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Chapter 242 – My Daughter Will Not Sacrifice Everything For Her Younger Brother (part 14)
Seeing that Auntie Qian left without looking back, Li Su breathed sighed in relief. She looked back at the school before turning to go home.
As she was walking, she suddenly remembered something. She turned around and went to the nearby shopping mall, picked out a child’s phone watch for her daughter, got a card, set it up , and then went home. She didn’t know if Yao’er would like this gift.
After observing in the morning, she determined that Zhang Yao could go to school independently. However, as a mother, she was still worried. Buying a phone watch was still very necessary.
When school was over at noon, Li Su made lunch early. She then stood on the balcony and looked around. Before long, she saw Zhang Yao coming back with a schoolbag from a distance. She waved happily, regardless of whether Zhang Yao could see it.
Zhang Yao saw it. Although she didn’t really see it clearly, she knew that her mother must be watching her.
As soon as the elevator door opened, Li Su stood at the door and took Zhang Yao’s schoolbag with a smile. “Yao’er is back. How was it? Was the road safe? Did something happen?”
Zhang Yao smiled. “Mum, nothing happened. I’m fine. Mum, I’m hungry.”
“If you’re hungry, wash your hands and eat quickly,” Li Su said with a smile as she closed the door.
After lunch, Li Su brought over another plate of fruit. “Is there any homework for noon? If not, take a break and take a nap!”
“I finished my homework at school,” Zhang Yao said while she ate the fruit.
“By the way, mum bought this for you. Let’s see if you can use it. If not, mum will teach you.” Li Su got up and took out the phone watch.
“A phone watch! Mum, why did you buy this for me?! I don’t need it!” Zhang Yao said with wide eyes.
“You don’t need your mother to pick you up. In order to make sure your mother doesn’t worry, your mother bought this for you. If you need anything, you can call your mother at any time. It also comes with a GPS so that your mother can know your location,” Li Su said with a smile.
In fact, in kindergarten, there were many children with phone watches. Li Su could see that Zhang Yao was envious, but she was also very sensible and never spoke. Li Su also felt that there was no need for a phone watch at that time, so she did not buy it.
Zhang Yao bit her lip, knowing that her mother was so worried about going to school alone. Her mother wasted money on buying a phone watch so her mother would not have to pick her up. However, her original intention was really just that her mother would not need to be so tired.
“Okay, mum knows you’re sensible and don’t want to waste it. But now I’ve bought it, the card has been processed, and the item cannot be refunded, so just accept it.” Li Su smiled and handed the phone watch to Zhang Yao.
“Thank you, mum. Mum, don’t buy me a birthday present this year, okay? Just use this instead!” Zhang Yao thought about it and said seriously.
Li Su patted her head. “Okay! Mum promises you. Come, mum will teach you how to use it. Here’s the manual, you can read it yourself.”
Zhang Yao listened carefully and wrote it down.
Li Su suddenly remembered something. “By the way, Yao’er, your dance class and taekwondo teachers called and said that there will be an exam in a bit. Do you want to participate?” She had already understood that the exam certificate in this area was not very useful. It was just a marketing ploy for art schools.
“Mum, do you want me to take the exam?” Zhang Yao asked.
Li Su thought for a while, “Well, what do you want to do? Mum will support any decision you make.” Because of Zhang Yao’s character, Li Su respected her opinion from the very beginning. Even if Zhang Yao’s opinions were sometimes not correct due to her age, Li Su would give her opinions appropriately, but in the end she would choose to respect Zhang Yao’s opinions.
Zhang Yao thought about it carefully. “Mum, can you tell me what the point of the exam is?”
Li Su thought about it and organised her language. “If you want to apply for an art school in the future, or work in this field, then the exam is still meaningful. If you are only treating this as a hobby, then the exam doesn’t make much sense.”
Zhang Yao thought for a while. “Mum, then I’ll take the exam! I don’t know what will happen in the future, but I like it very much now. Mum, you also said that since I have chosen, then I must do my best, right?”
“Okay! Mum will listen to you. Mum will sign up for you tomorrow,” Li Su said with a smile.
“Thank you, mum! I will work hard!” Zhang Yao said solemnly. All the money her mother spent on her was hard earned by her mother. She couldn’t waste it lightly.
Li Su looked at Zhang Yao and knew what she was thinking. She felt a little helpless, probably because of the influence of her native family. Zhang Yao was too sensible. Whether it was in study or life, she never let people worry about her. But Li Su didn’t like her like this.
If possible, Li Su hoped that she would not be so sensible and could be a little more willful. That was how a child should be.
If the child was too sensible so early, then it was due to the dereliction of the parents.
Of course, the current Zhang Yao was much better than the Zhang Yao Li Su saw at the beginning. Li Su had time and patience, so she could take her time. She was also slowly learning how to be a qualified and competent parent.
Not long after, the school organised mid-term exams. After the results came out, some families were happy and some were sad.
