Lu Jiaping was very attentive to the group chat messages. For several days in a row, everyone had been discussing the latest news about the transition from elementary to middle school in the group. She was especially concerned about information regarding the top middle schools, fearing she might miss even the slightest detail.
【The teacher at that De Yu tutoring institution has connections with two of the prestigious schools. If there are any new policies from the schools, the tutoring institution will privately leak the information.】
Lu Jiaping knew about De Yu. That institution didn’t have a branch near Tianxin Elementary School. If she wanted to enroll, she would have to take the subway for seven or eight stops, which was quite far. But if she didn’t enroll, it would mean missing out on this resource.
What should she do?
【Hey, I heard that because of the rampant leaking of such private resources, prestigious schools are now prohibited from collaborating with tutoring institutions.】
【Ah, what do we do then? Are there any other channels?】
【No, I guess we’ll still have to find a way. If you have relatives or friends who are teachers at those schools, even if it’s just a loose connection, it would be helpful.】
Lu Jiaping’s heart skipped a beat. She did have a relative who was a teacher—Jiang Cheng’s distant cousin taught chemistry at a middle school in Nantong. Although she was in Nantong, she had graduated from a teacher’s college in Shanghai, so she must have classmates who stayed in the city.
If she could use this connection, wouldn’t it provide an extra layer of security for Yuxin to get into a prestigious school?
Thinking this, Lu Jiaping immediately called Jiang Cheng: “Jiang Cheng, send me the contact information for your cousin who teaches in Nantong.”
“I’m in a meeting!” Jiang Cheng’s tone was quite unpleasant. “Can you not act on impulse? Send a message before calling!”
Click. The call ended on the other side.
Lu Jiaping took a deep breath. It was her fault—she had been too impatient and hadn’t considered Jiang Cheng’s situation. But Jiang Cheng shouldn’t have lost his temper like that either. She was only doing this for their child’s sake. Matters like this couldn’t wait; everything had to be planned ahead.
Jiang Cheng didn’t reply to her message.
In the evening, Jiang Cheng had a social engagement and returned home drunk after the children had already gone to bed. Lu Jiaping was furious. Social engagements, social engagements—all he ever did was attend social engagements.
While Jiang Cheng went to take a shower, Lu Jiaping picked up his phone. She scrolled through his contacts and WeChat but couldn’t find his cousin’s contact information. She wasn’t sure if Jiang Cheng hadn’t saved it or if she had misremembered the cousin’s name.
Frustrated, Lu Jiaping carefully examined each entry one by one. She didn’t find the cousin, but she did come across a familiar name: Mao Hengliang.
Her eyes lit up. Mao Hengliang—that famous essayist, a council member of the Chinese Writers Association, whose essays had even won the Nobel Prize in Literature. She never imagined Jiang Cheng knew such a renowned person. Yuxin was currently learning essay writing, and she had heard that children who had published books or won awards could receive extra points in the future.
If Yuxin published a collection of essays and received Mao Hengliang’s endorsement, even just a few words of advice, it would be remarkable.
When Jiang Cheng came out of the shower and saw Lu Jiaping holding his phone, looking at him excitedly, he was displeased. “Why are you going through my phone? What’s going on?”
Lu Jiaping held up the phone and asked, “Do you know Mao Hengliang?”
Jiang Cheng was feeling quite unwell from drinking and wanted to lie down and sleep without doing anything, but he endured it, picked up his phone, and carefully looked through it, recalling: “Oh, it was during the travel event organized by the Shanghai Writers Association earlier. At the time, our department was working on a project, so we participated together and exchanged WeChat with a few people. I’ve never chatted with him.”
No matter, Lu Jiaping had a talent for this sort of thing. As long as she had a contact, she could always find a way to connect with someone. When it came to their daughter’s education, she wouldn’t be careless in the slightest.
“People go from being strangers to acquaintances. The more you chat, the more familiar you become.”
Jiang Cheng tossed his phone aside and lay down to sleep.
Lu Jiaping nudged him: “You should take the initiative and say hello first. Since you’re the one who added him as a friend, it wouldn’t be appropriate for me to reach out abruptly. You pave the way first.”
Jiang Cheng said, “Let’s talk about it later. I’m really tired today.”
Lu Jiaping opened her mouth, hesitating for a moment. Their daughter only had a little over a year left before transitioning to middle school—how could he still be so unhurried?
Forget it. She continued scrolling through Mao Hengliang’s WeChat Moments. This essayist seemed quite eager to express himself, often posting atmospheric pictures and thoughtful captions. Lu Jiaping gave a few likes.
She couldn’t rely on just one plan.
Lu Jiaping nudged Jiang Cheng again: “Jiang Cheng, which one is your cousin’s WeChat? Tell me, I want to get in touch with her. Maybe we should visit her in Nantong this weekend and bring her a gift. Her son is a year older than Yuxin, so he should be starting middle school this year.”
Jiang Cheng grew even more impatient, turning over and sitting up: “Aren’t you annoying? My cousin is a teacher in Nantong—how could she possibly have the influence to help Yuxin get into a middle school? Or do you want Yuxin to go to middle school in Nantong?”
Lu Jiaping waved her hands repeatedly: “No, I just think your cousin went to university in Shanghai. Even though she teaches in Nantong now, she might have classmates who teach in Shanghai middle schools. Even if they’re not at top schools, maybe her classmates have connections, right?”
Jiang Cheng was fuming and didn’t want to deal with her at all.
Lu Jiaping persisted: “Hey, can’t you stop acting like it’s none of your business? I’m concerned about Yuxin’s future, don’t you know…”
“Alright, I get it!” Jiang Cheng snatched the phone, swiped a few times, found his cousin’s WeChat ID, sent it to Lu Jiaping, and then angrily lay back down on the bed.
Finally unable to hold back, he muttered: “So annoying. Is all this fuss about school really necessary? What difference does it make which school she goes to? If she has talent, she’ll excel even at a bad middle school. If she doesn’t, sending her to the best school in the country won’t help—she still won’t make it to high school.”
Lu Jiaping’s eyes widened: “What nonsense are you talking about? Have you ever heard of ‘Mencius’ mother moved three times’? Do you even understand what ‘a wise bird chooses the right tree to perch on’ means? How much does the environment affect a child? Yuxin is indecisive—if she ends up at a bad school and makes poor friends, her life could be ruined.”
“Unreasonable!”
Lu Jiaping retorted: “You’re the reasonable one, huh? Acting like a hands-off boss who doesn’t care about anything!”
“At least I’m better than you, acting all neurotic day after day.”
Their argument grew louder and louder in the room. In the neighboring room, Jiang Yuxin sat blankly on her bed, tears streaming down her face. It was always like this—for so many years, the two of them would quarrel every now and then.
Although Jiang Yuxin was only eleven years old, she understood what marriage and divorce roughly meant. She truly couldn’t comprehend why two people like them would get married, and even more so, why they would have a child. Was having a child just to satisfy their desire to show off to others?
Her grades were good, so everything was fine. But if they ever slipped even once, it felt like falling into an abyss. Yet, the knowledge in the textbooks was becoming increasingly difficult, and she felt her energy was no longer keeping up. Perhaps she was just a naturally slow child.