He was eating with great relish.
Hearing the door open,
Chen Zhuo turned his head and glanced at the sweat-drenched Chen Jianguo.
"Dad, how come you’re home so early today?"
Chen Zhuo asked indistinctly, taking a bite of his ice pop.
The sound of stir-frying came from the kitchen.
Liu Xiuying heard the commotion and came out, spatula in hand.
"No work at the factory today?" Liu Xiuying asked.
Chen Jianguo closed the door, walked over to the shoe-changing bench, sat down, and put on his slippers.
He walked to the coffee table and took the red envelope out of his pocket.
He placed it on the glass surface.
Then he pulled out the slightly crumpled copy of the *Zeyang Daily* from under his arm.
He spread it out on the coffee table.
"A red envelope from the factory director."
"It was in the paper, too."
Chen Jianguo let out a long breath.
"The whole factory, and all the neighbors downstairs."
"They all know now."
Liu Xiuying walked over.
She glanced at the large print on the newspaper, then at the thick envelope.
She didn’t clutch her head and weep with joy like they do on TV.
She just switched the spatula to her other hand.
And wiped her hand on her apron.
"How much money is in there?" Liu Xiuying asked, pointing at the envelope.
"Haven’t counted," Chen Jianguo said.
Chen Zhuo sat on the sofa.
He craned his neck to look at the newspaper on the coffee table.
"Oh."
Chen Zhuo responded.
"They printed my name pretty big."
After saying that,
he leaned back against the sofa again.
He went back to watching Wu Song on TV.
"Mom, what’s for dinner? I smell tomatoes," Chen Zhuo asked.
Liu Xiuying looked at her son’s laid-back attitude, as if he wouldn’t care if the sky were falling.
She felt a mix of helplessness and amusement.
"Stir-fried tomatoes with eggs, and a cold cucumber salad."
Liu Xiuying folded the newspaper and placed it on the TV stand.
"I’m going back to cooking. After dinner, let’s get some rest early tonight."
The first day passed with an ordinary meal of stir-fried tomatoes and eggs.
However,
the matter wasn’t over.
The buzz was just getting started.
「The next day.」
It was seven in the morning.
The sun outside was already scorching.
Liu Xiuying picked up a grocery basket.
Having changed her shoes, she was ready to go downstairs to the market.
Chen Jianguo had already left for work.
Chen Zhuo was still asleep in his bedroom. The door was closed, and the sound of his steady breathing could be heard from within.
Liu Xiuying opened the door and walked out.
Just as she reached the third floor,
she ran into Aunt Wang, who lived there.
Aunt Wang was holding an enamel basin filled with freshly washed green beans.
Upon seeing Liu Xiuying,
Aunt Wang’s eyes lit up instantly.
She set the enamel basin down on the steps, blocking the way.
"Oh, Xiuying!"
Aunt Wang’s voice was a bit shrill.
"You really kept this a secret, didn’t you!"
"I always thought your Chen Zhuo was so quiet and unassuming. Turns out he was just at home charging up a super move!"
Liu Xiuying smiled and tried to sidle past her.
"We weren’t hiding anything. He just took the test on his own."
Aunt Wang was relentless, grabbing Liu Xiuying’s arm.
"Come on, give your auntie the inside scoop."
Aunt Wang lowered her voice conspiratorially.
"What kind of Immortal Pill did your Chen Zhuo take? How is his brain wired so differently from everyone else’s?"
Liu Xiuying was a little embarrassed.
"He really didn’t eat anything special. Just simple home-cooked meals, same as us."
"Don’t you lie to me."
Aunt Wang pouted, wearing an I-know-everything expression.
"Did you secretly buy that Life Number One stuff? I see the ads on CCTV every day. They say if you drink it, you’ll get a hundred percent on your tests."
"Tell me where you bought it, I’ll go get a couple of boxes for my little grandson."
Liu Xiuying sighed helplessly.
"Aunt Wang, we really didn’t. He barely even drinks milk." *(Zhang Qiang: Hmm... I think he drinks quite a bit?)*
"He just eats some meat and vegetables like usual."
After much persuading and placating, Liu Xiuying finally managed to break free from Aunt Wang’s grasp.
She continued down the stairs.
That was just the beginning of the gauntlet.
When she reached the iron gate of the residential compound,
the security guard, Old Li, came out holding a teapot.
"Chen Zhuo’s mom, off to the market?"
Old Li said with a broad smile.
"Your family’s been the talk of the town these past couple of days."
"Tell me, how do you and Old Chen usually teach him? Do you watch him do his homework every day? If he gets one problem wrong, do you whack his palms with a bamboo ruler?"
Liu Xiuying had no choice but to stop.
"Uncle Li, we’ve never hit him. We both have to work, so how would we have time to watch him every day? He studies on his own."
Old Li shook his head, looking unconvinced.
She left the compound and started walking toward the market.
On that one short street,
she ran into three different acquaintances.
They all asked the same questions.
"How do you teach him?"
"What brain-boosting food does he eat?"
"Are there any secret tricks?"
Liu Xiuying could only keep a smile plastered on her face the whole way,
constantly repeating the same few lines.
"He doesn’t take any supplements."
"We don’t really manage him."
"He just studies on his own."
When she arrived at the market entrance,
it was chaotic and packed with people.
Liu Xiuying walked up to the pork stall she frequented.
The butcher was a large, heavy-set man, holding a gleaming butcher’s knife.
Seeing Liu Xiuying approach,
the butcher slammed his knife onto the cutting board.
He shouted loudly.
"Hey! Everyone, look who’s here!"
The surrounding shoppers all turned their heads to look.
"This is the mother of our Zeyang City’s prodigy, the number one in the country from Huake University!"
The pork butcher’s shout
instantly drew everyone’s attention.
In an instant,
Liu Xiuying felt like a monkey on a stage, surrounded by a crowd.
The butcher cut off a fine piece of pork belly.
He tossed it directly into a bag and handed it to Liu Xiuying.
"Chen Zhuo’s mom, this piece of meat is on me today! No charge!"

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