The afternoon sunlight streamed through the floor-to-ceiling windows, casting a warm glow over the exquisite living room. Lu Ling pushed the door open and stepped inside. The living room was so quiet you could hear a pin drop, and she assumed her daughter was home alone.
She placed a brand-new tablet on the coffee table, her tone calm yet carrying an undeniable expectation.
“Jingyu, this is the newest tablet prepared for you. All the required master-teacher courses have already been downloaded onto it. This semester, Mom wants to see straight A’s on your report card. Can you do that?”
Lu’er wanted to open her mouth to remind her mother that they had a guest, but her mother’s rapid-fire questions left her no room to interject. Her small face turned slightly red from embarrassment.
“I, Mommy…”
Lu Ling picked up another math test paper from the table, her brow furrowing slightly, giving her daughter zero chance to interrupt.
“Math is second place again? You missed first place by only two points. Tell Mom, why is it always short by just this little bit? Every time, it’s that classmate named Ye Xin who takes first place, right?”
Her tone wasn’t fierce; it was more like a calm, fact-based scrutiny, which only served to invisibly heighten the pressure.
Just then, a slight rustling sound came from the sofa in the corner of the living room. Lu Ling keenly looked toward the source, only to discover that a girl was actually sitting there. The girl closed the picture book in her hands, looked up with a calm demeanor and bright eyes, and was quietly watching them.
Lu’er finally found an opening, her voice filled with awkwardness and sheepishness.
“Mommy! This is Classmate Ye Xin. I was just about to introduce…”
Lu Ling paused slightly, her gaze shifting sharply to the girl who had been sitting quietly the whole time, a hint of genuine surprise and inquiry coloring her tone.
“Ye Xin? The Ye Xin who gets first place on every exam?”
She looked at her daughter, then her gaze fell back onto Ye Xin’s school uniform, which had been washed until it was faded yet remained remarkably neat, carrying a hint of business-negotiation-like scrutiny and curiosity.
“Lu’er, Mom isn’t opposed to you making friends. I’m just a little surprised that you brought a competitor home.”
Ye Xin stepped forward, gently shielding a somewhat flustered Lu’er slightly behind her, her gaze meeting Lu Ling’s without servility or arrogance.
“Aunty, you scared her.”
From Lu’er’s occasional scattered complaints, Ye Xin had long since pieced together the image of this strict mother.
Taken aback by the blunt remark, Lu Ling paused. Seeing her daughter’s slightly reddened eyes, she seemed to finally become aware of her own emotional delivery. She took a deep breath, rubbed her temples, and softened her tone slightly, a trace of imperceptible exhaustion creeping in.
“Apologies, Jingyu, Ye Xin. I ran into some tricky matters at the company today, and I wasn’t in a good mood, so I spoke too harshly.”
Her gaze landed on Ye Xin once more, nodding slightly as her voice grew milder, though it still carried an unquestionable weight.
“Lu’er admires you. As a mother, I hope she can draw all beneficial nourishment from those around her. If you don’t mind, I’d very much like to hear your understanding of effective learning.”
Ye Xin’s expression remained unchanged as she responded with composure.
“It can hardly be called a secret. It’s simply because I invest effective time into both my studies and physical exercise, and I use the right methods. Classmate Lu’er is also exceptionally bright; she is very adept at thinking about the fundamental nature of problems.”
This remark exceeded Lu Ling’s expectations. There was neither false modesty nor arrogance, only an objective statement that even affirmed Lu’er. This made Lu Ling gain a bit more interest in the composed girl standing before her.
Lu Ling raised an eyebrow.
“Oh? Is that so. Were you two studying together today?”
“Yes, Aunty. Today we reviewed math together.”
Seeing her mother’s attitude soften, Lu’er spoke softly, her voice tinged with a clear sense of yearning.
“Mom, Ye Xin is going camping in the mountains with her family this weekend. She said she’ll learn how to navigate, identify plants, and practice wilderness survival skills.”
