Chapter 22: Visiting Second Aunt's House

Summer vacation had arrived. It meant that next year, she would be moving up to eighth grade. And Lin Hui would be starting sixth grade. Thinking of her younger brother, Lin Xia let out another sigh. It wasn’t that he wasn’t smart—compared to her, he was much cleverer. But this little guy loved playing too much. If it weren’t for Lin Xia’s intimidating presence, he would never behave so obediently. Recalling the influence siblings often have on one another in novels, Lin Xia felt a headache coming on, followed by a bout of frustration.

She was indeed following her planned path step by step, yet Lin Hui seemed destined to be her nemesis; unless he drove her up the wall, he wouldn’t rest. He was an endless monkey, darting here and there, more agile and more annoying than anyone. In everything boys liked to do, he was one of the best: climbing trees, using slingshots, playing marble games, collecting stickers—too many to count. Most exasperating of all, the games on their home console weren’t enough for him; he constantly sneaked into gaming arcades. Each time he was caught, he was punished, but he never learned. He didn’t tire from being beaten; Lin Xia felt exhausted just watching him.

Once, their mother was so angry she nearly tossed him into the pond to drown him. Lin Xia, witnessing the scene, was terrified and pleaded desperately. In the end, he knelt in the living room before the family’s shrine for two hours before being allowed to rise. But he was incorrigible—after a few days, he was back to his mischievous ways, infuriating their mother every time. Thinking of this little tyrant, Lin Xia couldn’t help but sigh. Still, even if Lin Hui remained as unruly as in her previous life, she now had the ability to protect her father and mother.

Lin Xia sighed, glancing at her aunt’s house ahead. She composed herself and walked toward it. “Auntie,” she called.

“Oh, Xia Xia, you’re here!” Aunt Xia Mengjiao was tidying up the inventory, but upon seeing Lin Xia, she put down the clothes and warmly took her hand. “Xia Xia, you really bring honor to your parents. In our little town, who else but you can earn money for the family at such a young age?”

Though her aunt was affectionate, Lin Xia understood the reason. Her aunt’s family sold clothes, but this small business could only cover the expenses of a household of five—three children in school made saving money difficult. At that time, a family wanted to sell their shares in the bus line from Creek Town to the county. They needed money urgently and lowered the price, but still asked for eighteen thousand. Xia Mengjiao scraped together ten thousand, unsure where to find the remaining eight. Just then, Lin Xia’s book was published; the publisher paid eighty thousand upfront. With this money, Lin Xia’s mother lent ten thousand to Xia Mengjiao for emergencies.

This solved her aunt’s immediate crisis, so she now regarded Lin Xia with newfound respect. After all, it was just one book. If Xia Xia stopped studying and devoted herself to writing, producing several books a year, the money would come so easily, almost like picking it up off the ground. Watching her sister’s family prospering day by day, Xia Mengjiao couldn’t help but hope her own children might do the same, earning money through writing instead of small business. Of course, it was just a fantasy—if writing books were so easy, everyone would be an author. She knew her three children well.

Originally, Xia Mengjiao valued science over literature, but the appearance of Lin Xia in the family had overturned not just her own worldview, but those of relatives throughout the town. Seeing her aunt praising her again, Lin Xia could only smile shyly and reply modestly, “I never expected much. The editor thought my writing was decent and decided to publish it. By the way, is my cousin at home?”

“Yes, she is. Go upstairs and play with them. If you have time, teach Liu Ai a bit. That child never seems to learn anything in class. You scored first in the whole school, and he didn’t even make the top hundred—so frustrating,” Xia Mengjiao complained.

“Got it. I’ll try to talk to him.”

Upstairs, Lin Xia knocked on the door. Cousin Liu Xue opened it and smiled, “Well, what wind blew you here today?”

Lin Xia rolled her eyes, “What nonsense are you talking about? What are you all doing?”

“What else? Forced to read and do homework, of course,” Liu Ai lamented. “You never seem to study much. The teacher never calls you out, yet you quietly got first place. You could have warned me ahead of time, so I’d be mentally prepared!”

Lin Xia sat on the sofa, hugging a pillow, and asked curiously, “Why would you need mental preparation for that?”

Liu Hao laughed, “Don’t mind his nonsense. He’s just complaining because Mom nags him every day.”

“Well, that’s because you don’t work hard enough,” Lin Xia made a face. “You’re much better than me in science. I couldn’t solve the last math problem; your math score was higher. I only beat you in overall grades.”

“Oh heavens, how is anyone supposed to live like this?” Liu Ai flopped onto the bed and pounded it. “You have top grades and can earn money for your family. Now Mom compares me to you all the time—I’m so annoyed I could die.”

Just then, Aunt Xia Mengjiao’s voice called from outside, “Open the door, I’ve got a watermelon—sweet and crisp.”

“Oh, watermelon!” Liu Ai sprang up, opened the door, grabbed a slice from the fruit plate, and began eating voraciously.

Xia Mengjiao curled her right index finger and tapped Liu Ai’s head, scolding, “All you do is eat. Have I ever deprived you of food or clothes? Lin Xia rarely comes over—shouldn’t you ask her for advice? See how her grades are so good.”

Liu Ai rubbed his head, shot an aggrieved look at Lin Xia, and retreated to the sofa with his watermelon, muttering under his breath.

“Auntie, it’s actually simple to get good grades. I’ll share my study method with my cousin—if he follows it, it’ll be hard not to succeed,” Lin Xia offered.

“What plan? Tell me so I can make sure he sticks to it every day.” Xia Mengjiao set down the fruit plate, sat beside Lin Xia, and took her hand. “You must be tired from walking all the way here—have some watermelon to quench your thirst.”

She picked a slice herself and handed it to Lin Xia. Lin Xia thanked her, took a small bite, and smiled. “It’s easy. Here’s what I do: after evening study, I shower, then check the homework I assigned to Lin Hui. Next, I complete an English reading comprehension and a cloze exercise, then tackle problems from three math workbooks, read two essays, and write several thousand words of reflections or a novel.”

“My book, ‘Girl, Don’t Cry,’ was inspired by reading an essay—after reflecting, I wrote and wrote, and the editor noticed it and decided to publish. Then I preview the next day’s lessons, whether it’s biology or geography. By then, it’s usually around one in the morning.”

Hearing this, all four members of the Liu family fell silent.

Everyone saw only her achievements, but not the immense effort behind them. She slept just five hours a day, day after day, spending the rest of her time reading or writing instead of sleeping. No wonder she had such results. If not for others, at least she had lived up to her own hard work.