Transmigrating into the Genius Cannon Fodder’s Aunt

Chapter 46.4 – I’m Not a Rebellious Girl (IV)

No matter how many conspiracies were brewing in the Ning and Huo families, life for the Xia family remained unaffected.

The next day, which was a weekend, Xia Wenyue insisted on sending Xia Mian and Mao Huilan to a tutoring class. No one knew when she’d made the arrangements.

Xia Mian didn’t think it was necessary. “Aunt, I can study on my own. No need to waste money.”

Xia Wenyue frowned and said sternly, “No, you both must go. I’ve noticed you spending all your time at home worrying about this and that—where’s the time for studying? I’ve looked into it: as long as you can keep up with the material, you can take the transfer exam and join mid-term without waiting for the next semester. If you think you’re ready, take the test next week and start school right away.”

Next week was definitely too soon. Yan University’s Affiliated High School only allowed one chance for transfer exams, so Xia Mian wanted to play it safe. Her aunt wasn’t wrong though—with so many happy things happening in the family lately, she had indeed neglected her review.

Feeling guilty, Xia Mian had no choice but to comply with Xia Wenyue’s demands and head to tutoring class with Mao Huilan, their schoolbags in tow.

Xiao Feng took this matter very seriously and urged Xia Mian to get up early in the morning.

When Xia Mian returned after washing up, she found the little guy standing on a stool, pulling her new sweatshirt and jeans out of the wardrobe. Balancing on his tiptoes, he laid them neatly on the bed. “Auntie, wear new clothes.”

It was the exact routine she used to follow when sending him to kindergarten.

Xia Mian couldn’t help but laugh helplessly as she changed into the clothes. The outfit was part of a batch Xia Wenyue had bought during the market trip. Since they brought almost nothing with them to Yan City, and with the weather getting cooler as autumn approached, she had bought six sets for Xia Mian, Mao Huilan, and Mao Huimei, as they were all about the same size. She’d managed to haggle the price down to a third of the original.

Of course, after returning home, Xia Wenyue kept complaining about how she still paid too much because the vendor had called her back too quickly. She believed that if she’d bargained harder, she could’ve halved the price again.

As expected, after Xia Mian put on the clothes, Xia Wenyue began grumbling again about not haggling enough. It wasn’t until Xiao Feng tried to roll up Xia Mian’s pant legs that Xia Wenyue stopped. “Okay, okay, let me do it.”

The sweatshirt was slightly oversized—these days, parents usually brought two sizes up to make them last a few years. The result was a baggy fit that made Xia Mian look petite. Her fair skin was complemented by the bright pink of the sweatshirt, making her appear even more beautiful.

After putting Xiao Feng aside, Xia Wenyue helped adjust Xia Mian’s slightly long pants, then looked her up and down with satisfaction, “Once your hair grows out a bit more, you’ll finally look like a proper girl.”

Xia Mian touched her head and felt heartbroken. Nearly two months had passed, and her hair was still just a short buzz, sticking up stubbornly in every direction. After sleeping, it was even messier, flopping all over the place—worse than when she was completely bald.

Even worse, the real awkward phase hadn’t even arrived yet, which was one reason she didn’t want to go to school too soon. Since she was entering a new environment, she wanted to present herself as a little angel, not in her current state!

‘If I enrolled next semester…’ Xia Mian calculated. Three or four months from now, her hair would probably be at its most unmanageable and awkward.

She quickly put on a cap. Otherwise, she might just cry.

Xiao Feng seemed to sense her thoughts and shook her hand, flashing her a radiant smile. “Auntie’s very pretty.”

Xia Mian patted his fluffy tuft and said sadly, “Little guy, we need to get you into art classes soon. If your sense of aesthetics gets any worse, Auntie will be even more heartbroken.”

Xiao Feng pressed his lips together and smiled, his eyes curving into crescents.

After finishing the meal, Xiao Feng dutifully followed behind Xia Wenyue, looking as if he was determined to send Xia Mian to school.

Xia Wenyue glanced down at the little guy’s serious expression and decided to take him along.

The tutoring center was located on the upper floors of a building near Yan University’s Affiliated High School. Besides various tutoring classes, the building also housed an array of extracurricular classes.

Xiao Feng curiously looked around, his head turning in every direction. Mao Huilan exclaimed, “Sister Mian, look at what that girl is carrying! It’s huge!”

Xia Mian glanced at Xiao Feng’s eager, inquisitive expression and simply picked him up to explain. “That girl is carrying a cello. A cello makes a beautiful sound. If there’s a chance, I’ll take you to a concert to hear one. That girl over there is a dancer. And that boy is carrying a sword—he’s probably learning martial arts…”

She paused and added thoughtfully, “Should we teach you some martial arts too? Not to hurt others, but so you don’t get hurt. Your personality is just too soft.”

