Chapter 65: Parent-Teacher Conference, This Is My Mother

When she saw the man, Xia Yan’s heart suddenly fluttered with anxiety. She didn’t know how others felt when meeting the police, but every time she did, a nervous unease rose within her—even if she’d done nothing wrong. Just the sight of that hat and uniform always made her tense.

“Officer, I am Xia Yan,” she forced a smile and greeted the man.

He visibly relaxed when she spoke. “At last, I’ve found you. I’ve been here three times already.”

“Is there something you’ve come to talk to me about?”

“I’m Wu Song from the Public Security Bureau in Shanxia Town. I mainly came to discuss Liu Xiuying with you,” he said, producing his credentials.

At the mention of Liu Xiuying’s name, Xia Yan understood at once. So the police officer was here to plead on her behalf?

“Officer Wu, if you’ve come to intercede for Liu Xiuying, then don’t bother. She struck my son—there’s no forgiving her for that.”

As Xia Yan had guessed, Wu Song was indeed here to plead her case. Before becoming a police officer, he had been a soldier stationed locally, and his relationship with Zhao Ming was quite good.

Last time, Zhao Ming had asked for leniency, but Xia Yan hadn’t agreed, so he’d decided to ask Wu Song to mediate.

Wu Song looked embarrassed, not expecting to be refused before he’d even spoken. Still, since Zhao Ming had approached him, he could only press on. “Comrade Xia, Liu Xiuying has been detained for several days now. She realizes her mistake. We’re all families of stationed personnel—how about letting her come to apologize in person, buy some treats for the child, and let bygones be bygones?”

Xia Yan’s earlier good mood evaporated. She sneered, “Let bygones be bygones? Officer Wu, if your child had been beaten, would you say the same? Buy some snacks and toys? I don’t lack money. Liu Xiuying hit my child—do you realize the psychological harm that causes? It cannot be fixed with a few treats.”

She set down her bucket, picked up Lin Nuannuan, and walked home without looking back.

Wu Song hurried after her. “Comrade Xia Yan, please let me finish.”

Half an hour later, Wu Song left Xia Yan’s house, parched and bitter, utterly defeated. No matter what he said, Xia Yan was unmoved—her response was always the same: “Impossible.”

He suspected if he kept pushing, she’d throw him out altogether.

“If I’d known, I wouldn’t have meddled in other people’s business…”

As soon as Wu Song left, Wang Guilan arrived with Erdan in tow. Upon seeing Xia Yan, she said, “So, was he here to plead for Liu Xiuying?”

“Yes, it’s so annoying. Zhao Ming has some nerve—after Liu Xiuying beat my Xiaozhe so badly, he still dares ask for leniency.”

Xia Yan poured Wang Guilan a glass of water and continued, “Let’s not worry about them. Aunt Wang, tell me about that method you mentioned for hatching chicks using the heated kang bed?”

Wang Guilan looked around Xia Yan’s home. “Xia, you don’t even have a kang bed here. How are you going to hatch chicks?”

“If I don’t have one, I’ll make one.”

“You make it sound easy, but building a kang bed isn’t simple. Lin You isn’t home, and it’s a lot of trouble for you alone.”

Wang Guilan was amused by Xia Yan’s determination. “Besides, you need clay for the kang bed.”

Xia Yan drooped. “That sounds like too much trouble. I’ll wait until Lin You comes back.”

“That’s right. Here, take this.”

Wang Guilan nodded and placed the bag she’d brought onto the table.

“What’s this?”

“Seeds. This packet is rapeseed, and this one…” Wang Guilan opened the bag and explained each type to Xia Yan. Eventually, she couldn’t remember them all and had to jot them down on paper.

That evening, Xia Yan took the children to the regiment headquarters and called Shanxia to inquire after Lin You.

She briefly recounted the events of the past few days to Lin You, who was surprised. “I can’t believe so much happened in just a few days. That Zhang Jun is bold—he even dared approach a soldier’s wife. Xia Yan, stay away from him. I knew he was bad news the moment I saw him.”

“Don’t worry, I’m not blind…”

After their conversation, the three children clamored to speak with Lin You as well. Even Lin Hongzhe, usually quiet, was reluctant to hang up after saying several sentences.

The next day, after finishing her chores, Xia Yan saw it was already past eight. She sent Nuannuan next door and hurried to the school.

Despite the previous incident when the teacher had called her in, Xia Yan still felt nervous about attending the parent-teacher meeting this time.

She arrived just as class was ending. The schoolyard was full of children playing, their necks adorned with dirty red scarves. The younger ones had snot under their noses, sniffling occasionally.

The girls played with elastic jump ropes, reminding Xia Yan of her own childhood, when her only worry was the homework waiting for her at home.

Many parents were arriving as well, all women.

“Aunt Xia, you’re finally here. Come inside the classroom.”

There were only ten children in her son’s class. As she entered, she immediately drew everyone’s attention. She had deliberately chosen inconspicuous clothes, but compared to the other women in the room, hers were still somewhat more elegant.

Just then, a man with large black-rimmed glasses entered through the door.

“Hello, Teacher Zhou. This is my mother.”

Xia Yan was taken aback; she hadn’t expected Lin Hongzhe to introduce her that way. Hearing him call her “mother” moved her deeply. She smiled, stroked his head, and looked up at the man. “Hello, Teacher Zhou, I’m Xia Yan, Hongzhe’s mother.”

Zhou Weimin had heard about Xia Yan’s previous visit, though he hadn’t seen her then. Now, seeing her for the first time, he was struck by her presence. “Hello, I’m Zhou Weimin, Hongzhe’s homeroom teacher.”

He knew a little about Lin You’s family. Since he was the only math teacher at the school, he also taught Lin Hongzhe. He remembered the previous parent meeting clearly—the woman who came hadn’t even looked people in the eye.

That time, Lin Hongzhe had hidden behind him, unwilling to greet her.

This time was different. The boy used the word “mother” to introduce Xia Yan, clearly very fond of her. Still, she looked so young.

“Mother of Hongzhe, I happened to want to ask your advice about something.”

“You’re too polite, Teacher Zhou. Please, ask me anything directly…”