Chapter 73
7:50 AM at the entrance of the Culture Palace.
A bustling scene of cars and people.
Xiao Qi walked over because she had made an appointment with someone, so she arrived ten minutes early.
At 5:55, she noticed a black sedan slowly pulling up at the entrance. Xiao Qi wasn't really knowledgeable about cars, but she thought this one looked nice. The paint on its surface had a shimmering effect under the sunlight, as if it were flowing.
The driver got out of the car first and hurriedly went to the back to open the door.
The door opened, and a girl in a blue dress stepped out.
Her posture as she got out of the car was graceful.
She smiled and thanked the driver.
Then she walked towards Xiao Qi and said, "Good morning, Teacher Xiao Qi."
"Good morning." Xiao Qi felt a little embarrassed that the other person called her "teacher." They were going to study together later, so she said, "Just call me Xiao Qi."
Guan Jingzhi nodded. ViiSiit novelbi/n(.)c/(o)m for latest novels
She found Teacher Xiao Qi quite interesting. Looking at her, she seemed aloof and unapproachable. Guan Jingzhi had seen her from the car, standing at the entrance, looking beautiful and serious. She didn't seem like someone you could casually strike up a conversation with. In this aspect, she reminded Guan Jingzhi of her cousin, who was also very aloof and dominant. But as soon as she spoke, she seemed actually quite shy, blushing even with a single word.
Xiao Qi was wearing jeans and a doll T-shirt today, which her aunt had bought for her. Her legs were long and slender, and the light pink top complemented her fair and charming appearance, adding a touch of playfulness, making her look very ladylike.
After exchanging greetings, the two of them entered together.
Zhou Meiling, Guan Jingzhi's Japanese language teacher, was a staff member at the Culture Palace. It was said that she had spent over ten years in Japan and South Korea and was proficient in both Japanese and Korean. Unlike those Japanese language training centers in Lvshan City nowadays, some of which were just pretending to teach after studying Japanese for a few years and weren't really good at speaking it, she was genuinely knowledgeable. After all, compared to English, Japanese was considered a minor language in China, so it was easier to deceive people.
Zhou Meiling was arranged as Guan Jingzhi's teacher by her family and didn't offer classes publicly. However, she did accept a few students who had connections. The tuition fee was not high, only 100 yuan per class.
Yesterday, Guan Jingzhi had sent Zhou Meiling an introduction about her friend who wanted to learn Japanese. Zhou Meiling wasn't very happy about it. She was only teaching these few students as a favor because they all had connections. Otherwise, she wouldn't have easily taken on this responsibility.
But Guan Jingzhi was one of the more outstanding students, and Zhou Meiling personally liked her. The young girl studied diligently and had a good understanding and quick learning abilities. The same couldn't be said for the other students. Fortunately, even if some students didn't perform well, they would lose interest after a while and wouldn't bother her anymore.
At her age, if she really didn't like a student, it would be easy for her to make them give up. Besides, if the person Guan Jingzhi brought along was also someone from her circles, she couldn't afford to offend them. So she agreed to teach the friend.
Guan Jingzhi had just started learning not long ago and had only taken three or four classes.
She had a favorable impression of this teacher. The teacher was polite, taught well, and had a clear and articulate manner of speaking. The teacher also had a certain elegance and insight, perhaps because she had spent time abroad. During the summer vacation, Guan Jingzhi would also go abroad to visit her aunt, giving her a similar feeling of having traveled abroad.
Xiaoqi and Guan Jingzhi entered a room that resembled a conference room. They saw a middle-aged woman sitting at the front, below the screen where slides were being projected. She wore a professional pinstripe dress with a gold-rimmed glasses.
In fact, her age was the perfect time for learning—her memory was sharp, and her mind was agile, making it easier for her to grasp new things. However, because of these factors, children of her age were more susceptible to external influences. Learning often extended beyond textbooks and encompassed social knowledge. Their capacity for learning remained the same.
Therefore, the social environment in which a person resides is crucial, as is the ability to think critically.
Xiaoqi found this class to be extremely engaging, particularly the Hiragana and Katakana charts.
The teacher taught them how to read each character, and she followed along with Guan Jingzhi.
This experience was different from being a teacher or being in a regular class. Small-group teaching had distinct advantages because you could ask questions when you didn't understand, and the teacher would promptly provide answers, greatly increasing efficiency.
The class lasted for an hour and a half, and Xiaoqi surprisingly found it effortless.
Writing was quite easy, and reading was also straightforward. Japanese seemed even simpler than English in many ways.
The teacher also interjected a few simple Japanese greetings:
"Good morning: おはよう (Ohayou)
Hiragana pronunciation: おはよう
Romanized pronunciation: ohayou"
"Good morning, teacher: 先生お早うございます (Sensei ohayou gozaimasu)."
These phrases were easy to remember.
After learning these, it became easier for Xiaoqi to understand her Japanese textbook and the examples provided.
When the class ended, Xiaoqi bid farewell to Teacher Zhou and Guan Jingzhi and went to the gymnasium for swimming.
Zhou Meiling was also pleased. It seemed that the new student was exceptionally diligent in her studies. Zhou Meiling had already considered Guan Jingzhi to be quite good, but she hadn't expected this new student to learn even faster. It was as if she had mastered Hiragana and Katakana in just one class. Zhou Meiling couldn't help but feel a sense of admiration. People truly differed from one another. If she had possessed such a strong drive for learning when she was young, her current situation might have been different.
Xiaoqi hummed a song along the way, feeling exceptionally cheerful as she walked.
Learning new things made her feel good.
When she arrived at the swimming pool, her mind was still filled with the Hiragana and Katakana she had just learned.
She noticed that her memory had improved compared to before. It seemed that the more she used her brain, the more active it became. If she didn't use it, it would stagnate.
Swimming was a mechanical activity, allowing her to swim and recite the morning's lesson simultaneously.
Since yesterday was a swimming competition, the coach didn't push her to swim too fast today. Instead, they focused on maintaining the swimming rhythm and practicing more. As a result, she felt relaxed, and it was the perfect opportunity to recite while swimming.
When she emerged from the water and stretched her body, she suddenly heard a mechanical voice in her ear: "The host has learned a new language and quickly mastered the Hiragana and Katakana charts. As a reward, the host will receive an experiential reading card."