Born in the 1980s, she was remarried and became a stepmother; a cold, rough man doted on her, pinchi

The cicadas chirped incessantly among the branches and leaves, and the scorching sun poured down on the streets and alleys without reservation, gilding this long summer vacation with a layer of burning gold.

Shi An, Shi Ning, and Chen Yu had just finished their middle school entrance exams. Like birds freed from their cages, they spent their days playing with their six-year-old daughter, Xin Yao, in the yard and streets, their laughter echoing in every corner.

Sunlight filtered through the dappled leaves, spilling into the courtyard.

Shi An, Shi Ning, and Chen Yu got up early, and Xin Yao followed behind them like a little tail.

They were playing jump rope in the yard. Although Xinyao was young, she learned quite well, her small body nimbly weaving between the ropes, while reciting a tuneless rhyme: "Little ball, kick it (banana pear), the iris blooms at twenty-one..."

Shi An and Shi Ning patiently taught her from the side, their laughter filling the air.

Sometimes, they would take Xinyao to the small shop at the alley entrance, use their saved pocket money to buy a few packs of sweet and sour hawthorn candy, and the four of them would sit under the shade of a tree, eating and sharing their little secrets.

In the afternoon, as the sun grew increasingly scorching, they retreated indoors, turned on the old electric fan, and played cards together, listening to its creaking and groaning.

Shi An and Shi Ning would deliberately let Xin Yao win a few rounds. Every time Xin Yao won, she would jump up excitedly, her little face flushed and her eyes sparkling with pride.

Chen Yu watched them with a smile, occasionally offering suggestions that made everyone laugh.

That day, just as they were having a great time, their neighbor, Aunt Zhang, knocked on their door.

Aunt Zhang looked anxious, holding her son's report card in her hand. "Shi'an, Shi'ning, Auntie needs to talk to you about something," Aunt Zhang said as she walked into the yard, wiping the sweat from her forehead.

Shi An and Shi Ning quickly got up and invited Aunt Zhang to sit down.

"Auntie, please just tell me what's wrong."

Shi Ning said enthusiastically.

Aunt Zhang sighed and handed over the report card: "Look at this, my son just started junior high school, and his grades in the main subjects are terrible."

"I heard you all just finished your middle school entrance exams and got really good results. Could you tutor my child? I'll pay you to help out."

Shi An and Shi Ning exchanged a glance, somewhat hesitant.

Although they had just taken the high school entrance exam and their knowledge was still fresh, they had never been a junior teacher before and were unsure of themselves.

At this moment, Chen Yu said softly from the side, "Actually, we can give it a try, just to reinforce our knowledge."

Xinyao chimed in, "Brothers, come on, come on, I can help too!"

Her innocent words made everyone laugh.

Shi An thought for a moment and said, "Auntie, tutoring is fine, but we can't accept money. We're neighbors, so let's help each other out."

Shi Ning nodded in agreement. Aunt Zhang was so moved that her eyes welled up with tears: "You two children are so thoughtful! Thank you in advance."

They acted immediately, choosing the old locust tree in the courtyard as the location for the tutoring session.

The next morning, Aunt Zhang brought her son Jianjun over.

Jianjun looked a little shy, with his head down and his hands tightly gripping the strap of his schoolbag.

Shi An walked over with a smile and patted Jianjun on the shoulder: "Jianjun, don't be nervous, we're just studying together. Which subject are you weak in?"

Jianjun said softly, "I'm not very good at math, Chinese, and English."

Shi Ning took out his middle school entrance exam notes and said, "It's okay, let's start with math. I think math isn't difficult as long as you master the methods." So, Shi Ning patiently began to explain the basics of math to Jianjun, from algebra to geometry. He explained things in a simple and easy-to-understand way, and occasionally gave some real-life examples to make it easier for Jianjun to understand.

Shi An helped answer Jianjun's questions, while Chen Yu added some of his own learning experiences.

Xinyao wasn't idle either. Like a little housekeeper, she served everyone tea and water, and would tell a few jokes to cheer everyone up when they were tired from studying.

When explaining linear equations in one variable, Jianjun always struggled to understand the concept of transposing terms, which made him extremely frustrated.

Shi Ning wasn't in a hurry. He took out several slips of paper, wrote numbers and symbols on them, and then demonstrated the process of moving items to Jianjun by moving the slips of paper.

After several demonstrations and explanations, Jianjun finally understood and a happy smile appeared on his face: "I get it, so that's how it is!"

Shi Ning smiled with relief: "Yes, it's that simple. As long as you practice more, you'll definitely be fine."

After their math tutoring session in the morning, they began their Chinese language studies in the afternoon.

Shi An analyzed the text with Jianjun, explained the content words and function words in classical Chinese, and taught him how to write good compositions.

They read classic model essays together, and Shi An would have Jianjun identify the highlights of the essays and then imitate them in his own writing.

Jianjun made remarkable progress, from initially not knowing where to begin writing to later being able to write essays with clear structure and rich content.

Learning English was somewhat challenging for Jianjun, especially memorizing vocabulary and understanding grammar.

Chen Yu leveraged his strengths, teaching Jianjun to memorize words using association and root/affix methods, and explaining grammar through simple and easy-to-understand examples.

Every morning, they would read English texts aloud together to practice their speaking and listening skills.

During the tutoring process, they also encountered some minor incidents.

Once, the weather was exceptionally hot, and even the old locust tree could not withstand the heat wave.

Everyone was feeling drowsy and their learning efficiency was low.

Shi Ning had a sudden inspiration and said, "Let's stop studying and go buy popsicles!"

So, the group of them went to the convenience store in a large group. Everyone picked out their favorite popsicles, sat under the shade of a tree, ate their popsicles, and shared their funny stories. Their fatigue and heat instantly disappeared.

As time went on, the achievements in building the army improved significantly.

Before the start of the semester, Shi An and Shi Ning gave him several new practice tests that they had never done before, and they found that his grades in the main subjects had improved significantly.

Aunt Zhang was overjoyed. She visited Shi An's house again, this time bringing a basket of fruit she had grown herself.

"Shi'an, Shi'ning, Chen Yu, thank you so much! Jianjun has made great progress in this exam. These fruits are a small token of my appreciation, please accept them."

Aunt Zhang said sincerely.

Shi An and the others couldn't refuse, so they accepted the fruit. Looking at the basket of fruit, Xin Yao exclaimed happily, "Wow, so much fruit! We can have a fruit party together!"

Everyone burst into laughter upon hearing this.

"The Qin family is truly blessed. Look at their daughter and son, how outstanding they are." (End of Chapter)