Volume 15
Chapter 32: The Parent-Teacher Conference (Final Chapter)
Lu Qingying was very unhappy today, extremely unhappy. She was a little angry, and also a little aggrieved. When she saw a small stone on the road, she would even kick it. For a first-grade elementary school student, to be wronged at school was already a matter of the sky falling down. When An Baili picked her up to go home, she noticed her daughter’s little mouth was pouted like a duck’s, exactly the same as hers back then. “Qingying, what’s wrong? Did someone bully you?”
Lu Qingying had been pouting for half an hour, just waiting for her mother’s words. Hearing this, she finally had an outlet, and her aggrieved little face crumpled into a crying one. “Mommy… waah…”
…
Lu Li was in a remote meeting in his study. Hearing the sound of the main door closing, he guessed that little Qingying was home from school. Compared to this boring work meeting, he was more concerned about whether his own little Qingying had a happy or unhappy day. So Lu Li, the great leader Lu, sent a message to Secretary Hu and left the meeting midway. Turning off the computer, Lu Li thought for a moment, then had Secretary Hu organize the content of the others’ work reports into a text and send it to him, not the meeting minutes.
It was only after he arrived in Xin’an County that he realized he had been tricked by Zhu Xi. Xin’an County was no small fishing village; it had already developed to a considerable scale. He had been parachuted in to support that group of grassroots cadres who wanted to do practical things but had no background. In the few years after he took office, Xin’an County had developed even more vigorously. Last year, it had already shed the suffix of “county” and was changed to be on the same level as a city. There were rumors that Xin’an would be recommended to become a municipality at the next election conference. And what had Lu Li done? In truth, he didn’t have to do anything. Just by holding a post in Xin’an, he had already helped the local people a great deal.
Lu Li pushed aside the work-related matters in his mind and walked toward the door in three steps, two at a time. Before he had walked more than a few steps, he heard Baili’s whimpering voice. “Li, listen, look how wronged your daughter was at school!”
Zou Yameng happened to be watching TV on the first floor. Hearing this, she also stood up straight. “Who bullied Little Qingying?”
The moment Lu Qingying saw Zou Yameng, she abandoned her own mother and ran toward her. “Mommy Yameng, waah…” At her young age, she was already well aware of how unreliable her own mother was. Mommy Yameng was still more reliable. Mommy Hupo was also very reliable, and Mommy Jingyi was too… Little Qingying ranked them in her heart. The most unreliable was her own mother, then Mommy Jianing. Even Mommy Qiao was more useful than them…
Of course, the most capable were still Daddy and… Auntie Zhu Xi or… Mommy Zhu Xi. Mommy Zhu Xi had repeatedly told her not to call her “mommy” outside, but to call her “auntie.” At home, she could call her mommy. Lu Qingying didn’t know the reason.
The moment Lu Li came out, Lu Qingying abandoned Mommy Yameng again and ran toward her father on her little short legs. Who would have thought that someone would be faster than her? Her own mother had squeezed into her father’s arms. It was clearly she who had been wronged, but her own mother was in her father’s arms, crying and complaining as if she had been wronged. Little Qingying puffed out her cheeks in anger. She sometimes felt that there was no “place” for her in this family. Daddy and the mommies were all lovey-dovey every day, making her feel that her status at home was about the same as Miss Lu’s.
Speaking of Miss Lu… Lu Qingying looked left and right and finally saw the calico cat lying on the table, licking its fur. Miss Lu glanced at Lu Qingying with boredom, then went back to licking her fur. Lu Qingying felt even more aggrieved. Even the cat was ignoring her!
After Lu Li had finished coaxing Baili, he picked up his own daughter. “Qingying, tell Daddy, who bullied you at school?” When talking to his daughter, he subconsciously raised his voice.
Only then did Lu Qingying wrap her arms around her father’s neck and wail. “It’s not that they bullied me… they just don’t believe me!”
“Alright, alright. Daddy believes you. Tell Daddy.”
“It’s just… just that the school is having a parent-teacher conference…” Lu Qingying was extremely aggrieved. “Teacher Liao said we must bring our parents, preferably both.”
