Ding Yawen received the call late at night. She wasn’t at the station but had been at home printing materials in front of the printer. Other things could be set aside, but for this live broadcast, she was determined to succeed.
These materials were all her work achievements over the past few years. Her resume was impeccable. If Old Liu wouldn’t help her, she refused to believe she couldn’t manage it on her own.
“Hey, Yuxin, why are you calling so late? It’s already half past eleven. Aren’t you asleep?”
Jiang Yuxin lowered her voice and said, “Godmother, I’m unhappy.”
Ding Yawen set aside her work, picked up her phone, and went to the kitchen to get some water. Huang Jianhui was very thoughtful—every time before going to work, he would stock the fridge with enough milk and juice to last her half a month.
“What’s making my little princess unhappy? Tell your godmother.”
Jiang Yuxin recounted what had happened that evening: “They’re always arguing. It’s really annoying, Godmother. I don’t even want to stay here anymore. Why can’t people just get along peacefully?”
Ding Yawen paused for a moment before advising, “Yuxin, do you ever have disagreements with your classmates at school?”
Jiang Yuxin had a gentle, accommodating nature and got along well with her classmates. But even so, minor conflicts were inevitable. Most of the time, she would yield to avoid confrontation.
Ding Yawen continued, “When people interact with each other, it’s like this. Arguments are normal. Your godfather and I argue often too.”
Jiang Yuxin asked, “Can’t they just try to understand and accommodate each other? When I have disagreements with my classmates at school, I try to see things from their perspective, and that usually solves the problem. If ordinary people can do that, shouldn’t they, as a married couple, be able to as well?”
Ding Yawen was momentarily stunned. As a journalist, she emphasized objectivity, approaching every matter with the most impartial attitude when writing or broadcasting. That’s why her news reports were often praised by the station.
But the idea of seeing things from another person’s perspective—it seemed she had never considered it before.
“Godmother, I’m really unhappy at home. Mom has signed me up for composition classes again. I feel so much pressure. There’s just too much to learn every day, and I’m exhausted.”
Ding Yawen asked a few more questions, her brow furrowing. Lu Jiaping had scheduled Yuxin’s classes so tightly that the child had almost no time to rest.
She didn’t have the habit of criticizing adults in front of children, so she simply said, “Yuxin, your mom is doing this for your own good. Haven’t you always wanted to be someone like your godmother? If you don’t work hard, how can you ever achieve that, right?”
Jiang Yuxin retorted, “Can I really do it? But Godmother, I’m so clumsy. I’ll probably never be like you.”
That wasn’t a good mindset.
“Yuxin, you mustn’t say that. If you’re willing to work hard, nothing is impossible. I know you’ve been feeling tired lately. How about this? When I have some free time soon, I’ll arrange to talk properly with your mom about your situation, okay?”
After hanging up, Ding Yawen didn’t rush to call Lu Jiaping. She waited until the next day to make the call.
After Lu Jiaping vented her frustrations at length to Ding Yawen, she finally said, “Everything I’m doing is for the child’s sake. How could Jiang Cheng be like this? It’s infuriating. Oh, and there’s something else I need to tell you.”
This morning while helping Jiang Yuxin organize her backpack, she unexpectedly discovered a neatly folded small blue note inside.
“What’s the big deal? Little girls all like those small, fragrant things. Besides, she’s old enough to have her own privacy. Don’t be so suspicious all the time,” Ding Yawen said dismissively.
But Lu Jiaping was frantic: “Oh, you really don’t understand a mother’s worries. Yuxin’s grades have been slipping—could it be related to this? Could that note be a love letter someone wrote to her, or maybe one she wrote to someone else?”
“Yuxin is only in fifth grade.”
“Do you know how early kids mature these days? I saw in the news that third and fourth graders are already hugging, holding hands, and even kissing. Do you know why I go through all the trouble of dropping her off in the morning and picking her up in the afternoon? It’s precisely because of this.”
Ding Yawen frowned. “Jiaping, stop being so suspicious. Don’t you know Yuxin’s personality? She’s gentle, smart, and the class monitor. How could she possibly do something like that?”
Lu Jiaping let out a long sigh. That was exactly why she was worried. Being smart and the class monitor, she must have plenty of little boys who like her. If one or two of them were more mature and tried to lead her astray, who knows if Yuxin might…
No, she had to find a way to see what was written in that note.
Ding Yawen asked, “Are you free tomorrow? I’m off work, so come with me to get my nails done.”
Lu Jiaping rolled her eyes. “Seriously, do you not know tomorrow is the weekend? On weekends, I have to take care of both kids. Yuxin has all sorts of classes to attend. How could I possibly have time to get my nails done?”
Alright then, Ding Yawen shrugged. They could make plans another day.
In the afternoon, when Lu Jiaping went to pick up Jiang Yuxin from school, her homeroom teacher, the Chinese teacher, called her into the office and pointed at Yuxin’s essay.
“Yuxin’s mom, I’m not deliberately picking on your child. I’ve been her homeroom teacher all along, and I only want the best for her. But look at her essay—it’s really poorly written. And this is just a regular writing assignment. Yuxin’s mom, is she not keeping up with her reading? Children really can’t skimp on reading. You should set aside half an hour every day for her to read at home, broaden her horizons. That’s the only way her writing will improve.”
Lu Jiaping nodded repeatedly and apologized again and again.
The Chinese teacher adjusted her glasses and, seeing no one else in the office, lowered her voice. “Yuxin’s mom, let me give you a heads-up—it’s unavoidable. Yuxin won’t be able to serve as the school’s Young Pioneer captain this year. Please comfort her more. It’s not her fault. I’ll try to get her appointed as a squad leader instead.”
Lu Jiaping looked at the Chinese teacher in surprise. “But…”
The Chinese teacher quickly added, “She would have been replaced in sixth grade anyway. This year, due to policy changes, it’s just happening half a year earlier. Don’t worry. I’m just concerned that Yuxin might feel pressured. When you get home, talk to her more and make sure she doesn’t take it too hard.”
How could Lu Jiaping not worry? She felt the Chinese teacher’s words seemed hesitant, as if there was more left unsaid. Could it be that Yuxin’s declining grades were the reason she couldn’t even serve as a squad leader anymore?
Reading… she had to make sure Yuxin improved her reading.
As she left the office, she ran into the PE teacher carrying a basketball. He greeted her: “Yuxin’s mom, congratulations! Yuxin is going to win another award in the upcoming basketball tournament. You have no idea—with her as a role model, several girls from the lower grades have signed up.”
Lu Jiaping looked up at the excited PE teacher, hesitated for a long time, and finally said, “Teacher, I think… it’s better to let Yuxin quit the basketball team.”