Chapter 32 In her senior year of high school, she was even more unwilling to disappoint them.
While the two were chatting secretly, get out of class ended, and Cheng Jiayu came to their class to ask her, "Sis, are you going to Grandma's house for Chinese New Year this year? Can you ask my uncle for me?"
Cheng Sijie said, "Why don't you have your parents ask my dad?"
Cheng Jiayu said, "Sis, that's really unfair of you. My dad and your dad have been at odds for a long time."
Yu Lingling said, "Cheng Jiayu, can you stop talking so silly? Can you be a little more aloof and reliable? I thought you were really handsome back in junior high."
Cheng Jiayu said, "I'm sorry to disappoint you, Sister Ling. To be honest, I'm not the aloof type."
After thinking it over, Cheng Sijie decided that since she was the older sister, she should be brave and waved her hand, "Then I'll go and tell my parents. You can go back."
Cheng Jiayu said, "I think they're just making a fuss all day long, as if there's some big conflict. But it doesn't involve anything else. It's just about saving face. They should just let it go."
Cheng Sijie said, "You don't know your dad. He's just like our grandpa, stubborn to the core. Try to persuade him."
Cheng Jiayu said, "Fine, I'm not going to bother with him anyway. I told him I'm going through puberty and my mom is going through menopause, so he better behave himself, or our family will definitely have a conflict. To be honest, his blood vessels haven't been doing so well these past two years, so his temper is much better than before. I'll talk to him and try to persuade him. You can try to talk to my uncle."
Cheng Sijie said, "Mhm."
Actually, there weren't any major conflicts in their family. Well, when they divided the family property before, the two brothers kept pushing and shoving each other, which led to some unpleasantness. Later, their old home was demolished, and there were some unspoken disagreements among the relatives. Everyone kept quiet about it, but each of them had their own thoughts.
Now, many years later, I've come to terms with that money and profit. A group of relatives, several children—the cycle of fate is truly undeniable. Those who take more money often lose it the fastest, while those who gain nothing remain unscathed. Through all the comings and goings, life and death, career ups and downs, and the many things my family has experienced, I've come to see the turmoil of my youth in a more detached way. We all tacitly agree that it was because we "cared about face" back then, not because of money or the house we were allocated.
In the end, everyone knew the truth and wanted to slowly mend the relationship, taking advantage of their still young age (in their fifties and sixties) to have some close friends and relatives to chat with.
In short, people consider different things at different ages. When you're in your thirties or forties, you're yours and I'm mine. But when you reach your fifties or sixties, you suddenly realize you're almost gone and it doesn't seem like a big deal anymore. However, according to Cheng Sijie's analysis, this is also because everyone is doing well and won't cause any more big fights over money from the past.
The economic base determines the superstructure; this is the most fundamental principle.
Her mother, He Hongmei, was an only child. Logically speaking, He Hongmei's family was better off than Cheng Jianjun's. Cheng Sijie's maternal grandfather worked in the government and had progressive ideas. In addition, his wife was in poor health, so He Hongmei was the only child in her family.
He Hongmei has been making decisions on her own since she was a child. She understands these matters concerning relatives and friends better than Cheng Jianjun does, and she is more ruthless and decisive in handling them. She doesn't drag things out and doesn't care about trivial matters. Relatives are quite afraid of her.
Therefore, He Hongmei has always had a voting right and a right to participate in family matters, especially when it comes to her daughter.
He Hongmei meant that she would inevitably get involved in other people's affairs sooner or later. Rather than suffering mistreatment at her husband's family after getting married, she thought, "Why don't you practice at home first? Take care of whoever you don't like. At worst, Mom will cover for you."
After exchanging a few words with Cheng Jiayu, Cheng Sijie made a decision and said, "Leave it to me."
Upon hearing this, Cheng Jiayu left in high spirits.
When she got home, she told Cheng Jianjun about it. He Hongmei, who had just gotten off work, overheard it and said, "Alright, alright, adults have important matters to attend to, kids shouldn't worry about them. Go study."
He Hongmei was annoyed by her mother-in-law's pressure to have a child.
