Chapter 111: Talent Show, Backdoor Entry
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If the circumstances were different, she might have already been too embarrassed and furious to maintain her composure.
“Me? I can’t compare to anyone. My sister-in-law is the most virtuous, always thinking about everything for my brother.”
Han Yunru’s smile remained unchanged as she spoke in her warm and gentle manner, “You called me your sister-in-law. If I don’t think for your brother, who else will?”
Jiang Qin was caught off guard and hastily recorded the names and the amounts of the gifts.
Jiang Hua stepped in at the right moment to alleviate the awkwardness. “Big Brother and Sister-in-law, please follow me to the main table.”
…
At noon, Jiang Hua represented all the siblings of the Jiang family and went on stage to deliver their blessings to their grandmother. They were met with cheers and applause, and the clapping continued.
While expressing his gratitude, he returned to the main table.
The seat beside grandmother was reserved for him, and on the other side sat his younger brother, Jiang Teng.
Jiang Da’s family was placed at the bottom of the table, facing their grandmother directly, but they were the farthest away from the guest of honor.
“Let’s eat,” their grandmother ordered, and everyone started eating.
Jiang Fuyue took the opportunity to look at the person opposite her for the first time. She saw a white-haired elderly woman, slim in stature but with intensely sharp, triangular eyes that suggested a shrewd character.
It was quite in line with the description from the childhood memories of the original owner, who portrayed this person as harsh.
“Eldest son,” their grandmother suddenly spoke, her gaze locked onto Jiang Da, “How do you educate your children? One of them is just concerned with eating and shoveling everything into their own bowl, and the other one isn’t greedy but has a very disrespectful look, showing no respect to their elders at all!”
By “concerned with eating,” she was referring to Jiang Chenxing, and as for the “disrespectful look,” she was referring to Jiang Fuyue.
She immediately belittled the siblings as soon as she opened her mouth.
Jiang Da sighed and gave his son a warning look, but when he met his daughter’s emotionless gaze, he suddenly couldn’t say the scolding words, and he felt a trace of guilt.
Madam Jiang didn’t expect him to be so useless, unable even to control his own children. She immediately frowned.
Jiang Teng saw this and immediately spoke up, “Big Brother, what’s wrong with you? You’ve been gone for over ten years, and when you come back, you make Mom angry. Really…”
He spoke as he tried to appease their grandmother, lest others didn’t know he was the “model son.”
Jiang Fuyue frowned.
Jiang Chenxing also realized something was wrong and suddenly lost his appetite.
“Old Three, how are you speaking to your big brother? Don’t you understand the concept of respecting your elders?” Jiang Hua furrowed his brow and jumped in to mediate, acting like a fair and just head of the family.
But in this family, the real “eldest son” was still seated below, and everyone seemed to be taking turns to belittle him.
Jiang Teng sneered, “It’s our second brother who knows how to act. He just said a few words and immediately straightened up. Everyone else is wrong…”
Jiang Qin served her son a piece of pork rib, saying, “Weiwei, eat more. You’ve been working hard with your studies recently. Your health should keep up.”
Yang Jinqiu asked, “Hasn’t school already started summer vacation? Why are you still studying?”
Jiang Qin proudly explained, “It’s for their school’s competition class. The teacher said Weiwei has great potential. He’s participating in the Olympic math competition in October, so we need to make good use of this time to practice.”
As a teacher herself, Yang Jinqiu knew a bit about competitions, and she nonchalantly praised, “Weiwei is really impressive.”
“Of course, our Weiwei is always ranked first in his class! With all the talent at No. 7 High School, it’s really something…”
Yang Jinqiu glanced at Liu Wei, who was eating quietly with a pair of black-framed glasses, his eyes appearing somewhat dull, the perfect image of a bookworm.
“In my opinion, nowadays we emphasize quality education. Just excelling in academics isn’t enough; we should also cultivate our children’s extracurricular interests. Our child, Cancan, passed her Grade 8 piano exam last week and we plan to send her to Berkeley for further studies.”
After saying this, Yang Jinqiu, intentionally or not, also placed a piece of spare ribs into her daughter’s bowl.
