Li Mingwei came back, and Dong Lei's days became even more miserable. In addition to Mr. Jin's homework, he would receive extra assignments every day from his beloved aunt.
Dong Shan came back carrying two still fluttering pheasants and heard his son being punished to copy a word one hundred times again. He felt bad for the money briefly and threw the pheasants into the kitchen, preparing to boil water to kill the chickens.
"Why is little Lei so incompetent? He got punished again, so we'll have to buy more paper, right?"
They had bought paper two or three times these half a month. One or two sheets were not expensive, but it added up.
Wang Chunhua also frowned, "Punished again? I didn't even hear anything. This kid looks like he's waiting for a beating. I'll have to teach him a good lesson someday."
When Liu Yizhu was not here, she would supervise Dong Lei on his homework every day, but she did not know specifically how he was doing. Seeing no problem with him, she thought he was learning well.
As a result, as soon as the girl came back, her son would get punished frequently, much more than last year. Only then did she realize how lazy her son had been at the beginning of the school year.
Children at six or seven are most mischievous with wandering thoughts. They really need someone to watch them.
"We still need someone who knows how to teach to keep an eye on him." Unfortunately, the girl would leave in a few months. She and Dong Shan could only flounder afterwards. It's troublesome. They could only ask Mr. Jin later to supervise him closely.
"Alright, stop thinking about it. First boil some water to process the chickens."
Dong Shan interrupted her thoughts. It was not early anymore. If they did not start cooking soon, it would be dark when they eat. Kerosene was also money.
Only then did Wang Chunhua shift her gaze to the pheasants. Originally when they hunted such good pheasants, they would directly sell them, but she thought that Li Mingwei had been living with them for so long and did not get to eat any delicacies, so she specially kept some for Dong Shan to cook at home.
"Cook both chickens together?"
"Together. They are not big. Combined they still do not compare to one old hen at home."
What he said was reasonable too. Wang Chunhua agreed and added water to another pot, letting Dong Shan ignite the fire.
She walked to the window and looked outside, shouting: "We will eat late tonight, study slowly."
Dong Lei's little face instantly turned pitiful as he stopped writing and looked at his mother pitifully: "I'm hungry."
"Bear with it. We will have chicken soup tonight, needs to be stewed for a while."
Chicken soup!
Dong Lei's eyes lit up, "How much longer?"
"The chicken has not been slaughtered yet."
Dong Lei became desperate. Liu Yizhu raised her eyebrows and tapped the table with a ruler: "There is still that much time, so hurry up and finish writing this. Let's preview tomorrow's lesson."
Great, he felt even more desperate.
Propping up his slightly trembling right hand, he swayed like a decrepit old man. Liu Yizhu frowned, displeased by the sight, and she said: "Why don't we preview first before practicing writing?"
"OK!"
Dong Lei quickly gave up writing and flipped out tomorrow's article to read aloud, reading was much easier than writing.
Liu Yizhu leaned her head on a hand and watched him practice some concerns. This child still lacked patience. Her grandpa said practicing calligraphy tested endurance the most. So lately she had him keep writing to suppress his restlessness, but it seemed to have no effect. Rather, it made him dislike writing.
Maybe she should try another approach. She would have to discuss with Mr. Jin later.
She still lacked experience in teaching.
Recently, she had been writing things at school, so every day she would go with Dong Lei. After sending Dong Lei into the classroom, she would trot upstairs where Mr. Jin must be preparing his lesson.
"Mr. Jin~"
Hearing the plaintive voice from the stairs, Mr. Jin could not help laughing, "What's wrong?"
"Humph!" Liu Yizhu came upstairs ready to complain but saw someone already sitting across Mr. Jin. She paused and had heard he came back, but wasn't the leave over? Why had he not left yet?
"You, you haven't gone back to the academy?"
Liu Yizhu gently murmured yes, "I'm going back after Qingming to make an offering at my father's grave."
Li Mingwei grumbled softly: "So lazy. Not attending class properly and taking leaves everyday."
"You're the lazy one!" Mr. Jin rolled his eyes at her, "Where have you been hiding these two days? You haven't finished that thing you're writing, have you?"
So he had told Liu Yizhu she would come but when that person waited two days without seeing her, he felt wronged.
"What do you mean hiding? I was at home looking after my child!" Speaking of this, Li Mingwei moved closer and complained woefully, "Mr. Jin, I've realized I don't know how to teach little Lei anymore. He has been especially annoyed at writing lately. Is it because I monitor him everyday and put too much pressure on him?"
"Of course." Mr. Jin admonished, "Children at seven or eight, playing is in their nature. He already spends a whole day at school, and still has to take classes when he gets home. How could he not be annoyed? You have to leave him some free time to rest, let him run and jump around, to release his nature."
"Fine."
Li Mingwei slumped dejectedly back to her seat. Actually last year she was not so impatient. Now that she decided to leave, she wanted him to develop good habits early so when no one supervised him later, he would not become lax.
Now it seemed she had been too impatient, everyone had their own circumstances. She had demanded too much that instead caused him to lose interest.
Mr. Jin glanced at Liu Yizhu sitting calmly across from him and shook his head with a smile. After organizing the books, he stood up, "I'm going to teach class."
As soon as he left, Liu Yizhu brought over a small stool and sat down beside Li Mingwei, "How is your leg?"
Li Mingwei did not turn her head, "It's been so long, healed long ago."
"Mr. Jin said you're writing something?"
"Just casually writing."
Liu Yizhu lightly tapped the table, "Why do you keep turning away from me today? You can't even look at me?"
Li Mingwei faced him, laying her head on the table again: "I'm not."
"You..." Liu Yizhu smiled helplessly, "Were you avoiding me the last two days?"
Li Mingwei turned her face away again, voice a little guilty, "No."
Seeing her stubborn little head, Liu Yizhu sighed, "Don't lie to me."
Li Mingwei did not say anything. She did not want to lie to him either.
Seeing her reaction, Liu Yizhu understood. Somewhat hurt, he pulled her up to sit properly and said sadly, "I knew it."
Seeing that she still refused to look at him, he gently turned her head to face him, "Why?"
Li Mingwei pouted, "My sister said men and women should not be intimate. You can't behave like this."
"Then let's get married." Liu Yizhu leaned forward, "Can I marry you?"
Li Mingwei froze briefly, a trace of disdain at the corner of her lips, "Are you sure you can decide this yourself?"
Thinking of his mother, Liu Yizhu stiffened, "Things you can't accomplish, do not say lightly." Li Mingwei taunted.
"I will accomplish it." Liu Yizhu grabbed her hand firmly, voice calm and determined, "I promise I will."
Li Mingwei shook his hand off, "Talk to me after you've done it."
Watching Liu Yizhu leave, Li Mingwei suddenly felt awful. She wanted to leave earlier, she could not wait until winter.
