"I’m sorry! I can’t afford to pay your dical bills!"
"...…"
Liu Changqing stared at Lan Yixian, montarily at a loss for words.
Realizing how inappropriate her statent sounded, Lan Yixian quickly reconsidered.
"As compensation... how about free breakfasts every morning?"
"Your breakfast shop isn’t exactly on my way to work. The only reason I went there today was because the place near my apartnt was closed. I had nowhere else to go," Liu Changqing replied plainly.
He had no intention of demanding compensation. Given the state of their living conditions, he couldn’t bring himself to exploit them for money. While his forehead still throbbed, it wasn’t a serious injury—not even close to a concussion.
"Then..."
Lan Yixian faltered, unable to think of an alternative.
Zhou Shiyan, who had been observing the exchange, suddenly spoke up after a mont of thought.
"How about I tutor your son?"
Liu Changqing’s attention shifted to her imdiately.
He vaguely recalled her ntioning that she was good at academics.
"As compensation for my mom hitting you, I can tutor your son. I’m the math class representative in my grade, and this ti, Liu Zhiyue only scored 96 out of 150 on his math exam. I can help him strengthen his understanding of key concepts."
After finishing, she looked at Liu Changqing and added, "What do you think?"
"...…"
Liu Changqing didn’t respond right away, processing her words instead.
Liu Zhiyue only scored 96 out of 150 in math?!
He was taken aback.
In his mory, he had never paid much attention to his son’s grades. The last ti one of Liu Zhiyue’s classmates visited their ho, Liu Changqing had seen his son tutoring them and assud his grades were excellent.
This kid…
"What’s his ranking in your class?" Liu Changqing asked.
"Ranking?"
"Yeah, how does he compare to his classmates?"
"Hmm…"
Zhou Shiyan pondered for a mont. She hadn’t paid much attention to Liu Zhiyue before, so it took her a while to answer.
"Probably… on the lower side of the middle."
"Lower?!"
Liu Changqing clenched his teeth, his tone rising slightly.
Zhou Shiyan found his reaction odd.
"Have you never checked his grades before?"
"I always thought his grades were good. His teachers never called , and now that I think about it, he’s never shown a report card to sign!"
"Really? But whenever I collect report cards, his always has a parent’s signature."
"He must’ve been forging my handwriting," Liu Changqing growled.
He felt betrayed by the son he had always considered the least troubleso.
Tomorrow, fifty duck-walk laps!
"Alright, since you’re offering, help tutor him when you’re free. It won’t interfere with your own studies, will it?"
"No, it won’t."
"Good. Drill him thoroughly!"
"Got it."
Zhou Shiyan nodded earnestly.
Seeing her agree, Liu Changqing turned to Lan Yixian.
She looked stunned, her expression blank and full of confusion.
The sudden shift in conversation seed to leave her mind in a fog.
"Well, since we’ve resolved this, I won’t press the issue anymore..."
Feeling the persistent throb in his forehead, Liu Changqing added, "Next ti… make sure before you strike."
"I’m sorry!"
"It’s fine. Your neighborhood is pretty remote and unsafe—just be more cautious in the future."
With that, Liu Changqing realized he had spent enough ti there. He didn’t plan to linger any longer.
"If there’s nothing else, I’ll take my leave."
"I’m really sorry!"
"I heard you the first ti. That’s enough," Liu Changqing said with a wave of his hand, brushing off her repeated apologies.
As he left their ho, Liu Changqing glanced back at the faint glow of their light through the window.
Another struggling family…
"Why do I keep running into these situations?" he muttered to himself as he walked ho.
Liu Zhiyue lay sprawled on the sofa, his head tilted as he watched his little sister, Liu Xiazhi, smiling gleefully while holding a plastic bottle.
"Are you sure those are frogs?"
Despite having asked multiple tis, he repeated the question again.
How could a girl find such slimy creatures adorable?
Liu Xiazhi pouted at his skepticism.
"Of course they’re frogs! Didn’t you read Little Tadpoles Looking for Their Mother back in elentary school? It says tadpoles grow into frogs!"
Raising the plastic bottle to the light, the two tadpoles inside swam energetically.
"Haohau brought four tadpoles to class, saying his dad brought them back from a trip abroad. He showed pictures—they’ll grow into really cute frogs!"
Her face radiated joy.
"When other people asked for them, he didn’t give any away. But when I asked, he gave two right away. He’s so nice!"
"You’d better not let Dad hear you say that…"
Lying on his side with one hand propping up his head, Liu Zhiyue scratched his stomach with the other.
"Why not?" Liu Xiazhi tilted her head in confusion.
"If he hears you praising another boy, I’m afraid he’ll storm into your school and beat that kid up."
"Why would he hit Haohau for no reason?"
"You’re too young to understand…"
"Haohau is adorable!"
Placing the bottle on the coffee table, Liu Xiazhi climbed onto the sofa, slapping her brother’s belly.
"He’s soft like you—adorable and handso!"
"...…"
Liu Zhiyue suddenly felt his little sister had a peculiar sense of "cuteness."
The sound of a key turning in the lock drew their attention.
Liu Changqing entered, his expression sour as he changed into slippers.
Liu Zhiyue turned and imdiately noticed the bruise on his father’s forehead.
"Whoa, Dad, what happened to your head?"
"Nothing. Just a little accident."
Liu Changqing brushed off the concern.
Liu Xiazhi noticed the bruise as well. She opened her mouth to ask sothing but couldn’t find the words.
Unaware of her hesitation, Liu Changqing walked straight up to Liu Zhiyue and slapped his thigh.
With a loud smack, the startled boy shot upright, clutching his leg in pain.
"Dad! Why’d you hit ?!"
"You’ve got so nerve! Tell —have you ever shown a single report card to sign?!"
Liu Changqing’s voice bood.
Liu Zhiyue froze, his expression stiffening.
One thought echoed in his mind: Crap. I’ve been caught.
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