Chapter 25: A Triumphant Tian Yulan

"Junshan, the art of tea is vast and profound. Even I only know a little about it. If you're interested, you might want to learn it."

Nan Jianlong was delighted to see Zhou Chen showing interest. Between his two sons-in-law, he clearly preferred the one married to his own biological daughter. While his relationship with his daughter was one factor, more importantly, Xia Junshan was his former student, someone he had mentored himself.

"Making tea in your spare time is actually a great way to calm the mind and soothe the spirit."

Zhou Chen smiled and flattered him, "You're right, Dad. When I have some free time, I really should look into it."

On the side, Tian Yulan, seeing that no one was paying attention to her, didn't feel the least bit awkward. Instead, she took the initiative to engage Zhou Chen and the others.

"Xia Junshan, Nan Li, you two really need to give this some serious thought and push Huanhuan harder with her studies. Let me tell you, do you know why Ziyou was able to get first place this time?"

Without waiting for an answer, she provided one herself.

"It’s because I signed him up for a tutoring class. Not one at an agency, but a private class held by their math teacher, Zhong Yi. I have to say, this Zhong Yi really knows his stuff. Ever since Ziyou started his lessons, his math has improved significantly. This time, he didn't just get first place in math; he got a perfect score."

Both Zhou Chen and Nan Li knew the reality of the situation. Watching Tian Yulan boast, they exchanged a glance but remained silent.

Nan Jianlong, however, asked in surprise, "The math teacher for both Huanhuan and Ziyou? Isn't there a rule against active teachers running private tutoring sessions?"

Tian Yulan immediately chimed in, "Uncle Nan, that’s where you’re mistaken. Policies are policies, but who knows if those at the bottom actually enforce them? Besides, without tutoring, how much can a primary school teacher make on a basic salary? Zhong Yi isn't even married yet; if he doesn't run tutoring classes to make money, how is he supposed to afford a wedding?"

"So, that talk about teachers not being allowed to tutor—just take it with a grain of salt and don't take it seriously. Honestly, I hadn't realized it before, but your own child's teacher is actually much more reliable than outside agencies. It costs less, and since you know exactly who they are, it’s much more reassuring."

"Oh, I see." Nan Jianlong didn't fully understand, but he went along with it.

"Nan Li, I think you should consider signing up for Zhong Yi's class. His standards are really good."

Hearing Tian Yulan praise Zhong Yi, Zhou Chen felt quite awkward. *Tian Yulan, I’m afraid you don’t realize that if I hadn't intervened, you wouldn't be praising Zhong Yi right now; you’d be cursing him.*

"Auntie, Auntie, big sister has a teacher at home," Chaochao suddenly raised his little hand and announced loudly to Tian Yulan.

Tian Yulan was taken aback and looked at Nan Li. "A teacher? What do you mean?"

Nan Li, feeling helpless, could only reply, "We hired a private tutor for Huanhuan, a one-on-one arrangement where they come to our home. Since Xia Junshan and I are both very busy, having the teacher come to us saves us a lot of time."

"You actually hired a private tutor?"

Tian Yulan was shocked, and she wasn't the only one; even Nan Jianlong and Yan Peng were stunned.

Nan Jianlong asked Zhou Chen, "You hired a tutor for Huanhuan? Wait, didn't you say before that you didn't have high academic expectations for her? Why hire one now? Huanhuan, are you tired from having lessons at home?" The last sentence was directed at Xia Huanhuan.

Huanhuan answered happily, "Grandpa, I'm not tired. Sister Xiaoqin is wonderful, even better than the teachers at school. I really like her."

Zhou Chen explained, "Xiaoqin is Chen Xiaoqin, the tutor we hired."

Tian Yulan said in surprise, "A one-on-one tutor, and a home-visit service at that? That must cost a fortune, right?"

Nan Li replied, "Three hundred an hour, two hours a day."

Tian Yulan was even more shocked upon hearing this. "Three hundred an hour, two hours a day... that’s nearly twenty thousand a month! Are you two crazy?"

Though she cared deeply about her son's education, she hadn't reached the twenty-thousand-a-month level—she wasn't even halfway there.

Nan Jianlong was also shocked. Nearly twenty thousand a month for tutoring was an enormous expense for his daughter and son-in-law. While they could afford it, it would certainly lower their quality of life significantly.

Nan Li added, "It’s not as exaggerated as it sounds. It’s not every single day; sometimes we skip if we have other things going on. It’s closer to a little over ten thousand."

"A little over ten thousand."

Listening to Nan Li state the figure so nonchalantly, Tian Yulan felt a jolt in her heart. Her own salary was just over ten thousand, and Yan Peng’s was even lower; together, their combined income was only around twenty thousand.

The cost of Huanhuan’s tutor alone consumed more than half of their household income, which made her feel deeply unbalanced. Her tone shifted slightly as a result.

"If you're spending that much on a tutor, it should logically yield major results. So why are Huanhuan's exam scores still just average?"

Zhou Chen’s eyebrows shot up. *She’s trying to bring Huanhuan’s grades into this?*

Yan Peng panicked. He had just promised Zhou Chen yesterday that he would keep things under control, and now, before they’d even eaten, she was starting trouble again.

He blinked furiously at Tian Yulan, signaling her to be careful and stop talking, but she acted as if she didn't see him and continued.

"You really should be careful. Some tutors aren't actually that good. Don't waste your money."

Well, that was the final straw for Nan Li.

"We aren't stupid. Whether someone is capable or not shows in the results. Progress is gradual; you can't expect to see everything in such a short time. Besides, even if it were a waste of money, so what? It’s our own money that we earned, so we decide how to spend it. We’ll just chalk it up to a lesson learned."

Tian Yulan felt even more bitter. She always felt like Nan Li was implying something. *What does she mean by 'earned ourselves'? Are you saying my money isn't earned?* It was true that most of their household expenses were supported by Yan Peng’s parents.

Thinking of this, Tian Yulan felt even worse. She had worked so hard for so many years just to prove she was no worse than Nan Li. She could be outdone by anyone else, but never by Nan Li.

Since she couldn't win, she would compete through her child.

"Based on my years of experience, the tutoring industry is very murky. You need to be careful not to get scammed. Spending all that money only to hire a fraud would be a huge loss. You should only hire teachers you know, who are reliable and whose backgrounds are transparent—like Teacher Zhong."

Her point, both overt and implied, was that Zhou Chen and Nan Li were less experienced than her and had poor judgment.

But Nan Li didn't let her get away with it and responded in a calm, flat tone.

"You make a fair point. But a scam is impossible here, because this teacher, Chen Xiaoqin, was introduced to us by Zhong Yi. Oh, and I forgot to mention, Zhong Yi is Junshan’s junior fellow student. Also, Chen Xiaoqin and the two of them are all from the same county, and Chen Xiaoqin was actually the top scorer in the college entrance exam for their county."

This display of effortless superiority left even Zhou Chen secretly giving her a thumbs up. *Wife, that was brilliant.*

Tian Yulan’s face turned black instantly, and she was so embarrassed she couldn't say a word. All that time she had spent bragging about Zhong Yi, and it turned out he had this connection to Xia Junshan?

Seeing his wife rendered speechless, Yan Peng quickly changed the subject.

"Mom has brought the dishes out. Let's go, let's eat, let's eat."

Nan Jianlong, who had sensed the daggers flying back and forth, immediately echoed, "Yes, let's eat. We made so many dishes today, all the things the kids love."

"Huanhuan, Chaochao, Ziyou, come on, go have dinner with Grandpa."