Madam Song shared his concern:

“Xiaolan is just too busy. What’s the rush? At her age, she has plenty of time to advance.”

Xia Xiaolan was different from all her peers.

Madam Song felt she wasn’t comfortable with taking things slowly. While others worked and studied hard, Xia Xiaolan’s efforts far exceeded her peers.

While others were freely enjoying their youth, her youth seemed borrowed from somewhere – if she didn’t make each day productive, Xia Xiaolan would become anxious… Though barely in her early twenties, her sense of time’s urgency exceeded even that of an elderly woman like Madam Song.

Though Mao Kangshan often said similar things himself, he wouldn’t let others say it, immediately contradicting Madam Song:

“Time is as precious as gold. Her starting point isn’t as good as others, so naturally, she must invest time and energy to catch up! Without 100 percent of sweat, how can there be 100 percent success… Don’t say such things in front of her, or she might lose her momentum and become complacent.”

Did he not care about Xia Xiaolan?

Of course, he did!

But the ancient saying that strict teachers produce outstanding students has endured for a reason.

As a teacher, one must be strict, even if students secretly curse you in their hearts. At least the teacher can have a clear conscience – under strict, high standards, even the slowest and laziest students can learn something!

Mao Kangshan put down his books, “I should call her and give her some advice.”

Though they had moved downstairs, the telephone hadn’t been transferred yet, so Mao Kangshan huffed and puffed his way upstairs to make the call.

“Where’s Dad going? The food is ready!”

They were also planning to invite Director Zhong for dinner, as he had helped with the housing exchange.

Madam Song waved her hand, “He’s probably gone to brag to Xiaolan. Let him go, or he won’t be able to sleep tonight!”

The Mao family was very curious. They didn’t know much about Xia Xiaolan – how she suddenly became his disciple, why the old man was willing to live in Pengcheng for half a year. What exactly happened? Why was she so filial to the old man? Zheng Shuqin and Mao Guosheng’s discomfort must have a reason!

They didn’t dare ask in front of Mao Kangshan, but as soon as he left, they eagerly surrounded Madam Song.

Madam Song was also somewhat confused about it all.

“It was this summer, one morning the old man suddenly asked me to buy fish and meat, saying someone was coming to visit…”

She didn’t feel that helping in Pengcheng was particularly tiring; Mao Kangshan seemed quite energetic there, more spirited than when he was retiring in Hangzhou.

Meanwhile, Mao Kangshan climbed upstairs, returning to the “home” where he and his wife had lived for many years.

Everything had been moved out, and once the phone was transferred, this apartment would be returned to the work unit.

He first made a call to Beijing.

Xia Xiaolan had just returned to Beijing today.

On the twenty-sixth day of the twelfth lunar month, Xia Xiaolan didn’t stay in Pengcheng but returned to Beijing.

This year she had no time to travel back to her hometown in Yunan, so Xia Xiaolan planned to spend the New Year in Beijing:

“I was thinking of visiting you and Master’s wife in Hangzhou before the New Year…”

“No need. You’ll waste time traveling back and forth. Spend the Spring Festival with your family properly – after that, you’ll be going abroad. Aren’t you departing from Hong Kong? We can meet in Pengcheng then!”

Mao Kangshan told her not to come.

Most people traveling to America now depart from Hong Kong, flying to Japan first before transferring to America. As an exchange student arranged by the Ministry of Education, she would naturally travel with other exchange students. Her department had already notified her about the procedures, and indeed, she would be departing from Hong Kong.

That meant they could meet one more time before she went abroad.

Xia Xiaolan wouldn’t need to go to Hangzhou after all.

Mao Kangshan mentioned that his four children had each contributed five thousand yuan to Xia Xiaolan.

“Teacher, I can’t accept this money-“

“Why not? You must accept it.”

Xia Xiaolan thought about it and agreed – whether it was more or less, it was the goodwill of Master Mao’s children, which explained the happiness in his voice.

As for why five children only contributed twenty thousand yuan, Xia Xiaolan could guess with her toes that Mao Guosheng and his wife were causing trouble again.

Perhaps she had been wrong from the start – like attracts like, and anyone who could live with someone like Zheng Shuqin might not be worth saving.

Never mind, fortunately, Master Mao and Madam Song had other children.

Before hanging up, Mao Kangshan quietly thanked her.

Xia Xiaolan smiled: “It’s only natural for a disciple to show filial respect to their teacher. Saying thank you makes it seem too formal.”

Mao Kangshan wasn’t one for forced sentimentality.

Xia Xiaolan’s goodness wasn’t just about her generosity, but how she had changed his family’s situation.

…

After hanging up with Mao Kangshan, Xia Xiaolan was also happy.

“Master Mao’s other children are quite filial. Each family was willing to contribute 5,000 yuan, totaling 20,000, asking Master Mao to pass it to me, saying they wanted to contribute to Master Mao and Master’s wife’s housing exchange.”

For families living on salaries alone, saving 5,000 yuan wasn’t easy – that money could help arrange a decent wedding for a son.

Grandmother Yu rarely refrained from commentary, but she nodded in approval:

“Once children are married, they have their own families. Not everyone has good financial conditions like you, always putting parents first and ignoring their own lives. They contribute money when they can, help when they can – filial piety should be within one’s means.”

Hadn’t the Mao family thought about getting their parents better housing before?

They surely had.

But in recent years, people’s thinking has become more rigid – why be picky about unit-assigned housing? The Provincial Construction Institute’s housing allocation policy was already very good. After all, it was an architectural design institute, and with connections to brother units, there was no shortage of residential buildings for staff.

The apartment was allocated to Mao Kangshan, with a good floor and layout, but Mao Kangshan and Madam Song themselves had exchanged it with their youngest son’s family. What could the other children say?

Say too much, and it would seem like they were fighting over their parents’ apartment!

These past two years, when Madam Song’s legs became less mobile, the Mao family could only worry helplessly, not thinking about renting a single-story house so the elderly couple wouldn’t have to climb stairs… Of course, perhaps they had suggested it, but hearing Xiaolan say that Mao Kangshan lived frugally, he might have refused.

Bah, what frugality – wasn’t it just being stingy?

Grandmother Yu felt this deeply – when the Yu family had money before, she didn’t even know how to write the word “frugal”!

When you’re poor, you have no choice but to be frugal.

It was rare for Xia Xiaolan to be so generous financially. With the major expenses covered, she had found a perfect solution to Mao Kangshan and Madam Song’s housing issue. Anyone with any feelings for their parents, seeing an outsider treat the elderly couple this way, couldn’t help but be moved – that Mao fellow had such good luck, picking Xia Xiaolan as his disciple with perfect judgment.

Just as Grandmother Yu was thinking this, she heard Xia Xiaolan ask:

“I’m about to go abroad soon. Please tell me more specific details about Uncle Xu – any distinguishing features, did he take any credentials when he went abroad, what did he look like? It would help me search more effectively!”

Grandmother Yu gathered her thoughts.

– She wanted to take back what she just said; not only was the old Mao fellow lucky, but she, this old woman, had pretty good fortune too!