Wen Shufei remained silent, not because she minded anything specific, but because she simply did not like Gao Feiling and could not accept losing to her, or that her child was not as good as Gao Feiling’s child.
She had not been able to have a son, which had always bothered her deeply, and yet the children of the Jing Family, Yangyang and Liangliang and Xinxin, were smarter and more adorable than her own daughter.
And her daughter, who looked good as a child, had grown up to have academic performances far below those of Yangyang, Liangliang, and Xinxin, which made Wen Shufei unable to accept that her daughter was inferior to Gao Feiling’s daughter.
"Yuanyuan enjoys playing with her brother and sister, and since you want what’s best for your daughter, you should let Yuanyuan study with them,"
Continuing, Jing Hao added, "I actually think Yuanyuan is quite fine, it’s just that you are pushing her too hard. Interests and hobbies should come naturally and be enjoyable. But have you asked Yuanyuan what she likes? It’s just your own desire, and even if you want to develop her talents, this isn’t the way to do it. Moreover, interests and hobbies are secondary, getting a good education is what’s important. Yuanyuan’s poor performance is partially her own doing, but mostly it is because of your inability to prioritize. I think you need to reflect on this."
Wen Shufei felt somewhat indignant but couldn’t refute Jing Hao and finally remained silent.
Yangyang and Lele and Xinxin knew that Jing Chengyuan was sick and in the hospital, so they all came to visit her.
"Brother Yangyang, Brother Lele, Sister Xinxin, I’m fine. You don’t need to worry about me," said Yuanyuan, who had a sweet nature and was soft-spoken. Thinking of her father’s words, which had somewhat softened her mother, she felt hopeful about playing with her brother and sister in the future, making the smile on her face exceptionally joyful.
"What happened, seeing us makes you so happy?" Xinxin playfully reached out to touch Yuanyuan’s face.
Jing Chengyuan pouted and shook her head, unwilling to speak, contemplating giving her siblings a surprise when she recovered.
Feiling, after finishing a filming session, and Jing Yao returned to find all their children at the Jing Family’s place, and they decided to join them.
Seeing Yangyang and Lele and Xinxin playing games in the living room with Jing Chengyuan, and Wen Shufei offering the children freshly cut fruit, first to Yangyang, Lele, and Xinxin and then to Jing Chengyuan, Feiling was particularly surprised. Such a scene was unheard of; Wen Shufei actually taking initiative.
"Little brother, little sister-in-law, you’re back," Wen Shufei called out to Jing Yao and Feiling with a smile.
Although Feiling knew her niece had been ill recently, she couldn’t see how this was related to Wen Shufei’s sudden change in attitude; she was puzzled but didn’t show it and simply nodded in greeting to Wen Shufei.
"Daddy, Mommy!" Yangyang, Lele, and Xinxin were overjoyed to see Jing Yao and Feiling return.
Jing Chengyuan also greeted Jing Yao and Feiling, "Hello little uncle, little aunt."
"How are you feeling, dear?" Feiling asked as she gently touched Jing Chengyuan’s head.
"I’m all better now," Jing Chengyuan said with a smile, relieved to feel better as she disliked being sick. Now that she was recovered and her mother wasn’t stopping her from playing, she couldn’t express how happy she was.
Jing Hao wasn’t at home at the moment. As soon as Mrs. Jing saw her younger son return, she kept talking to him by her side.
Meanwhile, Wen Shufei approached Feiling, surprising her even more as Wen Shufei took the initiative to suggest that Yangyang, Liangliang, and Xinxin tutor Jing Chengyuan.
Feiling clearly remembered when Wen Shufei had approached her before, acting as though she should keep Yangyang, Liangliang, and Xinxin from negatively influencing Yuanyuan.
"Yangyang, Liangliang, and Xinxin are still quite young. How can they properly teach Yuanyuan? I think it’d be better for my sister-in-law to hire a private tutor for Yuanyuan," Feiling naturally declined, wanting to help her niece, but also aware of Wen Shufei’s character and not wanting to agree too readily.
"My brother and I have thought it over. Yangyang, Liangliang, and Xinxin all have excellent grades, and they are siblings after all, so they should get along well, help each other out. I had the wrong idea before, thinking that pushing the kids would make them successful. Yuanyuan’s recent illness really scared me, and I hope my sister-in-law doesn’t mind the past. Yuanyuan likes her brother and sister, and your brother and I truly hope they can get along well. One day when we’re not here, it will be good for the siblings to look after each other."
Hearing Wen Shufei’s words, Feiling was somewhat shocked. It seemed that Yuanyuan’s illness had truly frightened Wen Shufei, which was not her usual behavior of making Yuanyuan stay closer to the Wen Family. It wasn’t like her to say such things.
"Since my sister-in-law puts it that way, it would be inconsiderate of me to disagree. Rest assured, sister-in-law, Yuanyuan is my niece. Even without your words, I too wish for Yuanyuan’s progress."
As she spoke, Feiling added, "So, sister-in-law, how do you suggest Yangyang, Liangliang, and Xinxin teach Yuanyuan? Should Yuanyuan stay at my place?"
As soon as Feiling finished, Wen Shufei said, "It’s naturally best for her to stay at home. Mom really misses seeing Yangyang, Liangliang, and Xinxin. These days, having them home has made Mom so happy and improved her mood greatly; she isn’t nagging like she used to."
With that, Feiling gave a slight smile, indicating her agreement.
Thus, after discussing it with the kids, they decided that Yangyang, Liangliang, and Xinxin would take turns tutoring Jing Chengyuan every two days during the summer vacation.
And now, Jing Chengyuan had only two extracurricular classes, one in painting and one in dance, which was much more relaxed than before.
Mrs. Jing was now searching daily online for nutritious recipes, instructing the housekeeper to cook delicious meals for the grandchildren. Seeing that all the grandchildren had gained some weight, especially Yuanyuan who wasn’t as skinny as before, Mrs. Jing was delighted.
However, as time passed, Yangyang, Lele, and Xinxin grew frustrated because if they showed they liked a particular dish or ate more of it, it would appear in the next meal or even at every meal.
After a few meals and days of this, eating the same dishes by the fourth day led to protests from Yangyang, Lele, and Xinxin.
Even Jing Chengyuan raised her hand to indicate she too couldn’t eat anymore. Mrs. Jing then switched up the dishes again, and Xinxin looked over the recipes, planning out what to eat for three meals a day from Monday to Sunday.
Now it was summer vacation, and they planned to spend it at their grandmother’s, stopping by their other grandmother’s place for a few days, or visiting their grandfather at the military base. Time was passing very pleasantly.
After summer vacation, Jing Chengyuan entered the sixth grade. The baseline test at the start of the school year rocketed her to the top of her class, astonishing all the teachers.
Before, if it weren’t for the sake of the Jing Family and Wen Shufei, the teachers didn’t even want Jing Chengyuan to move up a grade, but no one expected such remarkable progress in just one summer.