sovbooks Chapter 19 School Arrangements
Chapter 19 School Arrangements
In April, during the Qingming Festival, a light drizzle fell, and a thin mist clung to the mountains and forests, adding to the solemnity of the ancestral worship ceremony. Xie Anran also joined the rest of the extended family to climb the mountain and pay homage to their ancestors.
In their past life, the Xie family was unlucky. After their grandfather passed away, due to various unforeseen circumstances, their grave ended up being buried in the same place as a complete stranger. This arrangement remained unresolved for many years, causing numerous inconveniences and restrictions even when offering incense to their ancestors each year. It was only after their father and several uncles pooled their money and effort to repair the ancestral grave and renovate the burial grounds that the Xie family finally had a safe place to worship their ancestors.
But this life is completely different. My grandfather is still healthy and strong, the family is well-established and prosperous, and everything is thriving.
Today, for the ancestral worship ceremony, dozens of relatives of the Xie family, young and old, gathered, making for a grand occasion. As the eldest grandson of the main branch of the family, Xie Anran naturally stood at the forefront of the crowd. According to the rules of ancestral worship, the eldest son and grandson of the main branch go first, so he was the first to step forward and kowtow in worship.
Behind him stood a large group of Xie family members, of varying ages, the oldest being over twenty and the youngest just three years old, obediently following behind their elders, bowing and kowtowing in unison.
Xie Anran bowed and kowtowed, not wishing for a prosperous family business or peace and smooth sailing, but silently praying: May my new album sell well and become a huge hit.
As for whether prayers and ancestral worship are effective, Xie Anran doesn't care at all. Having personally experienced something as unbelievable as rebirth, he can accept it calmly and without surprise even if spiritual energy revives in the future.
……
After the ancestral worship ceremony concluded, the group dispersed. Xie Anran returned to Jiangcheng, and as soon as she reached her own door, she bumped into Qianqian's small figure sitting obediently by the door.
"What are you doing here?" Xie Anran stopped and looked at the little girl in front of her with a puzzled expression.
"I've been waiting for you." Sisi licked the sweet lollipop in her hand, stood up briskly, dusted off her bottom, and said in a crisp voice, "My mom said you'd be back from the ancestral worship ceremony today, so I've been waiting for you here for a long time."
"You're so clingy." Xie Anran's lips twitched slightly as she couldn't help but mutter under her breath.
Sisi completely ignored his jokes, focusing only on pushing him forward, her tone full of urgency: "What clingy nonsense? Stop talking nonsense and show me the song you wrote!"
Xie Anran was startled and realized something was wrong. The little girl in front of her looked delicate, petite, soft, and cute, but her strength was ridiculously great. Once the girl grabbed her arm, Xie Anran had no strength to resist at all and could only let her push her into the house.
"No... this is too strange." Xie Anran staggered a few steps after being pushed, her face full of surprise, completely baffled.
When Sisi saw him staring intently at her, she couldn't help but frown, feeling inexplicably awkward: "Why are you staring at me like that? Hurry up and take out the song. Your gaze is strange, like you're looking at a small animal."
Xie Anran's fingers twitched slightly as she pondered: This girl looks so frail, how come she's so strong? Could it be that seven-year-old girls develop so quickly these days? Or is it that my constitution is too weak after my rebirth?
Before he could figure it out, Qianqian saw him standing there motionless, so she simply took matters into her own hands and reached into his backpack to look for it herself.
Xie Anran raised her hand to stop her, but then opened her mouth and gave up. Knowing that she couldn't stop her at all, she simply gave up resisting, walked straight to the bedside, lay down, and let her do whatever she wanted.
……
In the living room, Xie Weimin couldn't help but chuckle as he watched his son's blank expression, completely dominated by the little girl. Liu Xiaoli and Zhang Yun sat to the side, watching the interaction between the two children with amusement.
