Favorable impression lost

At the dinner table, Da Zhang and Da Zhang's wife barely had any common topics.

It wasn't until the topic of their child's education came up that they finally seemed to be on the same page.

"Lin Yuan, you were good at studying. Look at my child for me; why does he always struggle? You used to deliver food, but then you got into graduate school. Why can't my kid learn no matter how much he tries?" Da Zhang's words were as blunt as ever. However, Da Zhang's wife didn't realize the offense in his words towards Lin Yuan.

Fortunately, Lin Yuan knew Da Zhang's personality and didn't take it to heart at all.

Xia Ye, on the other hand, was completely bewildered listening from the side. 'When did Lin Yuan get into graduate school? Isn't he still preparing for the exam?' However, Xia Ye didn't immediately ask, because the impression Da Zhang and Da Zhang's wife gave her made her subconsciously believe that their words were unreliable.

Lin Yuan put down his chopsticks, "Is the child in second grade now?"

"Yes, just started second grade."

"Does he have any homework he usually does? Let me see it."

Da Zhang's wife immediately got up and brought over a few exercise books, "My brother, you really need to take a good look at your nephew." The expression on the woman's face was as if she had found a life-saving straw.

Lin Yuan flipped through the small booklets.

There were Pinyin exercises and simple math problems.

If one word were to summarize Da Zhang's son's homework, it would be — dreadful.

Simple Pinyin and word formation had many mistakes, and simple addition and subtraction math also had various errors.

Lin Yuan remembered that when he was in first and second grade, his parents never managed his studies; he never stumbled on such simple math problems then. It was only after junior and senior high school, when he was exposed to web novels and games, that he became increasingly less diligent in his studies.

But even though he messed up terribly, he still managed to get into a second-tier university.

In fact, being able to get into a second-tier university on his own in Lin Yuan's upbringing environment, compared to ordinary people, was considered to be quite clever.

And Da Zhang's son, currently, clearly couldn't even reach the level of an ordinary person.

Lin Yuan stood up, holding the toys he brought, and pulled Xia Ye and Da Zhang's son into the bedroom, closing the door on Da Zhang and Da Zhang's wife. He called it: needing to test the child alone.

He pulled Xia Ye in with him to spare her the awkwardness of being alone with Da Zhang and Da Zhang's wife outside.

As for why he absolutely had to keep Da Zhang and Da Zhang's wife out, it was because he wanted to create a relaxed environment for the child where his parents weren't present. After a brief interaction, Lin Yuan noticed that Da Zhang's son's eyes revealed a strong fear of his parents.

After Lin Yuan closed the door, he handed all the toys and snacks to the child at once.

Da Zhang's son timidly took them, not daring to open them for a moment.

Lin Yuan encouraged him, "It's okay, you can open them. Your parents are outside."

After several attempts at guidance, the child finally unwrapped the packaging. After taking the first step, he started playing with the toys unrestrainedly.

"Are the toys fun?"

"Fun," the child answered innocently.

"Do your parents usually buy them for you?"

"They don't buy them for me."

"Why not?"

"Mommy said we don't have money."

"Then do you want to always have toys to play with in the future?"

"Yes."

Lin Yuan, holding the exercise book, asked, "Tell me, do you like doing homework?"

"No."

"Why not?"

"I just don't like it."

"But if you want toys, you have to do your homework well. If you get praised by the teacher, your parents will buy you toys." Lin Yuan didn't plan to talk about the meaning of studying with a seven or eight-year-old child.

"I don't want to do homework." Da Zhang's son's tone began to show a hint of stubbornness.

Xia Ye also patiently guided him from the side, "Why, if you want toys, you have to study hard. If you get a perfect score, your mommy and daddy will definitely buy them for you."

Da Zhang's son completely ignored the guidance of the two people beside him, only focusing on playing with the toy in his hand.

Lin Yuan and Xia Ye tried to patiently talk a few more times, but received little response.

Lin Yuan and Xia Ye exchanged glances, and he shook his head slightly. Then he said in a normal tone, "If you don't study hard, you won't have these toys in the future..."

Da Zhang's son still showed no reaction.

Seeing this, Xia Ye added, "If you don't study hard, we'll have to take back the toys in your hand, okay?"

Da Zhang's son, who had been ignoring them, suddenly looked up, and then his eyes abruptly became fierce, like a small beast guarding its food.

