Chapter 283: Chapter 281: Never Shows Her Age

Wang Liansheng did not fully agree with her viewpoint, but he understood that she meant well, so he didn’t directly counter her. He just kept a bit of distance and politely said, “We really appreciate Teacher Cui’s good intentions, but both her sister and I have confidence in Xiaoyu’s grades. We believe that through her own diligence and effort, she can successfully get into the university of her choice in a few years.”

Although both college and vocational school graduates get job placements, the value between them is still different. The starting points are different, so naturally, their future prospects will also vary.

Of course, the main reason Wang Liansheng and Ling Chengyan wanted Xiaoyu to attend high school was that they hoped the children could spend a few more years studying and learning more knowledge, which would give them a stronger foundation in their future work and life.

Seeing that Wang Liansheng was quite insistent, Cui Cui gave up persuading and took out a form: “In that case, I ask Section Chief Wang to fill in this form. When school starts, the school will use this to determine class placements based on this direction of interest.”

Wang Liansheng didn’t quite agree with the school’s overly pragmatic approach of focusing excessively on the college entrance rate.

This way, it primarily benefits the top students, and as for the weaker students, after being diverted, they are likely to end up in some so-called ’poor student classes’, where teaching resources become more biased, resulting in some students being prematurely abandoned.

Watching Wang Liansheng’s slender fingers hold the pen to sign his name, Cui Cui couldn’t help but exclaim, “Flamboyant, vigorous, and impressive, Section Chief Wang, you have really written quite well.”

After signing, Wang Liansheng stood up and stepped back, handing the form and pen back: “Thank you for your trouble, Teacher Cui.”

This was already a polite way of sending a guest off.

Cui Cui’s expression turned somewhat stiff, just as she was about to say goodbye and leave, Wang Lianqi and Zhao Erni returned with the children.

Upon entering, Zhao Erni saw Cui Cui in the yard and exclaimed in surprise, “Xiao Cui? Oh, it really is Xiao Cui, ever since you left us at the Nanli Team, it’s been years since we last saw you, you’ve changed so much I barely recognized you…”

Wang Liansheng glanced at his sister-in-law, made an excuse about frying something in the pan, and turned his head to slip into the kitchen.

Zhao Erni glanced at Wang Liansheng’s back and cheerfully grabbed Cui Cui’s hand, saying, “Hey, you’re over thirty, right? You really look so young, not at all aged.”

Cui Cui could barely maintain her smile, forcing her lips into a stiff expression that looked worse than crying: “I’m not even thirty yet…”

Zhao Erni immediately said, “Wow, did I remember wrong? I thought you were 27 when you left for college, and with the years that have passed, you should be over thirty.”

Cui Cui couldn’t bring herself to smile at all, saying, “I was talking about my age, I’m 29.”

After saying that, without waiting for Zhao Erni to say anything further, she shook off Zhao Erni’s hand and hurried away, without even saying goodbye to Wang Liansheng.

Wang Lianqi followed Zhao Erni to the gate, watched her leave, and then quietly reminded, “What did she do to provoke you? After all, she’s a teacher, and the children still need to go to school…”

Zhao Erni, however, wasn’t afraid; she shot a fierce look back at Wang Lianqi and straightforwardly said, “Why, do you think her airs are good? Then go find…”

Before she could finish speaking, Wang Lianqi reached out to cover her mouth: “The kids are all… in Fourth Brother’s house, give me some face…”

A man nearing forty, even with a straightforward nature, well understood how to get along with his wife. In daily life, even the most accommodating person can be temperamental, and at this moment, it wasn’t about who’s right or wrong; conceding and backing down was always a safe bet.

As expected, Zhao Erni glared at him again, forcefully removed his big hand, and mumbled, “Reputation is earned, not given by others.”

With that, Zhao Erni swung around and went into the kitchen to help, leaving Wang Lianqi to exhale and simultaneously shake his head with a wry smile.

At dinner, Second Brother Wang Lianfa laughed and said, “Sister-in-law’s visit to Huicheng is a rare event, no need to rush back, there’s still time before the autumn harvest, stay a bit longer…”

Surprisingly, before Second Brother finished speaking, Sister-in-law Zhao Erni interrupted him with a laugh, saying, “Second Brother is right, that’s exactly my plan. But I’m not here to shop or for Hong Zhi; that girl is wild, happy to come here to study and won’t miss home—I’m here because Fourth Brother’s wife isn’t at home, Fourth Brother with a few kids can’t keep up with everything, and with the weather getting colder, the children’s cotton clothes need mending, and beddings need to be sorted.”

Wang Lianfa immediately put on a look of realization, poured a glass of wine, and offered it to Sister-in-law with a smile, “Sister-in-law has thought of everything, heh, heh, I underestimated Sister-in-law, let me toast you a drink to apologize.”

Sister-in-law laughed, “I’m happy if you drink with me. There’s no need for apology or anything.”

Wang Liansheng thought to say not to let Sister-in-law do too much work, but after the thought swirled in his mind a few times, he swallowed the words back down.

After Second Brother finished the toast with Sister-in-law, Wang Liansheng also filled a glass for her, holding it with both hands and smiling, “I won’t say anything more; my gratitude is in this glass of wine.”

Zhao Erni drank with a smile, her gaze softening considerably as she looked at Wang Liansheng.

With Fourth Brother’s wife not at home, she feared Fourth Brother couldn’t manage, but looking at the current situation—it seems not to be the case.

Hong Zhi completed her elementary education at home, did well in the exams before summer break, and was therefore allowed to transfer to Huicheng to attend middle school. Wang Liansheng helped with the process, and she is now in the same school as Xiaoyu.

The following day, both middle and elementary schools started, and it wasn’t the first year for the other kids; they grabbed their backpacks and headed out.

Initially, Wang Lianqi intended to send his youngest daughter to school, but to his surprise, Hong Zhi had already arranged with Xiaoyu, hopping onto Xiaoyu’s bicycle’s backseat, happily leaving him in place.

Listening to the fading laughter of his daughter, Wang Lianqi helplessly shook his head with a wry smile, “Naughty girl.”

Zhao Erni took it lightly, snapping a towel at the clothes in hand, and turned to head back. “She’s not small anymore, and with Xiaoyu to take care of her, what’s there to worry about? You must have too much free time… go get busy with your matters.”

Thus, Wang Lianqi found his path blocked, having no choice but to ride his motorcycle to the contracted construction site.

…

Ling Chengyan washed up, changed into clean clothes, and quickly arrived at the command post.

Several leaders were present. As Ling Chengyan entered, the Chief of Staff personally poured her a glass of water.

After Ling Chengyan reported the details, she specifically added, “This time, it was our operational error during the journey that led to exposure, which in turn caused a misjudgment on our deployment. I make a deep reflection on this mistake here and will make improvements in future trainings and operations to prevent recurrence.”

The Political Commissar shook his head: “This incident revealed a shortcoming in our work arrangements. We failed to coordinate well with brother units, which led to severe misjudgments. You have made mistakes, but the main error lies with us at the command post; this is clear.”

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep