Wang Yue Moves Into His New Home

Wang Yue Moves Into His New Home

The word "comparison" could stir up all sorts of emotions.

Take happiness, for example. If everyone else was hungry and you had a steamed bun, then you were happy.

I even remember a writer once saying that if everyone needed to use the restroom and there was only one stall, you were happier squatting inside it than waiting in line outside.

Then there were the results in Zhang Xue'er's class this time. Mi Tao was still firmly in first place, Xia Huanhuan came sixth, and Yan Ziyou placed eighth.

That comparison was bound to sting. Yan Ziyou was hurt the most, since he had worked much harder than the others. And it went without saying that he couldn't compare to Mi Tao, but this time, he couldn't even beat Huan Huan.

Tian Yulan, though, felt that she was the one who'd been hurt the most. She had swallowed her pride and sacrificed everything to get Yan Ziyou into Ze Shu Gold Class, only to find out that he still couldn't beat Xia Huanhuan, the girl she'd once mocked.

Xia Huanhuan's score was higher than Yan Ziyou's, making Tian Yulan feel that all her efforts had been for nothing. She couldn't see that Yan Ziyou had improved since last time. All she saw was that Xia Huanhuan was better at studying than Yan Ziyou, and that was unacceptable. Tian Yulan couldn't help wondering whether Nan Jianlong had arranged a better tutor for Xia Huanhuan. She had completely forgotten that Nan Jianlong had swallowed his pride and asked one of his subordinates to help him reach out to a former colleague.

That day, Xia Junshan and Wang Yue held their usual discussion. Their topic was comparison.

Xia Junshan told Wang Yue that since Huan Huan had scored higher than Yan Ziyou, another storm had erupted in their family—or, rather, in his sister-in-law's family.

"So what's Tian Yulan planning to do?" Wang Yue asked in surprise. Xia Huanhuan had always been smart; she'd just spent her time having fun before and hadn't put her heart into studying. This time, she'd been stung into working hard, and on top of that, her competition-class teachers had given her thorough, focused instruction. Of course she'd done well.

"What else? She'll go to Ze Shu, of course. But it'll be tough. The seven remaining spots in Ze Shu Gold Class are all for the top three students in their classes." Xia Junshan was a little exasperated, too. His sister-in-law was far too competitive and took everything too seriously.

"Yan Ziyou's grades are already pretty good for elementary school. Why take it so seriously? From what Zhong Yi said, Yuan Yuan should be able to stay in the top ten in her class. I'd be perfectly happy with that. Why compete for first place?" Wang Yue was pretty laid-back about this. Maybe Guan Guan's outlook had rubbed off on him; he wasn't especially fixated on being number one.

"I stopped paying attention to Huan Huan's grades after she came sixth last time," Xia Junshan said. He claimed not to care about grades, but he still couldn't help feeling smug that his daughter had done better than Wang Yue's.

"Actually, Huan Huan seems to like singing and dancing. Why not sign her up for a class?" Wang Yue liked Huan Huan. It wasn't just her personality; she was also a great playmate for Yuan Yuan.

"Do they offer that in your online classes, too?" Xia Junshan asked instinctively.

"Xia, don't leave your brains behind every time the topic turns to your daughter. Do you think those things are easy to teach online?" Wang Yue couldn't understand Xia Junshan's lapses in intelligence. They reminded him of Fourth Brother, from the world of A Smile is Beautiful.

"I just don't think signing her up for classes is a good idea. If she learns too much, it'll take up too much time and wear her out." Xia Junshan knew he'd said something stupid.

"Why not ask a student from the Film Academy to tutor her at home? They'll know all about singing and dancing. Once you figure out what Huan Huan likes, you can sign her up for a class in that." Wang Yue knew Xia Junshan was a total girl dad, always talking about his daughter whenever she wasn't around. He wasn't really worried she'd get tired; he was worried she'd enjoy learning so much that he'd get to see less of her.

"That's a great idea. You really do have a good head on your shoulders!" Xia Junshan said, impressed—not just by the suggestion, but also by Wang Yue's recent work performance.

"Your IQ's pretty high when your daughter isn't taking up all the space in your brain." Wang Yue was glad they'd finally stopped talking about Tian Yulan. His ears could rest at last.

"You say that like you're not a girl dad yourself!" Xia Junshan scoffed. Pot, meet kettle!

"Oh, by the way, give me a ride when we get off work!" As they were about to part, Wang Yue spotted a car by the restaurant entrance and called out to Xia Junshan.

"Sure. But why's the director's car blocking yours again? Did you offend him?" Xia Junshan looked at the car parked crosswise in front of Wang Yue's and asked, puzzled.

"I don't think so. I parked over here, and somehow it still got blocked. Seriously!" Wang Yue shook his head and went back to work.

Xia Junshan walked around the director's car, then left, too. Wang Yue must've done something pretty serious to provoke this kind of pursuit. But that couldn't be right!

That evening, Wang Yue still didn't ride home with Xia Junshan. When he was about to leave, he saw that the director's car had already gone. Maybe the director had just come in early for breakfast and parked there on a whim. Still, after being blocked once, Wang Yue had become a little anxious.

Wang Yue's new home had been finished for more than three months. After carefully choosing an auspicious day, the family of four moved in.

On moving day, that afternoon, Ruan Wan carried a fruit platter over to Nan Li's home. That was when Xia Junshan and his wife found out Wang Yue's family had moved into their neighborhood. Xia Junshan admired how tight-lipped Wang Yue had been, keeping it to himself for so long. He really knew how to keep a secret.

Naturally, Wang Yue and his wife invited Xia Junshan's family over to celebrate the new home. It was also the first time Xia Junshan's family had stepped inside the garden they'd been observing for months.

At Wang Yue's home, Nan Li naturally went to help Ruan Wan in the kitchen, while Xia Junshan and Wang Yue took the four children out to play in the yard.

Wang Yue had joined the gardens of the two houses together. Along the far edge of the lawn, he'd set up a soccer goal against the wall. Wang Yue brought Tuan Tuan, and Xia Junshan brought Chao Chao. The four of them split into teams and started playing.

Meanwhile, the two sisters, Yuan Yuan and Huan Huan, sat on the swing on the other side, watching them play.

Their lively game caught the attention of other children in the neighborhood. Before long, a few more fathers and their kids had joined in, while several little girls went over to play with Huan Huan and Yuan Yuan.

The game gave the children a few more playmates, and Wang Yue got to know the neighbors. Their laughter and chatter carried on until it was nearly dark.

Or, to put it another way, it was like hearing someone shout, "Your mom says it's time to come home for dinner!" It suddenly reminded Wang Yue of his childhood, when he'd often heard people call out like that. But as the buildings grew taller, he'd stopped hearing it.

Wang Yue's family had invited a few neighbors to their housewarming dinner, but they all turned them down. In the end, it was just Wang Yue's family and Xia Junshan's family. When the children learned they'd be able to play together every day, they were thrilled.

After Wang Yue's family and Xia Junshan's family moved into the same neighborhood, they let both sets of parents know. There were plenty of rooms, so the grandparents could come stay whenever they liked.

It had been a nice thought, but neither set of parents wanted to come. They said they'd visit during the New Year holiday. Wang Yue's father said he'd only just retired and finally had time to himself; there was no way he'd let his son coax him and his wife over there and trap them!

Wang Yue was speechless when he heard that. But after thinking about it, he understood and didn't push them. Without anyone to help with the school runs, though, he and Ruan Wan would have to work a little harder. Wang Yue didn't mind. What young couple didn't have to work this hard these days?