Tutoring
Shortly after New Year's Eve, the senior high school students returned to school. Teacher Mina went to the school and left Mi Tian at home. Mi Tian still had more than twenty days of vacation left, and she was unhappy about being alone, so she insisted on going back to No. 3 Middle School with Teacher Mina.
Lu Er knocked on the office door and saw Mi Tian sitting in Teacher Mina's seat, her computer on, playing Minesweeper. As Lu Er entered, Mi Tian kicked her legs slightly but didn't get down: "Sister Xiao Er."
"Xiao Er." Teacher Mina stood up and threw away the knotted takeout packaging.
"Teacher." Lu Er nodded and placed the quiz she had collected before evening study on her desk. "I've collected them all."
Ms. Mina smiled, then shook her head: "Okay, thank you for your hard work. Your class always collects the neatest work, unlike Class Four, who always has one or two assignments missing." She picked up a notebook, suddenly raised an eyebrow, and stared at Lu Er, "Did you leave your phone at home?"
Lu Er's expression immediately became restrained: "Um." She glanced at Teacher Mina, then immediately looked down at her, her fingertips fidgeting together, looking somewhat flustered, "Because... I want to study hard."
Teacher Mina understood this child perfectly well. She smiled, knowing better than to say, "As long as you're confident in yourself, that's good. If you need anything, just let me know."
Lu Er pursed her lips and nodded cautiously: "Thank you, teacher."
After handing in the quiz, Lu Er left the office, but instead of heading straight to the classroom, she took a detour and walked directly towards the main gate of No. 3 Middle School. The security guard, who was dozing with his head down, didn't notice Lu Er slipping out the door. However, even if he asked, Lu Er could produce a genuine leave slip.
Lu Er walked a few dozen steps out of the school gate and took out her phone from her pocket. On WeChat, someone named "Liangliang's Mom" was sending her messages: "Have you arrived yet?" "Is the road far?" After these two messages, she also sent a 30-second voice message.
I met Tang Liang's mother, Lu Er, once. She was very anxious and spoke in a loud voice. When discussing tutoring with Lu Er, she was knitting in one hand and making a phone call with her phone tucked between her head and shoulder. After Lu Er finished explaining the tutoring plan, Tang's mother asked twice in disbelief, asking her to explain it again in a loud voice. When she heard that tutoring was only available in the evenings, Tang's mother frowned deeply. Finally, Lu Er showed her the most recent report card, and only then did she manage to smooth out the wrinkles on her face.
Lu Er was wearing Bluetooth earphones, which Ruan Xiyan had bought for her on New Year's Eve. As soon as she turned on the voice chat, Tang's mother's booming voice, mixed with a noisy background, filled her ears: "Hey, classmate, you really have to teach Liangliang well! I'm going to play cards with his fourth aunt. Liangliang, you watch over him… Liangliang is very smart, just not diligent enough. Give him more practice problems, and he'll definitely get the same score as you…"
Lu Er took off the Bluetooth headset and swallowed hard.
The story goes back to the day before the Lunar New Year, when Jiang Zhun came to visit. After talking things out with Cui Feng and Lu Guoyang, Lu Er realized that what she desperately needed most was money. She not only owed Cui Feng and Lu Guoyang, but also owed Jiang Zhun 120,000 yuan. Lu Er calculated the money she had saved over the past nine years, and it amounted to just over 18,000 yuan. She was desperately short of money; she needed to earn it.
But she's still a student, a high school student with limited time and status—what can she do? After much thought, Lu Er finally decided to tutor. Huai'an has no shortage of teachers; several top-tier universities are located there, and most of the students there work part-time as tutors. Lu Er lacks competitiveness and is restricted in many ways, so few people are willing to hire her.
After waiting for a long time, someone finally contacted her—it was Tang Liang's mother. But she was no pushover either; she was picky and kept haggling over the hourly wage before agreeing to let Lu Er tutor her son.
