Rebirth: A Cinderella's Counterattack

Chapter 29: Chapter 29: What is this pirate ship??

”So that’s the case, sir; thank you,” Luo’s Mom said. ”Just let me know how much the tuition is, and from now on, I’ll leave the child in your care.” Upon hearing English, she reacted immediately, and although the Luo siblings were usually left to roam free like pigs in the woods, it didn’t mean she, as their keeper, wasn’t aware of what her children struggled with or what they enjoyed.

”Exactly, Grandpa,” Luo Qianqian chimed in, looking at her brother Luo Shufan with a somewhat gloomy expression but still stuck out her tongue to add insult to injury. ”You must help my brother surpass all those older kids and continue being number one, okay?”

”Sure thing.” To the surprise of everyone outside, including Luo Qianqian, Elder Zhang readily agreed, ”Let those two kids study too. Teaching one or three, it’s all the same, isn’t it? The more the merrier. Competition fosters progress.”

”I don’t...”

”That’s really nice of you.”

”You are putting us in your debt with this.”

”Sounds great!”

Luo Qianqian’s rejection didn’t even make it out before it was interrupted by the enthusiastic responses from her godparent, her mom, and her brother. She looked at her brother’s smirking face, feeling somewhat ominous: it’s always like this when someone is chosen to do something they feel isn’t that great. They get disappointed, but when others join in, it somehow feels a lot better. Maybe there’s some truth in the saying that joy is doubled and sorrow is halved when shared.

Luo Qianqian turned back to He Wenyu, who was still chewing something in her mouth, and felt even more morose: Xiao Yu ah, how can you still be thinking about eating when you’re about to be dragged into an elite cramming class? If you don’t refuse, we’re definitely going to have to go...

”Mom, this won’t work,” Luo Qianqian tried repeatedly to send signals to He Wenyu but to no avail, finally deciding to speak up herself. ”Think about it, we haven’t even learned Hanyu Pinyin yet, how can we start with English? What if we get them mixed up? Wouldn’t that mean we end up being bad at both English and Chinese? Right, Xiao Yu?”

”Cough... What?” He Wenyu finally caught her breath after choking on her snack and realized someone was talking to her, finally catching Luo Qianqian’s signal: ”Right, Qianqian has a point.”

”None of this is an issue,” Elder Zhang simply brushed aside Luo Qianqian’s objections and turned to He Wenyu with a pleasant face, tempting her, ”Haven’t you seen the best kindergartens in our city teach in both languages? Anyway, you’re starting kindergarten in September, studying with me is just the same, and it saves the costs of kindergarten. Wouldn’t it be great if you could have your parents buy you delicious treats instead?”

”Yeah, Xiao Yu, if you do this you can go to school with Qianqian,” said Luo Shufan, who was undoubtedly being doubted by his sister as to whether they were truly related. ”Whatever grade Qianqian goes to, you can go, so you won’t be left behind by Qianqian.”

Luo’s Mom and Mr. He exchanged glances and wisely chose to remain silent, letting the children decide for themselves.

Luo Qianqian let out a big cry to the sky, lamenting the possible temptation of rejecting Xiao Yu since they were all still just children, and life was unpredictable: ”Brother, are you really my biological brother? Is it right to set me up like this? Don’t drag me down with you! I want to have a happy childhood, free to play! Just because I’ve tricked you doesn’t mean you should take revenge on me, right? You’re my brother, you should be magnanimous, right, Mom?”

Luo’s Mom, finding herself the subject of the old girl’s pleading, quickly opened the lab results of the siblings, which she had reviewed several times. She and Mr. He bent their heads close, engrossed in a hushed discussion, completely ignoring the old girl’s cries for help.

”Xiao Yu, you can’t agree, we still need to make money, go out to play, and roam the world as chivalrous knights.” You’re my ’Female Knight,’ don’t be lured away by Luo Shufan, the Great Demon King.

”Hmm, that’s right, my house not only has snacks, air conditioning, and computers but also little cats and dogs. Not only can you learn English, Chinese, Math, and other cultural subjects, but there is also an old grandma who can teach you painting, writing, and making all kinds of snacks,” Elder Zhang said, noticing that He Wenyu’s pace of chewing on the snacks had slowed and realizing she was wavering. He quickly raised the stakes to tempt her and saw the glimpse of hope in her eyes, and the faint traces of moisture on her lips.

Luo Qianqian helplessly watched as her face grew pale, Luo’s Mom and Mr. He’s faces darkened with protection over their own, Luo Shufan, and He Wenyu, holding a box of snacks, retreated to the farthest corner away from Elder Zhang.

”What are you thinking, child? My grandson is a police officer; how could I do such a thing?” The Elder was at a loss whether to laugh or cry, seeing that Luo’s Mom and Mr. He had regained some color but still looked somewhat vigilant. He explained, ”Zhang Ye, Officer Zhang whom the little girl just mentioned, is my grandson.”

”So, how much do you think is an appropriate tuition fee?” Luo’s Mom recalled carefully. The girl had indeed made such an introduction, and her expression instantly returned to its original friendly state, with no trace of past defenses, wearing a gentle smile.

”We can put aside the matter of tuition fees for now. I only have one condition, which I hope you two parents can agree to,” Elder Zhang said. ”You don’t have to answer right away; you can take your time to think about it.”

”What condition?” The one who asked wasn’t Luo’s Mom or Mr. He, nor the ever-active Luo Qianqian, but Luo Shufan, who felt it his duty as an older brother. He wouldn’t allow his mother to agree to anything that might harm his sister.

”Just one: from now on, you must not interfere with anything related to their studies,” Elder Zhang said with a deep look at Luo Shufan, but he still answered the question.

”It’s the children’s own business, whether their grades are good or bad; the results belong to them. If they do well, there’s a reward, and if not, there’s no punishment. Our family has always been like this,” Luo’s Mom replied instinctively. They’ve always had a laissez-faire policy; her son was never supervised and still managed to stay within the top five of his grade. Although her daughter was often picky and willful, she helped with the chores, was quiet, painting and reading books at home, never making a fuss or breaking things because she wasn’t allowed out to play.

”With Shufan like this as a brother, what do we parents need to manage? There’s no need to think about it,” Mr. He thought to himself, judging from Shufan’s usual behavior that the Luo family’s upbringing was sound, and following their choice can’t be wrong. Meanwhile, he had already spoken out his choice.

”You three are very lucky to have such open-minded parents,” Elder Zhang said with a smile. ”Although for a long time you won’t be understood by others, it’ll be better once you’ve learned more. We’ll talk about it when you’re discharged. I’m getting old; I need to go home and play with my cat and walk my dog.”

”When did I say I was going?” Luo Qianqian’s response was met with the sound of fading footsteps.

Why do I feel like I’ve boarded a thief’s ship? Who has trapped me? Luo Qianqian brooded in thought.