Chapter 5: Teacher Xia
Ever since Tang Jinyu got a piano, he woke up this morning feeling refreshed.
He felt that it was a little bit novel being able to learn how to play an instrument, he sat on his brand new piano with his pair of short legs hanging off the seat, a little eager to try.
This piano looked expensive. But he could only see them outside the shop's window display—the thought flashed by, and the child blinked, but soon his mind was attracted by the black and white keys in front of him. He stretched out his little hand and gently pressed on the keys, which made a crisp sound.
He stretched out his hand on the keys. The sound came out with a light press, making a soft sound.
Chen Suling came by, pretending to glance at her son casually.
The child sitting there only pressed one key, and then slowly climbed down from under the piano bench. As if he would easily be satisfied, just by touching it once.
Chen Suling felt that his behavior was a little bit strange, but when she watched the little guy holding on to the wall, walking slowly to the sofa in the living room and climbing onto the sofa skillfully.
Then lay down there and opened the little curtain to look outside, she couldn't help but shook her head and smiled again.
Tang Hongjun walked out while folding his cufflinks. He saw her and asked, "Xiaoyu played the piano just now?"
Chen Suling said: "Just played it."
Tang Hongjun was puzzled: "Didn't he like it yesterday? Did he played enough already?"
He looked up at the living room. He couldn't figure it out. It stands to reason that his child should be at least interested in playing the piano, for the next few days.
Chen Suling saw that he was about to go walk over there, and stopped him and said: "Don't let him play for a while."
Tang Hongjun's mood was even more strange: "What is Xiaoyu playing?"
"What else can it be? He's looking at the children in the building carrying schoolbags to school!"
in the building are carrying school bags to go to school!"
With a look of guilt, Tang Hongjun walked over and watched with his son for a while. He usually has works at nine o'clock, but since he had a lot more time than others, he could accompany his son freely for a while.
It was currently 7:30 in the morning, the busiest period of time in the apartment building.
People who have work had to get up early in the morning, we're leaving one after the other.
Many young women were getting perms, which was one of the lastest popular trends.
They were all neatly dressed as they walked their children to their elementary school.
While the junior and senior school students were leaving their morning study hall and were riding their way home.
As soon as they put their bikes in the corridor, they all rushed to their house upstairs. The stairs are full of "thumping" footsteps, as some people cursed at the noise…
It was a lively ordinary day.
Tang Jinyu had a serious look, and Tang Hongjun also accompany him while hiding behind the curtains, but his eyes were secretly watching his son most of the time.
Since the fever, his child has been getting better and looks a lot more clever.
Although his speech is not very good now, it's much better than it was before.
Moreover, his facial features combined with his and his wife's appearance, made their baby exquisite and beautiful. With a pair of big eyes that were the color of black obsidian, and long eyelashes that make him look like a girl.
Even if he was stupid, he was very cute.
Tang Hongjun looked satisfied, and like all silly dads in the world, he felt that there was no better child than his own.
Outside the window, Xia Ye walked over wearing his junior high school uniform, still wearing his mask and carrying his school bag on one shoulder.
Tang Jinyu's eyes widened immediately, and he hid behind the sofa and raised his head slightly, watching the figure walk by.
Then he closed the curtain with satisfaction, looked back at his father, and patted one hand on his belly: "~Rice~"
Tang Hongjun was amused by him. He picked up his child and put him on his shoulders and took him to the dining table: "Xiaoyu is hungry, let's go eat!"
Chen Suling served her husband and her son porridge, and asked with a smile: "Xiaoyu did you see your brother Xia Ye again today?"
Tang Jinyu nodded, his little hand was being wiped by Tang Hongjun with a warm towel. After he was done wiping his hand, he started to eat seriously with his blue-colored spoon.
Tang Hongjun said: "Xiaoyu sees Xia Ye every day?"
"No, after watching the other children go to school, he waits for Xia Ye and s breakfast after watching him every time." Chen Suling gave her son a steamed carrot and said softly: "Baby eat this, it's sweet and soft."
Tang Hongjun's attention was immediately attracted to his son.
He thinks it's so cute to watch his child eat!
His round little cheeks filled with porridge made him look like a little goldfish.
The way he was eating carrots, by holding it with his two little hands and eating each piece with small bites, was also very cute!
