"Mathematics talent? Qiao Yu, are you really good at math?"
"So-so." Qiao Yu, while arranging the takeout, replied vaguely.
"Oh, so-so." His mother murmured in confusion, then looked at Lan Jie with a bewildered expression.
Lan Jie, seeing the innocence on the thirty-something woman's face, felt momentarily confused, unsure who the real adult was. He was about to explain that Qiao Yu's math skills were anything but average when Qiao Yu's next sentence made him forget what he wanted to say.
"Mom, you should invite the teacher in first. Standing at the door like this, the neighbors might think he's selling something."
"Oh, right, right. Teacher, come in quickly. Ah, by the way, what's your surname?"
"Oh, my surname is Lan, Lan Jie."
"Huh? Qiao Yu, doesn't your homeroom teacher's surname start with Yuan?"
"I told you he's not my teacher. He's the math teacher from the high school department."
"Oh, right, right. Hello, Teacher Lan, please sit... Uh, by the way, have you eaten?"
"I have, but why don't you and Qiao Yu eat first, and we can chat afterward."
Lan Jie took a deep breath, glanced at the skillfully arranging Qiao Yu, and with a smile said.
"Oh, okay, let's eat first. Otherwise, if the snake meat gets cold, it won't taste good. Make yourself comfortable."
The woman didn't introduce herself, just acknowledged, and Lan Jie watched as she turned and walked towards the dining table.
Passing by the cabinet, she instinctively picked up a bottle of red wine but hesitated, glanced back at him, and their eyes met. Seeing the surprise in Lan Jie's gaze, this bewildered mother smiled awkwardly and reluctantly put the wine back.
Lan Jie noticed the label on the wine bottle. Oh, it's from Penfolds Winery.
Though not those high-end wines priced in the five digits, it would still sell for over a thousand per bottle in a supermarket, something Lan Jie couldn't afford. He only knew the price because he bought a couple of bottles as gifts before.
His gaze followed the woman's back before being slightly shocked again.
On the floor to the right of the TV cabinet, there were three rows of unopened wine boxes, two neatly stacked with beer and the other with red wine, almost as tall as a person.
Which family stocks up this much wine?
Lan Jie shook his head, withdrew his gaze, and looked towards the balcony.
Wow, not sure how long those beer cans have been randomly piled up together. Fortunately, they're mostly the aluminum kind, at least they won't hurt anyone. Lan Jie glanced at the mother and son at the dining table, seeing Qiao Yu eating enthusiastically, not resembling someone who drank regularly.
This also allowed Lan Jie to breathe a sigh of relief.
Drinking might bring happiness, but alcohol is undeniably bad for the brain. Especially for a child with a mathematics talent, alcohol isn't good.
Feeling at ease, he couldn't help but glance at the mother again.
There's no denying, a beauty always draws attention no matter where she is.
The woman gracefully picked up a piece of snake meat, elegantly putting it in her mouth. After a couple of chews, the meat separated from the bone and came out smoothly, suggesting she's experienced at eating it, giving an impression of elegance.
She swallowed the meat with an expression of enjoyment, instinctively picking up an empty glass beside her, seemed to realize it was empty, and shot a glance this way, their eyes met again...
Lan Jie quickly looked away.
He couldn't very well say, feel free to drink, right? Otherwise, how could they continue the conversation later if she got drunk?
…
Finally, after eating, Qiao Yu brought over a chair for his mother to sit opposite the sofa in the living room. He silently sat at the side of the two-person sofa.
"Qiao Yu's mother..."
"Teacher Lan, my mom's name is Qiao Xi, with the difficult 'Xi' as in 'morning light'." Qiao Yu interjected, introducing her.
Lan Jie nodded, appears Qiao Yu took his mother's surname. He continued, "Miss Qiao, I'm here to discuss Qiao Yu's future with you."
His expression became serious.
The earlier observations told Lan Jie that he couldn't communicate with this mother as he would with others.
"Okay, go on, I'm listening." Qiao Xi nodded, but to Lan Jie, her confusion was still evident.
"You might not know this, but Qiao Yu has a high level of math skills. He's ranked among the top ten students nationwide at the middle school level. Even though his other subjects might not be as good, it doesn't matter. If Qiao Yu puts in the effort, he definitely has the chance to enter the national training team. Once in, he wouldn't need to take the college entrance exam to gain admission to top Huaxia universities like Huaqing or Yanbei."
Lan Jie spoke in a concise style, with some subjective exaggeration.
However, given Qiao Yu's current performance, Lan Jie was truly confident that Qiao Yu could aim for top domestic universities.
Even if he doesn't do well in this year's exams, it's alright. With his current performance, as long as he practices his writing, entering the national competition shouldn't be a problem.
Once he enters the national competition, by high school next year, the math autumn camp in Yanbei University and the math summer camp in Huaqing, he could surely draw attention to Qiao Yu's talents from these top universities.
Moreover, by then, Qiao Yu, who would have taken a year off, should be able to enter high school, and participating in another Mathematical Olympiad in his first year shouldn't be an issue for entering the national team.
Personally uncovering a Yanbei recommended student, who might even represent Huaxia in the Olympic competition to win a gold medal and compete for the championship, was indeed exciting for Lan Jie.
It's important to note that in Star City's four major high schools, competition tutors are often reputable teachers, with some being former international Olympic gold medalists taught by university math professors. Being just an ordinary high school math teacher, discovering and nurturing a good seedling would surely grant him some fame in the education world.
Such is the nature of education; excellent teachers and students often achieve greatness together.
Especially in Iron High, a regular high school, finding such a promising student is incredibly difficult!
"Huh? Qiao Yu? Huaqing, Yanbei?" Qiao Xi looked at Lan Jie even more puzzled.
"Yes!" Lan Jie affirmed firmly.
"Qiao Yu, didn't you say you definitely couldn't make it to high school?" Qiao Xi looked at her son with a troubled expression.
There was too much information, it was overwhelming, and she genuinely felt her brain might explode.
"I don't know, I was supposed to be unable to make it." Qiao Yu replied nonchalantly.
"If you have the chance to attend Huaqing or Yanbei, you should take it, right? Uh, Teacher Lan, what competition did you mention?"
"Mathematical Olympiad..."
The woman took out her phone and began researching...
A moment later, Qiao Xi looked up, glanced at Lan Jie, then looked at Qiao Yu, and suddenly spoke in fluent English, "I remember that before your grandfather passed away, he said his only wish was for you to become a college student. If you really have the chance to attend a good university, you should take it, right?"
Qiao Yu shrugged and replied in English, "Yeah, but his last words were for you to quit drinking and take good care of me."
Lan Jie was stunned, and after processing it, even though Qiao Xi spoke English with an intellectual beauty, he still felt a bit insulted. He cleared his throat and said seriously, "Uh, well, my English isn't very good, but I can understand it."
"Ah?" Qiao Xi was taken aback and instinctively blurted out in Korean, "Can you understand Korean then?"
Very fluent... which genuinely left Lan Jie quite baffled as he'd never studied it properly.
Seeing the slight confusion in Lan Jie's eyes, Qiao Xi turned to Qiao Yu, "If your math is as good as the teacher says, you should give it a shot. I'm your mother, you need to listen to me!"
Qiao Yu sighed and immediately replied, "If I go to school, who's going to take care of you?"
The woman visibly became angry, raising her pretty eyebrows, "Do you think I'd starve to death if you leave? Can't you stop looking down on me?"
Qiao Yu: "..."
The humble son, at least he really is her biological child.