Lu Er is currently on her way to Tang Liang's house. She carries a hint of worry; she has a feeling that the days ahead won't be pleasant.
As Lu Er had predicted, Tang Liang was a typical troublemaker. While listening to her lectures, he couldn't help but daydream, doodle in his textbook, fidget, or get distracted by the sound of firecrackers outside the window. At the end of the class, when asked what he had remembered, he said he remembered that it was time for the anti-addiction measures for minors to use online games.
Over the course of several days, Lu Er was on tenterhooks, preparing teaching records while dealing with various tests, leaving her exhausted.
Huang Lingling was soaking her feet and applying a face mask in her dorm room after evening self-study, feeling relaxed and happy. Hearing the door behind her open, she quickly turned around: "Xiao Er, you're back?"
"Mm." Lu Er nodded.
Huang Lingling looked her up and down and said, "Your deadpan look is written all over your face. I knew it. You came back from your holiday during the Spring Festival. Even the top student couldn't stand it."
Lu Er wanted to say that wasn't the reason, but she didn't even have the strength to speak. She quickly washed her face and brushed her teeth, then went to bed and buried herself in the covers.
The day before the Lantern Festival this year, the second round of entrance exams for the Academy of Arts & Design at Tsinghua University began. Lu Er had been feeling distracted for the past few days. Several times, while memorizing vocabulary, she would switch to her WeChat chat with Ruan Xiyan, wanting to talk to him, but she didn't know what to say, so she gave up. Most importantly, Ruan Xiyan didn't know she had her phone with her, and explaining would definitely take some effort.
Moreover… Lu Er's fingers involuntarily touched the area under her swollen eyelids, which felt like two sleeping bags. If Ruan Xiyan knew, she would definitely object to her doing this. It would be best if he never found out.
-
After Ruan Xiyan finished her re-examination, No. 3 Middle School also gave the senior students a day off for the Lantern Festival.
When Lu Er returned home on the night of her holiday, she felt as if she had a balloon hanging around her neck, making her feel lightheaded. The balloon couldn't hold her heavy body together, so she walked unsteadily.
Lu Er had been thinking of sending a WeChat message to Ruan Xiyan, but after taking a shower, she forgot and fell into a deep sleep. When she woke up the next day, her phone had several missed calls and WeChat messages.
The latest message, posted half an hour ago, said that Ruan Xiyan was waiting for her downstairs.
Lu Er, shuffling along in her slippers, ran downstairs without washing her face or combing her hair. From afar, she spotted Ruan Xiyan. Once inside the residential complex, she realized that Teacher Mina and Mi Tian were both there.
It had been half a month since she last saw him, and he seemed a little thinner and taller, with bright red lips and piercing eyes. At that moment, several people were gathered in a circle, forming a slightly confrontational situation. Lu Er vaguely remembered the older man standing opposite her; he was Cai Qiang, a resident upstairs from her.
Cai Qiang has a bad temper, always sporting yellow teeth, and idly walks his Belgian Malinois. The dog mirrors its owner's temperament perfectly, biting any stray cat smaller than itself, barking wildly at anyone it dislikes, and defecating and urinating anywhere under the community's fence. Residents have complained about this, but he never changes his ways.
Right now, the group seems to be arguing about the cat.
"Ruan Xiyan, teacher."
After shouting, Lu Er quickened her pace and ran to Ruan Xiyan's side, asking in a low voice, "What's wrong?"
"You're here?" Ruan Xiyan was holding the black and white cat in her arms. The cat's round, bright eyes looked around anxiously. Lu Er immediately understood what was going on when she saw this expression.
Ruan Xiyan said to her, "This uncle lets his Belgian Malinois roam around here. The teacher was feeding the cat, and the dog almost bit both the cat and the teacher."
Cai Qiang squinted at the group and said, "If you ask me, you feed these stray cats but don't adopt them. You just keep them locked up at home. If you let them out, they deserve to be bitten by my dog."
