In the third grade, the children started to learn English. Lin Feng and Zhang Yuxi decided they would use more English at home from now on.
Zhang Yuxi had no objection. "Honey, how many languages can you speak?"
"Seven," he replied.
And so, beginning in the third grade, most of Lin Feng and Zhang Yuxi's interactions with the children involved speaking English. They started with simple conversations and soon progressed to everyday dialogues without any issues. The children's improvement was astonishing.
An Lan and Liu Bo's family came for a visit over the weekend. After hearing about the family's new routine, they looked envious. An Lan had learned French once, but she'd forgotten most of it by now. Damn, she even struggled to understand English sometimes.
"Listening to you two talk is like being in a listening comprehension class. I'm completely lost!"
Zhang Yuxi laughed. "How have you been lately?"
An Lan leaned back on the sofa. "Pretty good. Guo Guo helps take care of his little brother, which makes things much easier for me."
Zhang Yuxi comforted her friend, "Once the kids are all in school, you'll have it easier."
An Lan ran a hand through her hair in frustration. "Right now, the parents in their class have already started with advanced education, enrolling their kids in courses for the kindergarten-to-primary-school transition. I'm considering whether I should have my kids take some lessons too. What did you guys do back then?"
Zhang Yuxi thought for a moment. "We just read storybooks to the kids and played with them.
"Gradually, they learned to recognize some words and numbers on their own. We didn't intentionally teach them; they just absorbed the knowledge themselves."
An Lan rested her forehead in her hand. "I'll give that a try. The last time I asked him to count from one to a hundred, he started jumbling up the numbers halfway through.
"The signs of a future slacker are already showing!"
Zhang Yuxi reassured her, "Don't worry too much, just take it slow. Besides, a child's grades aren't the deciding factor.
"Your family is well-off. Just letting your children grow up happy and live a smooth life is enough."
An Lan nodded and then sighed again. "As parents, we're always afraid of imposing too much on our children, yet we're also afraid they won't excel enough to have a good life in the future.
"It's so hard!"
Guo Guo and Cai Cai had a great time playing with the other children, and they all went to the amusement park. The two families had dinner out before going their separate ways for the evening.
Speaking English at home proved to be extremely effective; the quartet's language skills soared impressively. Now, they could watch movies on their own without needing subtitles. Whenever they came across a word they didn't know, Lin Feng was always beside them to explain.
「That day.」
Among the weekend homework assignments from school was a task to greet and communicate with a foreigner entirely in English. They had to record the interaction on their phones and post the video in the class group chat.
Class Six and Class Eight had the same teacher, so their homework was identical.
Although the fourth child's school hadn't assigned this task, he was still eager to participate with his older siblings.
Foreigners could be seen everywhere in Yangcheng's famous commercial districts, so Lin Feng and Zhang Yuxi took their children there to stake out a spot.
Sure enough, they saw a couple approaching. Lin Feng went over and started a conversation with them. After learning about their homework assignment, the couple was more than willing to help.
The eldest, the third, and the fourth child all asked simple questions, like "Where are you from? Is this lady your wife?" or "Where do you live, and why did you come to Yangcheng?" and "What do you like about Yangcheng? What foods do you enjoy? What's your opinion of the city?"
The second child, however, didn't start with the basics. He began by complimenting the man's wife right away.
"Wow, ma'am, you're so beautiful! You have such a wonderful presence, you look just like a movie star!"
The wife was slightly surprised. "Really? Who do I resemble?"
"Anne Hathaway. I'm a huge fan of hers."
"My goodness, you're not the first person to say I resemble her. My family and friends all think we look alike."
"Haha, then it seems I have a good eye!"
Pointing to the wife's bracelet, the second child exclaimed, "Wow, your bracelet is so beautiful! Did you know my sister wants to be a jewelry designer when she grows up?"
The wife nodded. "That's a very impressive career. I used to dream of being an actress."
The second child sounded wistful. "What a shame! Why didn't you follow that path?"
Holding her husband's arm, the wife said sweetly, "Because I met him, and then I came to his hometown. I'm actually French."
The second child was surprised. "Really? I couldn't tell. Are you of mixed heritage?"
The wife answered with a smile, "Yes, I am!"
The second child nodded. "No wonder you're so beautiful. I know some French."
The two of them continued their conversation in French for a little while.
Lin Feng shot the second child a look, as if to say, What's with you? Are you planning to chat all day? I've been recording for ten minutes already!
Waving, the second child watched the couple walk away. "Wow, that was so interesting."
Lin Feng approached him. "Nicely done. Everyone performed great. I've sent the videos to the teacher."
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