Grandma Qin and Jiang Ran were supervising the children doing their homework in the front hall.
Because of her beauty and gentle nature, Jiang Ran was very popular, and everyone lined up to ask her questions.
Jiang Ran was also incredibly patient, always smiling when she spoke.
Even when encountering some silly little kids…
For example, “Sister Ranran! Sister Ranran! How much is 8 + 6?”
“Count on your fingers.”
“I don’t have that many fingers.”
“Then use your toes too.”
The foolish human child would count using both fingers and toes, then excitedly tell her, “It’s 15!”
Even with Jiang Ran’s endless patience, at this moment she couldn’t help but feel a little exhausted.
A top student might have good grades, but that doesn’t mean a top student can teach.
How was she supposed to tell them that 8 + 6 = 14?
There was no way to explain it, because 8 + 6 just is 14, there’s no reason why.
In the end, Grandma Qin helped out from the side, and only then were today’s math problems completed.
Then, seeing there was still time, Jiang Ran pulled out a post-class story to broaden their minds, asking, “There are chickens and rabbits in the same cage. Counting from the top, there are thirty-five heads. Counting from the bottom, there are ninety-four feet. How many chickens and rabbits are in the cage? Everyone, think about it, then tell me the answer.”
A little loli blinked her eyes and asked in surprise, “Sister Ranran, are you silly?”
“Huh? How am I silly?”
“You can count how many heads there are, couldn’t you just count how many rabbits and how many chickens there are directly?”
“Haha!”
Xu Huo, who was eavesdropping nearby, couldn’t hold back and let out a snorting laugh like a pig.
Jiang Ran heard the familiar sound, turned her head and glared fiercely at her brother, then took a deep breath and said, “I just won’t count directly. Can you figure it out?”
“Uh…”
The little loli’s big eyes blinked a few times, then she put her head down to calculate.
Xu Huo also walked over to them.
Everyone was frowning slightly, their faces serious, as if the problems on the paper were insurmountable enemies.
Because the children were of different ages, the knowledge points involved in the problems also varied.
Simple ones included addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division, while harder ones involved linear equations with two variables and the Pythagorean theorem.
Of course, these were nothing to Jiang Ran, a high-achieving student who was admitted on recommendation.
***
“Brother, you came at a good time. Let’s switch shifts. I’ll go help out in the kitchen.”
Jiang Ran had an expression that screamed, “I’m tired, just let it all be destroyed.”
Xu Huo quickly scanned the answers and found that everyone’s accuracy was quite high.
He immediately smiled and said, “Isn’t this going pretty well?”
Jiang Ran gritted her teeth, “It’s because Grandma Qin and I taught them problem by problem! How could it not be good?”
Seeing Jiang Ran clenching her teeth, and then glancing at Grandma Qin who was covering her mouth to stifle laughter nearby, it seemed like she had suffered quite a bit today.
Xu Huo sighed and gently stroked her head.
Jiang Ran rested her head on Xu Huo’s arm, closing her eyes for a moment.
She then regained her confident demeanor, tidied her hair, and spoke, “Ask if you don’t understand anything…”
“Just look over the after-class exercises.”
Xu Huo clapped his hands, “Everyone, stop your homework now, line up to wash your hands, then go to the restaurant for dinner. There’s a big meal today!”
A chorus of joyful cheers immediately erupted.
The children pushed Grandma Qin to walk ahead.
Xu Huo helped Jiang Ran, who was behind them.
Watching her cry out in pain, he couldn’t help but ask, “I just asked you to help kids with their homework, why does it seem like a battle?”
“You’re talking without feeling the pain! This is much more tiring than fighting a battle! No wonder so many parents lose it.”
Xu Huo squinted and smiled.
“You’re still laughing?”
Jiang Ran complained, then suddenly lowered her voice and asked alertly, “Did you see Han Xiao carry things past just now?”
“Yeah, she got here earlier than us.”
“Grandma Qin said she passed by here before while filming a show, knew the conditions were poor, and then came back several times, bringing a lot of things. She even stayed at Han Xiao’s house the days Grandma Qin was injured.”
