For the first time, Xia Liang's face darkened. She called her daughter by her full name, "Gu Yuanzhi, come with me to the study." Her voice was icy, devoid of any emotion, as if the person before her wasn't her own flesh and blood. Gu Yunxi was startled to see her mother's anger. She was about to plead for her sister when Xia Liang stopped her with a single look. That look was full of warning, making Gu Yunxi dare not utter another word. The little girl lowered her head, biting her lip tightly, remaining silent.
Sitting on the sofa, Gu Weiguo and Han Yulan exchanged a glance and chose to remain silent. They understood that everything Xia Liang did as the child's mother was for the child's good. When she was disciplining the child, the elderly couple usually wouldn't easily interfere.
Seeing that her family couldn't save her from this "crisis," Gu Yuanzhi could only sigh helplessly and obediently follow Xia Liang into the study.
Xia Liang sat down at the desk, picked up a book and started flipping through it. She said coldly, "Go stand by the wall and reflect on your mistakes. Come back and talk to me when you realize them." The little girl pouted, but ultimately didn't dare to cry. She silently moved her small feet to the wall and stood there.
Time ticked by, and after about ten minutes, the little girl finally couldn't hold back anymore. She ran quickly towards Xia Liang, tears welling in her eyes: "Mommy, I know I was wrong..."
Xia Liang slightly raised her eyes and calmly said, "Oh? Then tell me, what exactly did you do wrong?" The little girl hugged Xia Liang's waist tightly and replied with a sob, "I really know I was wrong, Mom. I shouldn't have disobeyed your teachings and not practiced calligraphy properly. I shouldn't have only thought about playing and having fun when my sister told me to supervise myself." Xia Liang gazed at her little daughter, whose eyes were red from crying, and couldn't help but feel a pang of pity in her heart.
She gently bent down and carefully lifted the child onto her lap, then said earnestly, "Sweetie, there's actually one more thing you did wrong. When your sister bravely stepped forward and took responsibility today, you didn't feel any remorse at all. Instead, you acted as if you were perfectly at ease. That's what makes Mommy so angry, understand? Mommy doesn't expect you to be outstanding or dazzling, but at least you should be responsible and have a sense of duty. Only then can you earn the respect and trust of others, understand?" The little one lowered her head in shame and whispered, "Mommy, I understand. I'll go apologize to my sister later."
Xia Liang gently stroked her hair and smiled encouragingly, "Yes, that's great. It's good to admit your mistakes and actively correct them. Now, go find your calligraphy practice book. Mom will stay with you and watch you practice."
The little girl took out a calligraphy practice book with only a few words written on it. Xia Liang glanced at her when she opened it, and then the little girl lowered her head again. Xia Liang sighed, "Come on! Practice slowly. Practice for five minutes first. During these five minutes, don't make any excuses for yourself. Focus on practicing your calligraphy." The little girl nodded obediently, "Okay, Mom."
Xia Liang was well aware of her daughter's lack of focus, having noticed it while supervising her homework. Within five minutes of doing her homework, the child would either be thirsty and want to drink water, or urgently need to urinate; she was like a thorn in her side, simply unable to settle down. The most urgent task now was to provide her with intensive focus training.
After practicing calligraphy diligently for more than ten minutes, the little girl finally looked up and asked Xia Liang with a puzzled expression, "Mom, why do I have to practice calligraphy?"
Xia Liang smiled slightly and coaxed, "Then do you know what the benefits of practicing calligraphy are?" Gu Yuanzhi thought for a moment, then replied, "Hmm... if you write neatly, you won't lose points on exams because of messy handwriting." It turned out that during the final exam last semester, this little devil's handwriting was so illegible that even the correct answers were illegible, causing her to lose two precious points. That's why she remembered it so vividly.
Xia Liang smiled and nodded in agreement: "That's right! Moreover, just as we often say, 'the handwriting reflects the person,' a person's spirit and personality can often be glimpsed from their handwriting. Practicing calligraphy can not only help you memorize new words and improve your Chinese language scores, but it can also help coordinate the hand and brain, thus making your thinking more agile and intelligent."
The little guy opened his mouth in surprise, his face full of amazement: "Wow, I didn't know there were so many benefits to practicing calligraphy! I must practice it properly." Seeing the child's enthusiasm, Xia Liang felt very gratified, and a satisfied smile appeared on her face.
Since then, Xia Liang has realized that she hasn't paid enough attention to her child, so she began to adjust her life priorities. She gradually reduced the time she spent working at the factory each day, because she understood that no matter how much wealth she earned, it would all be in vain if she couldn't properly educate her child and nurture him into a successful person.
Time flies, and before they knew it, the new school year had begun. The two adorable little ones not only diligently completed their daily homework but also proactively asked Xia Liang for more extra assignments. Xia Liang was deeply pleased and specially went to the library to buy a large number of extracurricular books to satisfy their thirst for knowledge.
Xia Liang knew the hardships and difficulties they faced in their studies, so she paid special attention to their nutritional health. That day, she specially purchased a plump old hen and selected some fresh mushrooms. In addition, she still had some ginseng left over from her trip back to Heilongjiang Province, so Xia Liang decided to use these ingredients to cook a pot of nourishing chicken soup for them.
Aunt Liu was in charge of preparing the old hen, while Aunt Wu carefully cleaned the other ingredients and the clay pot needed for stewing the soup. Looking at the prepared ingredients, Xia Liang was overjoyed. She carefully stuffed the ginseng into the hen's cavity, then added the washed mushrooms to the clay pot. Then, she simply added an appropriate amount of water, cooking wine, and a little salt, first bringing it to a boil over high heat, then simmering it over low heat until the chicken was tender and flavorful.
This carefully prepared chicken soup can effectively enhance reaction time, while also helping to improve memory and concentration.
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