Chapter 7
Lin Ting walked to the iron gate of Building A3 and rang the doorbell next to it.
Soon, a middle-aged man who looked to be in his forties or fifties, of medium build, wearing a Chinese-style white stand-up collar shirt and black suit pants, came out of the house, opened the iron gate, and looked the girl outside up and down. "Are you Teacher Lin Ting?"
Lin Ting bowed slightly as a sign of politeness. "Yes, I am Lin Ting."
The middle-aged man opened the door and made a welcoming gesture. "Please come in, Teacher Lin. My wife told me yesterday that a new tutor is coming to our house today."
Did a tutor come before? But it's common for rich people to hire tutors, so Lin Ting didn't think about it any further.
Thank you. May I ask your name?
"Just call me Uncle Chen. I'm the housekeeper in the family, and I've been working for them for over twenty years."
"Okay, Uncle Chen."
Lin Ting followed Uncle Chen through a garden. The garden was meticulously maintained, with a fountain in the center and a rockery beside it. A large circle was drawn around the fountain, divided into sections planted with various flowers and plants. Among them were hydrangeas, jasmine, and roses, as well as many others whose names she didn't know, all in vibrant colors and quite beautiful. There were also two archways in the middle, covered with climbing roses, displaying several colors of roses, like colorful ribbons.
Lin Ting thought that if these two arches were moved to the wedding venue, they could be used as a flower arch.
The two walked through the garden, climbed a few steps, and pushed open the black wooden door to enter the building.
The room was filled with cool air, and Lin Ting breathed a comfortable sigh of relief, feeling much cooler from the heat.
At this moment, an aunt who looked to be about the same age as Uncle Chen and was slightly overweight brought her a pair of disposable slippers.
Uncle Chen said, "This is my wife, and also our housekeeper. She has been working here with me. You can call her Aunt Chen."
Lin Ting nodded and smiled, "Hello, Aunt Chen!"
"You must be Teacher Lin, welcome, welcome. It must be tiring to come all this way in this heat." Aunt Chen had the usual enthusiasm of a middle-aged woman.
After changing her shoes, Lin Ting followed the two around the entrance hall, and the entire living room on the first floor immediately came into view.
The black marble floor gleamed like a mirror, while a magnificent crystal chandelier cascaded down like a waterfall of silver. The living room's feature wall was adorned with a massive, lifelike landscape relief, clearly the work of a renowned artist. Several sets of Chinese-style furniture, along with ceramic vases and hanging calligraphy and paintings, accentuated the living room's elegance and solemnity, showcasing unparalleled Chinese cultural significance. A spiral staircase beside it ascended gracefully, adding a touch of grandeur.
Lin Ting swallowed hard. She never expected to witness such a wealthy family in her lifetime. Suddenly, she felt that even if this tutoring job didn't work out in the end, it wouldn't be a loss.
"Teacher Lin, please sit on the sofa for a moment. I have something I'd like to tell you," Uncle Chen said.
"Okay." Lin Ting was a little reserved and sat up straight.
Aunt Chen brought over a bowl of soup. "This is plum juice. It's refreshing in the summer."
Lin Ting took it, took a small sip, and put it on the table.
"I don't know how much information about the young master Madam told you when we met yesterday. Please don't mind if I ramble on a bit more."
Lin Ting immediately smiled and shook her head, "No, that won't happen."
"The young master now locks himself in his room every day and doesn't communicate with anyone. His parents have been busy with their careers since he was little, so my wife and I have been the primary caregivers. As a result, he's not very close to his parents. We always try to persuade them to spend more time with him, but their family business keeps them busy, and business trips are commonplace. Even having a meal together is a rare occurrence. What child doesn't long for their parents' company while growing up? It's truly difficult, and I feel sorry for him, but there's nothing I can do. He's gradually entering his rebellious phase, and when the three of us meet, we either don't exchange a single word..." Or they treat each other like enemies. My wife and I are also very worried, but ultimately we're outsiders and can't say too much. I understand that our son has been depressed lately. First, he injured his foot while playing ball, and it was quite serious; he had surgery. We thought my wife would stay to take care of him, but she only stayed overnight and was called away early the next morning by an emergency call. Seeing that our son woke up from anesthesia and didn't see the sadness in my wife's eyes, I felt bad too. This house is so big, and it's always just the three of us living here. Our son is indeed lonely and pitiful. Sometimes a child's emotional needs far outweigh their material needs.”
"After his leg injury finally healed and he was ready to return to school, the madam and the others discussed future plans with the young master. They hoped he would study business administration in college, then go abroad for further studies, and finally join the family business. But the young master resisted strongly, insisting that he wanted to take the art exam and study acting at an art school. The young master is indeed a talent for art; he can play various musical instruments and was a model of artistic achievement in elementary school. If he really went down this path, it wouldn't be a bad thing. But the madam and the others firmly disagreed, which completely enraged the young master, who said, 'If you don't agree, I won't study anymore. You weren't there to control me when you should have, and now that I'm an adult, you have even less right to control me. I'll just stay at home like this.'"