"It's because you didn't keep your dog on a leash when you were walking it that it bit the cat," Mi Tian retorted loudly.
Cai Qiang didn't seem to care: "My dog killed these cats, which will save you some money. Anyway, you're not going to adopt it." After saying that, he patted the dog's head affectionately, "Right, Little Ma? That's a big achievement!"
The menacing-looking dog, having received affirmation, barked menacingly at them once more.
Cai Qiang drove off with his dog. Mi Tian glared angrily at his retreating figure: "He's so annoying!"
“You can’t reason with this kind of person.” Teacher Mina reacted much calmer. She covered her chest with her hand, rubbed it slightly, and then looked at Lu Er gently. “Xiao Er, this kitten needs to be protected. Cai Qiang has been eyeing these stray cats for a long time. He might release his dogs to bite them one day.”
Lu Er nodded: "Thank you for reminding me, teacher."
Teacher Mina and Mi Tian went upstairs first. The black and white cat in Ruan Xiyan's arms broke free and jumped down, its tail still drooping listlessly. It walked back to Ruan Xiyan's feet, rubbing its head against hers, its expression still somewhat wary.
“It was bitten by that Malinois last time.” Lu Er squatted down, stroked the fur on its back, and added to his worry. “I don’t know how much longer I can keep an eye on it.”
Ruan Xiyan looked at her and said, "Teacher Xiaolu, I'll adopt it."
"Won't this bother you?" Ruan Xiyan always said this. Lu Er looked at him, feeling her eyelids still a little unsteady.
Ruan Xiyan stared at her: "With our current relationship, if you keep saying it's troublesome, I'll really be unhappy. Your business is my business."
“…Thank you.” She lowered her head and smiled.
Skipping over the heavy topic, Ruan Xiyan immediately noticed her unruly hair: "Did you just wake up?" She couldn't help but use her fingers to iron out the stray hairs on her head.
"Hmm." Lu Er tried to open her eyes a few times to make herself look more energetic.
Ruan Xiyan noticed her large dark circles under her eyes, cupped her face in her hands, and scanned her eye bags as if trying to see a hole in them: "Have you not been sleeping well these past few days?"
"Um."
"You want to be a national treasure? Are you afraid you won't get into the same school as me?" Ruan Xiyan tightened her grip, making her cheeks bulge out.
"Hmm..." Lu Er was a beat slow to react, then she raised her eyes, "You're that confident?"
Ruan Xiyan smiled, her eyes crinkling: "If you're not confident, then you'll have to be in a long-distance relationship... I don't want to." He looked at her unusually silly and submissive appearance, bent down, and whispered a few words in her ear.
Lu Er suddenly regained consciousness, her neck temperature rising. She took a large step back: "...Ruan Xiyan."
Ruan Xiyan laughed even harder, thoroughly satisfied with the teasing, and then changed the subject, saying, "I'm going back to school the day after tomorrow."
"……oh."
"The teacher said we'll be in class 23." There are only 22 classes in the senior year of No. 3 High School. The rumor is true; the art students have indeed been reassigned to different classes.
Ruan Xiyan turned his head away in disappointment: "It's such a pity that we're not in the same class anymore." After a couple of seconds, his eyes lit up: "But I can see you every day now."
Lu Er coughed and said, "Remember this."
"Hmm?" His eyes lit up, thinking she had something she wanted to tell him.
"Don't talk to me at school."
"Huh?" Ruan Xiyan was greatly disappointed, her voice trembling like a little tail wagging, "Why?!"
“If you talk to me, it will attract other people’s attention.” Lu Er felt annoyed at the thought of being the center of attention.
Ruan Xiyan said with tears in her eyes, "Teacher Lu, you are so cruel. I just finished my exam and you treat me like this."
"If no one else is around... that's fine."