Teacher Liao… Lu Li searched his mind. He hadn’t met Teacher Liao, but he remembered someone telling him about this teacher. It seemed she was a young female teacher who had graduated from university less than a year ago and had just been confirmed. She was said to be quite pretty, but her personality was a bit rigid, a girl in her early twenties as old-fashioned as someone in their fifties, sixties, or seventies. He patted his daughter’s head. This Teacher Liao seemed to have also graduated from Mulan University. By that calculation, they weren’t many years apart in age. Lu Li was even her proper senior.
Although this Teacher Liao was old-fashioned, there had never been any negative news about her. Would she bully Lu Qingying? Lu Li knew in his heart that his own daughter had been so spoiled by the girls at home that at school, she was the one who bullied others. How could anyone bully her? If not for Lu Li’s repeated instructions not to reveal their family background, Lu Li suspected Baili would have taken Qingying and torn the school down. This mother and daughter were of the same temperament, both a little scatterbrained. It wouldn’t be strange for them to do such a thing.
“So I asked Teacher Liao, do both parents have to come? Teacher Liao said, as many as possible, because this parent-teacher conference is an annual summary and is very important. Anyway, she said a lot of things for me to relay to you, but I forgot them all.” Little Qingying said shamelessly. “So I said, I said, I said… hmm, I said I have one, two, three, four………… Does little Auntie Long Jing count? Anyway, I said I have six or seven or eight mothers. Do they all have to attend the parent-teacher conference?”
Sweat beaded on Lu Li’s forehead. “You really said that to Teacher Liao?”
“Teacher Liao was very angry. She said it’s impossible to have so many mothers. A child only has one father and one mother. She also told me not to lie…” Lu Qingying, thinking of Teacher Liao’s serious face, started to cry again. “The others heard Teacher Liao’s words and all laughed at me! Waah… they’re all calling me a little braggart now!”
So that was it… Lu Li understood in his heart. This was indeed his failure as a father, not having communicated with the head teacher in advance. It was mainly because he was worried that if the other party knew his family’s background, they would treat Little Qingying differently at school. He didn’t want Little Qingying to be without friends at school like Zhu Xi and Jingyi were back then.
And, back then, the new marriage law had only been piloted in a low-key manner in Qian Tang. By the end of the year Lu Li got married, the pilot program had ended, and the amendment to the marriage law had come to nothing. So all of Shenzhou, except for Qian Tang, mostly didn’t know that there had been a period of free marriage. And Lu Li hadn’t invited the media when he got married, so the public had always been unaware of this matter…
“You’re not a little braggart. My Qingying is not a little braggart. Daddy and Mommy will go and be your witness, okay?” Lu Li quickly wiped away Lu Qingying’s tears.
Baili, on the side, wrapped her arm around Lu Li’s. “Li, are you going to call Teacher Liao? I have her phone number… She seems like a very old-fashioned person.”
“No need. It’s enough for us to all be there at the parent-teacher conference. The teacher’s side is easy to handle. What about the classmates? I don’t want my little crybaby to be called a little braggart. Right, Qingying?” The last sentence was to Qingying. Lu Qingying broke into a tearful smile and pecked Lu Li on the cheek. “Daddy is the best! I like Daddy the most!”
Lu Li pinched her cheek. “Go do your homework. You can go play after you’re finished.”
“Okay~”
The three of them watched as Lu Qingying hopped up to the second floor, and couldn’t help but smile knowingly. Children are all like this; one moment they’re crying, and the next they’re breaking into a tearful smile. Zou Yameng looked at Little Qingying’s back and had an idea. “Our Baili was the first to have a child. Now Hupo is also pregnant… The family is getting a little more lively.”
Lu Li smiled and looked at Yameng. He knew she also wanted a child.
Zou Yameng was a little shy at Lu Li’s strange smile. “But if I have a child, I’m worried our couple time will be less…”
Lu Li shook his head. “If our family didn’t have money or power, then of course the two of you would have to take time out to be with the child. But for studying, we can hire a famous teacher for tutoring. For daily life, we can hire a nanny for care. If all else fails, we can just send them all to the royal family to be raised. Zhu Youcheng would be more than happy. How would it take up our time?”