Unconsciously smoothing the hem of her clothes, she let out a rare glimmer of anticipation in her tone.
“That kind of experience sounds very meaningful.”
Lu Ling looked at the rare spark of brilliance in her daughter’s eyes, then glanced at the composed Ye Xin beside her, frowning slightly.
“Camping? Blowing in the wind and baking in the sun, what’s so fun about that? Besides, don’t you have calligraphy class and advanced math tutoring this weekend?”
Lu’er’s eyes dimmed instantly as she lowered her head.
“Oh, I know.”
The atmosphere fell somewhat silent for a moment. Ye Xin looked at the dejected Lu’er, then turned her gaze back to Lu Ling, her expression remaining earnest.
“Aunty, camping is not merely entertainment. It is a highly practical comprehensive activity.”
Lu Ling: “Oh? How so?”
She seemed to want to see what else this first-place student could reason out.
Ye Xin listed points in an orderly, report-like fashion.
“First, it enhances practical problem-solving abilities. For example, how to choose a safe campsite, how to cope with changing weather, and how to utilize limited resources. These cannot be learned from books and classrooms. Second, it trains willpower and independence. Leaving the comfort zone and having to complete everything by oneself is fantastic training for focus and patience. Third, it involves the application of multidisciplinary knowledge, including basic geography, biology, and physics. Identifying constellations requires astronomy knowledge, recognizing plants requires biological knowledge, and building a fire and setting up a tent involve physical principles.”
Ye Xin paused, glanced at Lu’er, and continued in a matter-of-fact tone.
“Classmate Lu’er is very smart and has a strong comprehension ability. If she can participate, she can quickly master this practical knowledge. I believe this is beneficial for broadening her horizons and capabilities, and it might inversely promote her learning efficiency and stress-resistance in other areas. Furthermore, my mother will accompany us the entire time to ensure safety. Our itinerary is planned and our purpose is clear. It is not aimless play.”
She continued speaking earnestly, her eyes clear.
“Aunty, why do you feel that first place is so important? Is it more important than whether Lu’er is happy and whether she can learn truly useful things?”
Lu Ling clearly hadn’t anticipated a child countering her in this manner. She raised an eyebrow, but based on her ENTJ personality, she leaned toward logical explanation.
“Social competition is fierce, and resources are limited. I am strict with her now to take responsibility for her future competitiveness. A child like you who always manages to take first place probably finds it hard to understand the extra effort required by a chaser.”
Her logic was self-contained.
Ye Xin fell silent for a moment, then asked an even sharper question.
“Aren’t you afraid that if you keep pushing her like this, she will grow increasingly distant from you in the future, and your relationship will turn cold?”
Lu Ling seemed slightly touched by this question, though her expression didn’t change much. Ye Xin’s words made her think about problems from an angle outside of efficiency and results for the very first time.
Ye Xin’s tone grew even more sincere.
“Aunty, I’m just speaking as Lu’er’s friend, and I’m very worried about her. Therefore, I’d like to invite you and Lu’er to join our family’s camping trip this weekend.”
She paused, as if pondering how to express herself.
“You might feel that I’m just a child, but the world my mother has brought me to has truly taught me a lot. Perhaps you might also be able to see a little something different? My mother, ever since I was a baby, she often carried me in a baby carrier while delivering food and packages on a motorcycle. She said that way she could work and keep me company at the same time, while letting me see this world early on. What she taught me is that no matter what you do, you must be serious and responsible; it’s about problem-solving ability, not just a score.”
Lu Ling was completely stunned. A mother who delivered food and packages had raised a daughter who ranked first place every time and possessed such clear, mature thinking? At that moment, she developed an extremely profound interest in Ye Xin’s mother and experienced a momentary haze regarding education.
Lu Ling pondered for a moment, her internal calculations intertwined with a trace of touched emotion.