“The old man said so too.”
“I couldn’t tell! With a face like that, I thought she’d be some seductive hussy.”
“Uh-huh?”
Feeling a large hand reach over from the side, Jiang Ran subconsciously shut her eyes tightly.
The large hand that had ruffled countless strands of hair fell straight down, not hitting hard, but curving to pinch her ear, shaking it back and forth.
“Ow, Big Brother, be gentle… It hurts so much… My ear’s going to fall off…”
“Don’t use that tone. If someone hears, they’ll think I did something to you.”
“Can you let go then?”
Xu Huo immediately released her small ear, saying calmly, “You talk without thinking, someone might hear you again!”
Jiang Ran corrected her mistake instantly, straightening her posture.
Her graceful figure was fully revealed in this dip and rise, “I’m only whispering to you. She really doesn’t look like a good woman.”
“Oh, so pretty women aren’t good women? Then you’re not either?”
“I’m your little sister! How can that be the same? Even if the whole world is against you, I will firmly stand behind you!”
Jiang Ran patted her chest, making a solemn promise, her small face very serious.
Xu Huo asked exasperatedly, “Why would I be against the whole world?”
“Because the whole world is against me.”
Xu Huo spread his hands, helplessly saying, “Then I guess I really have to be against the whole world.”
Killing one’s sister to achieve enlightenment is a cult.
Jiang Ran chuckled sheepishly twice.
***
“Sister Ranran! Help me wash my hands!”
“Coming!”
The children’s arms were too short to reach the faucet’s handle.
Jiang Ran easily reached over and turned on the tap, and a stream of cool water flowed out.
“So cool! Sister Ranran, soap! Soap!”
The children giggled, and Xu Huo went to help carry the dishes.
Jiang Ran was enough to take care of the front hall.
“Oh, be careful not to get your clothes wet!”
Jiang Ran gently helped the children wash and dry their hands.
Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Grandma Qin smiling at her, and the little girl felt a bit embarrassed again.
“Grandma Qin, is something wrong?”
“Nothing… I just think you’re very good at taking care of people.”
“I was also taken care of this way.”
“Many people have been taken care of.”
As an experienced elder, Grandma Qin could discern many qualities just by seeing how well Jiang Ran got along with the children.
She felt that Jiang Ran truly had a lot of love and compassion, a gentle and kind personality, was simple and sincere in dealing with people, and had a very good temper.
The more she looked, the more she liked her.
“Big Brother taught me well.”
Grandma Qin asked knowingly, “Why not your mom and dad?”
“I spend the most time with Big Brother!”
Jiang Ran seemed to be stating the obvious, then clapped her hands, “Come on, everyone, sit on your chairs.”
The dining tables at the orphanage were much larger than typical household ones, long and rectangular.
Jiang Ran pushed Grandma Qin to the head seat.
The little kids were already seated on their designated high stools, their short legs dangling in the air.
Like in class, they obediently placed their hands on the table, waiting for their older brother and sister to serve them food.
Xu Huo hadn’t arrived yet, so Jiang Ran chatted with Grandma Qin; she hadn’t had time earlier due to tutoring.
The topics of conversation were mostly about her life and studies.
Unexpectedly, Grandma Qin also graduated from S University; she was an alumna from nearly forty years ago, which made Jiang Ran feel much closer to Grandma Qin.
What made Jiang Ran particularly comfortable was that Grandma Qin never asked her about dating or if she had a crush, which greatly relieved the young girl.
After all, ever since middle school, whenever she ate with relatives and elders, seeing her appearance, they would inevitably worry about her grades and relationships.
These were the most common questions, and hearing them always gave her a headache.
Every time, her brother would grit his teeth and say fiercely, “Dare to date early! I’ll break your legs!”
Only then would those relatives relax, only to start worrying again the next year.
It’s good not to talk about it, so good not to talk about it~
Those parents always worry needlessly…
She still wanted to coast for two more years.
Hmm?
Why two years?