The spring breeze is getting warmer, and in the picturesque town, Li Juan is packing her luggage, looking at the rolling waves outside the window, but her mood can't be calm. Tomorrow, she will take her son Xiao Ming into the city, and for the sake of his junior high school studies, she decided to accompany him. Li Juan's husband is away on business, and she is the only one at home to support her.
Xiao Ming pulled the box and babbled: "Mom, I will study hard, don't worry." Xiao Ming's eyes flashed with a desire for progress.
"Well, mom believes you. Li Juan stroked Xiao Ming's head with her hand, but she couldn't settle down in her heart. In Li Juan's heart, accompanying him is not only for studying, but also for giving him enough care by his adolescent Xiao Ming's side.
The next day, the mother and son went to the rental market in the city, and the real estate agent showed them around several houses, which were either dark or cramped, always a little bit short. Xiao Ming led Li Juan and said vigorously, "Mom, I'm not afraid, as long as you're here." ”
Just when Li Juan had the idea of retiring, she met Zhang Qiang, the father of Xiao Ming's classmate Xiao Gang. It turned out that Zhang Qiang was also looking for a house for Xiaogang, he was an engineer, and because of the nature of his work, he needed to be away all year round, so he wanted to find a trustworthy person to share a house so that they could take care of each other. The original intentions of the two families coincided, so Li Juan took Xiao Ming to start a shared life with Zhang Qiang and Xiao Gang.
Zhang Qiang looks about forty years old, with a smile on his face, but there is always a kind of calmness and profundity in his eyes. Seeing Li Juan and Xiao Ming, he warmly shook hands and welcomed: "Li Juan, Xiao Ming, welcome! It is the first time for me to share a house like this, we help each other and make progress together." ”
"Zhang Gong, thank you so much, I don't know the rules of the city yet. Li Juan said with embarrassment and gratitude.
"Where, where, everyone is for the sake of the children, taking care of each other. Zhang Qiang's words carried his father's unique responsibility.
Xiao Gang took Xiao Ming's hand and said excitedly: "Xiao Ming, we can do homework together and play together in the future!"
Xiao Ming also smiled brightly and replied, "Yes, Xiao Gang, we can learn from each other." ”
In this way, the two families began to live together, sharing the kitchen, living room, and bathroom, trying not to interfere with each other and cherish each other's privacy. The first meal in the shared house was sour and hot shredded potatoes made by Zhang Qiang, and he joked: "You can call me 'Chef Zhang' in the future, to ensure that you can eat healthy and delicious." ”
Li Juan responded with a smile: "It can be seen that Zhang Gong's skills are indeed good, so the three of us will please." ”
Every evening, Li Juan would take Xiao Ming for a walk in a nearby park, and Zhang Qiang would occasionally join in. An ordinary shared life, but inadvertently weaves a warm daily life. As time passed, the novelty of living in a shared house began to fade slowly, and the details of life and the problems of reality gradually surfaced. Zhang Qiang has a lot of life experience, and he always has a lot of experience in how to save money and how to deal with interpersonal relationships, which Li Juan and Xiao Ming admire very much.
However, some of Zhang Qiang's ideas and practices also began to put pressure on Li Juan and Xiao Ming. Once, when discussing the education of children, Zhang Qiang made a suggestion.
"Li Juan, in this society now, the competition is so fierce, we should buy some high-quality teaching materials for our children. Zhang Qiang said as he took out a beautiful exercise book from his schoolbag and showed it to Li Juan.
"Zhang Gong, this looks good, but isn't the price a bit..."Li Juan looked at the price tag, and her heart tightened.
"It's a bit expensive, but it's worth the investment for the sake of the kids. Zhang Qiang said with certainty.
Li Juan hesitated, she didn't want to put too much pressure on Xiao Ming to study, and she also took into account the family economy and didn't want to waste too much. "Zhang Gong, I'll think about it and then decide. ”
In the following days, Zhang Qiang recommended various teaching materials and out-of-class tutorial classes to Li Juan several times, and his tone became more firm: "Li Juan, think about it, now this society is slow, step by step. We can't let our children lose at the starting line. ”
Li Juan knew in her heart that Zhang Qiang had a point, but every time she heard the word "starting line", she felt an inexplicable pressure. On the one hand, she doesn't want her son to lose at the starting line, and on the other hand, she is also afraid that when her father is gone, the family expenses will increase and she will be too burdened.
Xiao Ming also felt his mother's hesitation and anxiety, and one day, he cautiously asked, "Mom, do we have no money to buy those books?"
Li Juan looked at the child, and her heart was sour, "Mom will do her best, Xiao Ming, you just need to study hard." ”
After thinking about it, Li Juan thought to herself: "Maybe I should really think more about my children." She nodded helplessly, "Okay, Zhang Gong, then do as you say." ”
Pushing his mother to make this decision, Xiao Ming had mixed feelings in his heart. He was happy to have more study materials, but he was also worried about the financial burden on his mother. Xiao Ming is more and more eager to give his mother an explanation in his studies.
