Rebirth: A Cinderella's Counterattack

Chapter 28: Chapter 28: My Brother Said, It Would Be Good If My Sister Was a Brat

”Is it a bit too early to consider this? My sister is only five this year, she hasn’t even started elementary school yet.” Luo Shufan raised his arm to hold his somewhat excited little sister’s head: ”Even for me, thinking about middle school is something for two years down the road. Aren’t you thinking too much?”

”Have you never considered skipping grades?” Elder Zhang stroked his chin. ”A child like this, getting accepted early into competitions under my guidance, could return to the Capital City sooner to boast among those old folks.”

”Should the story of Shang Zhongyong continue?” Luo Shufan placed his sister on the bed and handed her a washed apple.

”Forcing growth?” Luo Qianqian giggled as she took the apple and just pretended not to understand what her brother was saying.

”With your current level, it’s hardly forcing growth, is it? Even if you skip two grades, I’m certain you wouldn’t be at the bottom.” Elder Zhang looked at Luo Shufan, calmly explaining.

”Brother’s scores certainly wouldn’t be at the bottom, but...” Luo Qianqian gripped her brother’s hand to stop him from speaking further. ”Brother’s English isn’t very good, and I heard that in middle school there’s also physics and chemistry, many people find them challenging.”

”Little girl, are you bargaining with an old man here? So you mean as long as your brother’s English and unfamiliar physics and chemistry issues are resolved, you would accept skipping grades? And then move on to Experimental Middle School and then Experimental High School?” Elder Zhang rubbed his forehead and gave a wry smile. When did discussing such matters with kids become so complex? This sibling duo would undoubtedly be troublemakers, whether they’re a blessing or a curse...

”No, no, no, it’s my brother who can skip grades, while the condition for me to skip grades is that Xiao Yu also meets the criteria and can do it with me.” Luo Qianqian, holding the apple, laughed innocently on the bed.

He Wenyu, holding his snack, sat well on a stool, but Elder Zhang’s stare made him sweat.

”Sister is right, the basics are very important.” Luo Shufan, agreeing with his sister’s words, messed up his already unkempt, tousled short hair with his hand.

”Damn! Kids! Teaching arithmetic, counting in Hanyu Pinyin, multiplication tables, that’s what basics are, and I refuse to believe she doesn’t know them,” Elder Zhang suddenly jumped up, and it seemed like steam was about to come out of his head in anger.

”Umm... What brother means is that having a childhood spent playing with other kids is very important, otherwise it’s so easy to become introverted later, not being able to talk to strangers, leading to social phobia.” Luo Qianqian, touching her brother’s messed-up hair, looked somewhat resentful but still smoothed things over for her brother. She didn’t feel that such basics had any practical use either.

”Uh...” Elder Zhang was momentarily stunned, at a loss for words.

”So... don’t you feel... if you are the youngest in the class and then perform well, it’s something to be proud of? Wouldn’t it be nice to be the pride of your dad, mom, brother, sister?” Elder Zhang quickly recovered and spoke.

”I’m already very proud of my brother, he’s smart, performs well in school, is loving, attractive, courteous, peaceable, and doesn’t quarrel with others. In my eyes, my brother is already the best in the world, and so is Mom,” Luo Qianqian said, holding her brother’s hand and sitting on the bed, her legs still restlessly swinging.

”Do you not want to surpass your brother and make your mom even prouder?” Elder Zhang gazed at the siblings, who, although still young and unripe, radiated a distinct aura.

”As for me, growing up well-loved by Mom and protected by my brother, being a cheerful and naughty child is enough. Growing up with Xiao Yu and encountering all that glamour too soon would only lead a young child to fall early,” Luo Qianqian said, still holding her brother’s hand, with her other hand still clutching an apple. She swayed her restless legs, sitting on the bed with that bright expression on her face, yet Elder Zhang always felt like he was witnessing the vicissitudes of life.

”Right, my sister being a cheerful and naughty child is enough,” Luo Shufan said, letting his sister wipe the apple’s droplets on his clothes and just smiling indulgently. It had been a long time since his sister had acted so childishly.

In this era, skipping grades was still rare, and there weren’t many ’manufactured geniuses.’ At such a young age, children learned too much and played too little, limiting their thinking. Though they excelled in exams, stepping into society, they were on shaky ground. This was the report of so many news stories in his past life, yet there were still loads of parents, dreaming of their sons becoming princes and their daughters phoenixes, sending their children to these preparatory classes and those early learning programs for talents.

Elder Zhang, seeing the siblings’ decisive demeanor, turned his attention to Luo’s Mom, who was still waiting for the lab results: ”Are you sure about making such a big decision without discussing it with your parents? Are you sure your family would agree to your mischief?”

”I wouldn’t know about other families, but I know that my mom, the mom of both my brother and me, would definitely prioritize our opinions. Being happy and joyful is the most important thing in growing up. As for the fame and admiration you spoke of, that’s just part of the process. The most important thing is the outcome. No matter how dazzling the process, if it’s rotten inside, it will only be forgotten,” Luo Qianqian said, looking at her brother who kept watching her with loving eyes, then glanced at Xiao Yu, who was happily eating, and gently laughed: ”A couple of friends, healthy family members, having ideals and working towards them, being happy every day, that’s enough. People should be content; the most beautiful things are right beside us. Wanting a better life requires gradual effort, not whimsically trying to reach for the stars and losing what you originally had around you.”

”You really don’t seem like a kid,” Elder Zhang chuckled bitterly. Who would believe that such contented words came from the mouth of a five-year-old? And yet, he indeed heard them from a five-year-old.

Luo Qianqian looked up at Luo Shufan and bared her teeth, ”I really am a child. I hope I can live the way mom and brother hope for, they both wish for me to be simply happy, why should I show off too much and worry those who love me?”

”What’s going on here?” Luo’s Mom, holding a stack of lab results, walked into the hospital room with He’s father, only to see an elder in the room and her children in an unusual state, especially her daughter, holding onto her son, her legs restlessly fidgeting.

”Daddy, this cookie is so good,” He Wenyu, with his cheeks puffed out, told Mr. He while holding a cookie.

”Mom, are the results out?” Luo Shufan shifted his body to half cover his sister, well aware that her current sitting posture might get her scolded.

”Mom,” Luo Qianqian saw the baffled look on Luo’s Mom as she entered the room and quickly put away her naughty expression, stopped swinging her legs, let go of her tightly held brother, and then feeling nothing amiss, jumped off the bed.

”Mom, this grandpa is Officer Zhang’s grandfather, the nice man who helped us call the police and a witness in the case. Just now he was praising brother’s quick thinking and good character, said he could even teach him English, and mentioned that brother could start middle school next year. He’s a super amazing old gentleman,” she said while winking at Luo Shufan and He Wenyu, signaling them not to expose her.

”I...” Elder Zhang’s eyes widened in surprise. If he had a beard, it would surely be blown upwards very high, yet he just smiled at Luo’s Mom without a word.

”...” My grandfather, a good person? That’s a first, he silently thought near the doorway. He’d go home and tell his grandmother about it; the famously strict Elder Zhang Huanian acknowledged as a good person by a five-year-old, who had no choice but to grin and bear it—truly a rare sight. Officer Zhang Ye mused silently to himself outside the door.