Cheng Sijie is an only child in her family. In recent years, with the country relaxing its policies to encourage having two or three children, many high school teachers have had a second child. Their Chinese teacher was overjoyed to have a daughter and was always smiling. She would recite a poem from time to time, which everyone noticed.
However, when Cheng Sijie's grandmother found out about this policy, she thought that having a second child wouldn't interfere with their government jobs, and that she should at least give him a big, healthy grandson. She had been trying to persuade Cheng Jianjun to have a second child, but He Hongmei just pretended not to know.
He Hongmei declared, "I only have one daughter, Sijie. She's asking me to have another one. It's ridiculous. If she brings this up with me, I'll tell her plainly that I have no affinity with your son for children. Only one girl is willing to be our daughter. I don't care to have any more."
Cheng Sijie: "Huh? What are you talking about? Nothing's worth mentioning..."
He Hongmei said, "Go away, this is none of your business."
Cheng Jianjun tried to persuade her from the side: "Alright, my mother is just old-fashioned, but she's not a bad person. People of her generation are all like that."
He Hongmei raised an eyebrow. "Who said that seeing my Sijie gives them a headache and high blood pressure? I don't need her to worry about me."
Cheng Jianjun said, "Her thinking is outdated. Don't be like her. As long as our family is of one mind, that's fine, right?"
As he spoke, Cheng Jianjun cleared his throat, "But since it's a gathering, I, as the son, can't not go. Besides, my older brother specifically asked Jiayu to come and tell you, Sijie, come with me to persuade your mother. Let's just go through the motions and come back as soon as we get there."
Cheng Sijie chuckled to herself, while He Hongmei rolled her eyes at her, "Go study. You're always worrying about these trivial matters. I heard from your teacher, Ms. Li, that your attitude has been quite problematic lately."
Cheng Sijie said, "What's wrong with me..."
She was dejected and even fruit tasted bland to her. Cheng Jianjun immediately spoke up: "It's okay for the child to eat some fruit."
Cheng Sijie said, "Dad, you're so good to me."
He Hongmei said, "You just spoil the child. Cheng Sijie, tell me what happened again in detail."
After Cheng Sijie finished relaying the message, He Hongmei laughed, "Your older brother is really interesting. He's backed down now, but he has indeed become much better-tempered in the past few years."
Cheng Jianjun said calmly, "He feels sorry for us; he used to be very concerned about saving face."
When the houses were allocated, Cheng Sijie's uncle asked for the larger one, so He Hongmei and Cheng Jianjun discussed it and gave it to him; they didn't care about the size of the apartment.
He Hongmei said, "Alright, our sister-in-law isn't like the two of us. Her salary isn't that high. Besides, he was the one who got the lot in the lottery. It's just that the old lady is biased. She keeps saying that the eldest son should have a bigger house because Jiayu is a boy and a good heir."
Cheng Sijie laughed, "Cheng Jiayu even said he's a bachelor, so it's hard to say whether he'll have children in the future."
He Hongmei was taken aback, then laughed and pretended to hit her, saying, "Don't talk nonsense, you're just a child."
Cheng Jianjun said, "How's your live stream going? You need to give your daughter a break. Her studies are too demanding right now. We'll have plenty of time after we graduate from university."
Cheng Sijie nodded, "Don't worry, Dad, I know."
The couple chatted about school gossip, talking about all sorts of random things, while Cheng Sijie listened intently.
She hesitated for a moment and then tentatively asked, "Does that Jiang Hui have special connections? I saw our grade head smiling at him, and his wrinkles looked like they were at a group meeting. He was so obsequious."
He Hongmei said, "What are you asking about, you little kid?"
She didn't sound angry. "But that kid is really handsome. If you can find someone like him in the future, I'll be relieved. He's so good-looking. He won't have to worry about making a living as a model."
Cheng Jianjun said, "With his excellent grades and family background, how could that be possible?"
He Hongmei said with a smile, "Many young girls must have a crush on him, Sijie. It wouldn't be bad if you could have a relationship with a boy like him early on."
Cheng Sijie was startled. She looked up and saw Cheng Jianjun secretly mouthing words behind He Hongmei's back:
It's a trap!
