Xia Minmin went straight to the restroom after returning to the supermarket. Before coming back, she and Tang Meng each bought a large cup of milk tea.
Xia Jianguo looked at the large and small bags on the counter and asked, "Didn't we go to register today? Why did you buy so much stuff?"
Li Chunmei leaned back in her chair. "These were all purchased at the request of my extracurricular class teacher. They include tools for learning oil painting, as well as special sports shoes for tennis and skateboarding."
Li Chunmei took out two pairs of shoes and showed them to Xia Jianguo.
"The quality is indeed quite good. As the saying goes, 'A skilled craftsman must first have the right tools.'"
"Yes, their coach also said that special shoes provide much better protection for children's ankles and are less likely to get injured."
"The coach is right. The child is still too young. His ankles and other ankles need to be protected, otherwise it could be a lifelong problem."
"Yes, when they learn to skateboard, they wear elbow pads, hand pads, knee pads, and helmets, which protect their joints very well."
Xia Jianguo looked at the items on the counter. "Where are the skateboard and tennis rackets? I don't see them."
"It's already been ordered by the teacher, and she'll help with the purchase. And let me tell you, all three of their extracurricular classes are quite interesting. You won't have to worry about Xiaomin becoming a bookworm anymore."
Li Chunmei teased Xia Jianguo, saying that she had heard him worry more than once that his daughter would become a bookworm, only knowing how to play with building blocks and doing nothing but reading.
Xia Jianguo blushed slightly and said, "I just noticed that Xiaomin has always preferred to stay alone and read books since she was little, and she doesn't go out to play with other children or like watching TV..."
Xia Minmin had just come out of the restroom when she heard Xia Jianguo's words. Standing behind Xia Jianguo, she glared at him with a face full of resentment. Li Chunmei burst out laughing.
Xia Jianguo then noticed Xia Minmin behind him and was at a loss for words.
"Xiaomin, it's hot today, would you like an ice cream? Chunmei will get you an ice cream too."
After Xia Jianguo finished speaking, he jogged to the freezer to get some ice cream.
Li Xuemei said with a smile, "You scared your dad."
Xia Minmin said resentfully, "Gossiping behind people's backs is not the behavior of a gentleman."
“Your dad cares about you. He always regrets starting to teach you to recite Tang poems when you were just over two years old, which made you different from other children and deprived you of a lot of fun.”
Xia Minmin also felt helpless, "I don't feel like I have few joys. Reading every day is enjoyable for me, playing with building blocks is enjoyable, and Sanda (Chinese kickboxing) is enjoyable too. I just know my goals earlier than my peers! I know how much effort I have to put in to achieve them!"
Li Chunmei and Xia Jianguo, who was holding an ice cream, were both shocked by Xia Minmin's words. They used to think that their child was too young to understand anything and had never talked about these things. They never expected that their child had already set her own goals and had been working hard for them.
Xia Jianguo handed the ice cream to Li Chunmei and Xia Minmin.
Xia Jianguo looked at Xia Minmin, who was eating ice cream, and asked, "So what is your goal?"
"Currently, I'm applying to Peking University! If I can get into a good university, I'll have more options in the future."
Xia Jianguo patted his daughter on the shoulder, "Okay, since you have a clear goal, your father and I will support you. To encourage you, we will buy you a house near Beijing University next year."
Thank you, Mom and Dad!
Ignoring the ice cream in her hand, Xia Minmin wanted to hug Xia Jianguo and Li Chunmei separately.
Xia Jianguo looked at the partially melted ice cream and took several steps back, repeatedly saying, "No, no, Dad appreciates your kindness!"
Xia Minmin then turned to look at Li Chunmei, "Mom appreciates your thoughtfulness too!"
Xia Minmin sat down in the chair reluctantly.
Li Chunmei tidied Xia Minmin's messy bangs. "Xiaomin, don't you have four extracurricular classes this summer? You need to manage your time well and balance work and rest!"
"I understand. I will ask for leave if I feel unwell."
Xia Jianguo said, "We don't have high expectations for your learning of tennis, skateboarding, and oil painting. We just hope that you can have more entertainment options in the future. When you are tired of studying, you can go out with your friends to skateboard or play tennis. Sweating it out can release stress."
"Yes, the extracurricular classes aren't cheap, but it's not a big problem for our family. By the way, why don't you learn to swim next year too!"
"You must learn to swim next year! You are not allowed to go to the beach or river when you go out to play."
Xia Jianguo agreed with Li Chunmei's words. Just two days ago, the Shenzhen Daily reported that six junior high school students had drowned while swimming in the sea. Every summer, the newspaper reports on children drowning.
Xia Minmin nodded obediently, "I understand, I will definitely learn next year."
Xia Jianguo said, "We're not having a Sanda class on Saturday night, so let's go to the discount supermarket together to check the accounts and collect money. There are some things at home that need to be organized and put on the fifth floor over there."
"Great! I haven't seen my aunt and uncle in a long time either."
"The apartments in Dudu Garden are still a bit small. It gets crowded after buying just a few things. Xiaomin, pack up your old building blocks and some books you don't read often. You can take them over there in your suitcase."
Xia Minmin borrowed most of the books she read from the library. She would only buy books she particularly liked and keep them at home to read frequently.
After a simple lunch, Xia Minmin left the supermarket and went home to pack up her building block set and the books she used in elementary school, planning to bring them to her home on the fifth floor of the discount supermarket on Saturday.
...
When Tang Wu returned home, Tang Meng and Xia Xiaminmin had already gone to their Sanda (Chinese kickboxing) class.
The TV was on, and Luo Yang was holding a calculator, seemingly doing something, with a serious expression.
"Wife, what are you calculating?"
"This month's expenses," Luo Yang answered instinctively upon hearing Tang Wu's voice.
"How were those three extracurricular classes today?"
"It's all okay. The teacher seems very professional. We don't know much about tennis. We don't even know if we can get 10 people into the tennis class."
"So little?"
"Yes, when we left, only Mengmeng and Xiaomin signed up. The price was high and there were few applicants."
Luo Yang finally finished calculating and looked away from the calculator.
Luo Yang said, "Raising a child these days is really not easy. Your two months' salary is not enough to cover the cost of Mengmeng's four summer interest classes. After registering today, you took Mengmeng to buy tools and shoes, which cost almost a thousand yuan."
"so much!"
"Well, the main problem is that both pairs of shoes are expensive, and I have no choice but to protect my ankles."
"Then you really can only buy the best."
"Yes, it's fortunate that I left my job early to start my own business, otherwise we wouldn't be able to afford to send Mengmeng to any extracurricular classes now."
Luo Yang leaned lazily against the sofa watching TV. Tang Wu patted Luo Yang's leg and said, "You've worked hard. Mengmeng and the other girl have had an even harder summer than when they were studying. I wonder if they can handle it?"
"Don't worry, the child is full of energy and will recover after a night's sleep. It's always better to exercise outdoors than to stay at home watching TV all day."
"Yeah, I'm going to eat."
Tang Wu walked into the kitchen as he spoke.
"Shall I heat it up for you?"
"No need, you can rest if you're tired today. It's not like I don't have hands or feet."
Luo Yang watched as Tang Wu busied himself frantically in the kitchen.
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