When Nan Sheng woke up in the morning, Lin Han had already left—he’d been exceptionally busy lately. After breakfast, Nan Sheng rode her bicycle to take the two children to school. Along the way, Siqi chattered nonstop like a little loudspeaker, greeting every familiar face she saw, until Nan Sheng finally "manually muted" her.
Nan Sheng teased her, "Sweetheart, I think your grandma should’ve been named Liu Dahua instead!"
Siqi shook her head defiantly, refusing to accept the criticism. She was just happy, after all!
Nan Sheng dropped her daughter off at daycare first, then headed to the classroom with her son. The last time she’d been here was to enroll the kids.
Truth be told, neither Nan Sheng nor Lin Han had paid much attention to Sizhe’s studies—he’d always been self-disciplined. When Sizhe first arrived in Rongcheng, he couldn’t understand the teacher’s dialect and had to preview lessons at home every day. Now, his grades were comfortably above average.
Nan Sheng inspected his desk and nodded approvingly. It was neat and tidy, unlike the messy desk next to it.
"Lin Sizhe, is that your mom? Why is she dressed like a government official?"
Sizhe’s deskmate, Lv Qiang, nudged him. There was something different about Sizhe’s mother—she sat so upright that even his own mom straightened her posture unconsciously.
During the parent-teacher meeting, the students were shooed out of the classroom. Afraid their teachers might tattle, the kids pressed their faces against the window to peek inside.
Parents were easy to spot—each sat in their child’s seat. The room was packed, mostly with mothers. If both parents were working, grandparents filled in.
Sizhe replied casually, "My mom is a government official."
He didn’t elaborate, afraid it might scare his deskmate. But even that tidbit was enough to astonish his classmates. They crowded around him.
"Really? Your mom’s amazing!"
"She looks so kind, always smiling. I wish I could trade places with you!"
Sizhe thought to himself that his mom also smiled when she disciplined him—but he kept that to himself. "Yeah, she’s really patient," he said, fibbing slightly.
After all, it had been over a year since she’d last spanked him...
At 8:00 sharp, the meeting began.
"Parents, you’ve all seen the report cards on the desks. Compared to last semester, some students have improved, while others have slipped. Let’s discuss this in detail."
Nan Sheng nearly laughed when she saw Sizhe’s perfect score in labor class. The kid loved chores, both at home and school.
The teacher called each student by name, detailing their personalities, strengths, weaknesses, and academic struggles—all without glancing at notes.
About half an hour in, she reached Lv Qiang.
"Lv Qiang’s parent!"
"Here!"
Lv Qiang’s mother, who’d just started slouching, immediately straightened up, regretting her earlier posture competition. Her back was killing her.
"Lv Qiang’s grades have dropped recently—two places lower than last time. He’s bright but has been slacking. Please encourage him to focus more."
"Don’t worry, Teacher. I’ll straighten that little rascal out when we get home."
In those days, parents held teachers in high regard. A scolding—or even a kick—wouldn’t raise eyebrows. In fact, parents might punish the child again for "misbehaving at school."
"Lin Sizhe’s parent, hello!"
"Hello, Teacher!"
Sizhe’s homeroom teacher remembered Nan Sheng. When Sizhe first enrolled, she’d worried he’d fall behind and suggested holding him back a grade.
Yet in just a few months, his progress had been remarkable.
"Lin Sizhe has improved significantly, climbing five places this term. He’s also very proactive in labor class. He mentioned wanting to study hard for military school. I hope you’ll support his goals!"
"I will, Teacher. Thank you for your care and guidance."
Lv Qiang’s mother stewed silently. Did the teacher have to pair them together? Praise for one, criticism for the other—where was she supposed to hide her face?
By 9:40, the meeting wrapped up. Besides discussing grades and behavior, the teacher reminded parents that the children would start middle school after summer break.
The military district only had an elementary school, so students would commute to town for secondary education—families needed to prepare.
As Nan Sheng stepped out, Sizhe hurried over. "Mom, what did the teacher say?"
Despite being well-behaved, he was still a kid—nervous about potential complaints.
Nan Sheng ruffled his hair and summarized briefly.
"She praised your progress and mentioned middle school. I’ve got work to do, so I’ll head out now. We’ll talk more tonight."
"Okay!"
Just as Sizhe was about to walk her out, Lv Qiang yelped, "Mom, why’d you pinch my thigh?"
Did she have to embarrass him in front of everyone?
His mother clamped a hand over his mouth. "Quiet! You’re getting an earful later. Pay attention in class—if your grades drop again, forget about school!"
As Nan Sheng passed by, she heard Lv Qiang grumble, "Good. No school means no homework."
Nan Sheng arrived at the government office before 10:30. Since she was late and hadn’t notified anyone, colleagues assumed she’d been out on official business and greeted her normally.
Chen Tian rushed over when she entered her office, obsequiously taking her bag. "Director, you should’ve called us to accompany you. What if some fool offended you again?"
Nan Sheng thought, You’re the one offending me right now.
Do I need your permission to skip work?
She scanned the room—about thirty people were present, nearly a full attendance. When she walked in, the town’s revolutionary committee directors all stood up.
Who would’ve thought? Last time they met as equals; now they took orders from her.