After hearing the whole story, Lin felt a little sad, but he also found the man to be proud and intrigued.
“But we’re worried about him being cooped up at home all the time. It’s one thing that his studies are being neglected, but the main concern is his mental state. Holding in anger for a long time can easily make him sick. Actually, he’s usually a sunny and enthusiastic boy. His teachers and classmates all like him at school. But now, he’s locked himself at home every day, and his energy is being worn down.”
After saying that, Uncle Chen sighed deeply. It was clear that he treated the young master like his own child.
After listening to such a long string of words, Lin Ting finally spoke up, "Uncle Chen, I already know what you've said when I met with Mrs. Chen last time. I will try my best to guide him, but let me be frank with you from the beginning. After all, we don't know each other, and it's unlikely that we can become familiar with each other quickly. It will take time. Moreover, whether our personalities and temperaments will be compatible is still unknown. If we can get along, that would be a good thing, but if we don't, please understand. I'm just a tutor, an ordinary college student, and certainly not a professional psychologist."
"Thank you, Teacher Lin. We understand what you've said, and we hope you can be more tolerant of him. If he speaks without thinking, please forgive him. Young Master isn't a bad kid at heart."
"OK."
"Then I'll take you to see the young master now."
The two stood up at the same time. Lin Ting followed behind Uncle Chen. "Young Master lives on the third floor. The third floor is his activity area. When Madam and the others come back, they stay on the second floor. My wife and I stay on the first floor."
Lin Ting suddenly remembered something; even now, she still didn't know the young master's name.
"Uncle Chen, I still don't know his name."
"Chen Zhiyi, Chen from the east of the ear, Zhi from the unity of knowledge and action, and Yi from the white of fire feathers."
This family is quite coincidental, as they all share the surname Chen. This avoids the tragedy often depicted in novels, where a domineering CEO and a wealthy heiress join forces, only to fight tooth and nail over whose surname their unborn child should take, ultimately leading to their breakup.
Zhiyi, the grass in the courtyard is still green, I don’t know where the brilliance comes from, but it is a talented name. It is not popular, and it does not sound like a rich kid. Instead, it has the air of a young man in fine clothes and riding a spirited horse.
They've got a good name for you!
As they walked up the stairs, the sound of a piano drifted up. Lin Ting wasn't very musically inclined and couldn't tell what piece it was, but it was played quite smoothly and beautifully.
She was also wondering, so what if this young master insisted on pursuing the path of art? Children from poor families are often forced to give up what they like due to practical reasons, so why can't children from wealthy families do as they please?
Is it really that difficult to pursue what you love from beginning to end in this world? Or are people just inherently fickle?
They quickly reached the third floor. Uncle Chen entered the password and opened the door, revealing a large, single-level apartment to Lin Ting. In the center of the apartment was a large living room with floor-to-ceiling windows, making it bright and airy. The style was simple yet bold, quite different from the traditional Chinese style of the first floor. A white piano sat in the center of the living room, and the rebellious, stubborn, yet enthusiastic and cheerful young master was sitting at the piano, playing, dressed in white pajamas.
The first thing Lin Ting saw about Chen Zhiyi was his profile. He had a straight nose and sharp, composed features. His pursed lips gave him a noble and indifferent look. His long, clean hands danced across the black and white keys. What was the first impression? Just one word: "noble." He was definitely a young master from a wealthy family.
Uncle Chen spoke first: "Young Master, Teacher Lin has arrived."
Chen Zhiyi didn't stop playing, nor did he turn his head to look at them. He put his index finger to his lips in a "shh" gesture, "Don't talk, just listen to the whole piece."
Lin Ting cursed inwardly. Was this a concert? He didn't even look at people when he spoke. Where was his manners and etiquette? Before the concert even started, he had already given him a negative score in his mind.
Towards the end of the piece, Chen Zhiyi suddenly asked, "I heard that Teacher Lin is a top student from Tianjin University, so he should know a lot. I wonder if he could tell what piece I was playing?"
Lin Ting could tell that this was a challenge to her authority as a teacher, and that he was speaking without any regard for her feelings. She accepted the challenge and returned the favor, asking him in a humble yet assertive manner, "I've also heard that Chen is a student at Jinshi Foreign Language Middle School, the top high school in Jinshi. He must be very outstanding. I wonder if you've ever heard of the idiom 'Standing in the Snow at Cheng's Door'?"