Zhang Yao did well in the test, with a 97 in Chinese and a 98 in mathematics. Li Su felt very satisfied, but Zhang Yao was a little sad.
“I’m so careless. I could have taken a 100% exam in math. And Chinese… Mum, I’m sorry!” Zhang Yao started crying as she spoke.
Li Su was dumbfounded and hugged Zhang Yao. “My baby! You are already great. Mum wasn’t as good as you when she was a child. Mum remembers that when she was in first grade, she only scored 65 in math.”
Zhang Yao’s eyes were red. “Mum, aren’t you angry? Many students in the class got double-hundreds on their tests. If I was more serious, I can get that too.”
“There’s nothing to be angry about. You’re already great, and mum is very satisfied. Besides, why do people compare themselves to others? Everyone is different,” Li Su said as she gently wiped Zhang Yao’s tears away.
“Mum!” Zhang Yao came out of Li Su’s arms, stood up straight, looked at Li Su’s face carefully. She made sure that her mother didn’t lie and that she really wasn’t angry because she didn’t get 100% in the test.
“Okay, don’t be sad. Grades don’t mean anything. You are obedient and sensible, and you help your mother with housework. You feel sorry for your mother, bring tea and water to her, and massage her back. In mother’s heart, you are the greatest. Besides, your grades are already very good and your mother is very satisfied, really!” Li Su said seriously.
Zhang Yao finally stopped crying. “Thank you, mum. But mum, I’ll keep trying my best to get 100 percent next time. I want to be mum’s pride!”
Li Su smiled. “You are already mother’s pride and joy and always will be.”
Zhang Yao finally burst into laughter and threw herself into Li Su’s arms again. “Mum, thank you!” And she loved her! She would always love her!
In order to celebrate Zhang Yao’s good midterm exam results, Li Su waved her hand, saying that she would not cook today. They went out to eat to celebrate.
Zhang Yao’s expression collapsed immediately. “Mum!”
“Okay. I’m not joking with you. Let’s go to the supermarket, buy some ingredients, and mother will cook your favourite dishes for you. Are you happy? Little housekeeper!” Li Su pinched Zhang Yao’s face and said.
“Well, mum, can you teach me how to cook too?” Zhang Yao asked cheerfully.
“You want me to teach you how to cook?” Li Suda measured Zhang Yao’s height. “Okay, mum will teach you a simple home-cooked dish today, scrambled eggs with tomatoes, okay?”
“Okay, thank you, mum!” Zhang Yao said happily as she held Li Su’s hand.
The mother and daughter went out happily, chatting and laughing along the way. They discussed today’s menu. While they were waiting for the elevator, they heard the cry of a child coming from the corridor.
Mother and daughter looked at each other, speechless for a while.
At this moment, the door next door suddenly opened. A woman with an angry face came out. Seeing Li Su and her daughter, she quickly restrained her anger. “You’re heading out?”
Li Su nodded. “Yes, I’m going to the supermarket.”
“I’m throwing out the garbage,” the woman said. She then saw Zhang Yao next to Li Su. “How was your daughter’s midterm exam?”
“She did well in the test. I’m very satisfied.” In front of Zhang Yao, Li Su said this. She knew that what children feared and disliked the most was when their parents put them down in front of others, so Li Su rarely did that.
A trace of anger flashed in the woman’s eyes. “I can see it too. Your child is so sensible. You would never have to worry about her. It’s not like my family. There isn’t a day that goes by without chatter. In this test, my child only scored 99 points in the Chinese test, and 100 points in the mathematics test. My child is only ranked sixth in the class. The top five are all double hundred. It’s so unsatisfactory. I’m so pissed off!”
Zhang Yao’s eyes widened, and she could not help but look behind the woman with sympathy, while she held her mother’s hand tightly.
Li Su smiled in embarrassment. “Actually, your exams are already very good. It is a few points higher than my child’s total score. It’s already pretty good. It’s only the first grade, so the requirements shouldn’t be so strict.”
The woman rolled her eyes, and a glimmer of smugness flashed in her eyes. “That’s not good. You can’t be sloppy about studying. I won’t talk to you anymore since I have to watch him do his homework.” After speaking, she turned around proudly and entered the house.
Li Su disagreed a little, and looked down at Zhang Yao. “Don’t listen to her. Let’s go.”
Zhang Yao nodded, then turned to look again.
Just as the elevator door opened, the mother and daughter quickly entered.
After they returned from the supermarket, there was another cry from next door, mixed with the angry roar of a woman. Li Su blinked, pulled Zhang Yao along, and quickly opened the door to enter the house.
Zhang Yao sighed in relief. “Mum, fortunately you are not her! Otherwise, I would be miserable.”
Li Su was a little helpless. She knew that this kind of education was wrong, but she was unable to change anything. Some parenting needed to be assessed. She touched Zhang Yao’s hair. “Okay, let’s go wash the vegetables!”