"Alright then." Her tone perked up again, like a little tail sticking up.
-
Ruan Xiyan returned to school. Class 23 and Class 18 were two floors apart, so he couldn't pass by every time, but occasionally he would take the opportunity of looking for Chen Xiang to go to Class 18 to see Lu Er.
At first, Chen Xiang naively thought that Ruan Xiyan wanted to play ball with his father because they hadn't seen each other for a long time. Later, when he realized that Ruan Xiyan's real intentions were not what they seemed, he laughed and kicked him a few times.
Ruan Xiyan is back, but Lu Er still has to continue her tutoring. No. 3 Middle School has started, and the security guards are stricter than before. The number of sick leave slips in Lu Er's drawer is decreasing, but Tang Liang's mother is frowning at Tang Liang's unchanging grades.
Finally, she said to Lu Er, "Hey classmate, did you not teach the right thing? Liangliang got 56 on his math test last time, how come he only got 49 this time?"
Lu Er tried to explain, "Auntie, they learned new material. This week's test had a lot of new content, and Tang Liang hasn't mastered that part yet..."
Tang Liang's mother listened, then seemed not to hear at all, and simply shook her head: "I'll wait until he's a little older before hiring a tutor. This child just can't control his temper; he's too restless. His teachers all say he's smart, but he just doesn't want to study..."
Lu Er remained silent, restraining herself from exhaling the churning air in her chest. She nodded and said, "Auntie, I understand."
Tutoring is no longer an option. During evening self-study, Lu Er rested her chin on her hand, her thoughts drifting.
"Class monitor, class monitor." The girl in front of her called her twice before she snapped out of her daze. "What's wrong?"
"The teacher is calling you downstairs."
Lu Er nodded, got up, and went downstairs. He ran into Chen Xiang and his deskmate, who whispered to each other without any hesitation: "Why is the teacher being so strict about cell phones this time?"
"How would I know? Didn't you hide your phone in your pocket?"
"I never expected him to just touch my pocket like that..."
Listening to their conversation, Lu Er's heart skipped a beat. She suddenly couldn't remember where she had put her phone. After three weeks of tutoring, she hadn't had the energy to turn on her phone. Was it in the drawer, her bag, or on her bed...? Lu Er couldn't remember.
She went to the office with a little deer in her arms.
"Report." After calling out, Lu Er entered the office. There weren't many people in the office, but someone else quickly peeked out. Ruan Xiyan was across from her and quietly waved at her.
The teacher who was tutoring him was a Tyrannosaurus Rex. He slammed his pen into his hand and yelled, "Pay attention in class!"
Ruan Xiyan pitifully shrank her head.
Lu Er wanted to laugh, but couldn't. She walked over to Deng Lianchun, her heart pounding almost imperceptibly, and said, "Teacher."
Fortunately, Deng Lianchun wasn't talking about the cell phone; he was referring to the 100-day countdown rally a few days later. Lu Er had gotten second place in her grade in the junior high school entrance exam, and the head teacher recommended the top student in the grade to give a speech with her. Deng Lianchun asked her to write a speech.
Lu Er nodded: "Okay, teacher."
After explaining everything, Lu Er was about to leave when Deng Lianchun suddenly called out to her, "Lu Er."
Lu Erxin trembled for a moment.
"Where have you been going for evening self-study sessions lately? I didn't see you on the security camera. Has someone in your family been sick for so long?"
Lu Er's reason for asking for leave was that a family member was sick and she needed to take care of them, with Teacher Mina helping out. Deng Lianchun believed her without a doubt. Deng Lianchun glanced at her for a while, seemingly considering his words: "You're a good student, you have your own study methods, and you can get to the front, so the teacher doesn't say anything. But you're the class monitor, and missing so many evening self-study sessions isn't right. Next time, pay attention."
“…I’m sorry, teacher, it won’t happen again next time,” Lu Er said, lowering her eyes.
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