As he watched his son eat, he felt that his appetite increased, and he ate more than half a bowl of porridge.
After breakfast, Tang Hongjun went to work in the design institute, while Chen Suling changed into a dress with a thick wind coat, and went to the company with her son.
She quit her old job three years ago and started her own company.
Now she has a clothing company and her business is booming.
During this period of time, when her son fell ill, she has been taking care of him herself.
She didn't need to take care of her company over the past few days.
She only contacted the secretary on the phone.
Now that Tang Jinyu is well, she can take him to work with peace of mind.
The company is located in the city, it was more than a 20-minute drive away from where they live.
After Chen Suling arrived, she put her son in the office and asked her secretary to bring some snacks and to look after him.
She stepped on a pair of high heels and went on to work.
She hasn't been here during this period of time, the company backtracked on many things, and she is now very busy.
Tang Jinyu sat on the sofa in his mother's office and looked around curiously.
The office was paved with a good quality of wood, with two sets of soft leather sofas.
He was sitting on a slightly smaller sofa. The sofa seemed new and the shape of it was almost like a royal throne. As it sits in the middle with a soft carpet underneath it.
It doesn't look like an office meant to hold meetings, but looked like a place set up to take care of children, with soft toys lying next to him.
The secretary brought a small plate of fruit and biscuits over and placed it next to him when she saw Tang Jinyu picking up a biscuit to eat.
Seeing how his movements were skillful as if he had done it countless times before. She called out in surprise, and then joyfully said: "Xiaoyu can eat by himself?"
The child on the sofa nodded.
The Secretary laughed even more happily and praised him repeatedly.
Seeing that he had finished a whole piece of biscuit and asked for water, she couldn't help wiping the corners of her eyes with the back of her hand and even said in a chocked voice, "Ah, ah, I'll go pour you a glass of water. I'm glad Sister Suling no longer has to deal with any more grief."
Tang Jinyu still couldn't speak that well. So when he received the water glass, he smiled at her, showing his neat little white teeth, sweetening the secretary's heart.
Chen Suling went back to the office after a while, followed by a man who had a ponytail tied behind his head. Seemed to be a 20-year-old who was pretty handsome.
Was now following Chen Suling and calling her "elder sister" repeatedly with a hint of pleading in his voice.
"Sister, my dear sister, I beg you of you, can you do this project first? Men's clothing is definitely short of supply right now. You don't have to go out to see them, sister, just stand by the window and take a look. What's the difference between what you are wearing right now, then what you are wearing outside? Just let me design that leather jacket… Sister, I promise you that I will absolutely make it into a huge hit! You let me do it this time, I swear that I'll make at least five sets of winter jackets!"
Without looking back, Chen Su Ling said, "five sets? Don't make a fuss. We can only manage to have three sets this year. Hundreds of thousands of lists are pressing for these clothes. Do you even men's clothing prepared? No, there's nothing we can do about it right now. Let's finish what's under our radar first. "
"The winter clothes…"
"Winter clothes and the jackets. I have already talked to Lao Zhao about that batch, so don't mess around, you hear me?
"How can you call it messing around? I just want to improve them a bit and give our company a reputation."
"Make the women's clothing first."
"What should I do afterward?"
"Then make children's clothing."
"Huh? Then we men have no say?"
Chen Suling stuffed a pile of drawings into his hand, raised her brows, and said, "No, do you want to see which type of clothing people like to buy the most from the Main Street? Take care of the big market first!"
The good looking guy just stood there without saying a word, nor did he reach out to pick it up.
Chen suling stuffed the drawing to him again, and she was angry and half-amused: "Ding Yanzhao!"
Comrade Xiaoding stood there, not daring to resist but stood there in silence.
"Why are you so stubborn with me? Take it. I want to finish this year on a good note. I'll let you have a try when spring comes."
Ding Yanzhao became happy again, holding the pile of papers and smiling openly, not at all looking like what he just looked before: "Then let's talk about it. Elder sister, you have to lend me some people." He said, as his eyes turned towards the secretary who sitting on the small sofa, although the two didn't make direct eye contact, he still blushed.
Tang Jinyu kept listening with his ears upright and was stunned for a moment.
He followed the young man's line of sight and immediately raised his head to see that he was staring at the Secretary sitting beside him.
There was no expression on the secretary's face, but her ears were a little red.
