Sixty parents are here!
Although the adults didn't take it too seriously, or rather, they weren't bothered by the teacher contacting their parents, but rather each had their own ulterior motives, Li Wei was still somewhat worried.
The thought of Mom or Dad getting a lecture from that old woman on Monday made me feel awful. I'd rather criticize myself. Dejected, I went to the office and poured out my troubles to my aunt, Cheng Fei.
Cheng Fei looked up from the pile of contracts and stared at Li Wei as if she were a monster: "Stop nagging like an old woman. In the end, this is all your fault. You've become incredibly lazy. Remember this lesson! Also, there's nothing to worry about. Your mother is very capable now. She manages so many people and bosses them around every day. Your teachers won't dare to do anything to her. Don't worry."
Despite saying that, Li Wei still felt uncomfortable. Sitting on the sofa, she rested her chin on her hand and reflected on herself: "Sigh, it's all my fault. Why did I have to ride in Luo Da's car? If I had ridden in other people's cars, the teacher probably wouldn't have noticed us. Of all the sheep, why did I have to pick on just one and pluck all the wool off it? Now that's what happened! What a lesson!"
Cheng Fei chuckled: "I guess you just think Luo Da is fat, a real fat sheep."
Li Wei rested her chin on her hand: "He's not fat, but he's a really good driver. He can fight and ride at the same time without missing a beat. It's hard to find a skilled driver like him these days... By the way, Auntie, let's not talk about this for now. How are things between you and Ding Anping? Do you have feelings for him? My grandma told me to secretly try to find out what's going on with you." Li Wei was making a big deal out of nothing.
Cheng Fei simply put down her work and said with a half-smile, "Is this how you try to get information out of someone? And secretly? This isn't just trying to get information out of someone, it's getting straight to the point."
Li Wei lay down on the sofa to make herself more comfortable: "No matter what, what do you really think of Ding Anping? I see him coming here every few days after get off work, and you're just sitting there like nothing's wrong. If you want to, be more enthusiastic towards him; if not, make it clear. Don't let this ambiguity ruin his life's important matter."
Cheng Fei sneered: "You're quite considerate of others, aren't you? I'm your aunt, get your facts straight. And besides, men aren't so easily delayed. With his wealth, there are plenty of people chasing after him. Why are you in such a hurry? Mind your own business first."
Li Wei sensed a hint of bitterness in her aunt's tone. It seemed her aunt wasn't entirely indifferent after all; that was good. Although Li Wei knew her aunt had later married Ding Anping, it seemed her aunt's life trajectory had changed. As long as she was aware of the situation, she couldn't control what the future held. Besides, she felt it was too early to talk about marriage now. She just wanted her aunt to get married before she turned thirty, so she wouldn't have to remarry repeatedly if she wasn't satisfied, which would be exhausting for others to watch.
After discussing personal matters, Li Wei thought of Zhang Tong, the beautiful woman who had been sent over a few days ago, and wondered how she was doing now.
Cheng Fei squeezed onto the sofa and sat down next to Li Wei. She reached out to touch Li Wei's soft face, but Li Wei dodged in fright. Cheng Fei then leaned on Li Wei's shoulder and said with some emotion, "I used to think you were all about making money, like a money-grubber. But now I realize there are many people who are far less money-grubber than you. Take Zhang Tong, for example. She's been on the third floor for so long, and I haven't seen any progress in anything else, except that her clothes and appearance are fashionable. At least she's integrated into the work environment outwardly. As for the opportunities we've given her... compared to others, you've actually been quite diligent. That girl acts like nothing's wrong all day long. All she does is serve tea and water, chat, deliver mail, and clean the office. The cleaning staff are quite happy. Now your third floor is becoming more and more like a high-end place. With such a beauty... it's more like an entertainment venue. I took important clients there to discuss business, and it went quite well. I'll wait and see after a while and see if there's any suitable work for her. Anyway, she's quite satisfied now."