Xia Wenyue agreed. “Xiao Feng could learn, but not Huizhu. If that girl learns, I’ll have a headache every day.”

Xia Mian burst into laughter. Chenchen had mentioned that Huizhu was already heading down the path of becoming the overlord of kindergarten.

Xiao Feng wrapped his arms around Xia Mian’s neck and rubbed his head against her face. “Auntie teach.”

Xia Mian rubbed her cheek against his in return. “Alright, Auntie will teach you when I have time.”

As they passed a classroom filled with children carrying drawing boards, Xia Mian held Xiao Feng closer to the window to let him peek inside. “These kids are learning how to draw. When you’re a bit older, if you want to, I’ll send you here to learn, too.”

Xiao Feng shook his head. “Aunt Yun will teach me.”

“Oh?” Xia Mian was puzzled. She’d thought about asking Ning Shaoyun, a professional, to teach Xiao Feng. But back then, though Ning Shaoyun noticed his interest in drawing, she hadn’t offered to teach, so Xia Mian assumed there must’ve been a reason and didn’t push it.

“Did Aunt Yun already say she’d teach you?”

Xiao Feng tilted his head, thinking for a moment. “She said she’ll find a teacher.”

“Aunt Yun is helping you find a teacher?” Xia Mian clarified.

Xiao Feng nodded with a bright smile.

“Alright,” Xia Mian said with a laugh. “You’re lucky. Any teacher Aunt Yun finds for you is bound to be excellent.”

Xiao Feng’s eyes sparkled with anticipation.

The tutoring center was on the third floor, and as they climbed the stairs, the environment grew quieter. The students here were mostly junior and high schoolers. Xia Mian and Mao Huilan weren’t in the same class—Xia Mian was in a first-year high school class, while Mao Huilan was in a third-year junior high class. Xia Wenyue had enrolled them in comprehensive tutoring classes that covered all subjects over the entire weekend.

After paying the fees and coming out of the administrator’s office, Xia Wenyue said, “I’ve heard that Yan City’s curriculum pace is different from our county’s. Try it out for a week and see if you can keep up. If it’s too hard, we’ll adjust.”

She didn’t say much when sending Mao Huizhu to kindergarten, so there was even less to say to Xia Mian and Mao Huilan. Instead, it was Xiao Feng, holding Xia Mian’s hand, who seriously instructed her, “Auntie, study hard. I’ll come pick you up at noon.”

Xia Mian stifled her laughter and leaned down to kiss his forehead. “It’s okay, Auntie can go home on her own. Xiao Feng stays home and waits for me with Brother Chenchen, okay?”

Xiao Feng glanced at Xia Wenyue, his expression saying, Is that true?

When Xia Wenyue nodded, he sighed in disappointment. “Okay, Auntie. You behave yourself. I’ll wait for you.”

Xia Mian couldn’t help but scoop him up and ruffle his hair. “Don’t worry, Auntie will behave.”

Two light chuckles came from nearby.

Xia Mian looked up and saw two girls. The taller one had a bold short haircut, her hands stuffed in her pockets, exuding a casual and somewhat roguish air. The slightly shorter one wore her hair in a ponytail, her school uniform was not worn properly, with the jacket lazily draping over her shoulders.

In short, they were two typical rebellious teenagers trying to look ‘cool.’

The taller girl spoke first, her tone playful and cheeky. “Your little nephew? So cute.”

It was clear they meant no harm. Xiao Feng, being used to Xia Mian’s presence, wasn’t at all intimidated by their rebellious appearance. Instead, he gave them a shy smile.

Both girls were momentarily surprised, but their faces quickly softened into expressions of fondness.

The shorter girl pulled out a piece of candy, crouched down, and handed it to Xiao Feng. She said to Xia Mian, “This little guy’s really adorable. I’m Li Lizhen, and she’s Sun Yuexin.”

“Nice to meet you. I’m Xia Mian.”。

And just like that, Xia Mian made her first friends in her age group.

However, when class started and Xia Mian saw the entire classroom of students slumped over their desks, sleeping, she suddenly realized something important.

In this era, good students didn’t attend tutoring classes. Those who did were generally poor-performing students—and among them, a significant number had such low performances because of their rebellious nature.

Take her two new friends, for example.

Xia Mian adjusted her cap and looked expressionlessly at Li Lizhen, who had already started treating her like one of them, and Sun Yuexin, who was chewing gum while doodling in her notebook. She debated whether she should lecture them about life sooner rather than later.

After all, her dream was to become a respected teacher of the people. In her previous life, she’d already made it to her second year at Capital Normal University, and she carried a strong sense of duty as a future educator.

Girls like these two were squarely within her educational scope.

Meanwhile, Li Lizhen, who was busy checking herself out in the mirror, and Sun Yuexin, who was coolly sketching while chewing gum, had no idea that the bold, buzz-cut Xia Mian they’d just befriended would soon become their worst nightmare.