“It sounds like it isn’t entirely a waste of time and ambition.”
She looked at her daughter, who was staring at her with pleading eyes, and the slight guilt inside her, born from a long history of being overly strict with her daughter, was pried open by the reasonable reason and novel perspective provided by Ye Xin.
“Since you’ve reasoned it out so well and safety is guaranteed, and Lu’er has indeed been studying hard lately…”
She seemed to be convincing herself.
“Very well, Ye Xin. Then please go back and ask your mother if it’s convenient to have us join you and experience it. We will cover all expenses.”
Lu’er looked as though she was about to jump up, overwhelmed with pleasant surprise.
“Really? Mommy! Thank you, Mommy! Thank you, Xinxin!”
Ye Xin still didn’t have much expression on her face, but she nodded faintly, raised her eyes, and responded.
“Alright, Aunty. I will report this truthfully to my mother and ensure the information is passed along accurately.”
As her voice trailed off, she lowered her gaze to her wrist, raised her hand to the smartwatch on her wrist, and directly dialed her mother’s communication line.
Once the call connected, Ye Xin spoke in a steady tone.
“Mom, I have a request. I’ve invited Aunt Lu and Lu’er to come camping with us this weekend. Do you think that’s okay?”
Almost immediately, Ye Chen’s reply came through the watch. Her voice transmitted via the micro-speaker, steady and crisp.
“Yes, you decide.”
After a brief pause, Ye Chen’s voice sounded again. This time, her tone carried an extra layer of formal politeness, obviously meant for Lu Ling to hear.
“Hello, Ms. Lu, I’m Ye Xin’s mother, Ye Chen. If Saturday is convenient, you and Lu’er are very welcome to join us.”
Lu Ling: “Very well, see you on Saturday.”
Ye Chen’s voice continued to come through.
“Then let’s tentatively set it for 9:00 AM on Saturday. Where do you find it convenient to meet up? You can come to my house, the address is 517 Sunshine Road. Or we can meet at the intersection leading into the mountains, and I can send you the location pin.”
Lu Ling thought briefly and spoke in a decisive tone.
“Let’s meet at the intersection. Please send me the location pin.”
An unprecedented, intense curiosity and anticipation for the weekend meeting welled up inside her.
Ye Xin added finally, her tone carrying her unique composure.
“Aunty, my mother always says that what matters is knowing you’ve tried your best, and jumping a little further than yesterday’s self every single time. I believe Lu’er is the same.”
The smartwatch call hadn’t hung up yet. After a brief silence, Ye Chen’s voice came through again, calm and unruffled, yet seemingly able to pierce through everything.
“Lu’er’s mom, Xinxin rarely visits classmates’ homes, and she rarely expresses her cherishing of a friendship so explicitly. Thank you to Lu’er for being her friend.”
Lu Ling was caught somewhat off guard by this sudden, formal expression of gratitude, especially coming from a mother she had yet to meet.
“Ah, please don’t mention it. Ye Xin is also an exceptionally outstanding child. It’s actually our Lu’er who has been looked after by her.”
She found herself uncharacteristically at a loss for words.
As the call ended, Lu Ling unconsciously rubbed her fingertips along the smooth edge of the tablet. The living room grew quiet once more, save for the faint city noise drifting in from outside the window. She looked at the two little girls before her: her own daughter Lu’er still kept her head slightly lowered, her fingers nervously twisting her hem, while the child named Ye Xin stood straight, her gaze clear and steadfast as she looked back at her, as if that speech, which had nearly subverted her educational worldview, hadn’t come from her at all.
“Second grade…”
Lu Ling repeated under her breath, her gaze landing on Ye Xin once more, carrying undisguised scrutiny and inquiry.
“Your thinking and expression skills are quite extraordinary.”
This was definitely not a child who could be cultivated by an ordinary family, especially given her final remark that her mother delivered food. This huge contrast made Lu Ling’s doubts and interest snowball and roll larger by the second.
