Chapter Sixty-Nine: The Question of a Child’s Education

Gui A County.
Chengxi Central Primary School.

Lu Kun received a call from Erya’s homeroom teacher, asking him to come to the school in person to take Erya home.

Lu Kun was bewildered.

Erya had gone to school simply to collect her family report card; how had she managed to get into trouble?

Was it true that children needed a little discipline every three days or they’d turn the house upside down?

Lu Kun found it hard to believe.

Erya was a wild child, yes, but not completely unruly. How could she have smashed someone’s window for no reason?

Lu Kun felt angry and puzzled.

…

Especially now.

The gazes from the group of parents falling upon Lu Kun and the little Erya were as if they were observing some rare creature.

“Brother, I’m a bit older than you, so I’ll call you ‘brother’ if you don’t mind,” Erya’s homeroom teacher adjusted his glasses and spoke.

“You’re too kind,” Lu Kun smiled.

“I’ve been a teacher for over ten years, and I’ve never seen a student like Lu Huiying. She’s quite clever, but her temperament is far too wild.”

“Yes, yes, you’re absolutely right. I’ll criticize her when we get home,” Lu Kun quickly responded.

“Uh…” The homeroom teacher was momentarily at a loss. “While you’re criticizing the child, as a parent you should also reflect on your own actions. We…”

“I need to reflect too?” Lu Kun asked awkwardly, raising his hand.

“That’s right!”

From where he stood, Lu Kun could almost see the cold gleam refracted from the teacher’s glasses.

Very well.

Writing a self-reflection wasn’t such a big deal.

…

“Here’s Lu Huiying’s family report card for this semester. Please read it carefully when you get home. Education should be ongoing and comprehensive—you can’t focus solely on grades…”

“And, since Lu Huiying broke someone’s window, the school has mediated the situation. This is the fine slip. Take it, turn left as you exit, and pay the fine at the third office.”

…

Lu Kun brought Erya home, his face dark all the way.

Truthfully, Lu Kun wasn’t even that angry.

At the end of the day, Erya had just smashed a window, hadn’t she?

Paying a fine and writing a reflection—what was the big deal?

The sky wouldn’t fall!

Of course…

Lu Kun had to act serious, so Erya would realize the gravity of what she’d done.

After a while.

Back home, Lu Kun looked at Erya, who hung her head and bit her lip.

“Tell me, why did you smash someone’s window?”

Lu Kun was frustrated. Erya was difficult to manage, her wild nature hard to rein in.

Sigh~

Not as easy as taking care of Da Ya.

Erya saw the disappointment in Lu Kun’s face, and fat tears rolled down her cheeks.

Lu Kun felt anxious, but kept a calm facade: “Why are you crying? I’m just asking you what happened, not scolding you.”

Truth be told, Lu Kun considered himself a reasonable parent.

Following Erya’s gaze, Lu Kun looked down.

Oh heavens, how did this fire poker end up in his hand?

After tossing the poker aside…

“You can speak now. Daddy can help you figure it out,” Lu Kun squatted down, took the girl’s little hand, and comforted her.

“Mm.”

Erya: “…”

The confusion in her eyes faded a bit. She gave a soft reply and raised her hand to wipe away her tears.

“Why did you break someone’s window?” Lu Kun asked gently, afraid of frightening her.

“Because he was cursing and insulting an old person,” the little girl huffed, her face puffed with indignation, feeling wronged—she believed she was standing up for justice.

Lu Kun was taken aback.

He patted the girl’s head, the gloom in his heart lifting a little: “Erya, you’re a child with a strong sense of justice. Daddy will reward you with a candy.”

He slipped a candy into her jacket pocket, then continued, “But remember, breaking a window is always wrong. Someone else’s wrongdoing isn’t a reason for us to do wrong. Do you understand?”

The girl seemed half-aware, and after a while, she gave a soft reply.

Lu Kun nodded.

Goodness, raising a child was hard.

“Come on, let’s go to the study and write our reflections together, all right?” Lu Kun took Erya’s small hand and led her to the study.

“Okay!”

…

That night.

“What happened with Erya today? She scored full marks and still got criticized by the teacher?” Liu, unclear about the situation, nudged Lu Kun, who was lying on his side reading.

“It’s nothing really. The child has a good heart, just a bit too young to handle things properly,” Lu Kun closed his book and started chatting with Liu.

“…”

“That’s all there is to it—not really a matter of right or wrong. Don’t bring it up with her again,” Lu Kun preempted Liu, worried she’d go talk to Erya herself.

“Mm, I understand,” Liu replied softly.

She’d never been able to manage wild Erya, so she was just asking this time, not inclined to argue with the girl.

Truth be told, Da Ya and Erya had very different personalities, yet their bond was deep.

Da Ya took after Liu—gentle, kind, polite, rarely stubborn. Erya was more like Lu Kun, restless and fond of stirring up trouble.

Da Ya’s grades were excellent: 97 in Chinese, 99 in math, first in her class, and her family report card was filled with the teacher’s praise.

Erya’s report card, however, was not so pleasant to read.

She’d scored full marks in both Chinese and math; the grade sheet was impressive.

But the teacher’s comments were brutal.

After a single line of praise, a “but” followed, listing Erya’s shortcomings and areas needing improvement across half a page, urging the parents to strengthen their guidance.

After reading Erya’s report card, Lu Kun felt a headache coming on.

Honestly, he was at a loss with this little wild child.

“Sigh~ Too much cleverness isn’t always a good thing.”

“Hey, wife, what do you think—should we sign Erya up for more extracurricular classes? Singing, dancing, instruments—everything?”

Children got into trouble when they had too much free time, he thought. Not enough homework was probably the culprit.

If homework couldn’t keep this girl busy, he’d send her to interest classes.

“You decide. It’s late, let’s turn off the lights and sleep,” Liu took the book from Lu Kun’s hand, set it on the table, and turned out the light.

…

The next day.

Lu Kun, gritting his teeth: “How did you break someone’s window again?!”

Erya: “Because I wanted a candy.”

Lu Kun: “…”

“Don’t run! Just wait till I get my hands on you!”