Once they had disappeared into the kindergarten, Beijue strode over with his long legs and bent down to pick up the little guy next to him, then handed over the entire amount of over 2,000 yuan he got from Zhou Ru to Chi Jingchen, “Go buy some candy.”
Chi Jingchen hadn’t expected to earn an extra sum, and a beautiful smile blossomed on his face as he sweetly said, “Thank you, Uncle Li.”
While his words were honeyed, his actions didn’t slow a bit, swiftly pocketing the money into his little backpack.
Beijue, holding him, gave Xu Lulu a heads-up, “Can I take him with me?”
Xu Lulu had watched him casually give over 2,000 yuan to a five-year-old child to buy candy. Her instinct was to offer him a word of caution, but she felt it wasn’t her place. After hesitating, she said, “Of course. Uh… you are Chi Jingchen’s uncle, right?”
Chi Jingchen’s eyelids flicked up, and he immediately corrected her, “Teacher Loulou, this is my Uncle Li; he works at the BBC TV Station.” He purposefully omitted the fact that this Uncle Li lived next door to his home and was currently involved in an ambiguously intimate relationship with a woman from his house. After introducing Beijue, he began introducing Xu Lulu, “Uncle Li, this is my Teacher Loulou. Teacher Loulou is always really nice to us, gentle and patient. Especially with me, she takes extra care.”
After he spoke his last four words, Beijue finally looked straight at Xu Lulu. His thin lips, uncharacteristically, curved slightly, “Hello.”
Xu Lulu was pleasantly surprised, “You… no… Mr. Li, hello.”
“I’d like to take Chi Jingchen home, he won’t be attending school today, is that alright?” His attitude was much better now, though his manner of speaking still carried an air of command.
As a parent wanting to take their child, the kindergarten couldn’t really stop him, nor would they try to. She nodded, “Of course. But before you leave, may I have a word with you?”
“It’s just to discuss Chi Jingchen’s situation at school.”
Beijue hesitated only a moment before agreeing. He set the little guy down on the sofa and told him, “Stay inside here for now, I’ll be back shortly.”
Then he followed Xu Lulu out of the office.
Outside the office, Xu Lulu’s ears felt a bit warm as she bravely said, “Here’s the thing, what Chi Jingchen’s mother did today was indeed a bit too much. However, I feel it necessary to tell you, and I hope you can convey it to Chi Jingchen’s mother on behalf of our teachers. It was wrong for Chi Jingchen to start the fight today, and I hope she can educate him about that.”
Beijue’s brows drew together, and his thin lips pursed, “I understand.”
“Also, I saw you give over 2,000 yuan directly to a child; isn’t that somewhat inappropriate? Chi Jingchen is only five years old, and although we should cultivate a sense of money in children, it’s not good to raise them to be too money-minded.”
Xu Lulu spoke these words sincerely from the perspective of a teacher, with no ulterior motives.
She knew about Chi Jingchen’s little business dealings at school. As a kindergarten teacher, she should have said something, but after learning about Chi Jingchen’s family situation from the little friends, she held back for personal reasons. Holding back always left her feeling uneasy. So now, she took the opportunity to hint to Beijue, encouraging the adult to pay more attention to the child’s growth.
It would be such a shame if a child as smart as Chi Jingchen went down the wrong path!