“Sister, let’s eat first, then you can memorize.” Zhu Yanyi brought the dishes to the table and called out to Zhu Yanli.
Zhu Yanli put down her textbook and came out. “This English is so hard to remember. Ani, how do you do it? Your English is so smooth.” Even though her younger sister was smaller, her English was better. Zhu Yanli felt very jealous.
“Sister, I think morning is best for words,” Zhu Yanyi said, bringing out bowls and chopsticks. “If you learn at night, you forget by morning. I wake up at five every day to read. It works best. You can try tomorrow.”
Zhu Yanli nodded. “I will try tomorrow.”
Just then, Zhu Shunyao came back carrying an iron rake.
Zhu Shunyao no longer worked at the factory. Now he worked in the fields every day. The land gave him good rewards, so he loved it. He spent half the day in the greenhouse. Even just watching the plants made him happy.
“Dad, time to eat,” Zhu Yanyi called.
“Okay,” Zhu Shunyao replied. He went to wash up and changed into clean clothes. Everyone was already seated, waiting for him.
“Eat, eat. Don’t wait for me,” Zhu Shunyao said with a smile. He sat down, ate a peanut to start, and then poured himself a small cup of wine.
“By the way, Ani, you have a letter. I put it on your desk,” Xie Xinlian said while feeding Zhu Zhibin.
Zhu Yanyi nodded. “Probably from my masters.”
“Are your masters okay in the capital? You must ask in your next letter. You are their student, so you should care,” Xie Xinlian said.
Zhu Yanyi hummed in agreement. Zhu Shunyao took a sip of wine. “You worry too much. Ani is smarter than us. She knows what to do.”
“She is still my daughter, born from my belly,” Xie Xinlian glared at Zhu Shunyao, her tone sharp.
Zhu Shunyao chuckled. “Okay, okay. I spoke wrong. Eat your food.”
As they talked more, their hearts felt open. Zhu Shunyao was more tolerant of Xie Xinlian now.
Zhu Yanyi looked at Xie Xinlian. She saw her mother was uneasy. This was normal. Zhu Shunyao’s career was rising, but Xie Xinlian was illiterate. Soon, they would have less to talk about. Many marriages failed because of this. Zhu Yanyi thought her mother needed something to do, so she wouldn’t worry.
Zhu Yanyi understood her mother’s feelings. Before, they were equal. Now, there was a gap. If Xie Xinlian did not improve, she would fall behind. It would be hard to catch up. To Zhu Yanyi, this was just a lack of confidence. Without confidence, one feels inferior. So, Zhu Yanyi needed to help her mother feel confident again.