【026】Bread in Hand, Dishes Before My Eyes

Neither of the two girls spoke, so Chang’an Fang had no choice but to answer, “Our class had lessons this morning, and the papers were handed back.”

“Oh?” Luoguo Fang’s interest was piqued. “How did you do?”

“Uh…” Chang’an was reluctant to boast. “Ninety-four in Chinese, ninety-two in math.”

“That’s an excellent result!” Luoguo didn’t teach first-year courses and was unaware that this mock exam had been made more difficult. Still, even in a standard test, these scores were already exceptional. Chang’an had only scored in the one-sixties on the entrance exam—this time he’d improved by over twenty points!

He thought about it and became even more satisfied with his nephew’s results. Improving by more than twenty points over the summer break—what did that show? That he’d studied diligently during the holiday! That progress was more pleasing than the raw scores themselves.

As to how diligence is measured if grades don’t improve, that’s not within the scope of what teachers or parents consider; so long as your grades rise, it means you studied hard.

“Very good, very good!” Luoguo repeated himself three times, savoring the words like a fine wine, then turned to Dianqiu Fang. “And you, Dianqiu?”

Dianqiu looked a little embarrassed. “I didn’t do very well. Sixty-two in math, seventy-two in Chinese.”

Luoguo did the math. “A total of one hundred thirty-four, a bit lower… I recall you scored almost one-sixty on the entrance exam. Were you nervous?”

Dianqiu replied awkwardly, “I just didn’t know how to do it. It felt pretty hard.”

Luoguo said, “It’s the first test, just keep working at it. There will be unit tests and midterms coming up—do better then. What about you, Yingying?”

Yingying gave an awkward smile. “We didn’t have math or Chinese this morning, so our papers haven’t been handed back yet.”

Luoguo nodded. “No matter what, study diligently.”

Yingying responded, “Mm!”

Luoguo Fang’s home was at the eastern edge of the town, in a compound with a two-story house and a small courtyard. Downstairs were the living room and kitchen, upstairs the bedrooms.

When Chang’an and the others arrived, Aunt Jing Xu was busy in the kitchen. Their cousin Danran Fang, hearing the commotion, came out to greet them. Yingying and Dianqiu weren’t especially familiar with her, so their greeting was a little awkward, and they went to sit in the living room.

Jing Xu, who was the same age as Luoguo, was short and slightly plump. She came out to greet them as well, her words and manner warmly attentive. “Sit, sit, the food will be ready soon.”

Yingying replied, “Auntie, don’t go to so much trouble. We’ll just have whatever’s easy.”

“I just got back from school myself, so I haven’t made much. We’ll have a simple meal,” Jing said as she bustled about, then returned to the kitchen. Luoguo added, “Watch some TV while you wait.”

On TV was “Wrong Carriage, Right Groom,” which Danran was watching. When her father also went to the kitchen, she turned to ask, “Do you guys like this? I can change it if not.”

Yingying smiled, “No, this is fine. I like it.”

Dianqiu also smiled and whispered to Chang’an, “I like it too.”

The show was still in its opening episodes. Li Yuhu had just married into the Qi household, and the third young master was using all sorts of tricks to flirt with her. Chang’an watched, clicking his tongue in wonder. As a child—in his previous life—he’d thought the actresses in this show were breathtakingly beautiful. Even now, they were still stunning!

Not only were the actors attractive, but the costumes and production design, compared to dramas made twenty years later, weren’t just not outdated—in Chang’an’s opinion, they were far superior, almost crushing the competition.

“What were people making TV dramas for in the twenty years after this?” Chang’an muttered inwardly. He didn’t realize that the costume designer for this show was Shuyun Yang, or he wouldn’t have been so surprised; her most famous work was the 1987 “Dream of the Red Chamber.” If anything, it would’ve been odd if it weren’t outstanding.

The only awkward thing was watching a drama with three girls—one his cousin, one almost a cousin, and the last his niece… It all felt a bit strange.

Fortunately, the meal was ready soon. They didn’t bother with the dining room, just ate in the living room. Luoguo brought the dishes over. Yingying and Danran both stood up at once to help, but Luoguo quickly said, “No need, go wash your hands. I’ll handle this.”

Yingying hesitated, but Chang’an had already gotten up and walked out into the courtyard to wash his hands. Yingying and Dianqiu followed.

Chang’an returned first. Several dishes were already on the table: cold-dressed enoki mushrooms, spinach, and lotus root, some braised beef, stir-fried celery with pork. Danran set down a plate of stir-fried potatoes and green peppers, then headed back to the kitchen. Chang’an followed, saw Dianqiu come into the living room and hesitate, so he smiled at her, “Just sit, I’ll get the chopsticks.”

Before he reached the kitchen, Luoguo had already brought out bowls and chopsticks. “That’s all, that’s all, go sit.”

“Okay,” Chang’an replied casually, heading for the kitchen door. He saw Danran carrying a basket of steamed buns, reaching for the just-finished tomato and egg stir-fry. He hurried over to take the buns from her, and Danran, not standing on ceremony, handed them off and took the dish herself.

