Crispy Pork

I thought I could sleep until I woke up naturally when I got home, and that was indeed the case. But the only downside was that Professor Ji liked to give her exam questions, so every day at home, one adult and two children sat side by side in the study to do their homework.

Ji Yang and Ji Yuan are going to be in the first grade next year, and the homework assigned by Professor Ji involves addition and subtraction within 100. In big cities, children can start the first grade at the age of five, but in her hometown, they have to be seven years old.

Song Shixia discovered that these two little guys were completely different from what was described in the original book. They were such smart kids, so why did they always rank last in exams in the original book?

Aunt Feng came over with her homework, smiling brightly.

"Xiao Song, you will be back to school the day after tomorrow for your midterm exam. I brought the homework to you in advance so that I won't disturb you."

Song Shixia chuckled and said, "I just happened to be consolidating my studies."

"Don't joke with me. This is just junior high school knowledge. How can it help you consolidate your knowledge for the high school exam?"

She flipped through Aunt Feng's homework book and said, "Auntie, you have made great progress. Your Chinese is much better than last time."

Aunt Feng said cheerfully, "It's because I have a professor at home who speaks eloquently every day. Over time, I have memorized his words."

"Before you came back, I studied with Chen Jiao. I don't know why this girl doesn't know as much as I do. How come she doesn't even know a few words at such a young age?"

Song Shixia kindly helped explain: "Chen Jiao has an older brother and a younger brother. Her eldest sister-in-law is strong-willed and manages the family, so it was not her turn to go to school. I also have a younger brother. At that time, my older brothers and sisters were able to help with the housework and reduce the burden, so I had the opportunity to go to school."

Aunt Feng sat there and sighed, "So Chen Jiao is living a good life now. She is very hardworking and never rests at work every day. If she studies harder, she will find a good job and live a good life in the future."

Song Shixia lowered her head while correcting homework: "Who says it's not true? Learning makes people wise. She might be able to do something great in the future."

Chen Jiao in the original novel was awakened when she saw the world in college. She knew that prices would continue to rise, and she could not afford the expenses of a family of four with only her husband's income. So she started to do business opportunistically, suffered a lot of losses, and finally became a strong woman.

After seeing Aunt Feng off, Song Shixia stood up and stretched. It was time to cook. After eating Professor Ji's noodles for several days in a row, she had to have a big meal today.

Ji Weiqing brought the children home from the library and smelled the long-lost aroma of rice wafting from the house at the gate.

Song Shixia fried crispy pork and boiled beef. The beef was personally sent by her mother-in-law a few days ago for her to replenish her body. She put it in the refrigerator and didn't let Professor Ji touch it, worried that he would not taste good.

The crispy pork is crispy but not mushy, and the aroma is overflowing. The skin is crispy and the pork inside is particularly tender. The boiled beef soup is red and shiny, and the spicy and fresh flavor spreads in the yard.

Song Shixia didn’t add too much chili, so the kids could eat a few slices of beef.

"It smells so good, it's delicious!"

Ji Yuan ran to the living room, dropped his schoolbag, rushed into the kitchen like a small cannonball, and hugged his mother's thighs.

"Go wash your hands, it's time to eat."

Ji Weiqing took Ji Yanghou and stepped into the house.

"Have you finished your homework for today?"

Song Shixia wiped her hands and said, "Not yet. I'll have time to write it after dinner."

Professor Ji added: "You can keep it for me to cook."

Song Shixia complained bitterly: "Teacher Ji, I don't want to eat noodles anymore, my brain will be malnourished!"

Ji Weiqing saw that she was pitiful.

"The time spent cooking does not count towards study. You can study for another two hours in the evening."

Song Shixia hugged him and quickly let go: "Thank you, Professor Ji!"

The kids sat in a row waiting for dinner. They were not surprised to see their parents hugging each other from time to time. They asked their grandmother, who said that if mom and dad hugged them often, they would love them more. Mom hugged them often, and the two kids believed it without a doubt.

