Chapter 071: Hand in Hand Teaching, His Guiding Light
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“What? Is what I said hard to understand? Can’t comprehend it?” Jiang Fuyue crossed her arms, a smirk on her face.
Little Brother Jiang blushed. “Sis, why don’t you go watch TV? I’ll finish washing the dishes quickly…”
Ignoring him, Jiang Fuyue put on the apron and stood in front of the sink. “Go and review. You have a math test tomorrow.”
Indeed, Jiang Chenxing’s entrance exam for junior high school was in these two days. He had taken the Chinese and English exams today, and tomorrow morning was the math exam.
But that couldn’t be an excuse for Jiang Fuyue to wash the dishes, at least not in Jiang Chenxing’s eyes.
“I’ve already reviewed.” He stood behind his sister, his big eyes pleading, wanting to take over the task, but afraid that Jiang Fuyue would get angry.
He was stuck in indecision, like a bewildered little squirrel.
“What about the interview? Are you prepared for that too?” Jiang Fuyue filled the sink with hot water and added dishwashing detergent.
After the math exam tomorrow morning, there would be a centralized interview for the junior high school section of No. 1 High School.
Upon hearing this, Little Brother Jiang instantly deflated.
Jiang Fuyue washed the dishes and then moved on to the plates. “Why aren’t you saying anything?”
Her tone was calm.
“I’m afraid…” Little Brother Jiang mumbled, his voice barely audible.
“Afraid of what?”
“There will be many teachers, and they… they will ask questions…”
“You won’t be able to answer?”
Little Brother Jiang shook his head, then nodded, only realizing afterwards that Jiang Fuyue couldn’t see him since she had her back turned.
Luckily…
Otherwise, she would accuse him of falling back into his old habits.
“If I can’t answer because I don’t know, I’m not afraid,” he spoke clearly. “But if it’s because I’m nervous, I’m scared…”
Jiang Fuyue placed the clean bowl aside and turned to look at him. “Then don’t be nervous.”
“But I can’t help it…”
“That’s easy.”
Ten minutes later, downstairs in the apartment building, Jiang Fuyue sat on a bench while Jiang Chenxing stood nervously in front of her.
Not far away was a group of people dancing in the square, and there were many neighbors taking walks around.
“Sis…”
Jiang Fuyue: “Start with a self-introduction in English.”
“Ah?” The little squirrel felt stunned.
“Is there a problem?” Jiang Fuyue asked.
“Now?”
“Yes.”
“Here?”
“That’s right.”
“…My name is Jiang Chenxing, from Class 2…”
“Stop. What about the greeting?”
“Oh, oh! Good afternoon, teachers! My name is…”
Jiang Fuyue listened quietly without interrupting, occasionally furrowing her brows, and then she took out her phone to start recording.
Little Brother Jiang visibly became more nervous, and his already somewhat hesitant spoken English became even more stuttering.
However, Jiang Fuyue never asked him to stop, so he could only continue with a brave face.
Finally, “…Thank you for listening! Sis, I’ve finished reciting.”
“Who wrote the script?” she asked.
“I did it myself.”
“The grammar is fine, and the logic is clear enough.” For an elementary school student, it was already quite impressive.
So there was basically no need to make changes to the content, but…
“The accent is too strong, and there’s a lack of emotion.”
Little Brother Jiang understood the first point, but the second point…
“?” His big eyes blinked, showing confusion.
“What you just did didn’t sound like a self-introduction, it sounded more like reciting from a book. In the end, an interview is a way to showcase yourself. Language is only the most basic and common form of expression. If you want to stand out, you need something more advanced, such as demeanor, facial expressions, and body movements. Of course, it shouldn’t be exaggerated, or it will come across as awkward.”
Little Brother Jiang understood what Jiang Fuyue was saying, but he still couldn’t grasp how to actually do it.
“Sis, can you teach me?” The little squirrel, no longer confused, held onto his sister’s finger and shook it, his eyes sparkling.
Next, Jiang Fuyue pointed out all the points in his self-introduction where “advanced expressions” could be added, and she explained them in detail.
For example, when talking about “interests and hobbies,” the tone could be more upbeat, and facial expressions could be more expressive. This would present a sunny and energetic image.
Similarly, when introducing family members, the liveliness could be toned down, and a gentle smile could express a subtle happiness.
This shows that you grew up in a warm and well-mannered family, which is highly valued by many teachers.
Lastly, and often overlooked, is politeness.
“Greet when entering, bow when leaving.”
Little Brother Jiang nodded, “I’ll remember!”
Then there was his anxious spoken English, mainly because he had gotten used to being a “mute” and had practiced too little.
There was no immediate solution to address this, so they had to correct word by word.
Fortunately, Little Brother Jiang was clever and had a strong ability to absorb, so mimicking wasn’t a problem.
“Sis, sis,” he hopped around Jiang Fuyue’s legs, “What you said sounds so nice, even better than what those foreigners say on TV!”
“Is that so?” Jiang Fuyue smiled. “Wake up twenty minutes earlier every day to practice your spoken English, and you can achieve it too.”
Little Brother Jiang: “?” A little question mark, do you have many friends?
Jiang Fuyue: “Why? Don’t want to?”
Little Brother Jiang: “…I do.” In the end, I’m the one shouldering everything, ahh~
After finishing the self-introduction, Jiang Fuyue pointed to a stone platform in the right rear. “Stand on it.”
He obediently did as he was told.
“Let’s begin.”
“?” Little Brother Jiang looked puzzled. “Begin what?”
“Self-introduction, speak louder.”
“But… there are so many people here.” As he grew more nervous, his face turned red. This time he might really be frightened, and his ears and neck turned red as well.
Jiang Fuyue remained calm, with a cold tone. “I said, begin. Don’t you understand?”
Little Brother Jiang’s heart trembled. “Sis…”
He was a little afraid of the current Jiang Fuyue.
Unfortunately, the latter was unmoved. “I’ll count to three, and if you still don’t speak, I won’t bother with you anymore. I mean what I say.”
“One.”
“Sis…” He was about to cry.
“Two.”
“My name is…”
“Wrong! Start over!”
“Good afternoon…”
The first attempt was filled with a crying tone, stuttering, and forgetting words, let alone expressing emotions. The pronunciation that had just been corrected was forgotten again.
Jiang Fuyue remained expressionless. “Continue.”
On the second attempt, he didn’t cry, but he still stuttered and forgot words due to nervousness, although his accent had improved.
On the third attempt, he recited smoothly, but his voice remained small. However, he began to pay attention to his demeanor, facial expressions, and accompanying body movements.
Jiang Fuyue said, “Louder.”
“Good afternoon…”
“Not enough, louder.”
“Good…”
“Still not enough, one last chance.”
“Good afternoon!” This time, he practically shouted.
Jiang Fuyue said, “Very good, keep it up.”
They repeated the process countless times, attracting many onlookers along the way, accompanied by whispers and pointing fingers.
From being at a loss, panicking, and wanting to escape, to reluctantly accepting and pretending to be calm, and finally facing it confidently with fluent words, the whole process felt like breaking out of a cocoon and being reborn.
“…Sis?” This time, after finishing his recitation, he looked straight at Jiang Fuyue without flinching, his eyes filled with anticipation.
Like a traveler lost in the dark, looking at a distant lighthouse, hoping to receive guidance.
Finally…
“En, you passed.”
In that moment, two flames ignited in the young boy’s eyes, an indescribable power emerged, and it began to grow wild…
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