After breakfast, Cheng Xing went to open the door, and together, he and Jiang Luxi stepped into the courtyard.
Having finished eating, Cheng Xing settled down to review questions with Jiang Luxi. They had completed their review of elementary school equations the day before, and now it was time to tackle middle school content.
The night before, after returning home, Jiang Luxi had spent hours planning a meticulous review route for Cheng Xing. Since she had taken on this responsibility, it didn't matter whether Cheng Xing was eager to study or not—she had to approach it with full seriousness.
Cheng Xing had fallen behind on a significant portion of his coursework. Jiang Luxi decided to start with math, aiming to consolidate both middle and high school material, teaching it progressively. She planned to handle English, physics, and chemistry later.
Math was the cornerstone of any academic stream, and Jiang Luxi believed that if Cheng Xing could master the entire middle and high school math curriculum over the next year, combined with his solid Chinese skills, he could get into a university—even if his other subjects lagged.
If he focused and worked hard, there was hope. Perhaps they could finish math early and then review English, which relied heavily on memorization. With strong scores in Chinese, math, and English, Cheng Xing might even have a shot at a second-tier university.
Of course, that was the ideal scenario.
Still, the safest approach was to prepare Cheng Xing for the math required for the college entrance exam. Simply reviewing middle school math, English, physics, and chemistry might not leave enough time. Even if he mastered middle school material, his exam results in those subjects would still be weak. Conversely, tackling high school content without a solid foundation from middle school would be futile.
They could only take it one subject at a time.
Had they started earlier, perhaps from his sophomore year, things would have been easier. With an extra year, Jiang Luxi was confident she could help Cheng Xing recover all his lost ground, assuming he listened.
In the morning, they began with the first four sections of the seventh-grade math textbook, focusing on rational numbers. Initially, Jiang Luxi intended to cover just 1.1 (Positive and Negative Numbers) and 1.2 (Rational Numbers). However, the pace was faster than she anticipated. By noon, Cheng Xing had mastered 1.3 (Operations with Rational Numbers: Addition, Subtraction, Multiplication, and Division) and 1.4 (Exponents and Powers of Rational Numbers).
Only one part of the first chapter remained: simplifying expressions involving rational exponents, along with topics like scientific notation and the properties of exponents, which she hadn't touched on yet.
Jiang Luxi was surprised. Elementary school material had been straightforward, but middle school was supposed to be a challenge.
Yet, she stayed composed and handed Cheng Xing a workbook.
"Not bad. All correct. Operations with rational numbers in seventh grade aren't too hard. But wait until eighth grade—operations with real numbers will really test you."
"Understood, Miss Jiang. I won't get complacent," Cheng Xing replied, grinning.
Jiang Luxi didn't respond, her expression neutral.
"Let's grab lunch. What would you like? I'll bring it back for you, and we'll deduct it from your tutoring pay," Cheng Xing offered.
Of course, he wouldn't actually deduct the full price. The meal costs would be understated on paper. He just wanted Jiang Luxi to feel less burdened about saving money. In reality, when payday came, he wouldn't deduct anything at all.
But knowing her, she'd probably insist on it. After all, it was just ten yuan per meal—forty yuan a month.
Jiang Luxi shook her head. "No need. I brought my own lunch."
She retrieved a roasted sweet potato from the basket on her bicycle. It had been placed at the bottom of a pot that morning.
In their local dialect, sweet potatoes were called "red tubers."
They were common fare here. In the past, many children from poor families would carry a roasted sweet potato in their pocket on their way to school when they didn't have time for breakfast. Red tubers were often a staple in morning and evening porridge.
Years ago, many families in Ancheng couldn't afford fine white bread and instead made red tuber bread. Because of this, many locals had grown sick of sweet potatoes.
Jiang Luxi peeled the sweet potato and squatted down, eating it in silence.
Cheng Xing sighed. He suddenly felt at a loss.
If she hadn't eaten or brought her own food, he'd have plenty of reasons to help her. But she had brought a sweet potato from home.
If it had been fresh and hot, he could understand. But it had cooled and hardened. He couldn't imagine how anyone would find it appetizing. Normally, he wouldn't care if it were someone else. But this stubborn girl had done him a favor.
At that moment, Cheng Xing's parents returned.
Deng Ying entered first and immediately noticed Jiang Luxi squatting in the courtyard, nibbling on the cold sweet potato. She approached, confirming it was indeed cold.
"Cheng Xing, come here!" Deng Ying called, her tone sharp.
"Did you bully her? What did I tell you before? Her home is far, and she can't go back at noon. She's willing to tutor you, even though you're behind. You promised to provide lunch, and this is how you treat her?"
Since Cheng Wen had told Deng Ying about Jiang Luxi's family situation, Deng Ying had felt increasingly sorry for her. So young, riding over an hour to tutor just to earn some money. Seeing her frail figure and cold meal made Deng Ying's heart ache.
Even Cheng Chuan, who followed behind, frowned. Cheng Xing had handled this poorly.
Their family wasn't struggling. Even if Jiang Luxi wasn't his tutor, she was still a schoolmate. Providing lunch wouldn't be a big deal.
"Mom, you're wrong! I didn't refuse her lunch. She insisted on eating that sweet potato. What could I do? If you think it's easy, try convincing her to stop eating it and join us for a proper meal," Cheng Xing defended.
Jiang Luxi stood up and addressed Deng Ying. "Auntie, I chose to eat the sweet potato myself."
"Child, if it were hot, that'd be one thing. But it's cold now. What's the appeal?" Deng Ying asked gently.
"It's fine," Jiang Luxi smiled. "For me, food just needs to fill my stomach. Taste is a luxury when you have money."
"Uncle, Auntie, don't pity me or think my life is hard. As long as I have enough to eat, I'm okay. If I keep working hard, I'll have money in the future," Jiang Luxi said, her smile unwavering.