"These are my toys!" The child's sharp voice rang out, and then he forcefully pushed Xia Ye, who was leaning down in a half-crouch beside him.

Caught off guard, Xia Ye stumbled and sat down on the floor. Lin Yuan also hadn't expected such a turn, and he quickly reached out to help Xia Ye up.

"Are you okay?"

"I'm fine. The child doesn't have much strength."

Xia Ye's expression just now was actually very gentle, and her tone was completely like that of a kind older sister. Given her personality, it would be difficult for her to truly scold a strange child.

At this moment, Da Zhang's son's attention had returned to the toy car and model airplane, and he reverted to being the silent child who only focused on playing with his toys.

At this point, Lin Yuan felt helpless.

But he wasn't an expert in child psychology.

He wasn't sure whether this situation was due to the child not being taught how to communicate normally with others since childhood, or if it was simply his nature.

But in any case, he didn't want to get involved in this messy situation.

Lin Yuan was willing to help with Da Zhang's son's education problem, but the premise was that it was limited to a small favor. If it were to get him deeply involved, he wasn't that noble. He had his own life, after all.

Lin Yuan knew very well that the family environment had a huge impact on children. Because his own childhood experience was like this, it made him not as adept at handling situations as Gu Xuan.

Including Xia Ye, who was pampered since childhood, which led to her working at a maid cafe.

But how could Lin Yuan explain such a problem to Da Zhang? Because if this topic were to be opened up, it would be a complete negation of Da Zhang and Da Zhang's wife.

And Lin Yuan couldn't possibly provide a decent job for the two of them. Even if Lin Yuan had the ability now, his friendship with Da Zhang hadn't reached that point. The most troublesome thing was, once he helped with this, if Da Zhang's family had problems again in the future, should he continue to help? He was very afraid of endless trouble.

In short, Lin Yuan was not noble enough to meddle in other people's family affairs.

What began as a chance encounter would naturally end with a simple favor.

And the problems of Da Zhang's family clearly exceeded the scope of a simple favor.

Lin Yuan composed himself and pushed open the door.

"The child is fine. He's only in the first semester of second grade, after all. You can wait until he's in fifth or sixth grade to see. When it comes to studying, it's one part talent and one part interest. Don't criticize the child too much based on his grades; encourage him more and teach him to start with small things.

In short, this matter cannot be rushed."

Lin Yuan kept his mouth shut and said nothing more.

Da Zhang said anxiously, "Then tell me, will my child be able to earn a lot of money like you in the future? If not, I don't want to spend money enrolling him in any tutoring classes."

Da Zhang's wife heard this and immediately hit Da Zhang's shoulder, "If the child doesn't study, will he be like you? You don't earn much money all year round."

Xia Ye beside them was even more depressed. Although she didn't dislike Lin Yuan, when did Lin Yuan start earning a lot of money? And the way Da Zhang and Da Zhang's wife looked at Lin Yuan as if he were a life-saving straw had puzzled her as soon as she entered the room.

"How about... I come back to see the child later?" Lin Yuan could only offer this perfunctory remark, wanting to end everything in front of him quickly.

Da Zhang was still somewhat puzzled, mixed with a bit of alcohol, he eagerly spoke, "When you were delivering food, you were foolish and slow, even worse than me. You just studied a few more years than me. If my child studies hard from a young age, why can't he earn a lot of money like you?"

Lin Yuan was a bit embarrassed. Even though he knew Da Zhang was upset, the other person's words were truly hurtful.

"Um... I didn't say the child won't earn a lot of money in the future. Maybe he'll earn even more than me."

"Really?"

"My point is, he's still young. You don't need to rush." Since the truth was useless, Lin Yuan had to mix in some falsehoods, "When I was seven or eight, I wasn't as good as him."

Da Zhang's face immediately brightened upon hearing this, "I knew it. If even you can do it, why can't my son?"

Da Zhang, after a few cans of beer at the dinner table, had spoken his mind under the influence of alcohol. It also completely extinguished the last shred of gratitude Lin Yuan felt for him.

"It's getting late. We plan to head back now."

"Oh, I forgot something. Lin Yuan, can you check if the courses my wife bought were a waste of money?"

Da Zhang's wife immediately retorted, "You're just stingy with money. Many people say the courses I bought are good."

Lin Yuan, since he was already there, decided to go the extra mile, as it was a simple matter. So, he took a learning tablet and examined the online courses on it.