"What’s more important is..." Huang Man understood these children’s thoughts all too well, "if you want to become strong."
"Then you must take your studies seriously and secure a bright future for yourself."
"Maybe you think I’m repeating old clichés, you don’t like to hear them, but think about it, if you don’t study, it will upset your parents; they will be unhappy."
"But what will you gain from that?"
"Just because you see their unhappy smiles, seeing you as a disappointment, thinking you’re a good-for-nothing."
"All your confidence comes from being the only child in the family."
"You know that no matter what, your parents can’t give up on you, but what if you’re no longer an only child then?"
"Your family’s business must be quite substantial, right? Do you think your dad, who handles big business deals, would tolerate a son who isn’t close to him and is also a fool?"
"Your dad should be a man in his 40s, middle-aged, by then he could have another child with your mom, or maybe outside..."
Although the conversation just now was about the child’s grades, the hostess’s worried expression made it seem like she was anxious about the child’s academic performance.
But Huang Man felt that it probably wasn’t just about that, there must be other reasons, like marital issues, for example.
"You..." If it weren’t for the fact that he was certain Huang Man didn’t know much about his family, even though Teacher Huang Man, a relative of his family, didn’t really understand much about his own situation.
As a result, even if he wanted to offer some advice, he couldn’t.
"How do you know about this?" Zhao Lei looked at Huang Man seriously.
"I guessed." Huang Man signaled for Zhao Lei not to be so tense, "Wealthy family disputes are just ."
"Legitimate children and illegitimate children vying for inheritance, the eldest child fighting with younger siblings, half-siblings from different mothers each struggling for their share."
"Some of it is from novels, but some are based on real-life stories."
"You said your younger brothers and sisters often bully you." Zhao Lei hated it; he didn’t like when things were out of his control, it made him panic.
He quickly changed the subject, eager to know what she thought.
"Yeah, they think I’m just the family nanny, enduring hardships and striving for the family all my life." That was the portrait of the original owner’s life.
"So I have to work hard, study hard, strive to change my own fate."
"Like making money to support myself, so even if they stop me from studying, I’ll at least have the money to continue on my own."
"You too need to start making an effort, like having your own source of income, so even if your parents try to force you to admit a mistake by controlling the finances, you’ll have nothing to fear."
"Now I can be sure your studies really aren’t up to scratch. Otherwise, political science should have taught you that the economy determines everything, especially the superstructure."
Huang Man tapped the test paper she had just handed to Zhao Lei, "I wonder if Student Zhao Lei, you’re ready to start working on the problems."
"These next few days are a trial period to see how well you study, which determines if I get paid."
"So put in the effort. You take a step toward financial independence, and I can earn my salary."
Preaching grand principles to a child is useless; they need to know that studying is beneficial for them too.
Ever since he started attending tutoring classes, I don’t know how many tutors have told him he should study hard to live up to the money his parents spend on him.
He was truly tired of this refrain, having heard it not a hundred times then at least eighty, yet today he heard something different.
Wrong, he almost let this little girl fool him. Zhao Lei cleared his throat, "Actually, it’s all because you want to make money."
"Exactly." Huang Man nodded, "If it weren’t for the money, why would I be willing to tutor you in the scorching sun during the summer?"
"I’m someone who’s going to take the college entrance exam next year, I can’t just review my lessons at home." To study abroad, she only had the option of competing for a full scholarship.
That meant she needed to work hard to get into a top university and then, during her time at university, work hard on her academics, keeping her grades at the front and getting deeply involved in her field of study.
In other words, she had to fight hard in the college entrance exam, and then continue to struggle and roll with every challenge thereafter.
Huang Man defined this mission as the task of the "Roll King." Forget it, if this bear child didn’t want to take the initiative, it wasn’t her problem.
If she couldn’t tutor, then she’d just switch to another method, like submitting articles. Although there was no internet now, there were still literary magazines, right?
She could submit stories, write about young love, fantasy, or even fairy tales.
It was still possible to make money, just as long as her submissions were accepted, she could earn without having to deal with this brat’s attitude.
"Of course, if you don’t cooperate, I can also see if I can tutor elsewhere."
"I could also not tutor at all and find a different job. I believe as long as I work hard, I can always find work."
Hmph, they thought they could suppress her? Make her feel indebted and thankful for the job opportunity someone graced her with? That was impossible.
"If you don’t want to do it, then let’s just end it here," Huang Man didn’t want to waste time either.
While there was still time, she could go to the library to write novels; the money left by the original owner should sustain her for a while.
Zhao Lei hadn’t expected Huang Man to have such a fierce temper. He had just wanted to put some pressure on her, to let her know who gave her the job opportunity.
But the girl was so straightforward, leaving him quite embarrassed. If it had been before, he would have let someone who wanted to leave just go and wouldn’t have retained them at all.
After all, his family was wealthy, and with a hefty reward, there would surely be brave individuals willing to tutor.
But his heart told him, if he missed out on this down-to-earth girl, his future might just be as she described.
He had to start working hard, he couldn’t continue to be so decadent, "I’ll do it, I’ll work hard."
Although it hurt his pride, what’s the value of pride anyway? Everyone already knew he was receiving home tutoring.
Seeing the compliant Zhao Lei, Huang Man continued to assign problems. One could say the entire morning was spent assessing his foundation.
Lunch, of course, was at the Zhao Family’s house, and it had to be said, the meal was truly delicious. Judging by Zhao Lei’s satisfied smile, it was probably food he enjoyed.
Of course, she wasn’t a picky eater herself, diligently eating. After all, the original owner really lacked nutrition.
And she had no idea how Zhao Mei had dealt with her lunch today; anyways, both Huang Xin and Huang Lina were busy.
Whether they were engrossed in video games with friends or discussing celebrities while shopping.
The seriousness they showed, if only it could be channeled into their studies, their grades wouldn’t be so poor. Even in these times, when universities weren’t expanding admissions, they would probably still manage to get into a junior college.
Forget it, no use thinking about it. Why bother when there’s delicious food in front of you? Naturally, she ate efficiently.
After a satisfying lunch, Huang Man took a short rest before she began explaining the lessons to Zhao Lei.
Mrs. Zhao occasionally entered the room under the pretense of bringing fruit, seeing Zhao Lei studying seriously, which allowed her to breathe a sigh of relief.