Tang Jinyu's gossip radar is was turned on. It felt like he was watching real-life drama series he used to watch on TV, he rubbed his hands in anticipation and looked forward to their next actions!
Chen Suling said: "Let's talk about this later and get started on this first."
Ding Yanzhao knew that his boss didn't talk about this topic anymore. His heart was half relieved knowing that his boss was finally giving him a one life chance, he took the drawings and went out to work with joy.
The office was cleared, and Chen Suling was finally able to catch her breath while she sat on the sofa holding her son.
The secretary on the side said: "Sister Suling, I found a few piano teachers as you asked. Most of them teach piano lessons in groups. There are very few teachers that offer to teach one-on-one piano lessons directly at home. I was only able to find three suitable ones."
She took out each of their records and handed it over, pointing to it and saying: "There's one music teacher who was originally a primary school teacher they may not have that enough piano experience and might not have enough patience. There are also some good private lessons offers, although the price is a bit expensive they have good reviews, and this…"
She pointed to each one for Chen Suling, but after she finished speaking. Chen Suling raised her brows slightly and fell silent.
The secretary said: "Should I look again?"
Chen Suling hugged her child and patted him on the back a few times to coax him, and sighed, "Let this music teacher give it a try first."
The secretary agreed, thought about it, and persuaded her in a low voice: "Sister, not everyone is that bad. Xiaoyu will definitely never meet that kind of person again…"
Chen Suling smiled reluctantly: "I hope."
Tang Jinyu was confused, but the person they were talking about was himself. Has he been hurt before? He tried to think hard but his little mind became dizzy
This question made Tang Jinyu curious. He took a look at himself in the mirror before. He had no scars on his face, arms, or legs, which was strange.
Tang Jinyu’s piano teacher surnamed was Ma.
She is a college student who has just graduated.
She teaches piano lessons at the Central Primary school. She offered to teach him three days a week. For beginners, like Tang Jinyu is enough time.
Because Chen Suling told Teacher Ma about her child's situation beforehand, she had promised to come to meet her son first.
The first visit was on Saturday night.
Chen Suling was not at ease. She talked with Teacher Ma for a while. After seeing that the girl was warm and generous and had a good character, she was finally at ease in letting her teach her child his first piano lesson.
It’s just that the time to learn piano is not so fortunate.
Students usually come around this time, to go home from their evening study.
The apartment building is not very soundproof.
There are running footsteps and the sound of kids kicking balls outside.
The junior high school students were ringing there bicycle bells constantly——
Tang Jinyu couldn't sit still and he wanted to go look out the window as usual.
No matter how gentle and considerate Teacher Ma may seem, she quickly became impatient when he was constantly twisting his body around his seat.
She held him in place and said in a low voice: "Come on, look at the music note in teacher's hand, what does this correspond to? Do you remember what we just learned?"
Tang Jinyu's fingers trembled slightly, he didn't want to sit on the piano bench at all.
He was rarely anxious in his heart, it was as if some voice kept urging him in his mind to let him leave his seat and go to the window to see the man.
When school is over, Xia Ye usually comes back around this time with his schoolbag on his back.
Today, he has a day off after self-study on Saturday night, so he will have a review packet in his hand…
Tang Jinyu wanted to leave several times but was pressed down in his seat, his eyes couldn't help but redden.
Teacher Ma forced him to sit down but before she could continue to her teaching.
Chen Suling's expression changed, and she immediately got up and pulled Teacher Ma away.
Teacher Ma was stunned for a moment and touched her wrist and said: "What's the matter?"
When Chen Su Ling picked up the child on the piano stool, probably because he felt his mother's warmth.
The child held her neck and began to cry. He couldn't speak clearly, but he felt wronged and he didn't know how else to express himself.
Chen Suling coaxed him in her arms, with her eyes turning red: "It's okay, the baby is fine the way he is, he doesn't need to study."
Tang Hongjun also stood up and walked over, taking a paper towel to wipe his son's tears in distress: "Yes, if you don't learn anymore, so be it. Xiaoyu can play with the piano however he wants. It's was originally a toy that your grandfather bought for you, so don't cry."
Teacher Ma's expression on the side wasn't very good, she endured, she still said: "You said you only want your child to learn the basics. I can understand that you think I was too harsh on him, but if let him sit there for a while…"
Before Chen Suling had the chance to speak, Tang Hongjun on the side shook his head and said firmly: "I'm sorry, Teacher Ma, you don't have to refund today's payment. We won't continue with any more piano lessons."
