Rebirth: A Cinderella's Counterattack

Chapter 9: Chapter 9: Father He Making His Own Decisions

”Dad, I’m here!” He Wenyu, accompanied by the Luo siblings, sat obediently at the entrance of the Youth Palace, nibbling on a cream popsicle.

”You’re here pretty early today, isn’t it because you want to eat something again?” A group of people walked towards them, and a familiar tall figure quickly approached the three: ”New friends, huh? Why are you all dirty and even injured, did you fight with someone?”

”Hello, uncle.” Luo Qianqian and Luo Shufan called out in unison.

”Hello, hello. Naughty girl, it wasn’t you who beat someone up and then came to ask me for medical expenses, was it?” He Jun looked at Luo Qianqian and Luo Shufan, who seemed hesitant to speak, and immediately felt that his own daughter had caused trouble again.

”Dad!” Upon hearing this, He Wenyu immediately glared and stomped her foot, turning her head away to ignore her own dad.

”Uncle, what are you thinking? Xiao Yu is my good friend, how could she hit anyone? My brother and I came to ask about the cost of Taekwondo classes for the summer vacation. My brother wants to learn, but we don’t know the price, so...” Luo Qianqian quickly grabbed He Wenyu’s hand, afraid that she would get upset and run off.

”Ah, Xiao Yu, I was just in a hurry for a moment. Don’t make a fuss, you’ll make dad’s colleagues laugh. How about I buy you a big chicken leg later to make it up to you?” Seeing that he had misunderstood his daughter, He Jun no longer cared about preserving his adult image and squatted in front of He Wenyu, coaxing her in a soft tone, which felt quite incongruous with his sturdy build.

Qianqian is asking you a question, but I don’t care, I just like Qianqian and want to play with her. You figure it out, if you don’t handle it properly, I’ll tell mom you bullied me! Hmph.” He Wenyu gently scratched Luo Qianqian’s palm and, being half a head shorter, Luo Qianqian could clearly see He Wenyu winking at her mischievously. Isn’t this what they call a dad trap?

”Oh come on, what’s this all about? Just training together every morning is enough, why spend all that money? It’s better to save money and study harder.” He Jun said seriously, ”Qianqian, right? Come on, Xiao Yu, take Qianqian to our house for dinner, looking at kids who are just naturally sociable, not like your mischievous monkey-self.”

”Uncle, taking things from others carries obligations, and eating someone’s food softens the tongue. This way, my sister might learn to reap without sowing.” Despite that this little ancestor wouldn’t: ”You should just calculate how much it should be, and we will go home and discuss it with mom, this way our mom can be at ease too.” Luo Shufan spoke seriously, though he was quite aware that his sister making friends gave him a free coach, as he was indeed a penny pinching miser, even counting every dime of cotton candy.

”It’s not like we are having classes here, still asking for money doesn’t feel quite right...” He Jun looked at Luo Shufan, who appeared wise beyond his years, and grew more and more pleased, thinking how other people’s kids are just so sensible.

”Uncle, how about this? In the morning, we’ll study Taekwondo together with Xiao Yu, and then Xiao Yu will study, write, and play with us. It’s safer than letting Xiao Yu run around outside alone, and we can have a tutor who knows everything.” Luo Qianqian pretended not to notice the doubt in her brother’s eyes. Xiao Yu is trapping dad, and I can only trap my brother: ”Don’t look at my brother like that; he’s been in the top ten of his grade every year, and this year he’s even number one in the fourth grade. Everything I know now I learned from him.” She put on a boastful face. Luo Shufan’s lips twitched slightly: I taught you nothing, you just helped me with some Chinese homework, watched me study English for a few days, and now you can do math problems? Could it be that my sister is really a genius?

”Oh? Oh? Oh? First place? Oh my, Xiao Yu, my precious daughter, you’ve really struck gold this time, first place! Hahaha, hurry home and let your mom make some of her signature sweet and sour ribs. Little brother—oops, little friends, what do you like to eat?” As soon as He Jun heard the words ’first place,’ his eyes lit up. If he could tutor his own daughter, wouldn’t she be way ahead of other kids? Old Zhang’s family’s kid just started school and was boasting about ranking fifth in the whole class; if my kid starts school ranking first, how proud would I be?

”Uncle, my mom went to my brother’s parent-teacher meeting, and she should be roughly done with cooking by now, so we should head home too, or else mom will worry.” Luo Qianqian said softly, looking at He Wenyu’s twitching mouth corner, ”My brother won’t force you to study, but doing well allows you to read the storybooks you want. He borrowed a lot from the library and kept them at home.”

”Right, right, that’s settled then. Tell your mom tonight that you’ll eat at uncle’s place tomorrow. Uncle will have auntie make her signature braised pig trotters. Let’s go, let’s go; uncle will walk you home with Xiao Yu, just to familiarize ourselves with the place.”

”Yes, I want to get to know Qianqian’s home so I can come over to play later,” He Wenyu quickly agreed with his dad.

”Home tutor, sir, your sisters here and the Taekwondo instructor will lead the way,” Luo Qianqian said jokingly, holding hands with He Wenyu, as they both watched a helpless Luo Shufan.

”Qianqian, what all did you learn from your home tutor?” He Wenyu asked, holding his own dad with one hand and Luo Qianqian with the other, leaving Luo Shufan walking alone reluctantly at the front.

”Lots! Hanyu Pinyin, Tang and Song poems, counting, addition and subtraction.” Those were all the basics; mentioning this should be all right, Luo Qianqian thought to herself and said it out loud.

Lots my foot! Luo Shufan muttered to himself while touching his nose. Teaching ancient poetry counts as Tang and Song poems, I have no objection. Hanyu Pinyin, when did I ever teach you that? Perhaps, considering the phonetic version of Andersen’s fairy tales that mom read to you counts, I have nothing to say. Counting, sure, counting how many times I stumbled while reading English aloud every day. Addition and subtraction, tsk tsk, how clear you are about having one more or one less candy, and even though that worksheet included fractions, not just addition and subtraction, you managed to do it anyway, but the credit goes to me—I’m proud of that.

”Wow, that’s a lot, do you know English? A few days ago, the elder sister downstairs taught me a phrase, ’san ke rou,’ which she said means thank you. Foreigners are really strange, why hang meat alongside thanks? Is it because you have to buy a piece of meat for someone when you thank them?” He Wenyu, not to be outdone, especially since Luo Qianqian seemed younger and he appeared older, eagerly showed off the smattering of foreign words he had recently heard.

”Pfft—” ’San ke rou,’ everyone except He Wenyu burst into laughter, including He Jun, who, as He Wenyu’s father, ended up clutching his stomach in laughter.

”What are you laughing at? Qianqian, you’re not allowed to laugh; if you laugh again, I won’t play with you anymore.” He Wenyu felt absolutely no embarrassment about the joke he had inadvertently created.

”I’m not laughing, I’m not laughing. It’s just that, ’the meat hung from noble gates so potent it overwhelms, might as well make ’san ke rou’ so it won’t go to waste.’”