Zou Yameng was persuaded. “Then… should I prepare?” The thought of her and Lizi having a crystallization of their love made her a little secretly excited.
Lu Li blinked his eyes but didn’t answer. Everything was understood without words.
Lu Li suddenly slapped his head. “It’s over. I forgot to ask Qingying when the parent-teacher conference is.”
An Baili said proudly, “It’s a good thing I asked early. It’s tonight! The notice was given last week. Qingying only told me today because she really couldn’t hide it anymore!”
Lu Li scraped her nose. “It’s all because you all spoil her. If you all keep spoiling her, who knows what kind of jaw-dropping things this girl will do in the future.”
Zou Yameng couldn’t help but complain, “It’s always you, Lizi, who indulges her the most.”
…
Learning about Qingying’s parent-teacher conference, Zhu Xi, who had recently been in the Capital City handling Yan family affairs, also flew back. She was in a sharply tailored suit. The first thing she did when she came back was to scold Lu Li. “You don’t care enough about your own daughter. You even let her be bullied at school!” Lu Li had long been used to Zhu Xi’s sharp tongue. He cheekily wrapped his arms around her waist, and Zhu Xi didn’t resist at all. “What do you mean, my daughter? Isn’t she yours too?” “She’s An Baili’s, not mine.” “Qingying is usually the closest to you. Every time she calls you Mommy Zhu Xi, Mommy Zhu Xi, you’re overjoyed. I’ve seen it all.” Zhu Xi was exposed and blushed. “Mmm… don’t hug me. It’s almost seven o’clock. The parent-teacher conference is at eight. Hurry up and get ready…”
“I want a kiss.”
“How old are you…” Although she was disgusted, Zhu Xi still kissed Lu Li with deep affection. The family had been married for so many years and were still as sweet as honey. She also found it a little incredible. Perhaps it was because there were so many people in the family, and every day when she woke up, it was something new. She felt she would never get tired of it, just bickering and making a fuss like this for a lifetime…
…
Lu Li changed into a formal suit. He saw Zhu Qiao supporting Hupo as they came down from upstairs. Little Qiao had cut her hair short and now looked even more like Zhu Xi.
Hupo said in a soft voice, “Little Qiao, I’ve only just gotten pregnant. There’s no need to be so careful. My belly isn’t even big yet.”
Little Qiao shook her head like a rattle drum. “No, no. I promised gege I would take care of you, so I will definitely fulfill my duty as a bodyguard!”
Zhu Xi looked at Little Qiao helplessly. Forget it. My sister is an adult, after all. There’s no need to lecture her anymore. I’ll give her some face.
In the end, Zhu Xi thought of something. “At the parent-teacher conference later, you’re not allowed to get too close to other women, especially that Teacher Liao… She’s…”
“She’s what?”
“Forget it… it’s nothing…” Zhu Xi had wanted to say that Liao Yunjun was the niece of that Teacher Xie from Lu Li’s childhood, and that they had some connection to their family.
Just then, Jingyi and Jianing came back from the door. They had recently been working on a horror game project at the company—this had excited the Silly Goose to no end. She had put twelve points of enthusiasm into helping Jianing manage this project. Every evening when she came back, this girl would chatter on to Lu Li about what plot points they had done today and what new ideas they had. Lu Li would also listen quietly, occasionally raising some not-so-tricky but thought-provoking little questions.
The Little Tiger had a quick temper. While the Silly Goose was still gently sending affectionate looks to Lu Li, Chen Jianing began to shout, “Aren’t we going to Qingying’s parent-teacher conference? Why isn’t Qingying here yet?”
“I’ll go find her.” Lu Li was most afraid of the girls gathering when they had nothing to do, talking about topics that would make even a thick-skinned man like him blush. So he found an excuse to leave them to talk and flew upstairs himself.