The crispy pork is to satisfy the two little guys who like to eat fried snacks. She is usually quite strict about snacks, so she will occasionally make some snacks for them to satisfy their cravings. Fried crispy pork is the two little guys' favorite snack recently, and Song Shixia makes it for them once a month.

Halfway through the meal, the phone at home suddenly rang.

Song Shixia chatted with the person on the other end of the phone for a long time before hanging up.

"Qian Xiuzhi and her husband Su Aimin want to visit us. We have made an appointment for tomorrow."

Ji Weiqing put down his chopsticks: "You have a midterm exam the day after tomorrow, so you have to review tomorrow."

Song Shixia couldn't help but whispered: "It's just a midterm exam, you take it too seriously."

"The midterm exam is to test your self-study level at home. If you don't do well in the exam, you have to go back to school to attend classes."

"I don't care. We have already made an appointment to visit you tomorrow, and I am confident that you will not fail the midterm exam."

Ji Weiqing frowned slightly: "How many places will I get if I don't fail the exam?"

Song Shixia calculated in her mind: "Probably in the top 50 in the grade?"

Professor Ji frowned and asked, "You studied at home for so long just to get into the top 50 on the test?"

Song Shixia's eyes widened: "You don't want me to be in the top ten in the grade, do you?!"

It had only been two months since she had acquired the knowledge and yet Professor Ji wanted her to be in the top ten in her grade. She thought it was ambitious to set a goal of being in the top ten in her grade next semester, but who would have thought that Professor Ji thought so highly of her.

Who knew that Professor Ji would slowly open his mouth?

"I want you to get first place in the exam."

Song Shixia held onto the table and said, "I've only studied for two months and you let me get first place in the grade. Do you usually treat students like this?"

"They are teaching normally. If you are willing to learn, I will not be stingy. You have great talents, you can't waste them because of laziness."

Okay, that's the plan for her.

"But I have already agreed, and Su Aimin is your colleague. He has always wanted to come to your house to thank you in person."

"We just sent Teacher Meng away last week. You used the same excuse last week."

Song Shixia stuck out her tongue. Last week, Teacher Meng came to thank her and tested her progress. He was completely relieved after seeing that she did not slack off and was even working harder than in school.

"Who made our family popular? Don't be so resistant all the time. We are all very nice people. Don't you welcome them when they come to you warmly?"

Ji Weiqing rubbed his brows and said, "I'm in the top 20 in this midterm exam."

Song Shixia thought about it in his mind, but he was still a little unsure, mainly because he didn't know if there were any talented players in the school.

"Okay, if I can't rank in the top 20 in my grade, then I'll have to get up at 8 o'clock every day to study."

The guarantee letter was given, and Ji Weiqing agreed to her request for a day off tomorrow.

Song Shixia whispered to her finger: "Teacher Ji, do you think your study plan is a little strict? Your sister can have one day off every week."

Ji Weiqing smiled slightly: "If you want, I can send you and Yanran to study together."

Song Shixia quickly shook her head: "No, no, I'm doing fine studying at home." She studies at home and sleeps until she wakes up naturally every day. She goes to class at 10 o'clock and finishes school at 5 o'clock. It's more relaxed than high school students.

Qian Xiuzhi and Su Aimin came to the house, and the couple carried large and small bags of gifts in their hands.

Song Shixia welcomed the guests into the courtyard, looking around with a smile on her face.

"Where's your Tuantuan?"

Qian Xiuzhi smiled and said, "It's cold so I don't take her out. My dad is taking care of her at home. Since that incident, my dad has been visiting us often. He likes Tuantuan very much. This is my husband, Comrade Su Aimin."

"Hello, Comrade Su. I heard Professor Ji mention you at home."

