Given that every time she said something like this, it always spelled trouble, Jiang Si immediately became wary and asked, "What scheme are you hatching in that little head of yours now?"
"Mom, I don't know how to do multiplication and division..."
"You don't know, yet you still dared to sign up?"
Zhaozhao immediately wrapped her arms tighter around her neck, sweet-talking, "Mom, will you teach me? Zhaozhao is very smart, she learns quickly."
She was smart, that was beyond doubt, but she couldn't keep setting her mom up like this.
Even after returning home, Jiang Si couldn't help but sigh whenever she remembered the situation.
"What's wrong?" Huo Tingzhou had surprisingly gotten off work a bit earlier today. As soon as he got home, he saw Jiang Si sitting on the sofa with her arms crossed, sighing.
Jiang Si said, "Having children who are too smart isn't always good; it's too exhausting for their mom."
Huo Tingzhou looked puzzled. "Did the kids make you angry?"
"Not really, they're just too... driven." After saying this, Jiang Si recounted everything that had happened that day to Huo Tingzhou, leaving nothing out.
She was good at mental arithmetic, but that was limited to daily calculations like budgeting; she couldn't even be considered an amateur.
Addition and subtraction were easier to teach, but multiplication and division... how was she supposed to teach those?
"What should we do?" Jiang Si worried.
"Don't panic just yet."
Huo Tingzhou asked about the specific date of the competition. Learning there was still half a month left, he put his arm around her shoulder to comfort her. "It's alright, I'll think of something."
Jiang Si was surprised. "What idea?"
Huo Tingzhou said, "Do you remember those comrades-in-arms who came for the kids' first birthday party? One of them wore glasses."
Hearing this, Jiang Si did have some impression, though she couldn't recall the specific name, only remembering that his surname seemed to be Zhuo.
"Right, his name is Zhuo Mingda. We were at the same military academy before. Later, he was seconded to the Military Economic College."
The Military Economic College is an important base for training general logistics professionals for the entire military.
One of its core courses is called Mental Abacus Calculation.
Zhuo Mingda was among the first batch of students. With strong professional skills, he chose to stay and teach after graduation and is now a senior instructor at the Economic College.
"I'll send Zhaozhao over and have him give her a crash course. Zhaozhao is so smart, she should be able to learn it."
Jiang Si hesitated. "Would it be inappropriate to bother him over such a small matter?"
Huo Tingzhou shook his head with a smile. "Their college is already on winter break. He's just idle at home anyway. Besides, last time he was here, he already gave Zhaozhao quite a bit of guidance. Otherwise, her abacus skills wouldn't have improved so rapidly."
Hearing this, Jiang Si felt reassured.
Huo Tingzhou didn't delay either. The next morning, after his meeting, he went to find his comrade.
Zhuo Mingda wondered what the matter was and immediately urged Huo Tingzhou to bring his 'big niece' over that very afternoon.
Having taught for so many years, he could tell at a glance whether someone had potential or not.
Without a doubt, Zhaozhao was one, and moreover, a naturally gifted talent.
Now having this chance to personally guide her, Zhuo Mingda was visibly excited.
No sooner had he seen Huo Tingzhou off than he found a suitably sized abacus for Zhaozhao and even roughly planned out the curriculum for the next half month.
Meanwhile, on the other side.
After getting ready in the morning, Jiang Si also went to the Children's Palace. First, she asked for a half-month leave for Zhaozhao, then she found Teacher He to inform him that they would not be withdrawing from the competition.
Teacher He wasn't too surprised by this.
After Jiang Si mentioned needing to discuss it with her child yesterday, he had guessed this might be the outcome.
However, once the news spread, it still caused quite a stir at the Children's Palace.
Especially among the participants in the youth group. The next day, upon hearing the news, they found it rather unbelievable.
They had, after all, studied the abacus for several years, and among them were those who had achieved good results in last year's competition.
Now, a child who was barely four years old (by traditional reckoning) had joined the competition roster.
It was even said she had taken half a month off and wouldn't even attend classes.
Wasn't this a joke?
"Four years old? In the youth group? Am I hearing this right?" A tall, thin boy sneered. "Isn't this a classic case of 'pulling up seedlings to help them grow' in real life?"
A round-faced child next to him said, "Someone saw her mother yesterday. She had a very distinguished air. Who's to say she isn't a relative of one of the judges on the Abacus Competition committee? Do you think they might leak the questions to her in advance?"
"That shouldn't happen. Abacus calculations are done live on stage. How could you cheat at that?"
"Nothing's impossible."
Those who said it was impossible probably just didn't have the right connections. A participant from last year's competition chimed in, "There are so many people during the competition, no one can stare at her abacus the whole time. She could just flick the beads a couple of times and then write down the correct answer..."
Amidst the buzz of discussion,
a small, angry voice suddenly sounded behind them. "Are you all scared?"
The group looked over, puzzled.
They saw a little boy, fists clenched, glaring at them with a fierce, adorable expression.
Someone found it funny and teased him, "Kid, what did you just say?"
"I said, are you scared?" Suisui repeated emphatically, his little chest puffing up with anger.
"What do we have to be scared of?"