Li Wei hadn't been upstairs yet and was a bit curious. But after hearing what her aunt said, it seemed Zhang Tong had the potential to be a full-time housewife. Look at the work she does! And look at her appearance! She'll marry a rich husband someday. Tsk tsk. Li Wei could almost see a classic Cinderella story about to unfold. Li Wei decided that she had to keep this interesting character here no matter what, to see what kind of dramatic things would happen.
I spent the day at the company. I came home with my aunt in the evening. Thinking about the important event tomorrow, I didn't go to my grandmother's. I went straight home. When the family was having dinner together, Li Wei asked her mother, "Mom, who's going to school tomorrow, you or Dad?"
Cheng Min glanced at her daughter. This was the first time the child had been called in by her parents for making a mistake, yet she showed no fear whatsoever. Cheng Min had thought it was something good. So, she said irritably, "Of course I'll go. If your dad goes to do something so embarrassing, he'll get a lecture."
That's true. While Mom may not be as far-sighted as Dad, she's naturally adept at interpersonal relationships. She usually handles most family diplomatic matters. Although she's not highly educated, she still has a certain level of cultural refinement when she speaks, ensuring she doesn't suffer a loss or get a harsh scolding from the teacher.
While sitting down, Li Lin reminded her mother, "Mom, you have to be careful. I heard from a classmate that my sister's teacher is really fierce. She can talk a living person to death."
Everyone burst into laughter. Cheng Min, seemingly lost in thought, asked Li Lin and Li Lianhui, "How is your teacher to you? Does he call on you to speak in class?"
Li Lin was a favorite of the teachers and had no problems whatsoever, but Li Lianhui said, "I didn't notice." Cheng Min was speechless with anger.
Both her daughters are clever and wouldn't let themselves be taken advantage of, but her son... he doesn't care about anything and worries her a lot. She and her husband are usually busy, and before, her eldest daughter looked after the two younger ones, who did well in their studies and didn't require her attention. Now that they're in junior high and separated, she has to keep a closer eye on them, especially her son, whom she's counting on to take care of her in her old age. With his current personality, he probably doesn't care about being taken advantage of, which won't do. It seems she needs to maintain a good relationship with his homeroom teacher.
The next day, Cheng Min dressed elegantly and exuded a noble air (according to Xiao Ming), rode Li Wei's bicycle with Li Wei sitting on the back seat, and set off ten minutes after the twins left.
On the way, Luo Da caught up on his bicycle, with his rather large aunt sitting on the back, and Li Wei's little floral cushion under her bottom. The two mothers greeted each other awkwardly, and Luo Da roared past. Cheng Min watched with envy and sighed, "I still need to have a son. Now I'm using that as leverage. If you were like Luo Da, I could sit comfortably behind you and wouldn't have to work myself to death carrying you around and make a fool of myself."
Li Wei rolled her eyes at her mother from behind. "If I were like Luo Da, this wouldn't be called puppy love, it would be called early BL!"
"Mom, don't be envious. When I grow up, I'll find you a son-in-law who will definitely be more filial than your son. You'll just have to watch Li Lianhui be the one to take care of his mother-in-law. In the end, you might have to rely on your daughter. That's the trend in the future!"
Cheng Min, both amused and exasperated, spat out, "How old are you? You already know about sons-in-law and mothers-in-law? Shut up! Looks like your teacher wasn't just spouting nonsense. Let me tell you..."
Li Wei quickly clarified, "Mom, don't talk nonsense. I'm completely innocent. It's just riding a bicycle. When I'm older, I'll get a driver's license and get a four-wheeled vehicle to take you and Dad around. It's much better than Auntie's old car. Then we'll see who dares to say that women are inferior to men. We'll slap them! Let your son-in-law slap them! I don't even need to lift a finger. I'll just grab whoever I can and slap them..."
"You brat..." Cheng Min laughed and scolded.
The mother and daughter chatted and laughed all the way to school, not like they were going to be scolded, but more like they were going to a market. They were much happier than Aunt Luo, whose son had dropped her off at school without saying a word.
Cheng Min told Li Wei to go to the teacher's office first, while she went to sit with the principal for a while. Li Wei had heard her mother mention that the principal was the older sister of her mother's classmate. Without asking any further questions, she carried her schoolbag and went to her homeroom teacher for a lecture.