Teacher Ma opened her mouth and wanted to persuade him again, but this family had the same attitude. It didn't make sense for her to stay longer, so she left with her bag.
When she walked out of the apartment building, she felt that the family was unreliable. She had seen countless parents who spoiled their children, but she had never seen such a child be spoiled this way!
Tang Jinyu cried for a while and slowly stopped crying. He was a little embarrassed, but when Tang Hongjun held him to look out the window, he looked for a while.
He was lucky.
Although school ended awhile ago, he was able to still see Xia Ye walking his way home with his schoolbag on his back. It looks like he was carrying a review packet in his arms.
Because he had cried, he quickly became tired.
After his face was washed clean, he fell asleep.
There was a small desk lamp in the bedroom, and Tang Hongjun was comforting his wife under the orange light, but he squinted his brows slightly and sighed lightly from time to time.
"I don't blame you either really when I saw Mr. Ma pressing down Xiaoyu today, I was also upset."
Tang Hongjun said, "come on, Suling our son can walk now and eat by himself. Let's not force him to do anything. Let's just let him play happily. We will work hard to earn more money and buy Xiaoyu two or three houses so that he can eat and drink all his life… "
Chen Suling's eyes were still red, and she bit her lip and said: "But who will take care of him in the future?"
Tang Hongjun opened his mouth and sighed.
"I don't want to force my son to learn anything that he doesn't want to. I'm already satisfied that he is here with us now but I'm just afraid." With tears in her eyes, Chen Suling said in a soft voice: "I'm afraid that when we get old, no one will take care of Xiaoyu like this. I'm also afraid if he came across someone bad in the future, I don't know if he would know what to do…Hongjun when I saw him cry today, my heart arched."
Tang Hongjun stretched out his hand to embrace his wife and felt a small piece of pajamas wet on his shoulder, and his heart was sour.
A few years ago, when their child was still young.
They only noticed that their child was much slower than other children, but they felt that with enough patience. Their child will learn everything eventually but at a slower pace than other kids.
That was until they find out that their son was having difficulty walking.
By the time they discovered this, it was already too late.
They took their children to the hospital, but there weren't able to get any results of the cause of the problem.
During that time, both husband and wife were busy working in their respected jobs, and they couldn't take care of their children every day, so they hired a nanny to watch over him.
However, what they didn't know was that the nanny was often beating their son just because of few simple things he did wrong.
After the first few beatings, the nanny saw that her employer didn't find out what she had done, gradually became bolder with her beatings.
Until one day, the nanny became angry when the child spilled his food all over the place when he was trying to feed himself, she grabbed him and pressed him on a hot stove…
The old-fashioned small stove wasn't that big, but they were hot enough to leave a burn mark.
This time the nanny did not hide what she did, Chen Suling called the police and stayed with her husband in the hospital for two days.
From that day on, Chen Suling quit her job and started up her company.
No matter how hard she has to work, she would feel at ease as long as she turned her head and saw her child sleeping on the sofa not far from her.
Her baby was right beside her, not hungry, or in pain.
Knowing this, she is willing to her suffer twice as much.
…
Tang Hongjun thought for a while, then suddenly said: "Why don't we ask Mr. Xia?"
Chen Suling said: "Mr. Xia from next door?"
Tang Hongjun nodded: "Yes, didn't Mr. Xia also teach students before? Last time I saw someone who came to him with a violin. If he doesn't teach piano lessons, we can buy Xiaoyu a violin." He said, the more he thought about it, the more he felt that it was a good idea: "Anyway, we just let Xiaoyu get in touch with the other people slowly. It just so happens that he likes Xia Ye, we can invite Mr. Xia over to get to know him. When we get more familiar with him, we can take Xiaoyu next door and slowly introduce him, so that Xiaoyu can get familiar with him gradually."
Chen Suling frowned and thought for a while, then said slowly: "At least for half an hour a day and I have to be able to follow."
"Yes, I'll go too, and then let Mr. Xia accompany Xiaoyu to talk."
Chen Suling loosens her brows a bit and nodded and said, "That's fine, it would be best for him to talk more with other people other than us so that Xiaoyu won't be as afraid of other people."