Su Aimin was flattered: "Professor Ji actually mentioned me?" He was the one who took the initiative to find topics when chatting with Professor Ji, and Professor Ji didn't seem like someone who liked to chat.

"You are a senior. He said that it was all thanks to the medicinal wine I prepared. He was honored to help you."

Su Aimin smiled and said, "The medicinal wine you brewed tastes really good. To be honest, I used the half bottle he left for me to wipe my wounds, and the rest went into my stomach."

Song Shixia didn't expect that it was such a coincidence that Su Aimin drank the medicinal wine by accident and it turned out to be more effective for his body.

"There are a lot of medicinal herbs in it. If you like, you can take some back with you when you go."

Qian Xiuzhi quickly tried to smooth things over: "We are here to express our gratitude. How can we take things back from your house?"

Song Shixia pretended to be angry and looked at her: "Sister Xiuzhi, you said that last time you came to thank me, you brought so many expensive gifts."

Qian Xiuzhi took the initiative to hold Song Shixia's arm and said, "Thanks to you for helping me that time. I think the gift I gave you was a little light."

Su Aimin looked around and asked, "Is Professor Ji not at home?"

"He is writing a paper at this time. Do all of you professors write a lot of papers?"

Su Aimin smiled and explained: "Professor Ji is young and has a promising future. If he wants to go further, he will probably need to publish 100 papers."

100 papers?!

Song Shixia couldn't help but feel fortunate that she had only disturbed him twice and dragged him out shopping.

Su Aimin smiled and said, "Are you scared? In fact, the paper can be published slowly, there is no rush. And it needs to be supported by experimental data. It is not that you can write a paper by just working hard at home every week."

"I saw him staying in the study every week to write his thesis. I was afraid he would be bored at home so I dragged him out for a walk. After hearing this, I felt a little guilty."

Unexpectedly, Su Aimin said sternly, "Comrade Song, you are right. If you stay in a closed room for a long time to write papers, your brain will not be able to bear it. You should go out for a walk and enjoy the scenery more often."

After listening to this, Song Shixia thought of an analogy. If Professor Ji's brain is a computer, it means that he is always running calculations except when he sleeps at night. In the long run, he will probably overuse his brain. There is no harm in the short term, but problems will arise over time.

She made a note of it: "I've made a note to take him out for a half-hour walk every week."

She brought Su Aimin to the door of the study,

"He is usually very focused on writing his paper and probably doesn't notice you talking to him."

"It's okay. We researchers are all like this. You can chat with Xiuzhi while I chat with him."

Qian Xiuzhi ate melon seeds and said, "You are just too cautious. You two are husband and wife, are you afraid of disturbing his work? If he is really busy, he will definitely tell you in advance."

Song Shixia was curious: "Sister Xiuzhi, did Comrade Su come here in the same way?"

"You can just call him Brother Su. Researchers publish 100 papers for evaluation. This is just the first step. Old Su has only published more than 30 papers. It's still early."

Su Aimin has only published more than 30 papers. It seems that Professor Ji’s Saturdays and Sundays will be dominated by papers for more than ten years.

There was some noise coming from the stairs, and Su Aimin went downstairs in a trance.

"Is he still human?"

Qian Xiuzhi put down the melon seeds and gave him a look.

"What are you talking about!"

Su Aimin's face was filled with disbelief.

"Professor Ji has published 60 papers, half more than me."

60 papers?! Now it was Song Shixia's turn to be confused. Who could tell her what it meant to publish 60 papers?

Su Aimin was caught up in a life of doubt, and sat there mumbling to himself.

Qian Xiuzhi and Song Shixia were talking and laughing.

"Don't worry about him. I'm used to it. I came here to thank you for another thing. Maybe in the future, Lao Su will become a colleague of Professor Ji."

"Comrade Su is coming to Yenching University to teach?"

"No, my dad said that they are going to set up a scientific academy, and all professors of physics and mathematics will work there. Normally, they are still in the school in name only."