Too lazy to knock, Li Wei pushed open the door to the main office. Her third aunt's booming voice immediately assaulted her ears, making Li Wei shrink back in fright. Goodness, third aunt was far more terrifying than Teacher Liu. Luo Da's mother was seen gripping Teacher Liu's arm with one hand (this behavior looked all too familiar), and the extremely frustrated Luo Da with the other: "Teacher, you can't talk nonsense! How could my son possibly have anything to do with that brat from my backyard? If you're wrong, it'll ruin my son's life! That girl is ruthless and heartless; she's bullied my three sons since they were little. If she weren't so young, I would have scratched her long ago!" She had tried to scratch her when she was younger, but unfortunately, she climbed onto the roof and never managed it.
With a dark expression, Teacher Liu endured the pain in her arm and tried her best to reason with this incredibly strong parent in a civilized manner: "Luo Jianhua's mother, this isn't about the past or the future; right now, the two children are showing signs of trouble..."
There was no place for civilized people to speak in front of Aunt Luo. She interrupted Teacher Liu's unacceptable conjecture: "Teacher Liu, let alone the possibility that there is no chance of it, even if there is, I will definitely nip it in the bud and uproot it. You can rest assured, no matter what kind of seedling it is, it will not survive!" Aunt Luo was almost vicious.
Li Wei was too frightened to go forward. Looking at the teacher and Luo Da being pinched by Aunt Luo's tiny, radish-like fingers, she thought that if she were pinched, she'd be bruised instantly. She remembered that many years ago, their elementary school principal, Mr. Chen, had been pinched and scratched like that, which scared Luo Da and Luo Er, who only knew how to play and didn't study seriously, so much that they were promoted to higher ranks. And those were grown men! It showed how terrifying Aunt Luo's fighting power was. If she were scratched… Li Wei didn't dare think about it. She made a face at Luo Da, who had just noticed her coming in, and tried to run away.
Unfortunately, bad luck always seems to get worse. The sharp-eyed Aunt Luo spotted them and shouted, "Hey you, you little brat from the Li family, come here right now!"
"If I went there, I'd be a complete idiot," Li Wei thought, reaching for the door and darting out, disappearing into the principal's office at the end of the opposite corridor. "I'd better stay with Mom," she thought. "That Aunt Luo is terrifying; I'm too small to fight her."
This time, Li Wei remembered to knock on the door. After being allowed to enter, she found that her mother and the principal were both beaming with joy, as if they had met kindred spirits over drinks.
Principal Guo recognized Li Wei. She remembered several of the new students who had good grades and were good-looking. She especially remembered that Li Wei and Li Lin were sisters who skipped two grades in elementary school. It was hard not to know them. Seeing Li Wei come in, she smiled and said, "Li Wei, you've come at the right time. Teacher Liu is in the office, right? Go and ask her to come over with Luo Jianhua and his parents. Go ahead."
Li Wei forced a smile that looked more like a grimace: "Principal, I dare not go! Aunt Luo was just yelling that she was going to punish me, so I ran here to take refuge. I don't even know if she chased after me or not. I was so scared!" She wondered if Aunt Luo's vow not to scold or beat her back then had any expiration date. She wondered if she even remembered it.
The principal turned to Cheng Min with a smile: "It seems that what you said is true. The two children have been wronged, haha."
Cheng Min also smiled and said, "Although my neighbor has a fiery temper, the children have always been like family, always bickering and fighting. This child is like a mouse before a cat when he sees her. Besides, the children are so young; such a thing is absolutely impossible. Principal, please tell me, this kind of gossip is bad for the children." Whoever marries that Luo family boy will be unlucky; with a mother-in-law like that, how can they expect a happy life?
The principal smiled and nodded. This was nothing to her, especially since Cheng Min had made such a significant contribution to the school. Besides, she knew Teacher Liu's personality very well. So she instructed Li Wei, "It's alright, go and call Teacher Liu over."
Li Wei shook her head, her face scrunched up like a steamed bun, and wouldn't move an inch, pressing herself against the door as if a tiger were scratching at it from outside.
Cheng Min: My poor child.
Principal Guo: ...
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