Cheng Sijie understood immediately, and pouted. Feeling guilty, she didn't dare to admit that she actually had feelings for Jiang Hui, nor did she dare to mention the things that had happened between the two of them. She pretended to be obedient: "Mom, right now I only have studying on my mind. Haven't you noticed that I only do live streams on weekends? I record far fewer videos during the week."
He Hongmei dropped her feigned friendliness, her eyes flashing like lightning: "Indeed, it's senior year of high school, and we should focus our attention on studying now."
Cheng Sijie nodded vigorously, exchanged a glance with Cheng Jianjun, and laughed.
Cheng Jianjun gave her a thumbs up.
…
Actually, her memories of her senior year of high school aren't that vivid anymore. She only remembers a lot of test papers, the reform of the elite classes, and some heartwarming details.
And of course, there's the college entrance exam.
In the senior year of high school, because A High School is a key municipal school, the pressure of college entrance examination is still very high. Although the school leaders and students of A High School always joke that they are a second-rate high school, the last among the key municipal schools, and not worthy of being compared with other key municipal schools and prestigious provincial schools, they are still key municipal schools after all. The students who can get in have very good grades. Many parents are both working. When it comes to such a major event in their children's lives, they are like they have gone crazy, forgotten their feelings, and are willing to risk their lives.
Not to mention the faculty and staff at school A. Even the physics teacher's child was taking the high school entrance exam. The physics teacher seriously mentioned in class several times that he was an "incompetent" father and could not accompany his child to the high school entrance exam.
Although the words were slightly exaggerated, it is clear how much the parents and teachers care about these senior high school students after putting themselves in their shoes.
Moreover, this year the Provincial Department of Education launched a pilot program, and several teachers from the provincial key experimental schools were transferred here for targeted training. Their teaching level is very high, and the teaching and research group has also held many meetings, learning a lot of practical knowledge from them.
I heard that they had some connections with the students who transferred here, which is why they chose A Middle School as the first batch of pilot schools.
When Cheng Sijie heard what her parents said, she thought that regardless of whether Jiang Hui's family had a particularly strong background, which led to that incident, it was enough to show that this targeted plan was not a decision made on a whim, and at least it had the significance of promotion.
Whether it's lesson preparation, teaching competitions, or time spent in and after class, the provincial key schools are still exceptional. The system and logic behind them are still student-centered. It's not that all the students at the provincial experimental schools are top students in the province and that these teachers are just reaping the benefits. They are truly skilled and have a very effective methodology for teaching different types of students. They even have a great sense of proportion in managing romantic relationships between male and female students.
When He Hongmei returned home, she sighed and said, "That's true. It's better to guide than to block. Many times, it's better to talk to the children more."
He Jianjun also said, "Yes, it's the age when sexual awareness is awakened. It's not in line with the natural laws of human beings to avoid it like a tiger. As long as it doesn't go too far, it's fine. We should try our best to guide children onto the right path and transform this impulse into a kind of innocent yearning for happiness and a bright future. I think this kind of concept is pretty good. It's really pretty good."
He Hongmei gazed at her increasingly beautiful daughter, lost in thought. "Wow, how did she grow up so fast? Our daughter is so pretty."
Cheng Jianjun agreed, saying, "My Sijie is more than qualified to be a star. Siyu says her sister is like a big star every day."
Cheng Sijie became a senior in high school. While He Hongmei and Cheng Jianjun were busy with work, they did not forget to take care of her. They cooked soup every day and took turns cooking. Cheng Sijie did not care much and told them not to be so nervous. They were busy all day long. Before her period, they bought her durian and beef to nourish her body, and they bought her deep-sea fish oil to nourish her brain.
When they reached their senior year of high school, they cared more about Cheng Sijie's physical and mental health. Unlike in her junior year, they didn't nag her as much and would occasionally urge her to go out and have some fun, or even do some live streaming during the holidays to relieve stress.
He Hongmei had talked to her about this topic. "You're in your senior year of high school now. Among your fans are friends you trust a lot. Mom knows that, although Mom didn't actively ask to see your chats with your fans, you always take the initiative to tell your parents about it."
Her eyes were very kind, radiating a maternal glow that made Cheng Sijie feel especially at ease.
Therefore, she was even more unwilling to disappoint them or cause any trouble by falling in love and neglecting her duties.
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