"Not scared? Then why are you talking about others behind their backs like this?" Suisui retorted. "She's only four and dares to enter the competition. Did you dare to compete at her age? Did you dare to sign up for the youth group?"
Well...
The group was momentarily speechless.
Seeing their silence, Suisui added, "The competition isn't scary; what's embarrassing is losing. If you guys lose to a four-year-old toddler..."
He knew exactly how to get under people's skin.
He deliberately left the rest unsaid, turned, and ran off.
"Hey! This little brat." He looked so cute, but his words were like shards of ice!
Of course, they were just baffled. No one took Suisui's tough talk seriously.
These days, being skilled at the abacus was more useful than being good at math and science.
If you were good with the abacus, it was even easier to find a job.
So, the prestige of the abacus competition went without saying.
It was said that this time, there were over a thousand participants in the city's youth group alone. The competition was incredibly fierce. Unless she had connections, a mere toddler like her wouldn't even clear the preliminary round.
Suisui, who had run off after delivering his challenge, clearly knew this too.
His little fists clenched and unclenched.
If only he had signed up for the abacus group like his sister did back then. Then he could be with her, and she wouldn't be afraid.
Carrying this mood, Suisui was listless all day.
The first to notice something was off was Jiang Si. Usually, as soon as he returned from the Children's Palace, he couldn't wait to share what he had learned that day or how many pieces he had lost in his games.
But today, he was unusually quiet.
Occasionally, he would speak, but it was always to ask the same question: "Mom, when is my sister coming back?"
"She should be back soon. Your dad has gone to Uncle Zhuo's house to pick her up."
As soon as the words left her mouth, the sound of a key turning in the lock came from the doorway.
Suisui moved so fast he was almost a blur. The door opened, and seeing his little sister smiling with eyes curved like crescents, he immediately bent down, picked up her small cotton slippers, and crouched. "Little sis, change your shoes."
This was part of the siblings' daily routine, and Zhaozhao was long accustomed to it.
"Thank you, brother."
"Tired today?" As he spoke, Suisui had already taken the small abacus from his sister's arms, then led her to the living room, pouring water and washing an apple.
He completely forgot about Huo Tingzhou, who was still standing at the entrance, waiting for his son to help him with his slippers too.
No choice, Huo Tingzhou had to change into his own.
"What's up with him?" Going into the kitchen, Huo Tingzhou asked somewhat puzzled.
Usually when he came home, even if his son forgot to get his slippers, he would at least call out 'Dad' first thing. Today, he hadn't even given him a glance.
Huo Tingzhou even paused to reflect on whether he had done something wrong recently, neglecting his son.
"Probably not," Jiang Si said. "He was fine when I dropped him off at the youth center this morning. He was like this when he came back."
After a pause, she added, "I was just about to ask him when you all came back."
Meanwhile, the conversation between the siblings in the living room continued.
Zhaozhao shook her head, saying she wasn't tired.
Then, with an expression that said she was terrifyingly strong right now, she declared, "Brother, Uncle Zhuo taught me multiplication today. Quick, give me a problem to test me!"
Hearing this, Huo Tingzhou quickly interrupted, "Zhaozhao, come wash your hands and eat first. You've been learning all day; your brain needs a rest too."
When he went to pick her up from the Zhuo family earlier, she hadn't wanted to leave.
Suisui was also worried his sister was overworking herself and might not be able to handle it. "Let's eat first. After you're full, brother will test you, okay?"
Zhaozhao was an obedient, good child and immediately went to wash her little hands upon hearing this.
By the time she sat down at the dining table, a bowl of firmly packed rice was already waiting in front of her.
Suisui had served the rice.
Not only did he serve her rice, but throughout the entire meal, he also kept picking up her favorite dishes for her.
His attentiveness was so pronounced that even Zhaozhao sensed something was off.
"Brother, what's wrong?" Zhaozhao felt her brother was being excessively good today!
Suisui kept his head down, picking at the grains of rice in his bowl, and muttered, "Nothing's wrong. Just eat."
Hearing this, Jiang Si and Huo Tingzhou exchanged a look.
After dinner, Jiang Si took Zhaozhao for a bath.
Huo Tingzhou went to Suisui's room, where father and son had a man-to-man talk.
After all, Suisui was just a child. Coaxed by his father with just a few words, he completely opened up.
He was worried that if his sister couldn't answer the questions, she would be sad.
He was also worried that others would laugh at his sister.
After understanding the whole story, Huo Tingzhou patted his son's head. "Your sister enjoys this process. She doesn't care what others say, nor does she care about winning or losing."
"And you were right about one thing."
Hearing this, Suisui looked up.
Huo Tingzhou said, "At her age, having such thoughts and the courage to challenge herself, she's already amazing."
Of course, while affirming his daughter, Huo Tingzhou didn't forget to praise his son.
"You're also amazing. You were very brave to stand up and defend your sister today. You're a responsible, good big brother!"
Suisui blushed from the praise. "Dad, I'll work hard."
He wanted to work hard to become even stronger, to catch up to his sister!
At that moment, Jiang Si and Huo Tingzhou didn't know it.
A quiet competition of mutual improvement between the siblings had already begun.
Time flew, and in the blink of an eye, the day of the competition arrived—
