Not only could I practice my balance to fly in the air, but I could also show off on the way home, making everyone on the street exclaim in amazement, "Wow, incredible!"
It really was a win-win situation!
By the time Su Yan got home, it was already six in the evening. By then, all three of his sisters had returned from school. The familiar scene at home unfolded: Dad was still at work, and Mom was busy in the kitchen. Meanwhile, the eldest sister was studying intensively in her room, the second sister was lounging on the couch with her phone, and the youngest sister was sleeping in some nook or cranny.
"Su Yan, where were you just now? Were you out chasing girls behind my back again?" As soon as Su Erke saw her brother return, she immediately questioned him from the couch.
Su Yan couldn’t be bothered with this silly sister and went straight to his eldest sister’s room to deliver a gift. However, as he passed the couch, his second sister called out to him.
"Su Yan, the math teacher asked for a parent’s signature on the test. Can you sign it for me?"
"Mom’s in the kitchen. Go ask her to sign it."
"Hey, don’t be so inconsiderate. Mom’s busy in the kitchen, why bother her? Just come over and sign it for me!" Su Erke said, with an air of someone much older.
Su Yan was slightly taken aback. When did this second sister of mine become so considerate? Something feels off, he thought.
Thinking this, Su Yan went over and took the math test that his second sister handed him. Upon looking at it—wow, she had scored a 38! No wonder she didn’t dare let their mother sign it. She would likely have faced familial discipline.
Seeing the score on the test paper, Su Yan almost laughed out loud. "38 points, 8 points shy of passing. You’re something else, Su Erke."
Upon hearing this, Su Erke rolled her eyes at her brother. "What are you laughing at? Why don’t you ask what the full marks for this paper were?"
Su Yan was taken aback for a moment. Weren’t full marks in elementary school always out of 100?
Then he asked his second sister, "Oh, so what were the full marks?"
Su Erke immediately put on a ’you’ll never guess’ expression and declared, "You may not believe it, but the full marks for the test were 150! TEE HEE!"
Su Yan was dumbfounded. Hearing his second sister’s response, his lips began to twitch slightly as he said, "Out of 150, you scored 38, and you’re here TEE HEE-ING? You think that’s something to be proud of?"
Seeing her brother’s ’enough is enough’ expression, Su Erke pouted. Then she said with a touch of discontent, "What’s with that look? Are you looking down on me? Why don’t you ask what the highest score in my class was?"
Su Yan raised an eyebrow and then looked at his second sister. "Oh, so you’re saying the test was really tough? What was the highest score in your class?"
Su Erke answered cheerfully, "You might not believe this, but out of the 45 people in my class, 40 scored above 140."
"Su Yan, don’t you think my class is incredible?"
Su Yan was bewildered again.
Seeing her brother looking bewildered again, Su Erke almost burst into laughter. Then she asked again, "What does that look mean? Are you saying I’m stupid?"
"If everyone scored so high and I scored this low, why don’t you ask if something happened to me during the test?"
Su Yan felt somewhat exhausted but still obliged, asking, "So, did something happen during your test? Like... a stomachache?"
Su Erke shook her head, a look of lingering fear on her face. "It wasn’t a stomachache. I wanted to copy my deskmate’s answers, but the invigilator kept staring at me. It’s scary even to think about it now."
At that moment, Su Yan was utterly speechless thanks to his second sister.
Su Yan thought, This sister is a lost cause. We might as well send her back for a complete overhaul... and have Mom and Dad try for a fourth sister instead.
PS: Bowls out, asking for your votes!