those words was because she saw Xia Chunlan's love for her son as a mother. If it were Zhang Hongyan, she would probably have tried her best to help her as well.
Xia Chunlan remained silent for a while, then suddenly realized that her niece wasn't as cold as she had imagined.
What she said makes a lot of sense. No good student is born knowing how to study; they all have to work hard.
Besides, no matter how good Qingqing is at studying, it's all thanks to the teachers. Instead of having Qingqing tutor Shengjie, it would be better for Shengjie to go to school and ask the teachers for help.
After thinking it through, Xia Chunlan looked at Xia Qingqing and said with a smile, "Second Auntie thanks you on behalf of Shengjie. Second Auntie will make sure Shengjie cherishes these books. I'll exchange them for you after he finishes his college entrance exam next year."
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