Chapter 33: She Did Not Dare Act Recklessly

She had never even considered relying on her grades to slap the teacher in the face, or to force the teacher to accept her again! Her grades had been decent before, but nothing so extraordinary as to attract attention; being too ostentatious would only arouse suspicion. Qin Hongfei had no desire to be seen as a freak and dragged away, especially since... it had been more than ten years since she’d last encountered middle school coursework. Learning is a gradual process, advancing from lower to higher levels—or even going backwards is manageable—but to plunge abruptly from dual PhD studies into middle school problems was not something she dared attempt blindly.

The best solution was to let the elders in her family handle the matter!

Grandma Qin didn’t quite believe that Qin Hongfei was truly willing to return to her studies. Frowning, she said, “Don’t do something impulsive just to make your grandfather and me happy. There’s still time before the new term starts. Go home for now, and we’ll talk about it later.” In her mind, perhaps Qin Hongfei would change her mind after some time.

Qin Hongfei knew the old lady didn’t believe her, but she wasn’t in a hurry. There was time to take things slowly.

Qin Fei didn’t have the chance to ask her sister why she was being so stubborn. She simply said, “Grandma, we’ll be heading back now.”

Grandma Qin, for once, nodded with a kindly expression.

Qin Yun from the second household immediately volunteered, “Hongfei, Fei, I’ll walk you home,” and happily grabbed a flashlight to lead the way.

Seeing the flashlight, the other children from the remaining households grew restless too, clamoring to escort the sisters—not out of courtesy, but to have an excuse to play with the flashlight.

After a round of rock-paper-scissors, Qin Yun emerged victorious.

In the 1990s, streetlights were few and far between on Huai Street. The lamps hadn’t yet been installed, but the air was clear and fresh, and the sky above was strewn with stars. In high spirits, Qin Hongfei followed behind her sister and Qin Yun on their way home.

Back at the Qin household—

Grandpa Qin saw his wife counting money and understood immediately: “We need to pull some strings for Hongfei…”

To get a child back into school always required connections, and connections meant gifts of cigarettes, alcohol, and tea—which all cost money.

Grandma Qin finished counting the cash and said, “If the child isn’t serious about studying, so be it. But if she is, then even if we have to break the pot and sell iron, we’ll get her back into school! Whether she cherishes this opportunity or not will be up to her.” Though she claimed not to believe Qin Hongfei, she had nonetheless taken the matter to heart.

If Qin Hongfei truly wished to return to her studies, Grandma Qin was determined to send her back to school, come what may.

Grandpa Qin had no objections.

Grandma Qin then asked, “What do you think about Qin Fei and Wanwan’s situation?”

Grandpa Qin smiled. “There’s nothing much to say. It’s just a quarrel between children. Wanwan has good grades, a good heart, and she’s clever and lively. Fei is quiet and introverted, barely says a word in half a day, but she’s not unkind. Children sometimes stray from the right path—if we can guide them back, all is well. What else can we do? Just make a note of it.”

Thinking of Wanwan’s consistently outstanding academic performance, Grandma Qin’s face softened into a smile. “The teacher said that if she continues like this, the Qin family might produce a genius like our ancestor once more…”

There had indeed been a genius of high intelligence among the ancestors of the Qin family. It was said that, once discovered in childhood, he had been taken in by the state for special training.

They later lost contact, but because of this connection, the Qin family had always been looked after. Unfortunately, that ancestor never married or had descendants, and the next generation wasn’t particularly accomplished, unable to inherit even a shred of the old ancestor’s talent. Only when the youngest generation came around did things change—first, the eldest child in the main branch was found to have an exceptional memory and was taken by the state at the age of two. Such prodigies were rare, but the Qin family had produced two, earning them the hopes and expectations of their benefactors. They did not seek repayment from the Qin family, only that these gifts would benefit the benefactors and the nation.

Now, seeing some promise in Wanwan, Grandma Qin’s heart was once again ignited with hope.