Xie Anran is usually calm and experienced, far more so than other children her age. However, she often loses her composure in front of Qianqian, always a step behind and looking helpless, which is quite amusing.
After the laughter subsided, Liu Xiaoli composed herself and got down to business: "By the way, the school recently contacted me, wanting to discuss something with you two. Teacher Lin said that the child is exceptionally talented and suitable for more in-depth specialized learning."
"More in-depth learning?" Zhang Yun asked, puzzled. "You mean, you want to teach him more difficult academic subjects?"
"In addition to academic classes, we will also offer musical instrument courses later, so that Anran can choose whichever she likes to learn," Liu Xiaoli explained earnestly.
Xie Weimin, upon hearing this, expressed some concern and said worriedly, "Won't that be too strenuous? Anran is supposed to attend school normally, and learning these extra things on top of that might be too much for her."
"You don't care about our son at all," Zhang Yun said, rolling her eyes at him with a hint of reproach. "Our son has no pressure at all in school now. His teachers always praise him for learning quickly and being quick to understand. He doesn't seem to have any trouble at all."
"Ah? I see." Xie Weimin looked surprised; he had never really known about these things in detail before.
"Don't worry about the pressure. Just communicate with Anran more. If he feels tired or uncomfortable, you can reduce his workload at any time," Liu Xiaoli said slowly. "The main thing is that this matter needs your parents' consent, and we also need to cooperate with the school to do some publicity work."
"Publicity? What does that mean?" Xie Weimin was completely confused and quickly asked.
"Anran's performance at school last time was very well received. The school wants to use him as a role model and send him to participate in the Children's Star Talent Competition held by the TV station after he completes his specialized training." Liu Xiaoli explained the reason in one go.
Xie Weimin and Zhang Yun exchanged a glance, understanding each other perfectly. This would be a tremendous boon for an ordinary family, and while it wouldn't be considered a bad thing for them, it wasn't exactly a necessary opportunity either.
"I think we shouldn't make this decision ourselves. Let's ask Anran what she thinks," Xie Weimin said thoughtfully. "If she wants to go, she can go; if she doesn't want to, we won't force her."
"That's right, it all depends on whether the child likes it or not." Liu Xiaoli agreed wholeheartedly. She raised Qianqian in the same way, never forcing her, but relying entirely on the child's preferences.
Inside the bedroom, Xie Anran looked on helplessly as Qianqian performed the new dance she had learned for her.
"Anran, Anran, this is a dance to a song that Mom wrote especially for you. Look! Isn't it beautiful?" Qianqian stopped dancing, blinking her big eyes, full of anticipation for his praise.
Xie Anran's lips twitched slightly, but she was secretly surprised. She hadn't expected Liu Xiaoli to be able to choreograph and dance.
"Your mother can choreograph and dance?" he couldn't help but ask curiously.
"Of course! My mom used to be a professional artist in a dance troupe." Sisi raised her little face and hummed proudly, "She even won a lot of awards!"
"Wow, that's amazing?" Xie Anran was a little surprised. In this day and age, being able to get into a professional dance troupe and win awards is not just about connections; you have to have real talent.
"Of course! Did I dance well?" Sisi immediately changed the subject, returning to praising him.
"It's beautiful, exceptionally beautiful," Xie Anran could only reluctantly agree.
"You have excellent taste!" Sisi beamed with joy upon hearing this and took the opportunity to praise him.
Xie Anran chuckled dryly, his mind already wandering elsewhere. He secretly pondered that since he was releasing an album, wouldn't it be perfect to shoot a few accompanying music videos?
If Sisi were dressed in an adorable cat-themed outfit and danced cute dances like "Learn to Meow" or "The Pig Song," it would probably generate a lot of buzz. Who could resist a cute little girl?
He looked up and sized up the adorable little girl in front of him. He had to admit that Sisi was exquisitely cute and exceptionally endearing. He just wondered what she would look like when she grew up.