He knocked on the door of Qingying’s room. No response. Lu Li waited for a bit, then called his daughter’s name again. Still no response. “Qingying, I’m coming in.” After announcing, Lu Li pushed the door open. The moment he entered, he saw Lu Qingying lying on her desk, asleep. Her homework was neatly placed to the side, looking untouched.
Lu Li found it amusing. This girl was just like her mother, sometimes very clever, and sometimes very silly. A child of her age had the most vigorous energy, hopping and jumping until late at night before sleeping. How could she fall asleep so early? And while doing her homework? Lu Li quietly walked to Lu Qingying’s front, looked at the little girl’s exquisite, porcelain-doll-like face, and asked with a smile, “Qingying, are you asleep?”
“Zzzzz…” she let out a soft snoring sound, looking like she was fast asleep.
Lu Li reached out to pull open a drawer and saw a phone with a lit screen inside. The phone was still on a chat page and hadn’t had time to be closed. Lu Li clicked his tongue in admiration. “How amazing. This phone was put in the drawer, and no one touched it, yet it can type and chat by itself!”
Lu Qingying couldn’t hold it in any longer and burst out laughing. Then she seemed to realize something, covered her mouth, and looked at Lu Li pitifully.
Lu Li gently patted her head. “What did Daddy say? Finish your homework before you play on your phone. When you do one thing, do it with focus. Don’t be of two minds, understand?”
“I’m sorry…” Lu Qingying was still obedient. Or perhaps she was only so obedient in front of Lu Li?
“I remember I confiscated a phone from you last time. Which mommy gave you this one?”
Lu Qingying shook her head. “I promised Mommy I wouldn’t tell!”
“Did you get it from Mommy Qiao by acting cute?”
Lu Qingying covered her mouth in surprise. “How did you guess so quickly?”
Lu Li laughed out loud. “She’s the most soft-hearted. If it’s not her, it’s Mommy Jingyi. Jingyi has been busy with the game recently, so it can only be Zhu Qiao. You little girl, I’m confiscating this one. If I find another one next time, I’ll really have to teach you a lesson.”
Lu Qingying said, “Oh.” “I’m sorry… I know I was wrong.”
So good. Lu Li was about to praise her, but afraid she would get carried away, he stopped in time. Then he picked up his daughter. “Let’s go. We’re going to the parent-teacher conference!”
…
Liao Yunjun stood at the classroom door, forcing herself to squeeze out a smile to deal with the parents. The most rampant thing on a Xin’an autumn night was the mosquitoes. After standing at the door for half an hour, her hands were covered in bites. Of course, the most torturous thing was not the mosquitoes, but the smiling—to Liao Yunjun, smiling at others was a task no less difficult than chewing through three thick classics in one day.
She didn’t like this kind of insincere socializing. She could see that many parents didn’t actually care about their children’s growth. They came to the parent-teacher conference just to show off their family’s conditions—it was evident from the fact that they were dressed more and more ostentatiously. It had even gotten to the point where the parents of a few children from farming families were unwilling to sit in the classroom and had gone outside to get some air.
If it had been the her of a year ago, fresh out of graduation, she would have confronted these parents about their indifference to their children. But the her of now was much more mature and understood that many things could not be changed by human effort… Or rather, society had taught her: the world is actually cruel.
She felt that every day she worked now was a drain on her spirit. She wished so much that she could earn enough money, quit her job, and go back to her hometown to be a librarian at a library, or even a janitor.
…
At 8:30, the parents had gradually arrived. Only Lu Qingying and her parents hadn’t come. Speaking of Lu Qingying, Liao Yunjun had a bit of a headache. Without a doubt, Lu Qingying was a smart child. She understood things in a flash and learned things through and through. But her personality was too flighty. It was clear that Qingying’s family was very well-off—although she never mentioned her family at school.
Besides being flighty, she also loved to brag a little. Bragging is not a good habit, Liao Yunjun thought. Bragging is tied to vanity, and vanity is an excellent weapon for destroying a person. She didn’t want her students to pick up the bad habit of vanity.
