At 10:30 p.m., Xia Jinsu and Xia Yunuo went to bed right on time.
The layout of their master bedroom was a bit different from a normal household. Instead of a double bed, there was a bunk bed pushed against the wall, much like a school dorm. This type of bed frame saved a lot of floor space, allowing them to fit a large desk in the bedroom so that all three sisters could do their homework together.
However, their youngest sister usually boarded at school, so the sight of all three of them studying together only happened on Saturday nights. On regular school nights, it was just Xia Jinsu and Xia Yunuo at home.
With the lights now turned off, Xia Yunuo climbed into the top bunk.
Xia Jinsu sat on the edge of the bottom bunk. Her mind drifted back to the diary that connected her to a boy, his reply letter for the English Club today, and her younger sister’s special feelings for him.
"Nuo," she called out to Xia Yunuo again.
"Hmm?"
"What kind of person is that boy you asked about the math problem in class?"
"Jinsu... I already told you, I don’t like him." Xia Yunuo opened her eyes, staring helplessly at the ceiling. "He’s just an ordinary guy."
"Is he handsome?"
"Why would you even ask a question like that?"
"It won’t kill you to just answer."
"...He’s average."
"Is that so." Xia Jinsu leaned her head back, staring at the exact same ceiling as her sister. She thought to herself that perhaps, just as her sister claimed, Song Yunshen really was just an ordinary-looking boy.
But after all, beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Was that why her sister praised Song Yunshen every day for being handsome? It was hard to imagine what kind of expression her sister made when she praised that boy.
"So why are you asking this, Jinsu?" Xia Yunuo remained silent for a moment before turning the question back on her. "It’s such a boring question."
"It’s nothing," Xia Jinsu said, shaking her head. "I just think I’ve seen him at the English Club before, but he didn’t leave much of an impression."
"Oh, I see," Xia Yunuo replied, then fell silent.
So Xia Jinsu pressed on, "Then what kind of person do you think he is?"
Perhaps the late hours evoked a stronger desire to confide in others. With the topic pushed this far, it couldn’t help but stir up some of Xia Yunuo’s memories from class. Especially over the last half a month—she had been able to hear Song Yunshen’s inner thoughts every day, which naturally caused her to pay much more attention to him.
Hearing her sister’s question, Xia Yunuo replied subconsciously, "He looks quite serious, and he’s very focused and meticulous when explaining problems. But sometimes he goofs off with the other guys. Hmm... he’s also a bit narcissistic."
"I see..." Xia Jinsu silently took note, gradually sketching out Song Yunshen’s personality traits in her mind. Even though she still hadn’t met Song Yunshen in person and didn’t even know what he looked like, she had already formed a preliminary impression.
The conversation came to a sudden, inexplicable halt. Xia Jinsu didn’t ask any more questions, and Xia Yunuo tacitly went back to sleep without another word.
The two of them soon drifted off to dreamland.
Around 3:00 a.m., Xia Jinsu felt the urge to pee and got up to use the restroom. Just as she stepped out of the bathroom, she happened to hear the front door opening. A second later, the living room lights flicked on.
Xia Jinsu instinctively squinted, raising a hand to shield her face from the glare. She walked over to the living room and looked up at Yan Zhenxia, who had just returned home.
"Shu? Why are you still up so late?" Yan Zhenxia walked in, looking thoroughly exhausted. However, upon seeing Xia Jinsu, she forced herself to perk up. Squeezing out a warm smile, she asked with concern.
"I went to sleep a long time ago. I just got up to use the bathroom," Xia Jinsu said, reaching out to take Yan Zhenxia’s bag and setting it on the table for her. "Mom, hurry up and take a shower so you can get some rest."
"Mhm, you too." Yan Zhenxia gently patted her daughter’s hair. "Go back to your room and sleep. Don’t worry about me."
Watching Yan Zhenxia head toward the bathroom, Xia Jinsu trailed closely behind her. After hesitating repeatedly, she finally took the initiative to speak up. "Mom, I want to discuss something with you... It’s about what we talked about last time..."
"Shu." Yan Zhenxia turned around, placing both hands squarely on Xia Jinsu’s shoulders. With a serious and stern expression, she said, "Even though Mom’s work is hard right now, I feel very grounded and fulfilled.
"All three of you have been obedient and well-behaved since you were little, and your grades are excellent now. Mom is already very gratified by that.
"What you need to do right now is study hard and strive to get into a good university. Only then will you have a better future.
"We can’t sacrifice the big picture for short-term gains, right?
"So don’t bring up the idea of a part-time summer job again."
Yan Zhenxia paused for a moment before continuing, "Also, your school should be offering tutoring classes over the summer, right?
"During the last parent-teacher conference, the teacher mentioned it to us. For the two months of summer break, they only charge two hundred yuan per subject. Compared to the cram schools outside, it’s incredibly cheap.
"We shouldn’t skimp on this kind of money. You and Nuo should just focus on attending the tutoring classes during the summer and stop thinking about working."
Xia Jinsu patiently listened to everything Yan Zhenxia had to say, mentally organizing her words for a moment before she slowly replied.
"Mom, I’m not going to work at the milk tea shop anymore, but I also don’t need to attend tutoring classes.
"The school’s tutoring classes are mainly meant for students who are struggling in specific subjects. They won’t be of much use to me.
"Take Nuo, for example. She only needs to take the math tutoring class. Her grades in the other subjects are fine; they aren’t at the point where she needs extra help.
"I ranked first in the entire grade on the midterm exams. There’s really no need for me to go to a tutoring class. You can call my teacher to ask; I promise I’m not lying to you.
"As for a part-time summer job, I have a new idea now—I want to be a private tutor."
"A private tutor?" Yan Zhenxia looked puzzled. "Isn’t tutoring a teacher’s job?"
"There are also a lot of university students doing work-study programs who tutor middle and high school students," Xia Jinsu explained. "I recently met a student who needs an English tutor over the summer. It pays a hundred yuan an hour."
"Really?" Yan Zhenxia was a bit hesitant.
"Besides, teaching someone else is actually a very effective way to study in itself," Xia Jinsu continued to persuade her. "It’s called the Feynman Technique. When you can take a complex concept and explain it simply to someone else, it proves that you’ve fully mastered it.
"So when I’m tutoring, it also counts as further consolidating my own studies. The results will definitely be much better than just sitting through a tutoring class at school."
"...We’ll talk about this later." Yan Zhenxia shook her head. "When the time comes, tell me more about this student’s situation. Don’t let yourself get scammed."
"I know~ So that means you agree?" Xia Jinsu hugged Yan Zhenxia’s arm, her face lighting up with a radiant smile.
"I told you, we’ll confirm it once we have all the details."
"Mhm!"
In the bedroom.
A figure leaned against the door, quietly listening to the conversation in the living room. It wasn’t until she heard the footsteps of Xia Jinsu returning that she hurriedly scrambled back into bed, pretending she had been asleep the whole time.
A private tutor...
One hundred yuan an hour...