Chen Shichao and Chen Bing knew that Chen Bing could play Go, but they didn't know his exact skill level because neither of them knew how to play.
"No, no, it was all just the kid's wild imagination." Chen Shichao waved his hand dismissively. In fact, he really didn't think it was anything worth mentioning.
Upon hearing this, Shang Zhengxin looked at Chen Bing with even more admiration. To be so capable by figuring things out all by himself—this child's talent is truly extraordinary.
"But the thing he's been playing with these past few days, that one where you fill in numbers in boxes, what's it called again..."
“Sudoku,” Chen Bing added to Chen Shichao from the side.
"Yes, yes, that's the one. He's really good at that game, I don't even know how to fill it in."
Chen Bing started playing with this a month or two ago because he needed to cultivate his mathematical and logical thinking skills.
Shang Zhengxin nodded even more deeply. Unlike him, Yun Xuan's brows were slightly furrowed.
"Isn't it a bit inappropriate to let such a young child learn this and that?" she asked the two of them in a rather tactful tone, feeling that they didn't seem to fully understand their own actions.
"Uh... is it a little bad?" Liu Yue answered uncertainly, glancing at Chen Bing, who was engrossed in eating.
See? Even your Aunt Yun thinks it's not good to learn too many things.
Before Chen Bing could say anything, Shang Zhengxin chimed in, "What's wrong with that? A child's talent needs to be nurtured from a young age. If you don't push him now, he'll definitely amount to nothing if he's not sensible in the future. And also..." Before he could finish, Yun Xuan lightly stepped on his foot under the table, then glared at him with a reproachful look, which puzzled him.
As the leader of a high school preparing students for further education, Shang Zhengxin has significant differences in his approach to children's education compared to Yun Xuan, a young and romantic middle school Chinese teacher.
"I think being a good person is more important than being talented. While the child is still young, we should take her to experience truth, goodness, beauty, and fun things, and cultivate her positive, optimistic, sincere, and kind character. That is the most important thing."
Yunxuan countered her husband's point of view head-on.
The Liu couple, who practiced a laissez-faire parenting style, had little relevant experience and no higher education background, so they simply listened attentively without participating in the debate.
"If you put too much pressure on children too early, not to mention whether their bodies can handle it, they will also have psychological problems." As Yunxuan said this, she secretly stepped on Shang Zhengxin's foot to signal him not to interrupt at this time, while staring intently at Liu Yue and Chen Shichao.
The two people being stared at nodded in agreement, but Yunxuan felt that they hadn't really understood what she meant.
While the adults were having a heated discussion, what were the two children doing?
Focusing wholeheartedly on cooking.
"Chen Bing, my mom's cured pork is so delicious! Let me pick one up for you to try... Is it good?"
"Mmm, delicious! It's rich but not greasy at all, it's incredibly delicious."
"Really? Hehe (●'?'●), this piece of fatty intestine is delicious too, here you go!"
After all, in a typical Chinese family, children have no say in matters of education, right? That is, assuming they are old enough to understand the meaning of the word "education" itself.
After some discussion, Chen Bing's parents felt they understood Yunxuan's educational philosophy, but the other party didn't think so.
Finally, seeing that they still didn't think it was bad for Chen Bing to attend too many tutoring classes and learn too many things, Yunxuan had no choice but to bite the bullet and tell them the truth.
"So I think you should reduce Chen Bing's workload a bit? I see he has to learn this and that every day, and he's under a lot of pressure."
The two people in front of him clearly had different expressions than before. After exchanging a glance, they replied, "Teacher Yun, you're absolutely right. We also want him to learn less, but we're mainly busy with work and can't control him." As they spoke, they both showed a somewhat ashamed expression.
I'm too busy with work to keep an eye on my child, so they secretly start studying on their own...
This line of reasoning sounds familiar...
Yunxuan thought about it and realized that these words were exactly the same as what the parents of left-behind children said to her when they called.
[His parents are busy with work, and his grandparents are getting old and can't control him; he just plays around all day long.]
So shouldn't the standard procedure for being busy at work be like this? Why does it become "all you do is study like crazy all day long" when you're at home?
“In a few days, the child’s art class will be over, so we’ll take him to get a refund then.” Before Yunxuan could figure out the logic, Liu Yue continued, “Then I’ll keep an eye on him and make sure he doesn’t learn those things unnecessarily.”
Upon hearing this, Chen Bing could no longer remain silent.
"I wanted to learn programming before, but you didn't sign me up. Now you can't cancel my art class too, can you?" Chen Bing pouted, feigning grievance as he questioned his parents. He knew that adults were most susceptible to this kind of behavior.
"Oh, you even know about art?" Shang Zhengxin asked in surprise from the side.
"Chen Bing can also write calligraphy, read English, and play the violin! He plays it beautifully," Shang Yunmiao added on Chen Bing's behalf, looking very proud of him.
"They'll all be refunded in a few days, all refunded," Mr. and Mrs. Chen said awkwardly. Clearly, they had accepted Yunxuan's educational philosophy and felt that it wasn't good to let their child learn too many things.
"We can't do this. The teacher said that if I keep up with my current pace, I'll be able to take the CET-6 exam in another year or two. I can't quit so early." Chen Bing was still pretending to be aggrieved, tugging at Liu Yue's clothes and expressing his wishes.
The various noises at the dinner table left Yunxuan confused, and her educational philosophy, which she had adhered to for so many years, suddenly began to waver.
She looked at her daughter, who seemed a bit silly compared to Chen Bing, and suddenly asked, "Yunmiao, do you want to learn something like Brother Chen Bing?"
A glint of wisdom flashed in Shang Yunmiao's eyes. She imagined herself playing a violin with Chen Bing, and then gave her mother a firm "Mmm."
Because the truth was slightly different from what Yunxuan had imagined, she stopped trying to help Chen Bing escape her misery. Instead, this mother, defeated by the comparison, began to consider pushing her daughter down a different path in life.
Once the topic of education was removed, the two families chatted more amicably. After a few rounds of drinks, Chen Bing's family took their leave, and Yunxuan chatted with Shang Zhengxin about their daughter's future education.
Meanwhile, Chen Bing was also painstakingly discussing her education with her parents, and it took a lot of persuasion to finally dissuade them from interfering with her education.
And so, the "relaxed" day came to an end. After washing up, Chen Bing, who had relaxed all day, collapsed onto the bed, looking utterly listless.
Why do I feel so tired today?
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