The autumn evening breeze was a little cool. Even though Liao Yunjun was wearing long sleeves, she still felt a little cold. Just as she was about to make a call, she saw a young man hurriedly coming up the stairs. He looked very young, like a university student, and his appearance was somewhat similar to Lu Qingying’s. Was he her older brother? Had Qingying not invited her parents, but her older brother who was in university?
“Teacher Liao, are you Teacher Liao?” Lu Li panted. Liao Yunjun was much more exquisite in person than in her photo, but her temperament was not as bright as in the photo, but rather carried a hint of gloom.
“Yes. Are you Lu Qingying’s guardian? Are you her older brother?” Liao Yunjun’s tone was a little dissatisfied. “Why didn’t the child’s parents come?”
“No, you’ve misunderstood. I am Lu Qingying’s father.” Lu Li’s breathing gradually stabilized. It seemed this Teacher Liao was not a person who paid attention to the news or TV. She actually didn’t recognize Lu Li. Of course, this was also because Lu Li had been keeping a lower and lower profile in recent years.
“Mr. Lu Li?” Liao Yunjun remembered Lu Qingying had said her father’s name was Lu Li. “…You look a little too young…”
“I actually graduated from Mulan University a few years ago,” Lu Li said with a smile.
“You’re also from Mulan University…” Liao Yunjun was slightly surprised, and her attitude improved a little. “Qingying didn’t come? Is it just you?” She sighed in her heart. Lu Qingying looks like an exquisite doll. Sure enough, her father’s genes are to thank.
Lu Li hesitated for a moment. “Teacher Liao, may I have a word with you?”
Liao Yunjun hesitated for a moment, then nodded and followed Lu Li to the side. She heard Lu Li say, “Teacher Liao, Qingying and my wives… are all waiting downstairs.”
“Then why don’t you let—Mr. Lu, what do you mean, wives?” Liao Yunjun’s eyes widened.
“It’s like this. I have seven wives… which is why Qingying said she has many mothers. I was afraid of causing a commotion at the parent-teacher conference if I just brought them here, so I came to explain the situation to you first, Teacher Liao.”
“But—impossible! The law only allows one husband and one wife!”
Lu Li rubbed his temples. Back then, the witness to his wedding had been the emperor of Shenzhou, Zhu Youcheng. To Lu Li, the law actually had a symbolic significance far greater than its practical use. “Teacher Liao, do you still remember, about when you were in high school, was there any news about a marriage law reform?”
“…”
“My wives and I were married during the pilot period of the reform. It is a legal and valid marital relationship.” Lu Li called out behind him, “Baili, bring Qingying up.”
Under Liao Yunjun’s shocked gaze, the girls, led by An Baili and with Zhu Xi bringing up the rear, appeared one after another. The moment this group of exceptionally beautiful girls appeared, Liao Yunjun was already speechless. She didn’t know what kind of holy figures Lu Li’s family were, and even more so, she didn’t know where Lu Li, this male fox spirit, had come from.
Lu Qingying took An Baili’s hand and said to the head teacher, “Teacher Liao, I didn’t lie to you. This is my biological mother, this is Mommy Hupo, this is Mommy Yameng… They are all my mommies.”
Liao Yunjun’s brain went dizzy. She felt her worldview had been impacted. Sure enough, I should just resign next year and go back to sweeping the floor…
Lu Li paused, waiting for her to digest the information, before saying, “Teacher Liao, you see, this is the situation.”
Liao Yunjun took a deep breath. “I misunderstood Qingying. But Mr. Lu, when you attend the parent-teacher conference later, please take your esteemed wives to the empty seats in the back row, and don’t disturb the others, and don’t make a scene. Otherwise, I’m worried it will have a bad influence on the other children.”
“Okay, thank you, Teacher Liao.”
As Liao Yunjun turned around, Lu Li also heard this little teacher mutter, “Unbelievable.”
…
An Baili squatted down and instructed Lu Qingying, “Qingying, be good at the parent-teacher conference later, okay? Did you hear what your head teacher just said? Now your teacher already believes you.”
Lu Qingying was extremely proud. “Hmph, hmph, I told you I wasn’t lying, and Teacher Liao still didn’t believe me!”