Under the influence of Zhang Qiang, Li Juan and Xiao Ming began to study intensively and save money. They reviewed every day according to the study plan formulated by Zhang Qiang, and used every opportunity to participate in various tutorial classes and activities. Zhang Qiang seemed to be very satisfied with this, but Li Juan's mood became heavier and heavier.
Under Zhang Qiang's seemingly caring advice, Li Juan felt as if she had embarked on a path with no end, and those decisions that went against her heart, although the starting point was good, made her feel more and more confused and tired. Especially whenever she saw Xiao Ming staying up late to do homework, and the tiredness in her eyes that she had never had, Li Juan's heart was even more like a knife. Since Zhang Qiang's influence infiltrated the lives of Li Juan's mother and son, Xiao Ming's grades began to decline slowly. Although the tutoring materials are complete and there are no less extracurricular classes, Xiao Ming is often exhausted and has difficulty concentrating.
After a night of self-study, Xiao Ming returned to his shared house with heavy steps: "Mom, I don't think I can hold on, I failed the math test again today." ”
Li Juan looked at her son's pale face, and her heart tightened: "How can this be? Are you too tired?"
Xiao Ming helplessly spread out the faded test paper in his hand: "I really tried my best, but ......"
At this moment, Zhang Qiang pushed the door and entered, looking at them with a smile: "What's the matter, isn't Xiao Ming's grades ideal?"
Li Juan nodded and sighed, and handed the test paper to Zhang Qiang: "Yes, I don't even know what to do." ”
Zhang Qiang looked at the test paper and said, "This shows that our method still needs to be improved, do you want me to tutor Xiao Ming?"
"No need, Zhang Gong. Li Juan refused, "The child is tired, so I'm thinking about letting him rest for a while." ”
Zhang Qiang's expression changed slightly, and there was no majesty in his words: "Li Juan, what kind of attitude do you have? Now is the critical moment, how can you give up?"
"However, the health of the child is more important. Li Juan finally made up her mind, and her voice was firm, "We can't always rely on this method to learn. ”
Zhang Qiang frowned: "Are you sure? Don't delay Xiao Ming's future because of a momentary soft-heartedness." ”
Xiao Ming suddenly stood up and interjected: "Dad, Uncle Zhang, I don't want to study like this, I want to go to school normally." ”
Li Juan was stunned, and then her expression became resolute: "Xiao Ming is right. ”
This scene seemed to touch Zhang Qiang, his face sank, and he immediately slowed down his tone: "Okay, since you have decided, I won't say much." Still, I recommend giving it a serious thought. ”
Li Juan nodded politely, but she already had a decision in her heart. She was already suspicious, and that night she looked up the counseling materials and tutorial classes recommended by Zhang Qiang on the Internet, and she was surprised to find that these materials and tutorial classes were indirectly related to Zhang Qiang's economic interests. Zhang Qiang is not only for the good of the children, but also for the drive of interests.
Li Juan told Xiao Ming about this discovery, and after some in-depth discussions, the mother and son decided to be more cautious and independent in their education methods and expenses in the future, and no longer be influenced by others. They realized that although Zhang Qiang provided a lot of help, they had to have their own opinions on education and attitude towards life. After recognizing Zhang Qiang's true intentions, Li Juan and Xiao Ming began to replan their way of life and learning. Time flies, and when the new semester parent-teacher meeting arrives, Li Juan is ready.
At the parent-teacher meeting, after the teacher finished speaking, Li Juan plucked up the courage to raise her hand to speak: "Teacher, parents, I have some experiences that I want to share with you. ”
Looking around, the eyes of other parents made her a little nervous, but she still said firmly: "This year, I have been looking for the best way for my son's study. But I found that it is wrong to blindly pursue grades and ignore the emotional needs and health of children. ”
Li Juan's voice was clear and firm: "We overemphasize academic performance and desperately make up classes, is it really for the good of the children?
There was silence for a while, and then some parents began to talk in low voices.
She has a point. One parent said.
"Yes, my children are also very stressed, and we should reflect on it. Another parent chimed in.
Li Juan was stunned for a moment, but she didn't expect her speech to resonate, and her eyes were much softer: "After discussing with Xiao Ming, I decided to reduce the tutorial class and give him more time to read, exercise, and develop his interests." ”
Looking at Li Juan, Xiao Ming's eyes flashed with pride and gratitude.
"We don't deny the need for tutoring, but it's more important to find a way that works for your child. Thank you for your understanding. Li Juan ended her speech with a smile.
Parents applauded, and some even took the initiative to come and communicate with Li Juan, whose words struck a chord with her, and she was glad that she had grown up and was proud of the trust she had rebuilt with her son.
Back home, Li Juan and Xiao Ming hugged deeply, and Li Juan said gently: "Xiao Ming, no matter what, my mother will support you and believe in you." ”
Xiao Ming's eyes were moist and he nodded: "Mom, I will also be myself." ”
After a stage of wandering, Li Juan firmly believes that their choice is not wrong, and behind all this, it is out of deep love for her son and true dedication to education.