The initially tense brotherly rivalry suddenly transformed into a “praise your child competition.”
Liu Shuting, the wife of Old Three, saw the situation and was naturally unwilling to fall behind, saying, “I agree with what Second Sister-in-law said. What’s the use of children who only excel in academics these days? A comprehensive development involving ethics, intellect, physique, sports, and labor is the only way to have a future. Although our Kai Kai’s academic performance is average, he’s an excellent street dancer. A few months ago, he even represented Lianhuai in a competition in the capital and won the gold medal…”
“Mom,” Jiang Kai frowned, “Will you ever stop?”
Liu Shuting immediately closed her mouth, “Alright, alright, Mom won’t say anything. Just eat more.”
Jiang Qin had a difficult expression, but she couldn’t do anything to her two sisters-in-law.
Her second brother was the wealthiest, and she had received many benefits from him. She couldn’t afford to offend Yang Jinqiu.
Her third brother might not have many talents, but he knew how to choose a wife.
Liu Shuting came from a family with a thriving business and was the only daughter, so she had been spoiled by her parents before marriage, and Jiang Teng doted on her after their marriage.
Moreover, Liu Shuting had a bad temper, spoke without any filter, and was indifferent to others, so Jiang Qin dared not provoke her.
Her gaze turned to Han Yunru, who was sitting across from her. She smiled.
“Sister-in-law, how are Yueyue and Chenxing doing in their studies?”
Han Yunru replied, “They’re doing okay.”
Jiang Qin pursed her lips. “Just okay” probably meant they weren’t doing well at all, but she didn’t want to say it.
In that case, it’s not her fault…
“Sister-in-law is being too modest. Since we’re all family, we should be honest with each other. If I remember correctly, Yueyue is the same age as our Weiwei, and she should be in her sophomore year now, right?”
“Yeah.”
“Which school is she attending?”
Han Yunru, “No. 1 High School.”
As soon as this statement was made, a sudden silence fell over the table.
No. 1 High School was a prestigious school in the city, and its academic reputation had consistently placed it in the top three. It was much better than No. 7 Highschool, where Liu Wei and Jiang Kai were studying, and even exceeded No. 2 Highschool where Jiang Cancan was enrolled.
Jiang Qin forced a smile but couldn’t hide her unease. “Which No. 1 Highschool?”
“Is there another No. 1 Highschool in Linhuai?” Han Yunru apologized with a smile, as if she genuinely didn’t know and had no hint of sarcasm. She continued, “Fuyue is studying at the city’s No. 1 High School.”
“….” Jiang Qin’s faint smile was difficult to maintain.
Back in the day, she had tried to use money and connections to get Liu Wei into No. 1 Highschool, even going so far as to buy a house within the school district. It had all been in vain.
Even Jiang Hua had to settle for No. 2 Highschool for Jiang Cancan. But now, her daughter, Jiang Fuyue, was studying at No. 1 High School?
Why her?
Jiang Qin couldn’t help but cast a few more glances at Jiang Fuyue when she saw even the Old Madam couldn’t resist doing so, and her dissatisfaction grew stronger.
Clearly, her son was the most outstanding…
“Oh, really? This child is quite impressive. By the way, what was Yueyue’s score in the high school entrance examination?”
Han Yunru reported a number.
“Huh?” Jiang Qin was surprised, as if she had found some leverage, a glint passing through her eyes. “Weiwei scored two points higher than her, but he didn’t make it to the prestigious high school. How did Yueyue get in? Could it be… she got in through connections, using the back door?”
Yang Jinqiu, “Such a practice is not good. It disrupts the fairness in education and sets a bad example for the next generation, making them think they can get something for nothing just by relying on their parents.”
But she conveniently left out the fact that her daughter also got into No. 2 high school through connections.
As Han Yunru watched her put on a sanctimonious expression while speaking, and glimpsed Jiang Qin’s schadenfreude, she suddenly smiled and said, “Who said Yueyue got in through connections?”
Waiting for the face slapping moment [Innocent Smile].JPG
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