…
After Lu Li and his wives had taken their seats in the back row, it caused a small commotion in the classroom. Many people looked at Lu Li’s group with surprise and uncertainty. Some might have guessed Lu Li’s and the others’ identities but couldn’t be sure. Others were curious why this group of rarely seen, stunningly beautiful women would all appear here at the same time. But they just sat quietly in their seats, not talking to anyone else, not making any comments, leaving a mystery for the outsiders.
…
Liao Yunjun saw that everyone had arrived and opened her small microphone. “Good evening, everyone. Welcome to the parent-teacher conference of Class Seven, Grade One of Xin’an No. 1 Primary School. I am Liao Yunjun, the head teacher and Chinese teacher of Class Seven. Next, I will first report on the learning and life situation of all the children in the past six months…”
…
As Liao Yunjun was reporting on the podium, the girl sitting next to the parent in front of Lu Li turned her head and looked at Lu Qingying with curiosity. “Qingying… who are all those people? Do you know?”
Lu Qingying, with her father by her side, proudly lifted her head, her nostrils facing her little friend, not revealing a single word.
Lu Li reprimanded in a low voice, “No manners. When you talk to someone, you should look them in the eye.”
Only then did Lu Qingying reluctantly lower her head. “I don’t know.”
…
It had to be said that Liao Yunjun was really a dedicated and responsible teacher. Her report was comprehensive and specific, more practical than the reports of the bureaucrats under Lu Li. She didn’t single out any student, but comprehensively summarized some important points, hoping that the parents would pay attention to certain aspects of their children’s problems when they got back. For some of the parents in the class who were in financial difficulty, she also specially mentioned that the school had a student aid program that could waive a portion of the tuition and miscellaneous fees.
What surprised Lu Li was that Lu Qingying had actually been first in the grade for the first half of the year and had also been chosen as the class representative to speak at the parent-teacher conference. After the student representative’s speech, Lu Li, as a parent, also had to speak—this girl had never told her family about this. No wonder Teacher Liao was so concerned about Lu Qingying’s affairs. So there was this reason.
“Girl, just say some polite words. Don’t go too far,” Lu Li instructed. He knew his daughter was clever to the point of being cunning—relative to her peers.
“Don’t worry, Daddy. I know what I’m doing!” Lu Qingying patted her chest.
She stepped on the chair in front of the podium with her little short legs and was just barely as tall as the microphone. Lu Li was not at ease and went up to support her, afraid this girl would fall. Standing on the podium, he could see the various expressions on the faces of the girls in the last row:
An Baili was giving Lu Qingying a thumbs-up.
Wen Hupo seemed to be flipping through Qingying’s textbook, nodding as she read, it was unclear what satisfactory thing she had seen.
Zou Yameng was exchanging flirtatious glances with Lu Li.
Chu Jingyi was resting her chin on her hand, looking at Lu Li and Lu Qingying with a silly smile. She was probably thinking about her future life with Lu Li and their child.
Chen Jianing was boredly lying on the table, drowsy.
Zhu Qiao was waiting for Lu Qingying’s speech with great interest.
Zhu Xi had gone straight to the back door and was leaning against the corridor, getting some cool air.
…
Lu Qingying grabbed the small microphone, almost eating it. “Hello everyone, my name is Lu Qingying. I’m the academic committee member of Class Seven, Grade One~” Her voice was milky and sweet, extremely cute.
Sometimes when Lu Li was in a meeting, Lu Qingying would sit in a corner of the conference room. As Lu Li’s daughter, no one would of course drive her away. So this girl had been used to hearing the rambling talk of government departments since she was a child. So Lu Li wasn’t worried she would get stuck.
“I first want to thank Teacher Liao for her cultivation~” Lu Qingying paused, then lowered her head and said to Lu Li in a small voice, “Daddy, the button in my pocket fell out. Can you help me find it? It’s on the floor…”
Lu Li lowered his head and was still looking for the so-called button when he heard Lu Qingying say loudly into the microphone the next second:
“I have one daddy, and seven mommies…”
(End of book)
