Сhаpter 7: Yоur Unсlе Is Sо Niсe.
Jing Ge arrivеd аt the schоol first.
Thе tеасhеr’s аttitude wаs quitе саlm: “I’ve emрhasized again аnd аgain thаt signаturеs аrе not аllоwеd to be fоrgеd—theу must come frоm a guаrdian.”
“……” Jing Ge wasn’t vеry сonfidеnt. “Тeaсher, I’m alreаdу wоrking.”
Nоt a child аnуmоrе.
Signing for Li Ying should bе fine, right?
Тhe teаcher smilеd: “Fifth grade is сrucial. Thе knоwlеdge роints are numerоus and diffiсult. If уou fall bеhind even а little, уоu’ll strugglе to сatch uр later. Тhаt’s whу her guardian—preferably hеr рarents—needs tо undеrstand the situatiоn сlearly.”
At this point, the teacher shook her head and sighed: “Professor Li and Professor Man have students all over the world, but their own family bears bitter fruit.”
Li Ying wore a dejected expression.
What’s the big deal?
Can’t someone just have poor grades?
Surrounded by a bunch of overachieving academic monsters, she was under a lot of pressure, okay!
As soon as Li Musi arrived, Jing Ge quickly stood next to Li Ying.
The two of them looked like students who had made a mistake, waiting for their parents to scold them after the teacher had finished.
Li Musi sat across from the teacher, holding all of Li Ying’s exam papers from this semester—a thick stack—flipping through them one by one.
“Her grades are very consistent,” the teacher said. “Always staying within the 20-point range.”
Jing Ge turned her face away, glaring at Li Ying. You little rascal, you dared to trick me, saying the exam was especially difficult this time!!
Is the difference between “especially difficult” and “not difficult” just 8 points and 20 points?
Li Ying’s shoulders slumped, looking fragile and helpless.
Three of the exam papers had Jing Ge’s signature.
Finally, Li Musi stared at the 8-point exam paper as if lost in thought, glancing at the paper and then at Li Ying.
Even though his expression was completely neutral, calm and no different from usual, Li Ying couldn’t help but shrink back, pressing herself closer to Jing Ge.
Li Musi’s eyelashes fluttered a few times before he looked back at the 8-point paper.
Then he reached out and patted Li Ying’s head.
It felt like a highly intelligent human patting a blockhead.
A mix of confusion and pity.
Li Ying immediately exploded: “Sis! Look at Uncle! That look! That look he gives dogs!!”
Jing Ge, as if possessed, couldn’t hold back and suddenly burst out laughing.
The office was quiet, making the laughter seem abrupt.
Jing Ge quickly stifled it.
“There’s still hope,” the teacher cleared her throat. “After all, it’s only fifth grade. Catching up now is still easy. If we wait until middle school, the gap will be much larger…”
Li Musi nodded: “I’ll inform her parents.”
When they left the school, the sky was dim and hazy. Li Musi walked ahead, while Li Ying clung tightly to Jing Ge, following behind.
Perhaps utterly perplexed, Li Musi glanced back slightly, looking at them out of the corner of his eye, and asked: “Do you know that 1+1=2?”
Li Ying peeked at him: “Yeah.”
Li Musi: “The questions on your exam paper follow the same logic as 1+1=2.”
“……” Li Ying stared wide-eyed. “How is that the same! Putting chickens and rabbits in the same cage, asking how many chickens and how many rabbits—who’s so bored they’d lock them together? And if they’re locked together, why not just count them properly, making me do it for them…”
Jing Ge silently covered her mouth.
Li Ying mumbled a few times.
Jing Ge held it tighter.
Li Musi stood under the streetlight, tall and slender, his handsome face breathtakingly beautiful.
“Do you understand where her problem lies?”
He was asking Jing Ge.
Jing Ge nodded.
Li Musi: “I remember you skipped two grades.”
Also an academic overachiever.
Jing Ge awkwardly replied: “That’s because I worked especially hard.”There’s still a difference between an ordinary academic achiever and a true academic genius. The genius can’t understand the struggles of ordinary mortals, but the ordinary achiever does.