The story of "Standing in the Snow at Cheng's Door" takes place during the Northern Song Dynasty. It tells of the famous scholars Yang Shi and You Zuo waiting in the snow for their teacher, Cheng Yi, to awaken so they could receive academic guidance. This story embodies the spirit of respecting teachers and sincerely seeking knowledge. The idiom "Standing in the Snow at Cheng's Door" originates from this story and is used to describe an attitude of respecting teachers and earnestly seeking knowledge.
It was obvious that Chen Zhiyi lacked manners and didn't even know how to respect his teachers.
Chen Zhiyi stopped playing, a smile playing on his lips. This was interesting. To put it bluntly, he was just a private tutor, yet he really acted like a public teacher.
So, he stood up, turned around, and met Lin Ting's gaze.
The moment their eyes met, Lin Ting finally saw his face.
What first caught her eye was the small beauty mark under Chen Zhiyi's left eye. Most people wouldn't even notice it, but Lin Ting noticed it immediately.
She remembered that the other person also had a beauty mark under his eye, but he was on the left and Chen Zhiyi was on the right.
It's said that people on the right are promiscuous, while those on the left are devoted.
Whether she's faithful or not is unclear, but she's definitely promiscuous.
My gaze swept back to his full face and I could see his features clearly. How to describe it? Like the blazing sun outside at that moment, he exuded a strong aura that made his presence impossible to ignore.
He has a classic striking face with deep-set, thick eyebrows and a well-defined profile. His long, narrow eyes are framed by deep-set sockets, and his thin, red lips are slightly upturned, carrying a hint of provocation.
It has to be said, this guy is truly God's favorite. He comes from a privileged background and has a stunningly handsome face. If he were in school, he would definitely be a heartthrob who attracts all sorts of attention.
Seeing him take a gift box from the piano shelf and walk over, his white loungewear loose and flowing, giving him a refined and elegant air, Lin Ting realized that he was very tall, more than a head taller than her, and she had to look up to see him.
When he walked up to her and she looked at his face up close, the undeniable presence was like a fully stacked buff, and Lin Ting felt her heart skip a beat.
His eyes were clear and bright, like they held a thousand stars, drawing people in without them even realizing it.
Lin Ting has few male admirers, so she doesn't care whether a guy is good-looking or not. But at this moment, she has to admit that Chen Zhiyi is handsome and completely matches her aesthetic standards.
Chen Zhiyi also carefully observed the new tutor. She had a fair and delicate oval face, and a pair of large black-rimmed glasses perched on her slender and straight nose. Even through the lenses, he could see a pair of clear and bright eyes. Her simple ponytail and pure white T-shirt, without any unnecessary embellishments, were like a spring flowing through his heart, refreshing and cool, and she was more beautiful than he had imagined.
Hmm, the overall silhouette looks a bit familiar. Isn't that the guy who said goodbye to his cat and was being criticized by himself while being bored on Tianya?
What a coincidence!
Chen Zhiyi handed the gift box to Lin Ting, his tone softening. "Teacher Lin's words 'standing in the snow outside the teacher' reminded me that as a student, I should respect my teacher. I was rude just now. This is a gift for our first meeting. I hope Teacher Lin will accept it."
Looking at the ambiguous smile on Chen Zhiyi's face, Lin Ting knew there must be something strange in the box, but she still accepted it, wanting to see what it was all about. Having been a tutor for four years, she had seen many children with strange tempers, so she wasn't afraid.
Lin heard him say "Thank you!" and took it, then opened it on the spot, and a slippery, yellowish-green thing jumped out.
Uncle Chen shuddered, took a step back, and shouted, "Snake!"
But Lin Ting remained calm, coiled the snake in his hand and stroked it, then uttered a shocking statement with a calm and gentle expression.
"It's a pity it's just a toy snake. Judging from its pattern, it should be a rat snake. Rat snakes are not only non-venomous, but also have delicious meat. After skinning it, you can soak the gallbladder in wine, cut the snake body into sections and braise it. It's no problem to eat a big bowl of rice with it."
Chen Zhiyi froze, his throat twitched violently, and he looked at Lin Ting with trembling eyelids.
I thought it would terrify her, but to my surprise, she actually wanted to eat it.
Lin Ting glanced at Chen Zhiyi's surprised expression, a slight smile playing on her lips, secretly pleased.
She wasn't afraid of snakes at all. She grew up in a small town where snakes would appear every summer. Due to the local conditions, the snakes in her hometown were generally non-venomous, so she could handle the whole process of catching, killing, and cooking them herself.
Looking at the two, one who should have been frightened but remained calm, and the other who shouldn't have been frightened but was stunned, Uncle Chen knew that he had found the right tutor.
The young master just needs someone who can keep him in check.
Chen Zhiyi was still in the afterglow of his shock. He felt that the girl in front of him, who was as cool as spring water, must have a turbulent inner world that would one day wash him on the beach.
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