She could construct several possibilities in her mind almost instantly, but none of them seemed to add up. Ultimately, she reined in her outward emotions and resumed her usual calm and collected demeanor, though a sharp brilliance lingered deep within her eyes.
She glanced at her daughter, her tone softening slightly yet retaining its demand.
“Lu’er, adjust your schedule for the weekend.”
Lu’er quickly looked up at her mother, then glanced at Ye Xin, her eyes weaving together surprise, nervousness, and a faint glimmer of anticipation as she responded in a small voice.
“Alright, Mommy.”
A restrained yet heartfelt arc appeared at the corner of Ye Xin’s lips. She nodded, much like confirming a project’s progress.
“Thank you for your agreement, Aunty. Lu’er, see you on Saturday.”
She turned toward Lu Ling, offered a precise fifteen-degree nod of greeting, lightly touched Lu’er’s wrist to signal farewell, gave her companion a steady and affirmative gaze, and then turned away, departing with an even and efficient pace.
The door closed softly.
Only Lu Ling and her daughter Lu’er remained in the living room. The air seemed to grow somewhat stagnant again.
Lu Ling didn’t speak immediately. She walked over to the coffee table, picked up the second-place test paper, and let her gaze sweep across the two questions deducted for carelessness, but she didn’t point them out right away as she usually did. Echoing in her mind instead were Ye Xin’s words: the ability to solve problems on one’s own, jumping further than yesterday’s self.
The educational philosophy formed by these words stood in stark contrast to the survival of the fittest and results-oriented tenets she believed in; one could even say they ran completely counter to them. What’s more, the person proposing such a philosophy appeared to be a single mother living at the bottom of society.
It was practically a paradox.
Lu’er gently tugged on her mother’s hem, her voice soft and earnest.
“Ye Xin is really kind. Whenever I don’t know how to solve a problem, she often helps explain it to me.”
Lu Ling put down the test paper, her gaze falling on her daughter’s still somewhat uneasy little face. She was silent for a few seconds before asking an apparently unrelated question.
“Have you heard her talk about her mother? Is she really a food delivery worker?”
Seeing that her mother wasn’t continuing to be angry, Lu’er relaxed a fraction and answered quietly.
“Mmm, that’s what Ye Xin said. She said when she was little, her mother carried her in a baby carrier on a motorcycle while delivering food, and later when she grew bigger, she sat on the back seat and hugged her mother’s waist.”
She paused, a trace of yearning flowing through her eyes, one she herself probably hadn’t even noticed.
“She said her mother is amazing, knows every little alley in the city, and can even calculate the fastest route for delivery without exceeding the time limit. When it rained, her mother would always wrap her entirely in the raincoat. Even though it sounded very hard, Ye Xin thought it was especially interesting. She said her mother is the best mom in the world, can do anything, understands everything, and even taught her how to change a motorcycle tire.”
Lu Ling listened quietly, the doubts in her heart not dissolving in the slightest; instead, they deepened. A woman who changed tires, delivered food, and braved wind and rain had raised a daughter with mature mental faculties, top-tier academic scores, such fierce loyalty to her friend, and the audacity to come straight to her door and offer educational advice to a corporate CEO?
It was absurd, yet it had happened with absolute reality.
She walked over to the window, her expression complex and indiscernible.
“Ye Chen…”
She murmured the name under her breath, the corners of her mouth curving slightly into an extremely shallow arc brimming with intrigued fascination.
Lu Ling paused slightly, her fingertip tapping gently against the windowsill as her voice took on a rare trace of warmth.
“I certainly would love to meet this special Ms. Ye Chen.”
This time, the previous severity and oppression were gone, leaving only pure, intense curiosity and the urge to investigate, much like facing a high-quality project worth analyzing.
And she knew the best way to understand it was through close-range observation.
The weekend camping trip was destined to be anything but ordinary.