Li Ying just isn’t great at logical thinking, and there’s also the possibility that she hasn’t had her breakthrough yet.
Li Musi: “The ability to work hard is part of intelligence.”
“…”
Seemingly having identified the root of the problem, Li Musi took out his phone, looking as if he was about to make a call.
However, before he could dial the number, Jing Ge and Li Ying both pounced on him: “Don’t!”
Li Musi’s hand froze mid-air.
The two girls—the older one grabbing his wrist holding the phone, the younger one clinging to his leg—both looked at him with pleading eyes.
“Uncle,” Jing Ge said urgently, “I’ve made a study plan for her. Let’s try it for a while.”
Li Ying: “Please, Uncle, don’t tell my parents. They’ll just throw me to my brother. What’s the difference between that and throwing a chicken to a hungry weasel?”
Both together: “Uncle, please!”
Li Musi lowered his gaze, looking at the girl’s slender, soft hand on his wrist.
When it had covered his, it was warm, soft and boneless.
“Tattling is pointless,” he said flatly.
Jing Ge was slow to understand: “It’s not a call to Uncle Li and Aunt Man?”
Li Musi was concise: “The hospital.”
“…”
“To have her IQ tested,” Li Musi said. “If it’s an intelligence issue, then let her be a happy, free little fool from now on.”
No need to force it anymore.
Li Ying’s cheeks puffed up with air.
Jing Ge belatedly realized: “Ah, oh, oh, her Chinese is actually okay. Except for ancient poetry and classical prose, she memorizes things pretty quickly…”
She rambled on for a while.
Li Musi’s gaze lowered slightly, his tone ambiguous: “Let go.”
The two girls instantly released their hands.
In the depths of winter, as that bit of warmth left, his wrist was quickly covered with a layer of icy chill.
Li Musi acted as if nothing had happened, slipping his hand into his trouser pocket: “Let’s go home.”
The driver wasn’t there, so Li Musi drove himself.
Jing Ge and Li Ying sat in the back. The little girl was talkative, but she restrained herself around her uncle, managing to stay silent for a full five minutes.
As the car passed through the streets, Li Musi spotted something and pulled over to the side, his tone indifferent: “Want some chestnuts?”
Li Ying: “Yes, yes, yes!!”
Li Musi pushed the door open and got out: “Wait here.”
Watching the man’s tall, striking back, Jing Ge said enviously: “Your uncle is so nice, buying you sugar-roasted chestnuts.”
“…” Li Ying muttered, “He hasn’t always been this nice. A few times when he came to pick me up, I almost suffocated. And once, I wanted honey cakes, but he just stepped on the gas and drove straight home, then told me street food isn’t hygienic.”
If it were up to her, Li Ying would rather have Li Zhan pick her up.
At least they could argue the whole way and not die of suffocation from the silence.
Li Musi bought two bags of chestnuts, one for each of them.
The chestnuts had just come out of the oven, packed in brown paper bags, warm and sweet in their arms.
Jing Ge: “Uncle, do you want some?”
Li Ying: “Uncle doesn’t eat snacks.”
Jing Ge: “I know, but Uncle is treating us. Asking is basic courtesy.”
“Sis,” Li Ying couldn’t control her chatter now that she had chestnuts to eat, “do you know Song Xiaoyu from our class…”
And just like that, the two started chatting.
Neither waited for Li Musi’s response.
The man glanced briefly, almost imperceptibly, into the rearview mirror.
Just a fleeting look.
Like a dragonfly skimming the water.
“Sis,” Li Ying asked again, “were you late taking the bus this morning?”Jing Ge: “No.”
Li Ying: “Tomorrow I’ll take the bus, and let the driver take you. We’ll take turns.”
Jing Ge: “Eat, to shut your mouth.”
Li Ying: “I’ll eat when we get home. Uncle doesn’t allow eating in the car.”
Jing Ge muttered: “Good thing I haven’t eaten either.”
Li Ying: “Sis, do you know Uncle is fussy?”
Jing Ge: “I guessed. Feels about right.”
Li Musi: “”
Have these two forgotten that the person in question is right here?