“Auntie, that’s enough now. Don’t make any more—otherwise we won’t finish.”

Jing was busy washing the pot. “That’s all, that’s all. I’ll put on the soup, you all start eating. I’ll be there in a minute.”

Chang’an and Danran went out one after the other. Luoguo urged everyone to start, Yingying and Dianqiu were already seated, and Chang’an took a seat beside Dianqiu in the southwest corner.

“Have your test results come out yet?” Jing first encouraged the three to eat, and seeing they were enjoying themselves, she casually brought up the topic.

The two girls, who had been eating heartily, suddenly found the buns and dishes in their hands less appetizing. They exchanged glances, then looked at Chang’an.

Luoguo answered for them, “Chang’an and Dianqiu have their results. Chang’an did a bit better, both in the nineties. Chinese ninety…”

Luoguo had a scholarly air, speaking clearly and methodically, perhaps a bit verbose. As he spoke, Jing, who had been eating with gusto, suddenly interrupted, as if doubting her ears, “What?”

“Chinese ninety-four, math ninety… two, right?” Luoguo looked puzzled, not understanding his wife’s reaction, and glanced at Chang’an to confirm.

“This mock exam was tough!” Jing explained, seeing from her husband’s expression that he had no idea what scoring above ninety in both subjects meant. “At the meeting a few days ago, the two teachers who wrote the exams, Mr. Zhu for math and Ms. Pang for Chinese, both said there was no way anyone would score above ninety.”

“Huh?”

Except for Chang’an, who’d had some inkling, the others were all bewildered. Jing continued, “I graded a few classes’ papers myself. Math was generally about ten points lower than the entrance exam, and Chinese about the same. Total scores were probably twenty points lower than before.”

Hearing this, Dianqiu immediately felt much better. By her calculations, she was just about twenty points down from her entrance exam score—the meal suddenly tasted better again.

She took another bite of bun and suddenly realized something.

If being twenty points lower than the entrance exam was normal, then what did Chang’an’s score mean?

“Hey?”

Luoguo realized it too, his expression turning to delighted surprise. “So, Chang’an did even better this time?”

Jing smiled, “That’s for sure. Was there anyone in your class who scored higher?”

Chang’an shook his head. “The teacher handed the tests out in order of highest to lowest—I was always the first.”

“That’s impressive, first in the class, and probably among the top few in the grade,” Jing said with a smile. Then, as if remembering something, she exclaimed, “Oh!” and set down her chopsticks and bun, hurrying to the kitchen. Luoguo craned his neck to look after her, though he couldn’t see anything, and asked, “Is everything okay?”

“All fine, just in time,” she called back. The soup buns only needed to be heated through, so she quickly brought the soup out, not forgetting the previous topic. She urged everyone to eat, then continued, “What about you, Dianqiu?”

Dianqiu replied softly, “I didn’t do well.”

Luoguo commented, “Not ideal, seventy-something in Chinese, sixty-something in math, about twenty points down from the entrance exam, but that’s fine. Just work hard from now on.”

Jing smiled as well. “That’s perfectly normal—everyone’s down about twenty points. Just work hard for the next one.”

Then she asked Yingying, “How about you?”

Yingying replied quietly, “We haven’t gotten our tests back yet.”

Jing smiled, “No matter how you did, it’s in the past. If you did well, don’t be proud; if you didn’t, don’t get discouraged. Junior high is just beginning.”

Chang’an and the others naturally agreed.

“I wonder what rank Chang’an will get this time,” Jing mused as she ate. Seeing everyone look up, she smiled, “With these scores, there’s a chance for first place in the grade—definitely top three.”

“First in the grade?” Luoguo took a breath, thinking it over. “That’s not easy, but since you say the test was hard, it’s possible. It’d be great to get first, but even if you do, don’t get arrogant.”

Jing smiled at Chang’an. “Even your sister has never gotten first place.”

Changqing Fang and Danran Fang had always excelled academically, with Danran usually ranking in the top five in her grade. Hearing her mother say this, she looked up with a smile and said, “Go for it! Be number one in the whole school!”

Chang’an grinned back. “If I actually get first, that’s not good either—then there’s no room for improvement, only for falling back.”

Jing and Luoguo both laughed. Afterward, Luoguo corrected him, “That’s not the right attitude. If you’re first, keep being first. Don’t avoid it for fear of not having room to improve.”

Jing said, amused, “He’s joking. Look at you, starting up again.”

Chang’an knew in his heart that his good grades made his uncle and aunt genuinely happy for him. But if he really did become first in the grade, his uncle would still be sincerely pleased, but his aunt might not feel quite the same.

It wasn’t out of malice—she was simply used to her family being better off than Chang’an’s, not just in daily life but also in their children’s education, prospects, and future. To see him surpass her own children, whom she took pride in, was bound to stir up complicated feelings. This was only human, and nothing to criticize or blame.

Rather than dwell on it, it was better to focus on the bun in hand and the food before him.